Issue 2018

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Screening of swollen aorta
can be harmful for older men
According to a recent study, the
screening of a ballooning and weakened
area in the aorta in the abdomen
can harm older men. Researchers at
the University of Gothenburg questioned
the screening for aortic
aneurysms in the abdomen of older
men. Aortic aneurysms are an
enlargement of the aorta to greater
than the normal size. It usually has no
symptoms except
when ruptured
(internal bleeding).
The condition
mainly
affects older men
and is strongly
linked to smoking.
The purpose of
the screening was
to find the
aneurysms before
symptoms and
thereby enable
preventive surgery.
On the downside, screening
finds aortic aneurysms that never
would have ruptured or caused symptoms
even if they remained undetected.
This means that screening leads
some men to undergo a surgery that
will not benefit them but that poses a
risk of serious complications and
even death. In addition, the diagnosis
can lead to anxiety, described by
patients as "living with a ticking time
bomb in the stomach." "You run the
risk of both over-diagnosing and
over-treating a disease that does not
at all represent the same problem
BEER was brewed in Sweden
since the Iron Age : Study
anymore, which is a very positive
development," says Minna
Johansson, the lead author of the article.
The researchers also studied the
incidence and mortality from abdominal
aortic aneurysms. The decreasing
mortality of the disease for reasons
other than screening has led to growing
problems with over-diagnosing
and over-treatment. Therefore, the
balance between
the benefits and
harms has
changed for the
worse, the study
shows. The way to
reduce the risk is
to focus more on
reducing smoking
in the population
in general, which
would also lead to
many other
important health
benefits. The findings
are published
in the Journal of The Lancet.
Co-author Jorg Schnauß said,
"What we found also has implications
for the way studies in cancer research
are carried out. Many studies are performed
with cancer cell lines rather
than primary cells. When comparing
the mechanical properties of both, our
results showed that longtime culturing
leads to softening of cells. "This
softening in the culturing process
could potentially affect the significance
of test results. Because of that,
we suggest that future research uses
primary cells to ensure accuracy."
LONDON : Malt was produced
for beer brewing as early
as the Iron Age in Sweden, say
scientists who have found possible
evidence indicating a
large-scale production of beer,
possibly for feasting and trade
in the region. Archaeologists
have found carbonised germinated
grains in Uppakra in
southern Sweden. "We
found carbonised malt in an
area with low-temperature
ovens located in a separate
part of the settlement. The
findings are from the 400-
600s, making them one of
the earliest evidence of beer
brewing in Sweden," said
Mikael Larsson, from Lund
University in Sweden.
Archaeologists have long
known that beer was an important
product in ancient societies
in many parts of the world.
Through legal documents and
images, it has been found, for
example, that beer was produced
in Mesopotamia as early
as 4000 BCE. However, as
written sources in the Nordic
region are absent prior to the
Middle Ages (before ca 1200
CE), knowledge of earlier beer
production is dependent on
botanical evidence. "We often
find cereal grains on archaeological
sites, but very rarely
from contexts that testify as to
how they were processed.
These germinated grains found
around a low-temperature oven
indicate that they were used to
become malt for brewing beer,"
said Larsson. Beer is made in
two stages. The first is the malting
process, followed by the
actual brewing. The process of
malting starts by wetting the
grain with water, allowing the
grain to germinate. During germination,
enzymatic activities
starts to convert both proteins
and starches of the grain into
fermentable sugars. Once
enough sugar is formed, the
germinated grain is dried in an
oven with hot air, arresting the
germination process. This is
what happened in the oven in
Uppakra. "Because the investigated
oven and carbonised
grain was situated in an area on
the site with several similar
ovens, but absent of remains to
indicate a living quarter, it is
likely that large-scale production
of malt was allocated to a
specific area on the settlement,
intended for feasting and/or
trading," said
Larsson. Early
traces of malt in
connection with
beer brewing have
only been discovered
in two other
places in the
Nordic region. One
is in Denmark from
100 CE and one is
in Eketorp on
Oland from around
500 CE. "From other archaeological
sites in the Nordic
region, traces of the bog-myrtle
plant have been found, which
indicates beer brewing. Back
then, bog-myrtle was used to
preserve and flavour beer. It
wasn't until later during the
Middle Ages that hops took
over as beer flavouring," said
Larsson. Two-litre soil samples
were taken from various
archaeological contexts - in
houses, in pits, around hearths
and ovens.
HEALTH
New York : Researchers have found
a link between an allergen found in red
meat and the build-up of fats that
block the heart arteries,
increasing the risk of heart
attacks and stroke. Health
experts have long established
saturated fats found in red
meat as one major cause of
heart disease. However, the
new study, published in the
journal Arteriosclerosis,
Thrombosis and Vascular
Biology, showed that tick bites
could trigger the allergic reaction
to red meat and spread the
sensitivity to the allergen among people.
Patients sensitive to allergen had
30 per cent more plaque in heart arteries
than those without the sensitivity.
Further, the plaques had a higher percentage
with features characteristic of
unstable plaques that are more likely
to cause heart attacks. "This novel
finding raises the intriguing possibility
that asymptomatic allergy to red meat
may be an under-recognised factor in
heart disease," said lead author Coleen
McNamara, from the University of
Virginia in the US. For the study, the
team looked at 118 patients and identified
the allergen as alpha-Gal, a type
of complex sugar. People with the
symptomatic form of the allergy can
develop hives, stomach upset, have
July 2018
15
DECODED : How
eating RED MEAT
affects your heart
It has long been established that saturated fats found in red meat is one major
cause of heart arteries block. Tick bites could trigger the allergic reaction to
red meat and spread the sensitivity to the allergen among people.
trouble breathing or exhibit other
symptoms three to eight hours after
consuming meat from mammals
though poultry and fish do not
trigger a reaction. There are
others who can be sensitive to
alpha-gal but not develop
symptoms. The study suggests
that doctors could develop a
blood test to benefit people sensitive
to the allergen.
"This work raises the possibility
that in the future a blood
test could help predict individuals,
even those without symptoms
of red meat allergy, who
might benefit from avoiding red meat.
However, at the moment, red meat
avoidance is only indicated for those
with allergic symptoms," said Jeff
Wilson from the varsity. The
researchers say that their findings are
preliminary but further research is
warranted.