While some patients who have suffered brain injuries are in their vegetative state, with no conscious awareness at all, others are classed as being in a minimally conscious state, still partially aware of their surroundings and able to respond to it at times.

For onlookers, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two, but thanks to new methods such as EEG machines, to pick up on subtle brain wave differences, clinicians are now better able to gauge the patients’ consciousness levels.

From the previously unknown hinterlands of consciousness has come another mysterious and astounding discovery; Ambien, a sleep prescription medication and Zolpdem, its generic form, can actually help those minimally conscious patients to wake up. Jeneen Interlandi, the renowned freelance science writer, delved deeper into this paradoxical treatment in the New York Times Magazine.

She wrote that the first report of an awakening brought about by Zolpidem was in 1999, in South Africa. This patient, Louis Viljoen, had been declared as being vegetative 3 years previously after being hit by a truck. It started with him clawing at his mattress through the night; the family doctor misdiagnosed insomnia and prescribed Zolpidem to keep him asleep through the night.

Only 20 minutes after the tablet had been ground up and fed to him through a straw by his mother, Viljoen started to stir. His eyes, which usually wandered the room vacant and unable to focus, flickered in the light of consciousness. He then spoke, uttering the words ‘Hello Mummy’ and moved, controlling his facial muscles and limbs.

After a few hours he again fell into the unresponsive state he has existed in for the previous 3 years, but the next day, and for many more days after that, Zolpidem continued to revive him for a few hours at a time.

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The results were presented this October at a multiple sclerosis research conference which took place in Amsterdam. Nearly 80% of those who are treated with the new drug did not have a relapse for two years. This is half the rate that is seen with other therapies.

The only disappointing part of the new trial was that the drug seemed to be less effective than it had been in previous trials. This trial showed that the reversal of nerve damage was less significant than in previous studies. In fact, the level of significant reversal of damage had dropped to a level that was statistically insignificant.

Alasdair Coles is a researcher at the University of Cambridge and he showed at the conference that those who are taking the new drug which is called alemtuzumab lost much less brain volume than those patients who were treated with another type of medication. Less than 10% of patients in the trial had their condition worsen while they were on the drug, compared with 11% of those who taking the leading alternative therapy, Rebif.

Ludwig Kappos is head of neurology at the University Hospital of Basel and he has commented, “It is unfortunate to see that the results of this latest trial are less promising than that of the phase II study. However I do expect that further phase III studies will show the drug to be as effective as it was in the phase II groups.”

Unfortunately, multiple sclerosis is a disease that currently has no cure. Drugs such as interferon are prescribed to help slow the condition but it will progress and nerves that speed the brain signals will be damaged eventually. This new drug essentially works by resetting the body’s immune system meaning that the damage will no longer be caused and this can in fact cause the condition to be reversed.

Some healthcare professionals have said that the effectiveness of the new drug is impressive but that is not the reason why it is not on the market, the drug is yet to be proved to be safe. Taking the drug gives patients an increased risk of suffering from an autoimmune disease. Nearly 1% of people involved in the trial suffered from the potentially life-threatening condition called thrombocytopenia. Avoiding this risk is possible however by screening patients before they take the drug, there are certain bio markers which indicate people who are at a higher risk of developing the condition.

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Heart failure is often caused after the heart has suffered significant damage, this is something that can occur during a heart attack. A failing heart cannot provide sufficient blood flow to the body. Natasha Steward works for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) as a senior cardiac nurse. She has stated that, “it does seem that using certain doses of Omecamtiv Mercabil can offer some improvement to a damaged heart.”

Stewart also commented that, “This is a very early stage for the drug, the study we have seen here only took place for a very short time and with a small number of patients. Before we can say this drug is safe for use and will be effective, clinical trials of a much greater scale will need to be conducted.”

The BHF runs the Mending Broken Hearts campaign which raises money in the hope of finding a cure for heart failure. The campaign hopes to raise over £50m to spend on research to help the quarter of a million people who suffer from heart failure in the UK.

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The report examines data developed over 20 years and also reveals that using the drug for a time of at least five years provides defence for a prolonged extent.  The results are based on studies of more than 14,000 people.

It has been found that the aspirin prohibits effects of proteins associated with many types of cancer.  It is now being suggested that preventive aspirin treatment become part of the regimen of the Government’s screening programme on bowel cancer.

Other studies have suggested that aspirin could be beneficial to people seeking to avoid bowel, breast, and prostate cancer.  This study on bowel cancer is viewed as definitive.

Many people ingest aspirin everyday as a sort of elixir against heart attack and other possible health problems.  This now seems a reasonable measure.  There has been a push for a sort of blanket prescribing of aspirin as a preventative for all sorts of health ailments, but aspirin has its side effects too.

You can’t just willy-nilly take aspirin, say some experts, because of stomach bleeding and ulcer proclivities.  The risks associated with taking aspirin should be weighed by your doctor before you develop any sort of routine for taking the drug.

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Mann, stated that the dangers associated with the drug could have been widely published sooner since it is chemically similar to other drugs.

People who use the Somali drug khat, are openly known to have trouble with impotence, which should have been detected earlier as mephedrone is a close structural relative of cathinone, which is one of the most psychoactive ingredients of khat.

Mann added that mephedrone is also chemically related to amphetamines which are limited to use only as controlled substances due to their known dangers.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced that mephedrone will be banned along with substances that are similar to it on Monday, with the law likely to go into effect by April 16^th.

On Thursday, a report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was released.

In England there are 18 deaths that are linked to mephedrone, one in Wales and Northern Ireland, and seven in Scotland.

The report revealed that users of the drug tend to be younger compared to those that use ecstasy and cocaine and are most often in their 20s or teens.  It also stated that police have problems testing accurately for mephedrone use.

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Rose Woodward, Head of Patient Support at the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer, said “Kidney cancer patients have seen so much money go into the NHS in the past 10 years – so many initiatives, so many targets, so many programmes. What we would really like is for every politician, regardless of what party they belong to, to get together with the Department of Health Mandarins and to listen. Then act on what patients and their families are saying. We want cancer care in the UK to rival the best in the world – it is ironic and very sad that on a day when Gordon Brown promises one to one care for cancer patients NICE issue a statement denying clinicians the chance to offer Everolimus (Afinitor), a clinically effective “end of life” treatment for kidney cancer patients”.

Dr Thomas Powles Trustee and Medical Advisor of the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer: “Everolimus (Afinitor) offers kidney cancer patients a clear clinical benefit and is a breakthrough in treating the disease. Its recent rejection by NICE is based on economic rather than clinical grounds. It leaves kidney cancer patients in the UK at a major disadvantage compared to the rest of Europe and the United States, as there are no other options available for this group of patients. This decision is very out of touch with the patient’s needs”.

The Fund believes that patients with kidney cancer should not be penalised because they suffer from a rare cancer; the NHS should ensure all cancer patients are treated fairly and equally. James Whale, founder and chairman of the James Whale Fund and a kidney cancer survivor says “As someone who has been directly affected by kidney cancer, this decision is scandalous as NICE agrees Everolimus (Afinitor) is clinically effective as a second line treatment for kidney cancer. I find it incomprehensible that the government spends more on NICE decision making committees than it would spend if they gave kidney cancer patients this drug.

The NICE decision means our UK kidney cancer patients will die prematurely compared to the rest of the world. This is so obviously a decision based on lack of funding because NICE accepts the drug works. It’s a cruel decision that will cause kidney cancer patients and families huge distress at a time they should be looked after by the NHS and not just abandoned.

About the Fund: The James Whale Fund is the UK’s leading kidney cancer charity and was set up in 2006 by the broadcaster James Whale who lost a kidney to cancer in the year 2000. Today James continues to lead a full and busy life, as do the majority of people who are diagnosed and treated early. Every year almost 7000 people in the UK learn that they have kidney cancer; that’s over 16 people a day. And yet the condition – the eigth most common cancer among men – rarely attracts much public attention. Our mission at the James Whale Fund is to try and change that.

For more information about The James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer please visit www.jameswhalefund.org

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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease more serious than osteoarthritis, which is caused by wear and tear of the joints. Over nine million people in the UK have arthritis and there are around 12,000 new RA cases a year . This latest study which shows amazing results, is a continuation of extensive research into anti-inflammatory efficacy of GOPO® – the active compound contained in the product known as LitoZin.

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