Tag Archives: african

Naked mole-rat’s secret to staying cancer free

Recently, a team of researchers from the University of Rochester in New York and the University of Haifa found the naked mole rat’s unique mechanism to staying cancer free- a super sugar called high-molecular-mass Hyaluronan (HMM-HA). They discovered that when secreted from the naked mole rat’s cells, HMM-HA prevents cells from overcrowding and forming tumors. "Contact inhibition, a powerful anticancer mechanism, discovered by the Rochester team, arresting cell growth when cells come into contact with each other, is lost in cancer cells," explains Prof. …

Eating right, exercise may help prostate cancer patients reduce risk of aggressive tumors

Led by Lenore Arab, PhD, JCCC member and professor in the departments of medicine and biological chemistry, the researchers examined associations between adherence to WCRF recommendations and risk of highly aggressive prostate cancer among subjects enrolled in the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project. …

‘Active surveillance’ may miss aggressive prostate cancers in black men

"This study offers the most conclusive evidence to date that broad application of active surveillance recommendations may not be suitable for African-Americans," says urologist Edward M. Schaeffer, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the study. "This is critical information because if African-American men do have more aggressive cancers, as statistics would suggest, then simply monitoring even small cancers that are very low risk would not be a good idea because aggressive cancers are less likely to be cured," he says. …

World population may reach 11 billion by 2100

The world's population could reach 11 billion by the year 2100, according to a new statistical analysis. That represents 800 million more people than was forecast in 2011. Most of that increase comes because birth rates in Africa haven't dropped as fast as projected. “The fertility decline in Africa has slowed down or stalled to a larger extent than we previously predicted, and as a result the African population will go up,” said study co-author Adrian Raftery, a statistician at the University of Washington, in a statement. Ever increasing The United Nations reported that the population hit 7 billion in October 2011. That's an amazing increase from the mere 5 million people who lived on the planet in 8000 B.C. or the 1 billion who were alive in 1805. The huge surge in population is expected to cause mega-city populations to swell, which could worsen environmental problems and overcrowding. Right now, Africa's population stands at 1.1 billion, but that is expected to increase four-fold, to 4.2 billion, by 2100. Rest unchanged The rest of the world is unlikely to see big changes from the past estimate. Europe may see a slight dip in population, because it continues to have a below-replacement birth rate, meaning more people are dying than being born. The new analysis used a more sophisticated method for estimating life expectancy, updated fertility forecasting methods and new population data. The model predicts that the population will likely reach between 9 billion and 13 billion by 2100. By contrast, the U.N.'s population estimates assume the average birth rate may vary by up to 0.5 children per woman, which results in a large range for the world's population at the end of the century, between 7 billion and 17 billion. The findings suggest that experts should redouble their efforts to curb population growth in Africa, Raftery said. “These new findings show that we need to renew policies, such as increasing access to family planning and expanding education for girls, to address rapid population growth in Africa,” Raftery said in a statement. Top 10 Ways to Destroy Earth Earth in the Balance: 7 Crucial Tipping Points Crowded Planet: 7 (Billion) Population Milestones Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/world-population-may-reach-11-billion-by-2100/

New vaccine drives Africa meningitis cases to lowest in decade

Case numbers in Africa's meningitis season this year were the lowest in 10 years thanks to a cheap new vaccine designed to treat a type of the disease common in the so-called meningitis belt, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. The vaccine, called MenAfriVac, was developed with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation specifically for use against meningitis A, a type which causes regular epidemics in Africa. Detailing data for January 1 to May 12, the United Nations health agency said that just under 9,250 meningitis cases, including 857 deaths, were reported in 18 of the 19 African countries under enhanced surveillance for meningitis. Epidemics of meningitis A occur regularly in Africa's “meningitis belt”, a band of 26 countries stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia, and are particularly devastating to children and young adults. Bacterial meningitis, known as meningococcal meningitis, is a serious infection of the thin lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50 percent of cases if untreated. According to the non-profit Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), which helped develop the MenAfriVac vaccine, the seasonal outbreak of meningitis across sub-Saharan Africa in 2009 infected at least 88,000 people and killed more than 5,000. The WHO said the falling numbers this year were due to the introduction of the newly developed vaccine. MenAfriVac costs just 50 U.S. cents a dose and has been progressively introduced in Africa since 2010, starting in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. “The introduction of this first meningococcal vaccine available for preventive purposes in Africa has enabled the immunization of over 100 million people from 10 countries in the meningitis belt in the past three years,” the WHO said. “The reduced case load and epidemic activity observed this year adds to the evidence on the impact...of this vaccine.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/07/new-vaccine-drives-africa-meningitis-cases-to-lowest-in-decade/

African-Americans experience longer delays between diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer

To see if there is a difference in the time from cancer diagnosis to initiation of treatment for African American men compared with Caucasian men with prostate cancer, Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his colleagues analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare registry, which links cancer diagnosis data to a master file of Medicare records. Their analysis included 2,506 African American and 21,454 Caucasian patients diagnosed with early (non-metastatic) prostate cancer from 2004 to 2007 and treated within 12 months of diagnosis…

What you need to know about new PSA screening guidelines

Recently, the American Urological Association (AUA) announced new guidelines for prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing.  These guidelines were designed to help urologists, and ultimately patients, reduce prostate cancer mortality by making informed screening decisions.  These recommendations were based on comprehensive literature reviews and the strength of the existing evidence.   Here is what you need to know: • The AUA recommends against screening in men under age 40.  Such blanket recommendations can increase the risk of younger men being overlooked and potentially resulting in worse disease later in life. Men under 40 need to be educated about prostate cancer and given a clear understanding of their individual risk factors.   Obesity/excess weight, a family history of prostate cancer, and African American race are the driving risk factors of this disease. • The AUA recommends against routine screening in men of average risk aged 40 to 54 years old.  Early diagnosis and treatment are the two most important factors to successfully eliminating prostate cancer. • The AUA strongly recommends careful consideration of the pros and cons of screening for men between the ages of 55 and 69.  The risk of prostate cancer increases significantly by age 65; so it’s wise for men in this age bracket to be screened. These men have the greatest opportunity for early detection and treatment to eliminate their prostate cancer with optimal quality of life. • The AUA suggests screening for prostate cancer every two years rather than annually. PSA is not a perfect test.  Prostate cancer can be an indolent cancer, taking many years to decades before it causes problems or it can behave in a highly aggressive manner. PSA is not able to differentiate these two cases. However, by tracking PSA velocity and density we can more accurately predict one’s risk of cancer. • The AUA recommends against PSA screening in men over age 70 with a life expectancy less than 10-15 years.  Now that such a large percentage of Americans live well into their 80s, prostate cancer screening should be part of overall wellness monitoring for these men. Prostate cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in men, killing approximately 34,000 men each year.  Since the widespread adoption of PSA screening in the early 90s, there has been a 39 percent reduction in prostate cancer mortality rates; so there is no doubt that PSA screening is successful – when used correctly.   Speak with your doctor about your individual risk factors for prostate cancer and your treatment goals.  Through comprehensive education about prostate cancer testing, diagnosis, and treatment options, American men can make well-informed decisions about what’s best for them. Dr. David B. Samadi is the Vice Chairman of the Department of Urology and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He is a board-certified urologist, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of urological disease, with a focus on robotic prostate cancer treatments. To learn more please visit his websites RoboticOncology.com and SMART-surgery.com. Find Dr. Samadi on Facebook.Dr. David B. Samadi is the Vice Chairman of the Department of Urology and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He is a board-certified urologist, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of urological disease, with a focus on robotic prostate cancer treatments. To learn more please visit his websites RoboticOncology.com and SMART-surgery.com. Find Dr. Samadi on Facebook.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/17/what-need-to-know-about-new-psa-screening-guidelines/