Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Pharmacon: Tuberculosis
Pharmacon: Tuberculosis: TB (Tuberculosis) is as dangerous as HIV and one of the leading cause of death worldwide Even though there are impressive efforts by WHO ...
Tuberculosis
TB (Tuberculosis) is as dangerous as HIV and one of the leading cause of
death worldwide Even though there are impressive efforts by WHO (World Health Organization), in
2014 around 96 lakh people fell ill
with TB and from that 15 lakh lost
their lives. In India alone, there were around 19 lakh cases of TB reported in
2014.
TB (Tuberculosis)
TB is an infectious disease caused by pathogenic
bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis which
affects respiratory system of human being by infecting their lungs. There can
be two form of TB disease
:
a) Latent
TB: This is an asymptomatic TB (where you don’t see prominent disease symptoms)
in which you are infected with bacterium, however your body’s immune system
keeps a strong check and doesn’t let the TB bacteria grow. This state has no
symptoms of disease and is also non-infectious. However, they are at constant
risk to re-activation of disease and can fall ill
b) Active
TB: This is contagious and symptomatic state which might occur several weeks
later than after first infection. At this stage, you are at risk of spreading
disease via coughing and sneezing. You get symptoms like intense coughing,
rapid weight loss, fever, night sweats, loss of appetite, etc.
A person with weaker immune system is more prone to
catch the disease as body doesn’t fight back the TB bacterial infection. Therefore,
people with HIV infection possess higher risk of developing active TB (e.g. out of 96 lakh TB cases, around 12 lakh
were carrying HIV) and it is a leading cause of death in
HIV-positive people. It also has been reported that people with diabetes,
malnutrition and tobacco-addiction are in high risk category of developing
active TB.
Diagnosis and medication
Primary diagnosis includes physical examination,
skin test (tuberculin) and blood test.
Further, chest X-ray, sputum test and other blood-related advance test
can also be performed to check the TB and its state. Importantly, it is also
necessary to conduct drug-resistance test in order prescribe proper medication.
Treatment of TB includes intensive administration of isoniazid, rifampicin,
pyrazinamide and ethambutol followed by mild-administration of isoniazid and
rifampicin for four months.
Although due to continuous efforts by WHO, TB
incidence rate is falling at 1.5 % each year since 2000, situation still far
from under control. One of the main reason which impairs the disease control is
drug-resistance.
MDR-TB (Multi-drug
related tuberculosis):- A big concern
The pervasive development of antibiotic resistance
is a major concern in the treatment of TB. This happens because TB bacteria becomes
un-responsive against multiple drugs (MDR-TB), and therefore patients cannot be
treated effectively which ultimately leads to their death. According to the WHO,
in 2014 around 4.8 lakh people
developed TB which doesn’t respond to rifampicin and isoniazid (most powerful
first-line drugs for TB treatment). Though in such cases, TB can be
tackled using second line drugs (e.g. fluoroquinolones, kanamycin, amikacin),
however in some cases, TB bacteria is even get resistant to these drugs and
develop
XDR-TB (extensively
drug-resistant tuberculosis) which puts these patients under high-risk group
and they are difficult to treat.
Since TB is an infectious disease, by not taking
proper and prescribed medication people not only affect themselves but also
contributes in spreading such resistant forms of TB in the society. Therefore
more awareness about TB and drug-resistance is required for the better
treatment and stopping the spread of disease.
Dr. Sandeep Ameta, PhD,
Senior Research Scientist,
ESPCI ParisTech,
10 rue Vauquelin,
75005, Paris, France
ametasandeep@yahoo.com
sandeep.espci@yahoo.com
References:
1.
Global
tuberculosis report 2015, World Health Organization (WHO)
(http://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/en/)
2.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of
Tuberculosis
(http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/default.htm)
(http://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/default.htm)
3.
Zumla et al., Current concepts Tuberculosis, 368, 2013, The
New England Journal of Medicine.
4.
WHO
guidelines on tuberculosis (http://www.who.int/publications/guidelines/
Tuberculosis/en/)
5.
WHO:
Drug resistant TB (http://www.who.int/tb/areas-of-work/drug-resistant-tb/en/)
Monday, 25 April 2016
Cervical Cancer
Cervical Cancer is a type of
cancer that starts as abnormal tissue growth around the cervix, briefly before
spreading throughout the body hampering normal functioning. It can be diagnosed
in early stages and detected by having cervical screenings like the pap test,
or the cancer may spread in the uterus showcasing symptoms like abnormal
vaginal bleeding, back pain etc.
Also, it is the most common
cancer found in women, comprising up to 90% of all women's cancers. Generally
it is caused by the HPV virus, which anyone can get infected by various
reasons, including but not limited to: sexual contact with many individuals,
use of birth control, weak immune system etc. However, not all women infected
by HPV get this type of cancer. Early and effective treatment has surged the
5-year survival rate in US to 68% with a combined use of radiotherapy,
chemotherapy and surgery.
Signs and Symptoms
There may not be many
indications of it in early stages but once the cancer surfaces and starts to
multiply in the vaginal canal, there are a handful of signs and symptoms that
can be an alarming bell :
●
Abnormal vaginal bleeding
●
Mass discharge from vagina
●
Discomfort while sexual intercourse
●
Pelvic Pain
Symptoms of a rapidly growing
cervical cancer may include weight loss, nausea, leg pain, swollen legs, heavy
vaginal bleeding and rarely, it may also cause feces leakage from the vagina.
Causes and Prevention:
The most common cause of
cervical cancer in women is HPV or the human papillomavirus, while smoking,
using excessive birth control and having multiple pregnancies are also factors
known to cause cervical cancer.
HPV is known to contribute to
90% of cervical cancers in the world, however it is worth being informed that
not all HPV infections result in a cancer.
Out of 150-200 types of HPV
known to medicine, HPV 16 and 18 cause about 75% of all the cervical cancer
cases. These cases can be easily prevented by a HPV vaccine that targets the
two papillomavirus classes.
Other prevention techniques aim
at educating women to quit smoking, taking a balanced diet and encouraging them
to practise safe sex.
Family planning can also reduce
the chances of getting the cancer, as researchers found out in many studies
that women who had more (7 or more) full-time pregnancies had four times the
risk of developing the cancer as compared to women with no pregnancies and
two-to-three times the risk when compared to women with two or more full-time
pregnancies.
Treatment:
Treatment of a cancer usually
depends upon the stage at which it is detected, if detected early the cancer
can successfully treated. Age, health and quality of living are crucial aspects
to the treatment.
There are four types of
treatment to cervical cancer, they are:
● Surgery may be performed to remove the
cancerous tissues, keeping in mind patient desire to have children in the
future. To ensure such conditions, fertility sparing surgeries are performed.
● Radiation therapy weakens the cancerous cells
through high-dose radiation in the vaginal cavity. They are removed through
surgery afterwards.
● Chemotherapy This type of treatment is
usually used in very late stage cancer types, using medicines that target
cancerous cells and weakens them.
● Chemoradition is a mixed use of chemotherapy
and radiation therapy, which is used in middle to late stage cancers.
After evaluating and detecting the type, stage and condition of
the cancer, medical professional studies the case and offers a treatment option
which seems more feasible than others.
Success rate is 100% for women
with emergence form of cancer, but drops to 90% 5-year success rate for women
with Stage 1, subsequently dropping to 75% and 30% for women with Stage 2 and
Stage 3 cancer. Stage 4 cancer leaves the successful treatment rate to 15%, as
the cancer has already spread in the vaginal cavity, disrupting normal cellular
activity.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Anti Aging Fruits
Aging hits our mind with the pictures of wrinkles, fine
lines, sagging skin, dead skin cells and sun damaged skin aging is a natural
process and can be controlled up to some extent, research suggests that the vitamins and nutrients in fruits and
vegetables helps in reducing skin aging , It is caused due to many factors such as stress,
pollution, sun exposure, obesity, lack of sleep, unhealthy diet and age-related
problem
Fruits are considered as a best anti-aging agents check out the
best anti-aging fruits which helps in minimizing wrinkles, discoloration and
other signs of aging skin
Pomegranate
Pomegranate basically act on skin collagen, it is a rich
source of vital vitamins and minerals like riboflavin, phosphorus, which helps
in increasing collagen level of skin consequently led to firm and elastic skin.
Apple
An apple a day keeps wrinkles away apple contains nice enzymatic properties
which helps skin to retain moisture and stay refreshed its residue can be used
topically not only this apple cider vinegar is an excellent natural skin toner
Kiwi
Kiwi is very rich in Vitamin C and E, which helps in
fighting with free radicals and acts as a best antioxidant fruit, which helps
in reducing wrinkles and strengthen the skin by reducing the level of free
radicals
Watermelon
Watermelon is a rich source of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants
it comprises more than 90 % of fluids and minerals which helps skin in fighting
with wrinkles and discoloration
Avocado
Avocado is considered as a best remedy for wrinkles and dull
skin it comprises potassium which helps skin to be moisturized and hydrated it
is also rich in Vitamin E and the B-complex which helps in rejuvenation of your
skin it also contains a complex compound called glutathione which acts as an antioxidant
and helps in anti-aging process
Papaya
Papaya is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and E it acts on a skin
complexion and can be considered as natural complexion toner it helps in
fighting with wrinkles and nourish skin
Banana
Banana can be applied topically it comprises high levels of
Vitamin C and B-6, which helps in reducing skin aging and its antioxidant properties rejuvenate skin
and also act as a natural moisturizer it also comprises manganese which helps
in preventing premature aging
Grapes
These small fruits are a rich source of manganese and
Vitamin C it helps skin from UV and its antioxidant properties fights against
wrinkles and skin aging process
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