October 1, 2012 Clippings

Regular screening must for epilepsy patients

A new study has revealed that routine screening for psychiatric, cognitive and socialproblems could enhance the quality of care and quality of life for children and adults with epilepsy.

The study was conducted by UC Irvine neurologist Dr. Jack Lin and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Amedeo Avogadro University in Italy.

Physicians who treat those with epilepsy often focus on seizures, Lin said.

However, patients show an increased prevalence of psychiatric issues (mood, anxiety or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders), cognitive disorders (in memory, language or problem solving) and social difficulties (involving employment or personal interactions).

The relationship between epilepsy and these complications is complex and poorly understood.

Lin said they might present greater problems for a patient if left untreated.

"Screening for psychiatric, cognitive and social comorbidities is essential not only in established cases but also with newly diagnosed epilepsy. By doing so, we can ensure that these issues are treated and that patients have a better quality of life," Lin said.

He emphasized that screening should also be conducted prior to any new drug treatment.

Problems that occur in conjunction with childhood and adult epilepsy are referred to by doctors as comorbidities, meaning that they have a greater than coincidental chance of appearing alongside each other though there is not necessarily a causal relationship between them.

The study suggests a number of possible factors responsible for these comorbidities, including the characteristics of epilepsy and its medication protocol, underlying brain disorders, and epilepsy-related disruptions of normal neurodevelopment and aging.

While experts have begun to recognize the effects of psychiatric, cognitive and social comorbidities in epilepsy, Lin noted, gaps remain in the early detection, treatment and prevention of these issues.

Her study appeared in The Lancet.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.10.2012

Pune woman becomes third in country to get lung transplant

Secunderabad-based Yashodha Hospitals has succeeded in performing its first lung transplant, the third such transplant in the country, on a 34-year-old Pune-based woman.

The hospital's Chief Cardiothoracic Transplant and Minimal Access Surgeon AGK Gokhale and Senior Consultant Anaesthetist Subramanyam gave a new lease of life to the patient, who suffered from a lung condition called interstitial fibrosis, where lungs become stiff and oxygen does not go into the blood through the lungs.

Doctors treating her in Mumbai had suggested a lung transplant, as both her lungs were damaged, making her bed-ridden and dependent on external supply of oxygen since months.

When the family members of a brain-dead patient agreed to donate, Gokhale and his team performed a 14-hour surgery, successfully transplanting the lung. The patient has been doing well since the transplant, though she will be under observation for another three to six months.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

01.10.2012

Change what you can change and acknowledge and accept what you can’t

Rod Williams

September 29, 2012 Clippings

72% corporate employees at a higher risk of heart attack: ASSOCHAM Survey

29th September is World Heart Day

Everybody knows that the corporate sector is usually more stressed that other sectors, but according to a recent survey conducted by ASSOCHAM on the occasion of ‘World Heart day’, nearly 72% of the corporate become more prone for the cardiovascular diseases due to high stress levels, strenuous schedules, lack of physical activity and poor eating habits.

The survey further discloses that night shift workers are 52% more at risk than day workers of suffering a heart attack or stroke and also have higher levels of unhealthy activities such as eating junk food, sleeping badly and not exercising, which are linked to heart problems.

The report included the major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chandigarh, etc. Delhi ranks first afflicted to heart disease followed by Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Hyderabad. “Inactive lifestyle, lack of exercise and poor eating habits are making millions of urban Indians face a high risk of heart disease” said Mr. D S Rawat, Secretary General of ASSOCHAM.

Dr. B K Rao, Chairman of ASSOCHAM Health committee, said, “Shift work has long been known to disrupt the body clock and be linked to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes”. The shift work is defined as evening shifts, irregular or unspecified shifts, mixed
schedules, night shifts and rotating shifts.

“Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death and accounts for deaths every year. This is due to a number of factors, including a global shift in diet towards increased energy, fat, salt and sugar intake, and a trend towards decreased physical activity”, added Dr. Rao.

As per ASSOCHAM’S corporate employees’ survey result, 72 per cent of the survey respondents are suffering from heart disease followed by obesity and depression with 21 per cent of the respondents suffering these lifestyle disorders. High blood pressure (12 percent) and diabetes (8 percent) are the fourth and fifth largest disease.

Source: http://health.india.com                              29.09.2012

Once you choose hope,

anything is possible

Christopher Reeve

September 28, 2012 Clippings

Birth control pill for men may be reality within decade

Scientists have been predicting the debut of a birth control pill for men within 5 years for the last 30 years, but when it will actually come is big question.

The factors accounting for that delay — and new optimism that a male pill will emerge within a decade — are the topic of a story in the current edition of Chemical and Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world''s largest scientific society.

In the story, Michael M. Torrice, C 'n' EN associate editor, describes the need for a male version of the oral contraceptive pill that revolutionized family planning 50 years ago.

For example, there are few choices of contraceptives for men, half of all U.S. pregnancies are unintended, and those pregnancies cost state and federal programs about 11 dollars billion annually.

Despite that need, the few pharmaceutical companies working to develop a male pill have discontinued research during the last five years.

The story explains the scientific and regulatory hurdles in developing new contraceptives and describes promising new research on so-called non-hormonal male contraceptives.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.09.2012

Black market implants threatening lives in US

Many women in the US seeking curves like Hollywood celebrities are increasingly turning to the black market for plastic surgery, little realising its deadly consequences.

During a preliminary hearing in a Mississippi court earlier this week, prosecutors said 37-year-old Karima Gordon died in March after being injected in the buttocks with a silicon-like substance.

Morris Garner, 52, a transgender man, is facing murder charges in the case.Authorities say Gordon wanted to be a model and found Garner through the Internet, reports said.

Attorney General’s Office investigator Lee McDivitt testified Monday that the Georgia medical examiner, who performed an autopsy on Gordon, said she died from an embolism as the injected foreign substance blocked the flow of blood to her arteries.

“Brain surgery would probably be a less invasive surgery than having to remove the buttocks of this victim all the way down to the meat and bone to get all of this substance out of her,” testified McDivitt.

Earlier this month, Barbara Nieto (29), a New York spa owner, pled guilty to unauthorised practice of profession.

Nieto was sentenced to two years in prison and fined for illegally performing liposuction and administering butt-lifting injections to a woman who nearly died of septic poisoning.

Another black market plastic surgery that made headlines in April was when the Miami police told media about Oneal Ron Morris, 30, who performed buttocks injections on a number of patients using a mixture of cement, mineral oil, and Fix-a-Flat tire sealant. She then sealed the incisions with super glue.

After two women who had the procedure ended up sick and deformed, Oneal was arrested. Since then, several more alleged victims came forward to share their stories.

Some of the victims in these black market plastic surgery cases didn’t live long enough to share their stories.

In early 2011, a 20-year-old British woman traveled to a US hotel room for buttocks implants and later died.

Source: www.dnaindia.com

28.09.2012

To succeed, we must first believe that we can

Michael Korda

September 27, 2012 Clippings

Even 5 year olds suffer heart damage

Obesity is putting more and more of our children at risk of high blood pressure and cholesterol, which can damage their hearts, according to a study.

The study found that blood pressure of obese kids is 40 per cent higher than that of healthy youngsters and they have up to nine times more cholesterol in their blood, the Daily Mail reported. Oxford academics warned that even in children as young as five, their arteries have become lined with fatty deposits so their hearts have to work harder to pump blood.

The study that involved nearly 50,000 five to 15-year-olds found the hearts of obese children were enlarged compared with those of youngsters who were a healthy weight.

And the blood pressure and cholesterol of some was already so high that unless they change their lifestyles, they could be 40 per cent more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke in adulthood.

"It's almost like a ticking time bomb of damage going on in their hearts and blood vessels," the paper quoted Dr Matthew Thompson, one of the study's authors, as saying.

Although researchers have long known that obese children tend to have slightly higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, they were shocked at the differences compared with those of normal weight -particularly in obese girls, who had far higher blood pressure than healthy youngsters.

The researchers also found cholesterol levels, measuring fatty deposits in the arteries, were between 7.5 and nine times higher than normal.

"The relationship between obesity in children and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure was much greater than we anticipated," said Researcher Dr Carl Heneghan, reader in evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford.

"The magnitude of the effect of obesity upon increasing cardiovascular risk in children is deeply worrying in terms of their future risks of heart disease," he noted.

The researchers believe obese children's hearts gradually become enlarged due to the strain of having to pump blood through the partly blocked blood vessels. Although they are unlikely to suffer a heart attack or stroke soon, they will be at far higher risk by the time they reach adulthood.

The finding was published in the British Medical Journal.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

27.09.2012

New MCI course evokes resentment among doctors

There is wide resentment among medical fraternity following the decision of Medical Council of India (MCI) to introduce B Sc in community health course after 12th class. MCI had taken the decision to deal with the shortage of doctors in rural areas.

As per MCI, B Sc community health degree holder will be trained mainly in district hospitals and placed in primary health centers and will be taught “some module of clinical work” which lets This means such degree holders can actually diagnose and treat basic medical cases, get involved in immunization programmes and administer extended first aid.

Medical practitioners lament that three-and-a-half-year degree course in community medicine that will be started from April next will lead to contradiction as students with allopathic and AYUSH degrees are already doing the same work. According to them, instead of creating more unemployed youth, the government should rather improve medical facilities in the rural areas.

There is high unemployment among AYUSH doctors in the country and the new course will only lead to resentment within the community. Union government should rather train unemployed AYUSH doctors for six months and allow them to work to meet scarcity of medical officers in rural areas” said Dr Dilip Acharya, President of the Indian Medical Association-MP branch, as reported in a leading daily. “What if they take advantage of their degree and start practicing in urban areas?” he added.

The AYUSH medical officer association too is not keen about the new course. “A large number of people with AYUSH degrees are already unemployed. Government should initiate action to provide job avenues to them first,” said Dr S D Jadhav, president, AYUSH medical officer association.

Source: http://health.india.com

27.09.2012

Those who can adapt to change are those who will continue to grow

Justin Ramalho

September 26, 2012 Clippings

IVF gaining popularity among villagers: Expert

With a success rate of nearly 40 per cent, in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) has been steadily gaining popularity among rural couples suffering from infertility, an expert said here Wednesday.

"On an average, one out of every 14 couples suffers from infertility in the country. With a success rate of nearly 40 percent, IVF has been a boon for infertile couples and the treatment has been steadily gaining popularity among the rural population," said gynecologist and IVF expert Gautam Khastgir.

Khastgir associated with the city-based Bengal Infertility and Reproductive Therapy Hospital (BIRTH) said that of all his patients nearly 60 percent came from rural areas of the state.

"With drastic life style changes, pollution and lack of hygiene, infertility has been on the rise in rural areas. However, the good thing is people are now becoming more aware and conscious and are opting for IVF to get rid of infertility. Rural population across the country suffering from infertility is now opting for IVF," said Khastgir.

On the urban front also infertility has also been on the rise with obesity, strenuous life and drinking and smoking being the chief reasons for the malady.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

26.09.2012

It is an equal failing to trust everybody, and to trust nobody

September 24, 2012 Clippings

Blood test to predict premature birth

Delivery before 37 full weeks, so-called preterm delivery, is the biggest problem in perinatal medicine today, as it increases the risk of the child being seriously ill in the short and long term.

The problem is that only 30 per cent of women who come in with early contractions actually give birth before full term.

Now, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have developed a method to predict if pregnant women with preterm contractions will give birth within seven days.

The method offers new possibilities to delay delivery and prepare care for the premature baby.

The researchers studied 142 pregnant women who came to Sahlgrenska University Hospital during the years 1995-2005 with early contractions without rupture of the membranes.

As a result of the study, the researchers have developed a new method that can predict with high precision if a pregnant woman with contractions will give birth within seven days.

"To have time to give the woman cortisone, which speeds up the development of the fetal lungs, it is common practice to delay the delivery by a couple of days with the help of tocolytic treatment. Being able to predict if a woman who comes to the hospital with preterm contractions will actually give birth early and thereby requires follow-up and possible treatment is therefore very important," said Panagiotis Tsiartas, researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg and specialist at the Obstetrical and Gynecological Clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

The method is based on a newly developed blood test that looks at two specific proteins in the woman's blood combined with an already established examination that uses ultrasound to measure the length of the cervix.

"Statistically, the method can predict with 75 to 80 per cent accuracy if a woman will give birth early," said Panagiotis Tsiartas.

"We will need to conduct further studies before the method can be used in full, but if the results of these studies are good, the test will hopefully lead to new types of treatments to prevent premature birth and treat the serious complications resulting from it," Panagiotis Tsiartas added.

Their work has been published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.09.2012

Three Pakistani docs joins 300 Indian ones at Punjab health camp for the poor

Three doctors from Pakistan joined over 300 Indian physicians during a mega medical camp for free treatment of patients Sunday at the Badal village – the native village of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The three Pakistani doctors checked scores of patients with their Indian counterparts at the village, located 180 km from Chandigarh.

Addressing the gathering after inaugurating the medical camp, Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil said such initiatives would play a pivotal role in further strengthening the ties between India and Pakistan. This would promote mutual cooperation and people-to-people contact, he added. Patil said that frequent visits of the medical fraternity of both countries would not only upgrade their medical and diagnostic skills but would also go a long way in providing quality health care facilities to people of the subcontinent. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal urged all doctors in Punjab to devote at least one day to treat poor patients free of cost at medical camps. While honouring the doctors from Pakistan, Badal thanked them for participating in the medical camp here.

Source: http://health.india.com

24.09.2012

Painkillers more fatal than heroin and cocaine put together!

A new report suggests that prescription painkillers kill more people in US than heroin and cocaine combined. Experts from the Prescription Drug Monitoring Programme (PDMP) Centre of Excellence at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management systematically assessed prescription drug monitoring programmes and found a patchwork of strategies and standards.

“An epidemic of prescription drug abuse is devastating American families and draining state and federal time, money and manpower,” said Hal Rogers, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. ”Law enforcement and health officials are doing heroic work and, thankfully, this report provides a road map to help them further.”

”Being proactive is the key to success in the fight against prescription painkiller abuse,” said John L. Eadie, Director, PDMP Centre Brandeis University. ”While doctors may routinely collect and report data to a state programme that signals where and when prescription painkillers are likely being misused, the programme might not share that information with others who can best use it.” By the end of 2001, the report found that 16 states had authorized the creation of prescription drug monitoring programmes; within 11 years that number had grown to 49. Today, 41 states have programmes in operation, according to a Brandeis statement.

Source: http://health.india.com

24.09.2012

The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you

B. B. King

September 22, 2012 Clippings

Soak in salt water bath to ease arthritis

Scientists have a simple way to battle the agony of arthritis - soaking in a bath of salt water.

They say the saline solution reduces painful inflammation of the joints.

Even ordinary table salt in high concentrations can be used and, unlike conventional drugs, there are no unpleasant side effects.

"This research opens up exciting opportunities. What we've identified has the potential to be used to help so many patients," the Daily Express quoted Vincent Compan, of Manchester University's Faculty of Life Sciences, as saying.

Dr Compan and Dr Pablo Pelegrin found cells in the bodies of arthritis sufferers expand but salt water can reduce the swelling by dehydrating them. The salt worked the same whether it was injected into the body or absorbed through the skin via bandages soaked in saline or bathing.

"We have found that hypotonic solutions (low in salt) strongly activate inflammation at molecular level. Conversely, the use of hypertonic solutions (high in salt) was a potent inhibitor of such inflammatory signals at molecular level," Dr Pelegrin said.

"Therefore, osmotherapy (dehydration) with hypertonic solutions could be beneficial in the management of inflammatory joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, either by prolonged soaking or by vapour pressure techniques," he noted.

The results were published in the journal Immunity.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

22.09.2012

Men and women different when it comes to illness

Men and women do not have the same propensity to develop certain diseases, researchers have shown.

Everyone is not the same when it comes to illness. In fact, the risk of developing a disease such as diabetes or heart disease varies from one individual to another.

A study led by Emmanouil Dermitzakis, Louis-Jeantet Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), reveals that the genetic predisposition to develop certain diseases may differ from one individual to another depending on their sex.

Together with his collaborators, the professor has shown that genetic variants have a different impact on the level of gene expression between men and women.

For decades geneticists have been interested in genetic variants that affect the level of gene expression. These variants spark the interest of researchers because they play a role in the predisposition to certain diseases.  Professor Dermitzakis' team from UNIGE, in collaboration with Oxford University, focused on the fundamental differences in the genetics of gene expression between men and women.

After analyzing the impact of genetic variants on the level of gene expression in women, and then in men, the scientists have found that the effect of certain variants affecting gene expression and the genetic risk of developing a disease resulting from these genetic variants is different depending on the sex of the individual.

The researchers found that even with the same DNA mutation in men and in women, the impact on the level of gene expression will be different. Of all the genetic variants that have an impact on the level of gene expression, about 15 per cent work differently depending on whether they are acting upon a man or a woman.

"We already knew that certain environmental factors like diet had a variable impact depending on the sex of an individual," Professor Dermitzakis said.

"Today, we are able to confirm that genetic variants have a different impact on the level of gene expression in men and women; that is to say that although two individuals of opposite sex both have a same variant predisposing them to a disease, they will not have the same propensity to develop it," Professor Dermitzakis added.

The study has been published in the scientific journal Genome Research.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

22.09.2012

Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles

Alex Karras

September 21, 2012 Clippings

Pune cop with a vision inspires others to donate eyes

For the first time in the history of the Pune police, 25 policemen have volunteered to donate their eyes after being inspired by deputy commissioner of police (headquarters), Shirish Sardeshpande.

The cops signed up for donation during a camp organised by Ruby Hall Clinic at Shivajinagar headquarters on September 6. Salamander, the incharge of Gandhinagar headquarters, has been conducting various programmes for policemen. Speaking to DNA, he said, “It was an impromptu decision. While overseeing the arrangements at one of the camps organised at the recreation hall, I noticed that the camp for eye donation was deserted. I went there out of curiosity and asked a couple of questions. The doctors at the counter informed me about the procedure. Immediately, I decided to donate my eyes. I felt proud after signing the form. ” Soon , 25 policemen followed his example.

Sardeshpande said, “We did not insist on any of the policemen. They took the decision on their own.”

“Every person should donate eyes. I hope the number would increase after other police personnel also think seriously about it,” he said.

An eye bank technician from Ruby Hall Clinic, Aaba Thokale, said, “We never expected such a positive response at our first eye donation camp for city cops.”

Ruby Hall Clinic has been conducting such camps for information technology firms in the city for the past couple of years.

DCP pledges to donate body

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vishwas Pandhare told DNA, “Every part of the body is important. I have already donated my eyes, and have decided to donate other parts of my body as well.”

Source: www.dnaindia.com

21.09.2012

World Alzheimer’s Day 2012: Cases on the rise in India

With an increasing elderly population falling prey to it, Alzheimer’s disease, a kind of dementia, stands as one of the biggest health threats in India, say doctors. The disease caused by the degeneration of brain cells and nerves, impacts functioning of the brain, effecting day-to-day activities by its victims. Though the causes of the disease are not completely known yet, India has almost a fourth of the world’s Alzheimer’s patients, with doctors adding that underreporting is the biggest problem.

“The biggest problem with Alzheimer’s disease is that it is highly underreported,” says Sanjay Kumar Saxena, head of the neurology department at Fortis Hospital in the national capital. “There are around 18-19 million dementia patients in the world and around a quarter of them are in India. There is an acute lack of facilities to detect or treat patients with Alzheimer’s, so patients get ignored. In the west, they are much better off,” says Saxena.

“In India, one in 20 people over 60 years of age and five in over 80 years age are suffering from AD (Alzheimer’s Disease). With the population of elderly people in our country increasing, prevalence of AD is also going to increase,” says Najeeb Rehman, Consultant, Neurology, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences. He also highlights that more women suffer from it compared to men. “Men and women are both equally at risk, but in developed countries more women are suffering from AD. It is a reflection of higher longevity of life among women than men,” he says. According to the Dementia India Report 2010, it is estimated that over 3.7 million people are affected by dementia in our country. This is expected to double by 2030.

The disease causes a total loss of the ability to carry on simple day-to-day jobs like eating, talking, and other things. Patients lose memory, and have to be taken care of continuously. Often, social stigma related to this disease, which is commonly seen as mental illness, creates the biggest problem. ”The stigma attached to the disease effects the family, because the patient is not aware of what is happening to him,” says Saxena.

Pandey adds that the focus should be on spreading awareness related to the disease. “The focus should be on activities such as educational seminars, awareness walks and other programs and events to dispel myths surrounding Alzheimer’s and dementia and know the facts. This would also enable the communities to become more Alzheimer-friendly,” he adds.

Source: http://health.india.com       21.09.2012

When helping others, do not look for a reward; if you are looking for rewards, don't help others

September 20, 2012 Clippings

Single kids at a 50% higher risk of being obese

Single children may be suffering from more than just loneliness. According to a new study, Scientists have found that single children are at a 50% higher risk of being overweight or obese than those with siblings. The study comprised of 12,700 children in eight European countries, including Sweden.

The study was conducted under the aegis of the European research project Identification and prevention of dietary and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS), focussing on the effects diet, lifestyle and obesity have on children between the ages of two to nine years.

A questionnaire handed out to the parents of these children measured various parameters including their BMI( Body mass index) , eating habits, TV watching habits and the amount of outdoor play time they get. As reported by the journal of Nutrition and Diabetes. The study shows that only children play outside less often, live in households with lower levels of education more often, and are more likely to have televisions in their bedrooms, said study co-author Monica Hunsberger, researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. “But even when we take these factors into account, the correlation between singleton status and overweight is strong. Being an only child appears to be a risk factor for overweight independent of the factors we thought might explain the difference”, adds Hunsberger, according to a Gothenburg statement.

The fact that only children are more susceptible to obesity may be due to differences in individual family environment and family structure that we were not able to measure in sufficient detail, said Lauren Lissner, researcher at the Sahlgrenska. Over 22 million children in Europe are estimated to be overweight. The study shows that obesity among children in general is three times more common in southern countries such as Italy, Spain and Cyprus than in Sweden and other northern countries.

Source: http://health.india.com

20.09.2012

Breakthrough in asthma research

Scientists may have hit upon an effective way to block asthma attacks by identifying the two most significant biological triggers that bring them on.

Researchers from the Universities of California-San Francisco (UCSF), Johns Hopkins and Duke universities demonstrate that these two triggers for asthma are tied to a specific calcium-activated chloride channel, called TMEM16A.

They regulate airway secretions and smooth muscle contraction, the two major factors linked with asthma attacks, according to the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences".

"Maybe if we could inhibit both of these processes by blocking this one channel, we could affect the two symptoms of asthma," said senior study author Jason Rock, assistant professor of anatomy at UCSF.

Asthma, a respiratory disorder that causes shortness of breath, coughing and chest discomfort, results from changes in the airways that lead to the lungs.

It affects 18.7 million adults and 7.0 million children in the US alone, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Normally, humans have few mucus-producing cells. Those suffering from asthma, however, have an elevated number of these cells lining the tubes that lead to the lungs.

"The overabundance of mucus plugging the airways combined with hyper-contractility of the smooth muscle - when the tubes get really small - make it difficult to move air in or out," Rock said. "A lot of people equate that feeling with breathing through a straw."

Rock and colleagues focused on a calcium-activated chloride channel called TMEM16A. This channel secretes chloride ions, besides regulating biological processes such as neuron firing, gastrointestinal activity and the secretion of sweat and tears.

The authors identified three chemicals that inhibit the channel. "We tested the ability of these chemicals to inhibit TMEM16A and other channels, and we found that they specifically block TMEM16A," Rock said.

"It is great that we came across these molecules that were unknown previously since we can now try to get into clinical trials to benefit patients," said Rock.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

20.09.2012

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future

Paul Boese

September 18, 2012 Clippings

Don't stand for too long when pregnant

Standing for long durations during pregnancy may curb the growth of the developing foetus, a new study has revealed.

Previous research had indicated that long working hours might increase the risk of birth defects, premature birth, stillbirth and low birth-weight.

The researchers assessed that the foetal growth rates of 4680 mothers to be from early pregnancy onwards between 2002 and 2006.

Midway through their pregnancy, the women were quizzed about their work conditions and the physical demands of their jobs, including whether these included lifting, long periods of standing or walking, night shifts and long working hours.

Around four out of 10 (38.5 per cent) of the women spent a long time on their feet and 45.5 per cent had to walk for long periods. Heavy lifting was part of the job for just 6 per cent, while around 4 per cent worked night shifts.

The development of their babies was regularly measured throughout pregnancy, using ultrasound, and then again at birth. The results showed that physically demanding work and long working hours were not consistently associated with restrictions on overall size or birth-weight, or with premature birth.

And working up to 34 or 36 weeks of pregnancy had no adverse impact on foetal development.

But women who spent long periods on their feet during their pregnancy, in jobs such as sales, childcare, and teaching, had babies whose heads were an average of 1 cm (3 per cent) smaller than average at birth, implying a slower growth rate.

Around half the women (47.5 per cent) worked between 25 and 39 hours a week, while around one in four (23 per cent) worked more than 40 hours a week.

And those who worked more than 40 hours a week had smaller babies than those who worked under 25 hours a week.

The authors comment that generally women who are in work have fewer pregnancy complications, birth defects, and stillbirths than women who are unemployed, but that certain aspects of work may not be without risk.

The research was published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

18.09.2012

Asthmatic kids may suffer severe anxiety

Young children with severe or persistent asthma are more likely to develop many common mental health problems like anxiety and depression, an Australian study says.

University of Western Australia (UWA) psychologist and study co-author Monique Robinson said their findings build on previous studies which have found that as the severity of asthma increases, so do problems such as anxiety and depression.

"We were interested in understanding the link between asthma in early childhood and mental health problems later on as little is known about the relationship," Robinson said, the journal Psychological Medicine reports.

"We looked at whether the link was present for mild as well as severe asthma, and whether the link depended on asthma symptoms being persistent throughout childhood as opposed to asthma that lessens as the child grows older," added Robin, according to an UWA statement.

The study used western Australian data from the Raine Study to determine whether children who had asthma at five years were vulnerable for later mental health problems through to the age of 17 years.

The research team found that having asthma at age five was tied to a higher vulnerability for the later development of problems such as anxiety, conduct problems and affective problems.

When the children with asthma were separated into groups depending on the severity of their condition, children with mild asthma were no different to those without asthma in terms of mental health outcomes, but children with severe or persistent asthma were seen to be the most at risk of future mental health problems.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

18.09.2012

Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today, and you make your tomorrow

L. Ron Hubbard