Study Recommends Simplifying Health Information for Patients to Know Their Health Issues Better

It is possible for a health care system to redesign its services to better educate patients to deal with their immediate health issues and also become more savvy consumers of medicine in the long run, reveals a study led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) that was recently reported by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). 
The team's paper describes ten attributes that health care organizations should utilize to make it easier for people to better navigate health information, make sense of services and better manage their own health -- assistance for which there is a profound societal need. 
Some 77 millions people in the United States have difficulty understanding even very basic health information, which clouds their ability to follow doctors' recommendations, and millions more simply lack the skills necessary to make clear, informed decisions about their own health care, said senior author Dean Schillinger, MD, a UCSF professor of medicine, chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at SFGH, and director of the Health Communications Program the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at SFGH. 
"Depending on how you define it, nearly half the U.S. population has poor health literacy skills," he said. 
"Over the last two decades, we have focused on what patients can do to improve their health literacy," he said. "In this report, we look at the other side of the health literacy coin, and focus on what health care systems can do." 
Emerging from an IOM Roundtable that brought together leaders from academia, industry, government agencies, non-profit organizations and patient and consumer interest groups, the new paper examines the programs, practices, attitudes and attributes of organizations that create environments that foster health literacy. 
Why Health Literacy is So Important 
The importance of enhancing health literacy has been demonstrated by numerous clinical studies over the years, said Schillinger, many of them carried out at UCSF. Health literacy is linked directly to patient wellness. People who are adept at understanding health information tend to make better choices, are better able to self-manage their chronic conditions, and have significantly better outcomes than people who do not. 
Adults with low health literacy may find it especially difficult to navigate the healthcare system, and are more likely to have higher rates of serious medication errors, more emergency room visits and hospitalizations, gaps in their preventative care, increased likelihood of dying, and even poorer health outcomes for their children. 
A number of health policy organizations have recognized that health literacy not only is important to individuals, but also benefits society because helping patients help themselves is an important pathway to keeping down health care costs. Successful self-management reduces disease complications and can cut down on unnecessary emergency room visits and eliminate other wasteful spending 
Organizations that promote proper health literacy tend to do certain things very well. The ten attributes in the report include items such as: 

• Making improving health literacy a priority at every level of the organization;
• Measuring health literacy and using those measurements to guide their practices;
• Taking into account the particular needs of the populations they serve;
• Avoiding stigmatizing people who lack health literacy;
• Providing easy access to health information and assistance navigating services;
• Distributing easy-to-understand information across print, audiovisual, and social media channels;
• Taking health literacy into account when discussing medicines or in other high-risk situations by using proven educational techniques, such as the teach-back method;
• Training the healthcare workforce in health communication techniques; and
• Letting patients know what their insurance policies cover and what they are themselves responsible for paying.
  Source-Eurekalert

 

Scientists unravel 'other' malaria parasite's DNA code

Scientists said Sunday they had unravelled the genetic codes of parasites responsible for the bulk of malaria cases outside Africa, and found they were scarily diversified and may be harder to kill.In a study published in Nature Genetics, researchers said they had sequenced the genomes of four strains of Plasmodium vivax -- a parasite that infects about 100 million people every year.Other research had found that 10 to 20 percent of P. vivax cases occur in Africa south of the Sahara -- a region mainly affected by the P. falciparum parasite which causes the most malaria deathsworldwide.Outside of Africa, P. vivax accounts for half of all malaria cases, mainly in the Middle East, the Western Pacific and Central and South America.Both parasite species are transferred by Anopheles mosquitos.P. vivax is more resilient than its deadlier, tropical cousin, and can stay in remission for longer and tolerate cooler climates.Yet much less is known about P. vivax, and less attention has been paid to unravelling its genetic code than that of P. falciparum.With their research, a team from India and the United States say they have tripled the number of genome sequences available for P. vivax.They said they observed an "extremely high genomic diversity", suggesting it may be even harder than for P. falciparum to develop a single vaccine targeting several different strains of P. vivax.In 2010, malaria infected about 216 million people and claimed an estimated 655,000 lives -- mainly in Africa where a child dies of the disease every minute, says the World Health Organisation.Symptoms include fever, headache, chills and vomiting which if not treated within 24 hours can progress to severe illness and even death.In a second Nature Genetics report, scientists in Japan and the United States said they had sequenced the genomes of three strains of P. cynomolgi -- a sister species to P. vivax and a cause of malaria in Asian Old World monkeys.Since it is so closely related, information on the DNA code of P. cynomolgi "provides the foundation for further insights into traits... that will enhance prospects for the eventual elimination of vivax-caused malaria and global malaria eradication," they wrote.

Source:AFP

Gene That Permanently Stops Rapid Cancer Cell Increase Identified

Researchers have discovered a mutant form of the gene, Chk1, that when expressed in cancer cells, permanently stopped their rapid growth and increase and caused cell death without the addition of any chemotherapeutic drugs. 
The study at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine suggests that artificially activating Chk1 alone is sufficient to kill cancer cells. 
"We have identified a new direction for cancer therapy and the new direction is leading us to a reduction in toxicity in cancer therapy, compared with chemotherapy or radiation therapy," said Dr. Zhang, assistant professor, Department of Pharmacology at the School of Medicine, and member of the university's Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
"With this discovery, scientists could stop the proliferation of cancer cells, allowing physicians time to fix cells and genetic errors," the researcher stated. 
While studying the basic mechanisms for genome integrity, Dr. Zhang's team unexpectedly discovered an active mutant form of human Chk1, which is also a non-natural form of this gene. This mutation changed the protein conformation of Chk1 from the inactive form into an active form. 
Remarkably, the research team discovered that when expressed in cancer cells, this active mutant form of Chk1 permanently stopped cancer cell proliferation and caused cell death in petri dishes even without the addition of any chemotherapeutic drugs. 
The biggest advantage of this potential strategy is that no toxic chemotherapeutic drug is needed to achieve the same cancer killing effect used with a combination of Chk1 inhibitors and chemotherapeutic drugs.
Source-ANI

 

Immortality may be Possible by 2045: Russian Billionaire

Funds are an important aspect of the project for a Russian billionaire, who has a plan to make himself and others live forever. 
Dmitry Itskov, a 31-year-old media mogul, implored other magnates to fund cybernetic immortality and the artificial body - basically transferring human consciousness into a robot body. 
In open letter to the Forbes richest list he wrote, "Currently you invest in business projects that will bring you yet another billion." 
"You also have the ability to finance the extension of your own life up to immortality. Our civilisation has come very close to the creation of such technologies: it's not a science fiction fantasy. It is in your power to make sure that this goal will be achieved in your lifetime," News.com.au quoted him as writing. 
According to Mashable, his timetable is tight - by 2025 scientists will be able to transfer the human brain into a robotic skeleton, by 2035 an avatar brain will be created and your personality inserted within, and by 2045 humans will walk around in holographic avatars that will never die. 
Indeed, Wired magazine reported that the Russian wants to end the need for surgery and troubleshoot our robo-bodies instead. 
According to the National Turk, Itskov has said that he has already assembled a team of scientists for the job but still needs more funds to continue the project. (
Source-ANI
 

Memory improves for older adults using computerized brain fitness program

Study receives award at American Psychological Association's Annual Convention

FINDINGS:

UCLA researchers found that older adults who regularly used a brain fitness program played on a computer demonstrated significantly improved memory and language skills.

The team studied 59 participants with an average age of 84, recruited from local retirement communities in Southern California. The volunteers were split into two groups: the first group used a brain fitness program for an average of 73.5 (20 minute) sessions across a six-month period while a second group played it less than 45 times during the same period. Researchers found that the first group demonstrated significantly higher improvement in memory and language skills, compared to the second group.

IMPACT:

The study's findings add to the field exploring whether such brain fitness tools may help improve language and memory and may ultimately help protect individuals from the cognitive decline associated with aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Age-related memory decline affects approximately 40 percent of older adults and is characterized by self-perception of memory loss and decline in memory performance. Previous studies have shown that engaging in mental activities can help improve memory, but little research has been done to determine whether the numerous brain fitness games and memory training programs on the market are effective in improving memory. This is one of the first studies to assess the cognitive effects of a computerized memory training program.

AWARD:

The study also received a Blue Ribbon Award from the American Psychological Association during the organization's annual convention held this week. The Blue Ribbon Awards are based on independent, blind review and scored on methodological rigor, merit, and potential impact on the science and practice of clinical neuropsychology.

Source:University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences 

White blood cells mediate insulin resistance

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say neutrophils, an abundant type of white blood cell typically tasked with attacking bacteria and other foreign invaders, also plays an unexpected role in mediating insulin resistance – the central characteristic of type 2 diabetes, which afflicts an estimated 26 million Americans.

The findings are published in the August 5, 2012 Advance Online Publication ofNature Medicine.

Neutrophils are the first immune cells to respond to tissue inflammation, and can promote chronic inflammation by summoning other white blood cells called macrophages. Chronic low-grade inflammation – common in adipose or fat tissue – is an important cause of systemic insulin resistance.

Using liver and fat cells from mice and humans and live mouse models, a team led by Jerrold M. Olefsky, MD, associate dean for scientific affairs at UC San Diego Health Sciences and professor of medicine, discovered that an enzyme secreted by neutrophils called neutrophil elastase (NE) impairs insulin signaling and boosts resistance. Conversely, deletion of NE in obese mice fed a high-fat diet improved insulin sensitivity.

"These results are largely unexpected," said Da Young Oh, an assistant project scientist in Olefsky's lab and study co-author. "Although several immune cells have been established in the etiology of insulin resistance, the role of neutrophils in this process has remained unclear until now."

Oh said neutrophils were considered to be "transient infiltrates," temporary cells (average lifespan: 5 days) that were incapable of sustaining chronic, low-grade inflammation. "Our studies now suggest neutrophils possess powerful immune modulatory effects," Oh said.

Specifically, neutrophils use NE to activate a signaling pathway which triggers pathogen-eating macrophages to secrete proinflammatory molecules called cytokines. NE degrades IRS1, a key protein in the insulin signaling pathway in both liver and fat cells. Although NE has been shown to degrade this protein in lung cancer cells, the scientists said, the effect on insulin target tissues such as liver and adipose is striking.

The insulin-mediating role of neutrophils makes them a new target for developing treatments of insulin resistance in particular and diabetes in general. "Given that NE mediates insulin resistance, one could, in theory, take an NE activity inhibitory approach to reverse or improve insulin resistance," Oh said, noting that NE inhibitors are already used for treatment of emphysema in Japan and are being tested in the United States, both for emphysema and type 1 diabetes.

Source:University of California - San Diego 

 

New technology eliminates plant toxins

Plants produce toxins to defend themselves against potential enemies, from herbivorous pests to diseases. Oilseed rape plants produce glucosinolates to serve this purpose. However, due to the content of glucosinolates, farmers can only use limited quantities of the protein-rich rapeseed for pig and chicken feed. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen has developed a method to hinder unwanted toxins from entering the edible parts of the plant. The breakthrough was published today in the prominent scientific journal Nature.

"We have developed an entirely new technology that we call 'transport engineering'. It can be used to eliminate unwanted substances from the edible parts of crops," says Professor Barbara Ann Halkier, head of the Center of Excellence for Dynamic Molecular Interactions (DynaMo) at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science.

The potential for toxin-free oilseed rape as a feed crop

The oilseed rape plant is but one example of a crop whose use will be greatly enhanced thanks to the new technology. Unlike the healthy glucosinolates found in broccoli, oilseed rape additionally produces a glucosinolate that is harmful to most animals when consumed in larger amounts.

This means that protein-rich rapeseed cake produced using the byproduct of rapeseeds pressed for oil, can only be used in limited quantities for pig and chicken feed. Due to this, Northern Europe continues to import large amounts of soy cake for animal feed.

Two transport proteins found

The breakthrough increases the potential of oilseed rape as a commercial animal feed:

"We managed to find two proteins that transport glucosinolates into the seeds of the thale cress plant, a close relative of the oilseed rape. When we subsequently produced thale cress without these two proteins, the remarkable result was that their seeds were completely free of glucosinolates and thus suitable for feed," emphasises Barbara Ann Halkier.

Worldwide, oilseed rape is the third most widely grown oilseed-producing crop. 'Transport engineering', the new technology platform, is so promising that one of the world's largest companies involved in plant biotechnology – Bayer CropScience – is now negotiating with the University of Copenhagen's Tech Transfer Unit to collaborate with the research group so as to deploy the new technology and produce an oilseed rape plant with glucosinolate-free seeds. According to Bayer CropScience project leader Peter Denolf such seeds will significantly enhance the use of oilseed rape meal as animal feed and bring along a more sustainable oilseed rape processing procedure.

The research results are the fruit of 16 years of basic research, an excellent example of how basic research can result in new discoveries of direct use for society.

Source:University of Copenhagen