New Hormone that controls supply of iron in RBC production discovered

A research team from UCLA has discovered a new hormone called erythroferrone, which regulates the iron supply needed for red blood-cell production. Iron is an essential functional component of hemoglobin, the molecule that transports oxygen throughout the body. Researchers found that erythroferrone is made by red blood-cell in the bone marrow in order to match iron supply with the demands of red blood-cell production. Erythroferrone is greatly increased when red blood-cell production is stimulated, such as after bleeding or in response to anemia.

The erythroferrone hormone acts by regulating the main iron hormone called Hepcidin. Hepcidin controls the absorption of iron from food and the distribution of iron in the body. Increased erythroferrone suppresses hepcidin and allows more iron to be made available for red blood-cell production. Lack of Iron causes anemia and iron overload accumulates in the liver and organs, where it gets toxic and causes damage.

This discovery could also lead to treatments for other common anemia-related conditions associated with chronic kidney disease, rheumatologic disorders and other inflammatory diseases. In these conditions, iron is "locked up" by the effect of the hormone hepcidin, whose levels are increased by inflammation. Erythroferrone, or drugs acting like it, could suppress hepcidin and make more iron available for red blood-cell production. Studies are being carried out to understand the role of the new hormone in various blood diseases and study the molecular mechanisms through which erythroferrone regulates hepcidin.

Jet-lag and Blood Donation

A new Austrian research has come out with a study that, frequent flyers that undergo Jet-lag and people who work under Shift are prone to Heart diseases. According to them, it is because of the effects that it creates on the Red blood cells in our body. But this can be taken care of by simply donating blood and allowing the production of fresh young red blood cells.

This finding came about a research under the leadership of Dr. Margit Egg (University of Innsbruck), where they experimented on an organism called zebra fish, a model organism which, like humans, which is active during the day. This fish was made to be active on an alternate basis varying from 7 hours to 21 hours, which is similar to the shift work time patterns followed in an industry. Through this they found out that, the fish which were made active on shift basis showed higher numbers of aged red blood cells, which accumulated in the blood vessels. It is come to the understanding that, these aged blood cells get accumulated in our spleen and liver since they are less flexible. Normally, these aged blood cells are removed from the blood by itself, but the Jet-Lag has disrupted this process and researchers are yet to find out the reason why.

These aged blood cells are prone to create clots and direct us towards heart diseases like heart-attacks and other cardio-vascular diseases. It also reduces the oxygen carrying capacity in the blood. The best solution is to generate new blood cells in the human system and the best way to do this is by donating blood on a frequent basis. Studies are carried out to find out if Jet lag may affect our physiological processes as well.

Gift of Living

Ever wanted to save somebody’s life or at least be a part of the whole generous cause? Something that each one of us can do and are capable of doing would be to give what we have in abundance, and that is nothing else than BLOOD. The Gift of Blood is called the Gift of Life.

Since blood is not something that we see on a daily basis, one may not think or bother to understand what blood is actually about unless in case of an injury or God forbid, an accident. Now we know that our heart pumps the blood required for our body. Blood provides oxygen and nutrients to every cell of our body.




There is no substitute for human blood and for this very reason there are certain concerns regarding blood:

• It is estimated that every 2 seconds someone needs blood. 
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O. 
• Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood transfusions throughout their lives. 
• More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment. 
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood 
• A single pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. 

And these concerns can and would go on with the changing scenario. There is an existing need for Blood at various hospitals and blood banks. One does not lose blood or become incapable of producing or our heart does not stop pumping blood just because you donate some of it.The different blood groups existing are A, B, AB and O.

Donating Blood is a noble cause. Doing so, we are helping other people in a not so harmful way and saving lives as well. As many as 3-4 lives can be saved when you donate your blood a single time. Imagine the no of lives that could be saved by the no of donations you can make. Blood is valuable and is always in need. You also get other benefits like a free health check-up; reduce the risk of heart diseases, burns calories, etc; One can donate blood for themselves as well in case one is in an accident or surgery and requires blood at some later stage. This is usually done when the blood group is rare and the procedure to do this is the same. If you are healthy and fit, don’t think twice, because it’s about your health and others lives. Take a chance.

An Accurate Blood Report or Food Report?

Life as we know exists due to one major aspect that is very much vital for each and every one of us. Blood is one of those substances that connect each and every organ of our body. This is the reason why anything at all in the blood will affect our whole body and disrupt our entire living mechanism.

Keeping this fact in mind; it is necessary that we all have our blood tested once in a while. Our changing lifestyle and daily food habits have knowingly or un-knowingly opened doors for a lot of unwanted substances into our precious blood. And there exists many types of danger that one cannot be completely aware about in their whole life-time.

Now since you have decided to get your blood tested, let us understand how one must prepare themselves for a Blood Test. For starters, there exist many kinds of blood tests. This would depend on the reason why one does a blood test. For e.g. After you read this article, a sudden realization that you are not aware about the details of your blood, so you go in for a General Blood Test. Such General Blood Tests usually requires a person to Fast for a certain period prior to the test.

Now you may wonder why? Or how is that going to make a difference?

As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, our food habits have huge contribution to the blood. Every solid or liquid that we consume goes partly to our blood, now that can include the very juice, soft drink, milk, etc. you just had. The measurement of blood sugar (glucose) and some blood lipids (fats and cholesterol) are common examples.

Let’s imagine a situation wherein you just had some form of meat for the first time ever in your life, that is rich in fat and that contributes to the cholesterol level in your body. You immediately go for a blood test and what’s the result?...your blood report will show that you maybe dieing of cholesterol and may have to be admitted and treated immediately or Doctors may state that you are prone to heart diseases, when in reality it was the meat that you just had over the delicious lunch at you friends place.

 Surprised?? Well, there have been many cases where some doctors and various Laboratories do not give much importance to emphasizing the necessity of fasting before a blood test only because they would presume that you might be aware about the same.

Generally food requires a minimum amount of time to get settled and dissolved into our body and blood and show a case or normalcy in our entire system. The constituents of the food or drink you last consumed would stay strongest and reveal unnecessarily.

A blood test is done to understand how your blood is doing on a normal day and for that your entire system needs to settle down at a normal state which is why you need to Fast or in simple terms not eat or drink anything (apart water in some cases), till your blood is withdrawn, for a particular period that should and would be mentioned by your doctor.

• When you fast, you refrain from eating or drinking anything (except water) for a good period of 8-10 hours generally and otherwise specified by your doctor.

• You are allowed to take your medications unless interrupted by your doctor.

• Nothing else is permissible during this period (no coffee, no smoking, and no alcohol, not even chewing gums because even the slightest juices can bring about variations in the blood).

• Try and rest before you blood test.

• Once your blood is withdrawn you can immediately consume some juices and have some snack as per your preference.

• It is advisable to schedule your blood test for early morning, so that the hours your go without food can be used up by your Good Night Sleep.

• Always remember, Fasting is usually considered for an accurate blood report and for further treatments. If in doubt, feel free to ask your doctor regarding anything.

Rapid Urine Test Evaluated for Helicobacter Pylori Infection

A rapid urine test based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for the detection of anti-Helicobacter Pylori antibodies in urine.

Several methods to diagnose H. pylori infection have been developed, among which the urea breath test (UBT) is currently regarded as the most accurate assay, but the UBT is still expensive and not widely available in many countries.

Scientists at the Ho Chi Minh City Medicine and Pharmacy University (Vietnam) working with Japanese colleagues, enrolled 200 patients undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy from October 2012 to December 2012. Three biopsies were taken from each patient: two for histologic examination and one for the rapid urease test (RUT).

The biopsy for RUT was taken from the greater curvature of the corpus, about 2 cm above the atrophic border. This biopsy location has been reported to optimize the sensitivity of the PyloriTek RUT to detect H. pylori (Serim Research Co.; Elkhart, IN, USA). Urine samples were collected and were processed within one hour of collection for the detection of antibodies against H. pylori using the Rapirun Helicobacter pylori Antibody Stick (Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; Tokyo, Japan). The test measures human immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against H. pylori in urine using the principle of immunochromatography.

Of the 200 patients, 111 (55.5%) were diagnosed as being H. pylori positive. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the Rapirun Stick test were 84.7%, 89.9%, and 87.0%, respectively. There were 17 (8.5%) false-negative patients and 9 (4.5%) false-positive patients. Of the 24 patients with gastro-duodenal ulcer, 22 (91.7%) had H. pylori infection. However, 7 of 22 (31.8%) patients with reflux esophagitis also had the infection.

The authors demonstrated the usefulness of the Rapirun Stick test for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in a Vietnamese population and the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the Rapirun Stick test were high. In several patients, RUT and histologic examination produced false-negative or false-positive results, leading to the possible misdiagnosis of H. pylori infection. The study was published on May 7, 2014, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

(Credit:

 

Lab Medica)

MERS-CoV Immunity Not Widespread

A study has found no significant rates of antibodies against Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in one Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region, suggesting that the virus has not been circulating in humans for long, and that the majority of the population remains susceptible to infection. The results of the study by Aburizaiza et al., was published in the January 2014 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, (Vol. 20 (2)).

The study involved 130 blood donors and 226 slaughterhouse workers from Jeddah and Makkah (Saudi Arabia) sampled during 2012. Serum samples were analyzed using the recommended staged serological approach: screening of IgG and IgM antibodies by conventional IFA based on MERS-CoV-infected and non-infected cells (EUROIMMUN AG; Lübeck, Germany), followed up by confirmation by discriminative recombinant IFA based on viral spike proteins and plaque-reduction neutralization assay. Only eight sera were positive in the screening test, and these reactions were subsequently resolved to be specific for established coronaviruses. These results highlight the importance of multistage serological testing. Nevertheless, the level of cross reactivity with other human coronaviruses in the screening test is relatively low. Significantly, these results demonstrate an absence of population immunity in the region and at the sampling timepoint.

MERS-CoV is an emerging pathogen which is responsible for an outbreak of severe acute respiratory illness predominantly in the Arabian Peninsula with a high number of fatalities. From September 2012 to March 2014, there have been 206 laboratory-confirmed cases with 86 deaths. The transmission mechanisms of the virus remain unknown, and animal reservoirs are suspected to play a role. In a further serological study, antibodies against MERS-CoV were detected in a majority of dromedary camels sampled in the United Arab Emirates in 2003 and 2013 (Meyer et al., Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 20 (4), April 2014). The high antibody prevalence suggests a potential role for camelids in the emergence and spread of the virus in humans. 

(Credits: Lab Medica)

When to worry about blood test results? Abnormal readings aren’t always a problem !

Blood tests are an indispensable tool of medicine. They’re used to screen, diagnose, confirm, and monitor diseases. There are many hundreds of them, and each one is subject not only to observation but also to interpretation.

There is no such thing as a perfect lab test, but all tests done by accredited labs today use methods that have been scrutinized and approved by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). And the government certifies and inspects these labs regularly to make sure they’re keeping up standards.

Those “reference ranges” you see on the reports may vary slightly from lab to lab, depending on which of several possible methods a lab chooses to use. Test results can also fall outside the reference range for reasons that have nothing to do with disease or medications.

One common example: ­Patients who follow the usual instruction to have “nothing to eat or drink the night before” can end up with high blood urea nitrogen, which assesses kidney function. Their kidneys are fine, but they’ve dehydrated themselves enough to cause an elevated reading. That’s why we tell our patients to have “nothing to eat or drink from dinner the night before—except for liberal amounts of water.” As a bonus, adequate hydration makes it easier to draw blood by plumping up the veins.

And triglycerides and blood glucose levels, included in many routine blood tests, are very sensitive to the time of the last meal and reach the “fasting” baseline only after 8 to 12 hours without eating. So patients who had that late-night snack and have their blood drawn early the next morning might have out-of-range ­results.

Other abnormal readings may or may not indicate a problem. A high lev­el of creatine phosphokinase, a muscle enzyme, can signal a heart or muscular ailment—or it can mean you worked out shortly before your blood was drawn.

And if you’re an adolescent or recovering from a broken bone, a high level of alkaline phosphatase, a bone (and liver) enzyme, is completely expected; but if you’re not, it could be an ominous sign of liver disease or certain cancers.

So even if you exercise your option to receive your results directly from the lab, you should still get your doctor to weigh in and not try to decode the data yourself.