31, October 2014

UV-activated membrane may replace injections for premature babies

According to a study appeared in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, drugs can be delivered to premature babies via a plaster rather than an injection. Instead of using injections or probes, it will in future be possible to deliver drugs to premature babies via a plaster. Researchers have developed a UV-activated membrane, which releases a gentle dose of medication to the skin of a patient. The plaster, which delivers drug through the membrane, can be simply stuck to the skin of the premature baby, after which it will provide the tiny patient with a continuous dose of, say, caffeine for several hours, without stressing the child as an injection would have done.

For some years now premature babies have been given caffeine to prevent respiratory arrest. The membrane developed at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology changes its properties when it is irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light. ‘A similar effect is seen in photochromatic sunglasses, where silver-doped glass reacts to UV light by darkening,’ the researchers noted. ‘In the new medicinal membranes, however, another light-sensitive chemical group, called spiropyrans, is active,’ they added.  

When activated, these make the membrane more permeable, so that the drug is able to pass through it more rapidly, a capability which is retained for several hours. In the absence of UV irradiation, the membrane simply prevents the active agent from permeating through it.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

31.10.2014

Living in urban area doesn’t improve health outcomes in people with heart disease

A study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes suggested that people living in rural areas are at an equal risk of dying due to heart disease as their urban counterparts, unlike suggested by earlier research that health outcomes are different for those living in rural and urban areas.

The study, carried out by researchers at Women’s College Hospital in Ontario and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and led by an Indian-origin scientist, shows that regardless of the fact that people in rural areas don’t have proper access to health care they are not at an increased risk of dying due to heart disease compared to those living in urban areas who have all the facilities.

This the first ever study examining outpatient quality of care between urban and rural communities. The study analysed records of more than 38,000 people with chronic ischemic heart disease living in either urban or rural areas. According to the analysis, people living in rural areas had lesser specialist visits but visited hospital emergency departments more frequently for care. They were prescribed statins less often, were tested less frequently for cholesterol and blood sugar levels but experienced a similar risk of hospitalisation and death compared to urban counterparts.

These observations contradicts all existing research that suggested gaps in care for those living in rural areas and urban areas. ‘Research has long suggested people with heart disease in rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to access to health care and longevity,’ said Dr Sacha Bhatia, lead author of the study and a cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital. ‘Our study shows once a patient leaves the hospital their overall health outcomes are similar regardless of where they live,’ said Bhatia.

The researchers said while those living in rural areas access their care differently, it did not result in poor health outcomes. ‘From our study, we know that people with heart disease in rural areas tend to rely heavily on emergency departments for their care because of a lack of outpatient access to family doctors and specialists,’ said Bhatia.  

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

31.10.2014

Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny

          Lao Tzu

30, October 2014

Study: New blood substitute may be safer than donor blood

A new blood substitute has been developed which could be a safer and more effective alternative to using donor blood.

The substance, described as ‘superior to blood in many ways’ by a study in the journalArtificial Cells, Nanomedicine and Biotechnology, can be stored for 320 days at room temperature, compared to normal blood which can only last for one day. This makes it easier to access, transport and therefore more suited to emergency situations when blood is urgently needed. Unlike blood, it can be heat treated to inactivate infectious agents.

The substance is created by crosslinking haemoglobin, superoxide dismutase, catalase and carbonic anhydrase to form a soluble polyHb-SOD-CAT-CA nanobiotechnoloigical complex. Not only can it perform all the functions of a red blood cell, but each element has been enhanced by increasing the concentration of enzymes.

Professor Thomas Ming Swi Chang, lead author of study said:

‘During the HIV crisis in the late 1980s there was a real push from the scientific community to develop an effective blood substitute, to help stop the spread of the disease through blood transfusions. This led to 20 years of intensive R&D, but this only resulted in simple oxygen carriers in the form of PolyHb, for those conditions that only require an oxygen carrier.

Now that HIV is no longer a threat in donor blood for many countries, R&D in this area has again slowed down. We cannot afford to let history repeat itself, waiting until another major epidemic forces our hand to carry out more research. Thankfully, what we’ve shown here could well be a promising step forward towards a complete red blood cell substitute that we’ve been waiting for’.

The study tested the substance on rat models undergoing severe hemorrhagic shock, an emergency condition in which severe blood and fluid loss make the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. The new blood substitute performed better in the tests than donor blood. Results showed that in addition to supplying the needed oxygen, it was able to remove carbon dioxide and oxygen radicals from tissues more effectively, better maintain blood pressure and reduce the chance of a heart attack and damage to other vital organs.

Chang continued:

‘On top of halting the spread of disease, an effective blood substitute could provide huge help during major accidents or large-scale wars. We hope the potential of our approach will raise awareness of this issue, and expedite further research in all approaches around the world.’

Source: http://informahealthcare.com/

30.10.2014

Daylight saving associated with public health benefits

We all like the light evenings and dread the clocks going back, but it has now been shown that more hours of waking daylight may be beneficial to our health. Research published today (just before the end of UK daylight saving) shows that permanent adoption of daylight saving could increase the amount of physical activity in children.

Activity was recorded in over 23,000 children aged 5–16 years from nine countries (including Australia, England, Norway, Portugal and USA) using electronic devices that measure body movement.  The levels of activity were then compared according to the time of sunset and were shown to drop markedly when sunset was brought forward by an hour.

It was found that the children’s total daily activity levels were 15-20% higher on days when the sun set after 21:00 than on days with sunsets before 17:00.  The difference was still evident after adjusting for weather conditions and was particularly marked in European and Australian populations. The researchers estimated that extending evening daylight by one hour would provide 200 extra waking daylight hours per year and increase the level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by 6% per child per day.

The study author Anna Goodman, of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said:

This study provides the strongest evidence to date that, in Europe and Australia, evening daylight plays a role in increasing physical activity in the late afternoon and early evening – the ‘critical hours’ for children’s outdoor play. Introducing additional daylight savings measures would affect each and every child in the country, every day of the year, giving it a far greater reach than most other potential policy initiatives to improve public health.

The effect of sunset time on children's activity levels applied equally to girls and boys, irrespective of weight, and across different socio-economic backgrounds. 

Ashley Cooper, Professor of Physical Activity and Public Health at the University of Bristol, concludes:

While the introduction of further daylight savings measures certainly wouldn't solve the problem of low physical activity, we believe they are a step in the right direction.

Proposals to permanently shift the clocks forward by an hour have been debated in both the UK and Australia. By demonstrating that the introduction of additional daylight saving measures in Europe and Australia could yield worthwhile public health benefits, this study may provide additional support in favour of such a move.

Source: http://informahealthcare.com/

30.10.2014

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed

Theodore Roosevelt

29, October 2014

Two cups of tea per day can keep risk of ovarian cancer away

London: There's some good news for ladies! A new study has shown that women, who drink two cups of tea a day, face one-third less risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA), studied the dietary habits of 171,940 women aged between 25 and 55 for more than three decades, and found that both tea, and citrus fruits and their juices had the capacity to significantly lower the risk of developing the disease, the Daily Express reported.

Lead researcher, Prof Aedin Cassidy said they discovered that the women who consumed foods high in flavonoids had a significantly lower risk of developing ovarian cancer, which is also known as the "silent killer" as its symptoms emerge after the disease has advanced notably.

They found that compounds like tea and citrus fruits and juices contained flavonoids, powerful compounds with strong disease-fighting properties, and that a couple of cups of tea, particularly black tea, per day, could reduce the risk by 31 percent.

The research was the first to broadly examine the six major flavonoid subclasses present in the normal diet with ovarian cancer risk, and the first to investigate the impact of polymers and anthocyanins.

Earlier in 2012, researchers from the Curtin University in Perth, Australia, had found that drinking tea from an earlier age could slash the risk of ovarian cancer in old age.

The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

29.10.2014

Hair disorder could signal dental decay

Washington: If you are experiencing hair fall problems, your teeth may require extra care as researchers have found that hair disorder could increase risk of dental decay.

Keratins, proteins associated with strong hair, are important for tooth enamel, the findings showed.

Individuals with mutations in hair keratin genes are prone to cavities, the findings showed.

The researchers found that tooth enamel from individuals with keratin mutations had abnormal structure that resulted in weakness.

"Our results identify a genetic locus that influences enamel structure and establishes a connection between hair disorders and susceptibility to dental caries," said Maria Morasso from National Institutes of Health in the US.

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body and has a unique combination of hardness and fracture toughness that protects teeth from dental caries, the most common chronic disease worldwide.

"Epithelial hair keratins, which are crucial for maintaining the integrity of the sheaths that support the hair shaft, are expressed in the enamel organ and are essential organic components of mature enamel," the researchers said.

The study involved genetic and intra-oral examination data from 386 children and 706 adults.

The researchers found that individuals harbouring known hair disorder-associated polymorphisms in the gene encoding keratin 75 (KRT75), KRT75A161T and KRT75E337K, are prone to increased dental caries.

A functional keratin network is required for the mechanical stability of tooth enamel, the findings showed.

The study appeared in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

29.10.2014

Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness

Pearl S. Buck

28, October 2014

New leukaemia drug kills 90% of the cancer in its first dose

A revolutionary leukaemia drug has given hope to patients as it kills nearly 90 per cent of their cancer in the first dose. Gazyva, which so powerful it can send patients into shock, comes with a whopping 42,000 dollar bill, News.com.au reported.

Though the drug has been approved for use in Australia but not yet subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and has some serious side effects including increased risk of infections, including lower white blood cell counts and reduce the ability of the blood to clot, fever, cough, and muscle and joint pain.  

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year showed Gazyva delayed the progression of the cancer in patients using the drug in combination with an older chemotherapy by 26.7 months, 15 months longer than progression free survival in patients using standard treatment.  

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

28.10.2014

Communication tools can strengthen parent-child relationships

A new study has claimed that children’s relationship satisfaction with their parents is modestly influenced when they connect with their parents through several communication tools, such as cell phones, email, social networking sites. The study conducted at the University of Kansas showed that that adding an additional channel of communication has a modest increase in relationship quality and satisfaction.

Schon had 367 adults between the ages of 18 and 29 fill out a survey on what methods of communications they used to connect with their parents, how often they used the technology and how satisfied they were in their relationship with mom and dad. Among other items, communication methods included landline phones, cell phones, texting, instant messaging, Snapchat, email, video calls, social networking sites and online gaming networks.

Jennifer Schon, a doctoral student in communication studies, said that a lot of parents might resisted new technologies as they did not see the point in them, or they seem liked a lot of trouble but this study showed that while it might take some work and learning, it would be worth it in the end if one was trying to have a good relationship with their adult child.

Schon said that a parent’s basic communication competency, in other words, their ability to get a message across effectively and appropriately, was the best indicator for how happy the child was in the relationship. Schon added that when there was a significance difference in parental satisfaction, it always favored mothers, who the participants had more access with and it was much easier to reach mothers than fathers particularly on cell phones.

The study is published online in the journal of Emerging Adulthood.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

28.10.2014

People believe in those who believe in themselves

27, October 2014

Jet lag can make you fat

Frequent fliers should read this. According to researchers, disruption of the circadian clock alters the rhythms and composition of the microbial community in the gut, leading to obesity and metabolic problems.

"The findings suggest that people with chronically disturbed day-night cycles due to repetitive jet lag or shift work have a tendency to develop obesity and other metabolic complications," said senior study author Eran Elinav from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

In the study, Elinav and his team discovered rhythmic fluctuations in abundance of microbes and their biological activities at different time of the day.

When mice were exposed to changing light-dark schedules and abnormal 24 hour feeding habits, the microbial community lost its rhythmic fluctuations and changed in composition.

Moreover, a high-fat diet caused these jet-lagged mice to gain weight and develop metabolic problems associated with diabetes.

"Similarly, jet lag in two people who have travelled from the US to Israel changed the composition of gut microbes, favouring the growth of bacteria that have been linked to obesity and metabolic disease," Elinav claimed.

The findings highlight a new therapeutic target that may be exploited in future studies to normalise the microbiota in people whose lifestyle involves frequent alterations in sleep patterns, such as shift workers and very frequent fliers.

"Targeting the harmful changes in the microbiota in these large human population with probiotic or antimicrobial therapies may reduce or even prevent their risk of developing obesity and its complications," Elinav concluded.

The study was published in the journal Cell.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

27.10.2014

Do you wake up with a headache?

Have you been waking up with a headache quite often these days? If yes, then it's high time to stop neglecting it. Start with finding out what triggers the pain. The reasons can vary from improper sleep to a shrill alarm or a bad night bulb. 

In fact, it a proven fact that migraines are often triggered off in the mornings.

Make sure that your mind and body is well rested.

Try to go to bed early. Inadequate sleep is one of the major triggers of migraine.

If you wake up with a headache, try a steam inhalation. Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in hot water and inhale the vapour.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

27.10.2014

Let your FAITH be BIGGER than your fear

25, October 2014

New test makes early detection of insulin disease in infants possible

A study that appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics reveals a new clinical test developed by researchers from the University of Manchester in Britain for detection of a rare insulin disease in infants (congenital hyperinsulinism). ‘We have discovered a new clinical test which can identify congenital hyperinsulinism in some patients with no known genetic cause of the disease,’ said lead researcher Karen Cosgrove.

Congenital hyperinsulinism is a rare disorder that deprives a baby’s brain of blood sugar. It may lead to brain damage and even death if it is not identified at an early stage. The condition occurs when pancreatic specialised cells secrete excess levels of insulin that causes frequent episodes of low sugar level. The new test measures a pair of hormones called incretins that are released by specialised cells in the gut when food is passing through. These hormones normally convey the cells in the pancreas to release more insulin to regulate sugar levels in our blood. If the child’s body releases too much incretin hormones, the pancreas will release too much insulin causing low blood sugar levels.

For the study, genes and hormones were analysed in 13 children with congenital hyperinsulisnism at the Manchester Children’s Hospital.  ‘Although we are the first researchers to report high incretin hormone levels in patients with congenital hyperinsulinism, further studies are needed to see if our test works on a larger group of patients,’ Cosgrove noted. Current treatment of the disease includes drugs to reduce insulin release but in the most serious cases the pancreas is removed.

‘In future the test may influence how these children are treated medically, perhaps even avoiding the need to have their pancreas removed,’ Cosgrove pointed out.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

25.10.2014

Now, electronic ‘EyeCane’ that allows the blind to ‘see’

A new Electronic travel aids (ETA), the ‘EyeCane,’ has been developed that is tactile and provide auditory cues that can enhance the mobility of blind users. The new ETA developed by a team of researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, expanded the world of its users, allowing them to better estimate distance, navigate their environment, and avoid obstacles.  

Recent improvements have streamlined the device so its size and weight of less than 100 grams and could be easily held and pointed at different targets, while increasing battery life. The authors conducted a series of experiments to evaluate the usefulness of the device for both blind and blindfolded sighted individuals. The aim of the first experiment was to see if the device could help in distance estimation.  

The results have shown that even after less than five minutes of training, participants were able to complete the tasks successfully. This short training was required, as it made the device much more user friendly. White Canes were cumbersome and provided low-tech assistance to the visually impaired. The study was published inRestorative Neurology and Neuroscience.  

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

25.10.2014

Today will never come again. Be a friend.Encourage someone.Take time to care.Let your words heal, and not wound

21, October 2014

Health hazards of being chained to the desk

Spend long hours at your desk to return home aching? Try these simple at-your-seat exercises to loosen up. 

Being desk-bound for nine hours a day is a reality most young professionals can't escape. The bad news is that this static lifestyle is also a recipe for an impending disaster putting you at risk for obesity, chronic back pain, poor posture, and tense muscles. Those of who rarely part from the keyboard often develop carpal tunnel syndrome (a hand and arm condition that causes pain, numbness and tingling), too. 

Supriyaa Nair, consultant nutritionist and fitness expert, adds, in order to combat this you must optimise three parameters - what you eat, sleeping patterns and your exercise routine. Most individuals focus only on one or two instead of all three. 

"Workout," says Nair, "is a form of stress, so it is equally essential to supplement it with nourishing food and rest." 

If lack of time is your rue, aside of a short 15-minute walk in the middle of your long workday, practise these simple exercises, recommended by fitness experts, at your desk. 

Source: www.timesofindia.com

21.10.2014

Good night's sleep key to learn new skills

Know what does it take to learn guitar or piano faster? A good night's sleep.

New research has provided great insights into the role of sleep in learning motor skills requiring new movement sequences.

According to scientists at University of Montreal, the regions of the brain below the cortex play an important role as we train our bodies' movements and, critically, they interact more effectively after a night of sleep.

"After a night of sleep, we found that brain networks were more integrated, that is, interaction among these regions was greater when consolidation had occurred," said Karen Debas, a neuropsychologist at University of Montreal.

A network refers to multiple brain areas that are activated simultaneously.

According to Debas, a night of sleep seems to provide active protection of this network, which the passage of daytime does not provide.

"Moreover, only a night of sleep results in better performance of the task," Debas added.

To get these results, researchers led by Julien Doyon from Institut universitaire de geriatrie de Montreal Research Centre, taught participants a new sequence of piano-type finger movements on a box.

The brains of the participants were observed using functional magnetic resonance imaging during their performance of the task before and after a period of sleep.

The same test was performed by a control group at the beginning and end of the day, without a period of sleep.

They observed improved performance of the task after a night of sleep and not the simple passage of daytime.

The findings could lead us to better understand the mechanisms that take place during sleep and ensure better interaction between key regions of the brain, researchers concluded.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

21.10.2014

Happiness is not something ready made; it comes from your own actions

20, October 2014

The season you were born in might be the reason for your mood swings

According to a recent research the risk of developing mood disorders is impacted by the season in which you are born in. People born at certain times of year may have a greater chance of developing certain types of affective temperaments which, in turn, could lead to mood disorders (affective disorders).  

‘Biochemical studies have shown that the season in which you are born has an influence on certain monoamine neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, which is detectable even in adult life. This led us to believe that birth season may have a longer-lasting effect,’ said Xenia Gonda, assistant professor from the department of clinical and theoretical mental health at the Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. The team looked at over 400 participants and matched their birth season to personality types in later life.

The group found that cyclothymic temperament (characterised by rapid, frequent swings between sad and cheerful moods), is significantly higher in those born during summer in comparison with those born during winter. ‘Hyperthymic temperament – a tendency to be excessively positive – were significantly higher in those born in spring and summer,’ Gonda added. Those born during winter were significantly less prone to irritable temperament than those born at other times of the year.

While those born during autumn show a significantly lower tendency to depressive temperament than those born during winter, the researchers noted. ‘Temperaments are not disorders but biologically-driven behavioural and emotional trends. Although both genetic and environmental factors are involved in one’s temperament, now we know that the season at birth plays a role too,’ concluded professor Eduard Vieta from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CNP). This work was presented at the European College of CNP Congress in Berlin recently.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

20.10.2014

Now your iPhone can help keep your eyes healthy

Researchers have successfully used an iPhone app for imaging the inside of the eye of immobile and paediatric patients. The team used the iExaminer smartphone system and an iPhone to image 28 paediatric patients with a diverse range of retinal and optic nerve conditions.

The system consists of a PanOptic Ophthalmoscope (a lighted instrument to examine the inside of the eye) and an adapter that attaches the ophthalmoscope to an iPhone to enable taking photos and videos. It can image key structures of the back of the eye in a single view without necessarily requiring dilation drops. The associated app facilitates capture, storage and transfer of data.This also makes it possible for real-time tele-medicine consultation without violating patient identity as no external facial features are revealed.

‘This system could be useful not only to ophthalmologists but also physicians, hospitals and general practitioners,’ said lead researcher Jiaxi Ding from the Ross Eye Institute at University at Buffalo in the US. Because it can instantly capture photos and videos of the back of the eye through an undilated pupil, ‘there is potential for prompt tele-medicine consultations with an ophthalmologist and getting preliminary triage answers to the patient more quickly than waiting for standard office referral,’ he added. Photography plays a critical role in documenting and tracking the progression of eye diseases. The results were shared at ‘AAO 2014′ – the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

20.10.2014

Don’t trust too much; don’t hope too much because that too much can hurt you so much

18, October 2014

Men with diabetes and low testosterone levels at a greater risk of heart attacks

If you are a man and have diabetes, this news is for you. A new study has found that low testosterone levels in men with diabetes could increase their risk of heart disease . The study found that men who have low testosterone levels and type 2 diabetes are more likely to have atherosclerosis – a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries – than men who have diabetes and normal testosterone levels, the findings showed. ‘The results of our study advance our understanding of the interplay between low testosterone and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes,’ said study co-author Javier Mauricio Farias from Hospital Universitario Sanatorio Guemes in Argentina. (Read: 5 foods that all diabetics should avoid)

Atherosclerosis occurs when fats, cholesterol and other substances build up in and on the walls of the body’s arteries. This can restrict blood flow through the body’s blood vessels. The plaques also can burst and cause blood clots. ‘Our study indicates a strong association between low testosterone concentration and the severity of atherosclerotic plaques as well as other key atherosclerotic markers in middle-aged men with Type 2 diabetes,’ Farias added.  

The study involved 115 men with Type 2 diabetes. The participants were younger than age 70 and had no history of cardiovascular disease. The study found men who had low testosterone and Type 2 diabetes were six times more likely to have increased thickness of the carotid artery and endothelium dysfunction compared to men with normal serum testosterone levels. The findings appeared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

18.10.2014

Drinking soft drinks ages you 4 times faster

Love drinking sugar-sweetened, fizzy sodas? Well, you might just be doing a lot of damage to your health, especially your bones. According to a new study daily consumption of a 20-ounce sugar-sweetened soda is associated with 4.6 years of additional biological ageing – effects that are comparable to that of smoking – a new study has warned. Soda consumption might promote disease independently from its role in obesity, according to researchers from the University of California, San Francisco who found that drinking sugary drinks was associated with cell ageing. The study found that telomeres – the protective units of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes in cells – were shorter in the white blood cells of survey participants who reported drinking more soda.

The length of telomeres within white blood cells – where it can most easily be measured – has previously been associated with human lifespan. Short telomeres also have been associated with the development of chronic diseases of ageing, including heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.

‘Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence disease development, not only by straining the body’s metabolic control of sugars, but also through accelerated cellular ageing of tissues,’ said Elissa Epel, professor of psychiatry and senior author of the study. ‘This is the first demonstration that soda is associated with telomere shortness,’ Epel said. ‘This finding held regardless of age, race, income and education level. Telomere shortening starts long before disease onset. Further, although we only studied adults here, it is possible that soda consumption is associated with telomere shortening in children, as well,’ Epel said.

Based on the way telomere length shortens on average with chronological age, the UCSF researchers calculated that daily consumption of a 20-ounce soda was associated with 4.6 years of additional biological ageing. This effect on telomere length is comparable to the effect of smoking, or to the effect of regular exercise in the opposite, anti-ageing direction, according to UCSF postdoctoral fellow Cindy Leung, from the UCSF Center for Health and Community, lead author of the study. The authors cautioned that they only compared telomere length and sugar-sweetened soda consumption for each participant at a single time point, and that an association does not demonstrate causation.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Source: www.thehealthsite.com

18.10.2014

Everyone has the same amount of time in a day. The difference is what you decide to do with it. …

17, October 2014

Psoriasis could lead to high BP

New York: Patients with severe psoriasis - a common skin disease - are more likely to have uncontrolled hypertension, found a study.

The researchers defined uncontrolled hypertension as blood pressure measured to be at least 140/90 mm Hg.            Additional findings indicated that there is a significant dose-response relationship, meaning that the likelihood of uncontrolled hypertension increases with greater psoriasis severity.

The patients with the highest risk of having uncontrolled blood pressure, are those with moderate to severe psoriasis, which is defined as having at least three percent of one's body surface affected by the disease, the findings showed.

"To our knowledge, ours is the first study to evaluate the effect of objectively determined psoriasis severity on blood pressure control," said co-first author on the study Junko Takeshita from the University of Pennsylvania in the US.

The researchers examined data from a random sample of psoriasis patients included in The Health Improvement Network (THIN), an electronic medical database based in Britain.

"Over the last several years, studies have shown that psoriasis, specifically severe psoriasis, is an independent risk factor for a variety of comorbidities, putting patients suffering with this common skin disease at an increased risk of other conditions such as heart attack and stroke," Takeshita added.

"Knowing that psoriasis is tied to other health conditions, it's vital that we have a better understanding of the systemic effects it has on other areas of the body so that we can more closely monitor these patients and provide better and preventative care" Takeshita concluded.

The findings appeared in the journal JAMA Dermatology.

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

17.10.2014

Washing hands can prevent disease, death: Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi: The deaths of children due to preventable causes is "shameful" and simple measures like hand-washing which can prevent it should be promoted, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Wednesday.

"Hand-washing is likely to become the strongest possible public health movement. This prevents deaths in children," he said at an event to mark the Global Hand-washing Day here. "It is a shame that we are not able to avoid deaths which are entirely preventable," he said.

The minister said that as part of the National Health Assurance Mission, the government was planning to focus on preventive and positive health.

He added: "This would be followed by providing Ayush drugs." Harsh Vardhan said that in the next couple of months, the government was planning a slew of programmes to promote a healthy lifestyle.

He said: "I urge you to make health a social movement."

Global Hand-washing Day, observed Oct 15 every year, is a campaign to motivate and mobilise millions around the world to wash their hands with soap as a key approach to disease prevention.

The health minister said: "Hand-washing does not cost anything at all because one uses the same soap for various other reasons. It is a simple and effective intervention."

After signing on a board supporting the hand-washing campaign, Harsh Vardhan urged all sections of society, irrespective of age and social background, to be partners in the social movement on health.

He said: "All countrymen are invited to be part of this."

WHO's Country Representative Nata Menabde said that Global Hand-washing Day has a significance in the Indian context.

She said: "It is a simple and inexpensive way to reduce the disease burden. Today, it is aligned to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Source: www.zeenews.india.com

17.10.2014

The past cannot be changed; the future is yet in your power

Mary Pickford