Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/302178456?client_source=feed&format=rss
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মঙ্গলবার, ৩০ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩
'Heart-healing virus' trial starts
29 April 2013
Last updated at 21:54 ET
Patients in the UK have been enrolled into a trial to see if an engineered virus can be used to heal their damaged and struggling hearts.
The trial will use a virus to introduce genetic material into heart muscle to reverse the organ's decline.
The British Heart Foundation said the idea had "great potential" but needed to be proven in clinical trials.
Heart failure affects more than 750,000 people in the UK and can leave some people too weak to climb the stairs.
It occurs when the organ is damaged, for example after being starved of oxygen in a heart attack, and becomes too weak to effectively pump blood around the body.
There have been huge medical leaps in keeping patients alive after a heart attack, but the consequence is a rapidly growing number of people living with heart failure.
Continue reading the main storyAnalysis
Gene therapy used to be heralded as the next big thing in medicine, but for decades it has promised more than it has delivered.
The concept is simple. If there is a problem with a patient's genetic code, then correct that part of the code.
Safety issues have been one of the biggest stumbling blocks.
In one trial a US teenager died and other patients have developed leukaemia.
The first gene therapy was finally approved for commercial use in Europe in November 2012.
It treats patients with lipoprotein lipase deficiency - who are otherwise unable to digest fat.
There is certainly a need for new treatments that could reverse heart failure
But even if this trial there will be a need for larger trials, so any therapy could be a decade away even if things go well.
Researchers at Imperial College London found levels of the protein SERCA2a were lower in heart-failure patients. So they devised a genetically modified virus, with the instructions for producing more of the protein, that can infect the heart.
The virus will be released into the damaged heart muscle of the 200 patients involved in the trial via a tube inserted into the leg and pushed up through the blood vessels.
Prof Sian Harding, from Imperial College London, said: "It's bringing [the heart] back to the point where patients were pretty well, just after the initial damage occurred.
"We think this is a treatment that can improve quality of life for quite a lot of people."
Dr Alexander Lyon, a cardiologist at Royal Brompton Hospital, where some patients will take part in the trial, said: "This is the first ever gene therapy trial for heart failure.
"Our goal is to fight back against heart failure by targeting and reversing some of the critical molecular changes arising in the heart when it fails."
Prof Peter Weissberg, the medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Whilst drugs can offer some relief, there is currently no way of restoring function to the heart for those suffering with heart failure.
"Gene therapy aims to improve the function of weak heart muscle cells, whereas our Mending Broken Hearts Appeal is aimed at finding ways to replace dead heart muscle cells after a heart attack.
"Both approaches are novel and both offer great potential for the future."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22336300#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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Extreme political attitudes may stem from an illusion of understanding
Apr. 29, 2013 ? Having to explain how a political policy works leads people to express less extreme attitudes toward the policy, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
The research suggests that people may hold extreme policy positions because they are under an illusion of understanding -- attempting to explain the nuts and bolts of how a policy works forces them to acknowledge that they don't know as much about the policy as they initially thought.
Psychological scientist Philip Fernbach of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder and his co-authors were interested in exploring some of the factors that could contribute to what they see as increasing political polarization in the United States.
"We wanted to know how it's possible that people can maintain such strong positions on issues that are so complex -- such as macroeconomics, health care, foreign relations -- and yet seem to be so ill-informed about those issues," says Fernbach.
Drawing on previous research on the illusion of understanding, Fernbach and colleagues speculated that one reason for the apparent paradox may be that voters think they understand how policies work better than they actually do.
In their first study, the researchers asked participants taking an online survey to rate how well they understood six political policies, including raising the retirement age for Social Security, instituting a national flat tax, and implementing merit-based pay for teachers. The participants were randomly assigned to explain two of the policies and then asked to re-rate how well they understood the policies.
As the researchers predicted, people reported lower understanding of all six policies after they had to explain them, and their positions on the policies were less extreme. In fact, the data showed that the more people's understanding decreased, the more uncertain they were about the position, and the less extreme their position was in the end.
The act of explaining also affected participants' behavior. People who initially held a strong position softened their position after having to explain it, making them less likely to donate bonus money to a related organization when they were given the opportunity to do so.
Importantly, the results affected people along the whole political spectrum, from self-identified Democrats to Republicans to Independents.
According to the researchers, these findings shed light on a psychological process that may help people to open the lines of communication in the context of a heated debate or negotiation.
"This research is important because political polarization is hard to combat," says Fernbach. "There are many psychological processes that act to create greater extremism and polarization, but this is a rare case where asking people to attempt to explain makes them back off their extreme positions."
In addition to Fernbach, co-authors include Todd Rogers of the Harvard Kennedy School; Craig R. Fox of the University of California, Los Angeles; and Steven A. Sloman of Brown University.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Association for Psychological Science.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- P. M. Fernbach, T. Rogers, C. R. Fox, S. A. Sloman. Political Extremism Is Supported by an Illusion of Understanding. Psychological Science, 2013; DOI: 10.1177/0956797612464058
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/n46HoETan78/130429130543.htm
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বুধবার, ৩ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩
Dispelling rumours: Bilawal Bhutto to lead PPP's election campaign ...
April 4 public rally called off; party to hold public meetin?g in Nauder?o House on April 3.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:?Putting an end to a guessing game about his tiff with his father, Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that he would lead the election campaign of his party which will kick-start on April 3 from Naudero House in Larkana.
The PPP was supposed to stage a big public rally in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, the ancestral village of the Bhutto family, on the anniversary of the hanging of its founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on April 4, 1979.
The rally was, however, called off for security reasons.? ?We are not organising a big national-level rally this time. Meetings are being held at district level separately,? Naudero House spokesperson Ghulam Mustafa Leghari said.
Speaking to members of PPP?s provincial and federal parliamentary boards via video link from Bilawal House in Karachi, the scion of the Bhutto family directed them to finalise the allotment of party tickets without any delay.
?It is high time party workers and leadership stood up and started preparations for the upcoming election. We want a massive campaign across the country,? he said.
Senior PPP leaders dispelled the rumours that their party would not stage public rallies as part of its election campaign due to security threats.
?At least 20 massive public rallies will be held in different cities and towns, which will be addressed by Bilawal Bhutto,? Qamar Zaman Kaira told The Express Tribune. Bilawal would also address corner meetings of the party during the election campaign.
At Tuesday?s meeting seven committees were formed to monitor the election campaign, with a central committee to be supervised by Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
Punjab has been divided into three parts:? former premier Raja Pervaiz Asharf is responsible for upper Punjab, former chief minister Mian Manzoor Wattoo for central Punjab and former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani for south Punjab.
Sindh?s former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah will lead PPP?s election campaign in Sindh, Anwar Saifullah in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Sadiq Umrani and Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hasni in Balochistan.
Party Chairperson Bilawal directed Kaira to activate the party?s media cells and start mobilising the media about the PPP election campaign. ?Bilawal Bhutto has said election cells be established at provincial and district levels,? said a PPP leader, who attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, a large number of PPP workers belonging to its minority wing protested outside Bilawal House against alleged discrimination in the award of party tickets. They claimed that the party was awarding tickets only to well-off Hindus and neglecting its jiyalas from the Christian and scheduled caste communities.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.
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Source: http://tribune.com.pk/story/530399/dispelling-rumours-bilawal-bhutto-to-lead-ppps-election-campaign/
Watch Your Mouth!
Apr 3, 2013 9:05am
Katie?s Take
Taking a seat in the dentist chair goes far beyond maintaining a healthy smile. Our mouths are the gateways to our bodies and can tell us more about our health than we may think. A dentist can detect nearly 120 medical conditions in their early stages.? Dr. Jonathan Levine, an oral health expert and aesthetic dentist practicing in New York City, talked to Katie Couric about how good oral health can affect our overall health.
Not caring for our teeth can lead to periodontal (gum) disease which has become all too common in our country, with one in every two Americans suffering from some form of gum disease. The inflammation caused by gum disease can be linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pancreatic cancer and preterm birth. Research also suggests that oral bacteria may be linked to heart disease, arterial blockages and stroke.
Unfortunately, 31 million Americans do not have access to dental health care. This is what Dr. Levine calls ?the unspoken epidemic? but suggests fighting it with prevention and education. By teaching children at a young age the importance of good dental care, they can fight long-term problems later in life. Visiting your dentist one to two times a year is vital to maintaining good oral hygiene. ?While a dentist visit can provide clues about your overall well-being, it is important to connect your dentist and your general physician to be sure that there are no gaps in your healthcare.
Creating healthy habits can help reduce your risk of gum disease. Focus on fighting plaque by flossing daily and staying away from sugar and foods that are high in protein and acidity. The average American spends around forty five seconds brushing their teeth, far shorter than the recommended two minutes. As Dr. Levine says, ?Don?t rush the brush? as the consequences go far beyond your smile.
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/04/03/watch-your-mouth/
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