A simple online calculator could offer family GPs a powerful new tool in tackling two of the most deadly forms of cancer, say researchers. Academics from The University of Nottingham and ClinRisk Ltd have developed two new QCancer algorithms, which cross-reference symptoms and risk factors of patients to red flag those most likely to have pancreatic and bowel cancer, which could help doctors to diagnose these illnesses more quickly and potentially save thousands of lives every year.
Leading the research, Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the University's Division of Primary Care, said: "We hope these new tools will help GPs with the difficult task of identifying patients with suspected cancer earlier and that this in turn could help improve treatment options and outcomes for patients."
Pancreatic cancer, which affects more than 8,000 people in the UK every year, has the worst survival rate for any cancer -- almost three-quarters of patients die within a year of diagnosis. Catching the disease in the early stages can offer a more optimistic prognosis for patients -- however, with very few established risk factors and no reliable screening test available, it is also one of the toughest cancers for GPs to spot.
The research, published in the January edition of the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP), used patient data from 564 GPs practices to develop the algorithm and test its success at predicting which patients were likely to have pancreatic cancer, based on a combination of symptoms such as weight loss, appetite loss, and abdominal pain and risk factors such as age, chronic pancreatitis, smoking and diabetes.
It was successful in predicting 62 per cent of all pancreatic cancers diagnosed over the following two years which were in the top 10 per cent of patients predicted to be most at risk.
Colorectal cancer, or bowel cancer, is the second most common cancer in Europe as well as the second most common cause of cancer-related death. In the UK, 16,500 people die every year from bowel cancer and 36,000 people develop the disease. The UK has one of the poorest survival rates for bowel cancer in Europe, which is thought to be largely due to late presentation, delays in diagnosis and delays in treatment. Swift diagnosis can make all the difference -- among patients where the disease is diagnosed early, the five year survival rate can be as high as 90 per cent.
Many of the major symptoms, such as rectal bleeding, weight loss, appetite loss, diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain are very common and can more often be linked to other less serious conditions, presenting GPs with a diagnostic challenge.
Based on using single 'red flag' symptoms such as rectal bleeding, doctors could miss 60 per cent of current bowel cancers.
For the research, published in the same edition of the BJGP, academics used anonymous data from the same 564 GP surgeries to develop and test the colorectal cancer algorithm by looking at a combination of risk factors, including age, family history of bower cancer, anemia, symptoms including rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, appetite loss, weight loss, diarrhea and changes in bowel habits. The researchers also took into account the different risks affecting men and women.
The study found that the algorithm was very successful in spotting which patients would be most likely to develop bowel cancer over the following two years -- 70 per cent of all bowel cancer patients subsequently diagnosed were in the top 10 per cent of patients predicted to be most at risk, The two studies used the anonymous data of patients aged between 30 and 84 years old who were all free from diagnosis or symptoms of the two cancers over the previous 12 months. The GPs' practices were all contributing to the QResearch® database system -- a not-for-profit partnership between The University of Nottingham and leading GP systems supplier EMIS.
The new algorithms for pancreatic and bowel cancer could be incorporated into existing GP computer systems to alert doctors to patients who are potentially most at risk of developing the diseases.
They could support the work of GPs in reducing diagnosis times in line with current Government policy and the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) -- a public/third sector partnership between the Department of Health, National Cancer Action Team and Cancer Research UK. Evidence suggests that simply raising awareness of symptoms and speeding up diagnosis could save 5,000 lives per year without any new advances in medicine.
The study has resulted in two simple web calculators -- one for pancreatic cancer (http://www.qcancer.org/pancreas/) and one for bowel cancer (http://www.qcancer.org/colorectal) -- which are designed for doctors but a simpler version could also be made available on the internet to raise awareness among the general public and to prompt patients with risk factors or symptoms to seek advice from their doctor.
*Source: University of Nottingham
15 December 2011
EE UU se propone crear un sistema de indemnización para pacientes con secuelas por experimentos médicos
La comisión que el presidente Barack Obama creó para que investigara el tratamiento a pacientes de experimentos médicos realizados por el Gobierno de Estados Unidos, después de que se supiera que en los años cuarenta del siglo pasado se había infectado intencionalmente a guatemaltecos con sífilis y gonorrea, ha concluido su labor y ha emitido hoy un informe en el que asegura que aquel incidente fue una excepción y que no hay casos similares en el pasado reciente. Aun así, recomienda al Gobierno federal que cree un fondo de indemnizaciones para pagar a aquellos pacientes que tomen parte en experimentos y acaben sufriendo secuelas médicas.
“Lo que esta comisión ha concluido es que nada similar a lo que sucedió en Guatemala podría suceder hoy con investigaciones financiadas con fondos federales”, explicó ayer en conferencia de prensa telefónica la presidenta de esa delegación, Amy Gutmann. “Lo que sucedió en Guatemala se ha calificado, adecuadamente, de bárbaro, por el nivel de maltrato y por la violación de la dignidad humana en esos experimentos. La comisión ha llegado a la conclusión de que las normas y regulaciones ahora en pie hacen que lo ocurrido en Guatemala sea una cosa del pasado”.
En este momento, hay 18 agencias del Gobierno de EE UU que efectúan experimentos con pacientes humanos. Existen, en total, 55.000 proyectos de investigación dentro y fuera de EE UU. Según reveló en 2010 la profesora Susan Reverby, de la Universidad de Wesley, entre 1946 y 1948, 696 presos, soldados y pacientes de hospitales psiquiátricos fueron infectados con sífilis y gonorrea para analizar los efectos de esas enfermedades y los efectos de la penicilina sobre ellas. El Gobierno de Obama pidió entonces perdón y ordenó la creación de la Comisión para el Estudio de Asuntos Bioéticos, que hoy presenta sus resultados.
La comisión ha efectuado una serie de recomendaciones para evitar casos como el de Guatemala. La principal es que el Gobierno cree un directorio con cada experimento en que tomen parte seres humanos y que se mantenga actualizado rigurosamente. “Cuando las agencias federales carecen de los mecanismos internos para ofrecer la información necesaria sobre los experimentos que financian, operan con limitaciones que les impedirían responder a las indagaciones del presidente sobre qué mecanismos tienen en pie para proteger a los pacientes”, añadió Gutmann.
Otra recomendación importante es crear un sistema de compensaciones para pagar los gastos médicos derivados de secuelas sufridas por los pacientes. Hoy en día, esos experimentos son totalmente voluntarios. Muchos de ellos se efectúan ofreciendo dinero a los pacientes. Otros brindan tratamientos experimentales a aquellas personas que aquejan de enfermedades raras. La comisión recomienda al Gobierno en su informe que establezca los parámetros por los que cubrirá las visitas médicas y los medicamentos que deban recibir esos pacientes.
“Dado que los individuos que resulten afectados por secuelas de las investigaciones no deberían cargar con los gastos de los tratamientos acarreados, el Gobierno federal, a través de la Oficina de Políticas para la Ciencia y la Tecnología del Departamento de Sanidad, debería iniciar de forma rápida un estudio de las circunstancias de esas secuelas, para determinar si se necesita un sistema nacional de compensaciones o tratamientos de heridas relacionadas con esos experimentos”, se asegura en el informe. Si se creara un programa semejante, aquellas personas que sufran ahora secuelas por los experimentos en Guatemala podrían recibir compensaciones. Los portavoces de la comisión rechazaron detallar ayer de qué cuantía serían esas compensaciones indemnizaciones, pero indicaron que cubrirían únicamente gastos médicos y no morales.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
“Lo que esta comisión ha concluido es que nada similar a lo que sucedió en Guatemala podría suceder hoy con investigaciones financiadas con fondos federales”, explicó ayer en conferencia de prensa telefónica la presidenta de esa delegación, Amy Gutmann. “Lo que sucedió en Guatemala se ha calificado, adecuadamente, de bárbaro, por el nivel de maltrato y por la violación de la dignidad humana en esos experimentos. La comisión ha llegado a la conclusión de que las normas y regulaciones ahora en pie hacen que lo ocurrido en Guatemala sea una cosa del pasado”.
En este momento, hay 18 agencias del Gobierno de EE UU que efectúan experimentos con pacientes humanos. Existen, en total, 55.000 proyectos de investigación dentro y fuera de EE UU. Según reveló en 2010 la profesora Susan Reverby, de la Universidad de Wesley, entre 1946 y 1948, 696 presos, soldados y pacientes de hospitales psiquiátricos fueron infectados con sífilis y gonorrea para analizar los efectos de esas enfermedades y los efectos de la penicilina sobre ellas. El Gobierno de Obama pidió entonces perdón y ordenó la creación de la Comisión para el Estudio de Asuntos Bioéticos, que hoy presenta sus resultados.
La comisión ha efectuado una serie de recomendaciones para evitar casos como el de Guatemala. La principal es que el Gobierno cree un directorio con cada experimento en que tomen parte seres humanos y que se mantenga actualizado rigurosamente. “Cuando las agencias federales carecen de los mecanismos internos para ofrecer la información necesaria sobre los experimentos que financian, operan con limitaciones que les impedirían responder a las indagaciones del presidente sobre qué mecanismos tienen en pie para proteger a los pacientes”, añadió Gutmann.
Otra recomendación importante es crear un sistema de compensaciones para pagar los gastos médicos derivados de secuelas sufridas por los pacientes. Hoy en día, esos experimentos son totalmente voluntarios. Muchos de ellos se efectúan ofreciendo dinero a los pacientes. Otros brindan tratamientos experimentales a aquellas personas que aquejan de enfermedades raras. La comisión recomienda al Gobierno en su informe que establezca los parámetros por los que cubrirá las visitas médicas y los medicamentos que deban recibir esos pacientes.
“Dado que los individuos que resulten afectados por secuelas de las investigaciones no deberían cargar con los gastos de los tratamientos acarreados, el Gobierno federal, a través de la Oficina de Políticas para la Ciencia y la Tecnología del Departamento de Sanidad, debería iniciar de forma rápida un estudio de las circunstancias de esas secuelas, para determinar si se necesita un sistema nacional de compensaciones o tratamientos de heridas relacionadas con esos experimentos”, se asegura en el informe. Si se creara un programa semejante, aquellas personas que sufran ahora secuelas por los experimentos en Guatemala podrían recibir compensaciones. Los portavoces de la comisión rechazaron detallar ayer de qué cuantía serían esas compensaciones indemnizaciones, pero indicaron que cubrirían únicamente gastos médicos y no morales.
**Publicado en "EL PAIS"
Gladstone scientists identify human proteins that may fuel HIV/AIDS transmission
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered new protein fragments in semen that enhance the ability of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to infect new cells -- a discovery that one day could help curb the global spread of this deadly pathogen. HIV/AIDS has killed more than 25 million people around the world since first being identified some 30 years ago. In the United States alone, more than one million people live with HIV/AIDS at an annual cost of $34 billion.
Previously, scientists in Germany discovered that HIV transmission is linked to the presence of an amyloid fibril in semen. This fibril -- a small, positively charged structure derived from a larger protein -- promotes HIV infection by helping the virus find and attach to its target: CD4 T white blood cells. In the December 15 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, researchers in the laboratory of Warner C. Greene, MD, PhD, who directs virology and immunology research at Gladstone, describe a second type of fibril that also has this ability.
These findings may spur efforts to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prevention has recently focused on microbicides; chemical gels that, when used by women during sexual intercourse, block HIV infection. But while early microbicides had some success -- reducing infection by an average of 39% -- more recent trials have failed and devising a truly potent microbicide remains a top priority.
"Today's microbicides may be failing because, while they do target the virus itself, they don't block the virus from interacting with the natural infection-enhancing components of semen," said Nadia R. Roan, PhD, the paper's first author and a research scientist at Gladstone, an independent and nonprofit biomedical-research organization. "Now that we more fully understand how HIV hijacks these components to promote its own infection, we are one step closer to developing a microbicide that can more effectively stop HIV."
Sexual transmission accounts for the vast majority of HIV infections, and semen is the virus' key mode of transport. Earlier studies by Drs. Roan and Greene revealed the mechanism by which a positively charged fibril in semen -- called SEVI -- attracts HIV like a magnet, binding to the negatively charged HIV and helping to infect CD4 T cells. Here, they set out to investigate whether other components of semen also played a part.
In laboratory experiments on human semen samples, they identified a second set of fibrils -- derived from larger proteins called semenogelins -- that enhance HIV infection just as SEVI does. Removing these and other positively charged components from semen diminished HIV's ability to infect CD4 T white blood cells. Further confirming the role of these fibrils in promoting HIV infection, Drs. Roan and Greene found that semen samples from men who are naturally deficient in semenogelins -- a disorder called ejaculatory-duct obstruction -- also had a limited ability to enhance HIV infection.
"Our experiments suggest that fibrils derived from semenogelins -- the major component of semen -- are integral to enhancing HIV infection in semen," said Dr. Roan. "But we are intrigued by their natural, biological function as well. The fact that these fibrils are found in male reproductive organs could point to an evolutionary role in fostering fertilization -- something we're currently exploring."
"We hope that this research paves the way for the next-generation of microbicides that can both neutralize these fibrils and attack the virus," said Dr. Greene, who is also a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "This type of one-two punch in a microbicide -- what current products lack -- could finally give women real protection against HIV's deadly attack."
Gladstone Research Associate Simon Chu also participated in this research, which was made possible by a research grant that was awarded and administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center at Fort Detrick, MD, under Contract Number W81XWH-11-1-0562. Additional support came from the Giannini Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the German Ministry of Science.
Previously, scientists in Germany discovered that HIV transmission is linked to the presence of an amyloid fibril in semen. This fibril -- a small, positively charged structure derived from a larger protein -- promotes HIV infection by helping the virus find and attach to its target: CD4 T white blood cells. In the December 15 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, researchers in the laboratory of Warner C. Greene, MD, PhD, who directs virology and immunology research at Gladstone, describe a second type of fibril that also has this ability.
These findings may spur efforts to slow the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prevention has recently focused on microbicides; chemical gels that, when used by women during sexual intercourse, block HIV infection. But while early microbicides had some success -- reducing infection by an average of 39% -- more recent trials have failed and devising a truly potent microbicide remains a top priority.
"Today's microbicides may be failing because, while they do target the virus itself, they don't block the virus from interacting with the natural infection-enhancing components of semen," said Nadia R. Roan, PhD, the paper's first author and a research scientist at Gladstone, an independent and nonprofit biomedical-research organization. "Now that we more fully understand how HIV hijacks these components to promote its own infection, we are one step closer to developing a microbicide that can more effectively stop HIV."
Sexual transmission accounts for the vast majority of HIV infections, and semen is the virus' key mode of transport. Earlier studies by Drs. Roan and Greene revealed the mechanism by which a positively charged fibril in semen -- called SEVI -- attracts HIV like a magnet, binding to the negatively charged HIV and helping to infect CD4 T cells. Here, they set out to investigate whether other components of semen also played a part.
In laboratory experiments on human semen samples, they identified a second set of fibrils -- derived from larger proteins called semenogelins -- that enhance HIV infection just as SEVI does. Removing these and other positively charged components from semen diminished HIV's ability to infect CD4 T white blood cells. Further confirming the role of these fibrils in promoting HIV infection, Drs. Roan and Greene found that semen samples from men who are naturally deficient in semenogelins -- a disorder called ejaculatory-duct obstruction -- also had a limited ability to enhance HIV infection.
"Our experiments suggest that fibrils derived from semenogelins -- the major component of semen -- are integral to enhancing HIV infection in semen," said Dr. Roan. "But we are intrigued by their natural, biological function as well. The fact that these fibrils are found in male reproductive organs could point to an evolutionary role in fostering fertilization -- something we're currently exploring."
"We hope that this research paves the way for the next-generation of microbicides that can both neutralize these fibrils and attack the virus," said Dr. Greene, who is also a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, with which Gladstone is affiliated. "This type of one-two punch in a microbicide -- what current products lack -- could finally give women real protection against HIV's deadly attack."
Gladstone Research Associate Simon Chu also participated in this research, which was made possible by a research grant that was awarded and administered by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command and the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center at Fort Detrick, MD, under Contract Number W81XWH-11-1-0562. Additional support came from the Giannini Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the German Ministry of Science.
**Source: Gladstone Institutes
Alzheimer's drug candidate may be first to prevent disease progression
A new drug candidate may be the first capable of halting the devastating mental decline of Alzheimer's disease, based on the findings of a study published in PLoS ONE. When given to mice with Alzheimer's, the drug, known as J147, improved memory and prevented brain damage caused by the disease. The new compound, developed by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, could be tested for treatment of the disease in humans in the near future.
"J147 enhances memory in both normal and Alzheimer's mice and also protects the brain from the loss of synaptic connections," says David Schubert, the head of Salk's Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, whose team developed the new drug. "No drugs on the market for Alzheimer's have both of these properties."
Although it is yet unknown whether the compound will prove safe and effective in humans, the Salk researchers' say their results suggest the drug may hold potential for treatment of people with Alzheimer's.
As many as 5.4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, according to the National Institutes of Health. More than 16 million will have the disease by 2050, according to Alzheimer's Association estimates, resulting in medical costs of over $1 trillion per year.
The disease causes a steady, irreversible decline in brain function, erasing a person's memory and ability to think clearly until they are unable to perform simple tasks such as eating and talking, and it is ultimately fatal. Alzheimer's is linked to aging and typically appears after age 60, although a small percentage of families carry a genetic risk for earlier onset. Among the top ten causes of death, Alzheimer's is the only one without a way to prevent, cure or slow down disease progression.
Scientists are unclear what causes Alzheimer's, which appears to emerge from a complex mix of genetics, environment and lifestyle factors. So far, the drugs developed to treat the disease, such as Aricept, Razadyne and Exelon, only produce fleeting memory improvements and do nothing to slow the overall course of the disease.
To find a new type of drug, Schubert and his colleagues bucked the trend within the pharmaceutical industry of focusing exclusively on the biological pathways involved in the formation of amyloid plaques, the dense deposits of protein that characterize the disease. To date, Schubert says, all amyloid-based drugs have failed in clinical trials.
Instead, the Salk team developed methods for using living neurons grown in laboratory dishes to test whether or not new synthetic compounds were effective at protecting the brain cells against several pathologies associated with brain aging. Based on the test results from each chemical iteration of the lead compound, which was originally developed for treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury, they were able to alter its chemical structure to make a much more potent Alzheimer's drug.
"Alzheimer's is a complex disease, but most drug development in the pharmaceutical world has focused on a single aspect of the disease--the amyloid pathway," says Marguerite Prior, a research associate in Schubert's lab, who led the project along with Qi Chen, a former Salk postdoctoral researcher. "In contrast, by testing these compounds in living cell cultures, we can determine what they do against a range of age-related problems and select the best candidate that addresses multiple aspects of the disease, not just one."
With a promising compound in hand, the researchers shifted to testing J147 as an oral medication in mice. Working with Amanda Roberts, a professor of molecular neurosciences at The Scripps Research Institute, they conducted a range of behavioral tests that showed that the drug improved memory in normal rodents.
The Salk researchers went on to show that it prevented cognitive decline in animals with Alzheimer's and that mice and rats treated with the drug produced more of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule that protects neurons from toxic insults, helps new neurons grow and connect with other brain cells, and is involved in memory formation.
Because of the broad ability of J147 to protect nerve cells, the researchers believe that it may also be effective for treating other neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as stroke.
"J147 enhances memory in both normal and Alzheimer's mice and also protects the brain from the loss of synaptic connections," says David Schubert, the head of Salk's Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, whose team developed the new drug. "No drugs on the market for Alzheimer's have both of these properties."
Although it is yet unknown whether the compound will prove safe and effective in humans, the Salk researchers' say their results suggest the drug may hold potential for treatment of people with Alzheimer's.
As many as 5.4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, according to the National Institutes of Health. More than 16 million will have the disease by 2050, according to Alzheimer's Association estimates, resulting in medical costs of over $1 trillion per year.
The disease causes a steady, irreversible decline in brain function, erasing a person's memory and ability to think clearly until they are unable to perform simple tasks such as eating and talking, and it is ultimately fatal. Alzheimer's is linked to aging and typically appears after age 60, although a small percentage of families carry a genetic risk for earlier onset. Among the top ten causes of death, Alzheimer's is the only one without a way to prevent, cure or slow down disease progression.
Scientists are unclear what causes Alzheimer's, which appears to emerge from a complex mix of genetics, environment and lifestyle factors. So far, the drugs developed to treat the disease, such as Aricept, Razadyne and Exelon, only produce fleeting memory improvements and do nothing to slow the overall course of the disease.
To find a new type of drug, Schubert and his colleagues bucked the trend within the pharmaceutical industry of focusing exclusively on the biological pathways involved in the formation of amyloid plaques, the dense deposits of protein that characterize the disease. To date, Schubert says, all amyloid-based drugs have failed in clinical trials.
Instead, the Salk team developed methods for using living neurons grown in laboratory dishes to test whether or not new synthetic compounds were effective at protecting the brain cells against several pathologies associated with brain aging. Based on the test results from each chemical iteration of the lead compound, which was originally developed for treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury, they were able to alter its chemical structure to make a much more potent Alzheimer's drug.
"Alzheimer's is a complex disease, but most drug development in the pharmaceutical world has focused on a single aspect of the disease--the amyloid pathway," says Marguerite Prior, a research associate in Schubert's lab, who led the project along with Qi Chen, a former Salk postdoctoral researcher. "In contrast, by testing these compounds in living cell cultures, we can determine what they do against a range of age-related problems and select the best candidate that addresses multiple aspects of the disease, not just one."
With a promising compound in hand, the researchers shifted to testing J147 as an oral medication in mice. Working with Amanda Roberts, a professor of molecular neurosciences at The Scripps Research Institute, they conducted a range of behavioral tests that showed that the drug improved memory in normal rodents.
The Salk researchers went on to show that it prevented cognitive decline in animals with Alzheimer's and that mice and rats treated with the drug produced more of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule that protects neurons from toxic insults, helps new neurons grow and connect with other brain cells, and is involved in memory formation.
Because of the broad ability of J147 to protect nerve cells, the researchers believe that it may also be effective for treating other neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as stroke.
*Source: Salk Institute
Para países en desarrollo teléfonos móviles para diagnosticar infecciones
Podría hacer incluso las veces de un microscopio. Las posibilidades del teléfono móvil parecen ser infinitas y muchas de ellas aún están por descubrir. Según un grupo de investigadores, si el dispositivo tiene cámara de fotos podría ser de gran ayuda para realizar diagnósticos médicos en zonas donde el acceso a los servicios de salud es muy pobre.
Para demostrar su gran potencial como asistente médico, Coosje Tuijin y su equipo, del Instituto holandés Royal Tropical, han puesto en marcha un estudio piloto en Kampala (Uganda). "En los países de ingresos medios y bajos existen muchos obstáculos: pobreza, largas distancias, escasa comunicación entre los médicos rurales y los centros de salud mejor dotados, etc.", versa el artículo, publicado en la revista 'PLoS ONE'.
Además, señalan los autores, sus "servicios de microscopía en el laboratorio son insuficientes, por falta de experiencia y mantenimiento, tecnología deficiente, escasas provisiones y baja calidad en general". Precisamente la microscopía es uno de los "procedimientos más importantes para el diagnóstico y el control de infecciones como la tuberculosis, la malaria, diarrea y de orina". Como consecuencia de estas deficiencias, por lo tanto, "estas enfermedades son infradiagnosticadas y están mal tratadas".
Los investigadores holandeses proponen una sencilla solución: el móvil con cámara de fotos. Eso sí, tendría que tener conexión a internet (la cobertura de los móviles se está extendiendo rápidamente, incluso en zonas muy alejadas) y un software específico para transferir los datos tomados por la cámara de fotos a un servidor central al que pueda acceder el personal de un laboratorio que, tras examinar la información, pueda responder con un diagnóstico definitivo (a través de un mensaje de texto o de voz).
Se trata de incorporar el móvil en el microscopio y capturar la imagen que recoge de la muestra de orina o de sangre. Como refleja el artículo, basta con una cámara de dos megapíxeles para que la fotografía sea clara. En el laboratorio recibirán la información gráfica a través de una plataforma de datos, de tal manera que puedan analizarla y determinar si existe infección o no. Incluso se puede concluir en qué fase se encuentra la infección. "Esto es muy útil para establecer estrategias de tratamiento", subrayan los investigadores.
La única limitación que "observamos en este sistema es que actualmente sólo podemos adjuntar una o muy pocas imágenes a cada mensaje, aunque esto no supone ningún problema". El potencial de esta metodología parece ser prometedor en países como Uganda, aunque antes deben realizarse más estudios que consideren la preparación de las muestras y otros factores que pueden influir en la calidad de las imágenes.
Para demostrar su gran potencial como asistente médico, Coosje Tuijin y su equipo, del Instituto holandés Royal Tropical, han puesto en marcha un estudio piloto en Kampala (Uganda). "En los países de ingresos medios y bajos existen muchos obstáculos: pobreza, largas distancias, escasa comunicación entre los médicos rurales y los centros de salud mejor dotados, etc.", versa el artículo, publicado en la revista 'PLoS ONE'.
Además, señalan los autores, sus "servicios de microscopía en el laboratorio son insuficientes, por falta de experiencia y mantenimiento, tecnología deficiente, escasas provisiones y baja calidad en general". Precisamente la microscopía es uno de los "procedimientos más importantes para el diagnóstico y el control de infecciones como la tuberculosis, la malaria, diarrea y de orina". Como consecuencia de estas deficiencias, por lo tanto, "estas enfermedades son infradiagnosticadas y están mal tratadas".
Los investigadores holandeses proponen una sencilla solución: el móvil con cámara de fotos. Eso sí, tendría que tener conexión a internet (la cobertura de los móviles se está extendiendo rápidamente, incluso en zonas muy alejadas) y un software específico para transferir los datos tomados por la cámara de fotos a un servidor central al que pueda acceder el personal de un laboratorio que, tras examinar la información, pueda responder con un diagnóstico definitivo (a través de un mensaje de texto o de voz).
Se trata de incorporar el móvil en el microscopio y capturar la imagen que recoge de la muestra de orina o de sangre. Como refleja el artículo, basta con una cámara de dos megapíxeles para que la fotografía sea clara. En el laboratorio recibirán la información gráfica a través de una plataforma de datos, de tal manera que puedan analizarla y determinar si existe infección o no. Incluso se puede concluir en qué fase se encuentra la infección. "Esto es muy útil para establecer estrategias de tratamiento", subrayan los investigadores.
La única limitación que "observamos en este sistema es que actualmente sólo podemos adjuntar una o muy pocas imágenes a cada mensaje, aunque esto no supone ningún problema". El potencial de esta metodología parece ser prometedor en países como Uganda, aunque antes deben realizarse más estudios que consideren la preparación de las muestras y otros factores que pueden influir en la calidad de las imágenes.
**Publicado en "EL MUNDO"
Wayne State study shows early research on cellphone conversations likely overestimated crash risk
A Wayne State University study published in the January 2012 issue of the journal Epidemiology points out that two influential early studies of cellphone use and crash risk may have overestimated the relative risk of conversation on cellphones while driving. In this new study, Richard Young, Ph.D., professor of research in Wayne State University's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in the School of Medicine, examined possible bias in a 1997 Canadian study and a 2005 Australian study. These earlier studies used cellphone billing records of people who had been in a crash and compared their cellphone use just before the crash to the same time period the day (or week) before -- the control window.
Young said the issue with these studies is that people may not have been driving during the entire control window period, as assumed by the earlier study investigators.
"Earlier case-crossover studies likely overestimated the relative risk for cellphone conversations while driving by implicitly assuming that driving during a control window was full time when it may have been only part time," said Young. "This false assumption makes it seem like cellphone conversation is a bigger crash risk than it really is."
In Young's new study, his research team used Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) data to track day-to-day driving of more than 400 drivers during a 100-day period. He then divided the days into pairs, with the first day representing the "control" day and the second day representing the "crash" day in the earlier studies. Overall, the team found little driving consistency in any given clock time period between the two days -- driving time on the control day was only about one-fourth of the driving time on the crash day, during any specific clock time period.
"This underestimation of the amount of driving in the control windows by nearly four times could reduce cellphone conversation time in that control period," Young said. "It makes it appear that there is less cellphone conversation in control periods than in the time just before a crash, making the relative risk estimate appear greater than it really is."
Young found that when the cellphone conversation time in the control window was adjusted for the amount of driving, the amount of cellphone usage in the control window was about the same as in the minutes before a crash. He concluded that the crash risk for cellphone conversation while driving is one-fourth of what was claimed in previous studies, or near that of normal baseline driving.
Young added that many well-controlled studies with real driving show that the primary increase in crash risk from portable electronic devices comes from tasks that require drivers to look at the device or operate it with their hands, such as texting while driving. Five other recent real-world studies concur with his conclusion that the crash risk from cellular conversations is not greater than that of driving with no conversation.
"Tasks that take a driver's eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel are what increase crash risk," said Young. "Texting, emailing, manual dialing and so forth -- not conversation -- are what increase the risk of crashes while driving."
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that all 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the non-emergency use of portable electronic devices for all drivers. Young said this recommendation goes beyond the data from newer studies, including his, because it would ban cellphone conversations while driving.
"Recent real-world studies show that cellphone conversations do not increase crash risk beyond that of normal driving -- it is the visual-manual tasks that take the eyes off the road and the hands off the wheel that are the real risk," said Young.
**Source: Wayne State University, Division of Research
Young said the issue with these studies is that people may not have been driving during the entire control window period, as assumed by the earlier study investigators.
"Earlier case-crossover studies likely overestimated the relative risk for cellphone conversations while driving by implicitly assuming that driving during a control window was full time when it may have been only part time," said Young. "This false assumption makes it seem like cellphone conversation is a bigger crash risk than it really is."
In Young's new study, his research team used Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) data to track day-to-day driving of more than 400 drivers during a 100-day period. He then divided the days into pairs, with the first day representing the "control" day and the second day representing the "crash" day in the earlier studies. Overall, the team found little driving consistency in any given clock time period between the two days -- driving time on the control day was only about one-fourth of the driving time on the crash day, during any specific clock time period.
"This underestimation of the amount of driving in the control windows by nearly four times could reduce cellphone conversation time in that control period," Young said. "It makes it appear that there is less cellphone conversation in control periods than in the time just before a crash, making the relative risk estimate appear greater than it really is."
Young found that when the cellphone conversation time in the control window was adjusted for the amount of driving, the amount of cellphone usage in the control window was about the same as in the minutes before a crash. He concluded that the crash risk for cellphone conversation while driving is one-fourth of what was claimed in previous studies, or near that of normal baseline driving.
Young added that many well-controlled studies with real driving show that the primary increase in crash risk from portable electronic devices comes from tasks that require drivers to look at the device or operate it with their hands, such as texting while driving. Five other recent real-world studies concur with his conclusion that the crash risk from cellular conversations is not greater than that of driving with no conversation.
"Tasks that take a driver's eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel are what increase crash risk," said Young. "Texting, emailing, manual dialing and so forth -- not conversation -- are what increase the risk of crashes while driving."
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that all 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the non-emergency use of portable electronic devices for all drivers. Young said this recommendation goes beyond the data from newer studies, including his, because it would ban cellphone conversations while driving.
"Recent real-world studies show that cellphone conversations do not increase crash risk beyond that of normal driving -- it is the visual-manual tasks that take the eyes off the road and the hands off the wheel that are the real risk," said Young.
**Source: Wayne State University, Division of Research
Benigno Blanco, presidente del Foro Español de la Familia,culpa a la nueva Ley del aborto de haber provocado «una mayor banalización» de esta práctica
Para el presidente del Foro Español de la Familia, Benigno Blanco, el aumento del número de abortos que dio a conocer el martes el Ministerio de Sanidad no solo es «muy preocupante», sino que revela cómo la nueva Ley del aborto ha provocado «una mayor banalización» de esta práctica «en la conciencia colectiva».
—¿Qué le parecen los últimos datos que conocimos ayer sobre aborto?
—Muy preocupante porque demuestran que el aborto es un fenómeno descontrolado en España, no podemos acostumbrarnos a estas brutales cifras cada año y además creciendo sin parar. Es hora de decir no más aborto.
—¿Estos malos datos son consecuencia de la nueva regulación?
—La nueva Ley del aborto ha agravado el problema ya preexistente generado por la Ley del 85, pues al desproteger aún más al no nacido y a la mujer embarazada propicia una mayor banalización del aborto en la conciencia colectiva y el incremento del número de estas prácticas.
—¿Cómo ve el hecho de que el informe de Sanidad no precise los abortos realizados en menores de edad sin consentimiento de los padres?
—Va en la línea del ocultismo tradicional de las estadísticas públicas en materia de aborto. Prefieren no informar del problema creado por ellos mismos, para ver si la sociedad así se olvida. Parece que lo que menos les importa es el drama humano.
—¿Cómo valora que el 42,88% de los IVEs realizados hayan sido por «petición de la mujer»?
—Es la trágica consecuencia lógica de permitir el aborto libre durante los tres primeros meses de embarazo. Una gran parte de ellos que antes se hacían en fraude de ley al amparo del presunto peligro para la salud psíquica, ahora se amparan en el nuevo plazo de impunidad.
—Ahora que la ley permite el aborto libre hasta la semana 14, un respaldo jurídico para los médicos, ¿cree que las administraciones deberían seguir el ejemplo del Gobierno balear y quitar la financiación a las clínicas?
—Apelo a los profesionales sanitarios para que en coherencia con ciencia y profesión se nieguen a colaborar en abortos tanto en las clínicas probadas como en la sanidad pública. Por supuesto que estoy en contra también de que se financie públicamente el negocio del aborto.
—¿Cree que hay suficiente conciencia social en España como para aceptar una derogación de la ley? El aborto repuntó entre las españolas mayores de 25 años. Un dato al menos curioso...
—No sólo existe esa conciencia, sino que existe esa demanda: la inmensa mayoría de los españoles no quieren una normalización del aborto en nuestra sociedad y así lo han manifestado en las últimas elecciones retirando del poder a los que apoyaron y promovieron la última Ley del aborto.
—¿Qué le parecen los últimos datos que conocimos ayer sobre aborto?
—Muy preocupante porque demuestran que el aborto es un fenómeno descontrolado en España, no podemos acostumbrarnos a estas brutales cifras cada año y además creciendo sin parar. Es hora de decir no más aborto.
—¿Estos malos datos son consecuencia de la nueva regulación?
—La nueva Ley del aborto ha agravado el problema ya preexistente generado por la Ley del 85, pues al desproteger aún más al no nacido y a la mujer embarazada propicia una mayor banalización del aborto en la conciencia colectiva y el incremento del número de estas prácticas.
—¿Cómo ve el hecho de que el informe de Sanidad no precise los abortos realizados en menores de edad sin consentimiento de los padres?
—Va en la línea del ocultismo tradicional de las estadísticas públicas en materia de aborto. Prefieren no informar del problema creado por ellos mismos, para ver si la sociedad así se olvida. Parece que lo que menos les importa es el drama humano.
—¿Cómo valora que el 42,88% de los IVEs realizados hayan sido por «petición de la mujer»?
—Es la trágica consecuencia lógica de permitir el aborto libre durante los tres primeros meses de embarazo. Una gran parte de ellos que antes se hacían en fraude de ley al amparo del presunto peligro para la salud psíquica, ahora se amparan en el nuevo plazo de impunidad.
—Ahora que la ley permite el aborto libre hasta la semana 14, un respaldo jurídico para los médicos, ¿cree que las administraciones deberían seguir el ejemplo del Gobierno balear y quitar la financiación a las clínicas?
—Apelo a los profesionales sanitarios para que en coherencia con ciencia y profesión se nieguen a colaborar en abortos tanto en las clínicas probadas como en la sanidad pública. Por supuesto que estoy en contra también de que se financie públicamente el negocio del aborto.
—¿Cree que hay suficiente conciencia social en España como para aceptar una derogación de la ley? El aborto repuntó entre las españolas mayores de 25 años. Un dato al menos curioso...
—No sólo existe esa conciencia, sino que existe esa demanda: la inmensa mayoría de los españoles no quieren una normalización del aborto en nuestra sociedad y así lo han manifestado en las últimas elecciones retirando del poder a los que apoyaron y promovieron la última Ley del aborto.
**Publicado en "ABC"
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)