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Medicineworld.org: Archives of society medical news blog
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Archives Of Society Medical News Blog From Medicineworld.Org
Secondhand Smoke And Heart Disease
If those children also have a variation in at least one of four genes responsible for metabolizing nicotine, their risk may increase even more because nicotine might stay in the body longer and do more damage, an interdisciplinary research team says. Scientists will study 585 children age 15-20 who have a parent, grandparent or both with essential high blood pressure and/or a heart attack by age 55. "What I hope to take away from this is more information for parents and caregivers - to be able to share with them information about the risk of future disease that their behavior places on their child," says Dr. Martha Tingen, a nurse researcher at the Georgia Prevention Institute and principal investigator on the $220,000 National Institute of Nursing Research grant. Scientists will look for adverse clinical cardiovascular measures, including reduced ability of arteries to dilate; the blood encountering increased resistance as it travels through vessels; higher blood pressure; and an increase in the size of the pumping chamber of the heart - a result of pumping against elevated pressure......... Posted by: Daniel Permalink Source Hypnotherapy Relieves Chest Pain
Around a third of patients investigated for chest pain believed to be caused by coronary artery disease have no identifiable cause for their pain. Nevertheless they often continue to be severely incapacitated by it, despite reassurances that there is nothing to worry about. Young women seem to be especially prone to the condition. The cause of non-cardiac chest pain is unknown, eventhough several factors have been implicated, including acid reflux and psychological problems. The condition is notoriously difficult to treat. Scientists randomly divided 28 patients with the condition into two groups. One group received 12 sessions of hypnotherapy over 17 wre given "supportive treatment" plus dummy medicine (placebo). Of the 15 people treated with hypnotherapy, 80% reported significant pain relief, eventhough there was no change in frequency of bouts of pain, compared with just three of the 13 people treated with supportive treatment and placebo. Hypnotherapy also significantly improved the sense of overall wellbeing and reduced the use of painkillers and other drugs prescribed to control the condition. By contrast, the group treated with supportive treatment increased their drug intake......... Posted by: JoAnn Permalink Source New Genetic Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease Discovered
Dr. Alzheimer
Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a memory disorder that affects up to 70% of all dementia patients. In Belgium, about 100,000 people suffer from this disease. The disease gradually destroys brain cells in the deep areas of the brain that are responsible for memory and knowledge. Ever since the disease was first reported by Alois Alzheimer - 100 years ago now - researchers have been searching diligently for ways to treat it. Amyloid plaque formation plays a key role. Genetic research has previously shown a direct correlation between amyloid protein and the development of senile plaques and loss of cells. Amyloid protein originates when it is cut by enzymes from a larger precursor protein. In very rare cases (fewer than 1 in 1000 patients), mutations appear in that amyloid precursor protein, causing it to change shape and be cut differently. The amyloid protein that is formed now has different characteristics, causing it to begin to stick together and precipitate as amyloid plaques. The development of amyloid plaques in the brain tissue of Alzheimer patients is a central factor in the search for a treatment for Alzheimer's disease......... Posted by: Daniel Permalink Source Health Effects Of Dental Amalgam In Children
Both studies--one conducted in Europe, the other in the United States--independently reached the conclusion: Children whose cavities were filled with dental amalgam had no adverse health effects. The findings included no detectable loss of intelligence, memory, coordination, concentration, nerve conduction, or kidney function during the 5-7 years the children were followed. The scientists looked for measurable signs of damage to the brain and kidneys because prior studies with adults indicated these organs might be particularly sensitive to mercury. The authors noted that children in both studies who received amalgam, informally known as "silver fillings," had slightly elevated levels of mercury in their urine. But after several years of analysis, they determined the mercury levels remained low and did not correlate with any symptoms of mercury poisoning. "What's especially impressive is the strength of the evidence," said NIDCR director Dr. Lawrence Tabak. "The studies evaluated mercury exposure in two large, geographically distinct groups of children and reached similar conclusions about the safety of amalgam."........ Posted by: JoAnn Permalink Source Forearm Supports Reduce Upper Body Pain Linked To Computer Use
Published in the April 18 issue, the study shows that use of large arm boards significantly reduces neck and shoulder pain as well as hand, wrist and forearm pain. "Based on these outcomes, employers should consider providing employees who use computers with appropriate forearm support," said lead author David Rempel, MD, MPH, director of the ergonomics program at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Study findings also show arm boards and ergonomics training provide the most protective effect, with a statistically significant reduction in both neck and shoulder pain and right hand/wrist/forearm pain in comparison to the control group, who did not receive forearm support. The boards reduced the risk of incidence of neck and shoulder disorders by nearly half. As per the authors, musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, shoulders and arms are a common occupational health problem for individuals involved in computer-based customer service work. Specific disorders include wrist tendonitis, elbow tendonitis and muscle strain of the neck and upper back. These health problems account for a majority of lost work time in call centers and other computer-based jobs. "Extended hours of mouse or keyboard use and sustained awkward postures, such as wrist extension, are the most consistently observed risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders," Rempel added......... Posted by: Janet Permalink Source Care Of Women During Pregnancy And Labor
In four articles in the Clinical Issues section of the journal, guest editor Merry-K Moos, brings together experts who explore new innovations in caring for pregnant women and their families to improve the birthing experience for not only the mother, but also the healthcare provider and the institution. ".....these articles were written to promote reflection on current efforts to alter the care dynamics for pregnant women in this country" writes guest editor Moos. "I am hopeful that they will stimulate you to examine the current and potential energy in your practice setting to encourage family-centered maternity care". In the first article Prenatal Care: Limitations and Opportunities, Moos, explores the limitations of the way pregnant women are currently cared for and presents three promising alternatives to the dominant medical model: the comprehensive prenatal care approach illustrated by a number of publicly funded prenatal clinics; the prenatal empowerment model as exemplified by midwifery care; and the prenatal group model as illustrated by Centering Pregnancy. The second article, Zohar Massey, Sharon Schindler Rising, and Jeannette Ickovics take a closer look at the model of Centering Pregnancy. In Centering Pregnancy: Relationship-Centered Care the authors explain the philosophy behind this innovation of prenatal care provided in a group setting which is changing the fundamental nature of how health care professionals and women interact during gestation. It is suggested that in group prenatal care, women come together for support and empowerment, with positive effects on babies and families......... Posted by: Emily Permalink Source Quality Standards Issued For Testing Herbal Products
NIST has issued the first in a planned series of Standard Reference Materials for botanical dietary supplements.
The dietary supplement industry has exploded in the past decade to about 29,000 products, with about 1,000 new products introduced each year, as per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2001 NIST began working with the FDA and the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH/ODS) on a series of SRMs of popular botanical dietary supplements. Manufacturers can use these materials for quality control, and scientists can use them to ensure that their laboratory analyses of supplements are accurate. Products such as botanical supplements, that have been derived from extracts of plant materials are challenging to analyze accurately because of their complex sample matrices. The new NIST reference materials were designed primarily for quality control of supplements containing ephedra, a plant once widely used in herbal weight-loss products. Ephedra products were pulled from the market by the FDA in 2004 after being linked to cardiovascular problems, but the new test materials remain valuable both to assure that new products are not adulterated with ephedra and because they also can be used to improve several other key measurements in other botanical supplements, including concentrations of potentially toxic heavy metals......... Posted by: Janet Permalink Source Perceptions Of Male Culture In Surgical Profession
Recent analyses have suggested that more general surgeons will be needed in the future, but fewer medical students are entering surgery residencies, as per background information in the article. About half of all entering medical students are women, who have historically been less likely to choose surgery as a career. Debra A. Gargiulo, M.D., and his colleagues at the University of Vermont, Burlington surveyed 298 Vermont physicians and medical students. Of the 141 who completed the survey, there were 90 women and 60 men, including 31 attending physicians (16 general surgeons and 15 obstetrician/gynecologists), 16 residents and 94 medical students. Sixty-four percent of men and 53 percent of women indicated that were interested in a surgery career before their surgical rotation. Respondents were asked to select their top three deterrents to a surgical career. Findings included.
Posted by: Janet Permalink Source Tanning Ads In High School Newspapers
Image courtesy of www.emediawire.com/
The ultraviolet (UV) radiation used in tanning parlors is a classified carcinogen, as per background information in the article. As tanning has become more popular among teen girls, the incidence of skin cancer has increased among young women. The World Health Organization recommends that individuals younger than age 18 not use UV tanning devices, but there is no restriction on advertising such devices to youth in the United States. Scott Freeman, M.D., University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora, and his colleagues examined the frequency of tanning advertisements in 131 newspapers from 23 public high schools in three Colorado counties. All of the papers were published between 2001 and 2005, most usually in 2004. Tanning advertisements were found in newspapers from 11 (48 percent) of the 23 schools. Eighteen separate establishments placed the 40 tanning advertisements, 15 of which offered unlimited tanning for periods of up to four months. Nearly half (19) of the ads mentioned discounts requiring student identification or labeled as "prom specials," while two ads (5 percent) mentioned parental consent or accompaniment......... Posted by: George Permalink Source Smoking May Cause Far More Cancer Deaths In Asian Americans
As per a new study by UC Davis Cancer Center researchers, such disparities between genders and Asian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups can be explained almost entirely by tobacco smoke exposure - suggesting that if smoking were eliminated, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans all would have very low cancer mortality rates, with minimal variation from group to group. "Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, non-lung cancer death rates, like lung cancer death rates, correlate very closely with their smoke exposures," said Bruce N. Leistikow, associate professor of public health sciences at UC Davis and a leading expert on the epidemiology of smoking-related illnesses. "If all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans had as little smoke exposure as South Asian females in California, our work suggests that their cancer mortality rates across the board could be as low as that of the South Asian females." South Asian females in California had a cancer mortality rate of 58 deaths per 100,000 people per year. The cancer mortality for the United States as a whole was 193.5......... Posted by: Janet Permalink Source Older Blog Entries 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Did you know?
Adolescents who suffer physical injuries are vulnerable to emotional distress in the months following their hospitalization, yet almost 40 percent of hospitalized adolescents interviewed for a new study had no source for the follow-up medical care that could diagnose and treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress. These young trauma survivors are at risk for high levels of post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms, as well as high levels of alcohol use, according to research by researchers at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center.
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