April 30, 2012 Clippings

Sleeping too much puts heart at risk

An Indian origin scientist has revealed that getting too little sleep - or even too much - may lead to heart problems.

Rohit R. Arora, MD, FACC, chairman of cardiology and professor of medicine, the Chicago Medical School, and his team found that adults who get less than six hours of sleep a night are at significantly greater risk of stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure.

Even those who reportedly sleep more than eight hours a night have a higher prevalence of heart problems, namely chest pain (angina) and coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.

While these findings echo those from previous, smaller studies, investigators say this is the first nationally representative sample to find an association between sleep duration and heart health, and the first to look at five different conditions at one time.

Researchers retrospectively studied approximately 3,019 patients over the age of 45 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a survey of U.S. households that assessed a broad range of health issues.

Analyses showed that people getting too little sleep were two times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack and 1.6 times more likely to have congestive heart failure. Those reporting more than eight hours of sleep a night were two times more likely to have angina and 1.1 times more likely to have coronary artery disease.

"We now have an indication that sleep can impact heart health, and it should be a priority," said Arora, the study's principal investigator.

"Based on these findings, it seems getting six to eight hours of sleep everyday probably confers the least risk for cardiovascular disease over the long term," he stated.

Dr. Arora speculates that the people sleeping more than eight hours, who report chest pains to their doctor, may have been given a greater clinical workup than people getting less than six hours of sleep, who are not presenting chest pains, which may explain why there are more significant cardiovascular events in this group; however, this needs to be evaluated in future long-term studies.

The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

30.04.2012

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try

April 28, 2012 Clippings

Women have larger pupils than men

Women's eyes may actually be different from men's as a new study has revealed that healthy emmetropic women have a bigger pupil diameter than men.

From an anatomical point of view, a normal, non-pathological eye is known as an emmetropic eye, and has been studied very little until now in comparison with myopic and hypermetropic eyes.

Normal, non-pathological emmetropic eyes are the most common type amongst the population (43.2 per cent), with a percentage that swings between 60.6 per cent in children from three to eight years and 29 per cent in those older than 66.

Therefore, a study determines their anatomical pattern so that they serve as a model for comparison with eyes that have refractive defects (myopia, hypermetropia and stigmatism) pathological eyes (such as those that have cataracts).

"We know very little about emmetropic eyes even though they should be used for comparisons with myopic and hypermetropic eyes," said Juan Alberto Sanchis-Gimeno, researcher at the University of Valencia and lead author of the study explains to SINC.

The project shows the values by gender for the central corneal thickness, minimum total corneal thickness, white to white distance and pupil diameter in a sample of 379 emmetropic subjects.

"It is the first study that analyses these anatomical indexes in a large sample of healthy emmetropic subjects," Sanchis-Gimeno stated.

In recent years new technologies have been developed, such as corneal elevation topography, which allows us to increase our understanding of in vivo ocular anatomy.

Although the research states that there are no big differences between most of the parameters analysed, healthy emmetropic women have a wider pupil diameter than men.

"It will be necessary to investigate as to whether there are differences in the anatomical indexes studied between emmetropic, myopic and hypermetropic eyes, and between populations of different ethnic origin" the researcher concluded.

The pupil is a dilatable and contractile opening that regulates the amount of light that reaches the retina. Its diameter is between 3 and 4.5 millimetres in the human eye, although in the dark it could reach up to between 5 and 9 millimetres.

The study has been published in the journal Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.04.2012

Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have

April 27, 2012 Clippings

India urged to scale up treatment for HIV positive mothers

Lauding India's efforts in providing treatment to HIV affected people, UNAIDS on Thursday urged the country to scale up its healthcare services for the benefit of HIV positive mothers and children.

"If we want zero AIDS-related deaths, India needs massive scale up of treatment and care services. By 2015, we need at least 15 million people on treatment world-wide," Charles Gilks, country coordinator for UNAIDS, said.

Gilks was speaking at the summit on good practices, innovations and impact of National AIDS Control Programme-III organised by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

The second day of the three-day Summit brought together experts and community leaders who stressed on concrete strategies that are required to strengthen care, support and treatment in the next phase of the National HIV programme.

"We have an unfinished agenda. Stigma, discrimination and denial faced by HIV positive people is still very high," Aradhana Johri, Additional Secretary, Department of AIDS, said.

While Gilks said India should focus to improve services for pregnant mothers, Mohammed Shaukat, Deputy Director General of NACO, said though the number of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres increased from 107 in 2007 to 355 in 2012, HIV positive people are accessing them at a very late stage.

"It is important for HIV positive people to start ART soon to improve the quality of life," he said.

NACO has directed all ART centres to provide ART for anyone who has a CD4 count of 350 from 250 earlier. The CD4 count determines the immunity levels of a person living with HIV.

Manoj Paradesi, living with HIV for 18 years, said there is an urgent need to listen to voices of the community.

Time has come to make drug dispensing units (ART centres) as complete Health Resource Centres which can provide quality counselling and information to HIV positive people, he said.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

27.04.2012

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm

April 25, 2012 Clippings

Breast milk has anti-cancer agents

The role of breast milk in protection against various forms of cancer has been known, but what makes it do so has remained a mystery.

Now, a new study has found high levels of cancer-fighting TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) in human milk, which might be one source of breast milk's anticancer activity.

Researchers took samples of colostrum, the first milk available to newborns, and of mature breast milk from new mothers. Researchers then obtained samples of blood from healthy women, and various ready-to-feed infant formulas.

The colostrum, mature breast milk, blood and formula were then all tested to measure their level of TRAIL.

The researchers found that colostrum and breast milk contained 400- and 100-fold, respectively, higher levels of TRAIL than blood. No TRAIL was detected in the formula.

"The important role of breastfeeding in the prevention of certain childhood cancers, such as lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, and neuroblastoma, has been previously demonstrated," the researchers wrote.

"However, endogenous soluble TRAIL represents a strong candidate to explain the overall biological effect of breastfeeding against cancer," they stated.

Mothers chosen to participate in the study were eligible because they exhibited no signs of eclampsia, infection, or fever, and delivered healthy newborns at term.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time that TRAIL has been measured in colostrum and human breast milk. This study has revealed much higher TRAIL concentrations in colostrum and breast milk compared to the levels of circulating serum TRAIL," the researchers concluded.

The study appeared in the Journal of Human Lactation published by SAGE.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

25.04.2012

Families that eat together are healthiest

Researchers have shed light on the growing scientific evidence that fewer family meals may translate to increased obesity risk and poor nutritional status, particularly among children.

Over 40 per cent of the typical American food budget is spent on eating out, with family meals often being relegated to holidays and special occasions.

Aside from negative effects on the family budget, eating out has been shown to be generally associated with poor food choices and bad health.

But getting this message out to busy parents in a way that will convince them to spend more time at the dining room table with their children is problematic at best.

To both summarize what is known about this timely topic and create a model that might be used to educate parents and other caregivers as to the importance of family mealtimes, researchers at Rutgers recently evaluated results from 68 previously published scientific reports considering the association between family mealtime and children's health.

They specifically looked at how frequency or atmosphere of family meals was related to consumption of both healthy foods (e.g., fruits and vegetables) and those considered less desirable (e.g., soft drinks).

The researchers also evaluated if scientific evidence actually supports the idea that more frequent family meals can lead to decreased obesity.

Their review of the literature revealed numerous benefits to children associated with having frequent family meals, including increased intake of fruits, vegetables, fiber, calcium-rich foods, and vitamins.

In addition, the more a family ate together the less children consumed dietary components thought to be harmful to health.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

25.04.2012

Nothing is impossible; the word itself says "I'm possible"

April 23, 2012 Clippings

Large amount of Vitamin C intake `may lower BP`

Taking large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, a new study has revealed.

However, the researchers from Johns Hopkins University stopped short of suggesting people load up on supplements.

“Our research suggests a modest blood pressure lowering effect with vitamin C supplementation, but before we can recommend supplements as a treatment for high blood pressure, we really need more research to understand the implications of taking them,” Edgar “Pete” R. Miller III, the study leader, said.

Roughly 30 percent of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, or hypertension, an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Successful treatment may include drugs, exercise, weight loss, and dietary changes such as reducing salt intake.

Some experts believe that large amounts of vitamin C, an essential micronutrient found primarily in fruits and vegetables, could lower pressure as well, but randomized, controlled dietary intervention studies — the gold standard of nutrition research — have produced mixed results.

Miller and his colleagues reviewed and analyzed data from 29 randomized, controlled, previously published clinical trials that reported systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure values and also compared vitamin C intake to a placebo.

What they found is that taking an average of 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily — about five times the recommended daily requirement — reduced blood pressure by 3.84 millimeters of mercury in the short term. Among those diagnosed with hypertension, the drop was nearly 5 millimeters of mercury.

By comparison, Miller said, patients who take blood pressure medication such as ACE inhibitors or diuretics can expect a roughly 10 millimeter of mercury reduction in blood pressure.

500 milligrams of vitamin C is the amount in about six cups of orange juice. The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults is 90 milligrams.

“Although our review found only a moderate impact on blood pressure, if the entire U.S. population lowered blood pressure by 3 milliliters of mercury, there would be a lot fewer strokes,” Miller said.

The study has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

23.04.2012

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great

April 21, 2012 Clippings

81% Indians inactive: Study

MUMBAI: Urban Indians are at higher risk of heart disease than people in the US or Western Europe, thanks to high inactivity, finds a study. The Indian Heart Watch study covered major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai as well as mid-sized towns like Agra and Rohtak.

Cities had widespread physical inactivity. Even smaller towns had a higher incidence of smoking and low intake of fruits and vegetables. The research team comprising Jaipur-based cardiologist Rajeev Gupta, said improper urban social development worsened cardiac risk factors in Indians. Around 79% of men and 83% women (who participated in the study) were physically inactive, while 51% men and 48% women had high-fat diets.

"About 60% men and 57% women were found to have a low intake of fruit and vegetables, while 12% men and 0.5% women smoke,'' the study said. Around 41% of men and 45% women were overweight. High blood pressure was reported in 33% men and 30% women, high cholesterol in a quarter of all men and women. Diabetes was reported in 34% men and 37% women.

One of the study's authors, Prakash Deedwania from the University of California, said in Dubai that India was the world's coronary and diabetes capital. His co-author, Dr Gupta said, "Improving urban planning and living conditions is critical to curb the cardio-vascular epidemic."

JJ Hospital's head of cardiology, Dr N O Bansal, said while urban Indians were guilty of low activity, fat content in desi food is not high.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

21.04.2012

Run a lap, spread the word on cancer in Mumbai

“Cancer doesn’t sleep. So, for one night, neither will we.” It is with this sentiment that 150-odd students, teachers, activists and celebrities in the city will participate in an overnight relay walkathon this Friday. The group will camp at the École Mondiale World School in Juhu at 8pm and will take turns walking or jogging around the track till 8am the next day.

Called the ‘Relay For Life’, this initiative is a worldwide movement for cancer awareness and fundraising efforts. More than 20 countries, including the US, the UK and Australia, have been participating in the event for the last 10 years now.

“It is for the first time that the Relay for Life is being held in India,” says 17-year-old Neerav Dharia, who studies at the school and is also one of the organisers of the event.

The event will begin on Friday evening with the ‘Survivors’ Lap’, which will celebrate the spirit of cancer survivors who will walk around the track together in a symbolic gesture. At the ‘Luminaria Ceremony’, candles will be lit in honour or in memory of those who have either survived or succumbed to cancer. On Saturday morning, the ‘Fight Back Ceremony’ will encourage participants to make a commitment to saving lives by taking up the fight against the disease.

“The Relay for Life is the largest movement in the world that seeks to bring together activists, doctors, victims, survivors and the general public to not just create awareness about the disease, but to also raise funds for treatment and research,” says oncologist Dr Purna Kurkure, who is associated with the Indian Cancer Society and has founded Ugam, a support group for cancer survivors.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

21.04.2012

To wish to progress is the largest part of progress

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

April 20, 2012 Clippings

Change food habit to keep your liver healthy

Every year, more than 2 lakh people in India die due to liver failure. This is because of the present sedentary lifestyle where people consume more liquor and eat junk food from roadside eateries.

On the occasion of World Liver Day, experts from the city shared tips on maintaining a healthy liver.

Liver has a large functional reserve and hence many liver diseases remain passive for a long time. “The early symptoms are non-specific, such as fatigue and loss of appetite. This may lead to stomach pain, leg swelling and jaundice. However, a few liver diseases have a lot of itching associated with them,” said Dr Poornachandra KS, consultant, gastroenterologist, Fortis Hospital.

Besides excessive intake of alcohol, the bulk of cirrhosis cases are caused by fatty liver and Hepatitis B and Hepatitis-C infections.

“While alcohol abuse is a common reason for liver disease, the current epidemic of obesity and diabetes is contributing to an increasing incidence of cirrhosis,” said Dr Mathew Jacob, senior liver transplant surgeon, BGS Global Hospitals.

“More than one lakh people are diagnosed with Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C every year. These liver diseases— primarily affect people in the age group of 30-50 years. In Bangalore alone, about 10,000 people suffer from chronic liver diseases,” said Dr ST Gopal, consultant medical gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospital.

Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C infections can damage the liver and also lead to liver cancer, he added.

To ensure that your liver is safe, it is important to know the ‘alcohol units’.One unit of alcohol is equivalent to a small glass of wine, half a pint of beer, or a single measure of spirits. “Women should not drink more than one or two units a day. Men should not drink more than two or three units a day. More importantly, one should not indulge in binge drinking,” said Dr Jacob.

Rapid weight loss may lead to fatty liver, he added. “Getting oneself vaccinated against Hepatitis-B is a must and one should never share razors, nail clippers or toothbrushes with anyone,” said Dr Jacob.

“In case of blood transfusion, one should ensure that the blood comes from a good and reliable blood bank. Also, since hepatitis can also be sexually transmitted, it’s advisable to have protected intercourse,” said Dr Gopal.

Source: www.dnaindia.com        20.04.2012

Buffett diagnosed with prostate cancer; 'not' life-threatening

In a letter to his shareholders, the Berkshire Hathaway chief said he has been diagnosed with "Stage I prostate cancer" on Wednesday and will begin a two-month treatment of daily radiation in July.

"The good news is that I have been told by my doctors that my condition is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way," the 81-year-old investor and philanthropist, said.

Buffett said he has had several medical tests, including a CAT scan, bone scan and an MRI. The tests have shown no incidence of cancer elsewhere in his body.

The radiation treatment, which will begin in mid-July, would restrict his travel during that period, but will not change his daily routine.

"I feel great – as if I were in my normal excellent health – and my energy level is 100 per cent," he said.

The cancer was detected after a medical condition prompted a biopsy, he added in the letter.
Buffett said he will inform his shareholders immediately should his health situation change, adding,
"Eventually, of course, it will; but I believe that day is a long way off."

He had, for the first time, in February said in his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders that he had chosen a successor.

Buffett, however, had not named the candidate. Indian-origin Ajit Jain, head of the company's reinsurance operations, is said to be one of the leading candidates to succeed him.

Berkshire shares rose 1.4 per cent yesterday but were down 1.8 per cent in post-market trading.

Source: www.deccanherald.com

20.04.2012

There are no gains without pains

Benjamin Franklin

List of full text free online medical journals

Sl.No.	Title	Year	Access Point
	Anesthesia
1	Anesthesiology	1950-2012	http://journals.lww.com/anesthesiology
2	British Journal of Anesthesia	1995-2011 Feb	http://bja.oxfordjournals.org
3	Anesthesia & Analgesia	1960-2011 Feb	http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org
4	Critical Care	1999-2011	http://ccforum.com
5	American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine	1999-2011	http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org
6	American Journal of Critical Care	2002-2011	http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org
	Biochemistry
1	Journal of Lipid Research	1959-2011	http://www.jlr.org
2	Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition	2004-2012	http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jcbn
3	Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry	1992-2012	http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/bbb
4	Acta Biochimica Polonica	1981-2012	http://www.actabp.pl
	Community Medicine
1	American Journal of Public Health	1970-2010	http://ajph.aphapublications.org
2	Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health	1980-2005	http://jech.bmj.com
3	Public Health Nutrition	1998-2011	http://journals.cambridge.org
4	European Journal of Public Health	1996-2011	http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org
5	Journal of Public Health	1996-2011	http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org
6	Health Promotion International	1996-2011	http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org
7	Biostatistics	2000-2010	http://biostatistics.oxfordjournals.org
	Dermatology
1	Journal of Investigative Dermatology	1938-2010	http://www.nature.com/jid/archive
2	Archives of Dermatology	1998-2011	http://archderm.ama-assn.org
3	European Journal of Dermatology	1997-2011	http://www.jle.com/en/revues/medecine/ejd
4	Annals of Dermatology	2007-2012	http://anndermatol.org
5	Journal of Cosmetic Science	1947-2007	http://journal.scconline.org/
	ENT
1	Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery	1998-2011 Feb	http://archotol.ama-assn.org
2	Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology	2008-2011	http://e-ceo.org
3	Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education	1996-2011	http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org
	Forensic Medicine
1	Romanian Journal of Legal Medicine	2007-2012	http://www.rjlm.ro
2	Journal of Medical Ethics	1980-2005	http://jme.bmj.com
	Microbiology
1	Clinical Microbiology Reviews	1988-2011	http://cmr.asm.org
2	Journal of Virology	1967-2011	http://jvi.asm.org
3	Journal of Clinical Microbiology	1975-2011	http://jcm.asm.org
4	Clinical Microbiology and Infection	1997-2011	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal
5	Microbiology	1950-2011	http://mic.sgmjournals.org
6	Journal of Medical Microbiology	1968-2011	http://jmm.sgmjournals.org
	Ophthalmology
1	Archives of Ophthalmology	1998-2011	http://archopht.ama-assn.org
2	British Journal of Ophthalmology	1917-2005	http://bjo.bmj.com
3	Clinical and Experimental Optometry	1997-2010	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal
4	Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology	1994-2011	http://journals.lww.com/jneuro-ophthalmology
	Orthopedics
1	Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (American)	1950-2001	www.jbjs.org
2	Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (British)	1950-2012	www.jbjs.boneandjoint.org.uk
3	Acta Orthopedia Belgica	1991-2011	www.actaorthopedica.be
4	Rheumatology	1996-2010	http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org
5	Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases	1939-2005	http://ard.bmj.com
	Pathology
1	American Journal of Pathology	1950-2011	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc
2	Modern Pathology	2000-2010	http://www.nature.com/modpathol/journal
3	American Journal of Clinical Pathology	2000-2011	http://ajcp.ascpjournals.org
4	Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine	1999-2012	http://www.archivesofpathology.org
	Pediatrics
1	Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine	1998-2011	http://archpedi.ama-assn.org
2	Pediatrics	2000-2011	http://pediatrics.aappublications.org
3	Archives of Disease in Childhood	1970-2005	http://adc.bmj.com
4	Pediatric Research	1967-2010	http://www.nature.com/pr/archive
5	Journal of Perinatology	1999-2007	http://www.nature.com/jp/archive
	Pharmacology
1	British Journal of Pharmacology	1968-2011	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals
2	British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology	1997-2011	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal
3	Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology	2000-2012	http://www.jpp.krakow
4	American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education	1994-2012	http://www.ajpe.org/
5	Journal of Pharmacological Sciences	2003-2012	http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jphs
	Physiology
1	Physiological Reviews	1998-2011	http://physrev.physiology.org
2	Physiology	1998-2011	http://physiologyonline.physiology.org
3	Journal of Physiology	1980-2011	http://jp.physoc.org
4	American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism	2000-2011	http://ajpendo.physiology.org
5	Journal of General Physiology	1960-2011	http://jgp.rupress.org
6	American Journal of Physiology: Cell Physiology	2000-2011	http://ajpcell.physiology.org
7	Journal of Applied Physiology	2000-2011	http://jap.physiology.org
8	American Journal of Physiology: Renal Physiology	2000-2011	http://ajprenal.physiology.org
9	American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology	2000-2011	http://ajpheart.physiology.org
10	American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology	2000-2011	http://ajpgi.physiology.org
11	Physiological Research	1998-2012	http://www.biomed.cas.cz/physiolres
12	Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology	2000-2012	http://www.jpp.krakow
	Surgery
1	Annals of Surgery	1980-2007	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals
2	Archives of Surgery	1999-2011	http://archsurg.ama-assn.org
3	Canadian Journal of Surgery	2000-2012	http://www.cma.ca
4	Scandinavian Journal of Surgery	2002-2011	http://www.fimnet.fi/sjs