Human trials of a Zika vaccine just approved

21-June-2016
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first human tests of an experimental Zika virus vaccine, the makers of the drug announced on Monday.
Called GLS–5700, the medication will be used in a clinical trial involving 40 healthy people, and represents the first major step towards ultimately immunizing people against Zika – which was declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February.
GLS–5700 works by stimulating the body's immune system to defend itself against Zika. Synthetic fragments of viral DNA are injected into the skin, prompting the immune system's T cells to generate antibodies to fight the infection.
It's worth pointing out that just because GLS–5700 has reached human testing, there's no guarantee it will turn out to safely immunize people against Zika. The vaccine has been tested successfully in small and large animal models, but clinical trials in humans could take several years to demonstrate that the treatment is safe, and there's no guarantee it will ultimately prove effective or make it through subsequent testing phases.
GLS–5700 isn't the only Zika vaccine candidate currently in development.It has been reported that at least one company in India and one in France are expected to begin human trials later this year.

Why C-section my not be good for the baby later in life

Caesarean section births may put babies at higher risk for lifelong health problems by altering the amount of “good” bacteria in an infant’s gut, Canadian researchers are reporting.
Appearing this week in Canada’s top medical journal, the finding could explain why babies delivered via C-sections are at increased risk of asthma, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.
The study is based on sophisticated DNA testing of 24 babies born in Winnipeg. After analyzing the babies’ fecal samples, researchers found that infants born by C-section lacked a specific group of bacteria found in babies delivered vaginally.
Babies that were exclusively formula fed also had significant differences in their gut bacteria compared with breastfed babies.
“The infant gut microbiota plays a crucial role in lifelong health,” the researchers write in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Among other things, bacteria prime a baby’s immune system, providing protection against disease-causing organisms.
“We want parents (and physicians) to realize that their decisions regarding C-section and breastfeeding can impact their infant’s gut microbiome and this can have potentially lifelong effects on the child’s health,” first author Meghan Azad, of the University of Alberta, said in a statement released with the study.
In Canada, nearly 27 per cent of all babies are delivered via C-section. Doctors say most surgical births are performed for medically valid reasons. But there are concerns too many C-sections are being ordered because labour isn’t progressing quickly enough, and that to many “routine” but unnecessary interventions are now being done that increase the odds of a woman needing a surgical delivery.
Babies, like all mammals, “are naturally inoculated as they pass through the birth canal,” researchers from the University of Colorado and New York University School of Medicine write in a related commentary.
Yet C-sections are rising globally. In the U.S., more than 30 per cent of babies are now born by caesarean. In China and Brazil, nearly half of babies are born by C-section.
“The human body harbours trillions of microbes, known collectively as the ‘human microbiome,’ ” the Canadian team writes in the CMAJ.
“Some people call it the forgotten organ, because it protects us from pathogens and also helps in the absorption of nutrients,” said Dr. Anita Kozyrskyj, research chair and associate professor of the University of Alberta.
“Increasingly we’re learning that these good bacteria are quite important to the development of the immune system in the infant,” she said. “They train the immune cells not to overreact.”
The gut microbiome is laid down or developed during the first year of life after birth. “We start off with almost a clean slate,” Kozyrskyj said. “During (vaginal) delivery, babies acquire mum’s microbes from her vagina and her GI (gastrointestinal) tract.”
Using DNA sequencing technology, the team found that C-section babies had undetectable amounts of Bacteroides, an important gut bacteria involved in priming the immune system.

Compared with breastfed babies, formula-fed infants had higher amounts of C. difficile, which has been linked to allergies and asthma later in life.
The study was based on only a small number of babies (the researchers are now testing 200 more infants). It’s also not clear exactly what makes up the “ideal” infant gut microbiome.
However, “There’s certainly lots of evidence to promote breastfeeding and vaginal delivery,” said Kozyrskyj. Much of the focus on the rising number of C-sections has been on the risks to the mother, she said, but not babies.
“This evidence provides information on the harmful effects of caesarean section delivery on the infant.”

Read more: http://www.canada.com/sections+alter+baby+bacteria+affect+newborn+lifelong+health+Canadian+study+shows/7948346/story.html#ixzz2KjLfe9a8

Cut out alcohol if you aim to get slimmer

New Year dieters should cut alcohol out of their diets to lose weight as it contains hundreds of ‘hidden’ calories, cancer campaigners have said.

Alcohol such as beer has 'hidden' calories Photo: Alamy

By Stephen Adams

Drinkers obtain about 200 calories a day from booze on average, but few know that it is almost as energy-dense as fat, according to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

It has found that few count ‘liquid calories’ when assessing how much they consume while on a diet.

Meanwhile, Cancer Research has found that almost four out of 10 people break their New Year’s resolutions within a fortnight, while only one in 11 sticks it out to the six-month mark.

Both charities are trying to get people to reduce their alcohol consumption during the traditional January detox, because research indicates the drug causes 13,000 cancer cases every year in Britain.

Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF, said: "The calories in alcoholic drinks account for a significant proportion of a drinker's calorie consumption while providing little, if any, nutritional benefit.

"Cutting down on drinking can have a big effect on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.
"Recent reports have shown that people are unaware of calories in drinks and don't include them when calculating their daily consumption."
She added: "This is important from a cancer perspective because, after smoking, being overweight or obese is the biggest risk factor.”
While fat contains nine calories per gram, few people know that pure alcohol comes a close second with seven calories per gram, she noted.
A pint of Stella Artois contains about 255 calories - the same as a Mars bar - while a large (250ml) glass of white wine has roughly 200 calories.
Ms Mendoza added: "There is also strong scientific evidence that alcohol itself is a cancer risk factor - possibly through damaging our DNA - in cancers of the breast, bowel, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus and liver."
Drinking alcohol has long been known to have a protective effect on the heart, but doctors say this is only really a benefit in men over 40 and post-menopausal women.
Cancer Research UK, which polled 4,000 adults, found 39 per cent gave up their resolutions within two weeks and only nine per cent lasted to six months.
Close to half of people (45 per cent) blame lack of willpower for their lack of ability to stay the course.
It is challenging people to keep off alcohol and raise money for the charity in January by taking part in its ‘Dryathon’.
The whole article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9774362/Dieters-should-cut-booze-to-ditch-pounds.html