Severe Swine Flu ( H1N1 ) cases and asthma are linked

When swine flu emerged last spring, disease trackers warned that children and adults with underlying medical conditions would be especially susceptible to the ravages of the virus.

Now, a review of disease surveillance records by Massachusetts health authorities has found that one chronic condition is far more common than any other among patients hospitalized with H1N1 infections: asthma.

The persistent respiratory ailment, which has become strikingly more prevalent in recent decades, was present in 31 percent of swine flu patients who entered Massachusetts hospitals already suffering from longstanding health problems. By comparison, 6 percent of those swine flu patients had heart problems, and 6 percent had kidney disease.

The finding provides fresh evidence of the toll influenza exacts on people whose ability to breathe is already compromised. And it led specialists this week to reinforce their admonition that patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other respiratory conditions should be vaccinated against H1N1 as well as the seasonal strain.

Vitamin C slows ageing

Touted as a remedy for common cold, Vitamin C has also shown promise in slowing down the ageing process. A study has shown that it facilitates output of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.

Over the past few years, it has been known that adult cells can be reprogrammed into cells with characteristics similar to embryonic stem cells by turning on a select set of genes.

Most embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs fertilised in vitro in a fertilisation clinic.

Although the reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), have tremendous potential for regenerative medicine, the conversion is extremely inefficient.

"The low efficiency of the reprogramming process has hampered progress with this technology and is indicative of how little we understand it," explains Duanqing Pei, senior author of a new study on the subject.

"Further, this process is most challenging in human cells, raising a significant barrier for producing iPSCs and serious concerns about the quality of the cells that are generated," explains Pei from South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

Researchers found that adding vitamin C, an essential nutrient that is abundant in citrus fruits, enhanced iPSC generation from both mouse and human cells.

Vitamin C accelerated gene expression changes and promoted a more efficient transition to the fully reprogrammed state, said a release of the South China Institute.

Somewhat to their surprise, they found that other antioxidants do not have the same effect, but vitamin C does seem to act at least in part through slowing cell senescence.

One liver, two recipients

CHICAGO - Doctors at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital say they successfully performed transplants on two patients using segments from the same liver.

The operations Friday were a first for the hospital. Split-liver transplants are rare and technically challenging.

The eight-hour operations were performed on 2-year-old Frank Sroka and 17-year-old Christian Liberto.

The hospital says both boys are doing well. The younger child had a disease that blocks the bile ducts. The teenager had a rare chronic liver disease.

A piece of a healthy liver can grow into a whole organ in about a month.

Clues found why H1N1 virus kills

An international study has found a molecule in H1N1, or swine flu, patients whose levels determine the severity of the illness or even death.

Canadian and Spanish scientists have found this molecule called Interleukin 17 (IL-17) to be the first potential immunological clue of why some people develop severe pneumonia when infected by the H1N1 virus. The study was carried in 10 Spanish hospitals during the first pandemic wave in July and August this year.

Researchers from the Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valladolid in Spain, Toronto's University Health Network and the University of Toronto analysed different levels of regulating molecules (IL-17) for 20 hospitalized patients, 15 outpatients and 15 others.

They found high levels of IL-17 molecule in the blood of severe H1N1 patients and low levels in patients with the mild form of the disease.

According to a statement by the University of Toronto, IL-17 is produced by the body and is important in the normal regulation of white blood cells which fight infection and disease.

But in certain circumstances, the molecule becomes out of control, leading to inflammation and autoimmune diseases like H1N1.

The research paper titled 'Th1 and Th17 hypercytokinemia as early host response signature in severe pandemic influenza,' has been published in the December issue of the Journal of Critical Care.

"In rare cases, the virus (molecule) causes lung infections requiring patients to be treated in hospital. By targeting or blocking Th17 in the future, we could potentially reduce the amount of inflammation in the lungs and speed up recovery,'' Canadian professor David Kelvin, who was part of the research team, said.

Kelvin said the clinical applications of their study will take some time. But a test to determine who has high levels of this molecule is possible in the near future, he said.

"A diagnostic test could let us know early who is at risk for the severe form of this illness quickly,'' the Canadian said.

The high levels of the molecule would indicate a failure of the immune system to eliminate the virus, similar to what happened during the 1918 Spanish flu when a deadly influenza A virus strain of sub-type H1N1 ravaged populations, he added.

The statement also quoted Dr Jesus Bermejo-Martin of the Spanish team as saying that identifying drugs that regulate the activity of IL-17 may provide alternative treatments for patients with severe H1N1.

93% deprived of sleep, 11% fall asleep at work: Study

Ninety three percent Indians are sleep deprived and get less than the eight hours of mandatory sleep required for good health while 11 percent actually fall asleep at work, says a latest survey.

Eleven percent Indians took leave from work because of lack of sleep, according to the survey commissioned by Philips Electronics India Limited.

The survey conducted by Nielsen company in November 2009, covered 5,600 respondents in the 35-65 age group across 25 cities in urban India with a population of five lakh plus.

Fifty eight percent of the respondents felt that their work was impacted due to lack of adequate sleep with 11 percent falling asleep at work.

74 percent woke up anywhere between one to three times during their sleep. Reasons for waking up were need to answer call of nature (90 percent), stress at work (15 percent) and noise outside the home (10 percent).

Sixty two per cent of those surveyed displayed high risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a condition characterised by repeated cessation of breathing during sleep and which can potentially lead to heart diseases and worsen heart failure.