Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Vishwanath Katti aged 61 passed away due to cardiac arrest in Bengaluru on Tuesday night.
The State declared one day mourning.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief on the demise of Karnataka Minister, Umesh Katti.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
“Shri Umesh Katti Ji was an experienced leader who made rich contributions to Karnataka’s development. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this tragic hour. Om Shanti.”
Young Australians can now access a free DNA saliva test to learn whether they face increased risk of some cancers and heart disease, which can be prevented or treated early if detected, in a world-first DNA screening study.
The nationally collaborative project, led by Monash University and supported by researchers and clinicians across Australia, will screen at least 10,000 people aged 18-40 for genes that increase risk of certain types of cancers and heart disease that often go undetected.
Those found to be at high risk after DNA testing – about one in 75 or 1.3 per cent – will have their situation explained by experts and be offered genetic counselling and prevention measures, such as regular scans and check-ups.
cancer/photo:en.wikipedia.org
Until now, genetic testing for the DNA changes that increase disease risk has only been available on a small scale for those with a known family history or prior disease diagnosis. Population testing, open to everyone, has the potential to drastically improve access and maximize the preventive benefits of DNA testing.
Monash University’s Associate Professor Paul Lacaze said the project enabled a more efficient and equitable approach to genetic testing, identifying far more people at high risk than current testing methods.
“We hope to identify those at risk while they are young and healthy, not after the fact, and empower them to make more informed decisions about their health,” he said. “For some people, this could save their lives through early detection and prevention of cancer and heart disease. This will also save considerable health system costs in Australia through prevention.
“Providing genetic testing based on family history alone is not enough. Up to 90 per cent of those at high risk in the general population are not identified by current family history-based testing. Most people don’t find out about their genetic risk until it’s too late, like after an incurable cancer or heart attack is diagnosed. We want to change that.”
DNA Screen will identify people with DNA variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that lead to an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in women. These genes are also linked to breast and prostate cancer in men, although not as strongly. Men and women who carry DNA variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can also pass them onto their children.
The DNA Screen test will also focus on Lynch Syndrome – another condition that increases risk for colorectal, endometrial, and other gastrointestinal cancers. Both cancer-related conditions have effective, proven interventions available to reduce risk if identified early.
This includes attending annual check-ups and screens from age 30, and the option of risk-reducing surgery for some people. Early detection and prevention are often life-saving for cancer.
The DNA test also encompasses heart disease risk, focusing on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or ‘genetic high cholesterol’, which results in high risk of heart disease from a young age. Despite effective medications such as statins being available to reduce risk, an estimated 95 per cent of FH carriers are currently undiagnosed.
Associate Professor Lacaze, from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, is leading a team of national collaborators who were awarded a $2.97 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant for the project. The project is supported by the Precision Medicine laboratory at Monash University and the state-of-the-art Biobanking Victoriafacility.
The eventual goal is to develop a new population-based DNA screening program that could be offered through the Australian public healthcare system, available to everyone but targeted on certain medically-actionable conditions where early detection is key.
“We expect to identify about 1 in 75 people at high risk of these diseases. Those found to be high risk won’t necessarily get the disease, but pinpointing risk before symptoms appear enables prevention through regular check-ups, medication, or risk-reducing surgery. It could save their life.
DNA Screen, which is recruiting young people via social media, is expected to save lives and could lead to a wide scale preventive DNA testing program for cancer and heart disease risk, where early detection and prevention can be life-saving.
DNA Screen is the world’s first preventive DNA screening study designed specifically to assess population DNA screening through a national healthcare system. The test is free and involves placing a saliva sample into a small tube received by mail, and sending it back in a postage paid envelope. People can sign up online at dnascreen.monash.edu
IMAGE: Medicinal plants used in traditional Chinese medicine have rarely been scientifically examined. They may contain highly active substances with side effects, such as Evodia. [Credit: University of Basel]
A medicinal plant frequently used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) by name Evodia rutaecarpa contains substances that can cause cardiac arrhythmia, say researchers from the Universities of Basel, Vienna and Utrecht.
Extracts of the plant Evodia rutaecarpa are used for a variety of symptoms, such as headaches, nausea and vomiting as well as menstrual complaints and ulcers in the mouth.
Not scientifically explored, researchers led by Professor Matthias Hamburger from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Basel ventured into scientifically examining the effect of Evodia extracts in collaboration with pharmacologists and toxicologists from the University of Vienna.
To their surprise, they found that the natural substances dehydroevodiamine (DHE) and hortiamine isolated from the plant in Basel turned out to be very potent inhibitors of potassium channels in the heart muscle.
If these channels are blocked, the excitation processes in the heart muscle change, which can trigger severe heart rhythm disturbances – so-called Torsade de pointes (TdP) – and ventricular fibrillation and lead to sudden cardiac death.
Effect confirmed in animal models
The development of severe TdP arrhythmias following the administration of DHE was confirmed by researchers at the University of Utrecht in ECG studies on dogs, a model that is also used to test drug safety in the industry.
Further investigations showed that the two natural substances cause oscillations in the heart muscle cells even in very low concentrations, which can cause cardiac arrhythmia. For instance, these substances can get into a tea made from Evodia fruits.
For drugs that may potentially trigger cardiac arrhythmias, it is typically required that a cardiac examination using ECG is carried out before medication. This is especially true for heart disease patients for their risk to be assessed. To date, no clinical studies have been conducted to investigate the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias after taking Evodia preparations.
Re-evaluate security
Studies at the University of Basel have also shown that the DHE content of Evodia fruits is considerable. Hamburger currently investigates the extent to which these substances find their way into tea preparations. “If DHE and hortiamine are detected, the safety of Evodia products has to be re-evaluated,” says Hamburger. TCM medicinal plants often reach the Indian and Asian or European markets relatively uncontrolled, and they can also be purchased on the internet.
The authors of the study, therefore, call for increased vigilance regarding possible toxic effects of Evodia preparations. “The popularization of medicinal plants from other cultures entails risks. These plants can contain highly active substances with side effects, as in the case of Evodia. A closer examination of such risks is therefore indispensable to protect the population,” says Hamburger.
Numbered jerseys effectively increase overall teamwork performance during cardiac arrest.
In new research from CHEST 2017, a team from Montefiore Medical Center in New York aimed to create a team-driven atmosphere in the hospital and hypothesized that the use of personalized numbered jerseys for each member of the code team would help to improve teamwork and overall time to perform critical clinical actions.
The study included ten critical care medicine fellows who were randomized into two groups. One group received personalized number jerseys for each code team member, while the control team wore their regular clothes. Each of the groups were asked to participate in six cardiac arrest scenarios using high-fidelity simulation, and participants alternated between team leader and team member roles for each case. Trained faculty using the validated16-item Mayo High Performance Teamwork scale graded teamwork.
Results found that the Mayo Teamwork score was significantly higher in the group donning team jerseys as compared with the control group. (23.5 vs 17.5, P <.01). In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in the percent of directed commands in the experimental vs control groups (35.63% vs 19.58%, P<.01).
“This study demonstrated that the use of numbered jerseys for individual code team members is an effective way to significantly increase the overall teamwork performance during a CA event,” says Dr. Yekaterina Kim, lead searcher, “in addition, the use of such jerseys significantly increased the number of direct commands by team leaders during such scenarios, thereby reducing the percent of ineffective commands.”
Further results from this study will be shared at CHEST Annual Meeting 2017 in Toronto on Wednesday, November 1, 1:30 PM-2:30 PM at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Exhibit Hall, Poster Number 130. The study abstract can be viewed on the journal CHEST® website.
Results from a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology showed that in 14 randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of 71,899 people, consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3s reduced the risk of cardiac death by a statistically-significant average of 8 percent. Cardiac death accounts for about two-thirds (about 405,000) of all cardiovascular disease deaths in the United States, and 42 percent (7.4 million) globally, each year (1,2). This is the first published meta-analysis to include cardiac death (also known as “coronary mortality”) as a primary endpoint, and the most comprehensive review of the evidence to date.
The meta-analysis showed even greater — 17 percent — risk reduction in groups who had elevated triglycerides or LDL cholesterol. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that EPA and DHA omega-3s may be most useful for reducing cardiac death in higher risk individuals (see table), which is important since The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that 25 percent of adults in the US have triglyceride levels ≥150 mg/dL (3) and 27 percent have LDL cholesterol levels ≥130 mg/dL (4). The greatest reduction in cardiac death rates — an almost 30% risk reduction — was observed in trials that utilized dosages of more than 1 gram of EPA and DHA per day.
The RCTs reviewed were longer than six months in length, and investigated cardiac death as the primary outcome, comparing frequencies of cardiac death events between the omega-3 and control groups. The researchers reviewed studies published through December 2016 that included both dietary supplement and pharmaceutical omega-3 interventions. In the omega-3 groups, 1,613 cardiac deaths were recorded (4.48 percent of subjects) compared to 1,746 cardiac deaths in the control groups (4.87 percent of subjects). This study did not review the effects of EPA and DHA consumption from fish on cardiac death risk because no randomized, controlled trials exist, but observational studies on EPA and DHA from fish also support a benefit in risk reduction (5).
“It’s important to note that these results align with the conclusions in the recent Science Advisory from the American Heart Association, which states that EPA and DHA omega-3 treatment ‘is reasonable’ for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death,” said Dr. Kevin Maki, lead study author and Chief Scientist for Midwest Biomedical Research’s Center for Metabolic and Cardiovascular Health. “One notable feature of EPA and DHA omega-3 supplementation is the low risk associated with its use. Because of the low risk for adverse effects, even a modest benefit is clinically meaningful.”
“This study is important because it explored the effects of omega-3s on a specific outcome of coronary heart disease,” said Dr. Harry B. Rice, VP of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at GOED, which funded the study. “A number of studies in recent years have questioned omega-3 benefits in cardiovascular diseases. In order to understand the role omega-3s play in the cardiovascular system, however, research has to focus on a specific disease rather than all cardiovascular outcomes together. This is an important nuance that this meta-analysis helps clarify.”
Consuming sufficient amounts of EPA and DHA is part of eating a well-balanced diet and leading a healthy lifestyle. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association recommend consuming seafood/fatty fish each week (6,7). Two servings per week supplies 250-500 mg of EPA and DHA per day. In addition, the AHA also recommends 1 gram of EPA and DHA per day for those with diagnosed heart disease. Increasing omega-3 intake is easy and inexpensive, with omega-3 supplement costs ranging from $10-$60/month and fatty fish ranging from $10-$25+/month depending on the type of fish. Omega-3 are also widely viewed as safe; the U.S. FDA allows up to 3 grams per day and EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, reports no safety issues with up to 5 grams per day. If consumers are allergic to fish or would like to take higher doses, they should consult their physicians.
A limitation of the results from the present meta-analysis is that several of the studies included were small, or had suboptimal trial designs. For example, two of the largest trials, GISSI-Prevenzione and JELIS, were controlled but did not utilize placebos. While this does raise the possibility of bias/confounding, this is less likely to be a concern with a fatal outcome, and removing individual studies from the analysis did not result in any changes in findings. Additionally, baseline and post-intervention omega-3 levels were not available in most studies, making it difficult to determine how much of an increase in blood levels actually occurred through supplementation.
The meta-analysis was funded by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), but GOED was not involved in the design or interpretation of the results.
