Scientific breakthrough in determining early cancer risk

A ground-breaking study could pave the way for the introduction of a quick and simple £5 saliva test to determine a patient’s risk of developing breast or prostate cancer, and it could be available within just five years.

The saliva test would find those who are genetically susceptible to the cancers and lead to thousands of lives saved each year with high-risk patients being monitored and even undergo treatment early enough to stop a cancerous tumour from even beginning to develop.

The research into early cancer prevention was conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London and funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the Wellcome Trust.

Researchers studied the DNA extracted from approximately 200,000 people; of which half were suffering from cancer and half were healthy. The massive project spanned four years of thorough genetic analysis by 1,000 scientists and they described their findings as the ‘single biggest leap forward’ in relation to the genetic causes of prostate cancer.

Each person is born with three billion pieces of code comprised of chemical letters: A, C, T and G; known as the ‘genome’ and is passed to us from our parents. A single nucleotide polymorphism is a single letter variation in DNA between people and we can have millions of these variations. Because cancer patients were compared with healthy individuals, scientists were able to see the genetic spelling mistakes that were prominent in the cancer group.

They discovered more than 80 genetic markers which are linked to the risk of somebody developing cancers. There were 49 for breast cancer, 23 for prostate cancer and 11 for ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, scientists were unable to ascertain around 60% of the genetic risk factors for the cancer types they focused, however their findings can still help increase knowledge of the inherited causes of the condition.

Interestingly, for the prostate cancer patients, 18 of the 23 variants were attributed to the most aggressive forms of the disease.

The next step for scientists is to create simple blood or saliva tests that can accurately obtain the future risk breast and prostate cancers. These samples would probably have to be sent off for a lab analysis but the hope is to have results available immediately at the doctors’ surgery.

New medicine for difficult-to-treat cancers could also be produced in addition to a new ovarian cancer test. It is thought that even bowel and lung cancers risks may be found with similar methods.
Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “It can help us identify exactly what is driving different types of cancer, which could enable us to develop new therapeutic approaches.”
He added: “By understanding why some people seem to be at greater risk of developing cancer we can look towards an era where we can take steps to reduce their chances of getting cancer or pick up the disease at its earliest stages. The principle is broad and the potential gains are huge.”

Professor Ros Eeles, from the Institute of Cancer Research, also commented: “These results are the single biggest leap forward in finding the genetic causes of prostate cancer yet made. The work could have a big impact on the number of people dying from the disease, which is still far too high.”

Bill Gates offers $1.1million for a ‘next generation’ condom

Microsoft founder and multi-billionaire Bill Gates has offered an incredible $1.1million to any person(s) who can devise the ‘next generation’ of condoms which could help to banish some of the stigma attached to both purchasing and wearing one; ultimately leading to more safe sex and less risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

There will be an initial $100,000 (£66,000) grant for whoever can create a better condom than the latex ones commonly used today, with a further million dollar funding to help develop the best creation.

Gates, the world’s second richest man with a fortune of $67billion (£44billion), has offered the generous sum  as part of his ‘The Grand Challenge’ intuitive from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – a Seattle-based revolutionary global charity founded by Bill Gates and his wife that aims to provide funds into research for better treatments for a wide range of deadly diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis, in addition to tackling the massive problem of hunger and poverty in developing nations.

The foundation released a statement, speaking of their aims behind the quest for a new condom, saying: “Condoms have been in use for about 400 years yet they have undergone very little technological improvement in the past 50 years. Material science and our understanding of neurobiology has undergone revolutionary transformation in the last decade, yet that knowledge has not been applied to improve the product attributes of one of the most ubiquitous and potentially underutilised products on earth.”

It added: “The one major drawback to more universal use of male condoms is the lack of perceived incentive for consistent use. The primary drawback from the male perspective is that condoms decrease pleasure as compared to no condom, creating a trade-off that many men find unacceptable. Is it possible to develop a product without this stigma, or better, one that is felt to enhance pleasure? If so, would such a product lead to substantial benefits for global health?” The foundation stated that they were in particularly seeking a design of condom that “significantly preserves or enhances pleasure, in order to improve uptake and regular use.”

Current annual production of condoms stands at 15 billion, with an estimated 750 million users worldwide. However, there are still many millions of men who are reluctant to buy or use condoms which is perplexing especially when fantastic ranges such as those from Durex or Skins are inexpensive, do not require a prescription, easy to transport around, and offer a highly effective method of protection against unwanted pregnancies and common STIs such as chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea.

Horses are now affected by Britain’s obesity epidemic

Britain’s spiralling obesity crisis appears to be affecting more than the just the NHS and their ever-increasing budget restraints. It seems the expanding waistlines on riders is creating extra strain and causing the horses numerous health problems.

Research published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour indicates that around a third of recreational horse riders are too heavy for their mounts and placing the horse at danger of developing back pain, arthritis and lameness; a term used to describe a wide number of conditions that basically affect the horse’s ability to travel about in a ‘normal’ manner.

Obvious signs of a lame horse include a reluctance to put weight onto a painful or affected side, limping and an excessive ‘nodding’ of its head each time it puts weight onto a certain hoof (foot).

The study comprised of an analysis of 152 horses together with their adult riders. Guidelines warn riders to weigh-in at less than 10% of the weight of their horse. To put this into context, it is estimated that an average stable horse weighs around 500kg to 600kg (79 to 94 stone); therefore the horse’s rider should ideally weigh 60kg (9.4 stone). Shockingly, only 5% of the riders in the study met this 10% guideline.

The researchers from Duchy College in Cornwall discovered that 32% of the riders tipped the scales at over 15% of their horse’s weight. This is sufficient to cause injury and health problems for the horse. The other 63% of the riders were found to weight somewhere between 10% and 15% of the weight of their horse – a ‘satisfactory’ level.

In addition, it was found that heavier riders are also putting the horse at risk of suffering with behavioural problems, such as bucking, rearing and disobedience.

Dr Hayley Randle, one of the scientists involved in the study, said: “People tend to think horses are such big animals they must be okay, and not to take notice of the weight issue of riders. But the health impact on the horse can be quite extreme, quite quickly.”

She added: “The problem is that these ratios are not widely known by people in the horse industry. People do seem generally to be a bit heavy for horses. That is just a consequence, I suppose, of our average weights going up. It is definitely a potential welfare issue. These are broad-brush guidelines. They don’t take account of all factors, such as the age of the horse, the breed, the style of riding, or the experience of the rider. But they are still important and helpful and people are not taking enough notice of them.”

Even though guidelines within Dr Randle’s research say the ‘optimum’ weight for a rider is less than 10% of the weight of their mount, it is more lax in U.S., with a 20% limit in place. In another region that is facing an obesity crisis like in the UK; that could result in many horses with serious health problems.

Keith Chandler, president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, added: “Many riding schools are very aware of these problems and exactly who can ride which horses and who cannot, but there are some horse people who may not fully understand the issues. There is a discussion which needs to take place in the horse riding community. There needs to be an awareness that some larger riders need to ride bigger horses.”

Thread vein removal in male cyclists linked to the ‘Wiggins effect’

Sir Bradley Wiggins’ huge cycling successes during 2012 may have inadvertently led to an increasing number of men splashing out money for cosmetic treatment to remove ‘thread veins’ from their legs.

The British cyclist captured the Tour de France title last year before shortly going on to win gold during the time trial event at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, and capped a fantastic year by being voted as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. If all that wasn’t impressive enough, he was awarded a knighthood as part of the 2013 New Year Honours.

All of Sir Bradley Wiggins’ successes led to thousands of men across the UK picking up a bike for the first time in many years and getting out onto the open road – the ‘Wiggins effect’ as it has been referred to.

As with many male cyclists though, there is a common penchant for leg hair removal as hair-free legs are much easier to massage. In addition, the smoother legs apparently provide less resistance, with some men arguing that with no hair on the legs they become more ‘aerodynamic’ and increasing potential speed – a somewhat debatable theory perhaps.

However, with so many men now removing their leg hair, previously hidden and unpleasant looking thread veins are now exposed and sudden become more visible.

Thread veins, also known as ‘telangiectasia varicose veins’, are extremely common and usually due to hereditary factors, hormonal changes, or simply down to prolonged periods of standing up over many years. Lifestyle choices such as too much alcohol, too much exposure to sun and smoking have also been linked to an increased risk of developing thread veins.

They appear as small clusters of blue or red veins that have become dilated under the surface of the skin and are usually visible on the cheeks, nose and legs.  There are no painful symptoms associated with thread veins but because of their visible nature, they can cause some degree of distress and create a feeling of unattractiveness to those who have them.

Less than a year after Sir Bradley Wiggins’ cycling victories, doctors have now noted that more men are coming to see them regarding treatment options to remove their thread veins. Common treatments to remove them include laser treatment, whereby the veins absorb the light from the laser and are subsequently destroyed.  There is also a procedure called a Microsclerotherapy, where injections are administered via a very fine needle into the thread veins. This results in the lining of the veins swelling up so that no blood is able to flow through them.

Dr Peter Finigan is specialist thread vein practitioner at Dr Newmans Clinic, a nationwide doctor-led consultancy who specialise in the removal of thread veins. Since September 2012, Dr Finigan has treated over 50 male cyclists at his clinic.

He commented on the new trend, saying: “There has been a significant rise in male cyclists requesting our treatment. One comes along, has his thread veins removed, and recommends it to his friends. Then three or four more from the same cycling club make appointments to see us because they’ve been talking about their thread veins to each other when they have a break. It’s normally only once they’ve shaved or waxed their legs that they even notice the thread veins, even though they may have had them for years. Sometimes, fellow cyclists point them out, so they feel self-conscious and want to do something about them.”

570 children start smoking each day

The Smoking Time Machine smartphone app could not have emerged at a better time it appears after new research suggests that approximately 207,000 11 to 15-year-olds take up smoking every year across the UK. This is the total number from 2011 according to Cancer Research UK – up from 157,000 in 2010.

Broken down, this statistic equates to 570 youngsters lighting up their first cigarette every day in the UK, a staggering statistic and especially when considering the legal age to purchase tobacco products is 16.

The shocking figures came from the annual Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England survey.

Following Cancer Research UK’s study of the smoking habits of children in 2010 and 2011, they also found that nearly one in three (27%) under-16s have smoked at least once. This works out at one million children and with eight out of 10 adult smokers beginning prior to turning 19, clearly something needs to be done.

With that in mind, the charity is now calling for all cigarettes to be sold in plain, standard packaging. Australia became the world’s first country to implement this innovative anti-smoking plan in December 2012. The legislation forced all tobacco company logos to be banned from packages and instead replaced by bland, dreary green/brown-coloured packaging with accompanying unpleasant text and photographic warnings.

There is also concern about the addictive nature of cigarettes, with impressionable children initially beginning to smoke and then finding it hard to quit, which will continue into their later years.
The 2010 survey discovered that none of the 12-year-olds were regular smokers, 1% smoked occasionally and 2% said they used to smoke.

However just a year later and within the same group of children, 2% were regularly smoking, 4% smoked occasionally and 3% said they used to smoke. It is believe that around 50% of all long-term smokers will succumb to a smoking-related illness, adding up to 100,000 deaths a year.

Cancer Research UK claim that research shows children regard plain packaging as unappealing and are with such packaging are probably unlikely to be misled by sophisticated marketing that aims to make smoking seem an attraction proposition.

Sarah Woolnough, the charity’s executive director of policy and information, said: “With such a large number of youngsters starting to smoke every year, urgent action is needed to tackle the devastation caused by tobacco. Replacing slick, brightly coloured packs that appeal to children with standard packs displaying prominent health warnings is a vital part of efforts to protect health. Reducing the appeal of cigarettes with plain, standardised packs will give millions of children one less reason to start smoking.”

Public Health Minister Anna Soubry, added: “It’s worrying that these figures show that more 15-year-olds are trying cigarettes. We have consulted on introducing standardised packaging, looking at whether this could reduce smoking in young people. We have an open mind about this. Any decisions to take further action will be taken only after full consideration of the consultation responses and evidence.”

‘Dust mite avoidance and diet modification’ could cut childhood asthma risk

The 24-year old ‘hygiene hypothesis’ has been put into serious doubt this week after new research has suggested this theory is purely a myth.

First proposed back in 1989, the idea behind the hygiene hypothesis is that if there is childhood exposure to allergens and certain infections, this can aid the immune system’s development and teach it to differentiate between harmful and harmless substances, and thus reducing a child’s risk of developing asthma and allergies.

However, Professor Hasan Arshad, a consultant in allergy at Southampton General Hospital, has conducted a 23-year study that may somewhat discredit this theory, finding that mothers can help to massively reduce the risk of their baby developing asthma in their first year of life by avoiding certain allergenic foods and doing their best to tackle and kill house dust mites – tiny creatures that inhabit bedding, carpets, clothing and soft furnishings. It is their waste droppings and not the mite itself that triggers an allergy. House dust mite allergy is common and has been found to be linked to asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis.

Professor Arshad spoke on the study, commenting: “Although genetic links are arguably the most significant risk factor for asthma in children, environmental factors are the other critical component. Although this was a small study, we have found that the risk of developing asthma at some point during childhood is reduced by more than 50 per cent if we introduce control of a child’s environment.”

For the 23-year study, the researchers began to track 120 people born in 1990 and who had a family history of allergies – either both parents had asthma, or just one and a sibling.

It was discovered that 58 of the people in the study had either been breastfed or had drank low-allergy formula milk until they had reached the age of nine months. In addition, their mothers had not consumed any dairy products, eggs, soya, fish and shellfish and peanuts and tree nuts. For these same people, they had benefited from a vinyl bed cover at this young age and pesticides were also used to kill dust mites. Parents of the other 62 children were not so strict and did not adhere to the same principles.

Follow-up tests were carried out when the children had reached the ages of two, three, four, eight and 18. It was discovered that 11% of those in the prevention group had asthma by the time they had reached 18. However, more than a quarter (27%) of those exposed to possible allergens had developed asthma in the same time-frame.

Professor Arshad says: “By introducing a combined dietary and environmental avoidance strategy during the first year of life, we believe the onset of asthma can be prevented in the early years and throughout childhood up to the age of 18. Our finding of a significant reduction in asthma using the dual intervention of dust mite avoidance and diet modification is unique in terms of the comprehensive nature of the regime, the length of follow-up and the size of the effect observed.” He now says that a larger-scale study is required to see if a similar result pattern is achieved.

Asthma is becoming increasingly prevalent in Britain and around the world, with 5.4 million people receiving treatment for the condition in the UK alone and an estimated one in every 11 children. The ‘Asthma and Allergies’ section of the Medical Specialists Pharmacy website has a huge range of prescription and non-prescription medications that can help with problems such as asthma and hay fever – with the latter becoming more prominent in the coming months as March is the start of the pollen season, lasting up until November.

Dismay at the effectiveness of GSK’s malaria vaccine

The expectations and anticipation regarding the world’s first potential malaria vaccine have been dealt a blow after trial results demonstrated that the protection the vaccine offers, can significantly diminish and disappear altogether over time, disappointing researchers who had high hopes for it.

Developed by British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the new vaccine is currently only referred to as ‘RTS,S’. Scientists state that full data from final-stage trials which include 15,000 children, are expected by the end of 2014. However, early results from the vaccine are not encouraging and expose the difficulties in creating a vaccine that offers full protection from a deadly disease such as malaria that claims the lives of more than 650,000 children every year – the most ‘at risk’ group in regards to mosquito bites.

The vaccine has been primarily engineered to help babies aged between six to 12 weeks and in a large-scale phase III trial that was carried out last year, only a third of babies aged within this range were prevented from becoming ill after being administered the new vaccine. Moreover, the protection was lower than what was evident in older children.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, worth an estimated £40bn, was one of the backers behind the research, and after those results emerged last year he commented: “The efficacy came back lower than we had hoped, but developing a vaccine against a parasite is a very hard thing to do.”

Christopher Plowe, a malaria researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, who was not involved in the RTS,S trial, also spoke on the findings last year, saying: “The results are kind of disappointing because we’d all like to see a malaria vaccine that has closer to 80 percent or 100 percent efficacy.”

Results of the latest data were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine. Although the RTS,S vaccine was found to have a rate of protecting peaking at 53%, after an average of merely eight months, the level of protection had declined at an alarming rate.

Ally Olotu of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kenya, who led the follow-up study, said: “It was a bit surprising to see the efficacy waned so significantly over time. In the fourth year, the vaccine did not show any protection.”

A GSK spokesperson commented on the latest results, stating that because they were derived from a small, mid-stage trial, they did not “provide definitive answers about the duration of protection or how the vaccine candidate works in different malaria transmission settings.”

Phillip Bejon, a researcher at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust programme, was involved with the study and he said in spite of the decreasing effectiveness, “there is still a clear benefit to the vaccine.”

Bejon added: “Many of the children (in Africa) will experience multiple episodes of clinical malaria infection, but overall we found that 65 cases of malaria were averted over the four-year period for every 100 children vaccinated. We now need to look at whether offering a vaccine booster can sustain efficacy for longer.”

Smoking app shows how our looks can be affected by cigarettes

Have you ever wanted a sneak peek into the future and see how you could appear in years to come? Well now you can with the help of a new smartphone app that gives smokers the chance to take a deep breath and potentially be horrified at how cigarettes will destroy their looks if they do not quit smoking.

The new app, available for free on Android and iPhone, has been devised by the NHS and goes by the name of ‘The Smoking Time Machine’. It could be viewed as a clever and original method of persuading youngsters not to start pumping into their bodies the 4,000 chemicals that are contained in just a single cigarette. The app may also persuade current smokers to quit if they are shocked at how their looks will be severely ravaged in the near future.

Kate Norman, from Cumbria Partnership NHS Trust, who was responsible for the free app in conjunction with its month-long stop smoking campaign, said: “Young people – and teenagers especially – don’t necessarily think the obvious consequences of smoking such as cancer and lung disease is going to happen to them. But this app uses their face and shows them how they will look. It’s something that is very close to home and hard to ignore.”

Merely by using a photograph of your face, the app will age your appearance to depict the damaging effects in 20 years’ time if you smoke, or continue to carry on the habit. The altered picture then shows the user to have an unhealthy, grey appearance to the skin, significantly deeper wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, and longer jowls. The pictures may be stored and shared amongst friends as a small reminder of what damage cigarettes will do to their current younger and fresher appearance.

Forensic artist Auriole Prince of digital marketing company ‘Change my Face’, commented: “This is the first time Smoking Time Machine has been used in a public health campaign and we think the app works brilliantly as a shock tactic to show people what will happen to their appearance if they carry on smoking.”

The literature produced by Cumbria Partnership NHS Trust will further worry smokers when they read it and learn that the same chemicals contained in cigarettes are also in highly hazardous substances such as jet fuel, embalming fluid, bleach and rat poison!

The Trust’s research discovered that around 40% of frequent smokers manage to develop an addiction prior to the age of 16. Therefore, the shock element of this new smartphone could have an impact with image-conscious teenagers.

For all smokers over the age of 18, why not quit smoking today with the help of the smoking cessation medication Champix, and help to prevent the degradation of your looks! All you have to do is complete the simple four-step online questionnaire, and if the online consultation is approved by one of our Doctors, they will write a prescription that will be dispensed by our in-house pharmacy team, dispatched to you at your home, your place of work, or where ever you choose, discreetly within 24 hours. The medication equates to just £75.00 per pack.

Sugary drinks linked to 200,000 deaths each year around the world

It has been claimed that the consumption of sugary soft drinks could be causing almost 200,000 deaths each year around the world.

The claims emanate from Harvard researchers who used data extracted from a huge investigation into causes of global disease – the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases study, and have now been able to link 180,000 deaths a year worldwide to high-sugar fizzy drinks.

Gitanjali Singh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead author of the study presented the findings this week at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans.

After a painstaking five years spent putting the pieces together of a complex analysis into global fatalities, Singh and his colleagues were able to attribute sugary drinks to approximately 133,000 deaths from diabetes, 44,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 6,000 deaths from cancer during 2010.

There appeared to be a demographic division in the findings with a high proportion (78%) of the deaths occurring in the lower-to-middle income countries in comparison to wealthier nations. Being able to afford private healthcare could be a factor that contributed to this statistic.

The analysis found that Latin American and Caribbean countries had seen the most diabetes-related deaths linked to sugary drinks (38,000). In addition, East and Central Europe had the most heart-related deaths associated to sugary drinks (11,000).

From the 15 highest populated countries within the analysis, it was determined that Mexico had the highest sugary drink-associated death rate – 318 deaths per million adults. Japan was the country with the lowest sugary drink-associated death rate, at just 10 deaths for every million adults.

Sugar-sweetened drinks have been widely known to contribute weight gain and obesity. This then raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.

The U.S. study is more evidence that high-sugar, high-calorie fizzy drinks that offer no nutritional value are a danger to public health and playing a major part in the UK’s growing number of diabetes cases – described as a ‘public health emergency’ only a fortnight ago.

Gitanjali Singh released a statement about the findings of the study, commenting: “We know that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to obesity, and that a large number of deaths are caused by obesity-related diseases. But until now, nobody had really put these pieces together. I think our findings should really impel policymakers to make effective policies to reduce sugary beverage consumption since it causes a significant number of deaths.”

However, the American Beverage Association has disputed the study, describing it as ‘more about sensationalism than science’. Releasing a statement, the group said: “It does not show that consuming sugar-sweetened beverages causes chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer – the real causes of death among the studied subjects. The researchers make a huge leap when they take beverage intake calculations from around the globe and allege that those beverages are the cause of deaths which the authors themselves acknowledge are due to chronic disease.”

Cancer charity discuss Erectile Dysfunction risk after prostate cancer

The UK-based charity Macmillan Cancer Support have spoken on an already long-established subject and one which Medical Specialists Pharmacy have already covered several times – the relationship between prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Prostate cancer develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system and if left untreated it can kill – claiming roughly 10,000 lives every year in the UK alone.

ED (male impotence) is a common condition whereby a man struggled to achieve or maintain an erection satisfactory for sex and is believed to affect around four in 10 males over the age of 40.

Unfortunately, it is a typical inadvertent side effect not from the cancer itself, but from the resulting treatment methods for prostate cancer such as surgical removal of the entire prostate gland, radiotherapy (external via an external-beam or radioactive seed implants) and hormone therapy.

According to Macmillan, there are around 160,000 men in the UK who are currently being treated for prostate cancer that also suffer from ED, and many patients state as they underwent their cancer treatment it became difficult or even impossible to maintain their erection. In fact, Macmillan Cancer Support officials claim that two out of every three prostate cancer patients complain that their treatment has left them unable to get an erection. Rising cancer rates mean that by the year 2030, the number of cases of ED from such treatment could potentially double.

Professor Jane Maher, chief medical officer of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “These figures highlight a major issue facing prostate cancer patients after treatment. The sheer volume of men affected shows the need for careful discussions before treatment. Many can be helped through early intervention and better support for men living with or beyond prostate cancer. Macmillan has worked closely with the NHS to develop a number of services to support cancer survivors after treatment. Some are already in place, but it is vital these services are implemented across the UK so men are not left isolated with this issue.”

To help these particular men, Macmillan now want a framework in place for the creation of a psychological support network in addition to specialised nurses –  trained to assist in issues related to ED. The charity also stress that there should be a higher number of physiotherapists being offered to patients.

Coincidentally, it was only a few months ago when a study emerged that suggested the ED medication Viagra could help sexual function for prostate cancer patients, with a daily dose of 50mg sildenafil citrate (Viagra’s active ingredient) being found to have ‘improved overall sexual function, including improved erectile function’ according to its lead author Dr Michael Zelefsky, vice chair for clinical research programs in the department of radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Cancer Center.

Dr. Daria Bonanno, a consulting clinical psychologist funded by Macmillan, commented on possible reasons why so many men who suffer with impotence problems still refuse to reach out for help, saying: “For many men with prostate cancer there is a certain stigma attached to talking about erectile dysfunction. Many may feel a sense of loss of masculinity and sadness around the inability to sustain an erection and will be reluctant to seek support. This can often cause them to emotionally isolate themselves from their partners and could make the issues worse.”

Hair removal could increase risk of skin infections

Waxing, shaving and other methods of hair removal around the pubic area could result in ‘micro-trauma’ and be linked to the rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) seen in recent years, according to the findings of a new French study.

The researchers who carried out the study focused their attentions to 30 patients who had visited a private skin clinic in Nice, France, between January 2011 and March 2012. All were determined to be suffering from a poxvirus called molluscum contagiosum – a common and highly contagious viral infection of the skin that causes red, itchy spots on the skin.

It can be transmitted from contact of the skin or through contact of a contaminated object such as a flannel or towel. ‘At risk’ groups include young children, those with many sexual partners and people who have a diminished immune system because of HIV or AIDS.

‘Contact of the skin’ is usually through sex and the researchers realised that the number of STIs increases almost annually, with conditions such as chlamydia, herpes and gonorrhoea are rife – partly because of a careless failure to use condoms.

From the 30 patients who had molluscum contagiosum during the fourteen month time period, 24 were men, with an average age of 29.5 for the whole group.

There were other connected skin problems in ten instances which included warts, ingrown hairs and folliculitis – an inflammation in one or more hair follicles, cysts and scars.

Interestingly, in all cases except just two, the patients had undergone pubic hair removal. There were 20 instances of shaving, five were clipped and three waxed. In addition, the warts had managed to spread to the abdomen region in four cases and to the thighs in one case.

Writing in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, they warned: “Hair removal (especially shaving) could favour its acquisition, propagation and transmission by micro-traumatisms.”

They also added that it was ‘unclear’ for the exact reasons behind a surge in preference for pubic hair removal but suggested it could be ‘linked to internet-based pornography’.

The authors continued: “Another reason cited is an increased sexual sensation. There may also be psychological reasons, as an unconscious desire to simulate an infantile look or a desire to distance ourselves from our animal nature.”

30-stone woman demands taxpayer-funded gastric op

A woman who weighs 30-stone and ironically married to a qualified fitness instructor, has demanded gastric surgery on the NHS after claiming she is too big to work and cannot lose the weight.

Wendy Phillips, a 46-year old mother-of-three from Barnstaple, Devon, is currently a size 36 and says her large frame has induced back problems that have forced her to quit her job at a care home.

Her 5ft 2in height and 30-stone weight means that Wendy’s Body Mass Index (BMI) is an incredible 76.8. A BMI reading of between 30 and 40 is deemed obese and anything over 40 is described as ‘very obese’ – posing life-threatening health risks such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and many more. A ‘healthy’ BMI range is between 18 and 25, which further highlights the seriousness of the situation.

She complains she cannot shed the weight by herself and says she needs a £15,000 gastric op – which will ultimately come out of taxpayer’s pockets. This is on top of the £30,000 that she has already claimed over the previous five years from sickness benefits.

Wendy reached her current weight after leading a poor diet for 20 years that primarily comprised of junk food. The NHS unfortunately has rejected her pleas for a weight loss operation and understandably wants concrete evidence she will change her lifestyle indefinitely.

Wendy’s husband Sean is now a nurse, but still goes to the gym three times a week and even completed a marathon last year. It seems his guidance has not had any effect.

She says: “Sean’s advised me about nutrition and exercise, but I don’t have as much willpower as him. I’m sensitive about my weight so he doesn’t push me”, adding it is ‘unfair’ she has been denied a gastric op because she hasn’t proved she is willing to alter her lifestyle. She added: “I know I’ve been stupid – now I’m too fat to work. I was greedy and ate too many sausage rolls. But it’s too late for me to help myself now. I try to diet, but exercise is painful. I worked and paid my taxes for 20 years, so I didn’t expect the NHS to shut the door in my face. If they don’t help me, I’ll die. Taxpayers see fat people as a burden, but alcoholics get help. I’m being treated unfairly.”

Before falling pregnant at the age of 21 to a different partner, Wendy was already a size 16 and subsequently gained six stone through her pregnancy – reaching a size 24 and weighing 19-stone.

She comments: “I’d eat a cheese sandwich for brunch with a packet of crisps, and have a steak and kidney pie with mash for dinner. I’d snack on a large wedge of cheese. I thought it was OK because I was eating for two.”

Reminiscing on meeting her current husband Sean, she says: “He was so fit – 6ft 4 and 16-stone – and worked out every day, but he told me he’d weighed 25-stone before losing 9-stone. He didn’t judge me – he just liked me for me.”

Incredibly though, Wendy has only ever attempted to stick to a diet once – for her wedding. Proving that weight loss can be achieved with the correct lifestyle, Wendy lost three stone to be able to fit into her wedding dress.  Old habits were resumed though and Wendy’s battle with her weight continued.

She says: “I lost 3st by cutting down on carbs and going for walks but despite dropping to 22st and my back pain improving, I was 28st again within a year. Sean was disappointed, but accepted I didn’t have the willpower. People would look at me disapprovingly in the street, but Sean told me to ignore them. I’m ashamed I haven’t been able to work and I’ve claimed so much in benefits. I wish I could stick to diets, but some people just don’t have self- control – it’s not our fault.”

Even though Wendy seems certain that weight loss surgery is the only option, GP Dr. Sarah Jarvis says: “If Wendy stuck to a healthy diet she could lose weight – surgery isn’t her only option. Patients who are unable to lose weight prior to gastric surgery will be less successful afterwards anyway.” In addition, there are numerous potential dangers of gastric surgery that Wendy should consider first.

Incoherent text messages could signify a stroke

U.S. Doctors claim that asking patients to type out a simple text message may prove vital in helping to diagnose a stroke, which can sometimes be difficult to do.

Even if possible stroke victims are not showing typical signs of actually having a stroke – such as speech impairment – if the person has difficulty constructing a  basic text message or types incoherently with jargon, this may still help to raise the alarm.

The claims were made after researchers at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, U.S., reported the case of a 40-year-old man who they believe to be having a stroke and showed clear signs of ‘dystextia’ – incoherent text messaging.

This particular patient was assessed for the common symptoms of a stroke. These include:

. Facial ‘drooping’ on one side.
. Being physically unable to smile or the mouth and an eye may have drooped.
. Weakness in one or both arms – usually the person is unable to lift the affected arm(s).
. Speech may be slurred, or there may be a complete inability to talk at all.

Hospital staff saw no problems at a routine bedside test and the man was still fully able to speak, write and read. His comprehension and other factors were also found to be at a normal level.

Despite this, the man was unable to correctly text a full sentence when requested, in addition to not be able to understand the mistakes he had made in his text messages.  Doctors asked the man to type the message: ‘The doctor needs a new Blackberry’ and instead, he texted: ‘The Doctor nddds a new bb’, and believed he had typed it out correctly when asked.

The patient featured in the Henry Ford report had demonstrated similar problems prior to even going to the hospital. His wife commented that texts she received were ‘disjointed, non-fluent, and incomprehensible.’

They had said: ‘Oh baby your;’ followed by: ‘I am happy.’ After two minutes he again text his wife, this time saying: ‘I am out of it, just woke up, can’t make sense, I can’t even type, call if ur awake, love you.’

Therefore, after the text message testing, it quickly became apparently his problems were having difficulty registering language in text format. The doctors also found that he only had slight facial asymmetry and no other visible neurological problems.

However, the doctors were successfully able to diagnose the man as having suffered an acute ischemic stroke. An ischemic stroke occurs after the blood supply to the brain has been decreased or cuts off due to a number of reasons such as embolism, thrombosis, systemic hypoperfusion and venous thrombosis. The victim can be left paralysed, with speech problems and sometimes the stroke can be more fatal.

In the future, requiring patients to undergo text message testing could be a key role in diagnosing a stroke. Dr Omran Kaskar, a neurologist at Henry Ford Hospital and lead author of the research, comments: “Text messaging is a common form of communication with more than 75 billion texts sent each month. Besides the time-honoured tests we use to determine aphasia in diagnosing stroke, checking for dystextia may well become a vital tool in making such a determination. Because text messages are always time-stamped when they’re sent, they may also help establish when the stroke symptoms were at least present or even when they began.”

Active children may have better memory during adulthood

Parents who attempt to persuade their children to switch off the games console and play outside may not find it effective explaining that this could help to keep their brains functioning better when they are elderly. Cognitive decline, dementia or memory loss are not phrases likely to register with children, but keeping them active at a young age and maintaining exercise throughout adulthood can have a major impact on brain function in later life, according to scientists at King’s College, London.

All adults will experience some degree of mental degradation as they get older, but the scientists at London claim that regular exercise started early and continued through life could help to protect our brains, and not just our waistlines and heart. They say that going to the gym, jogging, playing sport, or even walking the dog can have benefits for years to come. In fact, their study results suggest that there is improved brain function at the age of 50 following exercise done on a less frequent basis.

Over 9,000 individuals aged 11 were assessed for the 40-year study, which was comprised of information obtained from interviews with the participants at the ages of 11, 16, 33, 42, 46, and 50 in order to ascertain their level of exercise, if any. They also had to undergo memory, attention and learning tests to see if there was any correlation between exercise and cognitive decline. The study has been published in the journal Psychological Medicine and is one of the first extended investigations of the impact of exercise on the brain.

Brain function was established after results were entered into a ‘cognitive index’. For the memory task, the subjects had to memorise ten unrelated words before immediate and delayed recall was tested. ‘Executive function’ was determined by them having to list as many animals as they could within one minute.

Researchers discovered that the people exercised every week both during child and adulthood actually scored higher on tests of attention, learning memory and reasoning at the age of 50 compared to those who had merely exercised just two or three times each month, or less.
Current guidelines recommend adults aged 19-64 to engage in 150 minutes’ of exercise each week at the very least and the King’s College study suggests that even a little exercise may still help to increase brain function.

Dr. Alex Dregan, lecturer in translational epidemiology and public health, who led the project, says: “As exercise represents a key component of lifestyle changes to prevent cognitive decline, heart disease, diabetes and cancer…interventions to promote lifelong exercise have the potential to reduce the personal and social burden associated with these conditions in later years. It’s widely acknowledged that a healthy body equals a healthy mind. However, not everyone is willing or able to take part in the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity a week. For these people any level of physical activity may benefit their mental wellbeing in the long-term. Setting lower exercise targets at the beginning and gradually increasing their frequency and intensity could be a more 
effective method for improving levels of exercise in the wider population.”

Adding to Dr. Dregan’s conclusion was Dr. Ian Campbell, a GP and founder of the National Obesity Forum. He commented: “Although ideally a child gets to love exercise and feel the benefits from very young, taking up regular exercise at any age is beneficial to the brain. Yes, 30 minutes five times a week is the ideal, but any regular activity will improve mental function, and reduce the risk of further mental decline. There’s already a lot of evidence that exercise reduces anxiety and depression levels, as well as improving perceptions of the quality of life. People who feel more positive suffer fewer illnesses, less 
stiffness in their joints and a whole host of other benefits. And once you start to feel this mood enhancement the more you feel like doing it.”

Millions of smokers urged to quit for No Smoking Day

An event that ‘unofficially’ first began thirty years ago is still going strong today as national No Smoking Day is upon us, with an estimated 750,000 smokers using the day as a springboard to a much healthier, tobacco-free future.  No Smoking Day is being supported by the UK charity WeQuit and the British Heart Foundation.

‘Don’t Smoke Day’, as it was first referred to back in 1983 by media, was the brainchild of a retired hospital administrator named Tom Hurst who penned a letter to the Minister for Health, requesting such a day. Hurst was fully aware of the potentially-fatal effects of smoking and believed it was necessary for parliament to implement a day that raised awareness of the issue.

Unfortunately for Hurst, the reply he received back was less than encouraging; “The Minister feels he is unable to support campaigns which might mislead the public into assuming that a causal relationship between tobacco smoking and cancer had been definitely proved.”

Of course, the Minister’s replied has been shown to be nonsense in the subsequent thirty years and it seems that more studies emerge on a daily basis that clearly demonstrate  how dangerous smoking is, being linked to many terminal cancers in addition to other serious health conditions such as multi-generational asthma, sudden cardiac death, osteoporosis and many more.

Realising that many smokers are still ignorant to the damage they are doing to their bodies and turning a blind eye to it, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have taken advantage of the yearly format to alternate the theme of the day, instead focusing on where else cigarettes can impact smokers – their pockets.

Therefore, those who want to quit smoking are being encouraged to ‘Swap Fags for Swag’. The BHF have even listed the staggering amount of money that can be saved over the duration of a year by giving up, in addition to other more appealing things that the cash can be spent on.
They say the financial gains of stopping smoking are:

1 day (£7): Two movie rentals or a new lipstick.
1 week (£49): A family cinema trip or a meal for two.
1 month (£210): A shopping spree or premiership football tickets.
3 months (£630): A new laptop or the latest flat screen TV.
6 months (£1,260): A leather suite or a home cinema.
1 year (£2,555): A new kitchen or a holiday of a lifetime.

A main reason why the British Heart Foundation are involved in No Smoking Day is because smoking doubles a person’s risk of heart attack and a report they have recently conducted has found that an incredible 82% of smokers have at some point attempted to kick the habit and not succeeded.
In total, 2010 smokers were surveyed and over one in ten commented they were ‘desperate’ to stop smoking. Moreover, 40% had tried to quit between four and 21 times.

Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director for the BHF, said: “Every year more than 100,000 smokers die because of their addiction. This addiction can be incredibly hard to break and we hear time and again of smokers who are absolutely desperate to quit, they just don’t know where to start. The report reveals that a quarter of smokers are more motivated to give up for financial reasons rather than to benefit their health. The downward trend in smoking rates has plateaued in recent years, proving we need to renew our efforts to help our ‘final fifth’ quit. Often these are long-term smokers, or people surrounded by family, friends and colleagues who smoke. They’re harder to reach, and they’ll probably find it hard to quit. That’s why we all need to reinvigorate our efforts to help smokers and UK governments are part of the mix. We need investment in local stop smoking services and measures such as standardised packaging to help protect our children from the fatal addiction so many people are currently battling with.”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy is able to help you quit smoking with the aid of the smoking cessation medication Champix, meaning you will both protect your health and save huge amounts of money in the future as the government continually raise tobacco prices.

Champix mimics the effect of nicotine on the body, reducing the urge to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. It can also decrease the enjoyment you experience of smoking if you are still smoking whilst on the treatment. The medication equates to just £75.00 per pack – inexpensive in comparison to the approximate £2,555 you can save by quitting smoking!

Healthier people should receive priority healthcare, says think-tank

A think-tank organisation yesterday spoke of their belief that patients who adhere to a healthy lifestyle that is low in dietary fat and engage in regularly exercise should be placed at the top of NHS waiting lists for operations.

Perhaps controversially, the think-tank Demos have stated that people should have the ability to prove they are living a healthy life via supermarket receipts and gym membership forms and therefore have access to priority NHS treatment. Their ideas could also involve moving up professional patients higher up the queue when booking a GP appointment for a non-emergency issue.

In their somewhat contestable report that was published yesterday, a wide range of recommendations are given that seem to urge the British public in to taking responsibility for their own health and wellbeing – instead of purely punishing the ‘lazy’ people consistently who consumed a poor diet. The report was constructed after liaising with experts, policy makers and politicians.

Another recommendation from Demos is that those patients who receive benefits should be rewarded with more money if they are exercising and eating a balanced diet with more fruit and vegetables. Demos want supermarkets to provide feedback on shopping baskets, making shoppers aware of the benefits of fruit and vegetables as well as the dangers of alcohol and saturated fats.

The think-tank argue that the current system needs addressing as patients who leading an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle are at a much higher chance of requiring the already dwindling resources and funds available to the NHS.

In addition, Demos are trying to coax ministers into exploring the schemes offered by many insurance companies whereby there are incentives to those customers with healthier lifestyles such as reduced rates on gym memberships.  Demos comment: “There is scope for the NHS to provide its non-emergency services in a way that takes account of responsible behaviour.”

The report’s author, Max Wind-Cowie, said: “Obesity, type two diabetes, smoking and the overconsumption of alcohol are things which cost the NHS, which is a pooled resource we all share, huge amounts of money, as well as actually making people’s lives unhappy and reducing their living standards. So we’re arguing that people who take the option of sharing their Tesco club card information, their gym information, with their doctor – it’s up to them whether they want to share it or not – and then allow their doctor to monitor that, we would empower doctors to reward people in a variety of ways.”

As with many disputable ideas put forth by think-tanks such as Demos, there are oppositions to the suggestions who believe there are better methods of tackling such issues, in this case the spiralling obesity crisis in the UK. Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “Proactive investment in prevention, public campaigns and health literacy can deliver change more constructively than punitive sanctions.”

Although it could be a nice prospect the thought of being rewarded simply for leading a healthy life, not many people will probably enjoy the idea of their private shopping habits being transmitted to the government.

The responsibility of the public to ensure their health is properly maintained is a topic bound to cause divisions. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of developing a disease or health problem such as quitting smoking, engaging in regular exercise and eating a balanced diet.

Better, faster sperm means winter and spring is the peak time to conceive

If you happen to know of many women who are falling pregnant at the moment, a popular phrase you may use to describe the situation could be “There’s something in the water!”

However, according to Israeli scientists, it may also be due to the fact that sperm quality is at its peak during the winter and spring months and right now could be the optimum time for couples to try for a baby. The scientists say this could possibly explain why there are such a high proportion of births occurring during the autumn months of the year.

For the study, Professor Eliahu Levitas and his colleagues, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, analysed 6,455 semen samples obtained from men treated for infertility at their clinic between January 2006 and July 2009.

Writing in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the researchers describe how they discovered that during winter there was evidence of sperm in greater numbers, faster swimming speeds and fewer abnormalities in the semen. After spring, the researchers claim there was a steady decline in sperm quality.

From the 6,455 samples, 4,960 had a normal sperm production, and 1,495 were defined as ‘abnormal’ which included factors such as a low sperm count. According to The World Health Organization, a normal sperm count is classified as at least 16 million sperm for each millilitre of semen.

It takes around 70 days for the body to generate a sperm cell and with this in mind, it was determined that men with a normal sperm production actually had healthier sperm during the winter season – producing about 70 million sperm per millilitre of semen during this period.

Delving a little deeper, it was found that around 5% of these sperm had ‘fast’ motility, which is the ability of a sperm to swim towards an egg. Ultimately this means there is a higher chance of a couple having a baby.

In comparison, during the spring time there was approximately 68 million sperm per millilitre of semen produced, and only 3% were found to be ‘fast’.

Interestingly though, a similar pattern was not evident for men with abnormal sperm production rates. In these men, better sperm was produced during spring and better motility began from autumn.

The researchers comment: “Based on our results the (normal) semen will perform better in winter, whereas infertility cases related to low sperm counts should be encouraged to choose spring and fall.”
Dr. Edmund Sabanegh, chairman of the urology department at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic, was not involved with the study but says there have been similar trends in animals too in regards to their breeding seasons.

He says: “The hard part of this is really sorting out what factor is accounting for this.” Dr. Sabanegh does not believe that doctors will now specifically instruct men with infertility problems to wait until winter or spring to try and conceive a child. “We would continue to encourage them to try regardless of the season, and they may benefit from interventions or treatments.” Sedentary lifestyles and environmental factors could be connected to an overall decline in sperm quality for men around the world and Dr. Sabanegh added: “It’s becoming more certain that our fertility is seasonal and affected by complex things in our environment that change it.”

Drug mailing scam lands Surrey man with 44 months in prison

Yet another counterfeiter has deservedly been imprisoned after putting lives at risk from selling fraudulent, dangerous drugs. The guilty party is a Portuguese national who has received a prison sentence of almost four years (44 months in total) following him being caught operating an illegal internet drug mailing business.

Mahomed Bacai, aged 38, of Addlestone, Surrey, conceded that he was guilty of five offences including forgery, possession of false identity documents and conspiracy to supply class C drugs, prescription-only medicines and medicines not on the General Sales List.  Bacai received his sentence on 22 February at Guildford Crown Court.

His arrest came about after the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) began its own investigation in January 2011 upon learning of seizures of medicines by the UK Border Agency in Coventry.

The governmental agency has stated that Bacai’s illicit dealings saw him hiring mailboxes using false paperwork and fictitious names. By using all this, he would acquire parcels from overseas suppliers based in India and China. He re-packed the parcels at his home before shipping them off to his international customer base.

In June 2011 MHRA officers conducted a raid of his house in Addlestone and recovered approximately £1.6m ($2.4m) worth of unlicensed medicines that comprised of ‘vast amounts of counterfeit and unlicensed erectile dysfunction medicines’ stored in what the MHRA described as ‘unsanitary conditions, including a garden shed’. In addition, officers also found powerful Class C drugs such as the opiate Tramadol, tranquiliser drug Diazepam and vials of testosterone.

More investigations into Bacai’s activities resulted in officers being able to intercept an incredible £125,000 worth of counterfeit medicines that were due to arrive at his home address and he was promptly arrested.

Nimo Ahmed, MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement said: “We are committed to pursuing those involved in the illicit supply of medicines and taking action to ensure that public health is protected. Prescription-only medicines and controlled substances such as Tramadol and Diazepam are potent substances. They can cause serious harm if not taken under the supervision of a doctor or other appropriate healthcare professional and obtained through a registered pharmacy. We urge people to only take prescription-only medicines after an appropriate consultation with their GP. They are best equipped to consider your medical history, the risk and benefits of drugs and any possible interactions with other medicines you’re taking.”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy are fully aware that there are thousands of illegal websites plaguing the internet that offer ‘discounted’ and ‘genuine’ medicines. We speak to patients on a daily basis who are clearly very reluctant to obtain medicines online. With this in mind, here are some important factors to be alert of when browsing through different websites:

. Long delivery times, sometimes up to several weeks. This is due to the drug being imported from a foreign country before it gets to you.
. For erectile dysfunction medication, a phony website could state ‘generic Viagra’ or ‘generic sildenafil citrate’. There is no such thing as generic Viagra!
. The price of the medication is a lot cheaper than usual, sometimes by as much as 70%.
. The website does not list any contact details, e.g. a telephone and fax number, company address, pharmacists, doctors, etc.
. A registered Pharmacy such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy will have the GPhC green cross logo together with its Pharmacy number. This number can be checked to see if it does actually exist.
. The company registration and VAT number should both be clearly stated on the website. Both of these are a legal requirement.

Autoimmune diseases linked to a diet high in salt

Scientists claim that the typical modern day diet that is high in salt could be a key factor behind recent increases in the cases of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, alopecia, asthma and eczema.

An autoimmune disease occurs after the immune system attacks healthy body cells instead of fighting off disease and infection as it should be doing. An autoimmune disease can drastically vary in the severity of symptoms – sometimes flaring up and other times they can go into remission and disappear for some time.

Initial symptoms are usually fatigue, muscle aches and a low fever. A usual indicator of an autoimmune disease is inflammation, resulting in redness, heat, pain and swelling. The treatment for an autoimmune disease will depend on the specific disease but usually the main aim is to reduce inflammation.

A common autoimmune disease is the neurological condition multiple sclerosis, which affects around 100,000 people around the UK. It develops after a protein surrounding the brain and spinal cord (myelin) becomes damaged following a breakdown in the immune system. This disrupts nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body resulting in loss of vision, muscle stiffness and uncontrollable movement, fatigue and ataxia (balance and coordination problems).

Reporting their data in the journal Nature, scientists from Yale University in the U.S. and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany, say that they believe salt consumption could be connected to rising rates in autoimmune diseases. Previously many health experts have stated that genetics increase the risk of such diseases in addition to our surrounding environment. Other reasons for the progression of multiple sclerosis are from a viral infection, smoking and a lack of vitamin D.
In their report, the researchers note: “This study is the first to indicate that excess salt may be one of the environmental factors driving the increased incidence of autoimmune diseases.”

For their study, the team decided to focus on the presence of T helper cells in the body. T helpers are a sub-group of lymphocytes that work to help other cells fight viruses or bacteria by releasing T cell cytokines.

A subset of these T helper cells are known as ‘Th17 cells’ and past researcher has suggested that the Th17 cells help to promote inflammation that is important for defending against pathogens, and connected to diseases like multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment options for some of these diseases involve manipulating T cell function.

Vijay Kuchroo of the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a member of the Broad Institute, says: “The question we wanted to pursue was: How does this highly pathogenic, pro-inflammatory T cell develop. Once we have a more nuanced understanding of the development of the pathogenic Th17 cells, we may be able to pursue ways to regulate them or their function.”

The scientists found that by exposing the Th17 cells to a salt solution made them act more ‘aggressively’. In addition, it was discovered that adding salt to the diet of mice actually increased the number Th17 cells and that genetically engineered mice with a form of MS, suffered with more severe MS disease in comparison to those mice fed a more ‘normal’ diet.

Study co-author Ralf Linker, from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, said: “These findings are an important contribution to the understanding of multiple sclerosis and may offer new targets for a better treatment of the disease, for which at present there is no cure.”

Another of the study’s authors, Professor David Hafler, from Yale University, added: “These are not diseases of bad genes alone or diseases caused by the environment, but diseases of a bad interaction between genes and the environment. Humans were genetically selected for conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where there was no salt. Today, Western diets all have high salt content and that has led to increase in hypertension and perhaps autoimmune disease as well.”

Grandchildren could develop asthma from their grandmother’s smoking

There are umpteen reasons to quit smoking for good, and it seems that on a daily basis there is yet another story to hit the headlines that highlights more evidence of the massive damage that tobacco does to a person’s health and wellbeing.

However, the researchers behind a study published in the March edition of Review of Obstetrics & Gynecology has pushed the boundaries a little further in this respect with claims regarding smoking and genetic inheritance.

Two Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), John S. Torday, Ph.D, and Virender K. Rehan, M.D, believe that having a grandmother who smoked can greatly increase your chance of developing the lung respiratory condition asthma – even if your mother was a non-smoker.

They state that the chemicals and environmental factors which impact our body in the present day could have after-effects for family members in future generations due to the nicotine leaving a ‘mark’ on the genome (our complete set of DNA), making future generations more likely to develop conditions such as asthma or COPD.

Referencing studies conducted by Dr. Rehan, the researchers explained in their editorial that pregnant rats administered nicotine went on to breed asthmatic pups, who then also produced asthmatic pups – even though there was no exposure to nicotine in the third generation.

In addition, the researchers also cited the Children’s Health Study from Southern California, which demonstrated that grandmaternal smoking when pregnant can greatly increase the asthma risk for grandchildren, regardless of whether the mother had been a smoker.

The researchers concluded that asthma seen in the second generation was ‘epigenetic modification’ (an environmental factor resulting in a genetic alteration). It was determined that both the lung cells and sex cells were being impacted by nicotine in ways that caused the lungs that developed from those cells to then develop abnormally – resulting in asthma.

This latest study is not the first one to connect smoking asthma, however could be deemed one of the more controversial. Previous studies have long established a link between a mother smoking at her children having a higher risk of developing asthma. Dr. Erika von Mutius published a study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology over ten years ago where he said: “exposure to tobacco smoke in utero significantly increases asthma risk.”

Dr. Torday commented: “These studies break new ground in validating and further explaining the mechanisms involved in the transmission of epigenetic human diseases. The transmission of the asthma to the second generation and its prevention by a specifically-targeted molecular intervention are the first unequivocal demonstrations of multi-generational transmission of an epigenetically-mediated effect on the offspring.”

Dr. Rehan further added: “Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, resulting in a significant impact on the lives of children and driving up medical costs for all. While many factors contribute to asthma, smoking during pregnancy is a well-established one and one that can be avoided. Eliminating smoking during pregnancy would significantly reduce the prevalence of childhood asthma for this generation and for future generations.”

UK’s soaring diabetes cases are a ‘public health emergency’

Many of us may already be aware of the obesity epidemic that is rife not only in the United Kingdom but over in the U.S. too. However, closely linked to this issue is an increasing problem of diabetes which in itself seems to be an epidemic of its own.

According to new research, a staggering three million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in Britain – equating to 4.6% of the population.

Researchers for Diabetes UK and Tesco have discovered that around 132,000 people were diagnosed with the disease over the previous year and an estimated 850,000 people are believed to have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

There are roughly 24,000 premature deaths each year in England and Wales because of diabetes and without rapid intervention, this death toll will continue to rise. Therefore, supermarket giant Tesco and the charity Diabetes UK have begun a partnership to try and improve the situation. Tesco hope to raise £10 million for the charity to tackle the disease and provide help to those who suffer with it.

In the UK alone, approximately 90% of all adults with diabetes have the Type 2 variation and the partnership will provide funds to launch the biggest ever public awareness campaign focusing on the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, aimed at the seven million people deemed ‘high risk’ of developing the disease.

In addition to the massive public awareness campaign, the money raised will also be used to develop a new vaccine for Type 1 diabetes as well as helping to identify those 850,000 people who are living with undiagnosed diabetes.

Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, warns the situation is a ‘grim staging post towards a public health emergency’.

She says: “We are hugely concerned that the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has reached three million for the first time and there is no reason to think this will mark the end of what has been a rapid rise in the condition. Instead, all the projections suggest that the three million figure will be a grim staging post on the road towards a public health emergency and this unfolding tragedy is already putting huge pressure on the NHS and will have potentially devastating consequences for those people who develop the condition. But this is not inevitable. By identifying those at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, we can ensure they start getting support to make the kind of lifestyle changes that can help prevent it. And by making sure people who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are already getting the care and support they need, we can help them avoid the devastating complications diabetes can cause.”

Rebecca Shelley, group corporate affairs director at Tesco, added: “Diabetes affects millions of families and communities across the UK and as today’s news confirms, the number of people with this condition is increasing. Thanks to this important partnership, we have the opportunity to inspire our colleagues and customers to come together, raise awareness and much needed funds to help the millions of people with diabetes in the UK.”

Type 1 diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin and as such is often referred to as ‘insulin-dependent diabetes’. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease not attributed to any lifestyle factor. With Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas (a small gland behind the stomach) will not produce any insulin (a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels) and anyone who has this kind of diabetes will be required to have injections for life in addition to strictly controlled diet. Diabetes UK state that 10% of all diabetes cases in the UK are Type 1 – usually beginning in childhood or young adulthood.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common than Type 1 and it occurs when the body is not generating enough insulin, or the body’s cells do not properly respond to it (or both). This is referred to as insulin resistance. It mainly affects adults over 40 years of age but in recent years it has become prominent in younger, overweight people. Type 2 diabetes is primarily caused by obesity, consuming too much sugar and leading a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, around 85% of cases of Type 2 diabetes occur in people who are obese and in the UK, about 90% of all adults who suffer with diabetes have Type 2.

Although each can have its own particular symptoms, there are some symptoms that are common for both types of diabetes. These include:

. Feeling very tired.
. Feeling very thirsty.
. Having to urinate often, particularly at night.
. Unexplained weight loss and loss of muscle bulk.

The symptoms of the most common kind of diabetes – Type 2 – can be mild and thus people can go for years without realising they have the disease or receiving a formal diagnosis. If you suspect you have diabetes you must see your doctor as soon as possible as an early diagnosis can decrease the chances of developing more serious problems at a later stage.

U.S. Viagra and Cialis counterfeiter gets two years in prison

Awni Shauaib Zayyad, 56, of Wilson, N.C. has been handed a two year prison sentence in relation to five federal offenses regarding the possession and sale of counterfeit erectile dysfunction (ED) Viagra and Cialis pills in the Charlotte area. When sentencing Zayyad, Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr also stated that he must serve two years under court supervision after his release from prison and pay $10,000 fine and $500 special assessment fee.

Zayyad was first apprehended by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police on U.S. investigators were made aware of Zayyad’s illegal activities back in June 2010 after he sold over 500 counterfeit Viagra tablets to a Charlotte convenience store where police were already undergoing surveillance for similar dealings.

Zayyad’s residence was subsequently placed under surveillance before investigators proceeded to follow him on a four hour drive to Charlotte on Aug. 23 2010 where he was about to sell more dangerous fake pills to the same convenience store. Unfortunately for Zayyad, law enforcement agents stopped him in Mecklenburg County before he arrived. Inside the vehicle which was registered to his wife, Zayyad was found to be in possession of 500 fake Viagra pills and over 200 fake Cialis pills.

In court it was explained that Zayyad had possessed and/or distributed in excess of 2,000 counterfeit Viagra pills and nearly 400 counterfeit Cialis pills whilst he was being investigated in 2010 by the authorities. The counterfeit fake pills he possessed were actually found to contain active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) of the ED medications, though in varying and incorrect strengths and with unknown non-API additives.

It was established that the fake erectile dysfunction pills had an accumulated wholesale value of more than $40,000.  As explained many times by Medical Specialists Pharmacy, the court was also made fully aware of the dangers of congesting counterfeit pills to the health of those who take them especially when counterfeit prescription medications contain active ingredients of unknown strength, extra added substances and produced in unknown, untraceable and often unhygienic disgusting premises.

He was eventually found guilty by a jury in February 2012 of numerous offenses including: one count of conspiracy to traffic counterfeit prescription medications bearing counterfeit trademarks, two counts of trafficking counterfeit prescriptions bearing counterfeit trademarks and two counts of selling and holding for sale counterfeit prescription medications with intent to defraud and mislead.
Demonstrating the seriousness of dealing with counterfeit medications, Zayyad must now self-report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. There are no chances of parole with a federal sentence.

If you are a male suffering with erectile dysfunction, safety and peace of mind is assured by obtaining genuine erectile dysfunction medication such as Pfizer’s Viagra from a reputable and trusted source such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy. We are fully registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and also a member of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). Our team of Doctors are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and our Pharmacists are registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB).

Viagra and other medications for male impotence such as Cialis or Levitra are obtainable with or without a prescription. If you do not have a prescription, you can undergo a private and confidential online consultation with one of our Doctors and if suitable, they will write you a prescription. This is passed to our in-house Pharmacists, and dispensed and dispatched to you at your home, your place of work, or where ever you choose, discreetly within 24 hours.

Channel 4’s Secret Eaters shows how ‘dieters’ pile on the weight

Have you ever begun a ‘diet’ and after a while found you are still not losing the extra weight. More often than not, this failure is blamed on an apparent ‘slow metabolism’ – a mythical logic that has previously been dissected by Medical Specialists Pharmacy.

However, a new Channel 4 show to be aired later this month called ‘Secret Eaters’ has decided to explore the day-to-day eating habits of people complaining of slow or non-existent weight loss in order to find possible reasons why. The results seem to be far more transparent than first thought.
The main problem appears to be when people snack during the course of the day – sometimes even unaware or oblivious to it, often eating a lot more than they think.

Secret Eaters, presented by Anna Richardson, documents every single bite of food taken by the show’s participants via secretly concealed video cameras in their homes. If this wasn’t interesting enough for viewers, when the participants decide to venture out from their house, two private detectives trail them and take photographs of them eating any ‘bad’ calorific food such as takeaways, crisps and fizzy drinks.

After five days of the hidden video cameras recording them and the private detective’s espionage trying to catch them in the act, Anna Richardson leads the dieters into the ‘Incident Room’ in which all their food intake – however good or bad – is laid out before their eyes and demonstrates the damning evidence explaining their lack of successful weight loss.

The Secret Eater’s dietician Lynne Garton explains: “You can see the look of astonishment on their faces when they see the food they’ve actually consumed. They have no idea. Snacks can add up to more than 500 calories a day but too often people get distracted by their busy lives and forget the chocolate bar or biscuit they ate earlier and it soon mounts up. Cutting out those calories can lead to a 1lb loss per week.”

The first episode of the series show Stephanie and Lauren Spearman, sisters who are both struggling to lose weight. Stephanie, 23, lives on a diet of junk food, while Lauren, 28, is in training for the London Marathon despite still consuming alcohol and chocolate.

After cameras had recorded their snacking habits, the sisters realised the shocking reality of their situation that if they had carried on as they were, each would have gained over 2st within just six months.

Stephanie, a sales manager for High Street chain Matalan, tipped the scales at 12st 6lb when she first contacted the show. The hours she worked meant she regularly skipped eating breakfast but would snack on biscuits or cakes prior to lunch.

The work vending machine meant she had easy access to high calorie snacks and fizzy drink. This all added to the calories from takeaways Stephanie often ate, meaning that on some days her daily intake was around 4,000 – incredibly this is double the recommended calorie intake for women.

Dietician Lynne comments: “Millions turn to the latest fad for a quick fix but to lose weight long-term requires a change in eating habits. Eating three meals a day and snacking only on healthy foods such as fruit can be all that’s needed to lose weight.”

Between them the sisters have lost 21lbs since the programme reinvigorated their dietary choices and Stephanie says: “We feel so much better since we’ve replaced sugary drinks with fizzy water, swapped crisps for fruit, and burgers for healthy sandwiches. I’ve managed to save £100 a month by not buying ready-meals and sugary snacks. We’re losing weight and we’re not even on a diet.”