Health Related articles updated on daily Basis.

[Night_Hawk]

Bean sprouts may be source for E. coli
(Reuters)

6 June 2011, 9:28 AM
German-grown beansprouts could be the source of the deadly E.coli outbreak that has killed 22 people, made more than 2,200 ill and led Russia to bar EU fruit and vegetable imports, officials said on Sunday.
The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, told a news conference investigators had traced the rare, highly toxic strain of the bacteria to a farm in the Uelzen district. Media reports said the farm was near the town of Bienenbuettel, 70 km (40 miles) south of Hamburg.

Health facilities in Hamburg, Germanys second city and the center of the outbreak that began three weeks ago, are struggling to cope with the flood of victims, Health Minister Daniel Bahr said.

Lindemann, speaking after three weeks of mysterious deaths and widespread consumer fears linked to the rare strain of E.coli, said there appeared to be clear links between vegetables from the farm and food eaten by some victims.

Weve got a really hot lead, Lindemann said, reporting on the investigation into a health scare that has strained ties

between two EU members and led Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to say he would not poison Russians by lifting an embargo on EU fruit and vegetable imports.

Lindemann said that not only bean sprouts, but also alfalfa sprouts, mung bean sprouts, radish sprouts and arugula sprouts from the farm might be connected to the outbreak. Raw sprouts are popular among Germans and often mixed in salads or added to sandwiches.

Officials have been warning consumers for weeks to avoid tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, and at one stage said Spanish cucumbers might be the source of the outbreak. The rare E.coli strain has killed 21 Germans and one Swede.

Spanish farmers say lost sales have cost them 200 million euros a week, and Spanish officials said they might claim compensation. The crisis could put 70,000 people out of work in Spain, which already has the highest unemployment in the EU.

According to FoodSafety.gov, a website for food safety information from U.S. government agencies, there have been at least 30 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to different types of raw and lightly cooked sproutsmost of them caused by Salmonella and E.coli.

In Japan, at least 11 people died in 1996 in an outbreak linked to contaminated radish sprouts.

German farm shut down

Lindemann said the Uelzen farm had been shut down, its produce recalled and further test results were expected on Monday. He urged consumers in northern Germany to refrain from eating all types of bean sprouts.

Officials said, however, they were not sure if the farm was the only source. Lindemann said it was possible the contaminated produce had found its way into a variety of foods.

There was a very clear trail (to the farm) as the source of the infection, Lindemann said. It is the most convincing ... source for the E.coli illnesses. This is for us the most plausible cause of the illness.

Authorities have been racing to track the source of the disease, which has infected people in 12 countriesall of whom had been traveling in northern Germany. Many of those infected have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly complication attacking the kidneys.

The rare strain of E.coli can stick to intestinal walls where it pumps out toxins, sometimes causing severe bloody diarrhoea and kidney problems. Some patients have needed intensive care, including dialysis.

German officials said the produce from the farm was delivered to restaurants and food operations in five northern states: Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hesse and Lower Saxony.

Hospitals in Hamburg have been moving out patients with less serious illnesses to handle the surge of people stricken by the rare strain of bacteria.

Were facing a tense situation with patient care, Bahr said, adding that hospitals outside Hamburg could be used to make up for insufficient capacity.

At a news conference with Bahr in Hamburg, state health minister Cornelia Pruefer-Storcks said local officials were scrambling to relieve a looming shortage of doctors.

We want to discuss with doctors whether those who recently retired can be reactivated, she said, adding that medical staff in Hamburg were battling exhaustion.

On Saturday officials identified a restaurant in the northern port of Luebeck as a place where the bug might have been passed to humans, saying at least 17 people infected with E.coli had eaten there and one later died from complications.

But the owner of the meat-and-potatoes restaurant told Reuters his kitchen had tested negative for the deadly E.coli strain and none of his staff had fallen ill.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Fighting E.coli war with smart machines
(Reuters)

4 June 2011
Superfast machines helped Chinese and German scientists decode the genes of Europes deadly E.coli strain with astonishing speedbut on the front line in the war with bacteria, old-fashioned detective work is what counts.
Finding the source of the infection that has killed 17 people will require laborious on-the-ground investigations by food safety and public health officials.
Armed only with fear, soap and water, consumers must watch and wait. And in the end, the answer may never be found.
Despite recent scientific breakthroughs, there is no sign we are anywhere near conquering the threat from bacteria like E.coli. In fact, some experts reckon just the opposite.

Infectious diseases are very much this centurys problem and they are going to become more and more so, said Stephen Smith, lecturer in clinical microbiology at Trinity College Dublin.
Its not that doctors and scientists are complacent about the risk posed by bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Its that our modern way of lifeglobal food trade, widespread travel and the growth of mega-citiesgives new opportunities for bugs to evolve and thrive.
We provide them with new niches, day after day ... they will always evolve and we cant stop that, Smith said.
As if to drive the point home, British scientists said on Friday they had found a new strain of the superbug MRSA in milk from cows and in swab samples from humans, raising concerns about infection across species.
Antibiotics are little use in the current E.coli outbreak, but the spread of antibiotic resistance and the lack of new drugs to fight novel strains is a growing concern.
New bacteria and infections are just around the corner and we are far from winning the fight against infectious diseases in Europe, said Giuseppe Cornaglia, president of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.
This week the world marked the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS, a disease that probably lay undetected for 80 years before being turbo-charged by global travel.
WHAT DID YOU EAT?

Modern gene sequencing machines, like those from Life Technologies Corp that were put to work this week in China and Germany, mean researchers can now unravel the genetic secrets of bacteria in record time.
Five years ago, the three-day job by the Beijing Genomics Institute would have taken months, according to Paul Hunter, a professor of public health at the University of East Anglia.
Such breakneck speed research provides valuable clues, since the E.coli type identified is known to stick to the surface of plant material, pointing strongly to vegetables or salad as the culprit. But this only gets investigators to first base.
Despite all of the superb and valuable molecular stuff, the bottom line comes down to whether or not an environmental health officer can actually work out where someone got their lettuce from, Hunter said.
The forensic work on the ground in Germany will be lengthy and will only work if it is done properly.
The trace-back should be comprehensive, from paddock to plate, said Robert Hall, senior research fellow at Monash University in Australia and an expert on communicable diseases.
First, investigators need to interview patients and work out what they have eaten in the two weeks or so before they got illnot an easy task, since many people struggle to remember with any accuracy what they ate two days ago.
Then the hunt will be on to find a common food type, a process that lies at the heart of disease detective work. Once there is a shortlist, microbiological testing should, in theory, nail the culprit.
As time goes by its quite plausible that the contamination event will just naturally die out anyway, and then it will get increasingly difficult to prove where it came from. I suspect we will end up with a situation where we will not be able to prove which farm or even which country was the cause, Hunter said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...11/June/health_June10.xml&section=health&col=

 

[riverblue]

jazakAllah for this continuous effort!!!

 

[Night_Hawk]

jazakAllah for this continuous effort!!!

Khair:jazak: for appreciation.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Parkinsons patients show high melanoma risk
(AFP)

7 June 2011, 7:30 AM
WASHINGTON People who suffer from Parkinsons disease face up to twice the risk of developing deadly skin cancer, an analysis of 12 studies on the topic showed on Monday.
Previous research has shown mixed results, but the meta-analysis by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and published in the journal Neurology showed a significantly higher risk of melanoma in Parkinsons patients.
Men with Parkinsons are twice as likely to develop melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, and women with Parkinsons were 1.5 times as likely to receive the same diagnosis.
There was no link observed between non-melanoma skin cancer and Parkinsons in the dozen studies which spanned 1965 to 2010.
Since the studies were small in size, most showing fewer than 10 cases of people with both conditions, it was difficult to draw individual conclusions. However, the meta-analysis showed a distinctly increased risk.
Parkinsons disease patients in general have a lower risk for cancer, smoking-related cancers in particular, but they may have a higher risk for melanoma, said study author Honglei Chen.
One possible explanation for the link between Parkinsons and melanoma is that the two diseases may share some genetic or environmental risk factors, Chen said. However, our understanding of this link is very preliminary.
Worldwide estimates of the number of people living with Parkinsons, a brain disease that causes physical tremors and difficulty with movement and balance, range from five to 10 million.
About 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year, according to the World Health Organization.



http://www.khaleejtimes.com/Display...xfile=data/health/2011/June/health_June14.xml

 

[Night_Hawk]

Wrinkles can predict bone break risk
(AFP)

6 June 2011
WASHINGTON Wrinkles on a womans face may be able to predict how likely she is to suffer from bone fractures, according to a US study released Monday.
Thats because the level of proteins in the skin and bones are linked, so if a womans face and neck are severely wrinkled, she faces a higher risk of bone breakage due to bone density loss, said Yale University researchers.
Researchers examined 114 early post-menopausal women, whose last menstrual period was within three years, as part of an ongoing clinical trial at numerous sites in the United States.
They measured the womens skin at 11 locations on the face and neck, both visually and using a device known as a durometer to assess how rigid the skin was on the forehead and cheek.
Bone mass and density were measured with a portable ultrasound and X-ray.
We found that deepening and worsening skin wrinkles are related to lower bone density among the study participants, said Lubna Pal, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Yale School of Medicine.
The worse the wrinkles, the lesser the bone density, and this relationship was independent of age or of factors known to influence bone mass.
More resilient skin was linked to better bone density, said the study released at the Endocrine Society meeting in the northeastern city of Boston, Massachusetts.
Our findings that the appearance and physical properties of the skin can reflect the quality of the skeleton are noteworthy because this may allow clinicians to identify fracture risk in post-menopausal women at a glance without depending on costly tests, said Pal.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...11/June/health_June13.xml&section=health&col=

 

[Night_Hawk]

Precision-tinted lenses offer real migraine relief, reveals new study

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 22:02

For the first time, researchers have shown why precision-tinted lenses reduce headaches for migraine sufferers, a finding that could help improve treatment options for patients battling the debilitating ailment. Jie Huang of Michigan State University's Department of Radiology used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to reveal how precision-tinted lenses normalize brain activity in patients with migraine headaches, preventing such attacks.
Huang's research appears in the current edition of the journal Cephalalgia, published by SAGE.
While tinted lenses are increasingly used for migraine sufferers, until now the science behind the effects was unclear. The team led by Huang showed how colored glasses tuned specifically to each migraine sufferer work by normalizing the activity in the brain's visual cortex, which is responsible for processing visual information and is located in the back of the brain.
Past research has revealed specific, abnormal brain activity, known as hyper-activation, when migraine sufferers saw intense patterns. The precision-tinted lenses considerably reduce the effect.
As part of the study, researchers focused on specific visual stimuli known to trigger migraines. These patterns, high contrast stripes or gratings, can give the illusion of shape, color and movement, not only triggering migraines but also causing seizures in some photosensitive epileptics.
Participants first were prescribed tinted lenses with an intuitive colorimeter, a device used to illuminate text with different colored lights, creating for each test participant an optimal color of light that led to the greatest comfort by reducing distortion.
Tinted lenses with this optimal color were created and given to each test subject, along with two other sets of tinted lenses without the optimal color. In addition, each patient was paired with a migraine-free control subject, who also was tested with that patient's three sets of lenses.
Once in the fMRI machine, the subjects were exposed to a range of striped patterns while their brain images were acquired. Then the researchers analyzed the effect of the tinted lenses on the activation of the different visual areas of the brain.
Specifically, the tinted lenses decreased hyper-activation for migraine sufferers in visual area V2 of the visual cortex of the brain.
Although patients reported some relief (a 40 percent improvement) using the control lenses, the precision-tinted lenses had a significant effect (70 percent improvement) when viewing the stressful stripes.
"The specific characteristics of activation we recorded could provide a potential biomarker for identifying those migraine patients suffering visual cortical hyper-activation," he said. "This biomarker could prove useful not only for further evaluation of tinted lenses but also for studying the effectiveness of drugs to prevent migraine headaches."
http://www.termscience.com/health-m...-offer-real-migraine-relief-reveals-new-study
Source: Michigan State University

 

[riverblue]

awesome tips! and very do-able

Health Tips

• Walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, the healthy fat that can reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Rinse your mouth after having citrus fruits and lemon as citric acid in these fruits can erode tooth enamel.
• Blackheads and whiteheads are caused by clogged pores. Applying a retinol containing cream can help clear them off.
• Henna and Curd are good hair conditioners. Apply a mix of henna & curd to your scalp and wash it off after 20 minutes.
• Beans are a good choice if you are trying to lose weight because they keep blood sugar levels even and suppress hunger.
• For lustrous hair, massage your scalp with warm coconut oil, wrap your hair with a hot towel for about fifteen minutes and then shampoo.
• Dry flaky lips appear thin and give you an aged look. Apply lip balm generously for full and young looking lips.
• Selenium rich foods such as oatmeal, seafood, nuts and legumes protect against depression and mood disorders.
• Age shows not only on face but also on the skin of your hands and feet. Moisturize them regularly to keep them wrinkle free.
• Having skimmed milk instead of whole milk can help you lose 3 kilos in a year and even reduce your cholesterol levels.
• Too much conditioner can make your hair look limp and thin. Use hair styling products containing silicone to add volume to your hair.
• People prone to asthma should use pain killers with care as some of them can trigger asthma attack.
• Smoking is a top cause of fine lines and premature wrinkles. Quitting smoking could be your key to youthful skin.
• The best way to sleep is on your side with your knees bent. You may put a pillow under your head and even one between your knees.
• Homemade scrub: Mix rice powder with curd or rose water and rub gently on face in circular motion.
• A healthy breakfast should include complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads, oatmeal, or broken wheat porridge.
• Bad breath test: Scrape your tongue and check if the whitish residue has a foul smell. Breathing into your hand can miss subtle bad breath.
• Avoid saturated fats as they induce a state of low-grade inflammation in your body and decrease its ability to fight infections.
• Avoid reapplying perfume because you feel it has lost its scent. People around u can smell your perfume long after you have stopped smelling it.
• Consuming yogurt or curd can enhance your immunity because it contains good bacteria that stimulate the immune cells.
• Avoid using antibacterial soap on your face on a daily basis as most of them are too harsh for your skin.
• Feeling irritable and confused? Try drinking a glass of fresh fruit juice to give a quick boost to thinking and concentration.
• If you have dark circles, apply an under eye gel containing a lightening ingredient like vitamin C and a collagen-builder like retinol.
• You can have a protein rich but low fat diet by consuming fish, seafood, egg whites, pulses, beans, and soy products.
• It is not a must to use a toner on your skin. Cleansing and moisturizing are enough if you are short of time.
• To get a good amount of vitamin C add guavas, papayas, oranges, and melon to your diet.
• Make sure that your diet has adequate amount of protein if you are fighting hair fall.
• Crash diets can cause hair loss by depleting your body of essential vitamins and protein.
• Vitamin C rich fruits like oranges and guava have an anti-aging effect and make your skin look smoother and younger.
• Eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin c or carotenoids is linked with a reduced risk of many cancers.
• Head massage once a month with a mix of coconut, castor, olive and almond oil is great to nourish dry hair.
• Get maximum health benefits from your tea by adding some lemon juice to it. The citrus juice increases antioxidant absorption.
• Apply a paste of coconut milk and sandalwood powder on your face. It removes dead skin and makes your skin soft and glowing.
• Having some dark chocolate can help make your skin look smoother and keep it better hydrated.
• Got chapped lips? Use a lip balm containing Shea butter to help your lips heal faster.
• Warm water gargle with a teaspoon of salt four times daily is the best home remedy for soothing a sore throat.
• Steam inhalation is the best home remedy for a stuffy nose. Even steam inhaled while sipping hot fluids or taking hot shower helps.
• Cleanse your face before going to bed even if you have been indoors and applied no makeup to get rid of bacteria,dead cells and oil.
• If you have normal to dry skin, you can use extra virgin olive oil as a moisturizer at night to make your skin super soft.
• Food labels that say cholesterol free are not necessarily healthy. Rather make sure that total saturated fat content is low.
• Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are needed to keep skin hydrated and younger looking. A diet too low in fats can cause skin problems.
• If you are more than 30 years old, strength training should be a part of your fitness regime to keep your muscles in shape and boost your metabolism.

 

[Night_Hawk]

awesome tips! and very do-able

I am humbled by your comments.
The purpose of these posts is that we get benefits from these articles and spread the information.
JazakAllah Khair

 

[Night_Hawk]

Pomegranate juice eases workplace stress
(IANS)

7 June 2011
LONDON - Drinking pomegranate juice daily could ease ones stress at the workplace by reducing blood pressure and lowering stress hormone levels.

Researchers at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, in Britain, studied the physiological effect of daily consumption of half litre of pomegranate juice over a two-week period.

They found that all 60 volunteers, from a range of working environments, reported being more enthusiastic and less distressed after having the drink.

Emad Al-Dujaili, who led the study, said on the basis of these findings there is a justified argument for busy workers to drink pomegranate juice to help alleviate chronic stress and maintain good health, reports the Telegraph.

There is a growing body of evidence that pomegranate juice delivers wide-ranging health benefits that merit further research.

It is very rare indeed for an all-natural juice to offer the range of health benefits that we are seeing in pomegranate juice.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...11/June/health_June15.xml&section=health&col=

 

[canadian]

Every thing else seems to be OK.Actually moderation is the key.We have to take care of our food,I mean desi food known be very high risk.Personally I have only problem with the coffee.Take about 5-6 cups a day.Just can't reduce the intake inspite of my best efforts.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Every thing else seems to be OK.Actually moderation is the key.We have to take care of our food,I mean desi food known be very high risk.Personally I have only problem with the coffee.Take about 5-6 cups a day.Just can't reduce the intake in-spite of my best efforts.

You said it, moderation is the KEY. But we can make desi food less problematic by using different oil and the rest of the ingredients.
Nutritionists can guide us in this regard.
I will see if I can post some articles on these guidelines.
Bhai try to cut coffee intake from 5 cups to 4, reduce it gradually if you can.
I use to drink at-least 8 to 9 cups a day, but now only one cup of Black coffee in the morning and a cup of Black tea in the afternoon.

 

[Night_Hawk]

Ubtan - World's First Known Cosmetic

To look beautiful has been an obsession with men and women alike throughout the ages but it differs from one land to another and also according to the time and mode of living. The desire of looking enchantingly beautiful laid the foundation of world's first known natural cosmetic - 'Ubtan', initially started as a ritual in India. The ritual of 'Ubtan', also known as 'Battne di Rasam' in Punjabi, and 'Kappumanjal' in Tamil is one of the vital components of the concept of 'Solah-Shringaar' (Sixteen ways of beautification of body). 'Ubtan' is a body application used for the beautification of the body, dating back to the remotest antiquity and is the legacy of the rich Indian Heritage.
It is believed that during Vedic era, it was being prescribed by the Vedic Physicians for the protection, nourishment & beautification of the skin. The apparent results obtained with the application of 'Ubtan' gave it a wide-spread publicity by which perhaps it became a fashionable routine for men & women, those days, to apply it for the beautification of skin and later on established its credence as a ritual for brides & bridegrooms before marriage.
'Ubtan' which is used to bring a enchanting look to the skin, is the paste-mixture of turmeric, saffron, sandalwood, bengal-gram, and seeds of yellow mustard, mustard oil and water, is applied by the brides & bridegrooms while reciting 'Ved Mantras' or traditional folk songs, as an important ritual of marriages in India. This paste is prepared in various ways to make the skin fair and to nourish it from within. On the occasion of social and religious festivals, preparation of 'Ubtan' itself is a fairly enjoyable task for ladies in India. The paste is applied to the whole body for 25 to 30 minutes thereafter scrubbed before taking the customary bath. It helps to improve and tighten sagging skin and keeps the skin glowing for a long time. Earlier it was also customary to make special cosmetics for ladies of high rank and social classes, by adding several other aromatic herbs, yoghurt, milk cream, honey and essence of flowers. Various other ingredients are also added like petals of rose and jasmine, Khus-Khus, drop of lemon juice and other herbs to get a unique beautifying lotion.
'Ubtan' is a a powerful exfoliating treatment that stimulates the underlying tissues of the skin. Upon scientific researches of its ingredients, it has been found that the 'Ubtan' not only enhances beauty, but also possesses definite medicinal values by virtue of its antifungal, antibacterial, antiperspirant, deodorant & skin-toning properties, thereby ruling out the possibilities of skin infections. It serves the multipurpose role of cleanser, astringent, stimulant, and skin-tonic all at the same time. By its revitalising, refreshing & refining actions, 'Ubtan' helps in the glowing of complexion and making it appear luscious. It also gives protection from various skin problems including acne, pimples, blemishes, white patches, freckles, blackheads, etc. Its regular usage prevents the occurrence of premature wrinkles, removes scars, & helps to lighten the open pores. The natural ingredients of 'Ubtan' build up flabby and drooping tissues, improve blood circulation & skin texture, provide anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, anti-rash, anti-blemishing, anti-bacterial, anti-tanning effects to the skin and nourish it.
As a beauty aid, Curcumin - the alkaloidal content of the main ingredient of Ubtan, Turmeric prevents and cures pigmentation, maintains the PH balance and makes the skin glow. Santalol in Sandalwood helps in inhibiting the growth of micro-organisms and preventing skin infections. The woody fibre & Vitamin C in Bengal gram open the blocked pores, maintain the secretions from glands and bleach the sun freckles. Due to its Sandalwood contents, 'Ubtan' acts as an astringent and helps to tighten the pores. The crocetin contents of Saffron add to the lustre of the skin and make it glow. The rough nature of Bengal gram powder cleanses it by removing the dead infected parts of the skin. It is also used to promote healing of the cracked & inflamed skin.
The glowing glory and the amazing pharmaco-kinetics of 'Ubtan'? Were our ancestors really aware of them? It seems they really were. Hats off to them!


Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dr_Pradeep_Nagrath

 

[Night_Hawk]

Coffee can cure hepatitis C
(IANS)

8 June 2011
WASHINGTON - Coffee, with its numerous virtues, has another one to add to its list - it can treat advanced hepatitis C patients with chronic liver disease.


According to a study, patients who received peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment and drank three or more cups of coffee a day were two times more likely to respond to treatment than non-drinkers.

About 75 percent of people have no symptoms when they first acquire hepatitis C infection. The remaining 25 percent may complain of fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches or fever. Yellowing of the skin or eyes is rare at this early stage of infection.

Later people with chronic infection may begin to experience the effects of the persistent inflammation caused by the immune reaction to the virus.

Blood tests may show elevated levels of liver enzymes, a sign of liver damage, which is often the first suggestion that the infection may be present. Patients may become easily fatigued or complain of non-specific symptoms.

Coffee intake has been associated with a lower level of liver enzymes, reduced progression of chronic liver disease and reduced incidence of liver cancer, said study-eader Neal Freedman of the National Cancer Institute, the journal Gastroenterology reports.

Approximately 70 to 80 percent of individuals exposed to hepatitis C virus (HCV) become chronically infected. Worldwide, these individuals are estimated to number between 130 and 170 million, according to Cancer Institute statement.

Higher coffee consumption has been associated with slower progression of pre-existing liver disease and lower risk of liver cancer. However, the relationship with response to anti-HCV treatment had not been previously evaluated.

Treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin resolves chronic hepatitis C in about half of patients. It is unknown whether coffee will improve response with the addition of new drugs that were recently approved for use in the US.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...11/June/health_June17.xml&section=health&col=

 

[Night_Hawk]

Heart can repair itself, with help
(Reuters)

8 June 2011
LONDON - British scientists have managed to transform a type of stem-like cell in adult mouse hearts into functioning heart muscle in research proving that the heart has dormant repair cells that can be reactivated.
Although the research has yet to be translated into humans and is in its very early stages, the results suggest that in the future, a drug could be developed to prompt and prime hearts damaged by cardiac arrest into repairing themselves.
I could envisage a patient known to be at risk of a heart attack taking an oral tablet...which would prime their heart so that if they had a heart attack the damage could be repaired, said Paul Riley of University College London, who led the study.
Major advances in medical science in recent years have helped cut the number of people who die from heart attacks, but the damage an attack causes when heart cells die as they become starved of oxygen is currently permanent.
If enough dead tissue forms, patients can develop heart failure, a debilitating condition in which the heart is not able to pump enough blood around the body.
Scientists around the world are investigating various ways to regenerate heart tissue, but for now people with severe heart failure must use mechanical devices or hope for a transplant.
Rileys team, whose study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, targeted particular cells found in the outer layer of the heart, called the epicardium.
Progenitor cells

These cells, referred to as epicardium-derived progenitor cells (EPDCs), are known to be able to transform into a number of specialist cells, including heart muscle, in developing embryos.
Scientists had previously thought EPDCs ability to transform was lost in adulthood, but in this study Rileys team found that by treating the healthy hearts of adult mice with a molecule called thymosin beta 4, they were able to prime the heart to repair itself after damage.
After causing heart attacks in the primed mice, the researchers also gave them a booster dose of thymosin beta 4 and this prompted the EPDCs to transform into cardiomycytes, and integrate with existing muscle.
These cardiomycytes can link into the existing muscle of the heart and they home to the area of injury, Riley told reporters at a briefing in London. And they are also both structurally and functionally coupled to the heart, and therefore represent a bona fide source of new heart muscle.
He said that in this study the priming and boosting technique was able to improve the function of the damaged mouse hearts by up to 25 percent an improvement which would make a dramatic difference to patients with heart failure if it could be translated into humans.
In previous studies, thymosin beta 4 has been shown to encourage regrowth of blood vessels and improve heart function after injury in mice, but this is the first time researchers have used it to regenerate functioning heart muscle.
Riley said his team was looking closely at this chemical and would be screening thousands of other potential drug candidates to see if they might have a similar effect on EPDCs.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...11/June/health_June18.xml&section=health&col=

 

[Night_Hawk]

Tamarind seeds repairs brain cells
(IANS)

9 June 2011, 9:15 AM
A compound from tamarind tree could help spur the growth of damaged brain and spinal cord nerve cells, which characterises diseases such as Parkinsons.
Doctoral student Andrew Rodda from Monash Universitys materials engineering team investigated xyloglucan, a compound from tamarind seeds and how it affects animals with damaged nerves.

The derivative that Rodda developed from xyloglucan can be injected into an injury site as a liquid, before becoming a gel as it reaches body temperature.
Once in place, it acts as a support structure through which healthy cells can migrate and potentially reattach themselves to the nervous system.
Until now, all damage to the nerve cells of the central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord - had been considered irreparable, according to a Monash statement.
Rodda said the lack of repair or regrowth is due mainly to the toxic environment left behind after nerve death. Nerve cells are sensitive, and will only grow in the most supportive of environments.
After injury, new cells cannot normally penetrate into the empty space left after mass cell death. Cells clump at the edges, forming an impenetrable barrier. This leaves the centre of the wound as a lesion, which contains chemicals that kill growing nerves.
Rodda said the new compound works by providing a temporary scaffold on which new cells can grow and penetrate the lesion.
Significantly, it was the helper cells, known as astrocytes, which were the first to move into the implanted gel. These cells secrete beneficial chemicals, which may have helped create an environment in which the delicate nerve cells can survive.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/Display...xfile=data/health/2011/June/health_June21.xml

 

[Night_Hawk]

Exercise helps cut risk of silent strokes
(Reuters)

9 June 2011
NEW YORK - People who participate in vigorous activity are less likely to experience silent strokes strokes which, while without symptoms, leave victims more at risk of other problems in the future, a study said.
Specifically, older adults who got the most exercise equivalent to swimming or biking more than once a week were 40 percent less likely to experience such an asymptomatic stroke, said study author Joshua Willey, at Columbia University.

Even though these strokes have no symptoms, people who suffer them have a higher risk for future problems, such as trouble with walking or mental functioning, as well as more typical strokes, he added.
But the study, published in Neurology, did not prove whether physical activity actually prevents strokes, he warned, noting that people who took part in such activity might have other habits that lowered their risk.
We know that light to moderate exercise helps with many other conditions, and we dont want our results to discourage our patients from doing exercise, Willey told Reuters Health.
Any is better than none, just in general, for overall health. And it seems to be, the more the better.
People who engaged in less physical exercise, such as vigorous activity less frequently, or low-impact exercise such as golf or bowling, were no less likely to experience silent strokes which Willey described as a bit of a surprise.
The study, conducted by Willey and his team at Columbia and the University of Miami, interviewed more than 1,200 people aged 55 and older who had no symptoms of stroke and were already participating in a study on the risk of stroke on physical activity.
They then performed brain scans to check for brain infarcts, or tissue damage due to blockage of an artery supplying that tissue.
Among the participants, who averaged 70 years of age at the time of their brain scan, 16 percent had experienced silent brain infarcts. Only those who engaged in the most activity had a reduced risk.
Previous studies have shown that only moderate or heavy exercise appears to ward off strokes, Willey said. He also noted that only 36 percent of the participants took part in light exercise, perhaps not enough to show a real impact.
Physical activity had no relationship to the risk of another silent brain event, white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), which are linked to later problems, such as dementia and trouble walking, as well as typical strokes. Their cause is unclear.
Willey noted that he and his colleagues only measured physical activity by asking people what they did over the previous two weeks, and the brain scans occurred several years after the exercise interview, which could have affected findings.
They plan to look into the relationship between brain scans and exercise in people who report their activity every year.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/display...11/June/health_June20.xml&section=health&col=

 

[cefspan]

Re: Health Related articles updated on daily Basis, Alzheimers at bay with purple fruit

Sir woh kaisay, kia koi apnay paoon pe kulhari mar sakra hay.:):)

Is there anything that can help u reduce tension? diet or something?
When ever I read political history , I end up in bed with muscular spasm of gastrointestinal tract due to tension ,I feel extreme back adn stomach ache nad continues for three days normally .

 

[Night_Hawk]

Re: Health Related articles updated on daily Basis, Alzheimers at bay with purple fruit

Is there anything that can help u reduce tension? diet or something?
When ever I read political history , I end up in bed with muscular spasm of gastrointestinal tract due to tension ,I feel extreme back adn stomach ache nad continues for three days normally .

I will try to look it up and post something in this regard.


Exercise relieves generalized anxiety
(Reuters)

10 June 2011
TOKYO - A six-week exercise training program can help relieve the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, according to the first-ever trial to investigate whether physical activity helps patients with the condition.
Present treatments, including drug and behavioral therapies, show only limited success with the disorder, noted for chronic anxiety, exaggerated worry and tension out of proportion to what provoked it or even if nothing did.
Our findings suggest that exercise training is a feasible, safe and well-tolerated short-term treatment option, Matthew Herring of the University of South Carolina in Columbus, told Reuters Health.
These findings warrant further investigation with larger trials.
Herring presented the findings last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Current treatments, including pharmacotherapy and behavioral therapies, have had limited success and are characterized by notable drawbacks, including negative side effect profiles, and expense, he added.
Herring and his colleagues thought exercise could help patients for several reason, including that physical exercise helps ease anxiety in healthy people and that its helpful for depression, which shares some genetic roots with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
To investigate, they randomly assigned 30 sedentary women with GAD who were receiving drug therapy but no other treatment to one of two exercise groups, or a wait-list control group.
One group was devoted to resistance training, with participants conducting two sessions of lower-body weight lifting each week for six weeks, doing seven sets of 10 repetitions of leg press, leg curl and leg extensions. They started out at half their maximum capacity and progressed by 5 percent each week.
The other group performed cycling twice a week to exercise the same part of the body for 16 minutes continuously, also for six weeks.
Clinicians who did not know which group the women had been assigned to assesses their GAD symptoms at one to 16 days after the intervention. They also assessed worry symptoms at the studys outset and at two, four and six weeks into the process.
Sixty percent of the women doing resistance exercises, 40 percent in the cycling group, and 30 percent in the control group had remission of their GAD, for a number needed to treat of 3.33 for resistance training and 10 for cycling.
Worry symptoms at six weeks were significantly reduced in the exercise groups compared to the control group.
Herring and his colleagues are now seeking funding for large trials of the study.
There is a need to explore the effects of exercise training on other impairments of GAD, he said.

 

[riverblue]

People with diabetes often have trouble with their feet. The loss of feeling in your feet can make it hard for you to tell if you have a blister or sore. If little sores aren't taken care of, they can get worse and turn into ulcers (serious, deep sores).which again if not taken care can lead to gangrene.

few tips on foot care for diabetics:

• Wash your feet every day with lukewarm (not hot) water and mild soap.
• Dry your feet well, especially between the toes. Use a soft towel and pat gently; don't rub.
• Keep the skin of your feet smooth by applying a cream or lanolin lotion, especially on the heels. If the skin is cracked, talk to your doctor about how to treat it.
• Keep your feet dry by dusting them with nonmedicated powder before putting on shoes, socks or stockings.
• Check your feet every day. Call your doctor if you have redness, swelling, pain that doesn't go away, numbness or tingling in any part of your foot.
• Don't treat calluses, corns or bunions without talking to your doctor first.
• Cut toenails straight across to avoid ingrown toenails. It might help to soak your toenails in warm water to soften them before you cut them. File the edges of your toenails carefully.
• Don't let your feet get too hot or too cold.
• Don't go barefoot.