Is Placenta a 'superfood' or a Dietary Fad?

Be it encapsulated, blended in a smoothie, or even roasted with vegetables, there are many ways that a woman can choose to consume her placenta after childbirth. With this vital pregnancy organ gaining traction as a "superfood," more new mothers are considering the practice. But is eating placenta really beneficial?

The practice of eating placenta, or "placentophagy," is common in the animal kingdom.

It is believed that most non-human mammals with a placenta consume their "afterbirth" — as the placenta is otherwise known — as a way of eradicating the scent of their newborn and protecting them against predators.

Other literature suggests that animals eat their placenta as a way of regaining nutrients that might have been lost during delivery, and to encourage mother-child bonding.

It is the latter hypotheses that have made placentophagy attractive to human mothers, and with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and January Jones advocating the practice, it is more popular than ever.

While many new mothers hail the health benefits of eating the afterbirth, critics say that the practice could be more harmful than helpful. We take a look at the evidence for both sides of the argument.

The purpose of the placenta

The placenta is an organ that forms on the wall of the uterus during pregnancy, and it is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord.

Placentophagy is increasing in popularity, but does it offer health benefits? The placenta is
crucial for a healthy pregnancy. Encapsulation is the most common method of placentophagy.
Placentophagy advocates claim that the practice increases breast milk supply. The CDC report
how a mother who ate placenta pills became infected with group B Streptococcus and passed
it to her child.

Read more: Is Placenta a 'superfood' or a Dietary Fad?

Human placentophagy: a review (Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2017 Aug 39

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Watch video: Your Placenta Is Not a Superfood, Please Stop Eating It !

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Source: MedicalNewsToday

Corneal Repair: A Clear Vision!

Damage to the surface of the cornea causes pain and loss of vision, but regenerative therapies are providing a clearer, brighter future.

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then it is the cornea that lets the light enter.

For more than 200 years, physicians have been preoccupied with keeping this dome-shaped, transparent surface in front of the iris and pupil clear. German surgeon Franz Reisinger was the first to attempt a corneal transplant in animals in 1818. And in 1838, US ophthalmologist Richard Kissam tried to replace the opaque cornea of a young patient with the healthy cornea of a pig, but the procedure failed when the transplant was rejected. The first successful transplant in humans was in 1905, but outcomes remained poor until the mid-twentieth century, when developments in infection control, anaesthesiology, surgical techniques and immunology vastly improved the success rate of corneal transplantation. In the twenty-first century, advances in cell-culture techniques and bioengineering have opened the door to regenerative treatments for people with damage to one or both corneas.

Unclouded vision requires a clear cornea. Its epithelial surface constantly renews itself to maintain an unblemished, uniformly refractive surface. Cells that are shed from the surface are replaced by new ones that emanate from a small population of stem cells located at the edge, or limbus, of the cornea.

If the stem cells at the limbus are damaged, the renewal process is interrupted. The complete or partial loss of these stem cells — limbal stem-cell deficiency (LSCD) — allows the opaque conjunctiva to grow over the cornea. This can lead to intense pain and, in the most-severe cases, blindness.

Let there be sight -David Holmes

Read more: Corneal Repair: A Clear Vision!

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Nature Video: Repairing the cornea: let there be sight

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Source: Nature

Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Increases Cardiac Risk!

Androgen-deprivation therapy, which is a common treatment for prostate cancer, has been tentatively linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study solidifies these concerns.

Prostate cancer needs testosterone to grow and thrive, so androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is designed to reduce the amount of testosterone in the body to close to zero, thereby helping to slow cancer's growth.

Although the findings are controversial, some studies have shown that ADT combined with radiation therapy is more successful at treating prostate cancer than just radiation alone.

Currently, ADT is recommended for advanced prostate cancer. But it is increasingly being used to treat localized prostate cancer, despite minimal evidence for its efficacy.

At the same time, the number of localized prostate cancer cases has increased dramatically over recent years, due in part to the more widespread use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing.

Side effects of ADT — including erectile dysfunction, diabetes, bone loss, and swollen breast tissue, or gynecomastia — can be fairly substantial. Added to this, there is growing evidence to suggest that low testosterone levels might increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

A common prostate cancer treatment comes under scrutiny in a new study.

Read more: Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Increases Cardiac Risk!

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Source: MedicalNewsToday

Nepal Grameen Bikas Bank (NGBBL) FPO Result, Check if You're Lucky!

Nepal Grameen Bikas Bank Ltd. (NGBBL) has allocated its Further Public Offering (FPO) on Tuesday. According to Prabhu Capital Ltd., the issue manager of the bank, out of 250,524 applicants 97,500 applicants were provided 10 units of mandatory shares through the lottery system.

Of the total 250,524 applications, 3,791 were canceled. The bank issued 975,000 units of FPO shares from 12th to 15th September 2017. The issuance was oversubscribed by 27.69 times.

After the FPO issuance, the paid-up capital of the bank is raised to Rs. 655.5 million. The bank earned a net profit of Rs. 161.4 million in the last Fiscal Year.

Check the link below to see the result at MeroLagani Site:

FPO RESULT LINK

Check the link below to see the result at ShareSansar Site:

FPO RESULT LINK

Check the link below to see the result at Prabhu Capital Site:

FPO RESULT LINK

Check the link below to see all allottees list in excel format:

FPO RESULT FULL ALLOTTEES LIST (excel)

Check the link below to see/download all allottees list in pdf format:

FPO RESULT FULL ALLOTTEES LIST (pdf)

Check the link to DOWNLOAD and press CTRL + F to for search box.

Check the link below to search if your name in the the non-allottees list at Prabhu Capital Site:

NGBBL FPO INVALID LIST

ShareUpdateNepal: Tuesday 17th October 2017

Causes of High PSA that are not Cancer !

The prostate-specific antigen test is a blood test that measures levels of a protein the prostate gland produces. Men with prostate cancer usually have elevated levels of this protein, but heightened levels do not always mean cancer.

Other health conditions may also cause prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels to rise. In some cases, an elevated PSA is temporary and not a sign of a health problem at all.

Cells in the prostate gland produce PSA and levels typically remain below 4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).

Most men with prostate cancer have PSA levels above 4 ng/mL, but about 15 percent of men with a PSA level below 4 ng/mL are also diagnosed with prostate cancer. This means that a PSA test alone cannot rule out or diagnose prostate cancer but can identify whether a man is at higher risk of having or developing the disease.

Initial testing may include both a PSA test and a digital rectal exam (DRE). During this examination, a doctor inserts a finger into the rectum to check the prostate for abnormalities. Together, if these two tests suggest prostate cancer, then the doctor will arrange for a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

False positives - a high PSA level, but no cancer - on the PSA test are common. PSA levels rise with age and other factors. Men with high PSA levels should follow up with a doctor, but should not assume they have cancer.

A high PSA level may not always indicate prostate cancer.

Read more: Causes of High PSA that are not Cancer !

Source: MedicalNewsToday

Video: Prostate Cancer - Essential Facts

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Tissue Engineering and Eardrum Regeneration -Membrane Repair !

Can tissue engineering provide a cheap and convenient alternative to surgery for eardrum repair?

In the most severe cases, a ruptured eardrum can require surgery to put it right, but tissue-engineering techniques might provide a much simpler solution.

The eardrum, or tympanic membrane, forms the interface between the outside world and the delicate bony structures of the middle ear — the ossicles — that conduct sound vibrations to the inner ear. At just a fraction of a millimetre thick and held under tension, the membrane is perfectly adapted to transmit even the faintest of vibrations. But the qualities that make the eardrum such a good conductor of sound come at a price: fragility. Burst eardrums are a major cause of conductive hearing loss — when sounds can't pass from the outer to the inner ear.

Most burst eardrums are caused by infections or trauma. The vast majority heal on their own in about ten days, but for a small proportion of people the perforation fails to heal naturally. These chronic ruptures cause conductive hearing loss and increase the risk of middle ear infections, which can have serious complications.

Marching to a new beat -David Holmes

Read more: Tissue Engineering and Eardrum Regeneration -Membrane Repair !

Repairing the eardrum: The sound of self-healing

Source: Nature

Screening Young Adults for Hepatitis C with Rapid Testing!

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a viral infection that affects the liver and an estimated 3.2 million people in the USA are infected with HCV, and most do not feel ill or know that they are infected. Since 2010, acute cases of HCV have more than doubled, with new cases predominantly among young, white individuals with a history of injection drug use.

The current recommendations are that doctors screen patients at high-risk for contracting HCV, which include but are not limited to people born between 1945 and 1965, those diagnosed with HIV, children born to HCV-positive women and individuals who engage in injection drug use (PWID), among other select populations at high risk. This strategy is called "targeted" screening. "Routine" screening, as defined in the study, tests all individuals in a community with a high prevalence of HCV.

Video: One step Hepatitis C Virus Test Cassette, Raecho International

There are two ways to perform these screenings. Rapid testing is when results are given on the same day that the sample is drawn. Standard testing requires patients to return for a second appointment to get the results. Scientists at Boston Medical Center (Boston, MA, USA) and their colleagues evaluated the clinical benefits and cost-effectiveness of testing strategies among 15 to 30-year-olds at urban community health centers. They developed a decision analytic model to project quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), lifetime costs (2016 USDs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) associated with nine strategies for one-time testing. The strategies differed in three ways: targeted versus routine testing; rapid finger stick versus standard venipuncture; and ordered by physician versus counselor/tester using standing orders.

Illustration of the Hepatitis C Virus

The team found that compared to targeted risk-based testing (current standard of care), routine testing increased lifetime medical cost by USD 80 and discounted QALYs by 0.0013 per person. Across all strategies rapid testing provided higher QALYs at a lower cost per QALY gained, and was always preferred. Counselor-initiated routine rapid testing was associated with an ICER of USD 71,000/QALY gained. Results were sensitive to offer and result receipt rates. Counselor-initiated routine rapid testing was cost-effective (ICER greater than USD 100,000/QALY) unless the prevalence of PWID was greater than 0.59%, HCV prevalence among PWID less than 16%, reinfection rate greater than 26 cases per 100 person-years, or reflex confirmatory testing followed all reactive venipuncture diagnostics.

Sabrina A. Assoumou, MD, MPH, an infectious disease physician and lead author of the study, said, “When standard testing was applied, patients were less likely to come back for that second appointment to get their results, which in turn meant more people weren't getting the treatment they so desperately needed. Our results indicate that we must initiate rapid testing strategies so that more people will know their status and get treatment more quickly.” The study was published on September 9, 2017, in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Source: LabMedica

Cutting Calories Won’t Help You Lose Weight, Why ?

So, you’re looking to shed a pound or two. Time to cut back on those pesky calories, right?

Not so fast. According to Michelle Adams-Arent, a sports nutrition consultant and the Director of Science and Education for Metabolic Precision, reducing your food intake might not work like you originally thought. In fact, it might actually backfire.

'Your body is built for survival,' Adams-Arent told Business Insider. 'It doesn’t care what you want to look like.'

The minute you start cutting back on your caloric consumption, your body goes into full-on starvation mode. Translation? Your metabolic rate will actually decrease as your body tries to preserve what little nutrition it has. A lower metabolism means fewer calories burned. What’s more, research even shows burning more calories than you consume over a long period of time can increase your body fat. Not exactly the outcome you were hoping for.

Read more: Cutting Calories Won’t Help You Lose Weight, Why ?

5 Ways to Lose Weight Without Exercise

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Slideshow: The 7 Rules of Counting Calories to Lose Weight !

Source: MSN Health

UNDERSTANDING HIV/AIDS: Overview and Life Cycle !

What is HIV/AIDS?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus, which is the virus that causes HIV infection. The abbreviation “HIV” can refer to the virus or to HIV infection.

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection.

HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells of the immune system. The loss of CD4 cells makes it difficult for the body to fight infections and certain cancers. Without treatment, HIV can gradually destroy the immune system and advance to AIDS.

How is HIV spread?

HIV is spread through contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV. These body fluids include:

• Blood
• Semen
• Pre-seminal fluid
• Vaginal fluids
• Rectal fluids
• Breast milk

The spread of HIV from person to person is called HIV transmission. The spread of HIV from a woman with HIV to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding is called mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

In the United States, HIV is spread mainly by having sex with or sharing drug injection equipment with someone who has HIV. To reduce your risk of HIV infection, use condoms correctly and consistently during sex, limit your number of sexual partners, and never share drug injection equipment. 

Mother-to-child transmission is the most common way that children become infected with HIV. HIV medicines, given to women with HIV during pregnancy and childbirth and to their babies after birth, reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. 

You can’t get HIV by shaking hands or hugging a person who has HIV. You also can’t get HIV from contact with objects such as dishes, toilet seats, or doorknobs used by a person with HIV. HIV does not spread through the air or through mosquito, tick, or other insect bites.

The HIV Life Cycle

HIV attacks and destroys the CD4 cells of the immune system. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that play a major role in protecting the body from infection. HIV uses the machinery of the CD4 cells to multiply (make copies of itself) and spread throughout the body. This process, which is carried out in seven steps or stages, is called the HIV life cycle.

What is the connection between the HIV life cycle and HIV medicines?

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the use of HIV medicines to treat HIV infection. HIV medicines protect the immune system by blocking HIV at different stages of the HIV life cycle.

HIV medicines are grouped into different drug classes according to how they fight HIV. Each class of drugs is designed to target a specific step in the HIV life cycle.

ART combines HIV medicines from at least two different HIV drug classes, making it very effective at preventing HIV from multiplying. Having less HIV in the body protects the immune system and prevents HIV from advancing to AIDS. ART also reduces the risk of HIV drug resistance.

ART can’t cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives. HIV medicines also reduce the risk of HIV transmission (the spread of HIV to others).

What are the seven stages of the HIV life cycle?

The seven stages of the HIV life cycle are: 1) binding, 2) fusion, 3) reverse transcription, 4) integration, 5) replication, 6) assembly, and 7) budding. To understand each stage in the HIV life cycle, it helps to first imagine what HIV looks like.

Now follow each stage in the HIV life cycle, as HIV attacks a CD4 cell and uses the machinery of the cell to multiply.

Read more: HIV Overview

Video: The Life Cycle of HIV

This video explains how HIV targets human immune cells, and uses immune cell machinery to make copies of itself. By comparing an analogy to the life cycle of HIV, this presentation will help you understand how HIV systematically reduces immunity within the body.

Source: YouTube