14012020 - 50 years after: Let's revisit issues that caused Civil War

26 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2020
Novel scientific breakthroughs
emerge to enhance healthcare
By Sola Ogundipe
THE worlds of medicine
and science fiction are
merging faster than you
can blink. These days
nothing
is
incomprehensible in
medicine as far as science
is concerned. Here are
some novel scientific
breakthroughs that are
revolutionising medicine.
Regrowing damaged
body parts
IN the future, stem-cell
technology might be able
to help cartilage and other
parts of the body to regrow.
Regenerative medicine is
promoting the move
towards 'cells as pills'. It
refers to the branch of
medicine that develops
methods to regrow, repair
or replace damaged or
diseased cells, organs or
tissues.
Regenerative medicine"
has much wider
application, making it "a
game-changing area of
medicine with the potential
to fully heal damaged
tissues and organs.
The technology could
help repair hearts damaged
by heart attack and could
mean body tissues or
organs for transplant can be
grown in laboratories.
A pill that lets you know
you have taken it
SMART pills are the
future. Patients on regular
medication can find it
difficult to remember if they
have taken the right dose
at the right time. A new pill
has been created that
contains a tiny sensor that
records when it is taken -
information transmitted to
a patch worn by the patient
and then sent on to a
smartphone.
Patients and doctors can
ensure the medication is
being taken as needed, an
innovation already being
used in the treatment of
schizophrenia and other
mental illnesses.
Other applications
include "telemedicine" -
where health care can be
provided at a distance via
phones and IT. Patients can
use devices to measure
blood pressure, monitor
glucose levels and test for
conditions from blood
samples - and send the
results in real time to their
doctors.
AI detects skin cancer
better than a doctor
A COMPUTER trained
using images of skin cancer
and the corresponding
diagnoses achieved a 95
percent detection rate, well
above the 87 percent
success rate of human
doctors, according to
research published in the
Annals of Oncology.
Through its ability to sift
through large amounts of
information, AI can help
health professionals with
complex decision-making,
and point out clinical
nuances that they might
Enugu Assembly, MAMA Centre seek better welfare for
Ngwo women
By Chioma Obinna
THE Chairman House
Committee on
Agriculture, Enugu State
House of Assembly, Hon.
Hillary Ugwu has pledged
their commitment towards
securing socio-economic
priority and rights of the
Amachalla Ngwo women in
the state.
Ugwu spoke during an
advocacy visit by the
women to the House, led
the Executive Director of
Mothers and Marginalised
Advocacy Centre (MAMA
Centre), Barr. Ola
Onyegbula, under the
project: “Engendering
More Participation of
Women for Economic
Revitalisation” and
supported by The Voice
Nigeria.
Ugwu noted that the visit
Smart phones are revolutionising medicine.
had exposed the House to
the common socioeconomic
needs and
priority across various
communities in the state.
Earlier, in her advocacy
remark to the Committee,
Onyegbula, observed that
women were responsible
for some 80 per cent of food
production in developing
countries.
Onyegbula who noted
that in many farming
communities, women are
the main custodians of
knowledge on crop
varieties said: “In the
analysis of World Bank,
women are the backbone of
the rural economy,
especially in developing
countries. They make up
almost half of the world’s
farmers, and over the last
few decades, they have
S
As well as
spotting
depression, AI
might be able
to help
alleviate it
and prevent
potential
suicide
attempt
broadened their
involvement in agriculture.
“More importantly, as the
global community works
toward achieving the
Sustainable Development
Goals - among them,
SDG2, which aims to end
hunger and malnutrition by
2030 -- women can be the
key agents of change in
agriculture, nutrition and
rural development.
Onyegbula called for
gender-specific
arrangement tailored to
women farmers; as
sustainable production of
food is the first pillar of food
security.
“Given critical research on
the significant roles of
women in Nigeria
Agricultural production,
processing and utilisation,
MAMA has observed that
have missed."
Smart phones can help
prevent suicide
SMART phones can
diagnose mental health
problems by analysing how
people tap, scroll and click
- behaviour that can predict
range of cognitive traits and
mood states. Phones can
also deliver support to
mental health patients via
apps.
More than 300 million
people around the world
suffer from depression and
almost 800,000 people die
due to suicide every year.
As well as spotting
depression, AI might be
able to help alleviate it. A
trial involving Woebot, a
chatbot designed according
to the principles of
cognitive behavioural
therapy, showed that it was
effective in treating the
condition.
To be concluded
efforts of women in
enhancing sustainable food
production in commercial
quantity for greater
comparative advantage are
constrained by the existing
socio-economic barriers,”
she explained.
Onyegbula also called on
the Committee to prioritise
sustainability and
development of Ngwo
palm-oil processing to
further empower and
promote self-sufficiency
among the female-headed
households and assist in
reiterating the need for
prompt legislative
attention to sustained
palm-oil processing and
socio-economic
development of Ngwo at
relevant plenary and
committee sessions of
Assembly.
US kidney research team,
LASUTH foster partnership
on postgraduate training
THE H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network
from United States is ready to partner with Lagos
State University Teaching Hospital,LASUTH.
A part of the Human Hereditary and Health in Africa
(H3Africa) initiative which receives its funding from the
National Institute of Health.
A Principal Investigator of the Network, Prof Akinlolu
Ojo disclosed this recently during a visit to the Chief
Medical Director, LASUTH, Prof Adetokunbo Fabamwo
in his office.
Fabamwo explained that the hospital has few renal
transplant missions and is at the vanguard of enacting
the use of cadaveric kidney law in Lagos State.
Ojo said H3Africa would gladly engage a bilateral
exchange of post graduate students in the nearest future.
Speaking on the core of the research, Dr. Sholarin, a
member of the Nephrology Unit in LASUTH, said the
ongoing research work in LASUTH will enable a look at
the role of genetic and environmental factors in the
development and progression of kidney disease.
This would foster a strong collaboration between the
hospital and the team beyond the current research.
FDA recalls hearburn,
blood pressure medicines
THE Food and Drug Administration, FDA, is
recalling some heartburn and blood pressure
medicines that may present a cancer risk.
Denton Pharma Inc. is recalling antacid medications
containing what may be a carcinogenic ingredient called
N-Nitrosodimethylamine, also known as
dimethylnitrosamine or simply NDMA. It is a volatile
yellow oil and an impurity that is widely considered a
possible carcinogen.
It can be unintentionally introduced into manufacturing
through certain chemical reactions.
The FDA says the ingredient is found in ranitidine
tablets, Zantac and other heartburn medications.
The recall is for unexpired products in two dosage
amounts.
Appco Pharma LLC has also recalled ranitidine
products. Also, Mylan N.V. recalled three lots of Nizatidine
used to treat duodenal ulcers and acid reflux. Consumers
with ranitidine tablets are urged to check the FDA website
for dosage and lots and immediately stop using and
discard the products and consult with their physicians
about treatment options.
Human body temperature
steadily declining
RESEARCHERS say the average human body
temperature has declined steadily over the past 160
years or so. Findings from an analysis of body temperature
records suggests the body temperature of the average
man and woman has gradually dropped over the
decades.
Other studies had already established these newer,
lower baselines, blaming faulty thermometers for the
discrepancy. But the new research suggests the original
number—established in the 1850s—was correct, and that
body temperature has declined gradually ever since.
The drop may be a product of lower overall levels of
inflammation, thanks to antibiotics, vaccines, and
improved water quality, the authors report this week in
eLife. Modern technologies, such as central heating and
air conditioning, could also help explain the trend.
Scientists investigate longevity
S
CIENTISTS have identified synergistic cellular
pathways for longevity that amplify lifespan five-fold
in C. elegans, a nematode worm used as a model in
aging research. The increase in lifespan would be the
equivalent of a human living for 400 or 500 years,
according to scientists at the MDI Biological Laboratory.
The research draws on the discovery of two major
pathways governing aging in C. elegans, which is a
popular model in aging research because it shares many
of its genes with humans and because its short lifespan
of only three to four weeks allows scientists to quickly
assess the effects of genetic and environmental
interventions to extend healthy lifespan.