If your wellness is affected by eczema or other allergies, it may be due to a type of immune cell in your skin. This is according to a new study published this week in the journal Nature Immunology, which has come about thanks to a collaboration among researchers from the University of Sydney’s affiliated Centenary Institute and colleagues in New Zealand, the UK, and the US. Years ago, a family of cells, known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), was discovered ago in the laboratory of Professor Wolfgang Weninger, and this new cell type is part of this group. Professor Weninger’s lab has been responsible for developing techniques in marking different cells of your immune system, and tracking them live under the microscope. However, until now the identity of the immune cells has remained a mystery. According to Dr Ben Roediger, first author on the paper and a research officer in the Centenary’s Immune Imaging Laboratory, this is the first time such cells had been found in the skin, and they are relatively more numerous there. He noted, ‘Our data show that these skin ILC2 cells can likely suppress or stimulate inflammation under different conditions. They also suggest a potential link to allergic skin diseases.’ The researchers contacted Professor Graham Le Gros at the Malaghan Institute in New Zealand, one of the world’s foremost researchers into type 2 immunity (the part of your immune system that deals with infection by parasitic organisms), as they suspected that the cells may be associated with this system. The Professor not only confirmed this suspicion, but also provided a new strain of mouse developed in the United States that provided insight into the function of ILC2 cells. Roediger explained, ‘Using these mice, we found that ILC2 cells were the major population in the skin that produced interleukin 13, a molecule that has been linked to a number of allergic diseases, including eczema.’ He added, ‘We now have experiments underway in which we are actively looking for the direct involvement of these cells in the sort of skin diseases you would predict based on these findings.’

Apps are a good way to remind patients to get vaccines, and educate them on ways to self-manage their chronic asthma and allergies. This is according to researchers at the National Association of Paediatric Nurse Practitioners 2013 Annual Meeting, who believe that smartphone apps are becoming an increasingly viable solution to overcome gaps in traditional patient reminder systems, and a useful patient education tool. The problem with traditional vaccine outreach reminder methods, such as telephone calls, mailed paper reminders, and in-person home visits, is that they are dependent on the reliability of your patient contact information. According to Jessica L. Peck, DNP, RN, MSN, CPNP-PC, CNE, CNL, of Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama, ‘Providers have expressed a need for alternative recall methods that are not so time, labour and financially intensive. With 194 US smart phone users projected by the year 2015, the opportunity to harness technology for this purpose is present.’ Kathy Chojnacki RN, MSN, CPNP-AC, and Jodi Shroba RN, MSN, CPNP, both of Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Missouri, cited another wellness benefit that apps provide; improving health literacy among patients with chronic asthma and allergies. They wrote in a poster session, ‘Mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones are become more cost effective and more readily available forms of electronic communication. The healthcare system is primed and ready to utilize these devices in clinical practice.’ For their poster, Chojnacki and Shroba assessed the overall benefits and limitations of several apps for allergy, asthma and rhinitis, as well as exploring opportunities for integrating mobile technology into clinical practice. The AshtmaMD app revealed several benefits to asthmatic wellness, providing methods that patients can use to reduce symptomatic days, asthma-related ER visits, rescue therapy use and need for inhaler use to provide symptom relief. However, some of the apps used inaccurate or incomplete medical information from online sources, had a lack of wireless internet capabilities, reduced face-to-face interactions between providers and patients and were deemed to be too costly to implement in institution-wide systems. Yet, in spite of these concerns, the authors concluded ‘the increased use of smart phones and mobile devices provide the perfect climate for integration of applications into patient care.’

There are multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. This is according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Centre, whose large study analysing gene expression data from 22 tumour types, published in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology, has also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could improve your wellness by cutting off your tumour’s fuel supply or interfering with its ability to synthesise essential building blocks. According to Dennis Vitkup, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics (in the Initiative in Systems Biology) at CUMC, and the study's lead investigator, ‘The importance of this new study is its scope. So far, people have focused mainly on a few genes involved in major metabolic processes. Our study provides a comprehensive, global view of diverse metabolic alterations at the level of gene expression.’ Studies into drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism is a field that dominated cancer research in the early 20th century, and has recently undergone a renaissance. In 1924, German biochemist Otto Warburg was the first to observe that cancer cells had a peculiar way of utilising glucose to make energy for the cell. Dr Vitkup explained, ‘Although a list of biochemical pathways in normal cells was comprehensively mapped during the last century, we still lack a complete understanding of their usage, regulation, and reprogramming in cancer.’ Jie Hu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia and first author of the study, added, ‘Right now we have something like a static road map. We know where the streets are, but we don't know how traffic flows through the streets and intersections. What researchers need is something similar to Google Traffic, which shows the flow and dynamic changes in car traffic.’ However, the researchers did find that tumour-induced expression changes are significantly different across diverse tumours. Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD, assistant professor at MIT, and a co-author of the paper, commented, ‘Our study clearly demonstrates that there are no single and universal changes in cancer metabolism. That means that to understand transformation in cancer metabolism, researchers will need to consider how different tumour types adapt their metabolism to meet their specific needs.’

Those battling cancer will often need to undergo various treatments which affect your body in different ways, often leaving you feeling quite drained, both physically and mentally. Chemotherapy is the most commonly associate treatment, but radiation therapy and drugs are also used. Some women find that they struggle to cope with the side effects of Tamoxifen pills, which are designed to combat the effects of oestrogen-based breast cancer. Side effects which have been reported include getting lightheaded and hot flushes - some even pass out due to these effects. This can mean added stress, in addition to the emotions you're already feeling through coping with the cancer itself. While not everyone experiences these side effects, many feel more comfortable taking an additional tablet known as Effexor to boost their energy levels. Many find that listening to their body helps determine which treatments are most effective - some, for example, report that following chemotherapy, they feel lightheaded and have been known to pass out. It's important during this time to be diligent with your diet, as a loss of appetite is one known risk of the chemotherapy. With so many chemicals and drugs going into your body, a strict diet is vital in order to ensure you're filling your body with the nutrients it needs to stay as healthy as possible. Protein is important for keeping your energy levels up, so protein bars and shakes are useful to keep around the house, as it eating every two hours to refuel your body. Your immune system will take the brunt of the chemotherapy, so refuelling with healthy vitamins, minerals and protein will keep it fighting any additional illness. Your support network of family and friends will get you through this stage in your life - don't feel worried about leaning on them for emotional support when you need it. Many people feel as though they need to hide their illness and stay strong for others, but your health is what's important here, so if you're struggling you need to let people around you know. Likewise, remain positive - once the chemotherapy is over, your energy levels will start to return to normal and you'll begin to feel like yourself again.

When your wellness is affected by diabetes, you need to take several daily decisions to manage your blood glucose levels the best you can. However, as you can’t have a doctor watching out for your wellbeing every day, you need to learn about the disease and manage it yourself. This is where The illustrated guide to living with diabetes in India comes in; a comprehensive, reliable self-management guide for people with diabetes which will launch in India soon. Authored by The Living with Diabetes in India (LWDI) Community – the world’s largest and most trusted online community of diabetics, caregivers and healthcare professionals supporting diabetics in India – the book serves as a practical guide to help you self-manage diabetes, providing reliable information and useful advice. Based on the most accurate and trustworthy medical information worldwide, the guide is a culmination of a year’s worth of work from by a team of medical writers, artists and diabetologists. According to Praful Akali, the editor of the book, founder-member of the LWDI community, an IIM alumnus and head of one of the leading medical communications agencies in the country, ‘We were surprised to learn that there is no single source of practical yet reliable information for people with diabetes to better manage their condition. Based on the latest peer-reviewed scientific information and with inputs from the country’s leading doctors, nutritionists, counsellors and fellow diabetics, the book promises to marry scientific credibility with practicality.’ Now available for pre-order on www.flipkart.com, the book is co-published in India by leading book publishers, Popular Prakashan, whose CEO, Manish Purohit, commented, ‘As a publisher, we have seen many books that claim to educate people on various health issues. However, this book is unique in its engaging content and in bringing together the reliable information in such simple language. We are happy with our partnered association with a book of this genre and to lend our support to the cause of patient education for diabetes management.’ Dr. Debasis Basu, medical coordinator, LWDI added, ‘As genetics and lifestyle have conspired heavily to inflict an epidemic of diabetes in our subcontinent with approximately 67 million people affected with diabetes in India in 2013, we need to focus our attention on changing our lifestyles to manage the disease. This guide will help you believe that if good and right care is taken, even with diabetes, you are the master of your own life.’

As you grow older, the likelihood of developing Type-Two Diabetes is a discomforting prospect. Often, it is a genetic issue, by which there is very little that can be done to prevent it, but that does not mean that you have to be stuck on medication all the time. Whilst critical, the damage does not have to extend to the rest of your life too. Indeed, the concept that you have to empty your wallet to save your own life is not an end-all scenario. There are ways of saving money, without having to risk more than you have to. If you haven't developed diabetes yet, but suspect that you may be at risk, then getting a blood-screening is not a problem – under the NHS, the checks are sound, discreet and thorough. Even if you come clean, there are ways of staying secure properly; by losing 5-7 percent of your body weight and exercising at least 150 minutes a week, the risks of developing diabetes are over an astounding 60%. Dieting is also an excellent way of balancing out your blood sugar, as well as keeping other toxins out of your body. This can be applicable to those that have already developed diabetes. There are many different types of so-called “new and improved” medication for any ailment, but the majority carry a huge dose of side-effects. Insert the mortifying, long chain of side-effect-culling pills at your leisure. Keep to what you know – the old types are the best, lest they wouldn't still be in production today. Discuss this with your doctor, find what is best for less. You don't always have to nod and agree with everything. It's your body. The less side-effects that you have to worry about, the less you have to spend combating them. Look for support. You're going through a big change in your life – that doesn't mean that you have to do it alone. Support groups are a fantastic way of meeting people that have gone through the motions already. They are the ones that have shrugged off heavy dosages or the ones that hop onto the treadmill. The words of the experienced are the ones that you can carry with you – and more importantly, you can share your own.