1, August 2014

'Include men in breast cancer trials'

Men may find it hard to report anything in their breast, even if it is a lump, but the fact is breast cancer is not exclusive to women and though the proportion is small, men too can have it. 

Knowledge on male treatments and methods is surprisingly limited, but this may soon change as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US is now urging pharmaceutical companies to include men in breast cancer clinical trials. 

"Men have historically been excluded from breast cancer trials," said Tatiana Prowell, a breast cancer scientific lead at the FDA's Office of Haematology & Oncology Products. 

"We are actively encouraging drug companies to include men in all breast cancer trials unless there is a valid scientific reason not to," Prowell added. 

Marleen Meyers, an assistant professor specialising in breast cancer at NYU Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, said: "Male exclusion is particularly problematic at a time when many modern and promising breast cancer drugs are available only through trials". 

Male breast cancer has attracted much less attention, perhaps because the disease is less common among men than women. 

Breast cancer is about 100 times less common among men than among women, according to the National Cancer Institute. 

"It is possible that successful treatments could differ between genders," Prowell said. 

"We would not know until more men are included in breast cancer clinical trials," she added. 

Increased male enrolment in clinical trials might help redress the issue of awareness, the Daily Beast reported.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.08.2014

Pregnancy loss ups heart disease risk

Women with a history of pregnancy loss are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease later in life than other women, says a study. 

"These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that the metabolic, hormonal and hemostatic pathway alterations that are associated with a pregnancy loss may contribute to the development of coronary heart disease in adulthood," said Donna Parker from Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island in the US. 

The study stemmed from the analysis of data from the maternity experiences of a sample of 77,701 women. 

Of those, 30.3 percent reported a history of miscarriage, 2.2 percent a history of stillbirth, and 2.2 percent a history of both. 

"We found that the adjusted odds for coronary heart disease in women who had one or more stillbirths was 1.27 (95 percent confidence interval (CI), which is a measure of reliability, 1.07-1.51) compared with women who had no stillbirths," Parker added. 

"For women with a history of one miscarriage, the odds ratio was 1.19 (95 percent CI, 1.08-1.32). For women with a history of two or more miscarriages, the odds ratio was 1.18 (95 percent CI, 1.04-1.34) compared with no miscarriage," she said. 

The researchers found no significant association of ischemic stroke and pregnancy loss. 

The association between pregnancy loss and coronary heart disease appeared to be independent of hypertension, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and white blood cell count. 

The study appeared in the journal Annals of Family Medicine.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

01.08.2014

Patience with family is love, Patience with others is respect. Patience with self is confidence

31, July 2014

Kenya to manage blood banks electronically

Nairobi: Kenyans will soon be able to ascertain about their blood donation suitability via an electronically generated short message, as a blood agency is preparing itself for a digital mechanism to monitor its blood banks.

As the country fails to meet its annual demand of 400,000 units of blood, it aims to increase the number of donors so that they are able to supply enough blood at all times.

The Kenya National Blood Transfusion Services (KNBTS) will be operating fron November onwards on a digital system run on an eProgesa software, which will provide a platform for storing the donors' details and their blood safety status, Xinhua reported.

"With the software, we will be able to know donors who can make any further blood donations and if they are unsafe," KNBTS deputy director Catherine Ngugi said Wednesday.

"The software will automatically generate an electronic message that will inform the donor on her or his blood donation status and provide further advice for the need to seek medical care," Ngugi said on the conclusion of a two-week staff training on the software's usage.

Ngugi also said the digital platform will provide them with relevant information necessary for identifying people with rare blood groups and who can be contacted during the emergency needs for their particular type of blood.

Safe donors will also receive reminders generated by the software to make further blood donations during their due time span.

This, the official said, will ensure that they have a consistent supply of usable blood while they pursue other healthy Kenyans for more blood donation.

"Each year, we need 400,000 units of blood but we have not been able to meet that demand and our plan is to increase the number of donors so that we are able to supply enough blood at all times," she said.

With the digital system, the agency will be able to monitor and manage the available blood units in all its facilities across the country while ensuring distribution of the required blood types in respective hospitals.

The software, a product of the France-based Mak-System International Group, will be available without Internet connectivity, making it a relevant resource in the remote areas especially during mobile blood donation drives.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

31.07.2014

Now, miracle 'squid' pill to benefit brain, heart

London: A new supplement called Bioglan Calamari Gold pill made from squid has been launched that has five times more Omega-3 than cod liver capsules and helps in improving brain and heart function.

The product would help people who suffer from fatigue, memory problems and bad skin, which makes it the most effective way of getting your daily intake of the essential fatty acid, the Daily Express reported.

The one-a-day pill contains 40 per cent omega-3 DHA, which has been proven to help with heart health, brain function and high blood pressure. Studies also hailed the use of DHA that helps in improving cognitive function, lower the risk of arthritis and postpartum depression, improve joint health and even lower the levels of blood fats linked to heart disease.

Studies also hail the use of DHA helps improve cognitive function, lower the risk of arthritis and postpartum depression, improve joint health and even lower the levels of blood fats linked to heart disease.

It has been made from the liver of squid and would be the first of its kind in the UK. They are available for 19.99 pounds in the market.

Suzie Sawyer, Nutritionist, said that Omega-3 acids are a group of essential fatty acids which can't be created by the body and DHA was the predominant omega-3 in many of our vital organs so it was fundamental for our health.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

31.07.2014

Stay away from anger, it hurts only you

30, July 2014

Dr Harsh Vardhan’s plans to fight diarrhea

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Monday said health personnel at both the central and state levels will be mobilised to boost diarrhoea-control measures. He was speaking at the launch of the nationwide ‘Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF)’. ‘The measures are a set of activities which include enhancing advocacy, stepping up awareness generation, establishing more ORS-zinc corners, enthusing ASHA volunteers to reach oral rehydration solution (ORS) packets to families with children as well as detecting kids in need of treatment,’ the minister said.

Diarrhoea kills more than 200,000 children annually, the third biggest cause of child mortality. Harsh Vardhan said a wider role for the community will be sought in generating awareness about the simple steps that can help avoid such tragedies.  

What’s causing the diarrhoea?

Most commonly, diarrhoea is caused due to an infection, either by eating contaminated food (food poisoning), drinking unclean water or through transmission from a person who is suffering from the condition. Apart from this there are certain non-infectious conditions that can be the cause of diarrhoea. Inflammation in the stomach lining, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis (a condition where a pouch forms in the wall of the stomach and gets infected), lactose intolerance (allergy to milk), allergies to certain foods, certain medications, side effect of certain surgeries (gallbladder removal or the removal of some part of the intestine) could also cause diarrhoea.

Treatment and self-care of diarrhoea:

Keep yourself well hydrated: According to the WHO 760,000 children under the age of five die globally every year due to diarrhoea. And most of these deaths are due to dehydration. During a bout of diarrhoea one loses a lot of essential electrolytes from the body very quickly, dehydration can set in if these electrolytes are not replaced adequately. So, it is a good idea to have water with either an electrolyte solution available at any chemist shop or with salt and sugar at regular intervals. If one suffers from vomiting along with diarrhoea, it is important to have a few sips of water every twenty to thirty minutes.

Avoid fatty and spicy foods: These kind of foods are difficult to digest and can lead to further inflammation of an already troubled stomach. So, stick to easily digestible foods likekhichdi or curd rice.  

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

30.07.2014

Why a fist bump is better than a handshake!

Fist bumps are more hygienic than handshakes and drastically reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases, researchers in Britain have found. The study discovered that a handshake transfers 10 times as much bacteria as a fist bump, following a series of tests at Aberystwyth University on the west coast of Wales.

Doctor Dave Whitworth, who led the research, said the study could have a serious impact on public health. ‘People rarely think about the health implications of shaking hands. But if the general public could be encouraged to fist bump, there is a genuine potential to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.’ Researchers were able to measure the movement of germs using sterile rubber gloves, one of which was dipped into a coating of the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, before exchanging a range of greeting gestures.

The results of the research, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, showed that handshakes passed on far more of the dangerous bacteria than fist bumps or high fives. The number of germs moving between people was reduced by more than half during a high five and 90 percent in a fist bump. Experiments also found that a firmer handshake increased the level of bacteria shared between palms.

Fist bumps, famously employed by US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, are thought to be more hygienic due to their shorter duration and smaller contact area. The study was inspired by the increasing promotion of cleanliness in the workplace, including the growing use of hand-sanitisers and keyboard disinfectants.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

30.07.2014

Knowledge is the only kind of wealth that multiplies when you give it away

Peter Schwartz

28, July 2014

Night lights can wake up breast cancer cells

Sleeping at night with the lights on can not only add to your energy consumption, but also wake up breast cancer cells, a study suggests.

Exposure to light at night, which shuts off night-time production of the hormone melatonin, renders breast cancer completely resistant to tamoxifen, a widely-used breast cancer drug, the findings showed.

"High melatonin levels at night put breast cancer cells to 'sleep' by turning off key growth mechanisms. These cells are vulnerable to tamoxifen. But when the lights are on and melatonin is suppressed, breast cancer cells 'wake up' and ignore tamoxifen," said David Blask from the Tulane University in the US.

The researchers investigated the role of melatonin on the effectiveness of tamoxifen in combating human breast cancer cells implanted in rats.

Melatonin by itself delayed the formation of tumours and significantly slowed their growth but tamoxifen caused a dramatic regression of tumours in animals with either high night-time levels of melatonin during complete darkness or those receiving melatonin supplementation during dim light at night exposure.

These findings have potentially enormous implications for women being treated with tamoxifen and also regularly exposed to light at night due to sleep problems, working night shifts or exposed to light from computer and TV screens.

The study appeared in the journal Cancer Research.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.07.2014

Virus linked to obesity and diabetes found

Biologists have discovered an extremely widespread virus that could be as old as humans and could play a major role in obesity and diabetes.

More than half of the world's population is host to the newly described virus, named crAssphage, which infects one of the most common types of gut bacteria, Bacteroidetes, the findings showed.

This phylum of bacteria is thought to be connected with obesity, diabetes and other gut-related diseases.

"It is not unusual to go looking for a novel virus and find one. But it is very unusual to find one that so many people have in common. The fact that it has flown under the radar for so long is very strange," said Robert Edwards, a bioinformatics professor at the San Diego State University in the US.

In the DNA fecal samples from 12 different individuals, the researchers noticed a particular cluster of viral DNA, about 97,000 base pairs long, that the samples all had in common.

When Edwards and his colleagues checked this discovery against a comprehensive listing of known viruses, they came up empty.

This was a new virus that about half the sampled people had in their bodies that nobody knew about.

The fact that it is so widespread indicates that it probably is not a particularly young virus, either.

"We have basically found it in every population we have looked at," Edwards said.

"As far as we can tell, it is as old as humans are," he added.

The study appeared in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

28.07.2014

The pain you feel today is the strength you'll feel tomorrow

26, July 2014

Common blood thinner futile for pregnant women: Study

Toronto: A daily injection of blood thinner for pregnant women at risk of developing blood clots in their veins - a condition called thrombophilia - has been found to be ineffective, a new study showed.

For two decades. women have often been prescribed the anticoagulant low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) to prevent pregnancy complications caused by placental blood clots.

This treatment requires women to give themselves daily injections - a painful process that requires women to poke their abdomen with hundreds of needles over the course of their pregnancy.

Now, a randomised clinical trial led by Marc Rodger, a senior scientist at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, has provided conclusive evidence that the LMWH anticoagulant has no positive benefits for the mother or child.

"The LMWH treatments could actually cause pregnant women some minor harm by increasing bleeding, increasing their rates of induced labour and reducing their access to anesthesia during childbirth," Rodger and his team claimed.

Rodger's clinical trial took 12 years to complete and involved 292 women at 36 centres in five countries.

As many as one in 10 pregnant women have a tendency to develop blood clots in their veins.

"These results mean that many women around the world can save themselves a lot of unnecessary pain during pregnancy," Rodger added.

"The findings will benefit many women in many countries who will be spared from hundreds of unnecessary and painful injections. They also underscore the importance of conducting rigorous, well-designed clinical trials," said Duncan Stewart, chief executive officer of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

The study was published online in the journal The Lancet.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

26.07.2014

Bacteria linked to obesity and diabetes found

New York: Biologists have discovered an extremely widespread virus that could be as old as humans and could play a major role in obesity and diabetes.

More than half the world's population is host to the newly described virus, named crAssphage, which infects one of the most common types of gut bacteria, Bacteroidetes, the findings showed.

This phylum of bacteria is thought to be connected with obesity, diabetes and other gut-related diseases.

"It is not unusual to go looking for a novel virus and find one. But it is very unusual to find one that so many people have in common. The fact that it has flown under the radar for so long is very strange," said Robert Edwards, a bioinformatics professor at the San Diego State University in the US.

In the DNA fecal samples from 12 different individuals, the researchers noticed a particular cluster of viral DNA, about 97,000 base pairs long, that the samples all had in common.

When Edwards and his colleagues checked this discovery against a comprehensive listing of known viruses, they came up empty.

This was a new virus that about half the sampled people had in their bodies that nobody knew about.

The fact that it is so widespread indicates that it probably is not a particularly young virus, either.

"We have basically found it in every population we have looked at," Edwards said.

"As far as we can tell, it is as old as humans are," he said.

The study appeared in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

26.07.2014

Dreams are only dreams until you wake up and make them real

Ned Vizzini

25, July 2014

Silicosis risk to be discussed at national conference

With close to three million workers in India at high risk of silica exposure, of which 1.7 million do mining-related activities, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will organise a day-long conference Friday to discuss and review steps taken by the government to prevent, detect and eliminate Silicosis, a lung disorder.

The conference, at the India International Centre, will be attended by health experts, representatives of the central and state government, state human rights commission, legal experts and NGOs dealing with the problem. ‘The aim of the national conference is to discuss the status of action taken by the union Ministry of Labour and Employment and states on the earlier recommendations made by the NHRC in the prevention, detection and eventual elimination of silicosis,’ a statement issued by the commission said.

Silicosis is a lung disorder caused by inhalation, retention and pulmonary reaction to silica. It is caused as a result of exposure during mining, stone crushing and quarrying activities. ‘Once a worker or any other person is afflicted by silicosis it becomes a constitutional obligation on part of the state to take appropriate short-term and long-term measures from the point of view of providing medical facilities and rehabilitation of the victims,’ the statement added.

According to a 1999 report of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), about 3 million workers in India are at a high risk of silica exposure. Most of these workers are employed in mining-related activities, glass and mica-related work and metal industry.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

25.07.2014

UN officials highlight the rising trend of pharmaceutical misuse in India

After cannabis and heroin, the misuse of pharmaceutical drugs is rising among subcontinental drug users because of their easy availability at cheap rates and this is a cause for concern, a top UN official has said. ‘Cannabis is easily available in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Heroin is also available at cheaper rates, but there are also pharmaceutical drugs which are very cheap in this region and is a serious problem,’ Cristina Albertine, the South Asia representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), told IANS in an interview.

Recalling one of her visits to a drug rehabilitation centre in Kolkata, Albertine said: ‘I had gone to a Kolkata rehabilitation centre where all the clients were rickshaw pullers who injected heroin to cope up with the life. ‘The drugs are very cheap in the region. As you (India) are very close to Afghanistan and Myanmar, heroin is very cheap there. I guess that the regions close to productive sites get heroin at very cheap rates,’ Albertine said in the interaction at the UNODC India office here.

According to Albertine, misuse of pharmaceutical drugs poses a serious problem for India and South Asian countries because of their availability at low prices. ‘You don’t need too much financial security to be able to afford it,’ she said. Codeine-based cough syrups, diazepam and proxyvon are some of the pharmaceutical drugs that are quite popular among addicts.

‘Yaba pills are very famous in Bangladesh and Myanmar,’ Albertine added. She said once hooked on to drugs, it is very difficult to kick the habit. ‘India, Nepal and Bangladesh cultivate cannabis. Misuse of synthetic and pharmaceutical drugs is a big concern as they are produced by pharmaceutical companies in India and Bangladesh,’ Albertine said.

Talking about the sources and routes of drugs, Albertine said: ‘Opiate and heroin basically come from Afghanistan. Then it comes through Pakistan to India.’ ‘You also have some influx from Myanmar into northeast (India). Then you have the synthetic drug which comes from Southeast Asia and often through Myanmar and Bangladesh.’

The UNODC has no exact figure of drug addicts in India since the Indian government has not maintained such records since 2001, Albertine said. ‘We don’t have any national survey. India had done a survey in 2001, which was published in 2004,’ Albertine said. India has over 70 million drug addicts, according to a survey conducted by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry and UNODC. Albertine said Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have also not conducted drug surveys, though Nepal did so a while ago.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

25.07.2014

If you win, you need not have to explain...If you lose, you should not be there to explain

Adolf Hitler

24, July 2014

Simple exercises to reduce eye strain

Do you find yourself squinting your eyes and rubbing them in irritation often? Owing to the exposure of the computer screens and mobile phones in our daily lives, a lot of people have started experiencing blurred vision, itchiness and headaches on a daily basis. 

Here are a few simple exercises to help rejuvenate and reduce the strain on your eyes.

Palming
Rub your hands together for about 10 to 15 minutes till they're slightly warm, now place them upon your eyes. Don't touch the eyeballs directly, instead just keep your hands lightly over your eyes.

Repeated blinking

Blinking every three or four seconds helps in reducing eye strain. When we watch television or work on the computer we tend to blink less, allow your eyes to rest by blinking every few seconds.

Focus on a distant object

Choose an object that is about six to ten meters away from you and focus solely on it for a few seconds without moving your head much. This gives some respite to the ciliary muscles that tend to be under a lot of stress.

Eye Rolling

Try rolling your eyes, tracing as big a circle as possible. Repeat about four times, then close your eyes, focus on your breathing and relax.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.07.2014

Asthmatic? Stop worrying about smells

Are you an asthmatic and constantly worried about scents and fragrances in the surrounding air? This thought alone can actually harm you more than you can think of.

A new research reveals that simply believing that an odour is potentially harmful can increase airway inflammation in asthmatics for at least 24 hours following exposure.

"Asthmatics often are anxious about scents and fragrances. When we expect that an odour is harmful, our bodies react as if that odour is indeed harmful," said Cristina Jaen, a physiologist at Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

In the study, 17 moderate asthmatics were exposed to the odour of phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) for 15 minutes.

Often described as rose-smelling, PEA is regarded as a "pure" odourant with no associated physiological irritant qualities.

Eight participants were told that the odour had potential therapeutic properties, while nine were told that it potentially could cause mild respiratory problems.

Individuals who were told that the odour was potentially harmful rated it as more irritating and annoying as compared to those who thought it might be therapeutic.

In addition, airway inflammation increased immediately following odour exposure in subjects who believed the odour might be harmful and remained elevated 24 hours later.

The findings suggest that some fragrance effects on asthma symptoms may be related to the expectation of harm as opposed to chemical properties of the odour.

"It is not just what you smell, but also what you think you smell," Jaen noted in a paper published online in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

24.07.2014

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced

Søren Kierkegaard