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Alcohol and coffee linked to heartbeat problemsDavid Rose, Health Correspondent, in Barcelona Times Online August 30, 2009 Drinking more than ten alcoholic drinks a week or four cups of strong coffee each day can increase the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, new research suggests. Two studies presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Barcelona found that alcohol and caffeine intake can affect the chances of developing an abnormal heart rhythm, known as atrial fibrillation. About 46,000 people in Britain are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation every year. The condition greatly increases the risk of having a stroke, heart attack or other cardiac problems. The study into alcohol, carried out on 8,830 men and women in Britain, Scandinavia and the United States, found that those who drank the equivalent of ten standard drinks — about 15 units a week — had an 80 per cent increased risk of being diagnosed with the condition within five years. The Department of Health advises that men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol a week, and women no more than 14. A 125ml glass of red or white wine or half a pint of 5 per cent lager contain about 1.5 units. A standard large glass of wine in a bar is 250ml. The patients in the study had an average age of 67 and were already receiving treatment for high blood pressure but had no previous signs of atrial fibrillation. They were followed up for an average of 4.8 years, during which time heart scans revealed atrial fibrillation in 5.7 per cent of patients who reported drinking more than ten units a week, compared to 3.9 per cent of patients who drank less or no alcohol at all. Inger Ariansen, who led the study at Oslo University Hospital, suggested that ten standard drinks could be regarded as a threshold for increased risk of atrial fibrillation, although she pointed out that different countries defined the amount of alcohol contained in a typical drink differently. The second study, by researchers at the University of Modena, found that drinking more than the equivalent of four espresso shots a day could increase the risk of arrhythmias in people without known heart disease, even if they otherwise had a healthy diet. Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said that the recommended limits for drinking alcohol a week were formulated to avoid the risk of liver disease and other drink-related health problems. “But there is no doubt that some patients are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol on the heart and it may be that a subset of people who metabolise alcohol differently are at increased risk of atrial fibrillation.” He added that he was not aware of any direct evidence that drinking caffeine increased the risk of atrial fibrillation, “but it wouldn’t be surprising if you found that”. |
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Drugs given during labour linked to breastfeeding problemsFrom The Times on line
September 1, 2009
David Rose, Health Correspondent
Drugs and painkillers that are routinely given to women in labour may reduce their ability to breastfeed their baby, reseachers say. A study seen by The Times ahead of its publication today, suggests that life-saving medication given to nearly all women to prevent and treat bleeding after birth is linked to reduced breastfeeding rates. The findings indicate a potential biological reason for why so many women in Britain fail to breastfeed, despite government efforts to increase the number of infants receiving their mother’s milk. The Department of Health recommends that all children are breastfed for the first six months, because of the health benefits it can provide for both mother and baby. But breastfeeding rates in Britain are among the lowest in Europe, with only 45 per cent of infants exclusively breastfed a week after birth, and one in four receiving only formula milk from birth. Analysis of the records of more than 48,000 women who gave birth in South Wales found that use of the clotting agents oxytocin or ergometrine was associated with a 7 per cent decline in the proportion who started breastfeeding within 48 hours of giving birth. It is thought that the drugs may impede a woman’s ability to produce milk, suggesting that mothers who have them may need greater time or support from midwives if they wish to breastfeed their baby. The study, by researchers at Swansea University, also confirmed the link between high doses of injected pain relief and lower rates of breastfeeding, an association that has recently prompted revised guidelines for the NHS on the use of epidurals in labour. Sue Jordan, who led the study, said that the Government’s target to increase breastfeeding rates by 2 per cent a year was “unlikely to be met” unless further research was carried out. Young mothers or those discouraged from breastfeeding for social or cultural reasons are more likely to feed their babies from a bottle, but the main reasons cited for failure to breastfeed are a lack of milk or babies that simply refuse to feed. Of the women involved in the study, who all gave birth between 1989 and 1999, two thirds (65.5 per cent) of those who did not receive drugs to prevent post-partum haemorrhage started breastfeeding their baby within 48 hours of giving birth. But the proportion of those doing so reduced to 59.1 per cent among those given an injection of oxytocin, a hormone that plays an important natural role in labour, and to 56.4 per cent of women given an additional injection of ergometrine, given to address actual bleeding. Overall, nearly eight out of ten (79 per cent) of the women in the study received either oxytocin, ergometrine or both. It is routine for women being treated on the NHS to be offered these drugs. The decline of 6-7 per cent in those being breastfed could lead to up to 50,000 fewer British babies being breastfed every year than might otherwise be possible, she added. Because of the health benefits of breastfeeding, 50,000 bottle-fed infants represents the possibility of about 1,000 children becoming clinically obese, or 3,000 additional cases of childhood asthma. It could also greatly increase the number of mothers affected by breast cancer. The findings are published today in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Dr Jordan said: “The potentially life-saving treatments to prevent bleeding after birth must not be compromised on the basis of this study but further studies are required to establish ways to minimise any effects on breastfeeding rates." Rosemary Dodds, policy research officer for the National Childbirth Trust, said: “Women need more support to start breastfeeding soon after giving birth and this study adds weight to that. “A lot of women are not given enough information about the medications that might be given to them during childbirth, and women at low risk of bleeding may not need to take these drugs. “It is important that women understand the risks and can give their informed consent before they go into labour.” |
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Cosmetic surgery boom in youth TEHRAN -- Nose surgery or rhinoplasty, has became epidemic among Iranians aged 18 and under, a secretary of the second International Rhinology Congress said here on Saturday. Ebrahim Razmpa blamed the increase on keeping up with the Joneses and the importance of nose in creating normal contours of face. |
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Swine flu, a looming storm TEHRAN -- If the current trend continues, high swine flu death rate is inevitable in Iran, an official at the Health Ministry warned here on Sunday. About 7 to 8 percent of those being treated in hospitals across the country for swine flu could die, Mahmoud Nabavi said. |
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Mouth cancer: The self-examination everybody should be doing Expatica,Germany Mon,31 August 2009 While mouth cancer is the sixth most common malignancy reported worldwide, few people know about its risks and warning signs. Regular self-examination is now the norm for breast cancer and testicular cancer, but how often do you examine your mouth for signs of oral cancer? And if you did, would you know what to look for Although there no apparent lifestyle triggers in 25% of cases, over 70% are associated with smoking, drinking alcohol, over exposure to the sun and chewing tobacco, areca or betel nut. While the death rate has halved for men over 70, it has steadily increased for younger men and women in their 30s, 40s and 50s. And experts warn that some strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is usually implicated with cervical cancer, has contributed to the rise in younger people “If you don"t know the sexual history of your partner then it is always advisable to wear protection,” said Carter. “In the last ten years there has been more than a 30% rise in cases in people under 45. This is largely due to young people becoming more sexually active. If you have had more than five oral-sex partners in your lifetime, you are two-and-a-half times more likely to develop oral cancer.” Mouth cancer frequently goes unnoticed as Irish author Lia Mills, who was diagnosed in 2006, recalls. By the time Lia had gone to see her GP the patch in her mouth was painful and she had developed a lump in her neck. She was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and needed radical surgery, which included removal of her lower jaw, part of her cheek and removal of the lymph nodes in her neck, followed by extensive radiotherapy. “Regular dental examinations and early screening are vital for early diagnosis and survival,” said Carter. “Also a diet with plenty of vegetables rich in vitamin A, C and E offers protection against the development of many types of cancer including mouth cancer.” • Pull out your cheek so that you can see inside. Look for red, white or dark patches. • Then put your finger on the inside of your cheek and your thumb on the outside and check for any lumps or tenderness. Do the same on the other side. • Tilt back your head and open your mouth so that you can see the roof of your mouth. Check for any lumps or colour changes. • Stick your tongue out and look at the surface. Gently pull your tongue out and • Gently press along the floor of the mouth for any swelling or lumps. -Smoking -Chew tobacco products -Excessive drinking -Exposure to sunlight -Habits of lip or cheek biting -Ill-fitting dentures -Any ulcers or sore that do not heal within three weeks -Swelling, lumps or bumps on the lips, gums or other areas inside the mouth -White, red or dark patches in the mouth -Repeated bleeding in the mouth -Any numbness, loss of feeling or pain of the face, mouth or neck
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As science progresses, health care management is faltering Expatica,Germany Mon,31 August 2009
We have the technology, and often the money and the will, but poor management of our medical systems is preventing us from delivering quality health care, says a new report Over the past few decades, there have been astonishing innovations in the field of biotechnology. But these new capabilities have not necessarily translated into better health care worldwide, according to a new report. This advice goes as much for people living in wealthy developed nations as it does for those in the developing world. In fact, according to Khemka, health care systems that receive a lot of money (most developed nations spend at least 10 percent of their gross domestic product on health care and the US infamously spends closer to 20 percent) are vulnerable to another danger: over intervention by doctors.
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Zen and the Art of Coping With Alzheimer"sBy DENISE GRADY
< src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/js/print_todays_date.js" type=text/java> Monday, August 31, 2009
In Brief: The number of Alzheimer"s patients is expected to increase dramatically in coming years, straining the health care system. Scientists have not discovered the cause nor devised effective treatments. Even diagnosis is difficult. In the absence of therapies, attention has turned to teaching the skills necessary to cope with demented patients. Increasingly caregivers are encouraged to validate the feelings and perceptions of the person with Alzheimer"s. During the YouTube forum with the Democratic presidential candidates in July, the first question about health care came from two middle-age brothers in Iowa, who faced the camera with their elderly mother. Not everybody with Alzheimer’s disease has two loving sons to take care of them, they said, adding that a boom in dementia is expected in the next few decades. “What are you prepared to do to fight this disease now?” they asked. The politicians mouthed generalities about health care, larded with poignant anecdotes. None of them answered the question about Alzheimer’s. Science hasn’t done much better. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and no way to prevent it. Scientists haven’t even stopped arguing about whether the gunk that builds up in the Alzheimer’s brain is a cause or an effect of the disease. Alzheimer’s is roaring down — a train wreck to come — on societies all over the world. People in this country spend more than a $1 billion a year on preion drugs marketed to treat it, but for most patients the pills have only marginal effects, if any, on symptoms and do nothing to stop the underlying disease process that eats away at the brain. Pressed for answers, most researchers say no breakthrough is around the corner, and it could easily be a decade or more before anything comes along that makes a real difference for patients. Meanwhile, the numbers are staggering: 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s, 1 in 10 over 65 and nearly half of those over 85. Taking care of them costs $100 billion a year, and the number of patients is expected to reach 11 million to 16 million by 2050. Experts say the disease will swamp the health system. It’s already swamping millions of families, who suffer the anguish of seeing a loved one’s mind and personality disintegrate, and who struggle with caregiving and try to postpone the wrenching decision about whether they can keep the patient at home as helplessness increases, incontinence sets in and things are only going to get worse. Drug companies are placing big bets on Alzheimer’s. Wyeth, for instance, has 23 separate projects aimed at developing new treatments. Hundreds of theories are under study at other companies large and small. Why not? People with Alzheimer’s and their families are so desperate that they will buy any drug that offers even a shred of hope, and many will keep using the drug even if the symptoms don’t get better, because they can easily be convinced that the patient would be even worse off without it. It is telling, maybe a tacit admission of defeat, that a caregiving industry has sprung up around Alzheimer’s. Books, conferences and Web sites abound — how to deal with the anger, the wandering, the sleeping all day and staying up all night, the person who asks the same question 15 times in 15 minutes, wants to wear the same blouse every day and no longer recognizes her own children or knows what a toilet is for. The advice is painfully and ironically reminiscent of the 1960s and ’70s, the literal and figurative high point for many of the people who are now coping with demented parents. The theme is, essentially, go with the flow. People with Alzheimer’s aren’t being stubborn or nasty on purpose; they can’t help it. Arguing and correcting will not only not help, but they will ratchet up the hostility level and make things worse. The person with dementia has been transported into a strange, confusing new world and the best other people can do is to try to imagine the view from there and get with the program. If a patient asks for her mother, for instance, instead of pointing out that her mother has been dead for 40 years, it is better to say something like, “I wish your mother were here, too,” and then maybe redirect the conversation to something else, like what’s for lunch. If Dad wants to polish off the duck sauce in a Chinese restaurant like it’s a bowl of soup, why not? If Grandma wants to help out by washing the dishes but makes a mess of it, leave her to it and just rewash them later when she’s not looking. Pull out old family pictures to give the patient something to talk about. Learn the art of fragmented, irrational conversation and follow the patient’s lead instead of trying to control the dialogue. Basically, just tango on. And hope somebody will do the same for you when your time comes. Unless the big breakthrough happens first. Publish date: 8/30/07 |
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Think of Your Poor FeetBy LAURIE TARKAN
Monday, August 31, 2009
In Brief: Huge numbers of people develop foot pain in their 60s, but it can start as early as the 20s and 30s. Excessive weight, diabetes and circulation problems can contribute to foot pain. Proper footwear and regular exercise can play a crucial role in preventing foot problems. The average person walks the equivalent of three times around the Earth in a lifetime. That is enormous wear and tear on the 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons, ligaments and muscles that make up the foot. In a recent survey for the American Podiatric Medical Association, 53 percent of respondents reported foot pain so severe that it hampered their daily function. On average, people develop pain in their 60s, but it can start as early as the 20s and 30s. Yet, except for women who get regular pedicures, most people don’t take much care of their feet. “A lot of people think foot pain is part of the aging process and accept it, and function and walk with pain,” said Dr. Andrew Shapiro, a podiatrist in Valley Stream, N.Y. Though some foot problems are inevitable, their progress can be slowed. The most common foot conditions that occur with age are arthritic joints, thinning of the fat pads cushioning the soles, plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the fibrous tissue along the sole), bunions (enlargement of the joint at the base of the big toe), poor circulation and fungal nails. The following questions will help you assess whether you should take more preventive action as you age. Are you overweight? The force on your feet is about 120 percent of your weight. “Obesity puts a great amount of stress on all the supporting structures of the foot,” said Dr. Bart Gastwirth, a podiatrist at the University of Chicago. It can lead to plantar fasciitis and heel pain and can worsen hammertoes and bunions. It’s also a risk factor for diabetes, leading to the next question. Are you diabetic? Being farthest from the heart, the feet can be the first part of the body to manifest complications like poor circulation and loss of feeling, both of which can lead to poor wound healing and amputation. Diabetics should have their feet examined annually by a doctor and avoid shoes that cause abrasions and pressure. Do you have poor circulation? If you suffer from peripheral artery disease — a narrowing of veins in the legs — your feet are more susceptible to problems, said Dr. Ross E. Taubman, president of the American Podiatric Medical Association. Smoking also contributes to poor circulation. Do your parents complain about their feet? Family history is probably your biggest clue to potential problems. Do you have flat feet or high arches? Either puts feet at risk. A flat foot is squishy, causing muscles and tendons to stretch and weaken, leading to tendinitis and arthritis. A high arch is rigid and has little shock absorption, putting more pressure on the ball and heel of the foot, as well as on the knees, hips and back. Shoes or orthotics that support the arch and heel can help flat feet. People with high arches should look for roomy shoes and softer padding to absorb the shock. Isometric exercises also strengthen muscles supporting the foot. Are you double-jointed? If you can bend back your thumb to touch your lower arm, the ligaments in your feet are probably stretchy, too, Dr. Gastwirth said. That makes the muscles supporting the foot work harder and can lead to injuries. Wear supportive shoes. Do your shoes fit? In the podiatric association’s survey, more than 34 percent of men said they could not remember the last time their feet were measured. Twenty percent of women said that once a week they wore shoes that hurt, and 8 percent wore painful shoes daily. Feet flatten and lengthen with age, so if you are clinging to the shoe size you wore at age 21, get your feet measured (especially mothers — pregnancy expands feet). Do you wear high heels? “The high heel concentrates the force on the heel and the forefoot,” Dr. Gastwirth said. Heels contribute to hammertoes, neuromas (pinched nerves near the ball of the foot), bunions and “pump bump” (a painful bump on the back of the heel), as well as toenail problems. Most of the time, wear heels that are less than two and a half inches high. Do your feet ever see the light of day? Fungus thrives in a warm, moist environment. Choose moisture-wicking socks (not cotton), use antifungal powders and air out your toes at home. Have you seen a podiatrist? Minor adjustments, using drugstore foot pads or preion orthotics, can relieve the pressure on sensitive areas, rebalance the foot and slow the progress of a condition. Do you walk? Putting more mileage on your feet is the best way to exercise the muscles and keep them healthy. Publish date: 6/19/2008 |
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Does Exercise Really Keep Us Healthy?By GINA KOLATA
Monday, August 31, 2009
In Brief: While exercise can boost mood, its health benefits have been oversold. Moderate exercise can reduce the risk of diabetes in people at risk. Exercise may reduce the risk of heart disease and breast and colon cancers. Though the evidence is mixed, exercise may also provide benefits for people with osteoporosis. Physical activity alone will not lead to sustained weight loss or reduce blood pressure or cholesterol. Exercise has long been touted as the panacea for everything that ails you. For better health, simply walk for 20 or 30 minutes a day, boosters say — and you don’t even have to do it all at once. Count a few minutes here and a few there, and just add them up. Or wear a pedometer and keep track of your steps. However you manage it, you will lose weight, get your blood pressure under control and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. If only it were so simple. While exercise has undeniable benefits, many, if not most, of its powers have been oversold. Sure, it can be fun. It can make you feel energized. And it may lift your mood. But before you turn to a fitness program as the solution to your particular health or weight concern, consider what science has found. Moderate exercise, such as walking, can reduce the risk of diabetes in obese and sedentary people whose blood sugar is starting to rise. That outcome was shown in a large federal study in which participants were randomly assigned either to an exercise and diet program, to take a diabetes drug or to serve as controls. Despite trying hard, those who dieted and worked out lost very little weight. But they did manage to maintain a regular walking program, and fewer of them went on to develop diabetes. Exercise also may reduce the risk of heart disease, though the evidence is surprisingly mixed. There seems to be a threshold effect: Most of the heart protection appears to be realized by people who go from being sedentary to being moderately active, usually by walking regularly. More intense exercise has been shown to provide only slightly greater benefits. Yet the data from several large studies have not always been clear, because those who exercise tend to be very different from those who do not. Active people are much less likely to smoke; they’re thinner and they eat differently than their sedentary peers. They also tend to be more educated, and education is one of the strongest predictors of good health in general and a longer life. As a result, it is impossible to know with confidence whether exercise prevents heart disease or whether people who are less likely to get heart disease are also more likely to be exercising. Scientists have much the same problem evaluating exercise and cancer. The same sort of studies that were done for heart disease find that people who exercised had lower rates of colon and breast cancer. But whether that result is cause or effect is not well established. Exercise is often said to stave off osteoporosis. Yet even weight-bearing activities like walking, running or lifting weights has not been shown to have that effect. Still, in rigorous studies in which elderly people were randomly assigned either to exercise or maintain their normal routine, the exercisers were less likely to fall, perhaps because they got stronger or developed better balance. Since falls can lead to fractures in people with osteoporosis, exercise may prevent broken bones — but only indirectly. And what about weight loss? Lifting weights builds muscles but will not make you burn more calories. The muscle you gain is minuscule compared with the total amount of skeletal muscle in the body. And muscle has a very low metabolic rate when it’s at rest. (You can’t flex your biceps all the time.) Jack Wilmore, an exercise physiologist at Texas A & M University, calculated that the average amount of muscle that men gained after a serious 12-week weight-lifting program was 2 kilograms, or 4.4 pounds. That added muscle would increase the metabolic rate by only 24 calories a day. Exercise alone, in the absence of weight loss, has not been shown to reduce blood pressure. Nor does it make much difference in cholesterol levels. Weight loss can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, but if you want to lose weight, you have to diet as well as exercise. Exercise alone has not been shown to bring sustained weight loss.Just ask Steven Blair, an exercise researcher at the University of South Carolina. He runs every day and even runs marathons. But, he adds, “I was short, fat and bald when I started running, and I’m still short, fat and bald. Weight control is difficult for me. I fight the losing battle.” The difficulty, Dr. Blair says, is that it’s much easier to eat 1,000 calories than to burn off 1,000 calories with exercise. As he relates, “An old football coach used to say, ‘I have all my assistants running five miles a day, but they eat 10 miles a day.’” Publish date: 1/8/08 |
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Scientists claim breakthrough in growing human sperm from stem cells The Guardian, Wednesday 8 July 2009 Scientists claim to have created human sperm for the first time, in a breakthrough they say could lead to new treatment for male infertility. The sperm was grown in a laboratory in Newcastle from embryonic stem cells. Led by Professor Karim Nayernia, researchers developed a method of growing early-stage sperm from human embryonic stem cells by using retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative. They found that about 20% of the cells produced early-stage sperm cells or spermatagonia and, after further culture, they could see a number of cells continue to split and divide. The breakthrough came when some cells continued to grow, elongating and growing a tail which caused them to move, and forming recognisable sperm cells. Nayernia, of Newcastle University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (Nesci), described the cells as "fully mature, functional" sperm, which he called In Vitro Derived (IVD) sperm. He said: "This is an important development as it will allow researchers to study in detail how sperm forms and lead to a better understanding of infertility in men – why it happens and what is causing it. "This understanding could help us develop new ways to help couples suffering infertility so they can have a child which is genetically their own. "It will also allow scientists to study how cells involved in reproduction are affected by toxins, for example why young boys with leukaemia who undergo chemotherapy can become infertile for life – and possibly lead us to a solution." The scientist, who created mice sperm six years ago using similar techniques, said that he used four criteria to determine whether the cells he produced were sperm. They were: the presence of proteins specific to sperm, one of which is located in the tail and very important for activating egg division; chromosome analysis, which showed that the sperm produced contained 23 chromosomes or half of the chromosome set – this is specific to sperm cells; the shape of the sperm, which has a tail and a head; and finally the movement of the sperm – "we could clearly see the movement of the sperm using the tail". But his findings, published in the academic journal Stem Cells and Development, were met by a barrage of criticism by other scientists, who said further research was needed to determine the authenticity of his claims. Dr Allan Pacey, from the University of Sheffield, said: "As a sperm biologist of 20 years" experience, I am unconvinced from the data presented in this paper that the cells … produced by Professor Nayernia"s group can be accurately called "spermatozoa"." After watching a video clip of the cells, he said that while they possessed "some of the distinctive genetic features and molecular markers seen in sperm", there were other characteristics of human sperm that were not described in the paper, while the footage "did not have sufficient resolution" for him to properly assess how the sperm was moving, another indicative factor of sperm behaviour. Professor Azim Surani, a specialist in physiology and reproduction at the University of Cambridge, said the cells should be tested to find out how they develop inside an animal egg and added: "These sperm-like cells made in a dish from embryonic stem cells are a long way from being authentic sperm cells." Professor Robin Lovell Badge, from the Medical Research Council Institute of Medical Research, also questioned the findings, saying that "they need much better evidence that such in-vitro derived sperm are normal" but added that any progress by the team "will be very important for research" and "ultimately, although definitely not yet, fertility treatments". Nayernia responded by saying that his research paper was clearly labelled a "proof of principle" which concludes that it is in its early stages and further research is needed. He said: "We are not claiming this research is complete but we are saying that we have found human sperm." Nayernia added that his findings would not lead to human beings being produced "in a dish", but were rather "a way of investigating why some people are infertile and the reasons behind it. "If we have a better understanding of what"s going on it could lead to new ways of treating infertility."
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RSS Atom خانه ارتباط با من درباره من پارسی بلاگ 73: بازدید امروز 314: بازدید دیروز 2106130: مجموع بازدیدها |
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