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A new research has found that an antibiotic found in sharks may be used a drug for treating human viruses and revolutionize medicine.

Squalamine, the antibiotic, may be used for treating a broad spectrum of diseases from dengue and yellow fever to hepatitis B, C, and D.

From Dailymail.co.uk:

Dr Michael Zasloff, from Georgetown University who led the study, said: ‘To realise that squalamine potentially has broad antiviral properties is immensely exciting, especially since we already know so much from ongoing studies about its behaviour in people.’

They found that in both lab and animal experiments squalamine produced antiviral activity against the human pathogens found in the diseases such as some forms of hepatitis which cannot currently be treated.

Along with offering medical advances this discovery may solve the mystery of how sharks with primitive immune systems can so effectively fight viruses that plague all living creatures.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition online.

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According to a new study of more than 300 astronauts in the U.S. space program, prolonged amounts of time in orbit can take a significant toll on vision although effects in the long-term are not clear.

“People have been flying in space for 50 years and nobody has gone blind yet,” said Dr. Tom Mader, an ophthalmologist at the Alaska Native Medical Center, in Anchorage, who led the study.

From Reuters.com:

The new study, of more than 300 astronauts in the U.S. space program, found that almost 50 percent of those who served on long missions — six months or more — reported experiencing new problems with their ability to see objects near to them while in space and for some time after returning to Earth. Roughly 23 percent of astronauts who spent shorter periods in orbit reported problems with their near vision during their missions and after getting home.

The NASA-funded researchers also did physical exams on seven male astronauts who complained of vision problems after returning from six-month tours in space. They found several signs of eye stress in all of them, including a buildup of fluid around the optic nerve, the development of folds in the bed of vessels that supply blood to the retina, flattening of the eyeball and more.

“But it’s still something to be concerned about,” Mader told Reuters Health.

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A small study has suggested that a small amount of weight could be taken off and blood sugar control can be steadied in people with type 2 diabetes by engaging in gentle yoga classes.

“In our study the effect of yoga on BMI (body mass index) and blood sugar control was marginal,” Shreelaxmi V. Hegde of the Srinivas Institute of Medical Science and Research Center in Mangalore, India and the lead researcher on the work, told Reuters Health in an email.

From Reuters.com:

In addition to that, the study found, signs of so-called oxidative stress declined in the yoga group.

Oxidative stress refers to a situation where levels of reactive oxygen species or “free radicals” — damaging byproducts of energy use in cells — rise beyond the body’s capacity to neutralize them. Long-term oxidative stress is believed to contribute to a host of chronic diseases.

The findings do not suggest that yoga should replace other forms of exercise for people with type 2 diabetes.

The findings were reported in the journal Diabetes Care.

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Lord Crisp, who was the NHS chief executive and permanent secretary of the Department of Health between 2000 and 2006, has remarked that more hospitals need to be closed to enable the health system to succeed in the future.

Crisp said building programs had gone too far, leading to overcapacity.

From Dailymail.co.uk:

In an interview with the BBC Lord Crisp said: ‘In the late 1990s, waiting lists, A&E and standards in cardiac care were the big issues and we dealt with them.

‘But the challenge now is dealing with the numbers of older people and those with long-term conditions.

‘They need supporting in the community.

‘That means a shift away from hospitals. There will be less need for large hospital outpatient departments and some services and whole hospitals will need to close or be merged with others.’

He added that the scale of hospital building had been excessive, with more than 100 new hospitals or rebuilds taking place.

Crisp urged for an overhaul of hospitals to free up funds for community services to deal with the ageing population.

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Two Japanese firms are entering India in an attempt to tap the $1-billion nutraceutical market in India products that combine the benefits of nutrition with pharmaceuticals.

Kaneka Corporation and Hydride Ion Corporation have entered into a pact with Generix Lifesciences, an Indian pharmaceuticals firm, to sell such food supplement pills and other such feel good products in the country.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

‘One capsule a day will enhance the overall quality of life,said Ramesh Rajan, director of Genlife. Nutraceuticals make people feel good and live healthy and longer, without any side effects,’ Rajan told IANS.

Delhi-based Generix Lifesciences has formed a unit called Genlife to market these nutraceutical and food supplement products and promote their use with the help of their Japanese partners.

Initially the company will focus on popularising the use of food supplement pills in Delhi and the National Capital Region and then would gradually move to other major cities across the country.

‘In the medium term, our plan is to import just the ingredients and manufacture the products in India. It will reduce the cost significantly,’ said Sandeep Jha, director at Genlife, adding the products would be repackage at their factory in Roorkee.

The nutraceutical supplement market in India is currently estimated at around $1 billion, including the unorganized sector, Rajan said.

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