FIREMAN RECIEVES SUCCESSFUL FACE TRANSPLANT!
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For as long as we have heard about transplants, we have also heard of a long trail of unfortunate events that come along with it like the patient's body rejecting the transplant altogether. Those times that transplants, especially for the face, are successful are considered a miracle. To be able to bring back sensations and feeling to patients, like Patrick, is a surgery done well. Patrick, a fireman who had risked his life in fire, is able to live life as a normal person once again due to a face transplant that proved to be successful!
THANKS SCIENCE! -Nigelle |
FIRST GENE THERAPY FOR CHILDREN APPROVED IN EUROPE!
Strimvelis, a gene therapy for a rare immune deficiency, which is also the first gene therapy for children, has been granted approval by the European Commission (EC).
Adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA-SCID) is a very rare disorder caused by a faulty gene inherited from both parents. This faulty gene stops the production of the essential protein ADA, which is required for the production of lymphocytes. Children born with ADA-SCID do not develop a healthy immune system. The disorder often proves fatal within the child's first year of life. Thankfully, European doctors have announced a life-saving gene therapy known as Strimvelis, which will be the first corrective gene therapy for children anywhere in the world. |
Strimvelis is only administered once and does not rely on a third-party donor. A 100% survival rate at three years post-treatment with Strimvelis was observed for all children in the pivotal study and every child receiving the treatment is alive today. Way to go science!
-Jon
-Jon
Bad Timing: Biological Clock Linked to Infections By Sara G. Miller, Staff Writer
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There are plenty of old wives' tales about what gets you sick — the myth about going out in the cold, for example — but new research in mice suggests that the time of day at which an infection starts up could play a role in how sick you get.
Researchers found that, in mice that were infected with a virus in the morning, the virus replicated within the cells of those mice much more than it did in the mice that were infected with the same virus later in the day. (Viruses spread through the body after they replicate within cells.)
The difference may be due to the mice's circadian rhythm, or biological clock, according to the study published on Aug. 15 in the journal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition to influencing when we go to sleep and wake up, circadian rhythm helps regulate some aspects of the immune system, the researchers wrote.
"This study is yet tested on the mice and not with humans yet but we still need to be extra cautious because viral infections are constantly changing its ways to spread so be healthy as much as possible and always protect your immune system to be as effective as always." - Aira
Researchers found that, in mice that were infected with a virus in the morning, the virus replicated within the cells of those mice much more than it did in the mice that were infected with the same virus later in the day. (Viruses spread through the body after they replicate within cells.)
The difference may be due to the mice's circadian rhythm, or biological clock, according to the study published on Aug. 15 in the journal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition to influencing when we go to sleep and wake up, circadian rhythm helps regulate some aspects of the immune system, the researchers wrote.
"This study is yet tested on the mice and not with humans yet but we still need to be extra cautious because viral infections are constantly changing its ways to spread so be healthy as much as possible and always protect your immune system to be as effective as always." - Aira
BMI: A Flawed Measurement for Health.
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In a study done, result shows nearly half of Americans whose BMI puts them in the overweight category (34.4 million people) are actually healthy according to cardio-metabolic measures, as are 19.8 million whose BMI classes them as obese. The researchers also found that 15% of Americans (2 million people) whose BMI calculation is 35 or higher - thus classing them as very obese - are also healthy. The study also finds over 30% of Americans whose BMI puts them in the normal range (nearly 21 million people) are actually unhealthy according to cardio-metabolic measures. As Prof. Janet Tomiyama said "Many people see obesity as a death sentence. But the data show there are tens of millions of people who are overweight and obese and are perfectly healthy." - Sean
ROBOT SURGERIES
In late 2007 the surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic began removing kidneys through a single incision in the patient's navel. Using tiny metal hands carefully manipulating sutures deep inside a patients body seems like something pulled from science fiction, but that robotic surgery is occurring daily in a growing number of centers across the country.
The greatest benefit of tiny openings into the body rather than large incisions made by traditional surgery, may—believers say—be shorter and less painful recovery time. Doctors have also used robotic surgery to improve the accuracy of procedures, especially in cancer cases. Robotic surgery increased the ability of cancer surgeons to get clean margins as well due to the magnification of the structures. Robotic tools also offer the potential for surgeons to operate on patients remotely, which would reduce the costs of travel and other barriers towards receiving specialized care. While critics say the cost of the robotic hardware may outweigh the benefit, the potential for smoother, more efficient, and less invasive surgeries bodes well both for patient safety and overall medical costs. -Erikah |