Hope Rises as New Pneumonia Vaccine Discovered

In order to reduce deaths from pneumonia, a new vaccine that could lower death rates drastically has been introduced to tackle the disease. The new vaccine, which is undergoing animal testing, may lower the number of deaths even further by targeting dozens of additional strains of S. pneumoniae. The research was published in the journal Science Advances. The vaccine provoked an immune response to 72 forms of S. pneumoniae, including the 23 already included in existing pneumonia vaccines.
It may also anticipate future versions of the bacteria responsible for pneumococcal disease, which includes sepsis and meningitis. Children are most vulnerable to pneumonia, which kills nearly 1.6 million children under five annually worldwide.
An estimated 98 per cent of children who die of pneumonia live in developing countries, according to a former National President of Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr. Dorothy Esangbedo. A World Health Organisation (WHO) 2008 estimates, shows that about 177,000 children under the age of five died of pneumonia in Nigeria. Explaining this, Esangbedo said, “Which means that within an hour, 20 children across Nigeria will die from pneumonia.
 This number is the highest in Africa and second highest overall in the world.” Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung affecting primarily the small air sacs known as alveoli.Typically, symptoms include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and troubled breathing. Pneumonia is usually caused by infection with viruses or bacteria and less commonly by other microorganisms, certain medications and conditions such as autoimmune diseases. The new vaccine, according to researchers is engineered in a way that makes it easy to add sugars (like Pneumovax) for a broad immune response to fight currently undiscovered strains of bacteria.

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Eating Late at Night Could Cause Heart Attack, Diabetesse

Scientists have said that eating during the night is associated with higher risk of heart disease and diabetes and the body’s 24-hour cycle is to blame. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal ‘Experimental Physiology’.
Eating at night is a common phenomenon among rural and urban settlers and based on poor eating habit acquired over the years, dumping the practice for many has become an uphill task.
Previous studies tend to show that when food is consumed late at night — anywhere from after dinner to outside a person’s typical sleep/wake cycle — the body is more likely to store those calories as fat and gain weight rather than burn it as energy, said Kelly Allison of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Center for Weight and Eating Disorders.

However, in the new study, researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico looked at levels of fat, called triglycerides, in the rats’ blood and found that after feeding the rats fat at the beginning of their rest period, their blood fat levels spiked more drastically than when fed during the beginning of their active phase. When they removed the part of the rat’s brain that controls the 24-hour cycle, there was no longer a change in fat levels.High blood fat levels are associated with heart disease and diabetes and these diseases are associated with a lifestyle where humans ignore the signals of the biological clock, and eat in the evening and night.The new study demonstrates why such a lifestyle that’s out of tune with human’s 24- hour cycle may result in high blood fat levels and thus in a higher risk for heart problems, the ‘science daily’ reported.Ruud Buijs is professor of neurobiology and senior research scientist at Biomedicas Institute at the UNAM University in Mexico. He said: “The fact that we can ignore our biological clock is important for survival; we can decide to sleep during the day when we are extremely tired or we run away from danger at night.

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Fibre Rich Diet Boast Colon Cancer Survival Rate

With global efforts geared towards cutting down cancer deaths, scientists have affirmed that diets rich in fiber may lessen the chances of dying from colon cancer. According to an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead researcher of the new study, Dr. Andrew Chan, among people treated for nonmetastatic colon cancer, every five grammes of fiber added to their diet reduced their odds of dying by nearly 25 per cent. The study was published online in ‘JAMA Oncology.’
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and accounted for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Lung, prostate colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervix and stomach cancer are the most common among women.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that cancer was responsible for 72,000 deaths in Nigeria every year with an estimated 102,000 new cases annually. Chan said: “What you eat after you’ve been diagnosed of colon cancer may make a difference.

“There is a possibility that increasing your intake of fiber may actually lower the rate of dying from colon cancer and maybe even other causes.” Chan cautioned, however, that the study did not prove that the additional fiber caused people to live longer, only that the two were associated. Fibre is an important part of a healthy balanced diet.It can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and some cancers, and can also improve digestive health. Foods that contain soluble fibre include oats, barley and rye; fruit, such as bananas and apples; root vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes; and golden linseeds.On the other hand, good sources of insoluble fiber include whole-meal bread, bran, cereals, nuts and seeds. Fiber had been linked to better insulin control and less inflammation, which may account for better survival, he suggested.In addition, a high-fiber diet may protect people from developing colon cancer in the first place. The greatest benefit was attributed to fiber from cereals and whole grains, according to the report in ‘Healthday.’

On its part, vegetable fiber was linked to an overall reduction in death, but not specifically in death from colon cancer. Fiber from foods, not supplements, was linked to better survival, said Chan, who is also an associate professor of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

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Men With Curved Penis Face Risk of Cancer - Study

A new study recently released has said that men with a bent penis have a significantly increased risk of cancer. According to the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in San Antonio, Texas, United States (US) on October 28, a gene that may trigger crooked penis could also be linked to the development of tumours.
The findings showed that a bent penis also known as Peyronie’s brought a higher risk of testicular cancer by 40 per cent, melanoma by 29 per cent and stomach cancer by 40 per cent. To this end, the researchers from Baylor College in Houston, Texas, said men with bent penis should be closely monitored for cancer in a bid to catch any development early.
The research emerged after a review of patient data of more than 1.5 million. Peyronie’s disease is the development of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis that causes curved, painful erections. Penis varies in shape and size; and having a curved erection isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.

But Peyronie’s disease causes a significant bend or pain in some men. It’s thought that Peyronie’s generally results from repeated injury to the penis, but researchers also think it may be genetic and had linked it to other illnesses. Peyronie’s disease was estimated to affect up to seven per cent of males. Dr. Alexander Pastuszak, who led the study, said: “While they’re significant in the sexual and reproductive lifecycles of these patients, linking them to other disorders suggest that these men should be monitored for development of these disorders disproportionately in contrast to the rest of the population. A ‘mailonline’ report quoted Pastuszak as saying; “Nobody has made these associations before.”
The researchers carried out further genetic analysis of a father and son both suffering from Peyronie’s. They discovered they shared a set of genes understood to predispose people to urological cancer. “We found mutations in this father and son couplet in these types of genes, specifically in melanoma, testis, and prostate cancer,” said Pastuszak. He said the condition shares some similarities with Dupuytren’s disease, a condition in which one or more fingers become permanently bent in a flexed position. They also found links with Ledderhose disease, a thickening of tissue on the feet.

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While Red Wine Boosts Fertility in Women

Women who drink one glass of red wine a week boast better fertility than those who don’t.
Scientists at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri in the United States (US) said this could be due to resveratrol, an antioxidant that is abundant in the wine.
Resveratrol molecule is a key component in red grapes, cocoa and blueberries and protects cells from biological stress, according to a report in The Times.
Infertility is defined as not being able to get pregnant (conceive) after one year (or longer) of unprotected sex.
Although, infertility is a global health problem, people in Nigeria like in other parts of the world similarly experience the infertility challenges.
The prevalence of infertility in Nigeria is put at between 20 and 25 percent among married couples, according to experts. However, 40 to 45 percent of all consultations in gynaecological clinics are infertility-related.
Abayomi Ajayi, a consultant obstetrics and gynaecologist, said that medical research have shown that exposure to pollutants in the environment, lifestyle problems such as excessive alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and drugs could affect the fertility of an individual.
However, the physicians involved in the study showing the positive impact of red wine on women’s fertility, surveyed 135 women between the ages of 18 and 44, each of whom kept an alcohol diary, noting how much they consumed every month.
During this period the scientists also conducted regular ultrasound scans on each of the women to calculate how many remaining viable eggs they had.
They found that those who regularly consumed red wine, regardless of other factors such as age and income, had a better ovarian reserve.
However, The Times reported that the study’s result does not mean that all hopeful babymakers should reach for red wine every evening.
“The research only showed benefits to fertility for women who drank moderate amounts of red wine i.e. five or more glasses each month.

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Beware: Egyptian Clinics Stealing KIdneys - FG Warns Nigerians

The federal government of Nigeria has warned its citizens who travel to Egypt for medical reasons to be very careful as some Egyptians clinics are presently stealing kidneys from patients who go on medical tourism to that country. Doctors and nurses suspected of belonging to a "large criminal network specialised in trading human organs" were among 12 people detained by Egyptian authorities, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.

The network "agreed with Egyptians to transfer some of their organs to foreign patients in exchange for large sums of money, exploiting people's financial need," the interior ministry said, noting three doctors, four nurses, three hospital workers and two agents were detained.

Some were arrested "while they were carrying out an operation to remove the kidneys and part of the liver of a citizen in a private hospital" in the Giza province, part of Greater Cairo.

The man had sold the organs for $10,000 (8,500 euros). Those operating on him were planning to implant the organs in a patient, the ministry said.

It did not give further details on the man's condition or say when the arrests took place, but added that the hospital had been closed pending an investigation.

Hundreds of poor Egyptians sell their kidneys and livers each year to be able to buy food or pay off debts, according to the United Nations.

In January, two Saudi brothers were held in Egypt for nearly two months after being accused by authorities of involvement in the country's organ black market.

Abdul Ilah al-Shabrami, 37, said he was accompanying his brother Abdullah to have a kidney transplant in the Egyptian capital, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Al-Shabrami says he paid $75,000 for a kidney from a deceased donor in a deal that was approved by the Saudi embassy in Cairo.

Kidney purchases are illegal in Egypt, while paying for transplant procedures is not, thus allowing the country's illegal trade to thrive.

According to a report published by the British Journal of Criminology last year, a kidney on Egypt's black market can fetch up to $100,000.

These illegal organs are often obtained from migrants who are trafficked into the country and are desperate to pay their way onto their next destination.

In 2010, the World Health Organisation ranked Egypt among the top five countries in the world trading illegally in organs.

Egypt's parliament passed a law that year banning commercial trade in organs as well as transplants between Egyptians and foreigners, except between husbands and wives.

The law aimed to regulate organ transplants and curb illegal trafficking and medical tourism for such operations.

In 2012, then-United Nations refugee agency chief Antonio Guterres warned that migrants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula were being killed for their organs.

Authorities in December arrested 25 people, including doctors and university professors, suspected of being part of an organ trading network.

However, the Embassy of Egypt in Nigeria has denied alleged illegal harvest of the kidneys of Nigerians who travel to the North African country for medical attention.

In a statement issued by Ahmed Maher, who is the Head of the Press and Information Office in the Egyptian Embassy, the North African country, said its government had submitted a list of Egyptian certified medical centres and hospitals licensed to perform kidney transplant to relevant authorities in Nigeria.

It also explained that all the hospitals involved in organ trafficking in Egypt had been shut down and their medical personnel prosecuted.

The mission further clarified that no Nigerian was involved in the crime, adding that no complaint was filed against any Nigerian national over the incident.

The statement reads: “We have issued a list of the hospitals that were involved in the crime to the Nigerian government. All the people that were involved have been arrested and are being prosecuted.

“According to our sources, no Nigerian national was ever involved in those medical centres nor filed any complaint against any of them.

“In line with transparent, professional and constructive approach, the Egyptian side has maintained a list of the Egyptian certified medical centres and hospitals licensed to perform kidney transplant and this has been submitted to the relevant Nigerian authorities,” the mission stated.

The complicit hospitals are said to include Dar al-shefa in Helwan, Cairo; Al-Bashar Specialist Hospital in Faisal, Giza, Al-Amal Centre for General Surgery in Maurinteya, Giza; and Dar Ibn Al-Nafis Hospital, Giza.

The statement added that the Egyptian medical authorities and health care system adhered to the best international procedures and practices, a fact he said was well known by the Nigerian health officials.

The Egyptian Embassy noted that thousands of Nigerians and other Africans had placed their trust and confidence in the Egyptian health care system for many generations.

The Director of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Wapada Balami, had earlier alerted the Nigerian Medical Association about organ harvesting and trafficking in Egypt.

He asked the NMA to warn all doctors in relevant specialties to “be aware so that Nigerians will be cautious while embarking on medical tourism in other countries.”

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