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Genetic abnormalities leading to multiple myeloma among Indians studied

Agencies
March 13, 2018

In India, incidence of multiple myeloma affects 1.8 per cent in a population of 100,000. Approximately, 50,000 new cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed each year. A recent study conducted by CORE Diagnostics reveal that genetic abnormalities are more prevalent among younger median age of 50 years to 70 years, which forms 65 per cent of total multiple myeloma cases.

Out of 1001 cases, 37 per cent were found positive for various abnormalities like; Del13q(RB1), Del17p(TP53), t (4;14), t(11;14), t(14;16), 1q, Hypodiploidy and Hyperdipolidy etc.

The study aimed to find out the frequency of Cytogenetic aberrations in multiple myeloma patients in Indian perspective. The retrospective observational study included 1001 patients falling in the age bracket of 21-90 years and was carried on over a course of three years from January 2015 to January 2018 at CORE Diagnostics.

The study was conducted using Plasma Cell Enrichment Technique, which is a more accurate mechanism for separating plasma cells from other cells during testing. The test has revolutionized genetic analysis and enabled precise determination of the presence and frequency of genetic abnormalities.

“Majority of the studies on genetic aberrations in multiple myeloma include western population. Our study includes 1001 Indian patients, which would help in better understanding of genetic abnormalities among Indian population. We used Plasma Cell Enrichment Technique for the study which is a path breaking technique available at only a handful of centers in India. The results will definitely prove to be beneficial to understand the disease in a better way”, said Dr. Mohit Bhardwaj, PhD Lead Cytogeneticist, CORE Diagnostics.

Multiple myeloma is also known as plasma cell myeloma and is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell. Usually, the disease does not exhibit any major symptoms initially and symptoms like bone pain, bleeding, frequent infections andanemia generally occur at a later stage.

The cause of this ailment is still unknown; however, the risk factors include drinking alcohol, obesity, radiation exposure, family history and certain chemicals.

Multiple myeloma involves abnormal plasma cells producing abnormal antibodies which can cause kidney problems and overly thick blood. The plasma cells also sometimes form a mass in the bone marrow or soft tissue. When only one mass is present, it is known as a plasmacytoma while more than one is known as multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is diagnosed using blood or urine samples which help in finding abnormal antibodies. Besides this, bone marrow biopsy helps in finding cancerous plasma cells and medical imaging in finding bone lesions. Although, considered to be a treatable disease, multiple myeloma is generally incurable.

Relief can be derived through chemotherapy, steroids, thalidomide or lenalidomide and stem cell transplant. Bisphosphonates and radiation therapy is also used to reduce pain from bone lesions.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

Washington, Aug 2: Children under the age of five have between 10 to 100 times greater levels of genetic material of the coronavirus in their noses compared to older children and adults, a study in JAMA Pediatrics said Thursday.

Its authors wrote this meant that young children might be important drivers of Covid-19 transmission within communities -- a suggestion at odds with the current prevailing narrative.

The paper comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump is pushing hard for schools and daycare to reopen in order to kickstart the economy.

Between March 23 and April 27, researchers carried out nasal swab tests on 145 Chicago patients with mild to moderate illness within one week of symptom onset.

The patients were divided into three groups: 46 children younger than five-years-old, 51 children aged five to 17 years, and 48 adults aged 18 to 65 years.

The team, led by Dr Taylor Heald-Sargent of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, observed, "a 10-fold to 100-fold greater amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract of young children."

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The authors added that a recent lab study had demonstrated that the more viral genetic material was present, the more infectious virus could be grown.

It has also previously been shown that children with high viral loads of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are more likely to spread the disease.

"Thus, young children can potentially be important drivers of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the general population," the authors wrote.

"Behavioral habits of young children and close quarters in school and daycare settings raise concern for SARS-CoV-2 amplification in this population as public health restrictions are eased," they concluded.

The new findings are at odds with the current view among health authorities that young children -- who, it has been well established, are far less likely to fall seriously ill from the virus -- don't spread it much to others either.

However, there has been fairly little research on the topic so far.

One recent study in South Korea found children aged 10 to 19 transmitted Covid-19 within households as much as adults, but children under nine transmitted the virus at lower rates.

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Agencies
March 3,2020

Taking multiple courses of antibiotics within a short span of time may do people more harm than good, suggests new research which discovered an association between the number of prescriptions for antibiotics and a higher risk of hospital admissions.

Patients who have had 9 or more antibiotic prescriptions for common infections in the previous three years are 2.26 times more likely to go to hospital with another infection in three or more months, said the researchers.

Patients who had two antibiotic prescriptions were 1.23 times more likely, patients who had three to four prescriptions 1.33 times more likely and patients who had five to eight 1.77 times more likely to go to hospital with another infection.

"We don't know why this is, but overuse of antibiotics might kill the good bacteria in the gut (microbiota) and make us more susceptible to infections, for example," said Professor Tjeerd van Staa from the University of Manchester in Britain.

The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, is based on the data of two million patients in England and Wales.

The patient records, from 2000 to 2016, covered common infections such as upper respiratory tract, urinary tract, ear and chest infections and excluded long term conditions such as cystic fibrosis and chronic lung disease.

The risks of going to hospital with another infection were related to the number of the antibiotic prescriptions in the previous three years.

A course is defined by the team as being given over a period of one or two weeks.

"GPs (general physicians) care about their patients, and over recent years have worked hard to reduce the prescribing of antibiotics,""Staa said.

"But it is clear GPs do not have the tools to prescribe antibiotics effectively for common infections, especially when patients already have previously used antibiotics.

"They may prescribe numerous courses of antibiotics over several years, which according to our study increases the risk of a more serious infection. That in turn, we show, is linked to hospital admissions," Staa added.

It not clear why hospital admissions are linked to higher prescriptions and research is needed to show what or if any biological factors exist, said the research team.

"Our hope is that, however, a tool we are working for GPs, based on patient history, will be able to calculate the risks associated with taking multiple courses of antibiotics," said Francine Jury from the University of Manchester.

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Agencies
June 27,2020

After admitting that the world may have a COVID-19 vaccine within one year or even a few months earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday said that UK-based AstraZeneca is leading the vaccine race while US-based pharmaceutical major Moderna is not far behind.

WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan stated that the AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine candidate is the most advanced vaccine currently in terms of development.

"I think AstraZeneca certainly has a more global scope at the moment in terms of where they are doing and planning their vaccine trials," she told the media.

AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by researchers from the Oxford University will likely provide protection against the disease for one year, the British drug maker's CEO told Belgian radio station Bel RTL this month.

The Oxford University last month announced the start of a Phase II/III UK trial of the vaccine, named AZD1222 (formerly known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), in about 10,000 adult volunteers. Other late-stage trials are due to begin in a number of countries.

Last week, Swaminathan had said that nearly 2 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine would be ready by the end of next year.

Addressing the media from Geneva, she said that "at the moment, we do not have a proven vaccine but if we are lucky, there will be one or two successful candidates before the end of this year" and 2 billion doses by the end of next year.

Scientists predict that the world may have a COVID-19 vaccine within one year or even a few months earlier, said the Director-General of the World Health Organization even as he underlined the importance of global cooperation to develop, manufacture and distribute the vaccines.

However, making the vaccine available and distributing it to all will be a challenge and will require political will, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday during a meeting with the European Parliament's Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

One option would be to give the vaccine only to those who are most vulnerable to the virus.

There are currently over 100 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in various stages of development.

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