In a small clinical trial at Glasgow`s Southern General Hospital, five seriously disabled stroke patients have shown small signs of recovery following the injection of stem cells into their brain.

Prof Keith Muir, of Glasgow University, who is treating them, said he is "surprised" by the mild to moderate improvements in the five patients.

But he noted that it is too soon to tell whether the effect is due to the treatment they are receiving.

The five stroke patients are among nine patients in their 60s, 70s and 80s who are taking part in the clinical trial to assess the safety of the procedure which involves injecting stem cells into the damaged brain part.

It is one of the first trials in the world to test the use of stem cells in patients.

Results to be presented at the European Stroke Conference in London on Tuesday show that there have been no adverse effects on the patients so far and there have been improvements to more than half participating in the trial.

All the patients involved in the trial had their strokes between six months and five years before they received the treatment.

The recovery of any one of them - let alone five - was not expected, according to Prof Muir, who is in charge of the trial.

He told an English news website that they`ve seen people who now have the ability to move their fingers where they have had several years of complete paralysis.

"We have seen some people that have been able to walk around their house whereas previously they had been dependent on assistance and we have had improvements that have enabled people to recognise what is happening around them," he added.

These improvements have made it easier for the patients to do day-to-day tasks such as dressing themselves, walking and being more independent.

The results so far pave the way for a so-called phase two trial later this year, which will be desirable to determine whether any improvement is due to the treatment.

Exposure to pesticides, or bug and weed killers, and solvents is likely associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson`s disease, a large analysis of more than 100 studies from around the world has revealed.

The research was also conducted by Gianni Pezzoli, MD, with the Parkinson Institute - ICP, Milan.

"Due to this association, there was also a link between farming or country living and developing Parkinson`s in some of the studies," said study author Emanuele Cereda, MD, PhD, with the IRCCS University Hospital San Matteo Foundation in Pavia, Italy.

For the analysis, researchers reviewed 104 studies that looked at exposure to weed, fungus, rodent or bug killers, and solvents and the risk of developing Parkinson`s disease. Studies that evaluated the proximity of exposure, such as country living, work occupation and well water drinking were also included.

The research found that exposure to bug or weed killers and solvents increased the risk of developing Parkinson`s disease by 33 to 80 percent. In controlled studies, exposure to the weed killer paraquat or the fungicides maneb and mancozeb was associated with two times the risk of developing the disease.

"We didn`t study whether the type of exposure, such as whether the compound was inhaled or absorbed through the skin and the method of application, such as spraying or mixing, affected Parkinson`s risk," said Cereda.

"However, our study suggests that the risk increases in a dose response manner as the length of exposure to these chemicals increases," the researcher added.

The research appears in the May 28, 2013, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The myth that fair-skinned people are at higher risk of skin cancer and other problems associated with too much exposure to the sun than dark skinned is no more correct.

Dark-skinned people are also vulnerable to skin cancer and harmful effects of UV rays emitted by the sun, and indoor tanning beds, according to experts.

During the current National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness Month, people of all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to learn about their skin cancer risks and the benefits of sun safety.

"Darker skin has more pigment-making cells, which provide some inherent protection against UV rays, but not enough," said Adam Friedman, MD, director of dermatologic research, Division of Dermatology, Montefiore Medical Center.

"This unique biological difference means harmful effects of UV exposure occur more slowly in people of colour, but UV rays are still damaging and can cause cosmetic problems and serious conditions like skin cancer," Friedman said.

While skin cancer is rarer in people of colour, but it does occur and can be extremely serious when diagnosis is delayed, he says.

For example, melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is 20 times more common in whites than in African Americans, but people with darker skin are at greater risk of late diagnosis with advanced, thicker melanomas and lower survival rates.

"I`ve had patients tell me they don`t use sunscreen because they don`t like the white residue that`s left behind.

New sunscreens combine multiple sun-blocking agents in cosmetically appealing formulations that work together, providing a better sunscreen formula that can blend well into any skin type," said Dr. Friedman.

People often say they avoid sunscreen because it prevents them from getting vitamin D from the sun, which they believe is the best source.

While vitamin D is very important, getting it from harmful UV radiation is not the way to go. Remaining vigilant about sun exposure is a must, especially during peak hours between 10 am and 2 pm, he said.

"Sunscreen alone is not enough to protect you from skin cancer. Sunscreen ingredients become ineffective over time, so make sure the products are current," he added.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer and accounts for nearly half of all cancer diagnoses in the United States.

Although risk levels vary among skin types, preventive measures can significantly minimise sun damage and the potential for skin cancer to develop.

"We need to raise awareness about skin cancer risk for people of colour. When detected early, skin cancer is highly curable, so the more you know, the better. The potential health benefits of protecting the skin are immeasurable," Friedman said.

Fish oils could minimize the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review by researchers at the University of Liverpool has shown.

The team at the University`s Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease reviewed research from around the world to see whether there was sufficient data available to suggest that omega-3s had a role to play in aiding weight loss.
Research over the past 10 years has indicated that high-fat diets could disrupt neurogenesis, a process that generates new nerve cells, but diets rich in omega-3s could prevent these negative effects by stimulating the area of the brain that control feeding, learning and memory.

Data from 185 research papers revealed, however, that fish oils do not have a direct impact on this process in these areas of the brain, but are likely to play a significant role in stalling refined sugars and saturated fats` ability to inhibit the brain`s control on the body`s intake of food.

Research papers showed that on high-fat diets hormones that are secreted from body tissues into the circulation after eating, and which normally protect neurons and stimulate their growth, are prevented from passing into the brain by increased circulation of inflammatory molecules and a type of fat called triglycerides.

Molecules that stimulate nerve growth are also reduced, but it appears, in studies with animal models, that omega-3s restore normal function by interfering with the production of these inflammatory molecules, suppressing triglycerides, and returning these nerve growth factors to normal.

" Fish oils don`t appear to have a direct impact on weight loss, but they may take the brakes off the detrimental effects of some of the processes triggered in the brain by high-fat diets. They seem to mimic the effects of calorie restrictive diets and including more oily fish or fish oil supplements in our diets could certainly be a positive step forward for those wanting to improve their general health," explained Dr Lucy Pickavance, from the University`s Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease.

The research has been published in the British Journal of Nutrition .

A new study has identified rotavirus as the most common cause of diarrhoeal deaths among children around the world.

The Global Enteric Multicenter Study (GEMS), involving 20,000 children from across Asia and Africa was designed to identify the aetiology and population-based burden of paediatric diarrhoeal disease in developing countries.
It is a 3-year, prospective, age-stratified, matched case-control study of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea in children aged 0-59 months residing in censused populations at four sites in Africa and three in Asia.

The researchers said that recruited children with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea seeking care at health centres along with one to three randomly selected matched community control children without diarrhoea.

From patients with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea and controls, they said they obtained clinical and epidemiological data, anthropometric measurements, and a faecal sample to identify enteropathogens at enrolment.

One follow-up home visit was made about 60 days later to ascertain vital status, clinical outcome, and interval growth.

They enrolled 9439 children with moderate-to-severe diarrhoea and 13 129 control children without diarrhoea.

Analysing data from the study, researchers found that approximately one in five children under the age of two suffer from moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) each year, which increased children`s risk of death 8.5-fold and lead to stunted growth over a two-month follow-up period.

"Without a full picture of which pathogen causes the most harm, it had been difficult to make evidence-based decisions around diarrhoeal disease control," said Dipika Sur, principal investigator, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata.

By analysing adjusted population attributable fractions, they found that most attributable cases of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea were due to four pathogens: rotavirus, Cryptosporidium, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli producing heat-stable toxin (ST-ETEC; with or without co-expression of heat-labile enterotoxin), and Shigella.

Other pathogens were important in selected sites (eg, Aeromonas, Vibrio cholerae O1, Campylobacter jejuni).


Pathogens associated with increased risk of case death were ST-ETEC and typical enteropathogenic E coli in infants aged 0-11 months, and Cryptosporidium in toddlers aged 12-23 months.

The researchers noted that interventions targeting five pathogens (rotavirus, Shigella, ST-ETEC, Cryptosporidium, typical enteropathogenic E coli) could substantially reduce the burden of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea.

New methods and accelerated implementation of existing interventions (rotavirus vaccine and zinc) are needed to prevent disease and improve outcomes, they added.

More than 100,000 children die from diarrhoea in India every year, and approximately 4,57,000- 8,84,000 are hospitalised with the disease.

Nearly 800,000 deaths are caused by diarrhoea across the world.