Globe Health Tours News

May 27: A study conducted by the researchers at the Imperial College London has tried to reveal the link between gum disease and cancer risk. As part of the study the research team considered the health record of 50,000 men and opined that the immune system weakness might be the reason for both illnesses. The British Dental Association also stressed the need for regular check-ups.

Most of the Britons are found to suffer from some kind of gum problem caused by bacterial attack and this problem is more prevalent among smokers. The new research has revealed that even among non-smokers the gum disease could be considered as the bigger risk of cancer.

The research team was led by Dr Dominique Michaud who led the research opined that, “The long lasting gum disease might be the clear indication of weakening immune system and that makes the person vulnerable to both periodontal disease and hematological cancers. The bacteria from the gum might have the ability to cause cancer in the tissues of mouth or throat when swallowed.”

He further added that, “Only more researches on this topic will bring a clear picture about the real depth of the issue. Now it is premature for the patients with periodontal diseases to check for cancer symptoms it is advisable to consult a dentist for this purpose.”

While commenting on this a spokesman of the British Dental Association said: “Dentists were trained to spot cancer in the mouth they were becoming more aware about the impact of gum health in determining overall health of a person. They are capable of referring patients when they come across serious gum disease in otherwise healthy patients.”

This research has far-reaching significance as it hints about the possibility of gum disease to develop into cancer threat.

May 26: A genetic study will help to know more about the reason behind alcohol related cancer. The reason for some habitual drinkers getting affected by cancer while most others do not has remained as a riddle for a long time. The European study tries to find a solution for that, they have found two gene variants that protects against mouth and throat cancers.

The findings of the research were published in Nature Genetics. According to the study people who have those genes will acquire the ability to break down alcohol into less harmful chemicals. While Cancer Research UK suggested that reducing the consumption of alcohol is the effective way to prevent cancer.

The research team was led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France; they considered 9000 cases of people of similar age group and lifestyle who are with or without mouth or throat cancer symptoms.

The researchers found that more than seven out of ten people, who are treated for mouth cancer, drank more than the recommended limit of alcohol along with smoking that is known risk factor for oesophageal cancer. Earlier research had found that a particular gene named ADH will help to get rid of risks posed by cancer.

While commenting on this Hazel Nunn of Cancer Research UK said: “It is an interesting study, but further research is needed to get a clear picture about the role played by these gene variants in developing cancer. The best practical advice to minimise the risk of mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus is to quit smoking and consume less alcohol.”

Drinking habit is also considered as one of the main reasons for breast, bowel and liver cancer.

May 24: Researchers are inching closer to develop a targeted vaccine that can effectively kill the cancer creating cells. UK researchers have identified a protein on immune cells that are attached to the immune system and are capable of restricting the tumour. The vaccine will convey the message to the immune system to fight against the invading cancer cells.

The findings of the research are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. This research will boost the cancer research for developing targeted cancer vaccines in the future. For over three decades scientists are searching for proteins on dendritic cells. According to the research team at London Research institute the vaccines carrying a foreign molecule from a cancer cell could be targeted to the dendritic cells that would encourage the immune system to attack the cancer causing cells. Using the same method HIV or malaria could be treated.

The lead of the study Dr Caetano Reis e Sousa opined that his team had spotted out a particular protein named DNGR-1 that could be used to transfer such vaccine to the dentritic cell. The vaccines will trigger the immune cells known as T cells that are capable of attacking dangerous foreign molecules like those found on pathogens. Dendritic cells are like messengers that hint T cells who to attack.

He further added that, “Vaccines will have a sample of the offending molecule and will transfer to DNGR-1 on the dendritic cells that will offer the molecules to the armies of T cells and instruct them to attack.”

The findings of the research will simplify the cancer treatment as it will help to understand and develop targeted cancer vaccines in the future.

May 20: Increase in the use of pesticides is doing lot of harm for both the soil and the farmers. People who consume those agricultural products that are produced using artificial pesticides are also getting affected by them. A study conducted in India has revealed that direct expose to pesticides could have damaged the DNA of farming communities, which is considered as the reason for the increased rate of cancer among them.

The research was conducted by the scientists at Patiala University in Punjab state. They tracked a group of farmers for several months. Concerns are being raised for several years about the potential health risks posed by pesticides. This new study has found that the pesticide exposure has altered the DNA of farmers in Punjab making them vulnerable to cancer.

While commenting on this professor Satbir Kaur opined that, “The study eliminated other factors like age, smoking habit and alcohol consumption that were considered as the probable reason for alteration in the building blocks of genes as a result of pesticide sprays. We found major changes in the DNA that makes them more prone to cancer risks.”

Meanwhile Salil Singhal of the Crop Care Federation of India questioned the reliability of the research findings and also said that there are no pesticides in use today that could cause cancer. Farmers use spray only few times each season.

Promoting harmless natural pesticides and using natural fertilisers are the ideal way to find a comprehensive solution to this issue.

Apr 29: In an interesting study scientists have found that the favourite dishes like spaghetti Bolognese and pizza are effective in curing wrinkles and sunburn. The researchers included five tablespoons of tomato paste to the daily diet of 10 people and it was found to improve the skin’s ability to resist harmful UV rays. The over exposure of UV rays are considered as the main reason for premature ageing and skin cancer.

The presence of antioxidant lycopene in tomato is considered as the reason behind this. Lycopene is found in large quantity when it is cooked; earlier researchers have proved that tomatoes are found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Now this new study conducted by the researchers at the Newcastle and Manchester universities has revealed that including more tomato based dishes will help to get rid of skin damages. The findings of the study were presented at the British Society for Investigative Dermatology.

While commenting on this Lesley Rhodes, Dermatologist at the University of Manchester said: “After analysing the volunteers who were given tomato rich diet we found that it has boosted the level of procollagen in their skin, this will help to reverse the skin ageing process. Procollagen is a molecule that is found to keep the skin in structure and helps to keep it firm. The quantity of tomato given to the volunteers was not that much huge that can be managed in your daily diet by having lot of tomato based diet.”

Meanwhile researchers also suggest that tomatoes should be considered as a helpful addition it should not to be considered as an alternative to sun creams.

Apr 23: In a noteworthy research scientists have identified a gene that is capable of restricting the growth of breast cancer tumours. This new invention will bring great relief to those women who are suffering from breast cancer, this significant research was conducted by the US National Cancer Institute and the researchers tested it on mice that have tumours and found that the Brd4 gene has reduced the size of tumour effectively than those mice without this gene.

The research further analysed the human breast cancer patients and found the gene as useful predictor of the survival chances. Researches also stressed the need of further study as they understood the effect of Brd4 gene in determining the growth of tumour cells. The experts also believe that the findings will help other cancer research also. Refined procedures are needed to identify the symptoms of cancer; it is the main aim of cancer researches.

The result of the research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. After 28 days the researchers found that the size of the tumours was reduced to a tenth of the size when compared with those without gene.

Researchers included 1,240 patients as the sample and they are separated into five different groups. After several analyses they arrived at the conclusion that those mice that have Brd4 gene had a better survival rate, in some cases it raises to double when compared with those without that gene.

More researchers focussing this topic are needed to get a clearer picture about the link of genes in minimising the adverse effect of tumour. Further research will help to simplify the diagnosing process and there by enhance the treatment procedure.

Apr 19: A new study conducted among 860,000 women has revealed that diagnosing women in their early 70s for breast cancer will save their lives. The Dutch research was presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Berlin has found that by screening women the death rate decreased by 30 per cent.

Owing to the increasing rate of cancer risk with age the researchers are divided in their opinion on whether to screen women who are aged above 70 or not. Initiatives were on in the UK to raise the upper age limit for routine screening from 70 to 73 by 2012. Screening has a significant role to play in identifying the symptoms of breast cancer.

According to an estimate between the years 1986 and 1997 the average mortality rate of women was 166 per 100,000 women. In 2006 it get reduced to 117 per 100,000 women with almost 30 percent reduction.

The lead of the research team Jacques Fracheboud said: “The fall in the breast cancer mortality rate is a clear indication of the positive effects of screening. We also found that more women aged between 70 and 74 when subjected to further tests were found to be affected by breast cancer. In older women the breast tissue will be less dense and it enables easy identification of the symptoms of breast cancer.”

He further added that there is no need for continues screening beyond 75 years because most of the tumours found at this stage are slow growing and will never create problems.

Meanwhile Dr Alexis Willett, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer said: “The threat of getting affected by breast cancer is more likely in older woman. That is why we recommend all women above 50 years of age to attend NHS breast screening appointments.”

Apr 17: A US based research conducted on mice has found that the growth of tumours gets increased to two fold when it is subjected to exercise. On the backdrop of the research there were concerns raised against the benefits of exercise in prostate patients. Increased blood flow to the tumour is considered as the main reason for that, but the researchers also encouraged the patients to do exercise to stay active as inactive lifestyle will raise the risk of other diseases.

According to Dr Lee Jones, researcher at Duke University, “The study came to the findings that exercise will lead to speeder tumour growth than those leading inactive lifestyle. On the other hand exercise is an effective way to improve treatment as it allows easy supply of drugs to prostate tumours that usually have low blood supply. The findings of the study will help to improve the prostrate cancer treatments more effectively than before.”

As part of the research the research team implanted 50 human prostate tumours into mice and placed half of them in cages to deny them exercise, while some of them were allowed to run half a mile a day. By analysing the growth of the tumours the researchers came to this conclusion.

While commenting on this a Duke researcher, Dr Stephen Freedland said: “Basically the situation is completely different in human prostate cancer. So the result should be interpreted carefully. For the sake of experiment mice were injected with aggressive tumours that develop uncontrollably but patients will not have same kind of situation.”

He further added that: “Exercise helps to reduce the risk of several chronic ailments like cardiovascular problems, diabetes and obesity. So it can also be effectively used for improving the health of prostate cancer patients.”

In a nutshell exercise will do no harm to the health and it will help you stay active.

Apr15: An increasing rate of air pollution is creating lots of health related issues. The findings of a new research are a clear evidence for this. The study has found that high level of air pollution and it’s after effects are considered as the main reason behind increasing rate of deaths from pneumonia in recent years in England.

The research was conducted by a team of experts from the University of Edinburgh. The study focussed on the influence of pollution in the death level of people in 352 local authorities between the years 1996 and 2004. The research also hinted that social factors also have a role to play in this.

The researchers estimated number of deaths in each area and compared that with the national average and the figures were cross checked with the pollution level to measure the influence of pollution in death rate. During the period of observation 386,374 people died of pneumonia but that has regional variations.

Lewisham in London had the highest number of death per head while Berwick on Tweed experienced the lowest. The 35 local authorities have the highest rates of pneumonia and it also has highest rates of cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and rheumatic heart disease.

While commenting on this Professor George Knox the author of the report said: “In general high mortality rates are observed in the areas with high level of pollution. The main cause of death is due to pneumonia. Increasing number of vehicle and its harmful smoke are the main source of air pollution.”

The research team expects the annual number of excess deaths to those attributed to pollution will surpass the 1952 London smog that took the life of 4000 people. Meanwhile the lung specialists feel that a further research is needed to bring more clarity before finalising the link between pneumonia and exhaust fumes.

Apr 8: Taking advantage of the convenience and comfort it offers sunbeds remains as the favourite choice for many people. A new research has found that majority of the people using sunbeds are more affected by the life threatening skin cancer. The UV rays released by sunbeds are 15 times higher than the mid day sun.

According to research those sunbed users aged below 35 have comparatively high risk of malignant melanoma. The survey conducted among 4000 people by Cancer Research UK has found that nearly 82 percent of the people fell into the category. It further identified that one in four men and one in three women affected had used sunbeds.

According to an estimate 9,000 cases of malignant melanoma is reported every year in the UK and nearly 1,800 people dying from the disease. The high power UV rays released by the sunbeds are the main reason for the problem; frequent expose of these kinds of rays will damage the DNA in skin cells that intern increase the threat of skin cancer and makes the skin look older than usual.

.“The outcome of the research is a clear warning for young adults regarding the threats posed by indoor tanning. The adverse effects of UV rays are not apparent instantly, but it will develop over the period of years,” said the campaign manager of Cancer Research UK.
While commenting on this the Kathy Banks, chief executive of the Sunbed Association said: “There was no concrete evidence that proves the extent of sunbed use and its influence on skin cancer risk, people who are using sunbeds should use it as according to their natural tanning ability. People with fair skin should have to be more careful than those darker skinned people.”

Young adults who are aged between 15 and 34 are more vulnerable to get affected by the UV rays. Women are diagnosed with melanoma while men die from the disease. The Cancer Research is working with the government to chalk out an effective strategy to regulate the sunbed industry.

The charity is preparing to put forth a proposal to introduce a legislation to ban the under 16s using sunbed. On the wake of this the Scottish government is planning to launch a proposal for a new Public Health Bill to prohibit under-18s from using sunbeds.