New vaccine may prevent spread of malaria
Although the incidence of malaria in the United Stated is rare, there are 350 - 500 million cases reported worldwide every year. An astonishing 41 percent of the world's population lives in areas where the disease is endemic.
Although treatments for the disease do exist, they are becoming increasingly ineffective against the malaria parasite because of strains that have become resistant. Scientists have been developing a different approach to fighting the illness: stopping the parasite before it has the chance to infect.
Transmission-blocking vaccines prevent the parasite from inhabiting mosquitoes, which bite humans and infect them in the process. Mosquitoes are the primary means through which the disease is transmitted.
Researchers at Hopkins are playing a crucial role in the development of this novel vaccine, which is comprised of the antigen AnAPN. When injected into patients, this antigen sets off the production of antibodies which prevent the parasite from attaching to the gut of mosquitoes. These antibodies are transferred to the mosquito after it bites a vaccinated human.
The Hopkins team will be involved in determining the conditions under which the antigen can be produced. Though only in the early stages, these measures may one day lead to the eradication of the disease.
Text messages remind patients to take essential medications
The Children's Center at Hopkins Hospital may adopt the practice of text messaging in order to remind their patients to take their medications. Recent studies have shown that a daily reminder significantly increases the rate of adherence to a prescribed course of drugs.
The technology has been used primarily for patients who have chronic conditions that require self-medication on a daily basis, such as juvenile diabetes or asthma.
Pediatricians at Children's who have started using texts see it as a way of communicating with their patients instantly and unobtrusively, unlike calling or emailing.
Furthermore, patients could have the option of replying to their doctors directly in case they have questions about the dosage or other issues.
Although this will not replace other forms of communication between patients and doctors, it could prove to be a valuable means for quickly contacting those who may normally forget essential medications.
Quitting smoking temporarily increases diabetes risk
Although smoking has been correlated with many chronic illnesses, such as heart disease and lung cancer, studies have also shown the positive health effects of quitting.
However, according to a study recently published by the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Hopkins, smokers who quit increased their risk of developing type II diabetes during the first three years.
The researchers studied nearly 11,000 adults who did not have diabetes and followed their progress for nearly twenty years.
Compared to adults who continued to smoke and those who had formerly smoked, new quitters were significantly more likely to develop type II diabetes, most likely because of weight gain associated with quitting.
However, the increase risk diminished to that of a non-smoker 12 years after quitting. Although there might be factors other than weight gain that contribute to the higher incidence of diabetes, the researchers recommend diabetes prevention and detection measures for those at risk for diabetes and are in a smoking cessation program.
New statistics reveal American health trends for 2009
According to new statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control last month, the overall health of Americans increased slightly, breaking a downward trend that lasted for the past 10 years.
The total number of Americans without health care coverage increased to 45.4 million people. However, government initiatives led to a decrease in the number of minors without insurance to an all-time low of just over six million.
In the area of fitness, the obesity rate held steady at just over a quarter of the population. This may be due to the fact that the percentage of adults engaging in physical activity jumped to 35 percent, up from 31 percent last year.
However, 2009 also saw increases in the rate of alcohol consumption, with at least 23 percent of the population having more than five drinks in one day on at least one occasion. The number of adults experiencing severe psychological stress also increased.
