Streptococcus pyogenes is a normal skin bacterium that is frequently associated with chronic (non-healing) wounds. Bacteria that infect wounds can clump together forming ‘biofilms’, which form a barrier to drugs and promotes chronic infection.Researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University have shown that manuka honey can not only destroy fully-formed S. pyogenes biofilms in vitro but also prevent the bacteria initially binding to components of wound tissue.

 Honey has long been acknowledged for its antimicrobial properties. Traditional remedies containing honey were used in the topical treatment of wounds by diverse ancient civilisations.Manuka honey is derived from nectar collected by honeybees foraging on the manuka tree found growing in New Zealand and parts of Australia. It is included in modern licensed wound-care products around the world.

Manuka honey has been reported to inhibit more than 80 species of bacteria, yet the antimicrobial properties of honey have not yet been fully exploited by modern medicine, as its mechanisms of action are not fully understood.Wounds that are infected with S. pyogenes often fail to respond to treatment. This is largely due to the development of biofilms, which may be difficult for antibiotics to penetrate – in addition to problems of antibiotic resistance.

The results of the study showed that very small concentrations of honey prevented the start of biofilm development and that treating established biofilms grown in Petri dishes with honey for 2 hours killed up to 85per cent of bacteria within them.

The latest study reveals that honey can disrupt the interaction between S. pyogenes and the human protein fibronectin, which is displayed on the surface of damaged cells.“Molecules on the surface of the bacteria latch onto human fibronectin, anchoring the bacteria to the cell. This allows infection to proceed and biofilms to develop,” explained Dr Sarah Maddocks who led the study.“We found that honey reduced the expression of these bacterial surface proteins, inhibiting binding to human fibronectin, therefore making biofilm formation less likely. This is a feasible mechanism by which manuka honey minimizes the initiation of acute wound infections and also the establishment of chronic infections,” Dr Maddocks added.

Ongoing work in Dr Maddocks’ lab is investigating other wound-associated bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Manuka honey has also been shown to be effective at killing these bacteria.

The finding has been published in Microbiology.

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A news study has found that adults with higher intakes of milk and milk products scored significantly higher on memory and other brain function tests than those who drank little to no milk.Milk drinkers were five times less likely to “fail” the test, compared to non-milk drinkers.

Researchers at the University of Maine put more than 900 men and women ages 23 to 98 through a series of brain tests ” including visual-spatial, verbal and working memory tests ” and tracked the milk consumption habits of the participants.

In the series of eight different measures of mental performance, regardless of age and through all tests, those who drank at least one glass of milk each day had an advantage.The highest scores for all eight outcomes were observed for those with the highest intakes of milk and milk products compared to those with low and infrequent milk intakes.

The benefits persisted even after controlling for other factors that can affect brain health, including cardiovascular health and other lifestyle and diet factors. In fact, milk drinkers tended to have healthier diets overall, but there was something about milk intake specifically that offered the brain health advantage, according to the researchers.

In addition to the many established health benefits of milk from bone health to cardiovascular health, the potential to stave off mental decline may represent a novel benefit with great potential to impact the aging population. While more research is needed, the scientists suggest some of milk’s nutrients may have a direct effect on brain function and that “easily implemented lifestyle changes that individuals can make present an opportunity to slow or prevent neuropsychological dysfunction.”

The study was published in the International Dairy Journal.

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NEW DELHI:

According to the latest Union health ministry data, Goa recorded the lowest infant mortality rate – 10 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, followed by Kerala at 13. MP recorded the highest IMR at 62, followed by UP (61) and Odisha (61).MP, which has the highest IMR, also recorded the largest dip along with Himachal Pradesh, by five points between 2009 and 2010. According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) data, the figures augur well for the entire country.

 IMR has dropped further by three points from 50 to 47 infants deaths per 1,000 live births during 2010.The IMR for rural areas has dropped by four points from 55 to 51 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, while the urban rate stands at 31 from the previous 34/1,000.

 Urban IMR was the highest in Chhattisgarh and UP – 44 infant deaths per 1,000 births.States like Assam with an IMR of 58, Bihar (48), Chhattisgarh (51), Haryana (48), Madhya Pradesh (62), Odisha (61), Rajasthan (55) and Meghalaya (55) still have IMRs more than the national average of 47.

 In Maharashtra, 28 children died per 1,000 live births, whereas Delhi’s IMR stood at 30. West Bengal’s IMR was recorded at 31 (as against 33 in 2009) and Tamil Nadu’s at 24 (28 in 2009).

 Around 11 states have shown decline of more than the national average decline (dip of more than 3 points). These include Bihar (from IMR of 52 in 2009 to 48), Gujarat (48 to 44), MP (67 to 62), Odisha (65 to 61), Punjab (38 to 34), Rajasthan (59 to 55), Tamil Nadu (28 to 24), Himachal Pradesh (45 to 40), Meghalaya (59 to 55), Sikkim (34 to 30) and Tripura (31 to 27).

Dr Ajay Khera, deputy commissioner child health and immunization, said, “One of the main reasons for this dip in overall IMR is the attention states have given to neonatal health. Another factor has been the setting up of 340 sick and new born child units (SNCUs) and 9800 newborn care corners.”

According to the Union ministry’s plans, all district hospitals will have a SNCU to handle critical neonatal cases over the next five years. They will mainly cater to children born at full term with low birth weight.Low-birth weight babies have a greater risk for developing respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, coughing and pulmonary infections that increases their chances of mortality.Of the 2.6-crore births in India annually, 23% of the babies are low weight (below 2.5kg). Survival rates of low-weight babies are as high as 85%, if brought to a SNCU “on time”.

Union health secretary P K Pradhan told TOI that this year alone 100 SNCUs would be put in place – almost double of last year.In 2006-07, 36 SNCUs were set up, followed by 39 in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and another 38 in 2009-10. Rajasthan has 36 SNCUs, MP (33), Gujarat (31), Karnataka (29) and Tamil Nadu (41).

SNCUs will target critical neonatal cases, and the poorest among poor will be able to access them. The facilities will be equipped with latest machines for pediatric care, including radiant warmers, oxygen concentrator, infusion pump, apnea monitor and electronic weighing machines, treating acute cases like birth asphyxia, premature birth, neonatal jaundice, neonatal septicemia, complications of low and extreme low birth weights.”Each SNCU will have an ICU complete with 12-16 beds, 16 trained nurses and three pediatricians working in eight hour shifts. It will cost Rs 40 lakh to set up each unit,” Pradhan said.

Neonatal (NMR) deaths are one of India’s major health challenges. The ministry has also started a home-based newborn scheme to reduce the high NMR, where Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) will visit the homes of new mothers six times in 42 days to encourage safe newborn care practices and early detection and free referral of sick babies.

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In the current climate of escalating obesity rates, artificially sweetened soft drinks are marketed as healthier alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages, due to their lack of calories. However, the long-term health consequences of drinking diet soft drinks remain unclear.

Hannah Gardener and her colleagues from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at Columbia University Medical Center examined the relationship between both diet and regular soft drink consumption and risk of stroke, myocardial infarction (or heart attack), and vascular death.

Data were analyzed from 2,564 participants in the NIH-funded Northern Manhattan Study, which was designed to determine stroke incidence, risk factors and prognosis in a multi-ethnic urban population.The researchers looked at how often individuals drank soft drinks – diet and regular – and the number of vascular events that occurred over a ten-year period.

They found that those who drank diet soft drinks daily were 43 percent more likely to have suffered a vascular event than those who drank none, after taking into account pre-existing vascular conditions such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Light diet soft drink users, i.e. those who drank between one a month and six a week, and those who chose regular soft drinks were not more likely to suffer vascular events.“Our results suggest a potential association between daily diet soft drink consumption and vascular outcomes. However, the mechanisms by which soft drinks may affect vascular events are unclear. There is a need for further research before any conclusions can be drawn regarding the potential health consequences of diet soft drink consumption,” Gardener concluded.

The research appeared online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer.

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He said the country is home to nearly three million cancer patients.

“In India people pay money to become a cancer patient,” remarked the 59-year-old Chaturvedi, referring to the rising consumption of tobacco products such as gutkha, which contribute to some 30 percent of total cancer deaths.”In tobacco, there are 300 cancer chemicals and 4,000 harmful chemicals but people love to buy tobacco products to become victims of mouth or throat cancer,” said Chaturvedi, who has served India’s Armed Forces Medical Services for 32 years.

He said other factors that have led to a rise in cancer cases are “people’s unplanned daily routines, liking for fast food and Western lifestyle, mainly in urban India”.

Vedanta Resources Plc is setting up the 350-bed Vedanta Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Naya Raipur, the upcoming capital of Chhattisgarh adjacent to the existing capital.The hospital will come up at a sprawling 50-acre plot with an investment of nearly Rs.350 crore and is expected start functioning partially by the year-end.

“People are getting addicted to luxurious lifestyles and avoid physical work. There is hardly any space for exercise or walking in their daily schedules, but they have created a lot of space for liquor and tobacco,” said Chaturvedi, who has also served as executive director of Bhagwan Mahavir Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur.

He said the number of breast cancer patients too is rising in India, with women who “prefer late child birth and hate to breastfeed” being particularly vulnerable.”There is a perception that cancer is not curable, but it is very much curable if it is diagnosed in early stages, when the tumours are very small in size. But India lacks a good public healthcare system and the majority of cancer patients die because they get medical access only in an advanced stage,” he observed.

He added that 50 percent of all forms of cancer are curable if treatment is provided in time, but in rural India, patients waste their most precious time with local doctors who lack facilities of diagnosis and finally turn to bigger hospitals only in the last stages.

“In India, 70 percent cancer patients get treatment very late. The government too is responsible for it as it has no public awareness programme about cancer at the village level.”India is a rare country in the sense that it imposes 11 to 20 percent customs duty on imported cancer medical equipment, while these items actually deserve to be given incentives. But we can’t hope for a sensible decision from the country that spends roughly just one percent of its GDP on public health,” he added.

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Researchers revealed that a lack of understanding of the significance of iron could be endangering women’s health and hindering children’s performance at school.

“Switching a few meals to foods high in iron, such as steak, liver and watercress could make all the difference”, the Daily Express reported.“The high rate of iron deficiency among women in a developed country like the UK is a real concern,” said TV doctor and health campaigner Christian Jessen.“The side effects are subtle and can creep on up you – you can end up feeling tired, lethargic with no get up and go.”

According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, conducted by YouGov for industry body MeatMatters, a quarter of British women and teenage girls suffer from a low intake of iron.

Less than a third of the 2,000 women polled were aware of the fact that lack of iron could decrease a child’s attention span and learning ability.

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 “Clothes are not just about draping yourself with something. Every piece of garment has a history behind it. In the western world, we wear clothes for function, decoration and status. But Indians wear clothing in a spiritual way; we’ve a very strong notion of shringar”, says the designer.

 Launched at the Jaipur Literature Festival, the coffee-table book is illustrated with spectacular pictures by Mark Sequeira and Bharat Ramamurtham. The photos range from the common people to famous Bollywood faces dressed in Rodricks’ creations.

 While Goans had their own colourful traditional wear, the inquisition by Portuguese was a major influence on the history of Goa’s fashion sensibilities. Wendell was sure that Goa’s love affair with clothes is a ‘story worth telling’.

 Rodricks, who took eleven years to write the book revealed, “When the Portuguese invaded Goa, they banned all forms of Indian clothing. Women were barred from wearing saris to church as they revealed too much. It was shocking to see that after suffering such a brutal inquisition, the Goan people developed a Stockholm syndrome – affection for their captors. This reflected in the way they adopted the waistcoat, and boots style. In fact, the first Indo-western style of clothing first appeared in Goa.”Rodrick has woven a visually enriching yarn of Goan clothing right from the days of Kunbi sari to the modern sartorial style.

For the designer, fashion is not banal piece of cloth. “Clothing is an art and we should respect it. India is the only country in the world where traditional wear is a living legacy.”

Known for his beautiful fashion creations, he has only one shlok to answer the detractors of fashion.“The body is the suit of clothes that your soul wears, and what you’re putting on the body is also important. So, why shouldn’t it be beautiful?” he questions.

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 Luteolin is a flavonoid commonly found in fruit and vegetables. This compound has been shown in laboratory conditions to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties but results from epidemiological studies have been less certain.

New research showed that luteolin is able to inhibit the activity of cell signaling pathways (IGF and PI3K) important for the growth of cancer in colon cancer cells.

 Colon cancer cells have elevated levels of IGF-II compared to normal colon tissues. It is believed that this part of mechanism drives uncontrolled cell division and cancer growth.Researchers from Korea showed that luteolin was able to block the secretion of IGF-II by colon cancer cells and within two hours decreased the amount of receptor (IGF-IR) precursor protein. Luteolin also reduced the amount of active receptor (measured by IGF-I dependent phosphorylation).

Luteolin inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of IGF-I and the team led by Prof Jung Han Yoon Park found that luteolin affected cell signaling pathways which are activated by IGF-I in cancer.“Luteolin reduced IGF-I-dependent activation of the cell signaling pathways PI3K, Akt, and ERK1/2 and CDC25c. Blocking these pathways stops cancer cells from dividing and leads to cell death,” Prof Jung Han Yoon Park said.“Our study, showing that luteolin interferes with cell signaling in colon cancer cells, is a step forward in understanding how this flavonoid works.“A fuller understanding of the in vivo results is essential to determine how it might be developed into an effective chemopreventive agent,” Prof Park added.

The study has been published in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Gastroenterology.

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A study of rats found more neurons were activated in adolescents’ brains when they received tasty treats than those of adults—meaning they over-processed rewards and became vulnerable to addictive or impulsive behaviour.

 This could explain why youngsters take more risks and tend to develop disorders like addiction, depression and schizophrenia, the Daily Express reported.Adolescents often respond differently than adults to … peer interactions and pleasurable stimuli,” said Professor Bita Moghaddam, with doctoral student David Sturman of Pittsburgh University in the US.

They said that recognising the difference in brain processes of adolescents was critical to understanding this phenomenon, as well as their behavioural and psychiatric problems, such as drug abuse and mood disorders.

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Despite the initial stress, over half of those polled say Christmas Day is their favorite holiday and a third say it’s the happiest day of the year.

The study, which included over 2000 people, was commissioned by Three Barrels Brandy.“A lot of thought and effort goes into each and every Christmas, and people work hard to make it special and create memories that will last a lifetime,” the Telegraph quoted a spokesman for Three Barrels Brandy as saying.“Christmas morning tends to be a rush in most households – mums are struggling with the dinner, children are unwrapping presents, and dads are finding batteries to go in the toys.“It’s important to try and enjoy those more hectic moments as well, as these often make the funniest Christmas memories and will be told at Christmas’ for years to come,” he added.

Three quarters of those polled claimed the Christmas dinner is largely responsible for any stress endured on the morning of the 25th.Once dinner is on the table, 56 per cent of people reach their happiest point of the day.“It’s sometimes easy to get carried away with the planning and worry that comes with arranging Christmas, and before you know it it’s been and gone,” the spokesman said.

“On Christmas Day, most adults are more concerned about creating a happy day for everyone else, but it is important that people can enjoy the holiday for themselves as well,” he added.

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