Grape Skins Stop Diabetic Complications

Resveratrol -- found in grape skins -- can stop diabetic complications such as heart disease, kidney disease and blindness, a British study found.
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, England, say resveratrol -- also present in seeds, peanuts and red wine -- can protect against cellular damage to blood vessels caused by high production of glucose in diabetes.
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Principal investigator Dr. Matt Whiteman says elevated levels of glucose that circulate in the blood of patients with diabetes causes micro- and macrovascular complications by damaging mitochondria -- the tiny power plants within cells responsible for generating energy. When they are damaged they can leak electrons and make highly damaging free radicals.
Resveratrol or related compounds could be used to block the damaging effect of glucose which in turn might fight the often life threatening complications that accompany diabetes, Whiteman said in a statement. It could well be the basis of effective diet-based therapies for the prevention of vascular damage caused by hyperglycemia in the future.
The findings are published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
Source: United Press International

Natural protein may provide cure for main causes of blindness

Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

A protein found in blood cells could be the key to treating or preventing two of the commonest causes of blindness, scientists in the United States believe.

In mice that simulate the processes of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, damage was prevented by drugs that activate a protein called Robo4, they report in Nature Medicine.

The protein stopped the growth of abnormal blood vessels and stabilised existing ones, according to Professor Dean Li and colleagues from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Abnormal blood vessel growth and leakage are two primary factors in AMD and diabetic retinopathy.

“Many diseases are caused by injury or inflammation destabilising blood vessels and causing them to leak fluid into adjacent tissues” Professor Li said.

“We found a natural pathway – the Robo4 pathway – that counter-attacks by stabilising blood vessels.”

New treatments are needed for both conditions. AMD is the commonest cause of loss of sight in the elderly and diabetic retinopathy is the commonest cause in people of working age.

Treatments for one form of AMD do exist, but the best drugs are extremely expensive and at best slow down the disease. Many patients with AMD have been denied treatment with Lucentis on the NHS, at least until they have lost the sight of one eye.

The implications of the finding may go even farther because there are other diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome, in which blood vessel stability is lost, allowing fluids to leak into the lungs.

Tumours hijack blood vessel growth to feed on nutrients. Although this study did not prove Robo4 would treat those diseases, Professor Li believes it merits investigation.

Scientists from the University of Bristol said last week that they were ready to launch clinical trials of a drug to treat AMD and diabetic retinopathy. Professor Dave Bates and Dr Steve Harper have identified a naturally occurring form of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that inhibits the formation of new blood vessels. Professor Bates said: “We discovered the potential of VEGF165b in 2001 and have spent the last six years proving its efficacy. We plan to demonstrate clinical proof of concept of the drug in diabetic retinopathy and wet AMD patients by mid2009 so this is a very exciting time for us.”

The drug technology, which has been developed with the help of the charity Fight for Sight, is being licensed to a biopharmaceutical company, PhiloGene Inc.

Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia

Anaesthetics

Dr Patrick Dobbs

Anaesthetics are used in most hospital departments, from labour wards to A&E. Find out what anaesthetists do, how anaesthestics work and their possible side-effects.
In this article
What is anaesthesia?
How does anaesthesia work?
Safety issues
More information

What is anaesthesia?

The word 'anaesthesia' is derived from Greek, meaning 'lack of sensation'. This can be achieved using several methods.
A general anaesthetic renders you unconscious using a combination of drugs, and a local anaesthetic blocks painful sensations from specific areas of the body.
Methods include injecting local anaesthetic into the area being operated on, blocking nerves that detect sensation from an area, such as a finger or an arm, and injecting local anaesthetic close to the spinal cord to block large areas of the body, such as the legs or lower abdomen.
These methods can also be combined to provide the safest anaesthetic, reduce side-effects and help the surgeons with their task.
Your anaesthetist
An anaesthetist is a doctor who has passed a series of specialist postgraduate exams to become a consultant or senior hospital doctor.
The anaesthetist's main role is to ensure the safety of patients undergoing operations, but you may come across them elsewhere in the hospital.
They run intensive care units, provide epidural pain relief during labour, help babies being delivered by caesareans and are involved in resuscitation in A&E and on wards. They also lead acute pain teams and run chronic pain clinics.
Your anaesthetist and you
Before you go into theatre for an operation, an anaesthetist will visit you and take a detailed medical history. This will help them to identify any risk factors and discuss the most appropriate method of anaesthesia and pain management for you.
They may also prescribe you drugs known as premedication ('premeds'). These can reduce any anxiety, fear, nausea or sickness, or may be more specific to the operation or medical condition you have.
Occasionally, the anaesthetist will have to decide if you're fit enough or suitable for the operation, or if there are any treatments or investigations that would make your procedure safer.
After your operation, the anaesthetist's responsible for ensuring you receive adequate pain relief. They'll also treat any nausea and sickness, prescribe fluids and oxygen, and make sure you're stable before you go back to the ward.
How does anaesthesia work?
The ideal general anaesthetic causes a reversible loss of consciousness, keeps the patient still and reduces the body's normal responses to unpleasant stimulation, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate.
There are many different types of drugs that anaesthetists can use to achieve this, including gasses.
Research has shown, broadly speaking, where and how these drugs affect the brain to make a patient unconscious, but many questions remain unanswered.
However, the drugs used by anaesthetists are those with the most predictable, desirable effects and the least unpleasant side-effects.
In contrast, the way in which local anaesthetics block nerves to stop sensation or movement is well understood.
Safety issues
Over the past 30 years, advances in monitoring equipment, newer and safer drugs, and better training and supervision of anaesthetists have led to major improvements in patient safety.
It's difficult to exactly predict a person's risk of dying from an anaesthetic, but for young, fit people with no other medical diseases, between one in 100,000 and one in 500,000 will die from the anaesthetic itself.

Other factors can increase the risk. These include:
* The type of operation - those on the heart, lungs, brain and bowel all carry higher risks
* If the operation is being performed as an emergency
* If the patient has been injured before surgery
* Pre-existing illnesses (such as heart disease or cancer)
* The patient's age

The anaesthetist will assess all these factors and advise on the most appropriate and safest anaesthetic for each patient.
Other complications vary from the very common (affecting about one in ten patients) to rare (one in 10,000) or very rare (one in 1,000,000).

Common complications include:
* feeling sick
* shivering
* sore throat

Less common complications include:
* postoperative chest infection
* damage to teeth or lips
* abrasions to eyes
* minor damage to nerves

Rare complications include:
* serious drug reactions or anaphylaxis
* serious nerve damage
* being aware during an operation under general anaesthesia

Awareness under general anaesthesia
Many patients worry that, despite a general anaesthetic, they'll be aware of what's happening during their operation and may even be able to feel pain.
Awareness while under anaesthetic can range from the recall of a conversation to the recognition of being paralysed or the experience of pain.
It can be caused by too little anaesthetic being given, due to poor technique by the anaesthetist or the patient being in an unstable condition. Occasionally, equipment administering the drug may malfunction or the patient may have some resistance to the anaesthetic.
The incidence of awareness is estimated at one in 1,000 general anaesthetics, while awareness with pain is estimated at one in 3,000.
These numbers are falling as advancements in technology mean anaesthetists can monitor the levels of drugs within patients and the effect these are having on their brain.
More information
The Royal College of Anaesthetists produces information for patients and relatives.
Most hospitals also provide patient information leaflets - just ask your doctor.
Dr Patrick Dobbs is a consultant neuroanaesthetist, who also anaesthetises patients for colorectal and gynaecological surgery.
The article was first published in March 2007.

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Sonograghy gaining popularity

Useful application:Sonography is becoming
increasingly important.

In medicine, sonography (also known as medical ultrasonography) is a diagnostic techniqoe that uses sound waves to study and treat areas in the human body that are not easily accessible, such as muscles and internal organs. High-frequency sound waves are transmitted to specific areas and tha echoes from the transmission are recorded and then analysed.
Sonography forms an important part of the professional medical team at hospitals, medical and diagnostic centres. Nowadays, It is becoming increasingly important in medicine and is placed together with X-ray and nuclear medicine as important diagnostic tools.
Clinically used to check on feotal development, to study the age and sex of the foetus and to determine the presence of possible birth defects or other potential problems, today sonography is used in nearly every branch of medicine.
In many way, sonography is an ideal diagnostic tool. It is non-invasive, externally applied, non-traumatic and most importantly, all available data indicates that it is safe for use on the patients but also for the clinicians.
The Post-Graduate Diploma in Medical Ultrasonography - DMU(Asia) is a top-notch, one-year programme offered by Vision College that trains students to become a Clinical Sonographer. Students pursuing this programme can be from various academic backgrounds.
The programme is also gaining popularity among traditional medicine practitioners. DMU is accredited by the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) and has obtained approval from the National Accreditation Board (LAN) Malaysia.
*For more information, visit their wedsite at www.vision.edu.my or call Vision College at 03-7803 8300 to speak to a career counsellar.
Extracted from -The Starts