Stem cell major discovery claimed

Scientists in Japan showed stem cells can now be made quickly just by dipping blood cells into acid.

Stem cells can transform into any tissue and are already being trialled for healing the eye, heart and brain.

The latest development, published in the journal Nature, could make the technology cheaper, faster and safer.

The human body is built of cells with a specific role - nerve cells, liver cells, muscle cells - and that role is fixed.

However, stem cells can become any other type of cell, and they have become a major field of research in medicine for their potential to regenerate the body.

Embryos are one, ethically charged, source of stem cells. Nobel prize winning research also showed that skin cells could be "genetically reprogrammed" to become stem cells (termed induced pluripotent stem cells).

Acid bath

Now a study shows that shocking blood cells with acid could also trigger the transformation into stem cells - this time termed STAP (stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency) cells.

Dr Haruko Obokata, from the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology in Japan, said she was "really surprised" that cells could respond to their environment in this way.

She added: "It's exciting to think about the new possibilities these findings offer us, not only in regenerative medicine, but cancer as well."

The breakthrough was achieved in mouse blood cells, but research is now taking place to achieve the same results with human blood.

Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, said if it also works in humans then "the age of personalised medicine would have finally arrived."

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Largest organ which is about the size of a football in human body

The liver is the largest organ inside the body. In an adult, it is about the size of a football
and weighs close to three pounds. It is located behind the ribs in the upper right-hand
portion of the abdomen. Shaped like a triangle, the liver is dark reddish-brown and
consists of two main lobes. There are over 300 billion specialized cells in the liver that
are connected by a well organized system of bile ducts and blood vessels called the
biliary system.

The liver is such an important organ that we can survive only one or two days if it shuts down—if the liver
fails, your body will fail, too. Fortunately, the liver can function even when up to 75% of it is diseased or
removed. This is because it has the amazing ability to create new liver tissue (i.e. it can regenerate itself)
from healthy liver cells that still exist.

If your body was an automobile, your liver would be considered the
engine. It does hundreds of vital things to make sure everything runs
smoothly. Some of the most important functions of the liver include:
- Stores vitamins, sugar and iron to help give your body energy.
- Controls the production and removal of cholesterol.
- Clears your blood of waste products, drugs, and other poisonous
substances.
- Makes clotting factors to stop excessive bleeding after cuts or
injuries.
- Produces immune factors and removes bacteria from the bloodstream
 to combat infection.
- Releases a substance called “bile” to help digest food and absorb important nutrients.

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Cancer drug Nexavar for people who could afford the medicine, not "for Indians"

Global medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres slammed on Friday a statement by Bayer's chief executive that the giant German firm only developed its cancer drug Nexavar for people who could afford the medicine, not "for Indians".
India's controller general of patents angered Bayer in March 2012 when he authorized a local drugmaker to produce a generic copy of Nexavar, saying the German company charged a price that was too costly for most Indians.
"We did not develop this medicine (Nexavar) for Indians," ​Marijn Dekkers said at a little reported pharmaceutical forum last month, according to the January 21st edition of Businessweek.
"We developed it for western patients who can afford it," Dekkers said, and called the Indian regulator's action "essentially theft".
Bayer said the statements attributed to Dekkers were accurate and forwarded written comments made later by the German chief executive seeking to explain his remarks.
Dekkers said the comment had been a "quick response" at the industry forum to the Nexavar issue and added Bayer wants "all people to share the fruits of medical progress regardless of their origins or income".
But Dekkers added in the written comments he had been "particularly frustrated" by the Indian regulator's decision, which marked the first time a so-called compulsory licence of a patented drug had been awarded in India.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Friday that the Bayer chief's remarks summed up "everything that is wrong" with the multinational pharmaceutical industry.
"Bayer is effectively admitting the drugs they develop are deliberately going to be rationed to the wealthiest patients," Manica Balasegaram, executive director of MSF's Access Campaign, said.
The medical charity said big pharmaceutical companies believe "research and development (R&D) can only be rewarded by a patent and through high prices to recoup the R&D costs.
"Those who can't afford to pay are basically cut out of the system," Balasegaram said.
The Indian government gave local pharmaceutical house Natco Pharma a licence to produce a copy of Nexavar, used to treat liver and kidney cancer, at a 97% discount to the original selling price of the Bayer product in India.
Global drugmakers say India's powerhouse generics industry and strict patent filtering reduce commercial incentives to produce cutting-edge medicines.

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Stapes - Smalles bone in human body

The stapes /ˈsteɪpiːz/ is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other mammals which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. The stirrup-shaped small bone is one of three ossicles in the middle ear. The stapes receives vibrations from the incus, to which it is connected laterally, and transmits these to the oval window, medially. The stapes is the smallest and lightest bone in the human body, and is so-called because of its resemblance to a stirrup (Latin: Stapes).

The stapes is the third bone of the three ossicles in the middle ear. The stapes is a stirrup-shaped bone, and the smallest in the human body. It rests on the oval window, to which it is connected by an annular ligament. The stapes is described as having a base, resting on the oval window, as well as a head that articulates with the incus. These are connected by anterior and posterior limbs (Latin: crura).^[1]:862 The stapes articulates with the incus through the incudostapedial joint.The stapes is the smallest bone in the human body, and measures roughly 3 x 2.5mm, greater along the head-base span.

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Migraine headaches can be very debilitating

                                                    

Migraine headaches result from a combination of blood vessel enlargement and the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around these blood vessels.

During the headache, an artery enlarges that is located on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple (temporal artery). This causes a release of chemicals that cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery.

A migraine headache causes the sympathetic nervous system to respond with feelings of nausea,diarrhea, and vomiting. This response also delays the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine (affecting food absorption), decreases blood circulation (leading to cold hands and feet), and increases sensitivity to light and sound.

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Migraines: Magnetic Device Offers Pain Relief

                                             

A magnetic handheld device that sends pulses into the head could transform the lives of thousands of migraine sufferers.

The treatment, called transcranial magnetic stimulation, is held behind a patient's head and with the click of a button sends brief magnetic pulses into the brain, helping to disrupt the painful headaches.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which looks at the safety and suitability of new treatments, has now issued guidance saying the device can be recommended to certain patients through the NHS.

They also add that extra care should be taken to explain the risks and steps which need to be put in place to record and review what happens.

Wendy Thomas, from The Migraine Trust, said: "This is a new bit of weaponry against migraines.

"The reason it makes a big difference is because there's not a drug involved, so there are no side effects and if it doesn't work you just hand the device back.

"It won't work for everyone, but it will work for a lot of people."

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How sunlight lowers blood pressure ?

                                                                    

Sunlight is known to lower blood pressure, but now a team of British researchers has figured out why.

What they found is that nitric oxide stored in the top layers of the skin reacts to sunlight and causes blood vessels to widen as the oxide moves into the bloodstream. That, in turn, lowers blood pressure.

"This is an unexpected finding, in that the skin has not been considered to be involved in blood pressure regulation," said lead researcher Martin Feelisch, a professor of experimental medicine and integrative biology at the University of Southampton.

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Second hand smoke effects 88 million non smokers

                                  

Secondhand smoke is produced by a burning cigarette or other tobacco product. About 88 million nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke each year — 32 million of them are children and adolescents. Parental smoking has been shown to affect the lungs of infants as early as the first 2 – 10 weeks of life, and such abnormal lung function could persist throughout life.

Being exposed to secondhand smoke increases the risk for heart attacks and lung cancer.

Exposure to secondhand smoke in the home increases the risk for asthma and asthma-related emergency room visits in children who have existing asthma. Children whose parents smoke are also more likely to be overweight and to have behavioral problems.

Parental smoking is believed to increase the risk for lower respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis or pneumonia) by 50%. Environmental exposure to smoke is thought to be responsible for 150,000 – 300,000 such cases every year.

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Why smokers fond of first cigarette of the day?

                                                          

Most smokers have a special fondness for the first cigarette of the day because of the way brain cells respond to the day’s first nicotine rush. Nicotine, particularly taken in the first few cigarettes of the day, increases the activity of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that elicits pleasurable sensations. This feeling is similar to getting a reward.

Over the course of a day, however, the nerve cells become desensitized to nicotine. Smoking becomes less pleasurable, and smokers may be likely to increase their intake to get their “reward.” A smoker develops tolerance to these effects very quickly and requires increasingly higher levels of nicotine.

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False vocal folds

                                              

False vocal folds are a pair of thick folds of mucous membrane that protect and sit slightly superior to the more delicate true folds. They have a minimal role in normal phonation, but are often used to produce deep sonorous tones in Tibetan chant and Tuvan throat singing, as well as in musical screaming and the death growl vocal style.

The false folds are also called vestibular folds and ventricular folds. They can be seen on the diagram above as ventricular folds.

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