Health

 FDB warns public about fake Starkist Tuna on the market

The Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has alerted Ghanaians about some fake "Starkist" Tuna imported into the country.
It said its safety could not be guaranteed because it had not been registered with the Board.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday, Head of Public Affairs, Mr James Lartey, urged the public not to patronise the product until its safety was guaranteed.
He explained that the modus operandi of the importers yet to be identified was to make photocopies of leaflets of the original Starkist Tuna and paste them on the imported fake tuna.

"While the fake leaflets overlap the edges of the can, the leaflet of the original are exactly on the edge," he added.
Mr Lartey said to differentiate between them, producers of the original Starkist tuna had introduced a new label which is imprinted on the can with the expiry date and Starkist embossed on top of the can.
He advised retailers and wholesalers to ensure that they obtained their supplies from original sources and urged traders and the public to return old stocks of the product to wholesalers to be replaced.
Mr Lartey said personnel from the post market surveillance unit would go round to inspect, seize and destroy all the fake tuna at the trader's expense in addition to other punitive measures.

FDB reiterated its call on the public to report retailers and wholesalers dealing in fake products to the Board.

Source: GNA

 

 

 

Gene therapy 'memory boost hope'

A gene therapy technique which aims to ease memory problems linked to Alzheimer's Disease has been successfully tested in mice.

US scientists used it to increase levels of a chemical which helps brain cells signal to each other.

This signalling is hindered in Alzheimer's Disease, the journal Nature reported.

The Alzheimer's Research Trust said the study suggested a way to keep nerve cells in the brain communicating,

Ageing populations in many countries around the world mean that Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia are set to increase.

Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco believe that boosting the brain chemical, a neurotransmitter called EphB2, could help reduce or even prevent some of the worst effects of the condition.

Their research suggests that the chemical plays an important role in memory, and is depleted in Alzheimer's patients.

One of the most noticeable features about the brains of Alzheimer's patients is the build-up of "plaques" of a toxic protein called amyloid. Over time this leads to the death of brain cells.

'Thrilled'

However, another characteristic of amyloid is its apparent ability to bind directly to EphB2, reducing the amount available to brain cells, which could in part explain the memory symptoms involved.

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To test this idea, they used gene therapy experiments to artificially reduce and increase the amount of available EphB2 in the brains of mice.

When levels of the chemical were reduced, healthy mice developed memory symptoms similar to those seen in mice bred to have a condition similar to Alzheimer's.

Conversely, when the "Alzheimer's" mice were given gene therapy which boosted levels of EphB2, their memory symptoms disappeared.

Dr Lennart Mucke, who led the study, said that his team had been "thrilled" to find this.

"We think that blocking amyloid proteins from binding to EphB2, and enhancing EphB2 levels or functions with drugs might be of benefit in Alzheimer's Disease."

However UK researchers said that the find, while interesting, did not offer a swift answer to Alzheimer's patients.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "Our brains are hugely complex and understanding how they work and become damaged by diseases like Alzheimer's is a massive task.

"This research adds a piece to the Alzheimer's puzzle and provides new leads for researchers.

"It suggests a way to keep nerve cells in the brain communicating, which is vital for thinking and memory."

But she added: "We don't know yet if these findings will lead to a new treatment for Alzheimer's - that's some way off."

BBC News