Age related macular degeneration is the most common cause of severe vision loss in older people in USA that affects the central vision and even it interferes with daily tasks of reading and driving. The Macular degeneration affects the retina in two forms – dry and wet.
‘SCIFLUOR life sciences’ in USA has created innovative therapy for patients suffering from ophthalmologic and neurologic diseases. The Novel compound SFO 166 is a small molecule integrin antagonist designed to treat retinal disease including the Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) through tropical administration to the eye.
The current treatments require repeated injection into the back of the eye. So far no tropically administrated drug has been approved for these conditions. The patent covers the fluorine –centered approach to have the new transformational therapy to patients with serious illnesses.
SFO 166 is a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of integrin avB3 with an optimum balance of physico-chemical properties to allow it to be distributed to retina in high concentration after topical administration.
The risk factors for Osteoporosis
Caucasians and Asians carry the risk factors for osteoporosis that is more prevalent in females. The risk factors include ageing (menopause), hormonal imbalance, low body weight, and habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol etc. Post-menopausal period is one of the risk factors for osteoporosis. In this period the bone become thin and even small injuries may lead to painful fractures. Genetics plays a role for the inheritance. The populations in North Europe as well as the Asian ancestry carry the risk of osteoporosis that leads to the loss of bone mass by 20 per cent soon after entering menopause period. Hence once osteoporosis is detected it should be immediately treated by medication and regular exercise and also by supplementing Calcium and Vitamin-D.
The necessity of Vitamin-D
Vitamin-D supports the growth and development and maintenance of bones in the body while helping the regulation of blood pressure and the activity of immune system cells like macrophages and T-cells.
Vitamin-D is required for the absorption of Calcium in the bones. It plays a critical role in the promotion of cell differentiation. Women who do not get enough quantity of Vitamin-D are likely to develop Cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and auto-immune disorders like Rheumatoid arthritis and insulin dependent diabetes.
Incidence of diabetes in children
The International Diabetic Federation has estimated that 4,97,100 children are living with Type-1 diabetes and the rate of Type-2 Diabetes is also on the ascending level.
While treating children and adults with diabetes, getting patients to target by minimizing the side effects has been the priority as stated by Dr. Nandu Thalange, the paediatric endocrinologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK and the lead study investigator of the BEGIN YOUNG-1 trial.
The committee for medicinal products for human use (CMPH) has given a positive opinion for expanded use of insulin degludec which is a long acting and modified insulin developed by NOVO Nordisk under the brand name of Tresiba, in children and adolescents aged 1 – 17 years with Diabetes. In insulin degludec one amino acid is deleted compared to human insulin. As soon as the European Commission gives the approval the physicians in European Union will be able to prescribe Tresiba to children with type-1 and type-2 diabetes.
Tresiba was approved in Europe in 2013 for once daily use with type-1 and type-2 diabetes as mono-therapy and in combination with oral anti-diabetic (OAD) medicinal products. Tresiba was approved for combination with GLP-1 receptor agonists.
Insecticide – resistant mosquito
Globally mosquitoes are the carriers of malarial infection. Dr. Gregory Lanzaro, the medical entomologist at the University of California Davies , USA and his team have discovered the insecticide –resistant mosquito in Mali, the West African country. This aspect proves that man-made change in the environment that is the introduction of insecticides has altered the evolutionary relationship between two species. In this break down the reproductive isolation has separated.
Anopheles gambiae, a major malarial vector is interbreeding with isolated packets of another malarial mosquito A. Coluzii. Dr. Lanzaro credits insecticide-treated nets has saved about 10,000 lives in Mali alone.
The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that deaths from malaria globally have decreased by 47 per cent since 2000 and most of it is due to insecticide –treated bed nets. It is only a matter of time for the development of resistance.
The new strategies are in development that includes new insecticides, biological agents that include mosquito killing bacteria and fungi and genetic manipulation of mosquitoes aimed to kill them or alter the ability to tranquil the malarial parasite. The study was published in the journal PNAS.
Acceleration of breast and uterine cancers in India
In the past five decades the incidence of breast cancer in USA has decreased to 16000 from two lakhs earlier due to bringing awareness and the modernization of hospitals i.e. hospitals have facilities for screening breast and uterus.
In India the males and females have become susceptible to cancer because of the less screening facilities for growing population, lack of awareness and accelerating pollution of air, water and food. Apart from pollution, habits such as tobacco usage, consumption of alcohol and genetic factors are also the important causes for increasing cancer cases in India.
At present India has 35 lakhs of people suffering from cancer. Hence the central and state governments have to draw their attention, bring awareness by educating people and take steps to prevent this tragedy to safe guard the health of the people.
Eating late at night leads to disruption of the brain
Dr. Christopher Colwel, Professor of Psychiatry and Bio-behavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angels has done extensive research in mice and reported that the habit of eating food late in the night leads to the disruption of memory and it also apply to humans.
The modern life style of working long hours does not allow the need of the body to stick with a specific schedule to remain healthy. The circadian rhythm follows a 24- hour cycle and regulates almost everything in the body including hormones and behavior. Any disruption to this cycle may disturb immune system leading to type-2 diabetes.
In the experiments, one group of mice was allowed to eat at normal timings while a second group of mice was allowed eating late during their normal sleeping time. The mice eating late during their normal sleeping time were severely compromised in remembering what they have learned. The mice also have trouble in the recognition of new objects and showed changes in the part of the brain that involved learning. Hence eating late at night is not good for health.
Benefits of regular exercises
A study conducted on more than 1000 elderly people has reveled that inactive people who often do small doses of daily exercise combined with a healthy diet leads to cutting of their blood pressure and cholesterol that leads to long and healthy life. It was reported in the “Daily Express”. House work and gardening chores also can lead to longer life. Dr. Thomas Buford at the University of Florida, USA stated that people who can reduce sedentary time leads to very important cardiovascular benefits.
The official UK guidelines advice is that people should have moderate exercise for 150 minutes or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week. But three out of four fail to achieve this target. According to a senior cardiac nurse June Davison at the British Heart Foundation,it is already known that older adults who participate in any mount of physical activity gain some health benefit and they should try to be active daily and should try to move regularly through the day and minimize the time being spent sedentary for extended periods.