Prevention

US researchers have discovered a gene that may help explain why some people who lead enriching lives are less prone to Alzheimer's and age-related dementia. Many people develop Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia as they get older. However, others remain sharp well into old age, even if their brains show underlying signs of neurodegeneration. Among these cognitively resilient people, researchers have identified education level and amount of time spent on intellectually stimulating activities as factors that help prevent dementia. The study, led by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, showed that this kind of enrichment appears to activate a gene family called MEF2, which controls a genetic programme in the brain that promotes resistance to cognitive decline. The researchers observed this link between MEF2 and cognitive resilience in both humans and mice. The findings suggest that enhancing the activity of MEF2 or its targets might protect against age-related dementia. "It's increasingly understood that there are resilience factors that can protect the function of the brain," said Li-Huei Tsai, Director of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. "Understanding this resilience mechanism could be helpful when we think about therapeutic interventions or prevention of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration-associated dementia," Tsai added. The study appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The MIT team set out to try to figure how the environmental factors, such as education level, type of job, number of languages spoken, affect the brain at the neuronal level. They looked at human datasets and mouse models in parallel, and both tracks converged on MEF2 as a critical player. In two human datasets comprising slightly more than 1,000 people all together, the MIT team found that cognitive resilience was highly correlated with expression of MEF2 and many of the genes that it regulates. To study cognitive resilience in mice, the researchers compared mice who were raised in cages with no toys, and mice placed in a more stimulating environment with a running wheel and toys that were swapped out every few days. As they found in the human study, MEF2 was more active in the brains of the mice exposed to the enriched environment. These mice also performed better in learning and memory tasks. The findings suggest that enhancing MEF2 activity could help to protect against dementia, but, because MEF2 also affects other types of cells and cellular processes, more study is needed to make sure that activating it wouldn't have adverse side effects, the researchers said. (Agency) Read More► Psychiatric Disorders in Teens Linked to Social Exclusion in Later Life

Many people believe that heart disease typically affects men. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of mortality not only among men, but also among women. But women are actually at greater risk if not detected early, and this exacerbates the issue. Signs of poor heart health do not appear as visibly in women as it does in men. What this means is that if a man has a heart issue, there are specific symptoms like angina which can be spotted easily and the right course of action be recommended. The same issue in a woman may not result in a sign or symptom that can be easily spotted. So often, their symptoms go ignored or unrecognised and they do not receive timely intervention to correct the problem. The issue is so acute that today 1 in 3 deaths among women is due to coronary heart disease. There is also a significant lack of self-awareness among women about risk factors and the prevention of CVDs. Women don't only attend to matters of the home, but they hold positions at leading companies, and continue to rise to the occasion and meet impossible demands on their time. Through all of this, they take care of the emotional needs of their family members and loved ones; and still culturally are predisposed to putting the needs of others before their own. The stress they experience, among other common risk factors, often goes unnoticed by those around them. And stress has a greater influence on CVD risk in women vs men. Along with stress, other factors like diet quantity and quality also have a greater influence on CVD risk in women vs men. Additionally, women are also impacted by female-specific risk factors for CVD like polycystic Ovarian syndrome PCOS, preeclampsia, pregnancy induced hypertension and gestational diabetes. In such a situation where symptoms of a heart problem do not manifest visibly, it is extremely important for women to be aware of their own risk factors and adopt proactive measures to take care of their heart health. For example, one risk factor, stress has been linked to a greater intake of energy and nutrient-dense foods, mainly sources of sugar and fat, and to poor diet quality. Women can take simple steps like reducing unhealthy fats and products with high content of sugar and salt to improve the quality of their diet. Choose ingredients that are good for the heart, like oatmeal, wholegrains, fiber rich vegetables, blended oils with the right balance of fatty acids, legumes, soy products, and the like. Regular and consistent exercise, adequate sleep, and other such lifestyle modifications can help maintain heart health in the long term. Furthermore with signs of poor heart health not manifesting visibly in women, it is crucial that they get regular health check-ups done to assess their risk proactively. Self-awareness and early identification of cardiovascular risk factors can lead to better prevention of CVD in women. This World Heart Day, let's choose self-care. Get a simple heart check-up done and encourage other women in yourselves too, to get the same done. Take proactive steps for heart health today. (By Brajesh Kunwar) Read More► Myth or Fact: Exercise Must Be Avoided After A Heart Attack

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar has launched an online portal TAPAS (Training for Augmenting Productivity and Services), developed by the National Institute of Social Defence under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.Ministers of State Ramdas Athawale and Sushri Pratima Bhoumik also joined the event on Saturday.TAPAS is the initiative of National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to provide access to lectures by subject experts, study material and more, but in a manner that it supplements the physical classroom without compromising on the quality of teaching. The main objective of introducing the course modules is to impart training and enhance the knowledge and skills for the capacity building of the participants. It can be taken up by anyone who wishes to enhance his or her knowledge on the topics and there is no fee for joining. The five basic courses are on Drug (Substance) Abuse Prevention, Geriatric/Elderly Care, Care and Management of Dementia, Transgender Issues and on comprehensive course on Social Defence Issues.Dr. Kumar said that the online medium of learning will enable the Ministry in reaching out to an even larger number of people working in this area of social defence. He urged everyone to enroll for the course for a better understanding of issues such as substance abuse prevention, elderly care, transgender welfare and beggary prevention. "Everyone working in the field of social defence is encouraged to enroll for the course. It is an online course and one can utilise this facility to its full potential," Dr. Kumar said."In our education system, where the offline mode of teaching is so deeply entrenched, this course will lead the path of change and open up new possibilities. There is no dearth of respect and regard for our age-old guru-shishya parampara, but there's no reason why it can't be transited to the online medium. Hence, let us embark on this new journey and increase our horizon when it comes to learning and gaining knowledge," he further added.The idea of TAPAS was conceptualised at a time when exploring the online medium for work and education had become imperative due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.--IANSavr/pgh

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Taking a note of the secondary and opportunistic fungal infections which are getting amplified due to the present surge in Covid cases and mucormycosis, or 'black fungus', becoming a cause of concern, the Union Health Ministry has advised all states and Union Territories to review their preparedness for infection prevention and control, as well as hygiene and sanitation in hospitals.In a letter to Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all states and UTs, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has urged them to undertake activities and practices to ensure that there are robust infection prevention and control practices in Covid hospitals and other healthcare facilities.He advised establishment or activation of the Hospital Infection Control Committee with the head of the institution or an administrator as the chairperson, and designating an infection prevention and control nodal officer - preferably a microbiologist or senior infection control nurse."Prepare and implement the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Programme in the hospital/health facilities, as per the guidance given in National Guidelines for Infection and Control in Healthcare Facilities," he said.The Centre emphasised on strengthening procedures and practices for IPC in the context of Covid-19, and standard precautions to be applied all across the hospital/health facilities. Transmission-based precautions need heightened focus on droplet, airborne and contact precautions from the perspective of protecting healthcare workers and ensuring patient safety, it said.To improve the environment, it said: "Ventilation with focus on fresh air and natural ventilation wherever control systems with requisite air changes are not available. Cleaning, disinfection and sanitation of the hospital environment and frequently touched surfaces with recommended disinfectants like one per cent sodium hypochlorite or 70 per cent alcohol."The letter urged infection prevention and control practices to be enhanced in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) using a bundle approach to prevent device-associated infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia or catheter-associated blood stream, urinary infections etc. Also stressing that infection prevention and control practices in the clinical laboratories and those attached to hospitals are very crucial for the safety of laboratory/hospital staff and health security of the community, it asked states and UTs to adhere to these while managing immunocompromised patients such as Covid-19 patients on steroid treatment, with co-morbidities (such as diabetes where good glycemic control needs to be established.--IANSssb/vd