Health Tips

Variations in a single gene have been identified as an under-recognized target for dementia therapies. The APOE gene has previously been identified as having a strong association with the commonest form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease. However, statistical modelling by the UCL team, focussing on combinations of the gene’s most common allele variants, provided further evidence of how it might impact dementias. The gene has three common allele variants – ε2, ε3, and ε4 – with all individuals carrying two APOE genes in one of six possible combinations. It was established as early as the 1990s that people with one or more 4 APOE alleles had a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than people with two copies of the more common 3 allele. Likewise, ε2 carriers were at less risk compared to ε3 carriers. Based on their modelling, the researchers estimated that 72-93% of Alzheimer’s cases would not have occurred without the presence of ε3 and ε4 alleles of the APOE gene.  They added...

The recent occurrence of Nipah virus cases in India has prompted residents to wonder: Is this cause for concern? Could it continue to spread?   The virus Nipah is not new. It has appeared in parts of Asia before and is known to be rare but serious .   While it can cause severe illness, doctors say that it does not spread easily like Covid-19 or flu.   Doctors are aware of the real danger, how the virus spreads, and what people should look out for. Consistently, they convey that panic is  unnecessary  and that awareness is essential.   'Awareness without alarm' Nipah is a rare infection, and even when cases do occur, they typically are limited and localized rather than  widespread  like influenza or Covid. The overall risk  remains  low unless there has been close exposure to an infected individual or time spent in a high-risk setting such as a healthcare facility during an outbreak. Although Nipah is taken seriously due to its ...