2007 - Top 10 medical breakthroughs

Medicine is an ever-changing science. In fact the saying nothing is more permanent than change is apt for medicine. The quest for new medical breakthroughs is an ongoing one and what did the scientists and researchers have for the medical fraternity and patients in the year 2007? A quick glance at the top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year that has gone by.

1. Circumcision can prevent HIV transmission: In two randomized clinical trials on 7780 HIV-Negative men in East Africa, it was found that there was a 51% less chance of medically circumcised men acquiring the virus than uncircumcised men. The study was published in the Lancet. It is not clear whether male circumcision can even provide protection to the female partners, a subject that will be the focus of research in the coming year. The reason for the protection: Uncircumcised skin has more Langerhans' cells, a particular type of cell found in the skin, that is the first point of binding by the HIV virus.

2. New test for metastatic breast cancer: Surgeons have a new tool to assess whether breast cancer has spread, thanks to a recently approved molecualr test that detects the spread of cancer. Conventionally during the surgical removal of the cancerous tissue, surgeons dissect out the lymph node nearest to the cancerous tissue and examine it for signs of metastasis and sometimes additional tests need to be done in the lab which takes more than two days. The patient needs to come back for a repeat procedure if the nodes are positive for cancer. However thanks to GeneSearch BLN Assay, doctors can detect molecular markers for breast cancer in the nodes almost immediately and take corrective steps without resorting to an additional procedure at a later date.

3. First human vaccine against the avian flu: Avian flu or birdflu is threatening to be the next biggest pandemic and wipe out large numbers across the globe. The visus has so far accounted for 207 people all over the world. It is only a matter of time before the virus mutates into an easily transmitted form. The FDA has approved the first human vaccine created from a human strain of the virus and is given in two intramuscular shots. However it is not yet approved for commercial use and the FDA is stockpiling it in case of a mass outbreak.

4. Weight loss pill: FDA has approved the first over-the-counter weight-loss pill ALLI (Orlistat). Alli works by inhibiting an Intestinal Lipase that reduces the absorption of dietary fats by over 30%. It has to be taken with meals and needs to be used in conjunction with standard weight-loss regimes like exercises and low-calorie diets. It does cause unpleasant side effects like diarrhoea, gas and oily discharge.

5. Diabetes genes decoded: Scientists have figured out why some siblings of diabetic parents get the disease and why some do not. The answer to Type II Diabetes lies in the genes. Four new genetic variants linked to the disease have been discovered adding to the existing six known. The discovery will aid experts in pinpointing who gets the disease and who will not.

6. No more periods: Thanks to a new drug called as LYBRIL, women can do away with menstruation altogether. Conventional birth-control pills ahve a week's worth of placebos in the month's supply and these can cause withdrawal bleeds. With Lybril, the placebos are replaced by hormones so that menstruation is blocked altogether. The downside? Spotting and breakthrough bleeds in the first year of use.

7. Suffering from Fibromyalgia: There's hope due to LYRICA. People who suffer from chronic fatigue, muscle pain and stiffness of fibromyalgia can have relief due to the FDA's approval of Pfizer Inc's LYRICA (Pregabalin.) Lyrica already has been approved for epilepsy, discomfort from shingles and neuritic pains. Lyrica improved symptoms and also improved the quality of life in patients with the frustratingly elusive and complex condition of fibromyalgia.

8. An early-stage test for lung cancer: One of the leading killers is lung cancer and in fact lung cancers kill more people that the next three cancers (prostate, colon and breast) together. Part of the reason for so many deaths is due to the fact that by the time lung cancer is detected it is in an advanced stage. Thanks to LCDetect, a blood test that detects the presence of a protein specific to lung cancer and present at all stages of the cancer, lung cancers can be picked up early. However it has to be used in conjunction with X-Rays, CT Scans and other imaging modalities.

9. New source for stem cells: 2007 has been a breakthrough year as far as stem cell research is concerned. Scientists have discovered that Amniotic Fluid derived Stem cells (AFS) have the potential to give rise to any of the 220 adult specialized cell types in the human body. AFS are readily available from fluid left over after amniocentesis and also in the after-births.

10. Vitamin D benefits explained: The sunshine vitamin has come out on tops after a slew of investigations have revealed that the vitamin can help prevent diabetes, gum disease, multiple sclerosis and even cancers. Research has shown that people with high circulating levels of Vitamin D had a 50% reduction in the incidence of colon cancers. Another research has shown that people living closer to the equator have lower incidences of lung cancer possibly due to the levels of vitamin D being higher in them. 1000 International Units of Vitamin D will keep you healthy and help prevent cancers, diabetes and bone and joint diseases.