New technology for monitoring AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa

AIDS has claimed nearly 3 million lives in 2006 and a third of these deaths occurred in the sub-Saharan Africa, where this disease has decimated the livelihood of millions of people. More than 24 million people – nearly 60% of all people with HIV/ AIDS – in this region are believed to be suffering from this disease, which can be controlled by using antiretroviral treatments that reduces mortality and morbidity of the infection.

Under such circumstances, it is essential for healthcare professionals to monitor and manage HIV infections in this region, in order to control the havoc caused by the AIDS epidemic. Today, new technologies are available to healthcare professionals to better monitor and manage HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa and this video talk about one such technology, which uses a unique blood collection tube for preserving blood samples for longer periods of time and in extreme heat conditions (which is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa). This technology helps physicians in better diagnosing HIV and for determining a course of treatment for the disease.

New Technology Now Available To Monitor AIDS Patients In Africa - Funny home videos are a click away

Arthritis patients benefit from regular exercise

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 65 and all most all arthritis patients suffer from excessive pain in joints and muscles. Regular exercise and activity is important for arthritis patients to reduce the severity of their disease and this video explains why arthritis patients should exercise regularly and how it helps them to cope with their disease.

A simple blood test would replace invasive pre-natal testing in future

A new technology that is currently under development at Sequenom, Inc. is expected to replace invasive pre-natal genetic screening procedures like amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling, in future. This new non-invasive screening technique would be crucial to women with high-risk pregnancies, as it will have significant benefit to all expectant mothers, especially on the heels of new guidelines endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that call for risk assessment of all pregnancies for fetal chromosomal abnormalities.

Watch this video to know more about this new development.

The trigger for Anorexia Nervosa may lie in our genes!

ABC News: A researcher at a Tulsa clinic says a decade-long study into anorexia nervosa is beginning to reveal that those who suffer from the disease might have a genetic predisposition toward it.

The study, known as the Genetics of Anorexia Nervosa collaboration, is being done in eight cities in North America, including Tulsa, and two European cities. It is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Researcher Craig Johnson said that if a person has a family member who has had anorexia nervosa, she or he is 12 times more at risk of developing the illness.

"Genetics loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger," said Johnson, the director of the eating disorders unit at Laureate Psychiatric Hospital in Tulsa and one of the study's principal researchers.

Tulsa, other North American cities involved in the study are Pittsburgh, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Toronto and Fargo, N.D. In Europe, London and Munich, Germany, are a part of the study.

Johnson said researchers have devoted much attention during the past 40 years into looking into how a culture that promotes dieting provokes eating disorders.

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New pill helps obese people to shed weight rapidly

Daily Mail: A new pill for obesity helps overweight people shed more than 4lb a week. The drug, Betahistine, is currently used to treat the dizziness disorder vertigo. But an obesity expert in Israel stumbled on the alternative use while looking for a new treatment for his overweight patients.

Now drug company Eli Lilly has become involved and is backing trials being carried out in Canada and America. In the first human trial in Tel Aviv, volunteers shed excess weight at a rate of almost 4lb a week for three months.

Because Betahistine is an existing drug, it is expected to be fast-tracked by British and American drug safety regulators and should become available worldwide for treating obesity in 2009.

About 40 per cent of adults in the UK are overweight, and 20 per cent are obese. This figure is rising, particularly among young adults.

"This drug is significantly more effective at helping people to lose weight then anything else on the market at present," says Dr Ami Eyal, medical director of Obecure, the company developing the pill.

"The great thing is that this drug has been around since the Sixties and there are no significant side-effects from taking it. It has already been used by 130 million people for vertigo - it is licensed in the UK for this - so we know it is safe.

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Eating fatty fish reduces kidney cancer risk

A study, which spanned for 15 years and covered more than 61,000 women in Sweden, has shown that women, who eat a lot of fatty fish, are 70% less likely to develop kidney cancer in their life time. The study headed by Dr. Alicja Wolk, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, concluded that eating fatty fish reduces the occurrence of kidney cancer in women to a large extent.

This video throws more light on this study.

Autism is more common now in the United States than ever before!

HealthDay News: The release last week of statistics on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in American children -- one case in every 150 8-year-olds -- confirmed that the condition is more common now than it was just a decade ago, when estimates ranged anywhere from one in 500 youngsters to one in 166.

But the new statistics -- from a 14-state survey conducted by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention -- failed to clear up the mystery of why autism might be striking more and more children with each passing year.

Alison Singer, senior vice president of the nation's leading autism advocacy group, Autism Speaks, said she didn't need the CDC statistics to know that more families are now struggling with the behavioral disorder.

A decade ago, "we didn't have more than year-long waiting lists for places within schools for children with autism," said Singer, whose 9-year-old daughter is autistic. "In fact, we had far fewer schools then for children with autism, because we had far less need. And if you go into any elementary school in the country, you'll see more children with special needs and with autism than you did when I was in elementary school."

Autism spectrum disorders include autism as well as less disabling conditions such as Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). All of these conditions involve some level of difficulty in communication and socialization, according to the CDC. Some children may also engage in repetitive behaviors, have trouble dealing with changes in routine, and be prone to emotional outbursts. As many as four in 10 children with autism may not speak at all, the CDC says.

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Active commuting protects the younger generation from obesity

Earlier studies have shown that integrating moderate cardiovascular exercises into daily routines is largely beneficial to health and it offers protection against coronary heart diseases, some forms of cancer and reduces the incidence of overweight and obesity. A new study carried out by the American College of Sports Medicine has found that walking, cycling or skating to school has a significant impact on a kid’s physical activity level, which in turn reduces the incidence of obesity among children.

Watch this video, which throws more light on this subject,

Active Commuting - video powered by Metacafe

Humans are naturally immune to bird flu!

Inthenews.co.uk: Many people may be naturally immune to the effects of avian influenza, a new US study has concluded. Research on mice and humans found natural resistance to flu strains that people are typically exposed to could be translated into immunity against bird flu itself.

Ever since an outbreak of bird flu in south-east Asia spread to neighboring regions in 2004, scientists have been concerned that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza could signal a new pandemic among humans.
But researchers from the St Jude's Children's Research Hospital say that due to the fact seasonal human flu (H1N1) and bird flu contain a closely related neuraminidase (N1) – a disease spreading agent – many people immune to the former could have a similar resistance to the latter.
In laboratory tests mice were immunised with DNA that caused their cells to make neuraminidase from the H1N1 virus.
Scientists then examined the mice's immune response to the human N1 and avian N1 isolated from a patient in south-east Asia. All the mice survived infection from a manmade flu virus containing human N1, while half died after being infected with avian N1.
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‘Destroyer of sin’ is a breeding ground for diseases!

Lexington Herald- Leader: Among believers, the river has many names: The Pure. Destroyer of Sin. Light Amid the Darkness of Ignorance. But mostly they call it "Ganga Ma" -- Mother Ganges -- and they worship it with a blinding intensity.

They worship it despite the islands of garbage that float down its path, and the tons of chemicals dumped in it. They worship it despite the quarter billion gallons of sewage poured into it every day, spreading illness among the 350 million people -- some one-twentieth of the world's population -- who live in its watershed.

For Hindus, the Ganges is a living goddess, capable of washing away sin. But its troubles are as epic as the river itself. And as millions of people filled a vast tent city on the floodplains outside this north Indian city, gathering for a Hindu festival that pays homage to the river, it was the goddess's troubles that grabbed attention.

"She is my mother," said Chandra Madash, a holy man squatting by a fire on a cold night. His beard was long and dirty, his clothing frayed, his voice gravelly. He has spent nearly his entire life in a remote Hindu monastery. "Even if she is dirty I love my mother."

Then he asked: "How can people do this to her?" Perhaps predictably, in a country that straddles the ancient and the modern, it was a group of Hindu holy men in the middle of the battle. They filed lawsuits, called news conferences and organized protests. A handful threatened suicide.

"The government has promised us they would stop dirty water from flowing into Mother Ganges but it's still being done," Narendranand Saraswati, a monastery leader, told thousands of cheering followers gathered by the Ganges.

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Stem cell research can reverse Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major public health concern in the developed world. More and more people are succumbing to AD every year and it is estimated that AD was the 7th leading cause of death in the United States in 2004. This video explains how stem cell research could transform the lives of people living with Alzheimer’s and the need for supporting this most promising form of research.

Fruits and vegetable grown in adverse conditions are good for health

Zee News: Believe it or not but fruits and vegetables grown in adverse weather conditions or insect attacks may have be healthier for you, as these plants release more flavonoid antioxidants.

The amount of flavonoids - antioxidants found in fruits, nuts and vegetables linked to disease prevention - depends on how much stress the plant has endured, says a US government report.
In its most comprehensive study yet on the healthy compounds, the US Department of Agriculture suggests that certain varieties of fruits, nuts and veggies contain more antioxidants than others.
And flavonoid content varies widely between individual samples. For example, a market may display a tub full of red delicious apples, but flavonoid levels in each individual apple may vary, reports ABC online.

The research shows that the difference may be due to stress, which appears to increase the healthful properties of produce. Nutritionist David Haytowitz, one of the study`s authors, says that taxing conditions, such as those created by more natural farming methods, appear to force plants to release greater amounts of flavonoids and other beneficial compounds.
"Insect attacks and weather conditions can be stressful to plants," he says. "Even harvest times are important, as early morning harvests are less stressful than those conducted around noon, since the midday sun adds to a plant`s stress."
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Drug used in heart surgery may increase the risk of death

HealthDay News: Patients given aprotinin, a drug used to limit blood loss in heart bypass surgery, are at greater risk of dying over the next five years than those given two other medications, a new study finds.

The report, published in the Feb. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, comes from the same group that last year linked aprotinin to an increased risk of kidney failure, heart failure and stroke.

"Our present findings deal with death," said study author Dr. Dennis T. Mangano, director of the Ischemia Research and Education Foundation, a California-based nonprofit group. "The death rate for aprotinin patients far outstrips that for the other two drugs."

The study tracked the long-term survival of nearly 3,900 heart patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery at 62 medical centers worldwide. The researchers tabulated survival at six weeks, six months, and then annually for five years.
The five-year death rate for patients given aprotinin was 20.8 percent, compared to 15.8 percent for those given another drug, aminocaproic acid, and 14.7 percent for those given tranexamic acid. Both alternative drugs are available in generic versions.

Aprotinin was approved for use in high-risk cardiac surgery patients by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1993. After last year's report from Mangano's group, the FDA advised doctors to carefully monitor aprotinin patients for kidney, heart and brain damage -- an action taken after Bayer Pharmaceuticals, which markets the drug as Trasylol, disclosed study data showing that it increased the risk of death, kidney damage, congestive heart failure and stroke.
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Good super bowl ad and it sends out an important message

An interesting super bowl ad from King Pharmaceuticals, aimed at raising public awareness on the risks posed by high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity etc., and their relation to cardiovascular diseases. Hope you would enjoy watching this ad.

Evolution of multi-drug resistant strains of TB – What does it mean to the human race?

Tuberculosis is a common and deadly infectious disease caused by the mycobacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium bovis, which most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect the central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones, joints, and even the skin.

This video explains the role of humans in the evolution of multi-drug strains of tuberculosis and how it could affect the entire human race.

An ingredient in baby food may become a solution to obesity

Medindia.com: In the war against the lard, a new weapon is being investigated.Scientists have reported plans to test out a baby food ingredient – oligo fructose, on obese human subjects.

The move follows an earlier study that showed the natural fiber seen in baby foods, cereals and yogurt had a positive effect on genetically obese lab rats. Reportedly, oligo fructose increased the amounts of a hormone named GLP-1; glucagon like peptide that was responsible for a feeling of satiety. The fiber also had a stimulating effect on the gene that was responsible for this hormone. In retrospect the rats under observation ate less and had a better blood lipid profile.

Says Dr. Raylene Reimer of University of Calgary, Faculty of Kinesiology who led the research “It may not be the magic bullet but in all likelihood this will likely be one factor that people can change in their life to help achieve a healthy body weight. It won't cure obesity or cause people to drop half their body weight -- not even our strongest obesity drugs can do that -- but we believe it could help."
In the human trial Reimer and team will test the effect on 50 overweight but otherwise healthy persons who will be asked to take a dietary supplement along with their diet over a three-month period.

Source: Medindia.com

Food and mood

News-Medical.Net: People feeling sad tend to eat more of less-healthy comfort foods than when they feel happy, finds a new study co-authored by a Cornell food marketing expert. However, when nutritional information is available, those same sad people curb their hedonistic consumption. But happier people don't.

In the January issue of the Journal of Marketing, Brian Wansink, the John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing, Applied Economics and Management at Cornell, and two colleagues describe several studies they devised to test the link between mood and food. For example, they recruited 38 administrative assistants to watch either an upbeat, funny movie ("Sweet Home Alabama") or a sad, depressing one ("Love Story"). Throughout the viewings the participants were offered hot buttered, salty popcorn and seedless grapes.

"After the movies were over and the tears were wiped away, those who had watched 'Love Story' had eaten 36 percent more popcorn than those who had watched the upbeat 'Sweet Home Alabama,'" said Wansink, author of the recent book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" (Bantam Books). "Those watching 'Sweet Home Alabama' ate popcorn and popped grapes, but they spent much more time popping grapes as they laughed through the movie than they did eating popcorn."

Wansink suspects that happy people want to maintain or extend their moods in the short term, but consider the long term and so turn to comfort food with more nutritional value. People feeling sad or depressed, however, just want to "jolt themselves out of the dumps" with a quick indulgent snack that tastes good and gives them an immediate "bump of euphoria."

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