A new study has found that ginseng can help treat and prevent influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages.

In a recent issue of Nutrients and an upcoming publication of the International Journal of Molecular Medicine, Sang-Moo Kang reports the beneficial effects of ginseng, a well-known herbal medicine, on human health.

Kang's primary research focuses on designing and developing effective vaccines against viral diseases such as influenza virus and RSV, but he partnered with a university and research institutes in South Korea that wanted international collaborative projects to study if ginseng can be used to improve health and protect against disease because of the potential benefit in fighting these viruses.

Ginseng has been reported to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory and immune modifying abilities.

Seasonal influenza is a serious respiratory disease that causes annual epidemics in humans worldwide, resulting in about three to five million cases of severe illness and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Influenza can spread quickly, and new, unexpected pandemic influenza viruses may emerge at any time and cross over to different species. The H1N1 influenza virus, a new strain known as swine flu that emerged in 2009, spread rapidly to more than 74 countries. There are also challenges with existing influenza vaccines, such as required annual updates and no protection against pandemic strains and bird flu.

In addition, there are no vaccines available for RSV , which affects millions and is the leading cause of inflammatory bronchiolitis pneumonia and viral death in infants and in some elderly adults.

In his study published in Nutrients, Kang investigated whether red ginseng extract has preventive effects on influenza A virus infection.

He found that red ginseng extract improves the survival of human lung epithelial cells infected with influenza virus. Also, treatment with red ginseng extract reduced the expression of genes that cause inflammation.

Researchers have claimed that the use of the probiotic L reuteri for infant colic does not reduce crying or fussing in infants nor is it effective in improving infant sleep, functioning or quality of life.

Joel Lavine, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and chief of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center, said the role of different intestinal microbes in producing or alleviating colic remains a subject of interest.

He said some studies have identified changes in the colonization that are associated with colic, although these changes have not been shown to be causative, and the specific kinds of bacteria potentially responsible have not been identified. Thus far, manipulation of gut colonization by probiotics remains an inexact science and conflicting evidence exists regarding the efficacy of probiotics in improving the problem.

Dr Lavine said manipulation of bacterial populations in the gut may reduce the amount of gas produced by virtue of reducing lactose malabsorption, adding that this problem of lactose malabsorption can be easily resolved by providing lactase to infants who are lacking, by way of commercially available infant drops.

The study has been published in the British Medical Journal.

A new study has found that anti-seizure drug ezogabine reduced alcohol consumption in an experimental model.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) found that alcoholism can be treated by this newly discovered mechanism that helps to regulate brain activity known as Kv7 channel modulation.

Clifford Knapp lead author of the story said that the finding is of importance because ezogabine acts by opening a particular type of potassium channel in the brain, called the Kv7 channel, which regulates activity in areas of the brain that are believed to regulate the rewarding effects of alcohol.

The researchers believe these finding will encourage the search for other drugs that act on this system to discover more effective treatments for alcoholism

The study was published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Sageer Ahmad, a tailor by profession, got to know about haemophilia when his year-old son hurt himself and started bleeding profusely. But Ahmad still didn`t learn his lesson. His second son born after a gap of three years was also detected with the blood disorder.

Similar is the story of Bimlesh Sharma. Despite knowing that she is a carrier of the lifelong disorder, she did not get a detection test done when she was pregnant. The result: her son has the same genetic disorder.

Ahmad and Sharma are not the only people who choose to ignore the importance of pre-natal diagnosis of haemophilia - a congenital lifelong bleeding disorder that prevents the blood from properly clotting.

"I got to know about Zahid`s condition when he was a year old. He hurt himself and started bleeding. It was only when he was admitted to the hospital for 15 long days did we know about the disease (disorder)," the 34-year-old resident of Faridabad told IANS.

Asked if he and his wife got the test done, he replied: "People used to say that an evil spirit has entered my son`s body and that he was not suffering from any disease. It was later that I got to know about his problem. But by the time we realised it, my second son Shahid was born," he added.

Doctors and health experts said awareness about the disease still prevails.

"Pre-natal diagnosis of haemophilia in India is not common and more awareness is required. Eighty percent of haemophilia cases are seen among the lower income groups and many go undetected," said Anita Suryanarayan, chief of lab services, Lister Metropolis, a Chennai-based laboratory.

India is home to approximately 100,000 people affected with haemophilia, with an estimated prevalence rate of 1:10,000, say experts.

"Haemophilia is neither communicable nor transmitted; it is transferred through inheritance. However, there are chances of getting it even when there is no family history. About one-third of the haemophilia cases reported are new cases - caused by the new mutation of a gene in the mother or the child," V.P. Choudhary, head of department, haematology, Paras Hospital, Gurgaon, told IANS.



"In case the father carries the gene and the mother does not, then none of the boys will inherit haemophilia; however the girls will be carrying the mutated genes," Choudhary said, adding that women who carry haemophilia genes are called `carriers`.

"There are around 14,000 registered patients. Sadly, almost 75 percent suffering from the disorder cannot afford the treatment costs. It is a disease that is mostly undiagnosed, unreported and most importantly the patients do not get registered," Choudhary told IANS.

He added that not many hospitals in India provide pre-natal diagnostic facilities.

"There may be no symptoms at birth. However, some symptoms like unusual bleeding during teething and vaccination or severe bruising of the joints when the child is learning to walk may be indicators," said Manoj Rawat, head of the blood bank at PSRI Hospital.

"Depending on the missing clotting factor, haemophilia is classified into haemophilia A or B. Type A is again classified into mild, moderate or severe based on the percentage of deficiency of the clotting factor," Rawat explained and added that in mild cases, one may not be aware of the problem until there is trauma, a dental procedure or surgery.

According to experts, without treatment or due to delays in treatment, people with haemophilia suffer tremendous pain, swelling, joint damage and possible joint destruction from bleeding.

Asked how difficult it is to counsel parents, Choudhary said: "It is very difficult as it has to be explained to parents that their child is suffering from a rare affliction. Also it is even more challenging to make them understand that the child may have inherited the disorder from the parents."

"It makes the entire process difficult as the parents are not able to understand the condition and accept the fact that it is incurable," he said.

Bimlesh Sharma added: "When I was expecting my child, my in-laws told me that there was no need for me to go for the test. They said nothing will happen."

"My brother had the disease, and he was almost about to die because of lack of medical facilities. It was much later that we found a doctor who was able to help us," she said.

Advising others, Ahmad said: "Though I did not get to know about the disease at the right time, I would suggest other parents to go for the pre-natal test even if they have the slightest doubt."

In a major breakthrough, researchers claimed to have found the leading cause of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

According to a study conducted by the University of Adelaide, chemical clues in the brains of SIDS victims now indicate a link to breathing problems.

The researchers have identified a link between SIDS and breathing problems, finding that tell-tale signs in the brains of babies who died of SIDS are remarkably similar to those of children who died of accidental asphyxiation.

The clue they have discovered may have already saved one child, whose sibling was a SIDS victim.

The clue pointing to possible breathing irregularities in the victim led to doctors identifying sleep apnoea in the sibling, leading to precautions to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.

SIDS, which kills dozens of babies without warning every year, is considered a parent's worst nightmare.

The results of the study are published in the journal Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology and researchers believe that the findings could now help save countless infants of dying from SIDS.