SELENIUM STATUS LINKED TO CANCER RISK

As a nutritional trace element, selenium forms an essential part of our diet. In collaboration with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, researchers from Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin have been able to show that high blood selenium levels are associated with a decreased risk of developing liver cancer. In addition to other risk factors, the study also examines in how far selenium levels may influence the development of other types of cancer. Results from this study have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Selenium is found in foods like garlic, fish, shellfish, meat, milk and eggs. It is a trace element that occurs naturally in soil and plants, and enters the bodies of humans and animals via the food they ingest.

Selenium deficiency is identified as a risk factor for a range of diseases. Selenium deficiency is a major risk factor for liver cancer. Selenium anticarcinogenesis can be conceptualized as a multi-tiered process whereby chemical/biochemical actions of Se metabolites are translated into changes in cancer risk by intermediate molecular and cellular mechanisms.

This study does not show that selenium supplementation has a direct protective effect against liver cancer. However, it does confirm the importance of a balanced diet, of which selenium forms an integral part. Previous studies had suggested a similar relationship between a person's selenium status and their risk of developing colon cancer, as well as their risk of developing autoimmune thyroid disease.

TIME OF THE DAY INFLUENCE OUR RISK TO INFECTION

We are more susceptible to infection at certain times of the day as our body clock affects the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells, suggests new research. The findings may help explain why shift workers, whose body clocks are routinely disrupted, are more prone to health problems, including infections and chronic disease.

 

When a virus enters our body, it hijacks the machinery and resources in our cells to help it replicate and spread throughout the body. However, the resources on offer fluctuate throughout the day, partly in response to our circadian rhythms -- in effect, our body clock. Circadian rhythms control many aspects of our physiology and bodily functions -- from our sleep patterns to body temperature, and from our immune systems to the release of hormones. These cycles are controlled by a number of genes, including Bmal1 and Clock.

This suggest that shift workers, who work some nights and rest some nights and so have a disrupted body clock, will be more susceptible to viral diseases. If so, then they could be prime candidates for receiving the annual flu vaccines.

MALE CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS: ARE YOU READY?

Male contraceptives are methods of preventing pregnancy that primarily involve the male physiology. In the past 50 years, there have been few changes in male contraception compared with the range of options available to women. Today, the only contraceptive methods available to men are: condoms – a barrier form of contraception that stops sperm reaching and fertilizing an egg. 

A new male contraceptive could be on the horizon after scientists identified a novel way to block the transport of sperm during ejaculation.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science scientists have found that complete male infertility could be achieved by blocking two proteins found on the smooth muscle cells that trigger the transport of sperm.

The researchers demonstrated that the absence of two proteins in mouse models, α1A-adrenoceptor and P2X1-purinoceptor, which mediate sperm transport, caused infertility, without effects on long-term sexual behaviour or function. This  knowledge could be applied to the potential development of a contraceptive pill for men.

Previous strategies have focused on hormonal targets or mechanisms that produce dysfunctional sperm incapable of fertilization, but they often interfere with male sexual activity and cause long term irreversible effects on fertility.

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TATTOO AND CANCER: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

With the increasing acceptance of tattooing, it is important to consider the possible health effects tattoos have on your body − especially any increased risks for cancer.

Permanent tattoos are made by using needles to inject coloured inks below the skin’s surface. Inks are less likely than before to contain inorganic salts such as mercury, cadmium, and cobalt. 

Aluminium, oxygen, titanium, and carbon are common ingredients of tattoo inks irrespective of the colour. Known allergenic metals such as chromium, nickel and cobalt have been found to exceed safe allergic limits.

Health risks associated with tattooing include infections, allergies, scarring, granulomas (small knots or bumps that can form around particles of tattoo pigment), and MRI complications such as swelling or burning when people with tattoos undergo an MRI.

Studies have also shown that benzopyrene, a chemical in black tattoo ink, can induce skin cancer in test animals, while other cancer-causing chemicals can damage collagen.

Nanoparticles, also found in tattoo ink may be capable of evading the body’s natural defense more easily. In fact, black tattoo pigments are almost pure nanoparticles, which have been shown to migrate away from the skin, damage collagen, and accumulate in the spleen and kidneys, with possibly harmful effects for health.

ARE YOU AT RISK OF THE SECOND CAUSES OF DEATH?

A 45 year study in middle-aged men has shown that the impact of low physical capacity on risk of death is second only to smoking. The research is published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The benefits of being physically active over a lifetime are clear, Low physical capacity is a greater risk for death than high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Researchers found that low aerobic capacity was associated with increased rates of death. The association between exercise capacity and all-cause death was graded, with the strongest risk in the tertile with the lowest maximum aerobic capacity. The effect of aerobic capacity on risk of death was second only to smoking.

We have come a long way in reducing smoking. The next major challenge is to keep us physically active and also to reduce physical inactivity, such as prolonged sitting

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CELEBRATES WORLD HEPATITIS DAY

Every year, the global community celebrates World Hepatitis Day to draw peoples’ attention to the importance of eliminating Hepatitis in the society.

The annual commemoration of the day is usually organised by the the United Nations and the World Hepatitis Alliance, who work with individuals and community groups to promote awareness by raising campaigns worldwide about hepatitis.

World Hepatitis Day is commemorated annually on July 28 to promote awareness of hepatitis, a disease that affects the liver, and to encourage prevention and treatment.

Hepatitis is a term used to describe the inflammation of the liver as a result of viral infection or exposure to harmful or toxic substances such as drugs or alcohol.

World Viral hepatitis infection affects about 400 million people worldwide, which is more than 10 times the number of people affected by HIV. Yet at present, just one in 20 people with viral hepatitis know they are infected, and only one in 100 with the disease is being treated.

While some types of hepatitis will pass without causing permanent damage to the liver, chronic cases can cause cirrhosis, liver failure or cancer.

According to the UN Health agency, the World Health Organisation, more than 680,000 people die annually due to complications of hepatitis B, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, and approximately 700 000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases.

In developing countries with poor sanitary conditions and hygienic practices, about 90% of children have been infected with the hepatitis A virus before the age of 10.

WHO estimated that 240 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B.

In 2013, an estimated 1.45 million people died of the disease, up from less than 500,000 people in 1990.

According to the Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Margaret Chan, the world has ignored hepatitis at its peril, and it is now time to mobilize a global response to hepatitis on the scale similar to the one generated to fight other communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

With better understanding of its prevention, timely interventions and adequate treatment, thousands of lives could be saved every year.

There is a vaccine and treatment for hepatitis B, and none for hepatitis C, but the antiviral medication has made it possible to cure 90% of patients within two to three months.

The Theme for this year's World Hepatitis Day is '' Hepatitis Elimination: It's up to you''.

NAHIMAT

UN RIGHTS GROUP CONDEMNS FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING

A human right activist, Suzanne Bowles has condemned the practice of female genital mutilation, saying the eradication of the practice requires a grassroots approach.



Suzanne Bowles was one of the rights activists who attended a recent UN meeting on the issue to represent the human rights group, Tostan.

According to Bowles, the practice affects more than two million women and girls and is considered a 'social norm' in many parts of the world, but the UN has condemned it as a human rights violation.

Female genital cutting or mutilation, as it is known, is the altering of female genitalia for non-medical reasons. 

She explained that her organisation was able to educate people on the need for the eradication of the practice through community networks, religious leaders and through different sensitization programmes. 

Bowles however urged other organisations to adopt the same strategy to stem the tide of female genital cutting in most communities around the world.

NAHIMAT