Medical Portal

Flash of the unknown disease is registered in the Indonesian village on Java Island. Eight people have already become the victims of this illness.
This disease is not avian flu or atypical pneumonia, but can appear also very dangerous, informed Marvan Noosry from the Department of diseases and public health services control.
In total 30 persons with the analogous symptoms including profuse vomiting and convulsions have been hospitalized. First eight have died because of untimely medical aid. Nine more persons are discharged from hospital in the satisfactory condition; thirteen continue medical treatment, condition of two of them is critical.
Firstly experts have suspected a poisoning, but the analysis of water and food has not revealed toxic substances. Now experts search the disease activator, which can be a bacterium or a virus; samples of patients’ tissues will be sent to Jakarta this week. On the preliminary data the microbe disturbs function of the liver.
In spite of the fact that most of Indonesians are Moslems, some local mass-media have assumed, that became victims of “black art�.

The University of Florida develops a computer microchip which is able to help patients with such illnesses as a paralysis and epilepsy. For this purpose it should be implanted into a brain.
Principle of operation of this technology is the following: the chip “connected” to certain neurons of the brain, at the mental command transfers the necessary signals to organs and limbs of the person. It can force neurons to work correctly - for example, in a case of epileptic seizure. It can allow also a paralyzed person to manipulate with a mechanical limb.
Nowadays this technology is tested on rats. It is planned, that the “human” variant of this microchip will appear in four years. For this purpose it is required to decipher precisely signals which are transferred by a brain, so that the chip could decipher precisely the commands transferred by the force of a thought.

Scientists have developed the plaster for a cardiac muscle which stimulates growth of heart cells after cardiac infarction, informs HealthDay News.
The plaster successfully tested on rats, can be essentially new method of regeneration of the damaged cardiac tissues, and perhaps, an alternative of heart transplantation to some patients, claim scientists from cardiology department of the Boston Children’s Hospital. Their research has been published in Nature Medicine.
In usual conditions the myocardium (cardiac muscle) of the adult person does not regenerate after a heart attack, and the damaged area is replaced by a healing (scar) tissue, that reduces contractile muscle ability.
The research group headed by Bernhard Kuhn, tried to develop a technique stimulating cardiac tissues to production of new cells. For this purpose scientists have created a plaster from the porous absorbing gelatin saturate with periostin.
Periostin is regulatory albumen contained in periosteum and parodentium. Its function is stimulation of osteoblast to division and production of bone stock. Influenced by periostin heart cells also start to divide, that promote growth of normal cardiac tissue in the damaged area.
Tests have shown, that the damaged area decreased in sizes and received blood from more vessels, and the amount of cardiac cells increased in 100 times.
Advantage of the new technique is that it does not need application of stem or other cells for tissue growth stimulation. Besides, it does not mean influence on the genic cell system, i.e. is not a genic therapy.

The reasons causing yawning are not well studied till now. Scientists have denied the widespread point of view that the person starts to yawn in badly aired room because of lack of oxygen.
Experiments have shown, that people who received some more oxygen or carbonic gas, yawned equally.
Researches have shown, that at somnolence, weariness and boredom, inhibition prevails in brain processes of excitation. In result some functions of an organism, including breath, are inhibited also. It becomes rare, less deep. Influencing respiratory centers of the brain, carbonic gas provoke yawning.
Yawning is not only a symptom of boredom or drowsiness, but also complex operation on regulation of brain temperature, assert the American scientists. In opinion of the Professor of psychology of the New York University Andrew Gellap, brain of the person reminds a computer: “overheating”, it starts to work worse and causes yawning which provides inflow of blood and colder air. Result of it is improvement of brain functioning.
Scientists also assert, that contrary to the wide spread belief, yawning does not promote falling asleep, and, on the contrary, helps to keep off dream and to encourage an organism.
The American scientists found also have out, that people inclined to introspection are more inclined to the yawning.

National drug service of Portugal together with the French experts came to a conclusion, what even temporary, wipe-off, tattoos can be harmful for skin and cause allergic reaction.
Experts inform that consequences can be much more serious, than simply allergic reaction. Sometimes it ends with hospitalization - there are cases when in some days or weeks after drawing a picture skin is affected with eczema.
As a rule, such reaction, according to physicians, is caused by the temporary tattoo of a black color. Experts explain it with presence of para-phenylenediamine in paint - the chemical substance allowed to application only in some kinds of cosmetic production, and in strictly dosed amounts.
National drug service of Portugal which control drugs, cosmetic preparations and personal hygiene means, has called Portugueses to look upon tattoos carefully. And in the case of a doubtful and undesirable reaction of an organism go to physicians.

The Swiss scientists during the World Congress on neuropathology in Melbourne (Australia) informed that they have managed to find remedy for shyness.
Scientists have discovered that hormone oxytocin can help people which suffer from sociophobia as this hormone influences separate zones of a brain responsible for fear.
Marcus Heinriehs and his colleagues from university of Zurich during their research have examined 70 patients which suffered this illness that is characterized by huge nervousness and isolation of the person. During the whole experiment patients received hormone oxytocin as a spray for nose.
It appeared, that oxytocin helped patients to get confidence and has increased their readiness for a dialogue in various role situations.

American scientists have successfully tested on mice essentially new tactics of adiposity treatment. According to the researchers, an injection of the preparation blocked action of well-known neuropeptide and in short terms helped animals to get rid of the most dangerous to health depot visceral fat.
As it appeared, injections in an adipose tissue of the substance blocking interacting with neuropeptide Y receptors NPY2R, have caused fast reduction of depot fat. Within two weeks animals have lost approximately 40 % of visceral fat.
In opinion of the researchers, their method of struggle with adiposity can make in the future a worthy competition to surgical operations on weight loss. Certainly, for this purpose blocking action of neuropeptide Y preparations have to be recognized safe for patients.
One more supervision of scientists can appear useful to cosmeticians: regular neuropeptide Y injections provoked again fast fat accumulation in places of its introduction. According to the scientists, this effect can in the future be successfully used in plastic surgery.

The quantity of birthmarks on a body of the person can be the good indicator of organism ageing processes speed, believe British scientists.
According to their data, the number of birthmarks is proportional to telomeres’ length - fragments of chromosomes which are reduced with each cell division.
In the research conducted by the experts of the Royal College of London participated 900 pairs of twins. Scientists counted the birthmarks on bodies of the participants, and measured the length of chromosome telomeres in their cells.
Telomeres - are fragments of chromosomes which do not carry any hereditary information. Their main function is DNA protection from deformations and damages. The length of telomere has been recognized as the main indicator of ageing of an organism when scientists proved, that these parts of chromosomes are reduced with each cell division.
Conclusions of the scientists are rather unexpected, as until recently the main feature of the people with numerous birthmarks was their susceptibility to skin cancer - skin melanoma.
According to the leading author of the research, Doctor Veronik Batay, insignificant risk of malignant tumor growth connected to numerous birthmarks, is compensated by smaller susceptibility to age diseases - illnesses of heart, osteoporosis, etc. However, recognizes Batay, all these assumptions should be confirmed with additional researches.

The Israeli scientists have developed the medical equipment which allows to determine all for a minute, whether the person is AIDS positive or not. Thus it is not required even the blood test.
The device is slightly similar to the device for taking blood pressure. The sleeve with electrodes is connected to a computer which analyzes the transferred data.
Human blood has plenty of various viruses, and each group has its own “finger prints”. HIV infection has the electric signal which is determined by means of new system.
Till now patients expected for AIDS check results within several days, and even weeks. The new device which has received the name QuickLook, gives out result for few minutes.

People, who have been ailing from allergy even if it is not cat allergy, feel worse near a cat. Scientists have found out, that people with different types of allergy (grass, mould, dust), who have cats in the house, are more inclined to bronchospasm, than those who have no cats. Results of the laboratory researches have confirmed that research participants did not suffer from cat’s wool allergy.
If the given researches will be confirmed, doctors will be able to advise all people with allergy to avoid contacts with cats. However now the result of research cannot be called final and indisputable.
Susan Chinn and her colleagues from the London Imperial College examine 1884 adult Europeans from different countries. In houses of the research participants scientists measured concentration of dust ticks and cat’s allergens. Participant of the research were taken blood tests to determine an allergy to cat’s epidermis, to the dust tick, grass and mould. With the help of test with methacholine scientists checked bronchial tubes reactivity.
All allergic individuals, irrespective of allergy type, have higher susceptibility to bronchospasm with a cat in the house. Concerning other allergens, dust ticks, for example, such pattern was not revealed.