21 May, 2013

Balding, an indicator of heart disease?

Check for these physical characteristics that could be indicators of future health problems

Heart disease

As if losing your hair wasn't bad enough, follicle-challenged men are now said to be at significantly greater risk of heart disease. Men with baldness at the crown of their heads are a third more likely to develop coronary artery disease, with Japanese researchers suggesting that men who lost their hair earlier in life are at especially high risk. Research published in the British Medical Journal had a look at six studies involving 37,000 men to report these startling findings.
How to prevent it: The good news is risks of heart disease can be greatly reduced. Simple measures like making sure you get enough exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet will keep your heart in check. Avoid drinking and smoking, which are the key causes of heart disease.

Short index finger

Osteoarthritis
Strange as it may seem — and also bad news for women — if your index finger is shorter than your ring finger you could be twice as likely to develop osteoarthritis in the knees. According to a 2008 study in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, such people tend to have lower levels of oestrogen, which could contribute to the onslaught of osteoarthritis. How to prevent it: There is a lot of speculation regarding links between hormones and osteoarthritis, however most doctors would advise that risk can be minimised by avoiding injury and staying as healthy as possible. Eat a balanced diet, look after your joints and maintain a healthy weight.

Short legs

Liver disease

A 2008 study by Bristol University indicated that women with legs between 20 and 29 inches in length tended to have higher levels of four enzymes, which indicated liver disease.
How to prevent it: Research suggests that there is a connection between fat distribution and liver function. The liver is a vital organ. A healthy diet and a low alcohol intake will help keep your liver working to its full potential.

Short arms

Alzheimer's
Women with shorter arm spans are 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in Neurology. Experts believe women who measure less than 60 inches fingertip to fingertip may have had nutritional deficits in childhood, predisposing them to cognitive decline.

How to prevent it: Keeping your brain active is key. Brain food includes oily fish and folic acid.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

21.05.2013

Big egos don't produce good results in exams, says research

Students who think they deserve the best marks are among those most likely to fail in exams, a research suggested.  Researchers from the University of Otago tracked the progress of 300 marketing students and found bigger egos don't necessarily produce better results, the Australian Associated Press reported.

Growing evidence suggests younger generations have a rocketing sense of entitlement, leaving researchers curious as to how well people with excessive belief in their self-worth actually achieve, the report said.  Those with an exaggerated belief in what they deserve tended to do worse in their exams than those who took personal responsibility and were internally motivated for success, study leader Donna Anderson says.

These more ego-driven students were more likely to fail when they found the exam more difficult than expected, when compared with other students who also found the test surprisingly challenging, the study says.

This indicates that high expectations and extra stress don't go well together.

It also supports the notion that students who are excessively entitled believe that other people are responsible for their success or failure, and so are less motivated to put in more effort when required, Dr Anderson says.  The results, published in the International Journal of Higher Education, are the first internationally to prove that so-called "excessive entitlement" interferes with actually achieving success in the face of the challenge of university study.

Psychology lecturer Jamin Halberstadt, who oversaw the study, says there is a growing body of evidence suggesting those in Generation Y tend to have an inflated sense of entitlement.

He says this is "highly problematic" in an education system that is becoming more user pays. "When you pay for your degree it becomes more like a product you purchase and with that can come these expectations of what you deserve to get in return," said Professor Halberstadt.

Source: www.indianexpress.com

21.05.2013

Winning isn't getting ahead of others. It's getting ahead of yourself

ROGER STAUBACH

20 May, 2013

Bill Gates commends India’s effective anti-polio campaign

Expected to be the hardest, polio eradication was made possible in India thanks to social mobilisation and mapping of houses refusing the vaccine, according to Microsoft’s Bill Gates. ‘The two things that were done super well were social mobilization and mapping where the houses were,’ Gates, who has made global health and, in particular, the total eradication of polio his top priority this year, said in a media interview published Friday.

‘Dealing with refusals is a huge part of this,’ he told the Washington Post. Usually there are 10 to 20 percent refusals, but rumours like that the US government uses vaccination campaigns to sterilise Muslim women lead to much higher refusals. ‘When somebody would refuse to take the vaccine, they would mark it down and they would have either a political leader or religious leader come in and convince them,’ Gates said.

Gates, who is in Washington to talk to members of Congress about his mission, believes wiping out a disease like polio is ‘completely achievable. Perhaps even by the end of 2013’. The Bill Gates Foundation, he said, was also able to cut down the childhood death rate due to diarrhoea, respiratory disease and malaria – ‘all vaccine preventable stuff’ -by over 50 percent in some places in India by just training the mother.

‘But the worker has to engage with the patient, hopefully speak the same language or be of the same caste so that they’re willing to trust the advice that they’re getting,’ Gates was quoted as saying. Polio was paralysing 360,000 children a year around the world when the World Health Organization started its eradication mission in 1988. It was brought down to below 10,000 by 2000 and stayed flat from 2000 to 2010.

‘And so in 2010, the polio community got together and said, ‘Look, are we going to succeed or not?’ And so there were a lot of improvements made, those led to finally getting done in India in 2011.’ Gates was quoted as saying. ‘And India was expected to be the hardest and the last.’

Source: http://health.india.com

20.05.2013

Beware of high stress jobs, they may lead to death

A stressful job can change the way body handles fat, resulting in raised cholesterol levels and even a heart disease, almost fatal for anyone. According to Spanish researchers, stressful situations affect how the body metabolises fat – ultimately leading the body with too much ‘bad’ cholesterol,’ reports dailymail.co.uk.

New research shows that stress can lead to dyslipidemia, which is a disorder that alters the levels of fats and lipoproteins in the blood. Researchers at the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital in Malaga and the Santiago de Compostela University analysed the relationship between job stress and different parameters associated with how fatty acids are metabolised in the body.

Specifically, people who suffered from job stress were more likely to suffer from abnormally high levels of bad cholesterol, excessively low levels of good cholesterol (the ‘good’ cholesterol) and were more likely to develop blocked arteries. ‘One of the mechanisms that could explain the relationship between stress and cardiovascular risk could be the changes in our lipid profile, which means higher rates of plaque accumulation (leading to hardening) of the arteries,’ said Carlos Catalina, clinical psychologist and an expert in work-related stress.

Source: http://health.india.com

20.05.2013

The beginning is the most important part of the work

PLATO

18 May, 2013

Hypertension: India's silent killer

Fast-moving lifestyles, unearthly hours at work, stress, addiction to alcohol and unhealthy meals are making more and more Indians fall prey to high blood pressure at a very young age.
"The biggest problem with hypertension is that there are no symptoms. Thus people tend to be unaware that they have hypertension," Ravi Kasliwal, senior cardiac consultant at Medanta-the Medicity, told us.

"High blood pressure (BP) is a major public health problem in India and its prevalence is rapidly increasing among both urban and rural populations. In fact, hypertension is the most prevalent chronic disease in India," he said.  A classic case is of Samir Soni, who like any other 23-year-old, was coping with work at a call centre and the demands of a fast moving city till one day he suffered a stroke at work.

Doctors say the Soni case is typical of urban Indian youth who silently suffer from high blood pressure without realising it and which ultimately leads to such major health problems like strokes.

Blaming Indian food habits and a sedentary lifestyle, Kasliwal said: "Most of us grab snacks like namkeens and samosas when hungry between meals. Not only do these have a high salt content but they are also sources of trans-fats."

Vipul Roy, senior consultant at the Indraprastha Apollo hospital told us: "Youths are very casual about their health. Most of the time they are glued to TV sets or computers and have very little time for exercise."

Roy advocated an awareness regimen among the young about the perils of hypertension, including special health classes at the school level.

In India, experts say a large number of people are in the pre-hypertension category - BP of 130/90 against the normal range of 120/90. People with BP of above 140/90 are considered to be in the hypertension category.

The prevalence of hypertension ranges from 20-40 per cent in urban adults and 12-17 per cent among rural adults.

Experts estimate that the number of patients in India with high BP is likely to rise from about 140 million in 2008 to nearly 215 million by 2030 along with an increase in the risk of complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems and other serious illnesses.

Given the seriousness of the problem, WHO has selected hypertension as its theme for 2013.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

18.05.2013

Soon a detailed study on diabesity: Doctors

A study will be conducted across India to explore better therapy to control the double-barrel menace of diabetes coupled with obesity, doctors said Thursday.

"We have found that Indian population is predisposed to obesity at a younger age and diabetes is a growing menace. The study will be ethnic-specific. We will conduct the study in south, central and north India," said Deep Goel, director, bariatric surgery, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

"With the help of various institutions, we will start the study in a couple of months," Goel said.

The detailed study across the country on diabesity (diabetes plus obesity) will be supported by University of Dresden, Germany and Beijing Genomics Institute of China. BLK Super Speciality Hospital in the national capital is the nodal centre in India for the study.

According to the doctors, mostly affluent urban Indians are now obese and obesity is increasing rapidly among urban school children.

The populations which was under-nourished for a long time are now exposed to the overnourishment of the modern world through globalisation and westernisation, which has led to increased consumption of junk food, said Praneet Kaur, CEO, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

"With the bad fat nutritional history of the developing world, the epidemic is exploding in developing countries. In order to address this, the study will help to explore various modalities and therapeutic interventions," Kaur said.

Indians are more vulnerable to diabetes because genetically they have a higher percentage of body fat to muscle compared to Europeans.

As per the doctors, the fat is usually deposited around the abdomen, where it interferes with insulin and increases sugar levels in the blood, causing diabetes in people with a low body mass index.

The study will also discuss about safety, durability of diabetes recovery and long- term outcome of surgical diabetes therapy.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

18.05.2013

No evil can happen to a good man, neither in life nor after death

PLATO

17 May, 2013

Need cautious effort to eradicate polio: Experts

Even as India is less than a year away from being declared polio free, experts on Thursday asked for cautious administration of vaccine to keep the virus in check. ‘India reported the last wild polio virus type 1 case in Howrah, West Bengal, on Jan 13, 2011. If the eradication effort is complacent now, polio could rebound quickly, potentially paralysing thousands of children a year,’ Deepak Kapur, chairman India National Polio Plus Committee said in a meeting here.

The committee is a volunteer body that is entrusted with spearheading the campaign for Rotary International in India. Sunil Bahl, deputy project manager, National Polio Surveillance Programme, said the end strategies needed to be worked out. ‘We have to work out the end strategies. The vaccinations have to be stopped ultimately to ensure there are no cases of vaccine related infections,’ she said. Observing India’s role in guising other endemic nations in the fight against Polio, Robert Scott, chairman-International Polio Plus Committee said India has set an example for other nations. ‘Considering the demographics and sheer size of India, the programme implementation and dedication from all and the achievement is commendable. If India can do it for Polio, so can the others. India is a shining example and the endemic nations are looking up to it for lessons and best practices,’ Scott said.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has recently presented a six-year plan, ’2013-2018 Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan’. Public health experts have said: If the polio eradication campaign succeeds, the world would not only declare it the second disease to be eradicated after smallpox but it would also save billions of dollars, not to mention saving millions of children from a crippling future.

A 2010 analysis found that if polio transmission was to be stopped by 2015, the net benefit from reduced treatment costs and productivity gains would be about $40 billion to $50 billion by 2035. Speaking at the meeting, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (National Rural Health Mission) Anuradha Gupta stressed upon the importance of routine immunisation in preventing Polio and other childhood diseases.

Source: http://health.india.com

17.05.2013

Egg whites lower your blood pressure!

A study by American scientists presented on Wednesday supports the view that a substance in egg white has the ability to lower blood pressure without negative effects. Scientists reported that a component of egg whites, already popular as a substitute for whole eggs among health-conscious consumers concerned about cholesterol in the yolk may have another beneficial effect in reducing blood pressure, reports Science Daily. Their study was part of the 245th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society, which continues here through Thursday.

‘Our research suggests that there may be another reason to call it ‘the incredible, edible egg,’‘ said study leader Zhipeng Yu, Ph.D., of Jilin University.‘We have evidence from the laboratory that a substance in egg white — it’s a peptide, one of the building blocks of proteins — reduces blood pressure about as much as a low dose of Captopril, a high-blood-pressure drug,’ Zhipeng Yu said. Yu and colleagues, who are with Clemson University, used a peptide called RVPSL. Scientists previously discovered that the substance, like the family of medications that includes Captopril, Vasotec and Monopril, was an angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.

It has a powerful ability to inhibit or block the action of ACE, a substance produced in the body that raises blood pressure. The results of feeding the substance were positive, showing that RVPSL did not have apparent toxic effects and lowered blood pressure by amounts comparable to low doses of Captopril. ‘Our results support and enhance previous findings on this topic,’ Yu said. ‘They were promising enough to move ahead with further research on the effects of the egg white peptide on human health.’

Source: http://health.india.com

17.05.2013

Knowledge is confidence and confidence lets you play fast

BILL PARCELLS

16 May, 2013

Mangoes are good for health, but don't eat too many

Due to high sugar content, mangoes are high in calories. But does this mean that diabetics and weight watchers should be banned from having it? The answer is no, if one adjusts for calories, i.e. substitutes it with an equivalent amount of calories and carbohydrates in the meal.

Better still, combine it with a low-glycemic food. This could mean substitution of the carbohydrate in the grain or staple (bread, rice, chapati, etc). Low glycemic foods include pulses, legumes, low-fat dairy (milk, curd), vegetables, nuts and seeds. In fact, the glycemic load (a useful measure of the ability of a food to spike blood sugar and insulin levels) of mangoes is low-medium, specially compared to bananas and potatoes. So mangoes can make a safe entry into the diet, if one is able to keep the caloric intake and carbohydrates constant, i.e. take the right amounts. With over 2,500 varieties around the world, the popularity of mangoes clearly lies in its aromatic sweetness. This tropical fruit also can boast of a huge array of impressive health benefits.

The mango is known to be an excellent source of many vitamins such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid), B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin), and Vitamin A (ß-carotene). Mangoes are also high in non-nutrient phytochemical compounds. Reports suggest that the phytochemical content of mango pulp consists of gallic acid, mangiferin, quercetin and many tannins. Ripe mangoes generally possess a higher number of phenolics, researchers say. This makes mangoes a good source of antioxidants with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. With reasonably good fibre content, it provides a good combination of soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre is good for digestion and its insoluble variant is good for management of blood cholesterol and sugar levels.

Source: www.indianexpress.com

16.05.2013

Women's immune systems remain younger for longer

Women's immune systems age more slowly than men's which may contribute to them living longer, according to a new study.

Researchers looked at the blood of healthy volunteers in Japan, ranging in age between 20 and 90 years old and found that in both sexes the total number of white blood cells per person decreased with age.

The number of neutrophils decreased for both sexes and lymphocytes decreased in men and increased in women. Younger men generally have higher levels of lymphocytes than similarly aged women, so as ageing happens, the number of lymphocytes becomes comparable.

The rate in decline in T cells and B cells was slower for women than men, researchers said.

The study found CD4+ T cells, white blood cells that are an essential part of the human immune system, and NK cells, a type of lymphocyte, increased with age, and the rate of increase was higher in women than men.

Similarly an age-related decline in IL-6 and IL-10 – a group of signaling molecules - was worse in men. There was also an age-dependent decrease in red blood cells for men but not women.

This difference in the ageing of immune systems between men and women is one of many processes which alter as we grow older.

"The process of ageing is different for men and women for many reasons. Women have more oestrogen than men which seems to protect them from cardiovascular disease until menopause," Professor Katsuiku Hirokawa from the Tokyo Medical & Dental University Open Laboratory explained.

"Sex hormones also affect the immune system, especially certain types of lymphocytes. Because people age at different rates a person's immunological parameters could be used to provide an indication of their true biological age," Hirokawa said.

Source: www.indianexpress.com

16.05.2013

Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect

VINCE LOMBARDI

15 May, 2013

Living close to major road may damage kidney

Scientists have found that people, who live closer to a major road, may have their kidney function impaired.

The scientists based their findings on more than 1100 adults who had sustained a stroke between 1999 and 2004 and had been admitted to hospital in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts in the US.

On admission, each patient's serum creatinine was measured. This is a by-product of muscle metabolism and is filtered out of the body by the kidney, known as the glomerular filtration rate or GFR. The GFR is therefore an indicator of the health of the kidneys and how well they are working.

50 percent patients lived within 1 km of a major road, with the rest living between 1 and 10 km away.

After taking account of influential factors, like age, sex, race, smoking, underlying conditions, treatment for heart conditions, and neighbourhood affluence, patients who lived closest to a major road had the lowest GFR.

Those who lived 50 metres away had a GFR of 3.9 ml/minute/1.73 m2 lower than those who lived 1 km away.

The researchers calculated that a reduction in proximity to a major road from 1 km to 50 metres may be associated with a 4 percent higher rate of cardiovascular death and 1 percent increased risk in death from all causes.

Air pollution caused by traffic is associated with a raised risk of stroke and heart attack, as a result of inflammation, artery narrowing as a result of plaque build-up, and changes to peripheral arteries.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

15.05.2013

Breast cancer patients need social support

New research conducted by an assisted care centre based in the US shows that breast cancer patients who have the support of friends and family can manage pain and other symptoms better.

Breast cancer patients who say they have people with whom they have a good time, or have "positive socialinteractions" with, are better able to deal with pain and other physical symptoms, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published on Monday in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

"This study provides research-based evidence that social support helps relieve physical symptoms," said lead author Candyce H. Kroenke, staff scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

"Social support mechanisms matter in terms of physical outcomes," she said.

The study, among the first to examine exactly how social relationships influence quality of life in breast cancer patients, also found that tangible support (such as help with household tasks and errands) was most useful to those with late-stage cancer, reports Science Daily.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

15.05.2013

Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

14 May, 2013

Smaller breakfasts key to losing weight

A new study has revealed the smaller breakfasts can help people lose weight. Researchers served cereal, milk, scrambled egg, ham, brown toast with butter and orange juice to 33 overweight people in the study.

However, they reduced the portion sizes for some of the participants, and then counted their calories over the rest of the day to see if it had any impact on their eating habits. They found that the difference in size did not affect the amount of food the participants ate over the rest of the day, The Telegraph reported.

Breakfast portion size was reduced by up to 40 per cent in the study by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research Unit, resulting in up to 269 fewer calories consumed over the course of the day.

Dr Jebb (Head of Diet & Population Health at the MRC Human Nutrition Research Unit) who supervised the study, said that results may not be borne out in everyday life, where there are far more opportunities to snack between breakfast, lunch and dinner.

‘This research was done with people in a controlled laboratory environment and more work is required to determine if the effect remains in real life where there are more opportunities to eat,’ he said.

Source: http://health.india.com

14.05.2013

Diagnostic lab in a suitcase – designed by an IITian!

An IITian has designed a portable biochemistry lab that can be carried around in a suitcase and could be the panacea to rural India’s healthcare woes. The mobile lab that can conduct tests which could lead to early identification of many diseases has been designed by Amit Bhatnagar, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Roorkee. Bhatnagar quit a plush job in Hollywood’s famed Universal Studios and designed this portable biochemistry laboratory, which comes packed in a suitcase and can perform 23 crucial medical tests, including tests for kidney, liver, heart, anaemia, diabetes and arthritis.

The portable lab was launched by science and technology minister S Jaipal Reddy on Saturday. It could be a boon to people staying in remote areas with little access to diagnostics, which results in several diseases remaining undetected. ‘It is a complete, compact lab in a suitcase with power backup,’ Bhatnagar said. ‘It has been designed to perform 23 vital blood tests for kidney, liver, heart, anaemia, diabetes and arthritis accurately, cost-effectively and timely.’

The lab, which costs a maximum of Rs. 3.5 lakh, includes blood analyser, centrifuge, micro pipettes, incubator, laptop with patient data management software and consumables.

‘The key advantage of the mobile lab is in its design, rugged analyser, portability and cost-effectiveness,’ Bhatnagar said. The portable lab is being used by the Border Roads Organisation at its dispensaries in remote areas of Kargil, Leh and Nagaland, and by the Central Reserve Police Force in the jungles of Chhattisgarh. The lab is also being utilised under various programmes of the National Rural Health Mission in Haryana and Kerala on a pilot basis.

‘We did a trial for 800 to 900 people in our dispensaries in remote areas. It has a lot of potential for early detection of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiac problems and in emergencies,’ said brigadier SB Mahajan, deputy director general, Border Roads Organisation.

Source: http://health.india.com

14.05.2013

Diabetes linked to workplace stress?

Scientists in Israel have linked development of diabetes to stress at the workplace, made worse by low social support. Cases of type 2 diabetes continue to rise in the US. And while the development of the disease is more commonly associated with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and physical inactivity, research has shown that stress can also have a significant impact. Now, Sharon Toker of Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Management has found that low levels of social support and high levels of stress in the workplace can accurately predict the development of diabetes over the long term — even in employees who appear to be healthy otherwise.

Published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, the study contributes to an ongoing body of research linking work conditions to physical and mental health, reports Science Daily. Toker says these findings paint a grim picture, with a worrying rise in the rate of diabetes in the researchers’ middle-aged study cohort, which had a mean age of 48. ‘You don’t want to see working populations have an increasing rate of diabetes. It’s costly to both employees and employers, resulting in absenteeism and triggering expensive medical insurance,’ she explained.

Source: http://health.india.com

14.05.2013

If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write

STEPHEN KING