Wednesday 30 May 2018

Egg and Its Relation with Stroke


Egg, probably the most affordable nutritiously rich food in the world, does a bit more than just providing the body with the essential proteins and vitamins. The regular consumption of egg could be the reducing factor of so many health conditions. This is the reason why the saying ‘An egg a day keeps the doctor away’ is so popular.

Many medical researches have been conducted on the health benefits of the egg. While it remained to be the major source of protein, it has also the capability to reduce the risk of getting a stroke by 12 percent on a daily consumption. Few researchers have claimed that egg reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases but further studies need to be conducted to reveal the truth.

As per the studies conducted by two medical universities in America and China respectively, if you take an egg in your breakfast you will reduce the chances of getting a stroke and cardiovascular diseases, significantly. Read more to learn if this is true.

According to the study published in the American College of Nutrition Journal, consuming an egg every day has no significant impact on reducing the cardiovascular diseases but it does help you to reduce your risk of a stroke. The results have proven that having 2 eggs per week can help the body in tackling the fatal, ischaemic and hemorrhagic types of strokes.

On the hind-side, the scientists also claimed that the people who have consumed the eggs could have consumed the other dietary supplements that favor the body in reducing the risk of the stroke.

What Makes Egg a Complete Nutrition -


It’s no secret that eggs are good for health. One medium-sized egg contains 76 calories, 7.5g protein, 5.1g fat and 1.4g sat fat. In addition, eggs are rich sources of Vitamin A, B2, B5, B6, B12, E, D, E and K, folate and selenium, zinc, Calcium and healthy fats.

They also contain cholesterol but it is high-density lipoprotein that is known as the good cholesterol. People who have the high levels of this cholesterol are less likely to get the coronary artery and cardiovascular diseases. Even though eggs are high in cholesterol but eating this cholesterol does not bump up the blood pressure.

Most importantly, the choline which is a nutrient that group up with the Vitamin B, is essential in building the cell membrane. Also, this property is essential in producing the signaling molecules in the brain, a process that will get reduced due to the age factor.

Eggs are often referred as the complete source of protein as they contain all the 9 amino acids at a sufficient level. As the egg is a source of many healthy nutrients a significant amount of research needs to be conducted to establish the exact relationship between eggs and stroke. The Egg is dietary mainstay that supply all the essential nutrients to the body. With science on its side, egg prevents the chances of getting a stroke but also numerous health disorders and ensure the body functions at its optimum.

Monday 14 May 2018

How the Targeting of Enzymes in Immune System can delay in Parkinsons’ Progression

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a long-term and age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Approximately 10 million people have PD worldwide. PD affects the central nervous system as the nerve cells in the brain don’t produce enough of dopamine. This causes impairment of the body’s motor functions. People with PD normally have symptoms that begin gradually, mostly on one side of the body. Subsequently, it affects both the sides.
PD usually arises in people above 60 years of age. It is chronic and progressive. Parkinson’s disease Pathogenesis shows that various environmental causes along with genetic risk factors contribute to its occurrence. Yet the exact causes are being investigated.

Parkinson’s Disease symptoms include - 

  • Tremors in  hands, arms, legs, jaws and face
  • Stiffness and rigidity  of the arms, legs and trunk
  • Slowness of movement
  • Poor balance and coordination

As symptoms worsen, PD patients may face trouble in walking, talking and even executing simple tasks. They may also experience other health issues like depression, sleep problems or difficulties in chewing, swallowing or speaking. Though PD has no permanent cure, a lot of research is going on slowing its progression.

Delaying Parkinson’s Progression by Targeting Enzymes in Immune System
Recent studies reveal that autoimmunity may have a role in the progression of PD. There is an enzyme called HDAC2 that is found in the immune cells of the brain. This enzyme regulates a crucial cellular mechanism known as epigenetics which controls the availability of certain genes. These genes are either read and translated into active proteins or silenced and hence made unavailable. According to the latest research, inhibiting the activity of this enzyme may prevent degeneration and death of nerve cells as seen in PD cases.

HDAC2 plays a key role in acting as potential therapeutic targets for several neurodegenerative diseases including PD. It is found that samples of microglia (immune cells) and dopamine-producing nerve cells in brain tissues collected from PD patients have high levels of HDAC2. This is in comparison to the corresponding levels in similar samples of healthy people.

It is interesting to note that HDAC2 levels correlated with the amount of LN3 (a marker of microglia activity) in PD samples. This is suggestive that HDAC2 may be linked to the greater pro-inflammatory and abnormal activity of microglia, when transitioning from protective brain cells to ones that attack and thereby damage healthy nerve cells.

Experimental cells replicating microglia behaviour also show increased levels of HDAC2 when pushed to a pro-inflammatory state. For quite some time now, it has been known that within pro-inflammatory environments microglia are responsible for the constant regulation and release of neurotoxin cytokines. Such environments are found in the substantia nigra in PD cases.

Thus the research findings support that HDAC2 may be specifically targeted and inhibited for reducing the effects of genes which cause neuroinflammation. Specifically, targeting HDAC2 gene expression levels in substantia nigra’s microglia can assist in reducing the progression of PD.

Latest medical innovations and evolving knowledge suggest various interventions and rehabilitation techniques for PD. This gives a new ray of new hope to patients living with this progressive neurological disease along with their families. PD is a complex disease that affects each individual differently. So PSP can help in deploying customized strategies and techniques applicable in daily life for coping up with PD limitations. PSP involves a comprehensive approach to the patient’s medical, functional and behavioural needs. This includes nursing care, nutritional counselling, rehabilitation techniques, speech and occupational therapies and fall -prevention measures.

PSP’s focus thus promotes independence and safety of PD patients for leading a better quality of life with lesser constraints.