Obesity likely to be the cause of hypertension
By jeremyc | April 30, 2012
A new study has found that obese people are at high risk of developing hypertension. The study was conducted by a group of researchers headed by Toshimi Sairenchi from the Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan. The results of the study were published in the magazine “Journal of Hypertension”.
Many previous studies have found that there is a relationship between obesity and hypertension even if the person is hypotensive or normotensive. In order to find out more on the topic, the researchers conducted the study on 68,205 people from 1993 to 2206. The age of the participants varied from 40 to79 years. The researchers got the database from the clinics who conducted the annual community-based health checkups. These check-ups calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI) of the participant, blood pressure and other health conditions.
The researchers analyzed the data for the study for 3.9 years. They found that more than 45 per cent of men and women developed hypertension. After keeping a BMI of 19.0 as the reference, the researchers found that the 1.42 per cent men and 1.47 per cent women who had a BMI of above 25.0 developed hypertension. The age of these people were between 40 and 59 years. The hypertension developed in people who were aged between 60 and 79 years was 1.34 in men and 1.29 in women.
The researchers also found that the hazard ratio in people who were at the baseline in the beginning and not obese after five years is very less compared to the people who were obese throughout the study period. The researchers also found that the hazard ratio of the people who were not obese in the beginning and became obese after five years is high as compared to non-obese people.
The researchers concluded the study stating that overweight is related to developing hypertension in middle-aged people, both men and women.
Topics: General Health News, Heart | No Comments »
Measles deaths down by 74 per cent
By jeremyc | April 29, 2012
The latest United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report said that measles deaths have decreased by 74 per cent worldwide during 2000 to 2010. The report was published in the April 23 issue of the online magazine “The Lancet”.
However, these rates are very far from the World Heath Organization (WHO) targets. The WHO has targeted to reduce measles deaths by 90 per cent between 2000 and 2010. The report stated that the countries like Africa and India, where the death rates were too high, made remarkable progress in controlling the disease.
The report stated that the measles death fell from 535,000 in 2000 to 139,000 in 2010. Half (47 per cent) of these deaths occurred in India and nearly one-third (36 per cent) in Africa. The estimates say that the disease claim 384 lives in a day. The main victims are children.
In the United States, no measles deaths were reported from 2008 to 2010. In 2011 222 cases were reported in the country. Most of the people get the disease while travelling outside the country. Another major portion gets affected by the disease due to no vaccination.
The doctors hold that vaccination is the only way to avoid measles. It has been estimated that one billion doses of vaccine have been dispensed in the last 10 years. However, the experts say that there are more people who need to be vaccinated.
Topics: General Health News | No Comments »
Scientists develop scale to assess work addiction
By jeremyc | April 28, 2012
A group of researchers from the Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, headed by Cecilie Schou Andreassen developed a scale to assess if a person is workaholic. The scale called Bergen Work Addiction Scale (BWAS) provides an easier and objective way to calculate the workaholic nature in a person. The findings were published in the April 10 issue of the online magazine “Scandinavian Journal of Psychology”.
In order to study the nature of work addiction in people, the researchers conducted the study on more than 12,000 people. Among these participants, 11,769 people were gathered through a television commercial. Around 368 participants filled the questionnaire through an extensive internet survey.
The researchers included seven criteria for identifying work addiction in the list. The seven items are listed below:
- Thinking of more ways to free up time so that you can work
- Spending more time at work than is actually required or intended
- Working in order to cope with feelings of depression, helplessness, anxiety, or guilt
- Being told/advised by others to spend less time at work and not listening to their advice
- Getting stressed when you are not permitted to work
- Avoiding exercise, leisure activities, or hobbies for your work
- Working so much that it takes a toll on health
The researchers asked the participants to mark their response as Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often and Always. The researchers considered the answers ‘often’ and ‘always’ as the signs of work addiction. One of the major benefits of the scale is that one person can assess his performance at home without the help of a doctor.
“If breaking the habit is difficult, one can seek professional help. Not much is known about treatment for work addiction as no controlled treatment/intervention study for work addiction has been conducted”, Andreassen said.
Topics: General Health News | No Comments »
UV rays increase T cell activity
By jeremyc | April 27, 2012
The ultraviolent (UV) rays therapy can increase the circulation of regulatory T-cell numbers which would cause the reduction of immune responsiveness, says a new study. The study was conducted by a group of researchers headed by Anthony Ormerod from the University of Aberdeen, UK. The results of the study were published in the magazine “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology”.
The aim of the study was to understand the role of UV rays in treating the patients who suffer from immune-mediated skin disease. The main cause of the disease is the lack of proper exposure to sunlight and inadequate Vitamin D levels. The researchers also found that the T cells play an important role in regulating the immune effector function and thereby increasing the Vitamin D levels in the body.
The researchers conducted the study on 22 patients who were taking medication for skin diseases (outpatient) from a clinic in Scotland from December 2010 to March 2011. Among the patients, 14 were suffering from psoriasis, three had atopic eczema and one patient each had polymorphic light eruption, pruritis, granuloma annulare, solar urticaria and nodular prurigo. The researchers choose the place Scotland because the people living there are more prone to skin diseases due to the lack of exposure to sunlight and Vitamin D deficiency.
The researchers gave the patients standard erythema for two weeks. The dosage was between 0.7 and 4.2. One dose of standard erythema is equal to 100 J/cm2 of erythemogenic UV radiation. The researchers increased the dose to 12.9 standard erythema after two weeks.
The researchers found that the level of Vitamin D in the patients after two weeks have increased from 34 nmol/L at baseline to 58 nmol/L (1.4 per cent). It has again increased by 1.6 per cent at the end of fourth week.
“The findings have important implications for future interventions based on the roles of phototherapy and/or vitamin D supplementation in the prevention or treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases”, said the researchers.
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Scientist discover protein that causes sinus
By jeremyc | April 26, 2012
Researchers have discovered a protein named Interleukin 32 (IL-32) that causes Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The study was conducted by a group of researchers from the Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research in Davos, Switzerland, headed by Michael B. Soyka, M.D. The results of the study were published in the April edition of the magazine “Allergy”.
CRS is a type of sinus infection that lasts for at least three months. It is caused mainly due to facial trauma, allergies, and polyps. The main symptoms of the disease are sinus pain, swelling on the face, and breathing through the mouth.
The researchers during the study found that IL-32 causes inflammation in the immune cells. They also found that the proteins interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) have an increased response when they get exposed to IL-32.
The researchers also found that the occurrence of IL-32 is very high in patients who have CRS.
According to the estimates, more than 150 million people (half of the population) in the United States suffer from allergies.
Topics: General Health News | No Comments »
Eye tremors help in detecting Parkinson’s disease
By jeremyc | April 25, 2012
A new study has found that eye tremors help in detecting Parkinson’s disease at an early stage. The study was conducted by a group of researchers headed by Mark S. Baron, MD from the VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va. The study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The results of the study were published in the magazine “Archives of Neurology”.
The aim of the study was to understand the role of eye tremors in identifying Parkinson’s disease. The study was conducted on 112 patients who had Parkinson’s disease. The control group had 60 people who didn’t have the disease. Among the patients, 90 people were taking dopaminergic medications. Others haven’t taken ant treatment for the disease.
The researchers found that the frequency of the tremors remained stable with not more than 1 Hz while the amplitude changed frequently. The researchers came to this conclusion after taking into consideration the head movements of the patient, the small eye movements, and the movements that are caused when the patient moves the eye from one point to another.
The researchers also found that the movements in both the medicated and non-medicated patients remained more or less the same. The researchers couldn’t find this movement in the 60 healthy people in the control group. The velocity during the fixation in Parkinson’s patients was 5.72 percent as compared to 3.07 percent in the control group.
The researchers pointed out that this simple test of screening the eye movement may not be always 100 percent perfect. They pointed out that there is a 15 percent chance of error in judgment.
Topics: General Health News | No Comments »
Eating fish reduces stroke risk in women
By jeremyc | April 24, 2012
Women can reduce the risk of getting stroke by 50 percent if they eat plenty of fish, says a new study. The study was conducted by a group of researchers headed by Johann Geleijnse from the Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The results of the study were published in the magazine “PLoS ONE”.
The aim of the study was to assess the role of fish in reducing the risk of stroke. The researchers conducted the study on 20,000 men and women. The age group of the participants varied from 20 to 65 years.
The participants ate fish that contained marine fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The study lasted for eight years. The researchers asked participants to fill 178-item food frequency questionnaires often. During the study, researchers analyzed the habitual eating of the participants and the incidents of stroke.
The researchers observed that there were 221 strokes reported during the follow-up period. They found that there is an inverse relationship between stroke and the intake of DHA and EPA. The study results showed that women who took DHA and EPA were at 51 percent less risk of developing stroke as compared to women whose DHA and EPA rates were low.
However, the researchers couldn’t find any significant association with the intake of DHA and EPA and stroke.
While some previous studies proved that the intake of fish does not help women in reducing the risk of stroke, other studies showed that the intake of marine products reduces the risk of stroke in men.
Topics: Stroke, Women's Health | No Comments »
Central line infection on a decline in US
By jeremyc | April 23, 2012
The number of central line bloodstream infections in the United States is declining, as per the report released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The central line infection surfaces when a patient is admitted in the hospital. The infection is mainly caused due to the central line tube. The tube is inserted into the larger vein of the patient to treat ailments related to the chest and neck. This type of treatment is mostly given to the patients who are in the intensive care unit. If the tube is not inserted properly or not cleaned well before use, the lines may cause infection in the body of the patient.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that 21 states in the country reported a reduction of central line infection. Overall, the reduction of the infection in the country is 32 percent. The reduction of the infection is 35 percent in patients who are in the intensive care unit.
The report also said that there are small reductions in the infections that are related to various other surgical procedures.
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Scientist find new drug effective in treating AS
By jeremyc | April 22, 2012
The drug named adalimumab (popularly known as Humira) is more effective in treating patients with ankylosing spondylitis, says a new study. The study was conducted by a group of researchers headed by Joachim Sieper, M.D from the University Clinic Benjamin Franklin in Berlin. The study was supported and funded by the drug company Abbott Laboratories. The results of the study were published in “Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases”.
The aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of the drug. The researchers conducted the study on 311 patients who suffer from ankylosing spondylitis. The researchers divided the group into two. The first group was given 40 mg of adalimumab every week and the second group was given a placebo.
The patients took the drug from 24 weeks to five years. During the analysis, researchers found that the people who took one to five years for remission while taking the regular drugs took only 12 weeks when the researchers gave them adalimumab.
One of the major plus points of the study was the long follow-up period- five years. Many patients dropped out during the trial due to the non-responsiveness of the drug. The researchers considered this as one important drawback of the study.
Estimates say that around 300,000 to 750,000 people in the United States suffer from ankylosing spondylitis. More than 75 percent of the patients are men. The symptoms of the disease surface in the early 20s.
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Now, video game to treat depression in kids
By jeremyc | April 21, 2012
Playing a particular video game can help treat depression in teenagers, says a new study. The study was conducted by a group of researchers headed by Sally Merry, MD from the University of Auckland. The study was supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. The results of the study were published in “BMJ”.
The aim of the study was to understand the impact of cognitive behavioral video game named SPARX (Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts) in treating depression in adolescents.
The researchers conducted the study on 187 children. The mean age of the participants was 12 to 19 years. The participants were asked to play the game that was set up as an interactive fantasy game. In the game, the user or player can choose an avatar that restores balance in a world of “gloomy negative automatic thoughts”. The therapeutic effects became evident when players combated the challenges put forward by the game that he or she would usually encounter in the real world. The challenges provided education and improved the mood of the participants.
The researchers also gave the participants the usual counseling and the other therapies that are used to treat depression. Among the 187 participants, 168 completed the three-month trial period with the follow-up.
The results of the study showed that children who underwent SPARX treatment showed significant improvement in the self-reported depressive symptoms. The symptoms reduced by 10.32 points as compared to those who underwent regular traditional treatment who showed a reduction of 7.59 points.
The remission rates were high in children who underwent SPARX treatment (43.7 percent) as compared to children who underwent traditional treatment. However, the response rates of children in both the groups remained the same.
The study also found that the response to the SPARX treatment was not related to the age, ethnicity, or sex of the patient.
Topics: Depression | No Comments »
