20 December, 2012

Antibiotics ineffective for treating coughs

Antibiotics are ineffective in treating patients with persistent coughs caused by mild chest infections, researchers say.

The new study found that the severity and duration of symptoms in patients treated with antibiotics were no different to those given a placebo.

But experts caution that if pneumonia is suspected, antibiotics should still be used due to the disease's severity.

"Using the antibiotic amoxicillin to treat respiratory infections in patients not suspected of having pneumonia is not likely to help and could be harmful," the BBC quoted Paul Little, lead researcher from the University of Southampton, as saying.

"Overuse of antibiotics, dominated by primary care prescribing, particularly when they are ineffective, can lead to the development of resistance and have side effects like diarrhoea, rash and vomiting.

"Our results show that people get better on their own. But given that a small number of patients will benefit from antibiotics the challenge remains to identify these individuals," Little said.

In the study, the researchers randomly divided patients into two groups - one received the antibiotic and the other was given a placebo, an inert treatment in the form of a sugar pill, three times a day for seven days.

The study found little difference in the severity and duration of symptoms reported between groups. This was also true for older patients - those aged 60 years or over - who made up nearly a third of the study.

And those taking antibiotics were reported to have more side effects including nausea, rash and diarrhoea than those given the placebo.

The study has been published in the Lancet journal.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

20.12.2012

Unhealthy snacks up cancer risk

Loading up on snack foods may increase cancer risk in individuals with an inborn susceptibility to colorectal and other cancers, researchers say.

The new study suggests that an eating pattern low in snack foods could help these individuals, who have a condition called Lynch syndrome, lower their risk.

Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition characterized by a high risk of developing colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer and other cancers, at an early age.

The syndrome is caused by mutations in genes involved with repairing DNA within cells.

Numerous studies have investigated associations between certain foods and colorectal cancer, and now there is general agreement that red and processed meats and alcohol consumption can increase individuals' risk.

Only a few studies have evaluated lifestyle factors and colorectal cancer in patients with Lynch syndrome, though.

To investigate, Akke Botma from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and her colleagues collected dietary information from 486 individuals with Lynch syndrome. During an average follow-up of 20 months, colorectal polyps (precancerous lesions) were detected in 58 people in the study.

"We saw that Lynch syndrome patients who had an eating pattern with higher intakes of snack foods—like fast food snacks, chips, or fried snacks—were twice as likely to develop these polyps as Lynch syndrome patients having a pattern with lower intakes of snack foods," Dr. Botma said.

The findings of the study suggest that certain dietary patterns have an influence on the development of polyps in individuals with Lynch syndrome.

"Unfortunately, this does not mean that eating a diet low in snack foods will prevent any polyps from developing, but it might mean that those Lynch syndrome patients who eat a lot of snack foods might have more polyps than if they ate less snack foods," Botma added.

The study has been published online in the journal CANCER.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

20.12.2012

The noblest search is the search for excellence

Johnson, Lyndon B.