Wednesday, February 12, 2014

How brain guards itself against virus attacks

How brain guards itself against virus attacks

The olfactory mucosa in the nose can serve as a conduit for a number of viruses to enter the brain including rabies, polio and influenza viruses. 

Infections in the central nervous system are rare thanks to our brain’s unique defence system that prevents viruses from invading, finds a study.

The research explains a long-standing mystery.

The olfactory mucosa in the nose can serve as a conduit for a number of viruses to enter the brain including rabies, polio and influenza viruses.

Yet infections in the central nervous system rarely occur.

The mechanism responsible for protecting the brain from viruses that successfully invade the olfactory bulb (OB), the first site of infection in nasal mucosa, remains elusive.

“Our work points to the remarkable ability of the immune system, even within the brain, to protect us against opportunistic viruses,” says Anthony van den Pol of Yale University.

Van den Pol and his colleagues discovered that in response to viral infection, cells in the olfactory bulb release long-distance signalling molecules that tell cells in uninfected parts of the brain to produce anti-viral interferon - a first line of defence against invading viruses.

In the study, normal mice wiped out the infection while mice lacking receptors for the initial signalling molecules succumbed as the viruses spread throughout the brain, proving the critical role of these molecules.

These signalling molecules are different than regular neurotransmitters.

Van den Pol noted that during neuronal signalling, neurotransmitters released by one cell travel across a mere 20 nanometers of synapse to the next nerve cell.

Yet, the long-distance signalling molecules diffuse up to 15 millimetres.

That distance is almost a million times greater than the distance across a synapse.

“The success of the immune system in blocking two unrelated viruses, vesicular stomatitis virus and cytomegalo virus, suggests that our results may generalise to many other viruses that can enter the brain through the olfactory nerve,” said van den Pol.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

UAE new rules - nurses - MOH - DOH - HAAD


An agreement has paved the way for professionals from the health ministry to work freely across the country. The move is expected to further enhance the quality of healthcare in the UAE and also counter any staff shortages.



His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday attended the signing of an agreement for the unification of licences for medical practitioners in the country, on the sidelines of his visit to the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Also present was Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
“A new step on the right path in order to unify the regulations, laws and procedures governing this noble human profession,” said Shaikh Mohammed while commending the signing of the agreement. 
The ruling will be applicable within the next three months.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Health, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Essa Al Maidoor, and Dr Maha Barakat, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Health Authority (Haad).
Health authorities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi had signed an agreement in 2012 to allow medical professionals of both emirates to work freely for each other. The move was followed by Dubai Healthcare City.
Wednesday’s signing now allows professionals from the health ministry to work for the authorities and vice versa. Over 200 professionals from the DHA have been licensed by Haad since the agreement  and vice versa.
Commenting on the agreement, Al Maidoor said: “We are living in one country…we have doctors and technical staff in different fields of medicine who change their places between the emirates.
“So in this way we are unifying when the doctor is tested or interviewed by any of the authorities, he practice freely between any other emirate,” he said.
“This will be more flexible, unify the requirements between the emirates and guarantee the quality of work,” he added.
Al Maidoor said that a legislation would govern the agreement and in case of violation, action would be taken.
Currently, there are 18,000 licensed professionals in the private and government health sector in Dubai and 22,000 in Abu Dhabi.

No comment was available from the health ministry.


Health professionals, however, said that though it would now be easier to share expertise and experience especially in some sub-specialties of the medical field, general practitioners may not be able to benefit much. Some UAE national specialists are already allowed to work between both emirates. 

5 reasons why beer is good for your health

5 reasons why beer is good for your health


For all those who believe that drinking beer may pose a threat to your health, recent studies have found that the drink has several surprising health benefits if consumed in moderate amounts.
Here are some amazing health benefits of beer:

  • Drinking two beers a day can help in maintaining bone strength as it contains silicon which helps in strengthening bones.
  • If consumed in the right amount, beer is good for one's mental health and reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
  • Since it is made of barley, it is an excellent source of fibre and hence consuming beer improves heart health and lowers cholesterol levels.
  • Studies suggest that consumption of beer in moderate amounts reduces the risk of heart strokes.
  • Since beer contains high water content, it helps reduce the risk of developing kidney stones.

Young female smokers at higher risk of most common type of breast cancer

Young female smokers at higher risk of most common type of breast cancer


 A new study has revealed that young women, who have been smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for a decade, are at higher risk of most common type of breast cancer.
According to the researchers, young women who are current or recent smokers and had been smoking a pack a day for at least 10 years, had a 60 percent increased risk of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
However, it was found that smoking had no link to a woman's risk of triple-negative breast cancer.
Christopher Li of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and his colleagues conducted a population-based study consisting of 778 patients with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, 182 patients with triple-negative breast cancer and 938 cancer-free controls.
Li said that the health hazards associated with smoking are numerous and well known and his study suggests that smoking might increase the risk of the most common molecular subtype of breast cancer but not influence risk of one of the rarer, more aggressive subtypes.
The study was published in Cancer journal of the American Cancer Society.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Medical professionals can work across UAE

An agreement has paved the way for professionals from the health ministry to work freely across the country. The move is expected to further enhance the quality of healthcare in the UAE and also counter any staff shortages.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday attended the signing of an agreement for the unification of licences for medical practitioners in the country, on the sidelines of his visit to the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Also present was Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.
“A new step on the right path in order to unify the regulations, laws and procedures governing this noble human profession,” said Shaikh Mohammed while commending the signing of the agreement. 
The ruling will be applicable within the next three months.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Health, Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Essa Al Maidoor, and Dr Maha Barakat, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Health Authority (Haad).
Health authorities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi had signed an agreement in 2012 to allow medical professionals of both emirates to work freely for each other. The move was followed by Dubai Healthcare City.
Wednesday’s signing now allows professionals from the health ministry to work for the authorities and vice versa. Over 200 professionals from the DHA have been licensed by Haad since the agreement  and vice versa.
Commenting on the agreement, Al Maidoor said: “We are living in one country…we have doctors and technical staff in different fields of medicine who change their places between the emirates.
“So in this way we are unifying when the doctor is tested or interviewed by any of the authorities, he practice freely between any other emirate,” he said.
“This will be more flexible, unify the requirements between the emirates and guarantee the quality of work,” he added.
Al Maidoor said that a legislation would govern the agreement and in case of violation, action would be taken.
Currently, there are 18,000 licensed professionals in the private and government health sector in Dubai and 22,000 in Abu Dhabi.

No comment was available from the health ministry.


Health professionals, however, said that though it would now be easier to share expertise and experience especially in some sub-specialties of the medical field, general practitioners may not be able to benefit much. Some UAE national specialists are already allowed to work between both emirates.