Medical Portal

Researchers have found a new key to a solution of why wide-spread medicine against AIDS causes the certain side-effects, as for example strange depot fat. In scientists’ opinion, comparison of side action from protease inhibitor (the dangerous components contained in a mix of medicines against HIV) and genetic predisposition, bringing in early ageing, can explain the reason of frequent exhaustions of depot fat and other consequences.

Protease inhibits can cause metabolism problems, namely unhealthy accumulation of cholesterol in blood, high blood pressure and the increased risk of diabetes. They also cause such disease as lipodystrophy - strange redistribution of corporal fat owing to what patients have hollow cheeks and weakened extremities, and also so-called «buffaloes hump» - accumulation of fat on a back part of a neck.

Now researchers want to see, whether their theory concerning the version about protease inhibits which do not block ZMPSTE24 and can cause less side-effects in a HIV+ people is true. Researches are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

All over the world the problem of intrahospital infections and their prevention causes big interest of scientists. Earlier almost the only way of treatment of the given diseases was antibacterial therapy. The Russian researchers have conducted a number of experiments during which they have created the substance possessing strong antimicrobial and anti-virus activity. Actually, this substance has already been known for a long time, as well as its fabulous antiseptic properties. This is silver.

However the problem was in that that this salutary metal could not be transported directly to the center of an infection. Nanotechnology has allowed scientists to create the convenient container for silver with biopolymer of the Siberian larch as the basis. This compound has well ability to penetrate inside cells, stimulates factors of immune protection and has antibacterial properties not worse than at traditional antibiotics.

For the time being the invention passes a stage of additional tests, but already today scientists can speak about new therapy opportunities of some diseases by means of the substances with minimal spectrum of side-effects.

Today you will not find any person who would doubt which organ of our organism is responsible for intelligence. Certainly, this is a brain!

It is known, that the volume of a brain accrues up to ten years’ age, then its size is fixed. However the maximal growth rate of a brain was not fixed, as this process occurs in the third trimester of the gestational period, a little bit being slowed down during the first year of the baby’s life. English scientists have studied dependence of mental abilities of the person from external and internal influences during the intensive growth.

Scientists have conducted dynamic ratio research of head sizes of the researched children and growth of their intellectual development parameters. As a result of the research experts came to a conclusion that there is a close connection of IQ growth in the age of eight years and dynamics of the head growth up to one year. Small rates of head size growth in of tender years, worsen a little parameters of intellectual development in school years.

While studying a genetic code of a human immunodeficiency virus of the second type HIV-2 - less terrible and more widespread version of the virus, scientists have found out some data which can help to create vaccine against AIDS.

Scientists from Oxford and British Medical Research Center inform that both forms of the virus, HIV-1 and HIV-2 can infect the person. But if HIV-2 leads to AIDS development only in 20 % of the cases, HIV-1 causes AIDS in 98 % of the cases.

Taking into account these facts, experts have decided to find out, why the immune system of people can resist to attacks of HIV-2 which is substantially limited to the territory of the Western Africa.

To study influence of the virus on the immune system scientists have chosen the group of the women living in Gambia which have been infected with HIV-2 more ten years ago.

It appeared that the small part of a gene gag makes the HIV-2 vulnerable for attack of the immune system. Also it became known that gag has almost never changes. Moreover, this gene sends a signal to Т-cells which destroy a virus before it influence has affected the entire organism.

Having obtained such encouraging data, physicians hope to invent shortly a vaccine which will be able to stop decrease of immunity which leads AIDS.

About 600 residents of Peru have called for medical aid after they have attended the place of falling of a mysterious body. All patients complain of a headache, sickness and dizziness.
In opinion of the victims, they have inhaled some unknown gas.

The team of experts has arrived to the place of events to investigate the reasons of the occurrence.

The expert from the Peruvian Institute of atomic energy Renan Ramirez believes that there are no serious reasons to worry about.
“It is a usual meteorite and after its falling there was a chemical reaction and gas”, - has declared he.

According to Ramirez, radiation around of a crater was not revealed. He has also excluded an opportunity of that the fallen object was the artificial satellite.

The research institute of Safe Medical Practice (USA), having analyzed the official statistics of quantity of death, invalidism and hospitalization of Americans for the period from 1998 to 2005 in the USA, has come to a conclusion, that all of them are caused by taking medicines.
Food and Drug Administration has named this situation, when taking this or that medical preparation has led to a death, disablement, hospitalization, to patrimonial defects or has demanded intensive therapy, as serious unfavorable reaction.

Statistics shows, that from 1998 till 2005 in the USA has taken place 467.8 thousand such incidents. And, if in 1998 there were 34.9 thousand of them, in 2005 - already almost 89.9 thousand. In turn, for the same period the number of lethal outcomes has grown in 2.7 times - from 5.5 thousand up to 15.1 thousand. Experts believe that the reason of such situation became a greater amount of medicines, prescribed by doctors - hence, the growth of side-effects.

In total, originators of such states of emergency were 1489 drugs, 51 from were responsible for 43.6 % of all incidents. The most dangerous appeared to be anesthetics and medicines which are used to support immune system.

New dress-code will be introduced from the beginning of the next year in British hospitals. Within the framework of struggle against intrahospital infections the personnel will be forbidden to wear clothes with long sleeves, including traditional white smocks.
Besides smocks, shirts and blouses with long sleeves, watches, rings and bracelets, and also ties, will also be under a ban, informed Minister of Health Alan Johnson.

The ban is connected to that that all these things, and also cuffs of sleeves are most often polluted with dangerous pathogenic microbes, in particular, MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

Wardrobe of doctors will be supplemented with the new items of clothing with protective function, in particular a plastic apron, informs British Ministry of Health.

The strengthened measures of struggle against infection distribution have been taken when it became known, that Great Britain takes one of the first places in Europe on frequency of infections with drug-resistant microbes.

According to the statistics, more than 5 thousand British became victims of an intrahospital infection annually.

Scientists from University of Michigan which have conducted their own research have proved, that the antibacterial soap protects from infections precisely the same as usual does.

The conclusion is made on the basis of trivial procedure studying - washing of dirty hands. As it appeared, the number of bacteria on hands after applying of an antibacterial soap is the same, as after the use of a usual soap.

However the antibacterial soap has not palatable feature. All kinds of such soap contain one active component - triclozan. In the American hospitals the concentrated solutions of this substance are frequently used as a disinfectant. Use of small dozes can help cultures to develop bacterial resistance to some antibiotics. Experiments have shown that the colon bacillus is able to develop such resistance very quickly.

Cleaning of teeth helps to prevent heart attack, claim experts.
Doctors have found out, that people, suffering thrombosis, as a rule, have also gingivitis. There is a plenty of proofs that gingivitis is connected with heart diseases, however scientists who have conducted the last research, assert, that they for the first time have managed to show, as severity of one disease influences another.

The chronic gingivitis is called periodontitis. Disease appears, when rests of food on teeth start to irritate gums. Dental calculus can be cleaned off if to look after teeth regularly and correctly. However, if the person does not clean teeth and does not use floss, infection starts to develop. Teeth start to loose and sometimes even drop out, writes The Daily Mail.

It is not known, how gingivitis causes heart diseases, however, assume researchers, the bacteria formed in gums, are a principal cause. Bacteria get in blood system that makes immune system active - vascular walls inflame and narrow.

Professor Robin Samor from University of Newcastle marks, that connection between gingivitis and heart diseases is not proved. The scientist has declared that researchers did not take into consideration such risk factors, as a diabetes or smoking.

The 46-years old inhabitant of Bonn (Germany) is HIV-positive for 22 years, but on assurances of the doctors, she will never die from AIDS, informs Spiegel-online.

The name of the German is not disclosed on ethical reasons. However it is known, that early in life the patient took drugs, that, most likely, has led to HIV infection. In 1985 the virus of an immunodeficiency has been found out in the blood of her husband, and 2 years later he has died. But her daughter who has been born already after the diagnosis, is absolutely healthy.

Examinations of the patient have shown, that her blood contains more T-helpers, than has the majority of not infected with HIV people. T-helpers are cells which control the immune reply of an organism and direct other cells to destruct activators and infected cells. Virus of immunodeficiency usually destroys them. At the same time the newest tests have show, that blood of the woman contains antibodies to HIV, hence, she is infected.

Experts inform that genes of the German can give a key to an effective medicine for AIDS, which has already killed about 25 million people.