Medical exploits will appear in 2012

2011 was the year of many medical achievements: Dallas Wiens became the first patient to have a full face transplant in the US, and researchers found a 96% reduction in the risk of people with HIV transmission. virus for mates .

Following these successes, 2012 also promises significant medical progress. Here are 5 forecasts made by the experts of My Health News Daily magazine .

Forecast 1: Occurrence of cancer vaccines.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are known as therapies used in cancer treatment. However, it does not stop there, for the past 20 years, experts continue to research and develop vaccine replacement. And 2012 is predicted to be the successful year of these efforts.

According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 250 clinical trials, including 34 breast cancer trials, have been conducted.

Like other vaccines, cancer vaccines rely on a chemical signature of the disease to create a human immune system that can fight disease.

'However, while the flu or chickenpox vaccine has a preventive effect, the difference of the vaccine is that it is vaccinated after cancer appears ,' said Professor - Dr. Larry Kwak. from the University of Texas said.

'Kwak's vaccine' has undergone a third phase of testing and is looking forward to final approval steps.

Earlier, in the spring of 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first cancer vaccine called Provenge to be used in the treatment of prostate cancer. Currently, the National Cancer Institute is continuing to test clinical vaccines for treatment of bladder, breast, cervical, kidney, lung, pancreas .

Forecast 2: The development of malaria vaccine will achieve significant progress.

Malaria is a deadly disease. The World Health Organization estimates that in 2010 there are about 216 million cases and 655,000 deaths, mostly children. The community can limit malaria infection through mosquito control. However, there are currently no vaccines that can help prevent this disease.

Researchers from Oxford University have attracted international scientific attention by claiming to successfully develop a vaccine that can prevent the most dangerous strains of malaria parasites, such as P. Falciparum. on animals.

The key to success lies in an important stage of development of parasites. When mosquitoes bite people (or animals), parasites pass through the blood to the liver, and then red blood cells, Dr. William Schaffner at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn said.

The parasites proliferate and change into two new forms: one is attacking the other red blood cells, the other is circulating in the blood. The new vaccine has the ability to prevent parasites from entering red blood cells.'If we do that, it won't make you sick , ' Schaffner said. However, this vaccine will still have to go through many stages of testing, because some other malaria vaccines have failed to work on humans.

Prediction 3: Millions of people will live in a healthier environment.

In December, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new limit for mercury and air toxic emissions to prevent 11,000 premature deaths and 4700 heart disease cases each year. EPA regulations immediately face criticism from the coal industry. Steve Miller, executive director of the United States Alliance for Clean Coal Power (ACCCE), said: 'It will deprive many people of jobs, increase energy costs and can even create power lines are not good '.

However, medical groups like the American Lung Cancer Association are happy because it restricts carcinogens and pollutants to aggravate asthma.

EPA regulations significantly reduce the amount of mercury that power plants discharge into the air. Under water conditions, it is converted into methyl mercury in many fish species. The new law will also cut the number of more than 60 air toxins, including heavy metals like arsenic, chromium, and nickel.

Forecast 4: The cost of many drugs will be much cheaper.

Some of the best-selling brand-name drugs in the US will lose their proprietary licenses in 2012. Pharmaceutical companies may lose billions of dollars in revenue, but this change will help cut costs. health care for millions of patients with heart disease, asthma, diabetes in the United States.

Patents make the drug safer and more effective, explains Dr. Elliott Antman, principal of Harvard Medical School. A new drug is usually studied on tens of thousands of people to find out the difference and side effects.

However, the advantage of a drug without a commercial name is that it is much less expensive, so it is expected , "Antman said.

Forecast 5: The selection of insurance services will be easier.

In the US, entrepreneurs and families with two sources of income often have to choose between a variety of insurance services. This can sometimes be confusing and people don't even realize what they have to owe until they use those services.

A provision of the Patient Protection Act and Affordable Care Act will come into effect in 2012 to help people understand enough and easier to compare insurance services.