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Showing posts with label hypertension. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hypertension. Show all posts

Monday, April 16, 2018

Merck Foundation opens call on diabetes, hypertension awards 2018

NaijaAgroNet: 
The Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, has opened the calls for application for Merck Diabetes and Hypertension awards 2018, reports ITRealms.

The awards, ITRealms gathered is open across the African and Asian Universities through its Merck Capacity Advancement Program with the aim to building a platform for diabetes and hypertension experts across the globe.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Merck Foundation, Dr. Rasha Kelej said, “I am very proud to see our newly established platform of Diabetes and Hypertension Experts has grown in one year. This encourages us to continue and expand 2018 Merck Diabetes and Hypertension Awards to universities in more countries in Africa and Asia such as Senegal, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Niger, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam to join our mission to improve access to quality Diabetes and hypertension care in the two continents . “

She further added, “All Merck Diabetes and Hypertension awards winners have Joined Merck Foundation Alumni with our oncology and Fertility scholars and fellows from different countries to exchange experience & knowledge and network, this is a very important initiative for us. I personally oversee this platform to ensure success of its interaction and sustainability. “

Merck Diabetes and Hypertension Awards 2018 will be rolled out in many African and Asian Universities in more than 30 countries, as a part of Merck Foundation’s commitment to build Diabetes and Hypertension healthcare capacity and improving access to quality and sustainable healthcare solutions in developing countries.

The theme for Merck Diabetes Award 2018 is ‘Every day is a Diabetes Day,’ and the theme for Merck Hypertension Award is ‘What a Healthy Heart Needs.’ All medical postgraduates and final year undergraduates are invited to apply for the awards. The participants need to submit a one-page concept paper on the theme.

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Friday, March 17, 2017

Discovery: Immune cells preventing diabetes, hypertension

Scientists at The University of Manchester, Lund University and University of Salford have discovered that immune cells which are reduced in number by obesity could be a new target to treat diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension that affect overweight people, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Latest collaborative study, NaijaAgroNet gathered, between the three universities, published in the journal Scientific Reports, showed that the researchers from immunology and cardiovascular backgrounds investigated a type of immune cell called eosinophils.

Eosinophils, experts say, are present in a layer of fat tissue called the PeriVascular Adipose Tissue (PVAT), which surrounds blood vessels and helps to maintain normal blood vessel function by reducing artery contraction.

Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the current research by the researchers found that eosinophils were considerably reduced in the PVAT in obesity in mice, and that the PVAT function was severely impaired, contributing to type 2 diabetes and hypertension. “This is not something that has previously been observed,” the study noted.

The lead researcher on the Wellcome Trust-funded study, Dr Sheena Cruickshank, said that this type of immune cell is present in many parts of the body and was once thought to just act in parasitic infections and allergies, but it’s fast becoming clear that they have a significant effect on lots of aspects of health and immunity.

“Our study showed that in fact the secretions from eosinophils have a profound effect on how the blood vessels operate and when they are missing, as in obesity, serious health problems can start to develop,” she said.

The role of the eosinophils, she said, also opens up new opportunities to investigate treatments for type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

She stressed that PVAT from fat that lack eosinophils could quickly be rescued by addition of eosinophils, demonstrating that there is the potential for a treatment based on restoring this function.

NaijaAgroNet equally reports that the researchers observed that the eosinophils influenced the release of nitric oxide and a protein called adiponectin, which control healthy PVAT function. This appears to be a unique function of these immune cells. The researchers are particularly excited by how quickly the eosinophils could restore PVAT function, showing just how potent they may be.

“These immune cells have been traditionally overlooked but this study shows for the first time that they have a direct role to play in processes in the body beyond the immune system. They seem to be incredibly important in a number of processes and this presents us with an exciting new area to investigate for a whole range of illnesses,” she said.


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