Tag Archives: scientific advancements

Cure for Malaria on the way?

Each year, more than a million people die of the harmful parasitic disease known as Malaria and this number is increasing each day. Approximately 3.3 billion people (this is almost half the population of the world!) live in Malaria-affected region; most prominently in the Sub-Saharan Africa. This harmful plague has been circulating our planet for a long time now and yet there is no known cure for this disease. In the past recent years, the parasite has developed resistance to a lot of drugs. According to some researchers, some prosperous nations were able to get rid of Malaria; it is the third-world countries where the number of deaths due to this disease keeps increasing. Figure 1. below shows the regions that are at risk of  Malaria. Fortunately, Malaria is no longer overlooked and there is extensive research being done to find the cure for this malicious disease.

Figure 1. World map showing the risk of Malaria across the world.

 

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From the genus Anopheles, the female mosquito attacks the human when it is sound asleep and drinks the blood without acknowledgement. In the process, she releases saliva to prevent blood coagulation, and it is at this point when the infection spreads in the human body. This saliva contains one-celled malaria parasites (plasmodia) that act like tiny microscopic worms and burrow themselves in different liver cells. From this point on the disease spreads in the body through red blood cells and causes symptoms such as fever, headache, chills, nausea etc. The following video shows what happens in detail once the parasite attacks the host:

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Researchers and doctors from all around the world are working hard to develop, not just vaccines, but drugs that might help cure Malaria. Through the use of chemical insecticides or drainage of the water where the larvae of these mosquitos live in, could result in a significant reduction of their population.

Additionally, several drugs are under work that may be effective on a small scale. One such company is GlaxoSmithKline that developed a vaccine and conducted a clinical trial on 15,000 babies and children in Africa. Up to 18 months of age, the drug worked effectively and protected the babies. But the effectiveness wore off afterwards. A Research team at the University of Cape Town have been working on a drug that worked adequately on animals with no adverse side effects. Once this drug is put to use in clinical trials and positive results are found, it might be the breakthrough to the cure for this disease.

Even though there isn’t a set cure for this disease yet, there is still some ongoing progress. Until further research is done and results are found, we can only hope that this plague is cured before it gets too late.

– Hiba Rajpar

 

References

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/131008/cure-malaria-new-vaccine-could-save-millions

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-diseases/raging-malaria/

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/29/university-of-cape-town-researchers-believe-they-have-found-a-single-dose-cure-for-malaria/

 

 

A “Nutty” Remedy for your Peanut Allergy?

 

Image from Aktron on Wikimedia Commons

If you are allergic to peanuts, you must know how annoying and potentially deadly an allergic reaction is. It is the most common and severe food allergy, as it  affects one in fifty children. It causes problem with breathing and can even induce anaphylactic shock upon ingestion in severe cases. Peanut allergies can even go as far as making an impact on one’s social life as well when all action has to be taken to avoid making contact with peanuts at all cost. Needles to say, a peanut allergy is a big inconvenient. However, it seems as though scientists might have found a cure!

In an attempt to find a cure for the peanut allergy in children, scientists conducted a study where small increments of peanuts were exposed to children’s diet. They first started with peanut proteins equivalent to 1/70 of a peanut, then slowly increased the amount. After a few months, 88% of the participants built the tolerance to eat 5 peanuts a day, and 58% were able to eat as much as 10 peanuts. The experiment was carried out in two six-month periods; in the first six months, the children were given a placebo. Actual peanuts were prescribed in the second six months. No peanut tolerance was observed when the children were given the placebo, so the results in the end were definitely not due to the placebo effect. This study was recently published and the scientists hope that one day this will become a treatment for peanut allergies.

This is a video the details the overall experiment:

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The peanut treatments were conducted in a controlled environment in case of the occurrence of an allergic reaction. This should not be tried at home. This study is still in it’s early stages and can not be considered a cure just yet. However, the results are significant and are a beacon of light for those who have severe allergies. If a cure for peanut allergy is possible, then perhaps a remedy for other allergies might someday be a reality as well. Hopefully, in the near future, allergies will no longer exist as a limit to people’s everyday activities.

By: Kimberley Xiao

 

References:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2548416/Have-scientists-way-cure-peanut-allergies-children.html

http://www.popsci.com/article/science/potential-cure-peanut-allergy-successful-test?dom=tw&src=SOC

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)62301-6/abstract