Category: Health

{The mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to microcephaly and other neurological problems in newborns of affected mothers directly infects the brain progenitor cells destined to become neurons, researchers report in a new study.}

The mosquito-borne Zika virus linked to microcephaly and other neurological problems in newborns of affected mothers directly infects the brain progenitor cells destined to become neurons, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report in a study published online in Cell Reports.

The team of researchers used a strain of Zika currently impacting the Americas, and found that the virus infects about 20 percent of cells on average, evades immune system detection, and continues to replicate for weeks.

“The cellular system we studied mirrors what pathologists are finding in the brain tissue of affected infants and will be valuable for further understanding how Zika causes severe brain-related problems. The system may also serve as a platform for testing new therapies targeting the virus,” said Dr. John Schoggins, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study.

Zika can be spread by infected mosquitos or through sexual intercourse. In adults, the symptoms are generally mild and include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. However, Zika virus can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, and other severe neurological effects such as eye problems, hearing loss, and impaired growth in infants born to women who contracted the virus when pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC’s website lists a series of unanswered questions about the virus that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern. The unanswered questions include when during pregnancy the infection may harm the fetus and how the virus affects individual pregnancies.

“There was a suggestion that the detrimental effects of the virus might be linked to its ability to infect brain cells, specifically the progenitor cells that give rise to neurons,” said Dr. Schoggins, a Nancy Cain and Jeffrey A. Marcus Scholar in Medical Research, in Honor of Dr. Bill S. Vowell.

“We showed that neural progenitors can be infected by a strain of Zika virus that is currently infecting people in the Americas,” Dr. Schoggins said. “We found that the virus kills some neural progenitor cells, but not all. Other cells survive the infection, and surprisingly, continue to replicate the virus for many weeks. In addition, it appears that Zika virus does not stimulate much of an immune response.”

{Eating fruits come with a lot of health benefits, and it isn’t just good for your health as a woman, it’s also good for your unborn child.}

A Canadian study has found that women who ate more fruit during pregnancy had children with higher IQs at one year old.

The researchers from the University of Alberta found that one of the factors contributing to improved cognitive development in children was the amount of fruit their mothers ate during pregnancy.

The scientists studied 688 one-year-old babies, who were controlled for factors otherwise affecting their learning and development, such as family income and parental education.

They found that the mothers who ate six to seven portions of fruit per day — including juices — had children with IQs six or seven points higher on the standard scale at one year old

According to Dr Mandhane, the study’s senior author: “We know that the longer a child is in the womb, the further they develop — and having one more serving of fruit per day in a mother’s diet provides her baby with the same benefit as being born a whole week later,”

However, the researchers warn pregnant women against eating too much of fruit which contains fructose, as this can lead to complications such as gestational diabetes and high birthweight.

These initial findings will be followed up by more research, investigating whether the positive effects of fruit consumption on cognitive development persist in children over time. The scientists also plan to study the impact of fruit consumption on cognitive functions such as planning, organizing and working memory.

The research was published in the journal EbioMedicine.

{Researchers at Duke University have devised a method of flushing breast cancer cells out of bone marrow in mice, making them easier to eradicate.}

Previous research suggests bone marrow may offer a haven from chemotherapy, meaning breast cancer cells can lie dormant for an extended period. Up to now, little has been known about how metastatic breast cancer cells enter and hide in bones.

Using real-time microscopy techniques, the Duke University team tracked the migration of breast cancer cells through the bone marrow of mice and identified E-selectin, the protein that allows cancer cells to enter the bone marrow, and CXCR4, the protein that anchors them to the bone and allows the malignant cells to hide.

Dorothy Sipkins, an associate professor at Duke, said: “Studies have found that breast cancer can be caught early and treated, and patients can have no signs of disease. Then five, 10 or even 15 years later, a patient can relapse.

“We also identified an important mechanism that allows breast cancer cells to remain anchored in the bone marrow.

“In the mouse, our findings could offer new strategies to intervene at the molecular level before dormant cells can take hold and cause relapse.”

The research was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, and has prompted hopes that one of the most devastating characteristics of breast cancer can be prevented.

{The director of Africa Society for Blood Transfusion (AfSBT), Jean Baptiste Tapco has expressed concern over inadequate knowledge of health care service providers and improper performance of some institutions which may result in transfusing contaminated blood to the patients.}

He noted this yesterday during the beginning of the 8th summit of AfSBT.

“Sometimes blood transferred to patients in need is little or blood bankers’ knowledge is inadequate which results into patients’ deaths. This adds to malfunction of some institutions in charge of blood distribution that people may receive blood containing virus causing hepatitis or AIDS,” he said.

Tapco noted that Rwanda has demonstrated that progress can be attained and finds that countries should learn from Rwanda’s achievements.

“Rwanda has shown the possibility of reaching development through implementing good policies. Everyone should learn from it, since we are here to share ideas in blood donation and learn from excellent achievements of this country,” he said.

The Minister of Health, Dr.Agnes Binagwaho said that people from Africa and Rwanda need to get pure blood and make sure it is affordable.

“This is the real time to study well the issue since our people need well screened blood with no HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis contamination among others.,” she said.

Dr. Binagwaho said that the four-day meeting held in Kigali is seeking how to collect, properly keep and distribute blood.

{Pregnancy is an important stage in a woman’s life, and it’s also important to know vital information about the subject.}

Miscarriage in women also has causes and it’s something every woman and her partner should know.

{{1. THE SPERM
}}

A lot of people believe that miscarriage is primarily the woman’s fault, but this isn’t so. Sperm DNA fragmentation is also a huge cause of miscarriage; it happens when strands of sperm DNA are broken and unable to deliver DNA to the eggs.

{{2. HORMONES}}

Hormones could also lead to miscarriage; progesterone, luteal phase defect, hypothyroidism and diabetes are some hormonal problems that could cause miscarriage.

{{3. GENETIC ABNORMALITIES}}

For majority of miscarriages that happen, genetic abnormalities are a major reason. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), for approximately 5 percent of women who have recurrent loss, the reason in 50 percent of those cases isn’t clear.

Chromosomal abnormalities like cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome and Turner syndrome could cause miscarriage.

{{4. INFECTIONS}}

Infections could also cause miscarriage. Mycoplasma infections that happen in the lining of the uterus can lead to miscarriage.

{{5. HARD DRUGS, SMOKING AND ALCOHOL}}

Using hard drugs, smoking and alcohol can cause miscarriage. According to a study published in the Fertility and Sterility journal, women exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals are 83 percent more likely to have a miscarriage than women with lower levels.

{{6. OBESITY}}

Research has found that women who are obese have an increased risk of miscarriage.

{{7. ABNORMALITIES OF THE UTERUS}}

This is another common cause of miscarriage in pregnant women. Septum for example, is an extra piece of tissue on the uterus that doesn’t have the same type of blood supply as the rest of the uterus; this could cause miscarriage.

Fibroid can also cause miscarriage.

{Almost everyone knows memory loss can be caused by a concussion or a brain tumour but only few actually know stress can also cause memory loss.}

Below are 4 ways you damage your memory without even knowing it

{{1. STRESS
}}

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that escalated levels of the stress hormone cortisol may lead to short-term memory loss.

{{2. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS}}

According to Medical Daily, prescription sleeping pills can lead to memory loss. A drug-induced sleep isn’t the same as a true sleep and it deprives one of the benefits of sleep, thereby impacting your ability to recall.

{{3. VITAMIN B12 DEFICIENCY}}

Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to memory loss and even dementia. Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin your body needs and you can get vitamin B 12 by eating meat, eggs, poultry and dairy products.

{{4. MIGRAINE}}

Using data from the National Health Insurance Research database (NHIRD) in Taiwan, researchers were able to link migraine with a future higher risk of dementia. Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by slow progressive memory loss and cognitive dysfunction.

{The normal menstrual cycle ranges from 21 days to 35 days. A period is considered irregular if it occurs less than 21 days or more than 35 days apart.}

So if the number of days between stopping and starting your period is significantly different each month, your period is irregular.

Below are 6 causes of irregular period

{{ 1. CHRONIC STRESS}}

Stress can affect a woman’s hormone balance which can cause irregular periods. Seek ways to reduce stress and relax better.

{{2. BIRTH CONTROL PILLS}}

Going on and off birth control pills can affect menstruation. Going on a pill can cause a woman to miss periods or have less or more frequent periods. Some women have irregular or missed periods for up to six months after discontinuing birth control pills.

{{3. EXTREME EXERCISE}}

Exercise is good for everyone as it helps keep us healthy but extreme exercise can cause women to have irregular periods.

{{4. GAINING OR LOSING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WEIGHT}}

Gaining or losing a significant amount of weight can cause irregular periods. Being underweight, whether from dieting or illness can also cause irregular period.

{{5. PELVIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE}}

Pelvic Inflammatory disease (PID) is a bacterial infection that can cause irregular periods. The bacteria causing PID can be gotten through sex, abortion or childbirth.

{{6. POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS)}}

PCOS is a medical condition that causes cysts to form on ovaries, which can prevent eggs from maturing, and so ovulation may not take place consistently. Women with PCOS usually have a history of irregular periods.

{If you think you know so much about conception, you might be in for a shocker. According to experts, you can get pregnant without even having intercourse. Wow.}

Daily Mail asked several doctors to reveal the truth and bust the myths around conception and this shocking revelation was made.

While we are probably think you need to have intercourse to be able to get pregnant, experts revealed to Daily Mail that ‘dry humping’ (a man and a woman grinding against each other without penetration) can get a woman pregnant. The experts also revealed that dry humping even when wearing underwear might still get a woman pregnant.

How possible is that really? According to the experts, whether you have penetrative sex or not, there is always a risk of pregnancy if semen comes in contact with the vagina.

So how can one get pregnant from dry humping even when with underwear? The experts revealed to Daily Mail that though this is rare, a woman can get pregnant from dry humping if the semen from the man soaks the woman’s underwear.

Learned a lot today. Hope you did too?