Biomedical Laboratory Science

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Blood test for Tuberculosis

Together with AIDS, tuberculosis ranks among those infectious diseases with the highest global mortality rate, claiming the lives of between 1.5 and two million people every year. However, not everyone infected with the bacterium develops tuberculosis. In fact, fewer than ten percent of those infected go on to manifest the disease. An international team of scientists, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, have now developed a tuberculosis test that can reliably predict whether an individual will develop active tuberculosis. Doctors may be able to use this test in future to predict the progression of the disease and initiate medical care early.

In future, molecules from blood samples can tell physicians if somebody will develop tuberculosis.

How Hepatitis C Spreads

You may have heard of hepatitis C (HCV or hep C), the potentially deadly virus that causes liver inflammation. HCV often produces no symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage, which makes it hard to know you’ve been infected. However, if you understand the ways in which hep C spreads, you can take precautions to reduce your risk of contracting this virus.

What is hepatitis C?

Hepatitis, in general, refers to liver inflammation. Many things can cause liver inflammation, including toxic chemicals, medications and drug or alcohol abuse. These types of hepatitis sometimes clear up on their own and may not even require treatment.

Poor Protein Control Key to Alzheimer's Progression

Despite decades of research, the molecular mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease are poorly understood. New research investigating the pattern of protein build-up in Alzheimer's brains may open the door to a deeper understanding.

Alzheimers is the most common form of dementia, with an estimated 5 million Americans living with the disease today.

It is a progressive condition, normally appearing around the age of 60.

Alzheimer's disease begins with mild memory loss and can end with the individual losing touch with the environment around them.

Although a great deal has been learned about the disease, there is no cure, and many questions remain unanswered.

Alzheimer's is characterized by a build-up of proteins in the brain, known as plaques and tangles.

Mapping the way in which protein is managed in the brain gives fresh insight into Alzheimer's.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Sleep Problems Could Mean Higher Stroke Risk

That said, researchers stopped short of recommending drug treatment for sleep-wake disorders.

If you're having trouble sleeping at night, your problems could be worse than just being tired: Both insomnia and oversleeping could increase your risk of having a stroke.

New findings, published Wednesday in Neurology, indicate that sleep disorders, like insomnia and sleep apnea, are associated with stroke risk and could hamper stroke recovery. Researchers combined data from multiple studies that focused on the sleep-stroke connection.

"Although sleep disorders are common after a stroke, very few stroke patients are tested for them," said study author Dr. Dirk M. Hermann in a statement. "The results of our review show that should change, as people with sleep disorders may be more likely to have another stroke or other negative outcomes than people without sleep problems, such as having to go to a nursing home after leaving the hospital."

Both insomnia and oversleeping could increase your risk of having a stroke.

Source: msn.com/en-us/health/medical

Video: Sleep and Stroke Risk

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

High-Fat Diet in Pregnancy Reduces Beneficial Gut Microbiota for Offspring

Eating a high-fat diet during pregnancy could alter the population of gut microbiota in offspring, which may have negative implications for nutrition and development. This is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Genome Medicine.

It is well established that what women eat and drink during pregnancy can influence the health and development of their child.

For example, it is recommended that expectant mothers consume 0.4 milligrams of folic acid every day in order to help prevent certain birth defects, and current advice says a healthy, balanced diet is best for both mother and baby.

Women who eat a high-fat diet in pregnancy may be putting their offspring's health and development at risk,
say researchers.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Funny Picture 19: My Response to: "How is Your Research Going on?"

Source: giphy

See more funny pics!

Hypertension Prevalence Higher in Lower-Income Countries for the First Time

In an analysis of global health differences in hypertension occurrence, researchers find that high blood pressure is more common in low- and middle-income countries for the first time.

High blood pressure is the leading preventable risk factor responsible for disease burden worldwide. Raised blood pressure - which can result in cardiovascular disease,heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease - was accountable for around 9-12 million deaths globally in 2013.

According to research published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation, more than 30 percent of the adult population worldwide has high blood pressure, and 75 percent of those people live in low- to middle-income countries.

Previous reports have indicated that the prevalence of hypertension in low- and middle-income countries is on the rise, and is steady or decreasing in high-income countries. However, recent estimates of the differences between high blood pressure worldwide were unknown.

For the first time in history, global hypertension is at an all time high in low- and middle-income
countries.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Most Aggressive Form of Prostate Cancer on the Rise

A new analysis suggests infrequent screening has resulted in an increase in the number of men diagnosed with the metastatic form of the disease.

For decades, experts have said the diagnostic used to screen patients for prostate cancer is too unreliable to use routinely because it produces high rates of false positives and often results in additional unnecessary and invasive tests, as well as overtreatment. However, a new study suggests efforts to limit the use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test may be partially responsible for a rise in incidences of the most aggressive form of the disease.

Source: newsweek

Blood Tests You Need After Age 50

Five Blood Tests You Need After Age 50

HCV for hepatitis C virus: The virus that kills more Americans than any other disease will probably surprise you: It's hepatitis C.
Blood glucose test for diabetes: If you're overweight and have high blood pressure and a history of diabetes in your family, you're a prime candidate for a screening test of the sugar in your blood.
Lipid panel for high cholesterol: If your cholesterol numbers are borderline or if you have another health condition like diabetes that would increase your risk of heart problems, you'll want to be tested.
Bloodwork for sexually transmitted infections: If you have a new sexual partner, multiple sexual partners, or don't typically use condoms, mention it to your doc.
TSH test for hypothyroidism: If your thyroid-stimulating hormone blood test reveals that you have high TSH, you have an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism.

Source: prevention

Genetic Testing Before Pregnancy Should Be as Common as Taking Folic Acid

Very few pre-pregnancy checklists include carrier screening as an important health item.

The very first time I had to tell a patient that she was at 25 percent risk of having a baby with cystic fibrosis, she was already 16 weeks pregnant. Only a few months prior, I had graduated and passed my board exam for genetic counseling. This was a "textbook case," as the saying goes. I reviewed the numbers with her and her husband: Odds were in their favor that this pregnancy would not be affected with cystic fibrosis. This couple wanted to know – they needed to know – with more certainty about what to expect. They were older first-time parents, and they agreed that they did not have the financial or emotional means to raise a child with a chronic health issue.

Carrier screening should be universally offered in the preconception period, one expert argues.

Source: msn.com/en-us/health/medical

Biomedical Laboratory Science