Tag: 12/11/20

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COVID Risks Resurgence of a Tropical Disease

On By ModernMedia

In an article on The Conversation, Raphael Taiwo Aruleba, a PhD in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, writes that COVID is causing a dangerous setback for the battle against preventable diseases, potentially leading to the resurgence of a particular tropical disease.

One of these is the tropical disease leishmaniasis, which is caused by a parasite transmitted by sandflies in environments with open sewage. It can cause disability, social stigma and death.

Aruleba believes that COVID has reversed the progress against  leishmaniasis by ten years. Prevention is focused on controlling the insect disease vector with surveillance, insecticides and nets. However, COVID has made it difficult for researchers to assess areas and for routine spraying to be done, and resources have been diverted to fight COVID. Only 0.6% of the WHO’s research budget is for leishmaniasis.

The Leishmania parasite and SARS-CoV-2 are also potentially co-infectious, exacerbating one another. Aruleba concludes that other diseases should not be neglected in the fight against COVID.

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SA Currently Without Access to Pfizer/BioNTech’s “90% Effective” Vaccine

On By ModernMedia

Despite taking part in a recent successful vaccine trial, South Africa does not have guaranteed access to it. South Africa missed out on the first deadline to take part in the WHO-backed COVAX scheme, but is currently understood to be negotiating with COVAX and manufacturers.

Early results from the Pfizer/BioNTech two-dose vaccine’s trial showed a 90% reduction in symptomatic COVID cases over placebo, and caused a media sensation. 800 South African participants are to take part in the trial.

“This is a massive development. It’s very exciting, and the interim results are very promising. It leaves me with lots of hope as this could pave the way for a vaccine to be developed before the end of the year,” said Dr Essak Mitha, the head of the South African arm of the clinical trial who is a clinical trial specialist and owner of Newtown Clinical Research in Johannesburg.

The news was met with some caution; the decision to announce the news via a company press release instead of a peer reviewed article was controversial.

The BioNTech vaccine is based around messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA in the vaccine carries viral proteins, and once introduced into the body’s cells, instructs them to make copies of viral proteins. One such protein coded for is the infamous “spike” protein that SARS-CoV-2 uses to latch onto cells, and which contributes to its high infectivity. 

Source: AllAfrica

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Exenatide and Dapagliflozin Outlast Metformin for Diabetes Treatment

On By ModernMedia

An AstraZeneca-funded trial called DURATION-8 has shown a viable alternative for metformin with a combination of two medications, exenatide and dapagliflozin.

The standard treatment for type 2 diabetes is metformin, but for many patients it loses its effectiveness over time. To get around this, a combination of exenatide (a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) and dapagliflozin (sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor) was trialled.

Originally a 28 week trial, DURATION-8 was extended to 52 weeks on the strength of its initial results.

“Many therapies in diabetes management are short-lived, which is why it is useful to test for long-term effect,” says first author Dr Serge Jabbour, director of the division of endocrinology and the Diabetes Center at Thomas Jefferson University.

The trial, with 695 participants, compared the two medications, either individually with a placebo or in combination. The combination group saw the greatest drop in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. This was accompanied by drops in systolic blood pressure and body weight.

The authors note the need for a follow-on study to determine if there were protective effects against cardiovascular and renal events with the combination.

Source: Medical News Today

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Discovery of New Genetic Targets for Endometriosis Treatment

On By ModernMedia

Endometriosis can be a debilitatingly painful disease which can lead to infertility, and has few treatment options for more severe forms – but new treatment options are unfolding as genetic targets for drugs are discovered.

Jake Reske, a graduate student in the MSU Genetics and Genome Sciences Program, explains: “There haven’t been many successful nonhormonal therapies for this form of endometriosis that have made it to the bedside yet.”

Some severe forms of endometriosis involve a gene called ARID1A. A mutation in this gene triggers “super-enhancer” DNA which in turn allows cells to run rampant and set up outside the uterus, causing great pelvic pain.

The researchers aim to implement a novel treatment, “epigenetic therapy”, to prevent the cells from running rampant. 

“It can seriously impact women’s quality of life and their ability to have a family and work,” said study supervisor Ronald Chandler, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive biology. “It’s not easy to treat, and it can become resistant to hormone therapy. The most clinically impactful thing we found is that targeting super-enhancers might be a new treatment for this deeply invasive form of the disease.”

The compound they used targeted protein called P300, which suppressed the super-enhancers and relieving the effects of the  ARID1A mutation. This could also possibly be applied to other forms of endometriosis. The researchers plan to look for more compounds that can also target the P300 protein.  

Source: News-Medical.Net

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Assisted Hyperventilation: A New Way to Treat Alcohol Intoxication

On By ModernMedia

Alcohol impacts just about every bodily function, from brain function and circulation to nail growth. At high levels, alcohol intoxication can damage organs and lead to death.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately three million people around the world die due to alcohol intoxication each year. 

About 90% of alcohol is processed through the liver at a constant rate, and the only way to speed this up is dialysis. Thus, the only treatment for alcohol intoxication thus far has been to supply oxygen and intravenous fluids, and medications for cardiac support as needed.

The new approach simply adds the lungs to the process: simply by hyperventilating, three times more alcohol could be excreted via the lungs than the liver. 

“But you can’t just hyperventilate, because in a minute or two you would become light-headed and pass out,” explained Dr Fisher, anaesthesiologist and senior scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI). The decrease in CO2 in the bloodstream is what causes the sensation of light-headedness, as well as tingling in the extremities.

To get around this, the researchers created a simple device which returns the same amount of carbon dioxide to the lungs as was exhaled, no matter the volume of air.

“It’s [a] very basic, low-tech device that could be made anywhere in the world: no electronics, no computers or filters are required. It’s almost inexplicable why we didn’t try this decades ago,” said Dr. Fisher.

Source: Medical Xpress