Health Tips,Health Food ,kids Health Tips,Health

Health Eye Five Tips

2011-10-13T05:06:00.000-07:00

1. Up your antioxidant intake.

Studies show that people with low levels of antioxidants are more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD) than those with higher levels. Antioxidants that seem to be especially protective against the disease include vitamin C (in citrus fruits, kiwi and broccoli), vitamin E (in vegetable oils, nuts and avocados) and lutein and zeaxanthin—nutrients that abound in dark leafy greens, such as spinach, kale and collards. While it’s not completely clear how these antioxidants protect your eyes, it seems that they accumulate in the retina where they can mop up free radicals, compounds that damage cells by starving them of oxygen. Lutein and zeaxanthin may also act like natural sunglasses, helping to form macular pigment that filters out some of the sun’s damaging rays.

2. Eat (whole) eggs.

Egg yolks are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, but many of us avoid eggs because we’re worried about their cholesterol content. Research led by Thomas Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor with the Center for Health and Disease Research at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, suggests that we shouldn’t be so concerned. He found that when people ate eggs regularly—as many as two daily—they significantly increased the levels of lutein and zeaxanthin circulating in their bodies without boosting LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. Unless your doctor advises otherwise, go ahead and enjoy eggs regularly. (Just don’t go crazy: the American Heart Association still advises limiting cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams [mg] daily, and one large egg yolk has about 213 mg.) Take a tip from Dr. Wilson and scramble your eggs with spinach for an even bigger nutrient boost.

3. Help yourself to more “see” food.

A recent analysis of nine studies that included more than 88,000 participants suggested that people who ate at least two servings of fatty fish (such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring or trout) per week were about one-third less likely to develop advanced AMD than those who didn’t. Lead scientist Elaine Chong, Ph.D., a research fellow at the Centre for Eye Research at the University of Melbourne, Australia, explains that omega-3 fatty acids—particularly DHA—in fish are key components of the nerve cells in the retina. “DHA is found in much higher concentrations in the retina than in other parts of the body,” she notes, “thus, a deficiency may trigger AMD.” So commit to eating more fatty fish, and don’t stop there: shellfish, such as oysters and crab, provide good amounts of zinc, another nutrient that’s found in the retina and may also help protect against AMD.

4. Consider a supplement.

Although it’s always best to get nutrients from food first, supplements are showing a lot of promise in combating AMD. Reports from large-scale clinical trials suggest that, in high-dose supplement form, several nutrients may help to reduce the risk of AMD significantly. If you have any AMD risk factors, talk with your eye-care professional about taking an “eye health formula” supplement. The current supplement formula being studied in major research trials includes 10 mg of lutein (the equivalent of about 3 cups of spinach), 2 milligrams of zeaxanthin and 1 gram total of EPA and DHA (approximately what you get in a 3-ounce serving of salmon). Until further research is in, there’s no advantage to exceeding those amounts. Remember to take it only under medical supervision; even though these supplements are available over the counter, taking megadoses of any nutrient should always be approached cautiously.

5. Keep your blood pressure—and your weight—in check.

People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop AMD, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The theory is that increased pressure damages blood vessels. This hinders blood flow to the eyes, making it harder for protective nutrients to reach the retina and for damaging free-radical debris to be carried away. Losing extra pounds if you’re overweight or obese might also help. Body fat is a major storage depot for fat-soluble nutrients, and excess fat tissue can act as a “sink” for some eye-protective nutrients, making them less available to the macula.

So I’m redoubling my efforts to eat better—especially when it comes to my weak spots, leafy greens and fatty fish. Since my doctor and I don’t think I’m at high risk for AMD (thanks to my lack of family history and the cloudy, northern climate I live in), I’m not taking an “eye health” supplement for now—just a multivitamin and a calcium supplement. But I’m keeping an open mind about the future, while closely watching for new findings on nutrition and eye health. And I’m doing it all wearing fabulous frames that even Sue would envy. Rachel K. Johnson, EatingWell’s senior nutrition advisor, is a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont.

Slimming Pills and Diabetes

2011-09-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

Diabetes is a silent disease affecting the overall health and well being of an individual stricken by the condition. This illness is characterized by the body’s inability to metabolize the hormone insulin for cellular processes. This hormone is important as the hormone enables cells to utilize blood sugar as fuel for normal processes. Without insulin, the cells do not have fuel and result in cellular degeneration. When cells die, organs fail leading to complications and even death.

One of the most prevalent types of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus. In this kind of diabetes, the individual’s dietary lifestyle affects the body’s ability to metabolize insulin. Because of a high fat an high sugar diet, the diabetic individual cannot process the blood sugar for fuel and excessive amounts are stored as fat. Thus the pernicious effect of Type 2 diabetes comes to fore, the increase in weight as well as lack of fuel for cellular regeneration and operations. This often leads to complications such as cardiovascular disease, renal failure, recuperative disorders, blindness and a whole host of other ill effects.

There is also a wealth of literature regarding weight and diabetes. Because of the intense association of weight gain, body mass index and fat ratios with diabetes, many opt for quick fixes to lose weight in the hope that the diabetes would be properly managed. The following are some of the more common weight loss pills in the market today and their effects on healthy individuals.

• Orlistat. This diet pill inhibits the breakdown of fat in the digestive system, blocking the absorption into the body and eventually being passed out through the stool.
• Hoodia Gordonii. This is South African plant used by bushmen to suppress their appetites. There are no current studies on this protected herb.
• Capsiplex. The main ingredients of this drug are chili and capsicum and is said to increase the individual’s metabolic rate to lose weight.
• Fat Binding. While there are many brands, such as Proactol and Lipobind that say that the extract of dried cactus fibers would bind the fat in the diet. This would then be passed out in the stool.

There are issues involved with using these weight loss pills as a diabetic. Many physicians though prescribe them, the use of weight loss pills should properly be monitored and administered, as there are more health issues involved with diabetics, which are as follows:

1. Weight loss is not the cure all for diabetes. Diabetics need to lose weight in order to lower the demand of insulin in cellular processes. The weight loss is also important to prevent other complications, such as heart ailments, fatty liver and other obesity related diseases.

2. Weight loss pills are not magic potions for diabetics. Even with the use of weight loss pills, the absence of any change in the individual’s dietary habits would only blunt the promised benefits of weight loss pill use.

3. Weight loss pills have effects on the body. Many weight loss pills use suppression and excretion of particular substances, such as fat, as their effect on the body. Since the diabetic body is slow to heal and recuperate, the use of weight loss pills can bring the body to the brink of injury as an effect (appetite suppression, increased bowl movement, increased metabolism). This may even create more complications for the individual instead of benefits if this kind of regimen is continued.

Thus, it is important to be properly guided by your physician regarding the use of weight loss pills as a diabetic. This regimen is not a magic bullet as the best recipe for weight loss in diabetics is still dietary modification, self-discipline and exercise to properly manage diabetes in the long run.

For a more comprehensive discussion on weight loss and diabetes, do visit us at Aspirin Therapy for Diabetics with Heart Disease please visit the author’s site Diabetes Forum

Women Health Tips: Breasts Of Women Without Bra

2011-03-31T02:37:00.000-07:00

Breasts Of Women Without Bra: latest news about Breasts Of Women Without Bra updates, I have been searching the internet for advice on how to be confident with a flat chest, or how to find a suitable swimsuit, etc. There are so many websites that encourage that small busts are attractive – but I am not small, I am flat – and 22 years old.

I know this is not a health concern in regards to hormones. I have spoken to my family doctor and my period is regular. I have absolutely no breast tissue and this has never been the case for other women in my family. I feel like I am the only one in this situation and it is very difficult to cope without the support of someody who understands exactly what I am going through. Please help.”

After hearing from literally thousands of women in our ten-year history, let me say, you are not alone. Some women have even sent us pictures so I know exactly what you are talking about. The good news is that, as your doctor says, there is no health concern for you and chances are that you will be able to breastfeed normally as well, if you so desire when you have a child.

You have not told me about your weight, but a lot of skinny women have this problem. When they put on additional weight, they also gain breast tissue. So in case you are underweight, it makes sense to gain some weight in a healthy manner (working closely with a nutritionist, you want to gradually increase your fat intake but make sure that you exercise at the same time so that you build a good body rather than look totally out of shape).

Options

Then you have two options:

Deal with the problem and fix it. The only solution that really works is breast augmentation. There is NOTHING else that works. BRAVA provides a very limited improvement and there are some reports that acupuncture breast augmentation also is effective.

Two, accept it. Keira Knightley, Debra Messing, and Kate Beckinsale have, for example, though I think they all appear to have some breast tissue. In that case, you accept it the way you accept everything else about you. The less attention you will pay to it, the easier life will become. We all have something that we don’t like. I got gray hair in my 20s and for a while I tried to accept it but people thought I was “old,” or made fun of me. Eventually, I did something about it – now I color it regularly and it is amazing how people don’t believe it when I disclose my age. I also feel better about myself and now regret that I should have made the change in my 20s. So if this is something that bothers you so much, breast implants are fairly safe and affordable these days.

Health Tips Facts: Ringworm Treatments Symptoms Causes Prevention Home Remedies Cures

2010-02-05T02:25:00.000-08:00

Ringworm Definition / what is Ringworm? :-

Ringworm, also known as Tinea, has nothing to do with worms, but is a fungal infection that can occur anywhere on the body. On the skin, it is generally characterized by a slightly raised, usually red or brown colored patch of skin, with a light center, forming a ring shape. A ringworm infection on the scalp will usually cause a bald spot with scaly skin.

Ringworm Symptoms Signs:-

Signs of ringworm are physically visible. When there is already an appearance of one or more itchy patches in the skin with define edges most likely these are ringworms. Ringworms are different with rashes or other patches like those caused by insect bites. Ringworm patches appear like rings because they have lighter centers. When they are found in the nails, usually the nails discolor, thicken and fall.

Skin lesions are also signs of the presence of ringworm infection. These lesions are called dermatophytes.

Ringworm Causes Risk Factors:-

Ringworm causes include exposure to an infected person or animal. Ringworm is very contagious, and can be passed from person to person or from animal to person through physical contact with the infected area. It can also be passed through contact with infected objects such as sheets or hairbrushes.

Ringworm Treatments Home Natural Herbal Remedies Cures Prevention:-

Shampoo regularly; Keep your feet and skin clean and dry; Avoid touching questionable pets and animals; avoid sharing combs, towels, or clothing; Wear shoes in locker rooms and around pools.
Fungi like to thrive in moist areas like locker rooms, swimming pools and skin folds. The prevention of ringworm infection is better than waiting for its attack then curing it. Some of the prevention Tips are as follows: Avoid sharing of clothing, for all time wear slippers especially in moist areas, avoid skin to skin contacts or shower with antifungal soap after a contact sports, dry your feet first before wearing socks and avoid contacts with pets that stay in dirty areas of the house.

The recommended oral medications for treating ringworm are Terbinafine (Lamisil) and Itraconazol (Sporanox).

This new Ringworm Home Treatment suggests covering the infected area with clear nail polish and letting it dry. It is suggested to use clear nail polish since colored ones will take longer to dry. The dried up nail polish will supposedly suffocate the fungus and cause it to deteriorate, making you ringworm free in just 3 weeks.

supposedly suffocate the fungus and cause it to deteriorate, making you

Healthy Swimming

2009-11-17T04:12:00.001-08:00

Summer time means fun in the sun, and plenty of fun and games in the water - but did you know that germs could contaminate swimming water? Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are spread by swimming in contaminated recreational waters such as: pools, water parks, lakes, and the ocean. Germs causing RWIs can be killed by chlorine, but it doesn't work right away. It takes time to kill germs, and some are resistant to chlorine and can live in pools for days. Here are some tips on how to protect yourself and your family from RWIs.

Swimmer's Ear

"Swimmer's Ear" is an infection of the ear and/or outer ear canal, which can cause the ear to itch or become red and inflamed. More common in children and young adults, movement or touching the ear can be extremely painful. Reduce your risk of getting Swimmer's Ear:

Dry your ears after swimming.
Check with the pool staff about the chlorine and pH-testing program at the pool. Those with good control are unlikely to spread Swimmer's Ear.
Avoid swimming in locations that may have been closed because of pollution.
Avoid putting objects (e.g. fingers, cotton swabs) in your ear that may scratch the ear canal and provide a site for infection.

Swimmer's Ear can be treated with antibiotic eardrops - contact your doctor if you think you might have Swimmer's Ear.

Swimmer's Itch

"Swimmer's Itch" is a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to infection caused by certain parasites found in contaminated salt or fresh water. You may experience tingling, burning, or itching of the skin. Small reddish pimples may later occur and could develop into blisters. Swimmer's itch cannot be spread from person-to-person, and most cases do not require medical attention. If you have a rash - try not to scratch as this may cause the rash to become infected. You may try the following for relief:

Cool compresses
Anti-itch lotion; calamine lotion
Corticosteroid cream
Apply a baking soda paste to the rash

Children are more likely to be affected because they swim, wade, and play in the shallow water (where the parasites are most often found) more than adults, and they do not towel dry themselves when leaving the water. To reduce the risk of swimmer's itch:

Avoid swimming in areas where swimmer's itch is a known problem.
Do not attract birds by feeding them in areas where people are swimming.
Avoid swimming near or wading in marshy areas where snails are commonly found.
Towel dry or shower immediately after leaving the water.

Tips on Managing the Heat

2009-11-17T04:10:00.000-08:00

Tips on Managing the Heat

The risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke rises along with the temperature and humidity. Heat illnesses occur when the body's cooling mechanism becomes overloaded. When the heat starts to rise - slow down. Regardless of your activity level, drink more fluids - your body needs water to prevent dehydration during warm summer days. Stay away from liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar. Stay indoors or in shaded locations; wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing; and limit your outdoor activity to morning or evening hours when it is cooler outside.

Signals of Heat Emergencies

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop well after dehydration occurs. Those most prone to heat exhaustion include the elderly, those with high blood pressure, and children. Some symptoms of heat exhaustion include: cool, moist, pale or flushed skin; muscle cramps; heavy perspiring; nausea and sometimes vomiting; weakness; dizziness; dry mouth; and a headache.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation. It occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature. Heat stroke can occur within 10-15 minutes of the first symptoms. Signs of heat stroke include: very high body temperature (above 103 degrees); hot, dry, red skin; no sweating; nausea; dizziness; confusion, disorientation, hallucinations; or loss of consciousness.

Treatment of Heat Emergencies

If you feel you are suffering from heat exhaustion, it is important to get out of the sun and into a cool place; loosen clothing; drink water/fluids (be sure to avoid caffeine and alcoholic beverages); take a cool shower, bath or sponge bath; and rest.

Heat Stroke is a medical emergency - have someone call for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the victim. Get the person to a shaded area; cool him/her rapidly using whatever methods you can (immerse in a tub of cool water, place in a cold shower, spray with cool water from a garden hose); do not give fluids; if convulsions occur, keep the victim from injuring himself; call the hospital emergency room for further instructions if medical assistance is delayed in responding.

Summer Health Tips for Men

2009-11-17T04:06:00.000-08:00

Protect your health, prevent illness and injury, and prepare for possible emergencies and disasters.

Summer is a great time to build up your fitness program, enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, take a vacation, and have fun. It's also a time to pay attention to your health and safety. Males are at an increased risk for some injuries and conditions. Motor vehicle traffic, poisonings, and falls are the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths for males. Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death. Take simple steps each day to stay safe and healthy. Get check-ups, avoid tobacco use, wear helmets, manage stress, and more. Below are some summer tips for men on how to be safer, stronger, and healthier.

Be water-savvy while swimming and boating.
Keep your cool in the sun. Protect yourself from the sun’s dangerous rays.
Leave fireworks to the professionals.
Be safe on the move. Wear seat belts and helmets.
Fight the bite. Wear insect repellent.
Practice proper pet care. Keep your pets healthy. Keep wildlife wild.
Prevent sexually transmitted infections.
Eat healthy. Handle and prepare food safely to avoid foodborne illness.
Be physically active for at least 2½ hours a week.
Be prepared for emergencies.

Reasons for female hair loss

2009-11-16T05:32:00.000-08:00

The causes of female hair loss include physical, emotional, and hormonal reasons, as well as taking medications that can cause hair loss.

Hormones play a major role in female hair loss. Many women lose their hair after pregnancy. Because of low levels of estrogen during pregnancy, and loss of natural hair which is supposed to not occur during the months of pregnancy. About three or four months after giving birth, and once that is stabilizing the hormones to normal, and the hair that was supposed to be lost during the pregnancy leave at a time. This hair loss is a temporary situation, and hair growth will resume regular sessions promptly. Any modifications to the cycle of birth control are also known to cause hair loss in some cases. Start or stop the pill and hormones for reasons other than stable, and sometimes lead to hair loss. Hormone replacement therapy can have the same results. The presence of DHT is also the initiator of hair loss. DHT is a hormone that weakens hair follicles, and often causes hair loss.

Diseases and physical conditions can also have a side effect of hair loss in females. Diseases such as anemia, hypothydroidism, anorexia and bulimia, diseases of the thyroid, liver disease, hepatic failure, renal failure, viral and fungal, or protozoan infections can all cause hair loss in women. Incredibly high fever can also cause hair loss. When the temperature of the body on a large scale, and the hair growth cycle is changed.

Emotional exhaustion and related cases can also be produced as a result of hair loss. High levels of stress we have documented a strong relationship to hair loss, especially in females.

Tags: Women Health Tips, Womens Health

Female Pattern Hair Loss

2009-11-16T05:29:00.000-08:00

Female hair loss occurs in more than one pattern. If you are a woman with the loss of scalp hair, you should seek professional advice from a physician hair restoration specialist.

In most cases, can be female hair loss be treated effectively. If you are a woman had started to lose scalp hair, and you are not alone, if:

* You are unpleasantly surprised by the loss of hair

* You do not understand why you are losing hair

Patterns of hair loss in women can not be readily identifiable as is the case in men.
Unlike hair loss in men, female scalp has hair loss usually starts at any age through 50 or later, you may not have any clear relationship hereditary, and may not occur in recognizable “female pattern alopecia” to defuse the thin part above the the top of the scalp. A woman who notices the beginning of hair loss may not be sure whether the loss will be temporary or permanent, for example, if there was an event recently, such as pregnancy or diseases that may be associated with temporary hair thinning.

If you are a woman concerned about the loss of scalp hair, you should consult a physician hair restoration specialist for evaluation and diagnosis.
Self-diagnosis is often not effective. Women tend to be less obvious patterns of hair loss than men, and non-pattern hair loss is more common in women than in men. Diagnosis should be made ofhair loss in women should be made by a doctor trained and experienced.

In women as in men, and the likely cause of scalp hair loss is alopecia androgenetic – inherited sensitivity to the effects of androgens (male hormones) hair follicles in the scalp. However, women with hair loss due to this reason, usually do not grow true baldness in the patterns that occur in men, for example, they rarely put women in the cue “ball” appearance often seen in male pattern alopecia androgenetic.
Patterns of female androgenetic alopecia can vary considerably in terms of

appearance. Patterns that can occur as follows:

* Diffuse thinning of hair over the entire scalp, often with more noticeable thinning toward the back of the scalp.

* Osteoporosis is widespread over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp but does not involve my hair in front of me.

* Osteoporosis is widespread over the entire scalp, with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp, which in some cases, violation of my hair for me.

Unlike the case for men, thinning scalp hair in women due to androgenetic alopecia does not uniformly grow smaller in diameter (zoom out). Women with hair loss due to androgenetic alopecia tend to play down the hair Qatar variable on all the affected areas of the scalp. While miniaturization of hair is a feature of alopecia androgenetic, miniaturization may also be associated with other reasons, and not in itself a diagnostic feature of alopecia androgenetic. In women after menopause, for example, you may begin to reduce the size of the hair and it becomes difficult to style. It should be accurate diagnosis made by the physician hairrestoration specialist.

It is important to note that female pattern hair loss can begin as early as the late teens to early 20s at the time of the women who have experienced early puberty. If left untreated, this hair loss is associated with early puberty can progress to more advanced hair loss if left untreated.

However the pattern of causes of hair loss in women

In women more often than men, may have hair loss due to other circumstances of alopecia androgenetic. Some of the most common of these reasons are:

Compulsive plucking the hair pulling their hair. Hair loss due to plucking the hair is usually incomplete, and the leaders of the hair-compulsive disorder tend to focus on the withdrawal in the selected areas. Hair loss because of this issue can not be addressed effectively until the psychological or emotional reasons for trichotillomania are effectively addressed.

Alopecia areata, a disorder which may cause loss of self is incomplete hair can range from diffuse thinning to extensive areas of baldness with “islands” of retained hair. Medical examination is necessary for the development of the diagnosis.
Triangular alopecia – Hair loss in time zones that sometimes begins in childhood. Hair loss can be complete, or a few fine, thin hair may remain in Qatar. The issue of triangular alopecia is not known, but in the case can be treated medically or surgically.

Scarring alopecia – Hair loss due to scarring of the scalp. Scarring alopecia typically involves the upper part of the scalp and occurs mostly in women. Condition often occurs in Americans of African descent, believed to be associated with persistent tight braiding or “corn-rowing” ofscalp hair. There is a form of scarring alopecia may also occur in women after menopause, associated with inflammation of hair follicles, and scarring later.

Telogen effluvium – a common type of hair loss caused when a large percentage of scalp hair is transformed into “shedding” phase. The causes of telogen effluvium may be hormonal, nutrition, and drug associated or stress-related. Loose anagen syndrome – a condition occurring primarily in people of fair hair whichscalp hair sits loosely in hair follicles and is easily extracted by combing or withdrawn. Case may appear in childhood, and can be improved and aged people. Diagnosis and treatment
If you are a woman with thinning or lost scalp hair, OPEC is the first necessary step to diagnose the situation correctly by a physician hair restoration specialist. After the diagnosis of this matter and the doctor will recommend an approach to medical or surgical treatment effective.

Tags: Women Health Tips, Womens Health

Five Key Health Tips For Women !

2009-11-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

GameStop (NYSE: Greater Middle East) and collaborated with the National Commission for Women and Health Resource Center (NWHRC) to provide five key practical tips for women’s health in the 20s. Video game retailer as a national request of 20 – something like Cote de Pablo and unlikely) and Michelle Trachtenberg (17 seconds) for the exchange of personal fitness tips as well. Can these tips and more health and fitness information can be found on .

Trachtenberg, 23-year-old says: “In your 20s, you feel invincible, and I think you can eat anything and everything in sight and still fit in your skinny jeans the next day. You do not realize that not be aware of what you are consuming has raised the long – term. ”

“There are a lot of women in their 20s make the mistake of postponing the creation of good eating habits and physical fitness, but this is the best time to create a foundation for a healthy life,” says Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, R., Executive Director of NWHRC.

Here are five tips from the NWHRC major health for women in the 20s:

1. Create an exercise routine (that you enjoy!)

To stay active will help you to develop a strong set that looks and feels as good as you age. It can reduce the risk of the disease, and reduction of tension and protect your bones and joints. So it is important to participate in physical activities that are not only difficult, but also fun and stimulating. To keep things interesting by mixing it; whether it’s a dance class or a trip rowing, do not be afraid to try something new.

CBS and wish to co-star Cote de Pablo stay in shape by doing a combination of basic training and yoga four or five times a week. “I try to find time either in the morning before work or after, and I’m definitely working on weekends, because this is the only time I’m sure I will not work.

2. Maintain healthy eating habits

Stop worrying about your weight, and start thinking about your health. Most all foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, is the key to feeling and looking your best. Begins to add additional serving of fruits and vegetables at every meal.

Decrease your chance of osteoporosis later through the consumption of more calcium now. Calcium can be found in dairy products including milk, yogurt and cheese, as well as in other foods, such as green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, broccoli and tofu. Vitamin (d) helps the body absorb calcium so it is important to take a supplement, and eat foods fortified with vitamin (d) or take a walk outdoors in sunlight.

De Pablo shares in the habit of eating in secret to work for it, “If you want to go for a meal really great, and make them breakfast and then gradually eat less throughout the day. Do not eat heavy meals and heavy during the night. Drink plenty of water and lead an active in life. ”

3. Protect your skin

You’re never too young to start in the care of your skin. Healthy habits today will pay off in subsequent years. The key to healthy skin that lies behind the use of soap. It depends on what you eat, whether you exercise, how much you are under pressure, so this kind of environment in which we live and work. Eating a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, and wear sunscreen and get regular body scan, a dermatologist can keep you looking young and feeling good and my age.

4. To get a good night’s sleep

Not getting enough sleep can interfere with memory and the mind and the ability to concentrate and make you more vulnerable to infection, and increased stress levels and reduce the body’s ability to fight infection or cure. If you have trouble getting a good night’s rest, and tried to sleep and wake up at the same time each day or taking a hot bath before bedtime.

5. Stress management

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the balance between new jobs, and friends and everything happens in your life. Breathing; slow and deep, diaphragmatic breaths that can trigger a response in the whole body relax.

Tags: Health Tips, Tips For Women, Women Health Tips, Womens Health

Working in Retirement

2009-11-09T05:27:00.001-08:00

Related MedlinePlus Page: Seniors' Health

Trauma Deadlier for Kids Without Insurance

2009-11-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

Finding emphasizes need to fix U.S. health care, expert says

HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Friday, November 6, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Uninsured children in the United States are three times more likely to die from trauma injuries than children with private insurance, according to a new study.

Children with public insurance, such as Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program, were also slightly more likely to die as those with private insurance, the study found.

"We have this idea that everyone is treated equally, yet the mortality rate after trauma among uninsured children is much higher when compared to children with commercial insurance," Dr. Heather Rosen, a research fellow in plastic surgery at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School and the study's lead researcher, said in a news release from the hospital.

The findings, published in the October issue of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, stemmed from an analysis of National Trauma Data Bank information on 174,921 trauma patients aged 17 and younger.

The researchers suggested several possible reasons for the disparity they found:

Trauma patients with no insurance or public insurance might be transferred from one hospital to another, causing a delay in treatment.
Uninsured patients might be given fewer medical tests, leading to inadequate diagnoses or missed injuries.
If uninsured patients don't speak English, if it's not their native language, or if their education level is lower overall, they might have trouble talking to health-care providers about their medical history and quality of care after they were injured.

"This study suggests that there may be a direct effect of possessing insurance," Rosen said. "We need to work harder to get to the point where every person has access to health care in this country."

She noted that the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) requires all hospitals to treat patients until they're medically stable, regardless of insurance status.

"This paper provokes more questions than it answers," she said. "Should we be more vigilant about investigating whether EMTALA laws are being violated? Is this happening more often than we care to admit?"

SOURCE: Children's Hospital Boston, news release, Nov. 2, 2009

HealthDay

Cooling May Reduce Brain Lesions in Newborns

2009-11-09T05:24:00.000-08:00

Treatment after oxygen deprivation accounts for better motor skills later, study suggests

HealthDay

By Randy Dotinga

Friday, November 6, 2009

THURSDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Babies who are deprived of oxygen at birth often go on to have lifetime disabilities, but research has shown that cooling infants can help prevent problems.

Now, a new study reports that the cooling actually reduces the number of brain lesions in the babies.

Oxygen starvation at birth can cause a condition called hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, which can be fatal. Oxygen starvation also accounts for about 20 percent of cerebral palsy cases.

An earlier study found that chilling infants who suffer from oxygen deprivation can help reduce rates of cerebral palsy and improve their motor skills later in life. In the new study, reported online Nov. 5 and in the January issue of The Lancet Neurology, researchers investigated whether MRI scans would reveal fewer cerebral lesions in infants who were cooled.

That turned out to be the case. After reviewing MRI brain scans of 131 infants, they found 30 to 40 percent fewer lesions in areas of the brain where neurological development occurs. The infants who underwent cooling were three times more likely than those who didn't to have normal scans.

The scans also allowed doctors to predict with more than an 80 percent degree of certainty whether the infants would die or be disabled by the time they were 18 months old. The accuracy rate was 84 percent for the infants who were cooled and 81 percent for those who were not.

SOURCE: The Lancet Neurology, news release, Nov. 4, 2009

HealthDay

Make your eyes your ornament

2009-11-09T05:17:00.000-08:00

Eyes are the best part of the human body. They can express any kind of emotion. Even the person who does not have the ability to speak and can express himself through the eyes. Taking good care of such a device is in fact inevitable. Not only on the beauty, but also from a medical point is important. Take a look at this article about ways to protect your precious device.

This article covers

1. Physical therapy to strengthen the eyes
2. Use of natural creams
3. The use of cosmetics, artificial eye
Eyes are the most important feature of the human face, an expression of feelings, mood, and eye problems can destroy any person or beauty make-up. The good natural eye cream can help to maintain the health of the eyes and sparkling, along with a healthy diet and lots of hours of sleep.

Natural remedies to enhance the eyes

There are many natural (home) and the remedies available to maintain healthy eyes and to deal with (and treatment) simple eye diseases such as red eyes, and bulging.

There are a few examples of natural remedies are:
Which makes use of natural creams

In the natural characteristics of the eye care recovery of flowers and plants that are used to treat minor problems such as itchy eyes, redness of the eyes and the injured (too angry), eyes. There are different types of health care developed eye and sold by pharmacies and health food stores, most of which contains the following elements:
Option or the option of water

Containing calcium and vitamins A and C and magnesium, the option is known for its soothing properties and will help to relax and reduce red eye ofthe eyes. Option can be water or thin slices also be applied to the skin around the eyes especially if it is looking dry skin. Segments left on the skin for fifteen minutes at least during the relaxation will make your eyes look like new!

Agrimony leaves or flowers

Leaves and dried flowers of this plant are added to boiling water, after which the infusion is strained and used to bathe in the eyes, to reduce swelling, and itching in the eyes. People who spend a lot of time working behind a computer, which suffer from itching or burning eyes, and will also benefit from this treatment.

Marigold flowers.

Tea is made weak, cooling pads and cotton wool soaked in tea, and then placed on pallets eyes or eyes for ten minutes to be washed with this liquid.

Tags: Health Tips, Make your eyes, Women Health Tips, Womens Health

How to Run and Enjoy the Marathon

2009-11-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

If you have not run a marathon, or have had an unpleasant experience of the marathon, this concise book will give you some pointers (which you’ll need) to prepare properly.

I recommend reading this book in certain sectors. Read the first few chapters now, and while you are looking for motivation and guidance. After you
Began routine visit or re-read the next few chapters. They will help you to equip yourself with the appropriate equipment, literature and safety. Finally, when you are close to race time, or re-read Chapter 14 visit, which will guide you through the process of preparation before the race.

At the end of the reference manual will guide you to good sources of information running anything else you want to know.

There are a number of good reasons to run. Physical fitness is a good idea, but not necessarily at the top of this list. In fact, if you have a physical fitness is the only reason to run, your chances of sticking with it is not great. Some other benefits, which devoted several of the contestants in the long term have been described to me (which I find it important) and include: stress management, improved self-image, and improve the clarity of the mind, and a time for reflection.

Start with a record of training. Read the review on the training records of the versions of books online for free on a whim. They really help to know the motive and exactly how much you have improved is very nice.

If your goal is to work your way of walking, respectively, and then check your e-10 – week walk / run program – “The goal of this program is for beginners to be fully capable of running 30 minutes non-stop at the end of 10 weeks, before the start of With this schedule, and get your legs ready for the eight days of walking (after you have a medical examination, that is): Walking for 20 minutes a day for the first four days, rising to 30 minutes daily for four days more than that.

Tags: Health Tips, Women Health Tips, Womens Health

Back Pain Yoga

2009-11-09T05:10:00.000-08:00

Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but in fact, what your back really needs when he hurt is exercise. Regular exercise reduces back pain and extends through the strengthening of the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent infection in the future. This is the use or lose it situation: the more you rest, the weaker your back gets, even if it hurt. Studies have shown that in fact you can heal your back pain faster and get back to your activities with the regular, just two days of rest. So let’s take a look at some of the best exercises for back pain relief.

Yoga And good, regular yoga practice will go far in alleviating the pressure and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise forback pain relief. However, not all yoga poses relieve the pain of the back, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which is would be more beneficial in alleviating back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified instructor of yoga, and if you have any problems with these situations, you should consult an expert. Even one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, a teacher will help you with your form and posture during the poses. Here are some of the bestyoga poses to ease back pain. We should all be held in a period of five to ten seconds, depending on the level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.

Body: Lie flat on your back in a comfortable position, arms resting on the sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees showing a little bit. If you hurt your back on your knees turned outward, and this does not constitute, with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds in the time allowed to leave any tension in the body.

The Committee against Torture Stretch: Start out on hands and knees with back flat. You should have your hands directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Should be directly under the knees, hips. The Chairman of the loose so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck in your chin to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Contract, and then released to return to your original position.

Generating electricity from wind-releasing Pose: fall flat on your back as formed in the body. As you inhale, bend your knees, place your right hand under the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain fixed on the ground. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch the knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with other leg.

Sage Twist: Warning for this pose – it involves a distortion of your back, so you should pay particular attention to the evolution of not too far or you risk exacerbating any pain in the back of the list. This should be extended to spectrum; twist just as much as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with his legs in front of you. Bend your right knee, lifting your right leg on your left, and put your right foot on the ground next to your left knee. Sitting with the spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your fingertips touch the left and right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your shoulder right. This is where you should be careful not to twist too far. Held for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.

Palm Tree: Stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise his arms above your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms facing upward. Next, place the palm on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. Stretch your arms up, at the same time, come on your toes if you can do so without pain. Along the entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people find it difficult to budget during this pose, so just do the parts that extend if you need to.

Fish Pose: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as much as you comfortably can be lifted from the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head back and the rest of the crown of your head on the ground. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one moment if you can.

Locust: lie face down with arms at side, palms down, elbows slightly bent with pointing fingers at the feet. Raise the legs and thighs and high off the ground as possible without causing any pain your back. Hold for one second, and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must ensure that strain already injured muscles.

Bending forward position: Stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along the sides of the body. Breathing deeply and raise your arms straight over your head. During breathing, bending forward and touch your toes if you can. If you do not have access to your toes, ankles or calves constipation. To complete the form, you must touch your head to your knees, but this may be very difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.

Tags: Back Pain Yoga, Health Tips, Women Health Tips, Womens Health

H1N1 Hospitalization

2009-11-05T05:41:00.000-08:00

Related MedlinePlus Page: H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)

Lotus Yoga

2009-11-04T01:45:00.000-08:00

Sanskrit language ‘Padma’ means ‘Lotus’ and yoga in this situation the position of the legs look like a lotus blossom, hence the name. This position yoga legs crossed and the back straight to keep alert and vigilant mind, and this is why the lotus position has been given great importance in the practice of yoga as it is more appropriate to focus and meditation.

Yoga lotus pose yoga position is a wonderful but it is not practical for most people stand and meditative. It puts a lot of pressure on the joints in the knee and hip, and caution should be used, most of them novices.

Lotus stimulates the pelvis, spine and abdomen, and bladder. Sacral nerves and tones and blood flow in the legs and can be reused in the abdominal area, and stimulate the digestive process. It applies pressure on the bottom of the spine, which has a relaxing effect on the nervous system.

The lotus is a beautiful position with a lot of benefits. However, in some health conditions yoga this position should not be exercised.

Three important reasons not to Lotus Yoga position:

1. If you have a weak or injured knees to avoid taking this position because it puts a lot of pressure on the knees.
2. If you suffer from sciatica do not try this position yoga.
3. In the case of an ankle injury, do not engage in this position.
Caution: Always consult your doctor if you have any doubts or concerns about the appropriateness of this situation for you. It is best to perform thisposition in yoga and a qualified teacher of yoga.

Issued in the interest of the people to exercise exercises Subodh Gupta, Yoga Expert based in London. Mr.Subodh Gupta, corporate yoga instructor conducted more than 500 workshops on Yoga and stress.

Tags: Lotus Yoga, Women Health Tips, Womens Health

Source:humarapk.com

kundalini yoga poses

2009-11-04T01:40:00.000-08:00

Through the legs in a comfortable position in the ankles or both feet on the ground, and pressure on the lower spine forward to keep the back straight.

Booz perfect (or Siddhasana):

Presses the right heel against the perineum, the only one against the left thigh. Left heel is placed at the top of the right heel and pressing on the body above the genitals with the fingers tucked in a groove between the right calf and thigh. Knees should be on theground with the heel and one directly above the other. This is the sadness more comfortable for many, and is believed to strengthen the psychological.

Lotus (or Padmasana):

Raise the left foot on the upper-right thigh, and then place the right foot on left thigh and close to the body as much as possible, and this is locked in position is easier said than done, and seems to enhance deep meditation. The right leg is always at the top.

Booz Rock (or Vajrasana):

Kneel and sit down (the tops of his feet on the ground) so that the pressure on the nerves at the center of the buttocks. (Called “Rock Pose,” because he said that its impact on the digestive system and one was able to digest the rocks).

Single (or Hero Pose):

A presentation was made of the hip joint apart, kneel and sit between his feet. This position channels sexual energy up the spine.

If you’re sitting on a chair, make sure that both feet flat and evenly placed on the ground, and keep the spine in a row by sitting on the sit bones.

Tags: Health Tips, Women Health Tips, Womens Health

Source:humarapk.com

Calcium and Bone Health

2009-11-04T01:38:00.000-08:00

Bones play many roles in the body. They provide structure, protect organs, anchor muscles, and store calcium. Adequate calcium consumption and weight bearing physical activity build strong bones, optimizes bone mass, and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

For more information on bone health and osteoporosis please visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.*

Peak Bone Mass

Peak bone mass refers to the genetic potential for bone density. By the age of 20, the average woman has acquired most of her skeletal mass. A large decline in bone mass occurs in older adults, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. For women this occurs around the time of menopause.

It is important for young girls to reach their peak bone mass in order to maintain bone health throughout life. A person with high bone mass as a young adult will be more likely to have a higher bone mass later in life. Inadequate calcium consumption and physical activity early on could result in a failure to achieve peak bone mass in adulthood.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis or "porous bone" is a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. Osteoporosis leads to an increase risk of bone fractures typically in the wrist, hip, and spine.

While men and women of all ages and ethnicities can develop osteoporosis, some of the risk factors for osteoporosis include those who are

Female
White/Caucasian
Post menopausal women
Older adults
Small in body size
Eating a diet low in calcium
Physically inactive

To find out more about the prevalence and risk factors associated with osteoporosis, please visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation.*

Calcium

Calcium is a mineral needed by the body for healthy bones, teeth, and proper function of the heart, muscles, and nerves. The body cannot produce calcium; therefore, it must be absorbed through food. Good sources of calcium include

Dairy products—low fat or nonfat milk, cheese, and yogurt
Dark green leafy vegetables—bok choy and broccoli
Calcium fortified foods—orange juice, cereal, bread, soy beverages, and tofu products
Nuts—almonds

Recommended amount of calcium vary for individuals. Below is a table of adequate intakes as outlined by the National Academy of Science.

Recommended Calcium Intakes

Ages	Amount mg/day
Birth–6 months	210
6 months–1 year	270
1–3	500
4–8	800
9–13	1300
14–18	1300
19–30	1000
31–50	1000
51–70	1200
70 or older	1200
Pregnant & Lactating	1000
14–18	1300
19–50	1000

Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, National Academy of Sciences, 1997

Vitamin D also plays an important role in healthy bone development. Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium (this is why milk is fortified with vitamin D).

For more information on calcium and children visit the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Weight-Bearing Physical Activity

Regular physical activity has been associated with many positive health benefits including strong bones. Like proper calcium consumption, adequate weight-bearing physical activity early in life is important in reaching peak bone mass. Weight-bearing physical activities cause muscles and bones to work against gravity. Some examples of weight bearing physical activities include

Walking, Jogging, or running
Tennis or Racquetball
Field Hockey
Stair climbing
Jumping rope
Basketball
Dancing
Hiking
Soccer
Weight lifting

Incorporating weight-bearing physical activity into an exercise plan is a great way to keep bones healthy and meet physical activity recommendations set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Adults: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity [on] most, preferably all, days of the week

Children: Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity [on] most, preferably all, days of the week

For more information, visit Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Selected Resources

Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls.TM site for Girls
This girl-friendly Web site helps girls understand how weight-bearing physical activity and calcium can be a fun and important part of everyday life.
Also available for Parents.

Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Surgeon General's Report
By 2020, one in two Americans aged 50 years or older will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis or low bone mass.

Healthy Aging for old adults

2009-11-04T01:28:00.001-08:00

The United States is on the brink of a longevity revolution. By 2030, the proportion of the U.S. population aged 65 and older will double to about 71 million older adults, or one in every five Americans. The far-reaching implications of the increasing number of older Americans and their growing diversity will include unprecedented demands on public health, aging services, and the nation’s health care system.

Chronic diseases exact a particularly heavy health and economic burden on older adults due to associated long-term illness, diminished quality of life, and greatly increased health care costs. Although the risk of disease and disability clearly increases with advancing age, poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging.

Much of the illness, disability, and death associated with chronic disease is avoidable through known prevention measures. Key measures include practicing a healthy lifestyle (e.g., regular physical activity, healthy eating, and avoiding tobacco use) and the use of early detection practices (e.g., screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, diabetes and its complications, and depression).

Critical knowledge gaps exist for responding to the health needs of older adults. For chronic diseases and conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, depression, psychiatric disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, and urinary incontinence, much remains to be learned about their distribution in the population, associated risk factors, and effective measures to prevent or delay their onset.

One or more documents on this Web page is available in Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Acrobat Reader (a free application) to view and print these documents.

* Links to non-federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.

Page last reviewed: October 27, 2008
Page last modified: May 29, 2009
Content source: Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Tags : Daily Health Tips, Summer Health Tips, Health, Diet, Health Professionals, Medical Breakthroughs, Medical Doctors

Cancer and Fertility

2009-11-02T21:56:00.001-08:00

Related MedlinePlus Pages: Cancer--Living with Cancer, Infertility

Survey: Awareness of COPD – The Nation’s Fourth Leading Cause Of Death – Is Rising, But Understanding Is Still Low

2009-11-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

Smokers and Those At Risk Far Less Likely To Talk To Their Doctor About Symptoms

Awareness of COPD — chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — continues to grow in the United States, according to national survey results released today by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

Sixty-eight percent of adults are now aware of COPD, a disease that affects 1 in 5 people over age 45, compared with 64 percent last year, and 49 percent in a 2004 survey. Among a high risk group, those who are currently smoking, awareness rose to 74 percent compared to 69 percent a year ago.

Less than half of all adults, 44 percent, understand that the disease can be treated. November is National COPD Awareness Month.

"Awareness is an important first step," said James P. Kiley, Ph.D., director, NHLBI Division of Lung Diseases. "However, awareness alone is not enough. People at risk of developing the disease need to know what the disease looks and feels like, and most importantly, to understand that it can be treated. The key is to get tested and start treatment as soon as possible."

COPD, which is sometimes referred to as chronic bronchitis or emphysema, is a serious lung disease affecting 24 million men and women in the United States. However, half of them remain undiagnosed despite recognizable symptoms such as shortness of breath while doing activities that used to be easy, wheezing, or chronic cough (sometimes called a "smoker’s cough") Eight out of 10 cases of COPD are due to smoking, typically affecting those over 40. The remaining cases are due to genetics or other environmental exposures.

The survey showed that physicians maintain an optimistic view about COPD treatability. Approximately 9 out of 10 primary care physicians agree that available treatments can optimize quality of life for their patients with COPD. However, the survey also showed that this message may not be familiar to their patients.

Symptoms of COPD were approximately two times more common among current smokers than former smokers, but current smokers are only half as likely to talk to their doctors about these symptoms. Survey results also showed that 41 percent of current smokers do not talk to their doctors about these symptoms because they do not want to hear another quit smoking message.

COPD is diagnosed with a simple noninvasive breathing test called spirometry, which can be conducted in a doctor's office. Taking the test involves breathing hard and fast into a tube connected to a machine which measures the total amount of air exhaled, called the forced vital capacity or FVC, and how much air is exhaled in the first second, called the forced expiratory volume in one second or FEV1.

"We know that for many people, taking the step to talk to a doctor about their smoking and symptoms is difficult," said Kiley. "But these actions, including testing of lung function, should be seen as proactive for better health."

The NHLBI analyzed the results of the annual HealthStyles and DocStyles surveys of the public health attitudes, knowledge, practices, and lifestyle habits of consumers and health care professionals, conducted each year by Porter Novelli, communications contractor for NHLBI's COPD Learn More Breathe Better campaign. The results represent a sample of 4,172 consumers through a mailed survey with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.5 percentage points and 1,000 physicians through a Web-based survey with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Both surveys were conducted in summer 2009.

The NHLBI initiated the first national awareness campaign on COPD, called the COPD Learn More Breathe Better campaign, in 2007 to improve knowledge about COPD among those already diagnosed and at risk for COPD, as well as health care providers — particularly those in a primary care setting. The program's new effort, Country Conquers COPD, aims to reach and raise knowledge of COPD among people at-risk at country-themed fairs and festivals across the country.

Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Resources:

The COPD Learn More Breathe Better Campaign: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/
Diseases and Conditions Index: COPD: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Copd/Copd_WhatIs.html
Follow COPD Learn More Breathe Better campaign on Twitter: @BreatheBetter
Find COPD Learn More Breathe Better campaign on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chronic-Obstructive-Pulmonary-Disease-COPD-Learn-More-Breathe-Better/45855940490
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Clinical Tests Begin on Medication to Correct Fragile X Defect

2009-11-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

NIH-supported scientists at Seaside Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., are beginning a clinical trial of a potential medication designed to correct a central neurochemical defect underlying Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability. There has to date been no medication that could alter the disorder’s neurologic abnormalities. The study will evaluate safety, tolerability, and optimal dosage in healthy volunteers.

The work is the outcome of basic research that traced how an error in the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1) leads to changes in brain connections, called synapses. The changes in turn appear to be the mechanism for learning deficits in Fragile X syndrome. The new trial tests Seaside Therapeutics’ novel compound, STX107, that selectively and potently targets the synaptic defect.

Thomas R. Insel, M.D., director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said, "This project is the culmination of years of fundamental research, first identifying the genetic mutation and later deciphering the biochemical consequences of this mutation. Now, with the initiation of this first clinical study, we move one step closer to understanding how this novel candidate may play a critical role in improving the lives of individuals with Fragile X Syndrome."

Randall Carpenter, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Seaside Therapeutics, and Mark Bear, Ph.D., Seaside’s scientific founder, are leading the research. Dr. Bear is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a professor of neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

The National Institute of Mental Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have provided grant support. Private foundations providing funding include the advocacy groups Autism Speaks and FRAXA Research Foundation.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, affecting an estimated 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 6,000 females.

The syndrome causes a range of developmental problems, including learning disabilities and cognitive impairment. People with Fragile X syndrome may have anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. About one-third of males with Fragile X syndrome also have autism or autistic-like behavior that affects communication and social interaction. Usually, males, who have only a single X chromosome, are more severely affected than females.

People with Fragile X have DNA mutations in the FMR1 gene that, in effect, turn off the gene. Research in recent years by Dr. Bear and colleagues has identified the molecular consequences of this silencing of FMR1. Normally, the protein product of the FMR1 gene acts to dampen the synthesis of proteins at synapses that are stimulated via a specific class of receptors on brain cell — metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Without the brake provided by FMR protein, synaptic protein synthesis is excessive and connections do not develop normally.

This basic research provided the basis on which to develop medications that could correct the defect.

The current study will focus on a compound, designated STX107, that selectively inhibits one type of mGluR receptor, mGluR5. Evidence in mice with Fragile X-like symptoms suggests that reducing levels of mGluR5 can restore normal synaptic protein synthesis and improve function.

The initial phase 1 study of STX107 will involve healthy volunteers. If results suggest that the medication is safe and tolerable, the study will progress to a phase 2 test of dosage and efficacy in adults with Fragile X syndrome. If STX107 shows promise in adults, the compound will be assessed for pediatric safety (with funding from the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act [http://bpca.nichd.nih.gov/about/index.cfm] through NICHD) prior to initiating clinical trials in children.

For more information on clinical trials related to Fragile X syndrome, go to http://clinicaltrials.gov/.

The mission of the NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure. For more information, visit www.nimh.nih.gov.

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov.

NINDS (www.ninds.nih.gov) is the nation's primary supporter of biomedical research on the brain and nervous system.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH-Supported Trial to Study Testosterone Therapy in Older Men

2009-11-02T21:52:00.001-08:00

Low serum testosterone may contribute to a number of problems affecting older men, including decreased ability to walk, loss of muscle mass and strength, decreased vitality, decreased sexual function, impaired cognition, cardiovascular disease and anemia. While testosterone normally decreases with age, in some men, low levels of testosterone may contribute to these debilitating conditions. A new national clinical trial will test whether these conditions can be favorably affected by testosterone therapy.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the start of a large-scale clinical trial to evaluate the effect of testosterone therapy on older men. Led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and conducted at 12 sites across the nation, the Testosterone Trial will involve 800 men age 65 and older with low testosterone levels.

"We know that, as men get older, a significant proportion are unable to carry out activities of daily living and experience decreased physical and cognitive function and decreased independence," said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. "We do not know the extent to which low levels of testosterone may contribute to these conditions."

A 2004 report by the Institute of Medicine, "Testosterone and Aging: Clinical Research Directions," noted several important unanswered questions about the effects of testosterone therapy. The NIA is aiming to answer these questions by testing the effectiveness of testosterone therapy in older men with low testosterone levels and one of the following conditions: impaired walking, low vitality, sexual or cognitive dysfunction. A key consideration is the use of testosterone as a therapy for certain conditions, rather than as a preventive measure.

The NIA is the primary source of support for this trial. Additional funding is being provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, which is also supplying the study drug.

The Testosterone Trial will include five separate studies. At each of the 12 sites, men 65 and older with low serum testosterone and at least one of the following conditions — anemia, decreased physical function, low vitality, impaired cognition or reduced sexual function — will be randomly assigned to participate in a treatment group or a control group. Treatment groups will be given a testosterone gel that is applied to the torso, abdomen, or upper arms; control groups will receive a placebo gel. Serum testosterone will be measured monthly for the first three months and quarterly thereafter up to one year. Participants will be tested on a wide range of measures to evaluate physical function, vitality, cognition, cardiovascular disease, and sexual function.

"This study is important because testosterone products have been marketed for many years as treatments for a variety of conditions," said Evan C. Hadley, M.D., director of NIA’s Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, which is the primary funder of the trial. “"We hope this trial will establish whether testosterone therapy results in clear benefits for older men."

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is the lead institution for the trial and will serve as coordinating center for the study sites. Peter J. Snyder, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Penn, is the principal investigator and will oversee trial activities. "This is an unprecedented opportunity for older men to learn more about themselves and at the same time help find out if testosterone will improve some of the afflictions of old age," said Dr. Snyder.

Recruitment of study participants will begin in November of 2009. Men age 65 and older who are interested in participating should call the site closest to them. Men living within a 50-mile radius of the study centers, listed below, are especially encouraged to participate.

Participating institutions and their phone numbers include:

University of California, Los Angeles; 310-222-5297

University of California, San Diego; 877-219-6610

Boston University; 617-414-2968

University of Pittsburgh; 800-872-3653

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y.; 718-405-8271

Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; 713-798-8343

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; 612-625-4449

Yale University, New Haven, Conn.; 203-737-5672

University of Alabama at Birmingham; 205-934-2294

VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle; 206-768-5408

Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; 877-300-3065

University of Florida, Gainesville; 866-386-7730, 352-273-5919

Additional information about the study is available at www.ttrial.org and at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00799617?term=testosterone+aging&rank=40.

The NHLBI plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

The NINDS (www.ninds.nih.gov) is the nation’s leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The NINDS mission is to reduce the burden of neurological disease — a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world.

The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people. For more information on research and aging, go to www.nia.nih.gov.

Halloween Safety

2009-11-01T22:50:00.001-08:00

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Researchers Develop Innovative Imaging System to Study Sudden Cardiac Arrest

2009-11-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

NHLBI Recovery Act Funds Will Advance Understanding, Could Lead to Exploration of Potential New Treatments

A research team at Vanderbilt University has developed an innovative optical system to simultaneously image electrical activity and metabolic properties in the same region of a heart, to study the complex mechanisms that lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Tested in animal models, the system could dramatically advance scientists' understanding of the relationship between metabolic disorders and heart rhythm disturbances in humans that can lead to cardiac arrest and death, and provide a platform for testing new treatments to prevent or stop potentially fatal irregular heartbeats, known as arrhythmias.

The research is supported in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The design and use of the dual camera system is described in the Nov.1 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine. Additional support for the project has also been provided by the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education (VIIBRE), the American Heart Association, and the Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study.

"The challenge in understanding cardiac rhythm disorders is to discern the dynamic relationship between multiple cardiac variables," said one of the coauthors of the paper and the project's principal investigator, John P. Wikswo, Ph.D., Gordon A. Cain University Professor and VIIBRE director. "This dual camera system opens up a new window for correlating metabolic and electrophysiological events, which are usually studied independently."

The 11-year-old research project would have been terminated this year due to lack of funding, according to Wikswo. But a $566,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from the NHLBI is enabling the 13-member research team to continue developing and testing the innovative optical system. Recovery Act funds are also allowing the team to purchase a pair of $60,000 high-speed and highly sensitive digital cameras to record the changes in the metabolic and electrical activity of isolated cardiac tissue using low-intensity fluorescent dyes under conditions associated with heart failure, ischemia, fibrillation and other pathological circumstances.

"Through the Recovery Act, the NHLBI is able to support promising research to develop and enhance innovative technologies to help us better understand the complex mechanisms involved in potentially fatal conditions such as sudden cardiac arrest," said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. "This research will allow us to better understand how to prevent and treat life-threatening cardiac rhythm disturbances and potentially save thousands of lives every year."

Each year, 250,000 to 450,000 people die in the United States as a result of sudden cardiac arrest, a condition that is triggered by arrhythmia. Usually, a complex series of electrical and metabolic changes precede sudden cardiac arrest.

The Vanderbilt researchers created and tested an innovative way to visualize the electrical activity of the heart in relation to its structure and changing metabolic state under different pathological conditions. Their multimodal cardiac imaging technique uses a two-camera approach to integrate electrophysiological imaging with optical fluorescence imaging of metabolic activity associated with damaged heart tissue and tachycardia, or accelerated heart rate. The biochemical and electrochemical studies of heart tissue under controlled conditions will enhance scientists' understanding of electrometabolic cardiac disorders and their clinical treatment.

The advantages of this imaging system over others include rapid setup, two-color image separation, high spatial resolution, and an optional software camera calibration routine that eliminates the need for precise camera alignment. The authors provide a detailed description of a camera calibration procedure along with multiple examples.

In addition, the multimodal imaging system will be a less-invasive, instrumental tool in helping scientists discover and test safe and effective ways to prevent or treat arrhythmias. Current treatments include medications that can produce undesirable side effects and the implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a small device that’s placed under the skin in the chest and uses electrical pulses or shocks to help control life-threatening arrhythmias.

To arrange an interview with an NHLBI spokesperson, please contact the NHLBI Communications Office at (301) 496-4236 or nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov. To interview Dr. Wikswo and other investigators from Vanderbilt University, contact 615-343-6803.

Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

Cervical Cancer Screening

2009-10-29T02:12:00.001-07:00

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NIH-Funded Researchers Transform Embryonic Stem Cells Into Human Germ Cells

2009-10-29T02:10:00.000-07:00

Advance Provides Potential Tool to Find Causes of Unexplained Infertility, Birth Defects

Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how to transform human embryonic stem cells into germ cells, the embryonic cells that ultimately give rise to sperm and eggs. The advance will allow researchers to observe human germ cells — previously inaccessible — in laboratory dishes.

"This achievement opens a new window into what was only recently a hidden stage of human development," said Susan B. Shurin, M.D., acting director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the NIH Institute that provided funding for the study. "Laboratory observation of human germ cells has the potential to yield important clues to the origins of unexplained infertility and to the genesis of many birth defects and chromosomal disorders."

The results were published online in Nature on Oct. 28.

The study was conducted by Kehkooi Kee, Vanessa T. Angeles, Martha Flores, Ha Nam Nguyen and Renee A. Reijo Pera, all of Stanford University School of Medicine.

Researchers have long sought to understand the process by which cells in the early human embryo mature into germ cells, explained Dr. Reijo Pera, the study’s senior author. But studying this process in human beings has been impossible in the past, because it takes place so early in development — before the embryo is two weeks old.

Dr. Reijo Pera explained that the ability to observe germ cells in laboratory cultures opens up several promising new avenues of research. Although infertility is apparent only after sexual maturity, she said, many forms of unexplained infertility are thought to have their origins in errors that occur in the cells of the early embryo. The ability to observe embryonic germ cells as they develop may allow researchers to pinpoint potential genetic changes underlying infertility. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infertility is a major health problem that costs the United States more than $5 billion annually.

The researchers began with human embryonic stem cells, to which they added a gene that makes a protein which flashes green when a gene found only in germ cells is turned on. After the embryonic stem cells grew and changed for two weeks, the researchers isolated the cells that flashed green.

The researchers next conducted a variety of tests to confirm that the green fluorescing cells behaved like germ cells. Once convinced that their cells were in fact germ cells, the researchers turned on and off several candidate genes to see if those genes played a role in the development of stem cells into immature germ cells. The three genes they tested are named DAZ, DAZL and BOULE, and all come from the same family of genes. Dr. Reijo Pera discovered the first of them, DAZ (Deleted in AZoospermia), in the mid-1990s, when she showed that infertile men who lack germ cells often lack the gene.

In the new study, she and her colleagues showed that DAZL was necessary to transform embryonic stem cells into germ cells. When DAZL was turned off, just half as many germ cells formed. DAZ and BOULE, by contrast, acted later in the germ cells' maturation, nudging the cells into a phase called meiosis, during which cells reduce their number of chromosomes by half.

The researchers even observed that some male germ cells went all the way through the process of meiosis, to the point where they had half as much genetic material as they had begun with. They did not stimulate female germ cells to progress through meiosis because female human germ cells pause partway through meiosis and remain in that state for many years, through sexual maturity.

Dr. Reijo Pera next plans to try the same techniques with so-called induced pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent cells are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic cells. If it works, she hopes to take cells from an adult with infertility, transform them into germ cells and study them for clues to the cause of the adult's infertility.

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute's Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Migraine With Aura Can Double Stroke Risk

2009-10-29T02:09:00.001-07:00

Young women who smoke and use birth control pills are most susceptible, researchers say

HealthDay

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

HealthDay news imageTUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Women who get migraine headaches with aura should stop smoking and using birth control pills because they may increase their risk of stroke, researchers say.

For people who suffer migraine headaches with aura -- visual disturbances before or during the migraine -- the risk for ischemic stroke is doubled, they found. Being female, under 45, smoking and using oral contraceptives that contain estrogen added to the risk.

Ischemic stroke is caused by a blockage in a blood vessel. The connection between migraine and stroke was already suspected. What was unknown was the extent of risk and who is most at risk, the researchers said.

Migraine headaches affect up to 20 percent of the population. Women are up to four times more likely than men to get migraines, and as many as one third also experience an aura before or during a migraine.

"Migraine with aura is associated with a twofold increased risk for ischemic stroke compared to people without migraine, while migraine without aura does not appear to change the risk," said lead researcher Dr. Markus Schurks, from the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"But, considering the low absolute risk, there is no reason to panic, but modifiable risk factors such as smoking and oral contraceptive use should be considered," he said.

The report is published in the Oct. 27 online edition of the British Medical Journal.

For the study, Schurks and colleagues analyzed nine studies concerning the association between migraine, with and without aura, and cardiovascular disease.

"The risk appears to be highest among women with migraine with aura who smoke and use oral contraceptives," Schurks said.

In contrast, migraine alone does not appear to alter the risk for heart attack and death from cardiovascular disease, he added.

"In the scheme of things, aura is just one among many potential risk factors for stroke, so it is important to put this in context," said Dr. Elizabeth Loder, chief of the division of headache and pain at Brigham and Women's Hospital and author of an accompanying journal editorial.

"The risk of stroke for most people with migraine is low -- stroke is an uncommon event -- and so a doubling of that low baseline risk is not cause for alarm," she said. "Although it's not a reason for panic, having aura is a reason to pay extra attention to other stroke risk factors that can be modified. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and use of estrogen-containing contraceptives."

Other experts agreed.

Dr. Vincent Martin, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati, said that "we have always known that the risk of stroke increased in patients with migraine, but this clarifies the situation in terms of which groups of migrainers are at more risk."

"If you are a female and you've got migraine with aura, you really need to be careful about managing your risk factors for stroke, because your risk for stroke is increased," he said. Smoking and birth control pills just aren't a good idea, he added.

SOURCES: Markus Schurks, M.D., division of preventive medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Elizabeth Loder, M.D., M.P.H., chief, division of headache and pain, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and associate professor, neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Vincent Martin, M.D., associate professor, medicine, University of Cincinnati, Ohio; Oct. 27, 2009, BMJ, online
HealthDay

Female veterans have fewer pain complaints than men

2009-10-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

Reuters Health

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Female veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are less likely to complain of painful physical conditions than their male counterparts are.

The findings, from a study of more than 91,000 U.S. veterans, run counter to what is seen in the general population -- where women typically show higher rates of chronic pain conditions, including migraines, fibromyalgia and persistent abdominal pain.

Among veterans in the study, 43 percent reported some type of physical pain over one year. And of those who had their pain evaluated at least three times, 20 percent had symptoms lasting at least several months.

Men, it turned out, were more likely to report either problem: 44 percent said they had pain at some point over the year, compared with 38 percent of women. Of those assessed for persistent pain, 21 percent of men had lingering symptoms, versus 18 percent of women.

When women did have pain, however, they were somewhat more likely than men to describe it as moderate to severe. Among veterans with any pain, 68 percent of females had moderate or severe pain, compared with 63 percent of men.

Researchers led by Dr. Sally G. Haskell, of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven, report the findings in the journal Pain Medicine.

Exactly why these findings in veterans differ from what's been found among civilians is unclear, according to Haskell's team.

The researchers speculate that combat exposure could be a factor. If men are more likely to be seriously injured or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in a war zone that could explain their higher rate of pain complaints.

In addition, the researchers write, it's possible that the "persistent level of threat" faced by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan essentially equalizes men's and women's risk of stress-related pain.

Understanding sex differences in veterans' risks of various health problems will be increasingly important as more and more women enter the military, according to the researchers.

"As the VA plans care for the increasing numbers of female personnel," Haskell said in a written statement, "a better understanding of the prevalence of pain, as well as sex-specific variations in the experience and treatment of pain, is important for policy makers and providers who seek to improve identification and management of diverse pain disorders."

SOURCE: Pain Medicine, October 2009.

Reuters Health

Access to U.S. Burn Centers Varies by Region

2009-10-29T02:05:00.000-07:00

Northeasterners have best proximity, southerners the worst, study finds

HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly 80 percent of Americans live within two hours by ground or helicopter transport of a verified burn center, but there are significant regional variations in access to these centers, a new study finds.

A verified burn center is one in which the quality of care has been assessed and confirmed by the American Burn Association. More than a half-million burn injuries and about 4,000 burn-related deaths occur each year in the United States, according to the association.

The study found that there were 128 self-reported burn centers in the United States in 2008, including 51 verified burn centers. The centers were served by 782 helipads and 804 helicopters. About 25 percent of the U.S. population lived within one hour by ground transport of a verified burn center, the study found. It also reported that 46 percent lived within two hours by ground transport and 68 percent lived within four hours by ground transport.

If taken by helicopter, about 54 percent could get to a verified burn center in an hour, and 79 percent in two hours, the study found. By helicopter, 75 percent could get to any self-reported burn center in an hour, and 96 percent in two hours.

The researchers noted that one-third of the U.S. population must be transported by air to reach a verified burn center within two hours.

Access varied greatly by region, the study authors reported in the Oct. 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"The greatest proportion of the population with access was highest in the northeast region and lowest in the southern United States," wrote Dr. Matthew B. Klein, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and his research colleagues.

The regional variations identified in the study "may be an influential predictor of optimal regionalization strategy," they wrote. "For states and regions with a relatively high baseline rate of access, the best strategy for improving access and reducing time to definitive care may involve optimization of air and ground emergency medical service systems. For states and regions with a relatively low baseline rate of access, the best strategy may involve construction or verification of new regional burn care facilities."

The study did not determine optimal distribution of burn centers throughout the country, but the data "provide important information about population access that may be used to guide resource allocation in burn care," the researchers concluded.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, news release, Oct. 27, 2009

HealthDay

More Swine Flu Vaccine Coming Soon

2009-10-29T01:49:00.000-07:00

22 million doses out now, and shortage should ease over coming weeks, CDC says

HealthDay

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

TUESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The H1N1 swine flu is spreading throughout the United States and vaccine remains in short supply, but federal health officials said Tuesday that more than 22 million doses are now available, with more expected in coming weeks.

"This is a challenging time," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a press conference Tuesday. "We wish we had more vaccine available."

Frieden noted that they had anticipated having significantly more vaccine available by now, but "we are beginning to see significant increases in vaccine production, vaccine distribution and we do think it will get easier to find vaccine in the weeks that come," he said.

As of today, there are a total of 22.4 million doses available, an increase of 8 million doses since last week, Frieden said.

He would not say how much vaccine would be available by month's end. Earlier this year, the CDC said it expected to have as many as 40 million doses available by the end of October, but the agency later downsized that estimate to between 28 million and 30 million doses. At Tuesday's press conference, Frieden would only say that, "by Friday we will let you know what was achieved by Friday."

According to the CDC, H1N1 flu is now widespread in 46 states, with more than 1,000 related deaths reported since the strain emerged in April.

The H1N1 vaccine that is now available comes in the form of either a nasal mist or a standard injection. The first doses to reach high-risk Americans came only in the nasal spray form, called FluMist, designed for healthy people between 2 and 49 years of age. Now, more than half the doses are injectable, Frieden said.

The current H1N1 vaccine is being produced by the traditional method of growing the virus in eggs. And although the method is safe and used for most flu vaccine production, it is slow.

Had there been H1N1 vaccine available earlier it would have been incorporated as part of this year's seasonal flu shot, Frieden said.

"If we had H1N1 earlier in the season we would have most likely included it in the seasonal flu vaccine. So it would have been part of the regular flu vaccination program, as it will be for the Southern Hemisphere in [their] coming flu season," he said.

"We wish we had better technology," Frieden said. "We wish we had a technology that could produce vaccine in weeks or months rather than the six to nine months that it takes given the current tried-and-true technology," he said.

Other vaccine technologies are available, including cell-based vaccine and DNA technologies, Frieden noted. "They are all still experimental. We are not using any of them in this," he told reporters.

There is some encouraging news, Frieden said. The genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus hasn't changed since it first surfaced in April, meaning the swine flu vaccine and the antiviral drug Tamiflu are a good match.

In addition, there have been no changes in who appears most at risk for the swine flu, including children and young adults, he said.

While children continue to be particularly vulnerable to the disease, Frieden said Friday, "we are seeing it increasingly affect young adults as well as children. We are still not seeing significant numbers of cases among the elderly, and that's characteristic of this virus."

That's a marked difference from run-of-the-mill seasonal flu, which typically poses a much bigger threat to the elderly.

Last Friday, Frieden said the H1N1 flu would probably occur in waves, but "we can't predict how high, how far or long the wave will go, or when the next will come," he added.

"We are now in the second wave of pandemic influenza and whether this will continue through the fall into the winter, whether it will go away and come back in traditional flu season, only time will tell," he said.

SOURCES: Oct. 27, 2009, teleconference with: Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

HealthDay

Treating Hypertension

2009-10-27T06:32:00.002-07:00

HealthDay

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Brisk Walk Can Help Leave Common Cold Behind

2009-10-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

A stuffy head is no reason to avoid mild exercise, expert says

HealthDay

By Randy Dotinga

Sunday, October 25, 2009

SUNDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- To keep colds at bay during the chilliest months of the year, exercise just might be the key.

David Nieman, a representative of the American College of Sports Medicine, says that studies have shown that people who exercise at least 45 minutes four or more days a week take 25 to 50 percent less time off from work because of illness.

"This reduction in illness far exceeds anything a drug or pill can offer," Nieman said in a news release from the sports medicine group. "All it takes is a pair of walking shoes to help prevent becoming one of the thousands predicted to suffer from the common cold this winter."

But what if you're already under the weather? Should you try to get some exercise? Nieman suggests:

If a cold is only in your head and has not reached your chest, feel free to exercise.
Don't overexert yourself. That means no running: Just take a walk. Studies have not shown that moderate exercise is bad if you have a cold.
If you have symptoms beyond the sniffles, stay in bed. This advice holds if a cold has traveled to your chest, if you have severe aches and pains and if you're running a fever. Swollen glands spell trouble, too.
Take it slow when recovering from anything but a mild bout of illness. Take a couple of weeks off from exercise before you start workouts again.

Nieman has one more bit of advice: Exercise before you get your flu shot because research has shown that moderate-level physical activity will boost your immunity in the long run.

SOURCE: American College of Sports Medicine, news release, Oct. 6, 2009

HealthDay

Is Smoking Tougher on Women?

2009-10-27T06:31:00.002-07:00

Research suggests they're more susceptible to dangers of tobacco

HealthDay

Sunday, October 25, 2009

SUNDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Women may be more vulnerable than men to the carcinogens and other noxious substances in cigarette smoke, a growing body of research suggests.

In one study of nearly 700 people with lung cancer, Swiss experts found that women tended to be younger when they received the diagnosis, even though they smoked less than the men who developed lung cancer.

In another study, researchers from Harvard University and the University of Bergen in Norway evaluated more than 950 men and women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), known to be linked to smoking. The result: The women with COPD were younger when they got the diagnosis and had smoked less than the men with the respiratory ailment.

"Maybe women are more susceptible to the lung-damaging effects of smoking," said Dr. Inga-Cecilie Soerheim, a visiting research fellow at Harvard and a researcher at the University of Bergen, who led the COPD study. She presented the findings in May at the American Thoracic Society's annual conference.

In fact, several other studies in the past 20 years have suggested that female smokers may be more susceptible to lung cancer than male smokers.

And Soerheim and her colleague, Dr. Dawn L. DeMeo, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, found that, in 2000, the number of women dying from COPD surpassed the number of men, although the researchers aren't sure why.

However, Dr. Michael Thun, the emeritus director of epidemiology research at the American Cancer Society, isn't as quick to embrace the theory that women are more susceptible to lung cancer.

"The actual evidence suggests that men and women are remarkably similar in their risk of developing lung cancer -- with or without smoking," he said.

But, Thun added, "the types of lung cancer they get are different," referring to the sites in the lung where the cancer is likely to occur in women and men.

Addressing the new COPD research, which seems to say that women are more vulnerable, Thun said other factors might be at play. They include women's longer life expectancy, thus making them more likely to develop the condition.

Thun said the focus on possible gender differences is missing the point. Instead, he said, health experts -- and the public -- need to focus on what is certain: that smoking is an enormous contributor to both lung cancer and COPD.

"If they [smokers] quit before age 50, they avoid most of the risk," he said, citing published research.

And once they do quit, Thun said, women and men can move on to other known ways to reduce their risk for lung cancer, such as avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined, according to the American Cancer Society.

The society estimates that there will be more than 219,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed this year and that 159,390 people will die from the disease.

SOURCES: Michael Thun, M.D., emeritus director of epidemiological research, American Cancer Society, Atlanta; Dawn L. DeMeo, M.D., M.P.H., researcher, Channing Laboratory, and assistant professor, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2009; American Thoracic Society International Conference, May 15-20, 2009, San Diego; European Society for Medical Oncology, news release, May 3, 2009

HealthDay

Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency

2009-10-27T06:31:00.001-07:00

Action allows hospitals to better handle large numbers of patients as outbreak spreads

HealthDay

Sunday, October 25, 2009

SUNDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama has declared the H1N1 swine flu a national emergency.

His proclamation, signed Friday night and released by the White House Saturday, will allow hospitals and doctors' offices to get legal waivers of federal rules so they can handle large numbers of sick people as the outbreak spreads.

"The H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or health-care systems recognize they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly," White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said Saturday, according to the Washington Post.

The waivers, which will be issued by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, still require individual requests by the hospitals, Cherlin noted.

The goal, according to the Associated Press, is to remove bureaucratic roadblocks and make it easier for sick people to seek treatment and for medical personnel to provide it immediately. That could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations, the AP added.

The H1N1 swine flu is now widespread in 46 states, and there have been 1,000 laboratory-confirmed deaths since April, according to the latest estimates released Friday by U.S. health officials.

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference Friday, "We have already had millions of cases of pandemic influenza in the United States, and the numbers continue to increase."

At the same time, he said, production delays continue to hamper distribution of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

The vaccine is growing more slowly in egg-based cultures than manufacturers had anticipated, resulting in fewer available doses at this time, Frieden explained.

As of Friday, there were 16.1 million doses on hand nationwide, up from 14.1 on Wednesday, Frieden said. And there will be far fewer than the 40 million doses originally planned for the end of October, he added.

"Vaccine availability is increasing steadily, but far too slowly," Frieden said. "It's frustrating to all of us. We are nowhere near where we thought we would be by now. We are not near where the vaccine manufacturers predicted we would be."

The vaccine that is available comes in both nasal mist and injectable forms. The first doses were only the nasal spray, called FluMist, designed for healthy people 2 to 49 years of age. But now, more than half the doses are injectable, he said.

While children continue to be particularly vulnerable to the disease, Freiden said, "we are seeing it increasingly affect young adults as well as children. We are still not seeing significant numbers of cases among the elderly, and that's characteristic of this virus."

That's also a marked difference from run-of-the-mill seasonal flu, which typically poses a much bigger threat to the elderly.

There is encouraging news, Frieden said. The genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus hasn't changed, meaning the swine flu vaccine and the antiviral drug Tamiflu are a good match.

Frieden said the H1N1 flu would probably occur in waves, but "we can't predict how high, how far or long the wave will go, or when the next will come."

SOURCES: John Treanor, M.D., professor, medicine, and chief, infectious diseases division, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, N.Y.; Oct. 23, 2009, news release, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Oct. 23, 2009, teleconference with Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Washington Post; Associated Press

HealthDay

Benefits of Chocolate

2009-10-25T22:13:00.001-07:00

Benefits of Chocolate

HealthDay
October 23, 2009

Related MedlinePlus Pages: Heart Diseases--Prevention, Nutrition, Vascular Diseases

Pregnancy and Weight

2009-10-22T22:38:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy and Weight

HealthDay
October 22, 2009

Hip/Heart Connection

2009-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hip/Heart Connection

HealthDay
October 21, 2009

Car seats, out of cars, injured 43,000 U.S. kids

2009-10-20T22:32:00.001-07:00

Reuters Health

Monday, October 19, 2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Parents and caregivers who place car seats on beds, kitchen counters and other places outside the car injured 43,000 U.S. children over five years, researchers reported on Monday.

More than 3,400 of the children were injured badly enough to require hospitalization, the researchers told a meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Many families learn the importance of strapping an infant car seat into a vehicle, but they do not learn about the dangers of using infant car seats as carriers or placing them on countertops or beds," Dr. Shital Parikh of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center told the meeting.

Most of the children were injured on the head, but they also broke leg and arm bones, he said.
"When parents or caregivers place the infant car seat on top of a table or elevated surface, the infant can wiggle and end up toppling off out of the seat onto the floor, which can lead to severe injuries," Parikh said in a statement.
"Another accident that can happen is the turning over of the car seat on to a soft surface, which can lead to suffocation."

Parikh used a Consumer Products Safety Commission database to make his calculations.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Reuters Health

Centralized Review Process Markedly Expedites Approval of Cancer Clinical Trials

2009-10-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

A Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB) for cancer clinical trials that was created by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, in 2001 helps trials start more quickly (just over a month faster, on average) and thus expedite the time from concept to completion of crucial investigational research according to a new finding.

This study of the CIRB was performed by scientists at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) and Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif., with assistance from NCI and appears online October 19, 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Over the past 40 years, more than 1,700 institutions in the United States have enrolled up to 20,000 patients annually in phase III clinical trials coordinated by NCI and have used separate IRBs to monitor research involving patients. Federal regulations require that most NIH-funded clinical trials be monitored by an IRB.

To determine whether a new treatment is safe and more effective than current treatments using clinical trials is a lengthy process that can take up to 10 years and cost more than $1 billion, in some cases. Many researchers have complained that administrative requirements, including IRB oversight, are delaying the release of new treatments. One solution NCI proposed was to form a CIRB to conduct IRB review of large, multi-site oncology trials.

"Mounting a CIRB that is nationwide in scope has been challenging for NCI due to the complexity involved in assuring high-quality protection for study participants while attempting to speed the process," said Jeffrey Abrams, M.D., associate director of NCI's Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program. "For all the volunteer reviewers and participating sites, this study provides objective confirmation that a centralized approach significantly improves the overall process for participants in multi-site trials."

The study assessed whether use of NCI’s CIRB was associated with lower effort, time and cost in processing adult phase III oncology trials, which are the gold-standard of trials for validating whether a therapy becomes a new standard of care. Early phase trials (phase I and II) and pediatric trials were not included in the analysis due to the lower patient enrollment populations required.

Clinical trial sites that are not enrolled with the CIRB must have their local IRB conduct a full board review as they would with any research study. Sites enrolled with the CIRB have their local IRB conduct a facilitated review, which is a review category requiring only that the local IRB chairperson or designee signal acceptance of the CIRB's review.

To determine whether the CIRB was achieving the hoped-for efficiencies, researchers compared clinical trial review at sites affiliated with the NCI CIRB with the review at unaffiliated sites that used their local IRB. Oncology research staff and IRB staff were surveyed to understand differences in effort, timing and costs of clinical trial review. CIRB affiliation was associated with faster local review (about 34 days) and about six hours less research staff effort. Many clinical trials sponsors value faster and more predictable reviews and often pay commercial, fee- for-service, central IRBs to perform reviews.

Affiliation with NCI's CIRB was also associated with a savings of $717 per initial review, of which about half was associated with time savings for research staff and the remainder was associated with savings for the IRB staff. Overall, the program resulted in a net cost of $55,000 per month for NCI, but the CIRB could actually save costs if more sites were to use the CIRB. Moreover, this net cost estimate does not include the benefits of bringing new cancer therapeutics to market more quickly.

"Efforts are underway to expand enrollment in the CIRB and to encourage sites to use the CIRB to minimize administrative inefficiencies," said lead researcher Todd H. Wagner, Ph.D., health economist, VAPAHCS and Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif., "and based on our research, increased efficiencies and net savings are likely."

The Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) comprises three divisions, including a large tertiary care facility. It is affiliated with Stanford University Medical School and provides a full range of patient care services with state-of-the-art technology, as well as education and research. Comprehensive health care is provided through primary care, tertiary care and long-term care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics, and extended care. VAPAHCS has 897 operating beds, and is home to a variety of regional treatment centers, including a Spinal Cord Injury Center, a Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center, a Geriatric Research, Educational and Clinical Center and the National Center for PTSD.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Childhood ADHD Linked to Criminal Behavior in Adults

2009-10-20T22:25:00.001-07:00

More study needed to see if medical treatment cuts rates of illegal activities, researchers say
HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Monday, October 19, 2009

MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than other children to engage in criminal activity when they grow older, a U.S. study has found.

The study included more than 10,000 adolescents who were later surveyed in adulthood. It found that youngsters with ADHD were twice as likely to commit theft later in life and were 50 percent more likely to sell drugs.

The findings, believed to be the first evidence of a link between ADHD and criminal activity, were published online Sept. 30 in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics.
"While much research has shown links between ADHD and short-term educational outcomes, this research suggests significant longer-term consequences in other domains, such as criminal activities," study lead author Jason M. Fletcher, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said in a university news release.

"We also found important differences in the association between adult crime and the type of childhood ADHD symptoms -- whether hyperactive or inattentive or both," he said.
Crimes where ADHD is a factor may cost the nation $2 billion to $4 billion a year, estimates have indicated.

Fletcher and colleagues plan to investigate whether drug treatments may reduce the illegal activities associated with ADHD in adulthood. The researchers also plan to study the associations between childhood ADHD symptoms and later employment and earnings.

ADHD, which affects between 2 percent to 10 percent of U.S. schoolchildren, is far more common in males than females. It's also more prevalent in people who have close relatives with the condition, suggesting a genetic origin, the study authors noted in the news release.

SOURCE: Yale University, news release, Oct. 19, 2009
HealthDay

Easy Way to Prevent Post-Op Nausea?

2009-10-20T22:21:00.001-07:00

Administering dextrose right after surgery quells upset stomach, researchers say

HealthDay

By Randy Dotinga

Monday, October 19, 2009
MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that patients need not fear post-operative nausea and vomiting as much if they take dextrose, a form of glucose.
"As one of the most common post-operative complications, [vomiting and nausea] remains one of the main causes of decreased patient satisfaction following surgery," said Dr. Susan Dabu-Bondoc of Yale School of Medicine, one of the authors of a new study, in a statement. "Along with discomfort, the adverse effects can be extensive and may include aspiration, wound suture opening, prolonged hospital stays, unanticipated admission after outpatient surgery and delayed return of a patient's ability to function in daily activities."

The researchers, who were to release their findings Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in New Orleans, report that they assigned half of 56 surgery patients to receive dextrose immediately after their operations. The other half got a placebo.

The patients were scheduled for gynecologic laparoscopic and hysteroscopic procedures. All patients were treated with general anesthesia and received a dose of a drug called an antiemetic, which can prevent some nausea and vomiting.

The researchers found that those who received the dextrose were at much lower risk of developing nausea and vomiting. They were also discharged from a post-operative care unit more quickly than the others.

"In light of the ease and low risk of administration of dextrose postoperatively and its apparent benefit to patient care and satisfaction, this therapeutic treatment should be considered in an attempt to prevent or reduce [vomiting and nausea] for patients in the immediate recovery period, " said Dabu-Bondoc.

She called for more research to understand exactly how administering dextrose prevents nausea and vomiting.

SOURCE: American Society of Anesthesiologists, news release, Oct. 18, 2009
HealthDay

Hangovers May Be Tougher for Migraine Sufferers

2009-10-20T22:15:00.001-07:00

Rat study helps pinpoint cause of increased headache pain

HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Monday, October 19, 2009

MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- As if migraine sufferers didn't already have enough pain, new research has found that they may also be more prone to hangover headaches.
U.S. researchers studied the effects of alcohol on a group of rats that experience recurrent migraines as well as a group of control rats that don't get the headaches. The study authors found that the rats with migraines experienced more pain four to six hours after ingesting alcohol than the control rats.

"Our results suggest that dehydration or impurities in alcohol are not responsible for hangover headache," Michael Oshinsky, an assistant professor of neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and a member of the Jefferson Headache Center team, said in a university news release.

"Since these rats were sufficiently hydrated and the alcohol they received contained no impurities, the alcohol itself or a metabolite must be causing the hangover-like headache. These data confirm the clinical observation that people with migraine are more susceptible to alcohol-induced headaches," Oshinsky added.

The study was scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, held Oct. 17 to 21 in Chicago.

The researchers are now studying the mechanism for causing a headache, along with the metabolites of alcohol that trigger hangover headaches.

SOURCE: Thomas Jefferson University, news release, Oct. 18, 2009
HealthDay

FDA Approves Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Fluarix for Pediatric Use

2009-10-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved use of the seasonal influenza vaccine Fluarix for children ages 3 years to 17 years. Previously, this vaccine, which contains inactivated (killed) influenza A and B viruses, had been approved for use in adults, ages 18 years and older.

The safety and effectiveness of Fluarix for use in children ages 3 years and older is documented by a U.S. study comparing 2,115 children who received Fluarix with 1,210 children who received Fluzone, a different influenza vaccine already licensed by the FDA for use in children ages 6 months and older. Study results showed that children 3 years and older vaccinated with Fluarix and Fluzone produced similar amounts of antibodies in the blood at levels considered likely to be protective against seasonal influenza.

Fluarix is a seasonal influenza vaccine not intended to protect against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

"This approval of an additional seasonal influenza vaccine for children provides help in protecting them against influenza,” said Karen Midthun, M.D., acting director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Children are very vulnerable to the influenza virus and are more likely to be hospitalized for associated problems.”

With today’s approval, there are now four companies approved by the FDA to manufacture seasonal influenza vaccine for use in children.

Influenza is far more dangerous than the common cold for children, who often require medical care, especially if they are younger than 5 years. It is best to vaccinate children each fall, but vaccination also can occur in the winter months when influenza season often peaks.
Common adverse events experienced after administration of Fluarix are typical of those for flu shots and include pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site as well as irritability, loss of appetite, and drowsiness.

Because Fluarix contains a small amount of egg protein, it should not be administered to anyone allergic to eggs or egg products.

Fluarix is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals of Dresden, Germany.

For more information:
FDA Web site on Influenza Virus Vaccine Safety and Availability
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm110288.htm

Health Tip: Putting Baby to Bed

2009-10-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

Suggestions for a safe night's rest

HealthDay

By Diana Kohnle

Monday, October 19, 2009

(HealthDay News) -- Newborn babies shouldn't be expected to sleep through the night. Their bodies are so tiny that they should be awakened if they haven't eaten for at least five hours, the Nemours Foundation says.

But there are things that new parents can do to help ensure a safe night's rest for their little one. The foundation offers these suggestions:

• Put baby to sleep on his or her back to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Don't let baby sleep with plush bedding, blankets or pillows.
• Remove stuffed animals from baby's crib when it's bedtime.
• Each night, alternate which side of his or her head your baby sleeps on, to prevent development of a "flat spot" on a favored side of the head.

HealthDay

Health Tip: The Importance of Folic Acid

2009-10-20T22:05:00.000-07:00

It can help prevent birth defects

HealthDay

By Diana Kohnle

Monday, October 19, 2009

(HealthDay News) -- Folic acid is particularly important for pregnant women, and should be taken, if possible, beginning at least three months before they become pregnant.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this B vitamin can reduce the risk of major birth defects affecting the spine and brain by as much as 70 percent.

Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. It can be contained within a multivitamin, or as a separate supplement.

Women also can get folic acid in fortified breakfast cereal. Just make sure the cereal has 100 percent of the recommended daily amount.

HealthDay

Hospital Workers May Trigger Dangerous Outbreaks

2009-10-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

Study finds employees who see many patients daily may be key players in spreading germs

HealthDay

Monday, October 19, 2009

MONDAY, Oct. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Hospital workers who see many patients may play a disproportionate role in spreading dangerous hospital-acquired infections, a new study finds.
These so-called peripatetic workers, such as radiologists or physical therapists, visit many patients in the course of a day, said Laura Temime, a researcher at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers in Paris, and lead author of a study published online Oct. 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Although to my knowledge, an increased super-spreading potential of 'peripatetic' health care workers has never really been formalized as a major hypothesis, there have been several reports of nosocomial outbreaks that have been traced back to such 'peripatetic' health-care workers," Temime said.

Her study adds to the evidence, she said. The study used a mathematical model of a hypothetical intensive care unit that was presumed free of the pathogen to see how easily hospital-based infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) spread.
Containing these outbreaks is of grave importance, public health officials agreed.

For the study, Temime divided workers into three groups -- a nurse-like group, which made frequent visits to a small number of patients assigned to them; a physician-like group, which made infrequent visits to a larger number of patients, and the peripatetic group, which visits all patients daily, such as physical therapists.

Next, using a complex mathematical model, the researchers assumed how long the patients would stay -- an average of 10 days -- and how much exposure they would have to each of the three categories of workers, plus how compliant the workers were with hand washing.

Then they computed the impact. They found infection rates increased by up to three times more when a peripatetic worker failed to wash his hands, compared to workers in the other groups.
The conclusions sound very logical, said Dr. Zachary Rubin, an epidemiologist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital in Santa Monica. However, he added, "this is a mathematical model, and you have to do studies with human beings to see if the data is still true or not."

Temime said she and her colleagues are doing just that. They are involved in a European project called Mastering Hospital Antimicrobial Resistance (MOSAR), in which data on exposures and bacterial colonization will be collected on patients and health-care workers. "We are planning to use this data to validate our model," Temime said.

For now, many hospitals are stepping up efforts to promote hand washing among employees. Because the peripatetic workers have "major superspreading potential," the study authors recommend individual surveillance of these health-care workers.

Rubin said that hospitalized patients shouldn't be shy about asking the health-care workers who come in contact with them to follow infection control guidelines. Some hospitals have posted signs in patient rooms asking "Did your health-care worker wash his hands?" to make patients more aware of the importance of hand washing, he said.

"If a patient is concerned [about lack of hygiene from a health-care worker], he can always talk to the head nurse or charge nurse," Rubin said, as well as the hospital's patient advocate or his own physician.

SOURCE: Zachary Rubin, M.D., epidemiologist, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital, California, and assistant clinical professor, medicine, division of infectious diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA; Laura Temime, Ph.D., researcher, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris, France; Oct. 19, 2009, Proceedinsg of National Academy of Sciences, online

HealthDay

FDA Approves New Indication for Gardasil to Prevent Genital Warts in Men and Boys

2009-10-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved use of the vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of genital warts (condyloma acuminata) due to human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11 in boys and men, ages 9 through 26.

Each year, about 2 out of every 1,000 men in the United States are newly diagnosed with genital warts.

Gardasil currently is approved for use in girls and women ages 9 through 26 for the prevention of cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancer caused by HPV types 16 and 18; precancerous lesions caused by types 6, 11, 16, and 18; and genital warts caused by types 6 and 11.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and most genital warts are caused by HPV infection.

“This vaccine is the first preventive therapy against genital warts in boys and men ages 9 through 26, and, as a result, fewer men will need to undergo treatment for genital warts,” said Karen Midthun, M.D., acting director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

Gardasil’s effectiveness was studied in a randomized trial of 4,055 males ages 16 through 26 years old. The results showed that in men who were not infected by HPV types 6 and 11 at the start of the study, Gardasil was nearly 90 percent effective in preventing genital warts caused by infection with HPV types 6 and 11.

Studies were conducted to measure the immune response to the vaccine in boys ages 9 through 15. The results showed that the immune response was as good as that found in the 16 through 26 years age group, indicating that the vaccine should have similar effectiveness.

The manufacturer will conduct postmarketing studies to obtain additional information on the safety and effectiveness of Gardasil in boys and men.

Gardasil is given as three injections over a 6-month period. Headache, fever and pain at the injection site, itching, redness, swelling and bruising, were the most common side effects observed.

Gardasil is manufactured by Merck and Company Inc. of Whitehouse Station, N.J.

Gardasil product information:
www.fda.gov/cber/products/gardasil.htm

Tylenol May Weaken Effectiveness of Kids' Vaccines

2009-10-19T00:11:00.000-07:00

Giving analgesic to prevent fever at shot time could be counterproductive, researchers say

HealthDay

Friday, October 16, 2009

HealthDay news imageTHURSDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Fever after a vaccination is a normal and essential part of building an immune response, and giving children acetaminophen -- best known in the U.S. as Tylenol -- after a shot could dampen that response, a new study finds.

With some vaccines, transient fever means that a child's immune system is processing the immunization, providing them with the best protection, explained Dr. Robert T. Chen, a blood safety specialist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Therefore, "unless your doctor specifically recommends it, do not administer fever-reducing medicines at the same time as vaccination to prevent your child from developing a fever," said Chen, who wrote an editorial accompanying a report in the Oct. 17 issue of The Lancet.

"It is still okay to use antipyretics [acetaminophen or ibuprofen] to treat a fever, but just not recommended to prevent fever," he added. "High fevers can be serious, especially in infants. It is important to work with your doctor to provide the best care for your child."

For the study, a research team led by Dr. Roman Prymula, from the University of Defence in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, did two studies, one when children received their first vaccination and another when they received their booster shot.

The vaccinations were routine for protection against pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, polio and rotavirus.

The 459 infants in the studies were randomly assigned to get acetaminophen every six to eight hours for 24 hours after vaccination or no acetaminophen.

Prymula's team found that fewer infants who received acetaminophen had a fever, but these babies also had significantly fewer antibodies against pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenzae type b, diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, and for one of the whooping cough antibodies compared with infants who did not get acetaminophen.

They believe the pain reliever's anti-inflammatory activity might trigger "interference" to healthy immune system antibody responses, explaining the weakened immunization.

"Unless there are specific reasons for controlling fever, for example, in a child with history of febrile convulsions, Tylenol and other fever reducers should not be routinely given along with immunizations," Chen said.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine in New York City, said that "the conclusion that Tylenol not only suppresses fever, but also decreases immune response is plausible. After all, what is an immune response? It's an inflammatory response."

Siegel agrees that acetaminophen should not be routinely given to infants to prevent fever after vaccination. "But, if the kid is sick, treat the sickness. If the kid is very sick, I would get the fever down," he said.

And what about the vaccine for the H1N1 flu? According to Siegel, "giving an infant Tylenol before an H1N1 flu vaccine shot may not be a problem, because the immune response to the vaccine has been so robust."

SOURCES: Robert T. Chen, M.D., blood safety specialist, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta; Marc Siegel, M.D., associate professor, medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York City;Oct. 17, 2009, The Lancet
HealthDay

FDA Warns Consumers About Buying H1N1 Vaccines On Internet

2009-10-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said consumers should use "extreme care" when purchasing products online that purport to treat swine flu amid concerns they may be contaminated and not contain actual vaccines.

The FDA, in a press release, said it purchased and analyzed several products sold online that claimed to be Tamiflu, a flu vaccine made by Roche Holding AG (RHHBY). One product bought online came postmarked from India and consisted of unlabeled white pills that contained talc and a painkiller, but none of the ingredients in Tamiflu.

The agency said products in high demand are "vulnerable to counterfeiting and diversion because buyers may be desperate to stock the product, and criminals capitalize on the situation."

The agency urged consumers to only purchase products to treat the swine flu, formally called the H1N1 influenza virus, from licensed pharmacies in the U.S.
The H1N1 virus is now widespread in 37 states and about 76 children have died from the virus since April, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. has purchased 95 million H1N1 vaccines and more can be available if needed. The vaccines will be distributed across the country in the next few weeks.

Source:http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091015-715327.html

Eye Problems Increasing in Preemies

2009-10-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

As more pre-term infants survive, doctors see more babies with retinopathy of prematurity

HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

TUESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Increased survival of extremely pre-term infants has led to a greater number of babies with vision problems caused by abnormal development of blood vessels in the retina, a new study finds.

Swedish researchers looked at data on 506 extremely pre-term infants (born before 27 weeks of gestation) who survived until their first eye examination and found that 368 (72.7 percent) had retinopathy of prematurity -- 37.9 percent with mild cases and 34.8 percent with severe cases. Only 99 (19.6 percent) of the infants were treated for the condition.
Gestational age was a more significant risk factor for retinopathy of prematurity than birth weight.

"The incidence was reduced from 100 percent in the five infants born at 22 weeks' gestation to 56 percent in those born at 26 completed weeks. In addition, the risk of retinopathy of prematurity declined by 50 percent for each week of gestational age at birth in the cohort," wrote Dr. Dordi Austeng, of University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, and Trondheim University Hospital, Norway, and colleagues.

The study appears in the October issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Previous research has found much lower rates of severe retinopathy of prematurity than the 34.8 percent noted in the new study: 25.5 percent in a Belgian study and 16 percent in an Austrian study.

"The higher incidence of retinopathy of prematurity in the present study may be because of the higher proportion of infants born in the earliest weeks of gestation [i.e., 11.5 percent of infants in weeks 22 to 23 vs. 0 to 6 percent in other studies]," Austeng and colleagues wrote. "These extremely premature infants, who previously did not survive, are probably especially vulnerable and prone to develop complications such as retinopathy of prematurity."

SOURCE: JAMA/Archives journals, news release, Oct. 12, 2009
HealthDay

Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's

2009-10-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

But too much urate can also cause trouble, so more study is needed, experts say

HealthDay

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

TUESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- A new look at some old data adds convincing evidence that high body fluid levels of the antioxidant urate slow the progressive nerve damage of Parkinson's disease.

However, the researchers also warned of the potential danger of putting that information to immediate use.

"The study doesn't prove that urate is slowing down the disease, and we need clinical trials to see if progression is based on levels of urate," explained study senior author Dr. Michael A. Schwarzschild, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. He and his colleagues reported the finding online Oct. 12 in the Archives of Neurology.

A clinical trial assessing the impact of urate on Parkinson's is beginning, funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. It is recruiting 90 people with Parkinson's disease at 10 U.S. medical centers to study whether regular intake of inosine, a widely available dietary supplement that is a precursor of urate, slows Parkinson's-related deterioration of nerves. Results are expected to be available in about two years, but more definitive studies will take five years or longer, Schwarzschild said.

Meanwhile, what should people with Parkinson's disease do? "They should be very cautious," Schwarzschild said. "There may be a temptation, but one should be careful because there are clear safety concerns."

The major dangers of overdosing with urate are kidney stones and gout, but there are other possible risks, such as an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, he said.
"There is a lot of vice associated with it, and because we don't know if the case is proven, it would be bad advice to take such measures," Schwarzschild said.

Another expert agreed. "I would not at this point recommend to any Parkinson's patients that they take inosine as a supplement," said Dr. Ira Shoulson, professor of neurology at the University of Rochester in New York and a member of the research team. "I would not for several reasons, mostly to do with safety but also about whether it is beneficial. These are things we have to sort out in future years."

As for natural sources of urate, they are mostly things that people are told to avoid for other reasons, Schwarzschild said -- fructose, the sugar often blamed for an epidemic of obesity; alcohol; and even smoking. "There is a lot of it in liver, but who wants to eat that much liver?" Shoulson added.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative neurological illness in which deterioration of brain cells causes steadily worsening symptoms such as trembling and slowed motion. Indications that urate might affect the course of Parkinson's began to emerge from epidemiological studies decades ago, Schwarzschild said. More solid evidence came from a study reported last year, which led the researchers of the new study to look back at a two-decades-old study of 800 people with Parkinson's disease.

"They had donated spinal fluid as well as blood, so we were able to test for urate levels in spinal fluid, which surrounds the brain cells," Schwarzschild said.

Analysis showed that the one-fifth of participants with the highest urate levels had a 36 percent lower risk of disease progression compared to the one-fifth with the lowest levels.
"Urate is actually one of the major antioxidants that circulates in humans," Schwarzschild said. "Brain cell degeneration in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease or ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease], is caused by oxidative damage."

But another expert agreed it's too early for dietary or treatment recommendations.
"This finding is very exciting, but not yet ready for applicability to individual patients," said Dr. Melissa Nirenberg, assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience at Weil Cornell Medical College in New York City, who was not involved in the study.

She said that the previous report had not generated many queries about urate from her patients. "This one may generate more buzz, but it is very, very concerning that uric acid is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other diseases," she said.

If she were asked about inosine, "I would never recommend it to a patient at this stage because we don't know whether it is cause-and-effect rather than just a relationship and whether the potential benefits outweigh the risks," Nirenberg said.

SOURCES: Michael A. Schwarzschild, M.D., Ph.D, associate professor, neurology, Harvard Medical School, director, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Boston; Ira Shoulson, M.D., professor, neurology, University of Rochester, N.Y.; Melissa Nirenberg, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, neurology and neuroscience, Weil Cornell Medical College in New York City; online Oct. 12, 2009, and December 2009 print edition of Archives of Neurology
HealthDay

Poor Education May Lead to Poor Health

2009-10-13T05:27:00.000-07:00

Navigating a complex health system takes a more literate consumer, experts say

HealthDay

Saturday, October 10, 2009

SATURDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Adults with a poor education are also likely to have poor health, a growing body of evidence suggests.

Study after study has confirmed the link, and now experts are zeroing in on the reasons for it and what can be done.

"Persons with a higher education tend to have better jobs, and better income, better benefits," said David R. Williams, a professor of public health at the Harvard School of Public Health and staff director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Commission to Build a Healthier America.

Those benefits, he said, go beyond health benefits to include such other factors as having the leeway to take a day off or part of a day to see a doctor. People with higher levels of education "tend to have more resources to cope with stress and life, to live in better neighborhoods," Williams said. They have stress, of course, but also more resources to cope with it -- such as access to a health club to exercise away the stress -- than do people with less education, he said.

Being better educated also means that a person is more likely to understand the world of modern medicine, said Erik Angner, an assistant professor of philosophy and economics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who has researched the link between literacy and happiness.

"Modern medicine is incredibly complex," Angner said, "and if you lack the constellation of skills -- including basic reading and numerical tasks -- required to function adequately in the health-care environment, you might find it harder to effectively request, receive and understand your [medical] care."

A report issued in May by Williams's commission found that, compared with college graduates, adults who did not graduate from high school were 2.5 times as likely to be in less than very good health. High school graduates, it found, were nearly twice as likely as college graduates to be in less than very good health.

The report suggested that factors outside of the medical system play an important role in determining people's health, including how long they will live. Access to medical care is crucial, the report authors said, but it isn't enough to improve health.

What's needed, they suggested, is increased focus on schools and education -- encouraging people to obtain more education -- as well as more promotion of healthy living in the home, community and workplace.

From a "big picture" perspective, Williams said, health promotion should be emphasized and taught more -- and earlier -- in schools. Health habits in adulthood, he said, are built during childhood. It's also crucial, he said, to have a healthy neighborhood and workplace.
Angner said that he's found in his recent research that the older adults he has studied who could read and answer questions on medical forms without assistance were likely to be happier than those who could not.

Improving literacy -- and thus improving the ability to read and understand medical forms -- could boost health among adults, he said.
For adults whose education was stopped early, returning to school might help their health as well as their job prospects, the experts say. And if that's not an option, Angner said, simply trying to improve reading skills should make a difference.

SOURCES: David R. Williams, Ph.D., professor, public health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston; Erik Angner, Ph.D., assistant professor, philosophy and economics, University of Alabama at Birmingham; "Reaching America's Health Potential Among Adults: A State-by-State Look at Adult Health," May 2009, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

HealthDay

Want Leaner Kids? Parents May Need to Toe the Line

2009-10-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

Health experts say much can be done to keep weight in check

HealthDay

Sunday, October 11, 2009

SUNDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- It's a trend that has health experts worried: Young kids are becoming increasingly oversized -- leading, they fear, to overweight teens and, ultimately, overweight adults with health problems.

But parents could be poised to do something about this. After all, some experts contend, parents are part of the problem.

"Parents might be contributing to the overweight epidemic," said Dr. Elsie Taveras, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School, who has researched the issue.

They do so unwittingly, of course, Taveras said. And the point is not to make parents feel guilty about contributing to their children's weight problems, she said, but to get the word out because the trend is headed in the wrong direction.

Today in the United States, infants up to 6 months old are 59 percent more likely to be overweight than were babies 20 years ago, according to a study published in Obesity.
In her research, Taveras discovered that infants who gain weight quickly early in life face weight problems by the time they're toddlers.

"What we found was, those children who gained more weight and gained it more quickly in the first six months of life had a higher risk of obesity when they were 3 years old," Taveras said. Her study was reported in Pediatrics.

The way parents feed their infants might play a role in this weight gain, another study found.
John Worobey, a professor and chairman of the nutritional sciences department at Rutgers University in New Jersey, evaluated the behavior of mothers as they fed their babies. His team followed 96 mother-child pairs, asking the mothers questions -- such as what they did when their babies got fussy -- and watching them feed their children formula.

Mothers who fed their babies eight times a day, on average, rather than seven and "who were less sensitive in reading their baby's satiety cues," Worobey said, had babies who gained more weight between ages 6 and 12 months. The findings were reported in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

One solution, he said, is for parents to pay closer attention to their baby's cues, asking their pediatrician for help if they aren't certain how to read those cues.

"Pulling the head away from the bottle is the infant's way to signal, 'Hey, I don't want to do this anymore,'" Worobey said. But the cue is often not noticed.

One way to remedy that, he suggests, is for parents to avoid feeding their infants while watching television. "You may be paying more attention to the TV," he said. "It's better to make it one-on-one time."

There could be cultural myths at work, too, he said, with some cultures still believing that a chubby baby is a healthy baby.

Taveras urged parents to check in often about weight with their infant's pediatrician. With about four "well-baby" visits in the first six months, parents should remember to ask each time about their child's weight. "They should discuss with their clinician how their child is growing," she said.

But the parental link to youngsters' weight might start well before birth, perhaps even before pregnancy.

Reporting in the Maternal and Child Health Journal, researchers found that women who start pregnancy at a normal weight but gain more than 25 to 35 pounds increase their child's risk for being overweight at age 3.

SOURCES: Elsie Taveras, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor, pediatrics, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Medical School, Boston; John Worobey, Ph.D., professor and chairman, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.; May/June 2009, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior; April 2009, Pediatrics; Sept. 26, 2008, Maternal and Child Health Journal; July 2006, Obesity

HealthDay

Statement from Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, on World Sight Day, Oct. 8, 2009

2009-10-09T06:04:00.001-07:00

On World Sight Day 2009, the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, joins with groups around the globe to recognize vision as a public health priority. We at the NEI reaffirm our commitment to preventing and treating blinding eye conditions through scientific research and educational programs.

World Sight Day this year is dedicated to raising awareness of women and eye health. Worldwide, 314 million people are visually impaired, of whom 45 million are blind. Nearly two-thirds of people affected by vision loss are female.

Gender disparities in vision loss in the United States are partly related to the fact that women live longer than men, and are thus more susceptible to age-related eye diseases. In addition, females are at a higher risk for dry eye syndrome as well as several autoimmune diseases that affect the eyes, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Women around the world also may be at a greater risk for blinding eye conditions because social or economic factors prevent them from receiving equal access to eye care. This inaccessibility to eye health care is particularly detrimental in communities where a condition known as trachoma is prevalent. This eye disease is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, but it can be avoided and treated through health education, antibiotics and surgery.

Currently available treatments and educational strategies could be used to prevent or cure an estimated 75 percent of blindness worldwide. These include lifestyle factors such as stopping smoking, which is a risk factor for cataract and age-related macular degeneration, or reducing obesity, which is a risk factor for diabetic eye disease. Vision health could also be maintained through improved access to health care, including regular, comprehensive dilated eye exams, which would facilitate early detection and treatment of eye diseases.

On World Sight Day 2009, we at the NEI acknowledge the impact of blinding eye conditions on women, men and children throughout the world. Through the National Eye Health Education Program and our support of scientific research, we will continue to work to reduce the impact of vision disorders worldwide, especially those that can be prevented and treated.

The National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the federal government’s research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit www.nei.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Stem Cell Research Offers Hope for Colon Cancer Vaccine

2009-10-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

Mouse study suggests it may be possible to generate an immune response to cancer
HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Thursday, October 8, 2009
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Human stem cells may provide a means of creating a vaccine against colon cancer and other types of cancers, say American and Chinese scientists.
"Cancer and stem cells share many molecular and biological features. By immunizing the host with stem cells, we are able to 'fool' the immune system to believe that cancer cells are present and thus to initiate a tumor-combating immune program," Dr. Zihai Li, of the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute, said in a news release.

The research by Li and colleagues is the first to make the connection between human stem cells and colon cancer vaccination.

It has long been believed that immunizing people with embryonic materials may trigger an anti-tumor response by the immune system, but this theory has never advanced beyond animal research. The finding that human stem cells may help immunize against colon cancer is new and unexpected, the study authors pointed out.

In this study, the researchers vaccinated mice with human embryonic stem cells and found that the mice developed a consistent immune response against colon cancer cells. The vaccinated mice showed a dramatic decline in tumor growth, compared with non-vaccinated mice.

While human embryonic stem cells triggered an immune response, artificially induced pluripotent stem cells did not, a finding that challenges the theory that induced pluripotent stem cells are the same as human embryonic stem cells and may replace them at the forefront of stem cell research, Li and colleagues said.

The study was published online Oct. 7 in the journal Stem Cells.

"Although we have only tested the protection against colon cancer, we believe that stem cells might be useful for generating an immune response against a broad spectrum of cancers, thus serving as a universal cancer vaccine," co-author Dr. Bei Liu said in the news release.

SOURCE: Stem Cells, news release, Oct. 7, 2009
HealthDay

HIV Patients More Prone to 7 Kinds of Cancer

2009-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Study found early treatment of infection could slow start of malignancies

HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

Thursday, October 8, 2009

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The weakened immune systems of people with HIV puts them at increased risk for at least seven types of cancer, but early diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection could help delay the onset of some of these cancers, a new study suggests.

French researchers examined the incidence of three AIDS-defining cancers (Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cervical cancer) and four non-AIDS-defining cancers (Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer, liver cancer and anal cancer) in 52,278 HIV-infected people.

The study authors also analyzed the association between immunodeficiency, viral load, antiretroviral treatment and the onset of the seven cancers. Overall, immunodeficiency increased the risk of all the cancers, and CD4 cell count was the most predictive risk factor for all the cancers except anal cancer. The cancer risk associated with viral load was lower than that associated with immunodeficiency, the researchers noted.

CD4 count was the only risk factor for Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer and liver cancer, the study found. Increased risk of Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was associated with lower CD4 count, higher HIV viral load and a lack of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).
A higher CD4 count was associated with a lower risk of cervical cancer, and patients taking cART were half as likely to develop cervical cancer. Anal cancer risk increased with the time during which CD4 count was less than 200 cells per microliter and viral load was greater than 100,000 copies per milliliter, according to the report.

The study appears online Oct. 7 in advance of publication in the November print issue of The Lancet Oncology.

"Our results suggest that cART would be most beneficial if it restores or maintains the CD4 count above 500 cells per microliter, thereby indicating an earlier diagnosis of HIV infection and earlier treatment initiation," the researchers wrote.

The study authors called for effective cancer-specific screening programs for HIV patients and said all HIV-positive women should be regularly offered cervical cancer screening.

SOURCE: The Lancet Oncology, news release, Oct. 7, 2009
HealthDay

Consortium of Researchers Discover Retroviral Link to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2009-10-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Scientists have discovered a potential retroviral link to chronic fatigue syndrome, known as CFS, a debilitating disease that affects millions of people in the United States. Researchers from the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI), located at the University of Nevada, Reno, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Cleveland Clinic, report this finding online Oct. 8, 2009, issue of Science.

"We now have evidence that a retrovirus named XMRV is frequently present in the blood of patients with CFS. This discovery could be a major step in the discovery of vital treatment options for millions of patients," said Judy Mikovits, Ph.D., director of research for WPI and leader of the team that discovered this association.

Researchers cautioned however, that this finding shows there is an association between XMRV and CFS but does not prove that XMRV causes CFS.

The scientists provide a new hypothesis for a retrovirus link with CFS. The virus, XMRV, was first identified by Robert H. Silverman, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, in men who had a specific immune system defect that reduced their ability to fight viral infections.

"The discovery of XMRV in two major diseases, prostate cancer and now chronic fatigue syndrome, is very exciting. If cause-and-effect is established, there would be a new opportunity for prevention and treatment of these diseases," said Silverman, a co-author on the CFS paper.

Commonality of an immune system defect in patients with CFS and prostate cancer led researchers to look for the virus in their blood samples. In this study, WPI scientists identified XMRV in the blood of 68 of 101 (67 percent) CFS patients. In contrast, they found that eight of 218 healthy people (3.7 percent) contained XMRV DNA. The research team not only found that blood cells contained XMRV but also expressed XMRV proteins at high levels and produced infectious viral particles. A clinically validated test to detect XMRV antibodies in patients' plasma is currently under development.

These results were also supported by the observation of retrovirus particles in patient samples when examined using transmission electron microscopy. The data demonstrate the first direct isolation of infectious XMRV from humans.

"These compelling data allow the development of a hypothesis concerning a cause of this complex and misunderstood disease, since retroviruses are a known cause of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer in man," said Francis Ruscetti, Ph.D., Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, NCI.

Retroviruses like XMRV have also been shown to activate a number of other latent viruses. This could explain why so many different viruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus, which was causally linked to Burkitt's and other lymphomas in the 1970s, have been associated with CFS. It is important to note that retroviruses, like XMRV, are not airborne.

"The scientific evidence that a retrovirus is implicated in CFS opens a new world of possibilities for so many people," said Annette Whittemore, founder and president of WPI and mother of a CFS patient. "Scientists can now begin the important work of translating this discovery into medical care for individuals with XMRV related diseases."

Dan Peterson, M.D., medical director of WPI added, "Patients with CFS deal with a myriad of health issues as their quality of life declines. I'm excited about the possibility of providing patients, who are positive for XMRV, a definitive diagnosis, and hopefully very soon, a range of effective treatments options."

The Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro Immune Disease exists to bring discovery, knowledge, and effective treatments to patients with illnesses that are caused by acquired dysregulation of both the immune system and the nervous system, often resulting in lifelong disease and disability. www.wpinstitute.org.

The Lerner Research Institute is home to Cleveland Clinic's laboratory, translational and clinical research. Its mission: to promote human health by investigating in the laboratory and the clinic the causes of disease and discovering novel approaches to prevention and treatments; to train the next generation of biomedical researchers; and to foster productive collaborations with those providing clinical care. More than 1,200 people in 11 departments work in research programs focusing on cardiovascular, cancer, neurologic, musculoskeletal, allergic and immunologic, eye, metabolic, and infectious disease. The Institute also is an integral part of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

Short Strand of RNA May Help Predict Survival and Response to Treatment for Patients with Liver Cancer

2009-10-08T00:36:00.000-07:00

A small RNA molecule, known as a microRNA, may help physicians identify liver cancer patients who, in spite of their poor prognosis, could respond well to treatment with a biological agent called interferon. The finding, by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their partners at Fudan University, Shanghai, and the University of Hong Kong in China and at Ohio State University, Columbus, appeared in the Oct. 8, 2009, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

"Interferon is an experimental therapeutic agent that has been used for many years to treat cancer patients, but with modest benefit," said study first author Junfang Ji, Ph.D., of the Liver Carcinogenesis Section at NCI's Center for Cancer Research.

"Our findings are exciting because we are rediscovering a drug that may have great potential for patients with a particular genomic profile. Being able to treat patients with an existing drug based on a tumor's genomic profile should improve its efficacy and reduce the cost of treatment," added study senior author Xin Wei Wang, Ph.D., chief of the Liver Carcinogenesis Section.

Hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC, is a common type of liver cancer. Surgery is currently the most effective therapy for this disease, but only about 10 percent to 20 percent of patients are eligible for this option, and even among eligible patients the relapse rate is high. Post-operative (adjuvant) treatment with interferon often follows surgery in an attempt to prevent relapse in some patients, but this approach often fails as well.

How HCC develops is unclear. What is known is that it occurs more often in men than in women, and men tend to develop a more aggressive form of the disease. Differences in tumor biology and/or in the tumor microenvironment — the noncancerous tissue surrounding a tumor — may play a role.

Changes in microRNA levels have been noted in various human cancers, so a research team led by Wang looked at variation in the expression of microRNAs involved in HCC. These small RNA molecules play an important role in controlling gene activity by regulating a process known as translation. In translation, another type of RNA molecule, called a messenger RNA (mRNA), copies the genetic code stored within a gene and carries it to cellular structures called ribosomes and, once there, serves as a template to build the cell's proteins. There are many different types of microRNA, and a single microRNA species can affect the expression of many different proteins.

The team measured levels of microRNAs associated with both cancerous and normal tissue in men and women. The researchers analyzed microRNA expression profiles from 241 surgery patients. By first comparing the microRNA profiles of normal liver tissue, and then comparing microRNAs in men and women, the researchers identified several microRNAs that were expressed more abundantly in normal female liver tissue. One of these, miR-26, was highly abundant and showed the greatest difference between the sexes, so it was chosen for further analysis.

Overall, whether male or female, patients who had low levels of miR-26 did not live as long as patients who had higher expression levels of this microRNA. There was about a four-year difference in survival between the patient groups. The researchers validated their findings in three independent groups of HCC patients, and again, those with lower tumor miR-26 levels had poorer survival.

In a separate analysis, the team investigated whether miR-26 status influenced sensitivity to interferon therapy. They examined the levels of miR-26 in tumor samples collected from 135 patients who participated in a trial that evaluated interferon therapy in addition to other standard therapies following surgery. Among the 72 patients who had received interferon therapy as part of their cancer treatment, the researchers found that those with low tumor levels of miR-26 (indicative of a poor prognosis) benefited from receiving adjuvant interferon therapy. These patients survived at least 7.7 years longer than patients with low tumor levels of mi-R-26 that did not receive interferon therapy. In contrast, patients whose tumors had normal levels of miR-26 did not benefit from interferon. The researchers also validated their findings in a separate group of 79 patients.

These findings indicate that miR-26 status in tumors may be useful information both to determine prognosis for patients with HCC and to inform the selection of patients who might benefit from treatment with interferon to prevent disease relapse.

"HCC is an aggressive form of liver cancer and, among the small fraction of patients who are eligible for surgery, the rate of recurrence is high," said Wang. "Our study serves as a proof-of-concept for the use of microRNA expression levels to identify liver cancer patients who may benefit from interferon in addition to surgery."

All patients included in the study underwent surgery between 1999 and 2003 at the Liver Cancer Institute of Fudan University and at the University of Hong Kong Medical Center Centre. Most of the patients were hepatitis B virus-positive Chinese HCC patients. The researchers noted that more work will be needed to evaluate the association of miR-26 status with outcomes in non-Asian HCC patients. They will also need to examine HCC patients who have other underlying liver diseases, such as those infected with hepatitis C virus and/or have cirrhosis related to alcohol abuse. The research team is planning a prospective trial to further investigate the benefit of interferon therapy in HCC patients who have tumors with low levels of miR-26.
For more information on Dr. Wang's research, please go to http://ccr.cancer.gov/Staff/Staff.asp?profileid=5764.

NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
________________________________________
Reference:

Ji J, Shi J, Budhu A, Yu Z, Forgues M, Roessler S, Ambs S, Chen Y, Meltzer PS, Croce CM, Qin L, Man K, Lo C, Lee J, Ng IOL, Tang Z, Sun H, and Wang XW. MicroRNA expression, survival, and response to interferon in men and women with liver cancer. The New England Journal of Medicine. No. 361, Vol. 15.

Prostate Tumors Can Change the Function of Immune Cells in Mice

2009-10-08T00:29:00.000-07:00

Researchers have discovered that prostate tumors in mice can cause immune cells known as CD8+ T cells to change their function from cells that have antitumor activity to cells that suppress immune responses. This finding, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has important implications for the design of immune-based therapies for cancer. The new study, available online, appears in the Oct. 15, 2009, issue of the Journal of Immunology.

"The conversion of CD8+ T cells into suppressor cells may be one of the mechanisms by which tumors restrict the immune system’s ability to control tumor growth," said Arthur A. Hurwitz, Ph.D., head of the Tumor Immunity and Tolerance Group at NCI’s Center for Cancer Research. "Studying this process in mice may help explain why some cancer patients have an initial response from their immune-based therapy, but this response fails with time."

In mice and humans, when the immune system encounters a pathogen or other foreign invader, it responds by mounting an immune response. Part of this response involves the recruitment and activation of CD8+ T cells, which are also called cytotoxic T cells or killer T cells, to help destroy the invader. CD8+ T cells also play a role in immune responses against tumor cells. Other T cells, known as CD4+ T regulatory cells, work to suppress CD8+ T cell activity. Immune suppression by these regulatory T cells helps prevent the body from attacking its own cells. A high level of CD4+ T regulatory cells is also associated with poor prognosis of some cancers. Moreover, research in mice has shown that blocking the immune suppressive activity of these regulatory T cells enhances the body’s immunity against tumors, causing tumor growth to slow and improving the antitumor immune responses elicited by cancer vaccines.

Recent evidence in mice has suggested that CD8+ T cells can develop suppressive activities similar to those of CD4+ T regulatory cells. In addition, CD8+ suppressor cells have been found in cancer patients. The presence of these suppressor cells could explain earlier findings by Hurwitz’s team that prostate tumor-specific CD8+ T cells injected into prostate tumor-bearing mice migrate to the tumors but then become unresponsive, or tolerized, to the tumor cells. It remained unclear, however, whether the suppressive CD8+ T cells have suppressor activity before they reach the tumor or whether they are converted into suppressor cells by the tumor.

In the new research, Hurwitz’s team found that CD8+ T cells acquire immune suppressive functions after they enter the mouse tumor microenvironment, which encompasses nearby noncancerous cells and immune cells in addition to tumor cells. The researchers found that tumor-specific CD8+ T cells isolated from the tumors were able to suppress the proliferative capacity of nonspecific T cells, whereas tumor-specific CD8+ T cells isolated from lymph nodes of the mice were unable to do so.

This anti-proliferative activity appeared to be caused, in part, by substances secreted by the CD8+ T cells after they had been converted to suppressor cells. One of these substances, TGF-beta, is a protein that controls cell proliferation and differentiation and plays a role in cancer and other diseases. TGF-beta is thought to be involved in the immune-suppressive activity of CD4+ T-regulatory cells.

Next, the team investigated whether the conversion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells to suppressor cells could be prevented. To do this, they administered tumor-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to prostate tumor-bearing mice. Some CD4+ T cells act as helper cells and enhance the activity of other immune cells, including CD8+ T cells. The researchers found that, under these conditions, CD8+ T cells isolated from the prostate tumors no longer suppressed the proliferation of other T cells. Moreover, these cells produced less TGF-beta than cells that were not exposed to CD4+ T cells.

The researchers propose that activated CD4+ T cells that enter tumors may secrete factors that support the CD8+ T cell antitumor functions, or may help other immune cells located in the tumor block the processes by which CD8+ T cells acquire their suppressive activity.

Future work by this team will focus on defining the mechanisms by which tumor-specific CD8+ T cells gain their suppressive functions upon entering the mouse tumor microenvironment. "It is important to understand how these cells become suppressive and how they mediate suppression to find approaches to block these processes," said Hurwitz. "This will enhance our ability to generate more effective antitumor T cell responses in mice, which then might be translated to human."

For more information on Dr. Hurwitz’s research, please go to http://ccr.nci.nih.gov/staff/staff.asp?profileid=7740.

NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
________________________________________
Reference:

Shafer-Weaver, KA, Anderson, MJ, Stagliano K, Malyguine, A, Greenberg, NM, and Hurwitz AA. Cutting Edge: Tumor-Specific CD8+ T Cells Infiltrating Prostatic Tumors Are Induced to Become Suppressor Cells. J Immunol. Oct. 15, 2009. Vol. 183, No. 8.

Clean Hands Help Prevent the Flu

2009-10-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

Clean hands can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as flu. This podcast explains the proper way to wash your hands. This video ...

New Data Reveal Insight into Moms' Complex Infant Feeding Decisions

2009-10-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

CDC's data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II illustrate several factors that influence pregnant women and new moms when they make decisions about feeding their babies. These factors, such as policies and environments within hospitals, businesses, and communities can all support—or limit—mothers' choices.

NEW Online Data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II

Investigate the wealth of information provided by the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II). Information includes full access to the research findings that were first published as a supplemental issue to Pediatrics in October 2008, as well as, more than 300 tables of detailed data that have never been released.

What makes these data unique?

The women who participated in the IFPS II provided information from the time they were pregnant until their babies were 12 months old. This longitudinal data (data collected during an extended time frame) are valuable, as they tell a complete story which helps researchers explain issues in detail, showing ‘cause and effect.'

What did the IFPS II find about infant feeding practices?

More than 4 out of 5 pregnant women wanted to breastfeed. However, obstacles (i.e., hospital maternity care practices and limitations on maternity leave) made it much harder for them to start and maintain breastfeeding long enough to provide the health protection and benefits babies derive from breastfeeding.

Moms' infant feeding practices were partially shaped by the hospital environment.

Moms who gave birth in hospitals whose policies and environment were unsupportive of breastfeeding were 8 times more likely to stop breastfeeding early compared to moms who gave birth in hospitals whose policies and environment do support breastfeeding.

New moms received infant formula at hospitals and at home, which can be a disincentive to start and continue breastfeeding.

83% of new mothers received infant formula or coupons for infant formula in a gift or diaper bag from the maternity hospital or birth center, and 57% of new mothers received free samples of infant formula sent by mail directly to their home.

Many women in the study received only a short amount of paid maternity leave; this time constraint can affect breastfeeding initiation and duration.

Only about one-third of women were eligible for fully paid maternity leave.
Partially paid leave was an option for only about 1 of 5 women.
On average, fully paid leave was only 2.2 weeks long, and partially paid was only 1.5 weeks.

Most moms felt more comfortable breastfeeding among close friends than among strangers.

As moms became more experienced with breastfeeding, they grew more comfortable doing so around other people. By the time their baby was 7 months old almost all (80%) of breastfeeding moms felt comfortable breastfeeding among close women friends, more than half (56%) felt this way among friends that are men and women, and more than one-third (34%) felt comfortable breastfeeding among men and women who were not close friends.

Different groups in a community or state can work together to ensure that moms and babies get the help they need to initiate, maintain, and continue breastfeeding as long as possible. For example, groups can work together to help ensure supportive maternity care practices in hospitals and help create policies that positively affect the way moms feel about breastfeeding while out and about in their community.

Intimate Partner Violence Can Lead to Serious Injury

2009-10-06T06:13:00.001-07:00

A key strategy in preventing intimate partner violence is the promotion of respectful, nonviolent intimate partner relationships through individual, community, and societal level change.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

If you are, or someone you know is, the victim of intimate partner violence and needs help, contact your local battered women's shelter or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233), 800-787-3224 TYY, or www.ndvh.org.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to ensuring all Americans, especially those at risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), live their lives to their fullest potential. A key strategy in preventing IPV is the promotion of respectful, nonviolent intimate partner relationships through individual, community, and societal level change.

Intimate Partner Violence as a Public Health Problem

Intimate partner violence is violence that occurs between two people in a close relationship. The term "intimate partner" includes current and former spouses and dating partners. IPV exists along a continuum from a single episode of violence to ongoing battering. IPV includes four types of violence: physical violence, sexual violence, threats of physical or sexual violence, and emotional abuse.

IPV facts:

In 2005, 1,510 people in the United States died at the hands of an intimate partner.

The National Violence Against Women survey found that 22.1% of women and 7.4% of men experienced physical forms of IPV at some point in their lives.

The cost of IPV against women, including medical care, mental health services, and lost productivity (e.g., time away from work), was an estimated $5.8 billion in 1995. Updated to 2003 dollars, that is more than $8.3 billion.

Prevention

All forms of IPV are preventable. The key to prevention is focusing on the first time someone hurts a partner (called first-time perpetration). Knowledge about the factors that prevent IPV is lacking. CDC is working to better understand the developmental pathways and social circumstances that lead to this type of violence. In addition, the agency is helping organizations evaluate the effectiveness of strategies, programs and policies to reduce the perpetration of intimate partner violence.

Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work

2009-10-06T06:12:00.001-07:00

Antibiotics do not fight infections caused by viruses, like colds, flu, most sore throats and bronchitis, and some ear infections. Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter products may be your or your child's best treatment option.

Dangers of Antibiotic Resistance

If antibiotics are used too often for things they can't treat—like colds, flu, or other viral infections—they can stop working effectively against bacteria when you or your child really needs them. Antibiotic resistance—when antibiotics can no longer cure bacterial infections—has been a concern for years and is considered one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Widespread overuse of antibiotics is fueling an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So the next time you or your child really needs an antibiotic for a bacterial infection, it may not work.

If You Have a Cold or Flu, Antibiotics Won't Work for You!

Colds and flu are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Taking antibiotics when you or your child has a virus may do more harm than good. Get smart about when antibiotics are appropriate—to fight bacterial infections. Taking them for viral infections, such as a cold, most sore throats, the flu, or acute bronchitis:

Will not cure the infection;
Will not keep other people from getting sick;
Will not help you or your child feel better; and
May cause unnecessary and harmful side effects.

What Not to Do

Do not demand antibiotics when a healthcare provider says they are not needed.
Do not take an antibiotic for a viral infection like a cold or most sore throats.
Do not take antibiotics prescribed for someone else. The antibiotic may not be appropriate for your or your child’s illness. Taking the wrong medicine may delay correct treatment and allow bacteria to multiply.

If your healthcare provider prescribes an antibiotic for you or your child:

Do not skip doses.
Do not save any of the antibiotics for the next time you or your child gets sick.

What to Do

View or download "Snort. Sniffle. Sneeze: No Antibiotics Please!" (video 3:47 mins)

Learn about appropriate antibiotic use and how to feel better when you or your child has a sore throat, ear or sinus pain, fever, cough, or runny nose.

Adults and kids should clean their hands often, especially before meals and after touching pets. And make sure both you and your child are up-to-date on recommended immunizations.

Talk with your healthcare provider about the best treatment for your or your child’s illness. To feel better when you or your child has an upper respiratory infection:

Increase fluid intake;
Get plenty of rest;
Use a cool-mist vaporizer or saline nasal spray to relieve congestion; and
Soothe a throat with ice chips, sore throat spray, or lozenges (do not give lozenges to young children).

Video: Snort. Sniffle. Sneeze. No Antibiotics Please!

CDC created a video to help you learn more about appropriate antibiotic use and how to feel better when you or your child has a sore throat, ear or sinus pain, fever, cough, or runny nose. This video features a doctor, who is also a concerned mom. You can download the video at CDC-TV, download the podcast, or access on your mobile phone.

Fewer U.S. Schools Selling Less Nutritious Food and Beverages

2009-10-06T06:11:00.001-07:00

PFewer secondary schools in the United States are selling less nutritious foods and beverages, such as candy and soda, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The greatest improvements were seen in states that have adopted strong school nutrition standards and policies for foods and beverages sold outside school meal programs.

The report, “Availability of Less Nutritious Snack Foods and Beverages in Secondary Schools – Selected States, 2002-2008,” was published today in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The report shows that among the 34 states that collected data in 2006 and 2008, the median percentage of secondary schools that did not sell soda or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice increased from 38 percent to 63 percent. The median percentage of secondary schools in these states that did not sell candy or salty snacks not low in fat increased from 46 percent in 2006 to 64 percent in 2008.

“The school environment is a key setting for influencing children’s food choices and eating habits,” said Howell Wechsler, Ed.D, M.P.H., director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “By ensuring that only healthy food options are available, schools can model healthy eating behaviors, help improve students’ diets, and help young people establish lifelong healthy eating habits.”

Mississippi and Tennessee made the greatest progress in improving the nutrition environment in their schools. In Mississippi, the percentage of secondary schools that did not sell soda or fruit drinks that are not 100 percent juice increased from 22 percent in 2006 to 75 percent in 2008, while in Tennessee the percentage increased from 27 percent to 74 percent. These two states are national leaders in implementing strong statewide school nutrition standards.

“Efforts to improve the school nutrition environment are working, and Mississippi and Tennessee are excellent examples of this progress. However, there are still far too many schools selling less nutritious foods and beverages,” said Wechsler.

The School Health Profiles Survey is conducted among a representative sample of secondary schools in a state, large urban school district, or territory. The data are collected from self-administered questionnaires from the principal and the lead health education teacher at each sampled school. The 2008 report includes data from 47 states, 20 cities, and four territories.

The 2008 study results varied dramatically across states.

In Hawaii, Connecticut, California, and Maine, more than two-thirds of secondary schools did not sell baked goods, salty snacks not low in fat, candy, soda or fruit drinks that were not 100 percent juice.
In Utah, Kansas, Idaho, and Nebraska, less than one-third of secondary schools did not sell these items.

The School Health Profiles Survey is conducted every two years and monitors the current status of school health education requirements and content, physical education requirements, school health policies related to HIV/AIDS, tobacco-use prevention, nutrition, asthma management activities, and family and community involvement in school health programs. The 2008 data are available at www.cdc.gov/schoolhealthprofiles.

Cocaine Vaccine Shows Promise for Treating Addiction

2009-10-06T06:10:00.001-07:00

NIDA Study Suggests Harnessing the Immune System Against Cocaine Addiction May Prove Effective

Immunization with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a substantial reduction in cocaine use in 38 percent of vaccinated patients in a clinical trial supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first successful, placebo-controlled demonstration of a vaccine against an illicit drug of abuse.

"The results of this study represent a promising step toward an effective medical treatment for cocaine addiction," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow." Provided that larger follow-up studies confirm its safety and efficacy, this vaccine would offer a valuable new approach to treating cocaine addiction, for which no FDA-approved medication is currently available."

Like vaccines against infectious diseases such as measles and influenza, the anti-cocaine vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies. Unlike antibodies against infectious diseases, which destroy or deactivate the disease-causing agents, anti-cocaine antibodies attach themselves to cocaine molecules in the blood, preventing them from passing through the blood-brain barrier. By preventing the drug’s entry into the brain, the vaccine inhibits or blocks the cocaine-induced euphoria.

This study included 115 patients from a methadone maintenance program who were randomly assigned to receive the anti-cocaine vaccine or a placebo (inactive) vaccine. Participants were recruited from a methadone maintenance program because their retention rates are substantially better than programs focused primarily on treatment for cocaine abuse. Participants in both groups received five vaccinations over a 12-week period and were followed for an additional 12 weeks. All participants also took part in weekly relapse-prevention therapy sessions with a trained substance abuse counselor, had their blood tested for antibodies to cocaine, and had their urine tested three times a week for the presence of opioids and cocaine.

Participants differed in the levels of antibodies generated in response to vaccination. Thirty-eight percent attained blood levels of anti-cocaine antibodies thought to be sufficient to block cocaine's euphoric effects. During weeks 9 to 16 (when antibody levels peaked), these participants had significantly more cocaine-free urines than those who received the placebo or those with active vaccine but low levels of anti-cocaine antibodies. Participants with the highest antibody levels had the greatest reductions in cocaine use. No serious adverse effects were associated with vaccine treatment.

"Fifty-three percent of participants in the high-antibody group were abstinent from cocaine more than half the time during weeks 8 to 20, compared with only 23 percent of participants with lower levels of antibodies," said Thomas Kosten, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the study's principal investigator.

"In this study immunization did not achieve complete abstinence from cocaine use," added Dr. Kosten. "Previous research has shown, however, that a reduction in use is associated with a significant improvement in cocaine abusers’ social functioning and thus is therapeutically meaningful."

Dr. Kosten led the study in collaboration with colleagues from Yale University School of Medicine, the Connecticut Veterans Administration (VA) Healthcare System, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to inform policy and improve practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov. To order publications in English or Spanish, call NIDA's new DrugPubs research dissemination center at 1-877-NIDA-NIH or 240-645-0228 (TDD) or fax or email requests to 240-645-0227 or drugpubs@nida.nih.gov. Online ordering is available at http://drugpubs.drugabuse.gov.

Breast Cancer Awareness

2009-10-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

The best way to find breast cancer early is with a mammogram. If you are a woman age 40 years or older, be sure to have a screening mammogram every one to two years.

Breast Cancer

Got questions about breast cancer and mammograms? We have answers.

Is breast cancer the most common cause of death for women?

No. Although many women get breast cancer, it is not a common cause of death. Heart disease is the number one cause of death among women age 40 and above, followed by stroke, lung cancer, and lung diseases. Breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of death.

Each year, about 210,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Many fewer women, around 40,000 each year, die from breast cancer.¹

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

When breast cancer starts out, it is too small to feel and does not cause signs and symptoms. As it grows, however, breast cancer can cause changes in how the breast looks or feels. Symptoms may include—

New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).
Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.
Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.
Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.
Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.
Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.
Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.
Pain in any area of the breast.

What is a mammogram?

A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer. Most women should have their first mammogram at age 40 and then have another mammogram every one or two years.

Why should I have a mammogram?

Regular mammograms are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt. When their breast cancer is found early, many women go on to live long and healthy lives.

Where can I go to get screened?

Most likely, you can get screened for breast cancer at a clinic, hospital, or doctor's office. If you want to be screened for breast cancer, call your doctor's office. They can help you schedule an appointment. Most health insurance companies pay for the cost of breast cancer screening tests.

Are you worried about the cost? The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offers free or low-cost mammograms. To find out if you qualify, call your local program.

How can I lower my risk of breast cancer?

Control your weight and exercise.
Know your family history of breast cancer. If you have a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer, ask your doctor what is your risk of getting breast cancer and how you can lower your risk.
Find out the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy.
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.

Can men get breast cancer?

Men can also get breast cancer, but it is not very common. For every 100 cases of breast cancer, less than 1 is in men.

Data source:

¹U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999-2005 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.

Announcement New Article about Typhoid Fever Infection in U.S. Travelers Highlights Travel Risks in Certain Destinations

2009-10-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

This information is current as of today, October 05, 2009 at 03:09 EDT

Released: September 09, 2009

An article by CDC researchers was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on August 26, 2009. Researchers studied U.S. patients who had typhoid fever during 1999-2006. Most of these people had traveled to a foreign country within a month of getting sick. In these patients, typhoid fever infection that was resistant to usual antibiotic treatments was common. Most antibiotic-resistant infections were in people who had recently traveled to South Asia (specifically India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh).

Information for Travelers

Typhoid fever is a severe disease caused by Salmonella Typhi bacteria. It is usually spread to people through contaminated food or water. If you are traveling to a country where there is a risk of typhoid fever (especially in South Asia), it is important to take the following steps to protect yourself from getting typhoid fever.

Get vaccinated

Before you travel, get a typhoid vaccine.

CDC recommends typhoid vaccine for all persons traveling to countries where typhoid fever is a risk. (Go to the Destination page for the country where you will be traveling to see if typhoid vaccine is recommended for your trip.)
Typhoid vaccines protect about 80% of persons who receive them and are recommended no matter how long your trip.

Because vaccines alone cannot completely protect you from developing typhoid fever, choose safe food and beverages during your trip.

Choose safe foods

During your trip—

Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
Eat and drink only dairy products that have been pasteurized.
Eat only fruits and vegetables that you can wash with clean water and peel yourself.
Do not eat food from street vendors.

Remember, if you are visiting friends and family, there are polite ways to let them know that you are unable to eat certain foods without rejecting their hospitality.

Choose safe beverages

During your trip—

Drink beverages that have been bottled and sealed (water, carbonated drinks, or sports drinks) or have been boiled (water, tea, or coffee).
Tap water may be treated with filters or chlorine or iodine tablets that you can buy at stores in the U.S. to make it safe to drink. You can pack these items along with other supplies in your travel health kit.
Do not put ice in your drinks.

See a doctor

If you are sick with symptoms of typhoid fever during or after your trip, see a doctor who can advise you about any medicines you might need to take. If you are seeing a doctor after your trip, be sure to tell the doctor that you traveled outside the United States and where you were.

For more information about protecting yourself against typhoid fever, see the Typhoid Fever section of CDC’s Yellow Book or see the article Typhoid Fever in the United States, 1999-2006 by CDC researchers in the August 26, 2009 issue of JAMA, 302(8):859-865.

Information for Health-Care Providers

It is important to vaccinate patients who are traveling to areas where there is a risk of typhoid infection. Two vaccines are available in the United States (Vivotif vaccine manufactured by Crucell/Berna and Typhim Vi, manufactured by sanofi pasteur). Counseling patients about safe food and water precautions is also important.

Information from the JAMA article highlighted above emphasizes the need to carefully consider treatment options for patients who present with typhoid fever. Treatment should be closely monitored for the patient’s response, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing should be done at a clinical diagnostic laboratory if needed.

For more information about daily health tips,diet health tips,eating health tips,child health tips,health tips for kids,tips for health,latest health tips,best health tip,health news tips,summer health tips,best health tips,women health tips pre-travel recommendations, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment, see the Typhoid Fever section of CDC’s Yellow Book and the article Typhoid Fever in the United States, 1999-2006 by CDC researchers in the August 26, 2009 issue of JAMA, 302(8):859-865.

Women health tips: Women Relax at Home

2009-10-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

A lot of us have come to believe that the best way to unwind from the stress brought about by the daily grind to work and to whatever activities we have that makes our schedules jam-packed is to escape to the spa. True enough, the services we get at a spa are designed to pamper us from head to foot, making each trip a relaxing indulgence that is truly worth getting addicted to.

Sometimes, however, we do not need to go to the spa just to rest and loosen up. We can do that inside our very homes.

One way of getting the spa atmosphere at home is to just sit with your feet soaked in warm water mixed with spa salts and essential oils. This is an instant, do-it-yourself foot spa. When the skin of your feet is all soaked and soft, you can scrub away at the calluses and thickened layers of dead skin with glee. Afterwards, you can treat yourself with a nice pedicure.

For some people, the idea of relaxing at home is never complete without food. Why not cook yourself a nice dinner for one? Immerse yourself in the therapeutic rhythms brought about by the pounding, dicing, slicing and mincing that comes with the preparation of food. Make the experience a little more sensual by adding fragrant herbs in your food and by using aromatic mood candles instead of the glaring fluorescent lights. This experience will surely leave your stomach filled and your soul refreshed.

Another great way of relaxing at home is taking off your watch and just lounging about the den all afternoon. Spend the afternoon eating your favorite snacks while vegging out on a daytime soap opera or a rented movie. For once, keep your mind focused on something that is not even remotely related to work.

Perhaps you can try lying in bed with head directed towards the foot of the bed and your feet up on the headboard and flat against the wall. Let your arms rest at your sides away from your body and breathe deeply. Savor the relaxing feeling of blood flowing from your legs to your head. It is a great way to de-stress the body.

If you find yourself awake early in the morning and you do not have to go to work, start off your day with a cup of piping hot coffee and drink it while sitting at your porch. Prop up your feet and take your time reading the morning paper. Or you can just sit back and breathe the morning air while watching your neighbors jog or walk their dogs.

The body needs to relax every once in a while so it can continue functioning properly, without falling to any illness brought about by stress. Going to the spa for some time off for yourself is always a good idea. However, the idea behind relaxing is spending some time not really doing anything and just letting the body rest. You can always do this at home if you do not feel like going to the spa.

For more information daily health tips,diet health tips,eating health tips,child health tips,health tips for kids,tips for health,latest health tips,best health tip,health news tips,summer health tips,best health tips,women health tips please visit the site:http://free-beauty-tips.glam.com/relax-home.html

health fitness tips for today

2009-09-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

women health tips: Migraine Headache Diet

2009-09-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

Migraine pain is often described as a severe pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head.
It is often accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting.

In some people, visual disturbances appearing as flashing lights, zig-zag lines, or temporary loss of vision precede the migraine. This is called an aura.

Migraine is three times more common in women than in men. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, migraines were once linked to the dilation and constriction of blood vessels in the head, but scientists now believe that migraines are caused by inherited abnormalities in genes that control activities in certain cell populations in the brain.

What is the Relationship Between Migraine and Diet?

Although dietary restriction isn’t considered a treatment for migraine, identifying any foods that have triggered symptoms and avoiding those foods may help some people prevent migraine attacks.

According to a report by J Gordon Millichap, MD, published in the journal Pediatric Neurology, the list of foods, beverages, and additives thought to trigger or exacerbate migraine symptoms in some people includes:

* Cheese
* Chocolate
* Citrus fruits
* Hot dogs
* Monosodium glutamate
* Aspartame
* Fatty foods
* Ice cream
* Caffeine withdrawal
* Alcoholic drinks, especially red wine and beer

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is sometimes added as a flavor enhancer in Chinese restaurants. It is also found in commercial soups, soy sauce, salad dressings, frozen dinners, soup mix, croutons, stuffing, and some chips. It can be disguised on food labels as sodium caseinate, hydrolyzed proteins, or autolyzed yeast.

Published surveys have found that the most commonly reported food triggers are cheese, chocolate, alcohol, bananas, and citrus fruit.

In a survey of 429 people with migraine, 16.5% reported migraines triggered by cheese or chocolate, 28.4% reported sensitivity to all alcoholic drinks, 11.8% were sensitive to red but not white wine, and 28% were sensitive to beer.

Another survey of 490 people with migraine published in the journal Cephalgia found that the most common food triggers were chocolate, cheese (18%), citrus (11%) and alcohol (29%).
Dietary triggers may affect migraine by influencing the release of serotonin, causing constriction and dilation of blood vessels, or by directly stimulating areas of the brain such as the trigeminal ganglia, brainstem, and neuronal pathways.

According to Millichap, certain chemicals in foods called amines, such as tyramine, phenylethylamine, and histamine are often the culprits.

Tyramine is found in higher concentrations in foods that have been fermented, such as:

* Aged or blue cheese
* Yogurt
* Smoked, cured or pickled meat or fish
* Red wine or beer
* Soy sauce, miso, tempeh

Foods containing phenylethylamine include:

* Cheesecake
* Yellow cheeses
* Chocolate
* Citrus fruit
* Chocolate
* Cocoa
* Berry pie filling or canned berries
* Red wine

Foods containing histamine include:

* Banana
* Beef, pork
* Beer
* Cheese, especially yellow ripened
* Chicken liver
* Egg Plant
* Fish, shellfish
* Processed meat, such as salami
* Sauerkraut
* Tempeh, tofu, miso, tamari
* Spinach
* Strawberry
* Tomato, tomato sauce, tomato paste
* Wine
* Yeast and foods containing yeast
* Pineapple
* Citrus fruit
* Chocolate

However, two well-designed studies found no effect of tyramine on migraine.

Another study of 39 children found that reducing dietary amines had no effect. Both children on a low-amine diet, high fiber diet and children on a high fiber diet had a significant decrease in the number of migraines and there was no significant difference between the groups.
Should I Follow a Migraine Diet?

If you think foods may be worsening your migraine symptoms, consult your doctor as a first step.

Diet isn’t a treatment for migraine, but for some people, avoiding certain foods may help prevent attacks.

Simultaneously eliminating all possible trigger foods is generally not recommended because of the sheer number of potential triggers. Most people would find the diet too restrictive and difficult to adhere to.

Instead, keeping a diet diary may help to identify any food triggers. The diet diary should list all foods eaten every day, with approximate times. The appearance of any symptoms should be noted. If food triggers are found, selectively avoiding only those foods may help.
Skipping meals can be a trigger for some people, so eating regular, well-balanced meals is often advised.

For more information daily women health tips please visit the site:http://www.humarapk.com/womens-health-2/migraine-headache-diet.html

Preterm Labor Tips: What Are Risk Factors for Preterm Labor?

2009-08-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. If labor begins before 37 weeks, it's known as preterm labor.

Being born too early can cause a host of complications, ranging from slow growth to problems with the eyes, ears, breathing and nervous system, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says.

The ACOG offers this list of common risk factors for preterm labor:

1.Having had preterm labor in this or a previous pregnancy.
2.Smoking cigarettes or using cocaine.
3.Having a multiple pregnancy (for example, carrying twins or triplets).
4.Having an abnormality of the cervix or uterus.
5.Having had an infection during pregnancy.
6.Bleeding during the second or third trimester.
7.Being underweight.
8.Having a mother or grandmother who took a medication called DES during pregnancy.
9.Having had insufficient medical care before and during pregnancy.

Health Tip: Eating Right while you’re Pregnant

While a healthy diet is always important, it becomes even more crucial during pregnancy, when you're eating for two.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says your diet during pregnancy should include the following daily amounts:

1.Six ounces of grains. One slice of whole-grain bread, a cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or a 1/2 cup of cooked rice is equal to about one ounce from this group.
2.Two-and-a-half cups of vegetables.
3.One-and-a-half to two cups of fruit, which could include 100 percent fruit juice or dried fruit.
4.Five to 5 1/2 ounces of meat or beans. An egg, two tablespoons of peanut butter, or 1/2 cup of seeds or nuts is equal to about one ounce from this group.
5.Three cups of milk. A cup of yogurt or 1 1/2 to two ounces of cheese can be considered one cup from this group.

Aloe Vera - Reducing Weight Tips

2009-08-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Aloe Vera is an excellent natural product which helps a lot in reducing weight. The juice is sold both in liquid and powder form. The powder is brown in color due to exposure to the air. It is basically the yellow liquid taken from tubules located near the skin of the plant. Manufacturers claim that it is a very good colon cleanser and can flush out the harmful toxins from the colon and makes the body detoxified. As a result, the body starts losing weight.

As the harmful toxins get washed out, the digestive power of the system increases a lot and also there is a substantial gain in the energy level of the body. Sources also confirm that aloe vera contains a type of protein that is very difficult to break and the body has to spend some extra energy to do that. Due to this factor also, the metabolic process speeds up giving you more energy. Moreover, there are certain amino acids like methionine, serine, threonine and molybdenum present in the juice that can detoxify some metals and hence there is an increase in metabolic process.

Some people say that aloe vera is a laxative and should not use laxative in a weight loss program. Many side effects of using aloe vera have been identified. They are nausea, dermatitis, urine discoloration, allergic reactions and liver dysfunction. Some people have also complained side effects like abdominal cramps and electrolyte imbalance. If you see any of these side effects, stop using aloe vera and better consult your physician.

For more information about Weight Loss Tips visit:www.webforhealth.com

Breastfeeding Moms -Weight Loss Tips

2009-08-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

Giving a birth to a new life is undoubtedly the most wonderful feeling on this earth. But along with the happiness of new birth comes the stress of weight gain problems which is experienced by women all over the globe. Moreover the breastfeeding moms have to be very conscious of their dietary plans so that it does not affect the quality of the milk that they feed to their child. But it does not mean that breastfeeding moms cannot reduce weight. A well balanced healthy diet along with proper exercise will definitely prove to give effective weight loss results.

Following slow and steady weight loss regime is best for breastfeeding moms. Losing weight slowly helps to insure that nursing mothers get enough energy and do not feel tired and cranky. Moreover the gradual weight loss will also not affect the milk supply of the mother and will take care of your child as well.

The diet of nursing mother should comprise of healthy food items like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean sources of protein, whole grains and good fat. Thus a well balanced diet is not only good for breastfeeding mothers but also for their infants. Exercise for nursing mother should always be done under the guidance of the doctor so that you know what is good for you. Moreover breastfeeding itself helps to burn 500 calories in a day and thus acts as a means of weight loss itself.

Thus, for nursing mothers the best way to lose weight is by following healthy lifestyle with well balanced diet and suitable exercise.

For more information about Weight Loss Tips visit:www.webforhealth.com

Swine Flu (H1N1) - how to avoid Swine Flu

2009-08-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

We are all aware that Swine Flu is spreading across fast and there is a panic almost on every street of the country. However let us first clear some misconceptions about the Swine Flu which every person should be clear of.

Here is what one should know.

1) Swine flu, i.e. H1N1 flu is not something which has suddenly arrived from God knows where. There is actually a history behind it. First case of Swine flu was detected in 1987. So chill guys this is something which was there.

2) There are 5 days of the infective stage. The first day when the person gets the symptoms and the rest 4 days after the onset of the symptoms.

3) So how can we stop Swine Flu from spreading? The person who is infected or with the symptoms Of swine flu should take complete rest at home of 4 days and avoid contact with anyone.

4) Masks which are being used on huge scale these days to avoid swine flu are being sold at out of proportion value. (Please don't crap on supply demand guys). Besides these masks are of little to no use. To avoid getting infected from swine flu one should avoid visiting public places like shopping malls, cinema halls. Avoid air conditioned enclosures as the virus multiplies at such places.

5) Swine flu has been bold Ed out by the media on an out of proportion scale. The death in case of swine flu is very rare. 1 out of 10k infected suffers life loss. This proportion is less than a person being hit by a lightning.

swine flu: Quest for the right swine flu doctor unanswered

2009-08-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

The general question that must pop up in the minds of most of us is - who to go to when one shows swine flu-like symptoms?

Rida Shaikh, the 14-year-old girl who died of swine flu in Pune, had first contacted a private practitioner. The obvious question after her death is: Are these general practitioners can even the symptoms and diagnose correctly?

Says Kartik, a rikshaw puller, in an interview with a leading news channel, said about his ailing son, “I fear for him as where ever I go, people are talking about swine flu and its symptoms. I did not want to take any chance.” Kartik had brought his 13-year-old son with running fever for a checkup in central Mumbai.

Particularly after the first death reported of 14-year-old Rida in Pune, common complaints like fever and sore throat have given sleepless nights to the parents.
Dwindling public faith in government hospitals

Physicians, despite the government’s assurances of adequate facilities in government hospitals, are hesitating to send parents to designated hospitals if they suspect their kids suffering from swine flu.

Says private practitioner Dr. D K Chaudhary, "Kasturba hospital is like a dharamshala. There is no proper management, doctor or treatment."

Ironically, the state government is now turning to such private practitioners to help curb the spread of the lethal disease and to help spread awareness.

Assistant director of Health, Govt of Maharashtra, Dr. Ravindra Katti said, "We have now been requesting private practitioners to help distinguish between and swine flu and other cases of common flu."

But various doctors and physicians stress that it is difficult to distinguish between H1N1 and other flues. They prefer to wait and watch if the antibiotics are working or not, which means the crucial time gets wasted.

Fresh update on the flu cases

New cases of H1N1 influenza have been confirmed across the country of late. At the last count, the number crossed 600 as 22 fresh cases were reported on Thursday.

Pune: The city of Pune has reported nine new cases, which includes four school students who contracted the virus from previous positive cases.

Delhi: Five new cases have been reported in the capital. Of these, four contracted the virus from previous positive cases and the fifth case is that of a 19-year-old girl who returned to India from Singapore.

Mumbai: The financial capital also recorded four new positive cases. All of them had recently returned from abroad and contracted the virus on their way.

Chennai: Two new cases have come to light in this city. A two-year-old returning from Australia was detected in the airport screening and another three-year-old positive case in this city has already been admitted in the hospital.

Karnatka: The state of Krnataka recorded two new cases of a 21-year-old Malaysian student in Mangalore and a 32-year-old man who flew in from the U.S.

Hyderabad: One new case of a 13-year-old girl has been reported in the city. She contracted the virus from a previous positive case.

Jamshedpur: The first positive case of this city was a 21-year-old man that was reported Thursday. The man had returned to Ranchi from UK recently with flu like symptoms.
Punjab: Two new cases of swine flu have been reported in the state of Punjab, one each in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.

Gurgaon: The city has reported three fresh cases of H1N1 virus. Of these, two are students who contracted the virus from previously positive cases, while the other is a 31-year-old woman who traveled from abroad recently.

Source:www.themedguru.com

Breast Cancer - Migraine Reduce Women's Risk

2009-08-03T05:21:00.000-07:00

Migraine is a disease that attacked the women; in general, women affected by this disease will feel dizzy, especially into the head section. But behind this disease is that, in general, hating the women. Migraine is believed to reduce risk in women exposed to breast cancer. Based on the latest research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Public Health Sciences Division in Seattle, women who have Migraine into a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer, when comparing with the women who did not experience migraine disease.

This study is a continuation of previous study in the year 2008, which states that women experience because of Migraine headache in a significant reduction in the risk of breast cancer is exposed to a very chilling. This latest study involved participants from various age also with the amount more than the study of previously. Migraine can indeed protect women from breast cancer attacks. "This is still valid for women, young or old" said the study author Christopher Li, MD, PhD, as quoted from webmd. A study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention is, Li construe that have 26% reduction in breast cancer risk associated with a Migraine

then what is breast cancer? , Breast cancer is breast cancer on the network. This is the most common type of cancer suffered by women. Men can also fell ill breast cancer, although the probability is smaller than 1 in 1000 among. The most common treatment is with surgery and, if necessary followed by chemotherapy and radiation.

For U want More Health Tips click here www.calresest.com

Six Pack 5 tips: For u lose Your Belly Fat

2009-07-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.

2. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll show you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.

3. Ab exercises like crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.

4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills (that don't work) or other bogus supplements. A special class of natural foods is much more effective. I'll tell you about these natural foods and their powers below.

5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.

www.truthaboutabs.com

Weight Lose Tips To Help You

2009-07-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

With Americans becoming more and more conscience of what they look like there seems to be a growing trend. Everyone is looking for a strategy to lower their weight. This doesn’t need to be the most challenging thing you have ever done. What it will require though is persistence from you. The will is not nearly powerful enough to shed those pounds without some assistance from you.

There are correct ways and incorrect ways to go about losing weight and the strategies that I am going to provide you here are going to focus on healthy ways to lose weight. Aside from looking better in a bikini people are trying to lose weight for health reasons so it is wise to avoid trying to game the system.

The first thing you must to do is go out and buy a scale if you don’t have one. How are you going to precisely track your success and keep yourself accountable if you have no way of measuring your success or failure? This doesn’t need to be an pricey scale. A simple 20 dollar scale from Wal-mart will do the job.

The next thing you need to do is set up a chart and post it somewhere visible in your house that you will walk by everyday. After that establish a regular schedule of weighing yourself. This should be at a minimum weekly but I would suggest daily or every other day. This will help you stay accountable, and posting it somewhere you see it everyday will block you from being able to hide or not acknowledge that it’s there.

The second tip that will help you start the diet process. I am not even going to tell you to alter what you consume. Just do not finish everything on your plate every meal. Eat all the same things that you have been eating just don’t eat the same quantity. This will be surprisingly affective while still not changing your diet too drastically. Smaller changes will have a long term affect than if you were to try and drastically overhaul your lifestyle over night.

Lastly, you need to continue to add changes. Yes starting by reducing meals will have a little affect and will only get you so far if every meal still consists of fast food. The key is to continually add modifications until you are eating 100% healthy and it feels natural to you.
Some changes could be cutting carbs out of your last meal of the day, only eating take out once a month, or eating more white meat instead of red meat. I could list health recommendations to you all day here and that will not help me with my point. The point is start adding all these tips that you probably have already heard about one at a time to your life and you will find that they stay there permanently.

Instance of Sexual Messages into the Media?

2009-07-08T05:10:00.000-07:00

I am doing a health sheet where I must give seven Instances of sexual messages inside the media. Here is what I have so far:

1) “Sexual Eruption” by Snoop Dogg- Lyrics include how a couple never spends quality time together, all they do is “play in the sheets” : Dating becomes all about sex, no talking between partners also the goal is reach an orgasm. This sexual messages leads to teens seeking pure physical relationships based on infatuation.

2) TV show “My Wife and Kids”- “Jay”, a teenager, mentions how he wants a girlfriend who is a slut and wants to have sex: Women are seen as sexual objects, women have no say in relationships, and women can be taken advatage of. This commercial leads to boys seeking “slutty” girlfriends. Boys use girls for sex, and relationships become infatuation based.
Any other ideas? Help please!

Health Tips for software People

2009-07-07T03:40:00.000-07:00

During a recent visit to an Optician, one of my friends was told of an
Exercise for the eye by a specialist doctor in USA which he termed
As "20-20-20". I found it apt for all of us, who spend long hours
At our desks, looking at the computer screen. Thought I'd share
It with you.

20-20-20

Step I :

After every 20 minutes of looking into the computer screen,
Turn your head and try to look at any object placed at least 20
Feet away. This changes the focal length of your eye,
A must-do for the tired eye.

Step II :

Try and blink your eyes for 20 time in succession,
to moist it.

Step III :

Time permitting of course, one should walk 20 paces
After every 20 minutes of sitting in one particular posture.
Helps blood circulation for the entire body.

Please circulate among your friends for their benefit

Some the of the generalized difficulties in daily lives due to the kind of
work profile or basic nature of jobs are accepted world wide, such as:

O difficulty in waking up to get ready for the day start
O feeling fatigued whole day
O not feeling an appetite in the morning
O a sensation of acidity when you wake up
O stiffness in the body
O irritating aches and pains in some parts of the body
O frequent head aches
O losing temper quickly and being intolerant
O munching at intervals rather than having sumptuous meals
O weight gain in a short period, feeling of boredom and emptiness
O difficulty in falling asleep.
In case some of these symptoms are identified then we have to start
working on the same. There are some solutions that corporate can start
doing without wasting time.

Try to identify your symptoms or the signals of the body and pay heed to them.
One should start doing exercises regularly, at least 15 minutes or walk in the
morning anytime when you wake up at least 10 minutes. Try to leave office under
fixed hours. Do not spend the precious free time playing with the TV remote.
Do practice your hobby and take out time for it. Learn and follow some stretching
exercises in the work place. Eat a light dinner to ensure a proper breakfast next day.
Make it a habit to go for a post dinner walk. Learn some eye exercises to protect
and relax your eyes from over work.

Preventing Tip: Preventing a Kitchen Fire

2009-07-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

A kitchen fire can flare at a moment's notice -- as soon as you turn your back on your broiling or baking dinner.

The Healthtipsnews.blogspot.com Web site offers these suggestions for preventing a cooking fire:

• Never leave your kitchen while food is cooking. Always keep a watchful eye.
• Don't cook while wearing loose clothing. Choose short or tight sleeves to keep them from an open flame.

• Don't allow young children around the stove or oven.
• Keep your kitchen and stove clean and free of build-up that can ignite.
• Keep flammable items such as towels, pot holders and curtains from an open flame or heat.
• Turn the handles of your pan to the inside to prevent accidentally knocking a handle and causing a spill.

Install Smoke Alarms at Home

Smoke alarms are an inexpensive, yet vital, way to alert you and your family in the event of a fire.

The Home Safety Council offers these guidelines to help you install smoke alarms:

• Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home, even in the basement.
• Install a smoke alarm inside each bedroom, and outside sleeping areas.
• Affix smoke alarms in the middle of the ceiling or high up on the wall, a few inches away from the ceiling.

• Don't install smoke alarms close to doors or windows, where drafts could hamper their performance. Also, avoid putting them in bathrooms, where steam could set them off, or in the kitchen, where cooking odors could set off "nuisance" alarms.
• Test smoke alarms frequently, and replace the batteries once a year.

Healthy Weight Loss Tips

2009-06-29T06:37:00.001-07:00

Today Tips to healthy eating and physical activity for you.

2009-06-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

1. Get fit with friends or family.

Being active is much more fun with friends or family. Encourage others to join you and plan one special physical activity event, like a bike ride or hiking, with a group each week.

2. Eat more grains, fruits and vegetables.

These foods give you carbohydrates for energy, plus vitamins, minerals and fiber. Besides, they taste good! Try breads such as whole-wheat, bagels and pita. Spaghetti and oatmeal are also in the grain group.
Bananas, strawberries and melons are some great tasting fruits. Try vegetables raw, on a sandwich or salad.

3. Join in physical activities at school.

Whether you take a physical education class or do other physical activities at school, such as intramural sports, structures activities are a sure way to feel good, look good and stay physically fit.

4. Foods aren't good or bad.

A healthy eating style is like a puzzle with many parts. Each part -- or food -- is different. Some foods may have more fat, sugar or salt while others may have more vitamins or fiber. There is a place for all these foods. What makes a diet good or bad is how foods fit together. Balancing your choices is important. Fit in a higher-fat food, like pepperoni pizza, at dinner by choosing lower-fat foods at other meals. And don't forget about moderation. If two pieces of pizza fill you up, you don't need a third.

5. Make healthy eating and physical activities fun!

Take advantage of physical activities you and your friends enjoy doing together and eat the foods you like. Be adventurous - try new sports, games and other activities as well as new foods. You'll grow stronger, play longer, and look and feel better! Set realistic goals - don't try changing too much at once.

Health Tips for Cold Weather Safety

2009-06-26T03:07:00.000-07:00

Winter temperatures are dropping rapidly, so staying warm and dry can be a challenge. Extremely cold weather is expected for the days ahead and the Indiana State Department of Health recommends Hoosiers take steps to plan for the cold.

Serious health problems can result from prolonged exposure to the cold. The most common cold-related problems are hypothermia and frostbite.

Hypothermia occurs when people are exposed to cold temperatures. A person’s body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced and prolonged exposure to the cold will ultimately use up a body’s stored energy. This results in hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may be unaware it is happening and won’t be able to take protective measures.

Frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in affected areas. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation. The risk of frostbite is increased in people with reduced blood circulation and among people who are not dressed properly for extremely cold temperatures.

If you detect symptoms of frostbite, such as numbness, waxy-feeling skin, or a white or gray colored area of skin, do not rub the area. Instead, get into a warm room as soon as possible. Gently warm the affected area with comfortably warm (not hot) water, or place the affected area next to a warm part of your body, for example your armpit. Never use a heating pad or other source of heat to warm frostbitten body parts as these areas are numb and can be easily burned. Seek care from a health care professional immediately.

Exposure to the cold can cause life-threatening health conditions. Avoid serious conditions such as frostbite and hypothermia by keeping warm. Wear the following items when outdoors:

* A hat or hood as most heat is lost through the head;
* A scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth;
* Sleeves that are snug at the wrist;
* Mittens (they are warmer than gloves);
* Water-resistant coat and boots; and
* Several layers of loose-fitting clothing.

Ensure the outer layer of your clothing is tightly woven, preferably wind resistant, to reduce body-heat loss caused by wind. Wool, silk, or polypropylene inner layers of clothing will hold more body heat than cotton. Most important, stay dry as wet clothing chills the body rapidly. Excess perspiration will increase heat loss, so remove extra layers of clothing whenever you feel too warm. Do not ignore shivering as it is an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors.

Follow these tips for staying warm and safe while at home:

* Use fireplace, wood stoves, or other combustion heaters only if they are properly vented to the outside;
* Never use a charcoal or gas grill indoors—the fumes are deadly;
* Never leave lit candles unattended;
* Keep as much heat as possible inside your home;
* Check the temperature in your home often during severely cold weather; and
* Eat well-balanced meals to help you stay warmer.

Misuse of portable heating equipment can lead to fire or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Take precautions to ensure you are heating your home safely and that you have a working carbon monoxide detector.

Summer Fruits And Veggies

2009-06-26T02:40:00.000-07:00

Improve Your Health While Enjoying the Season's Colorful Produce

Summer is a great time to enjoy everything the season has to offer, including an abundance of fresh, tasty produce at its peak!

As part of a nutritious, seasonal dinner, try cutting up and grilling fresh peppers, sweet onions, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and more. For dessert, follow up with a fresh fruit salad of melon, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, cherries, and other fruits. The vibrant colors will liven up your meal, and the appealing flavors and aromas will tantalize your taste buds!

Why Fruits and Vegetables?

• Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, and other nutrients that are important for good health.

• Compared to people who eat only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts — as part of a healthy diet — are likely to have a reduced risk of chronic diseases. These diseases include stroke, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and perhaps heart disease and high blood pressure.

• Most fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories, so substituting them for high-calorie foods can be a calorie-reducing strategy. To learn more about the value of fruits and vegetables in weight management, visit how to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight.

Find out how many fruits and vegetables you need, visit Healthtipsnews.blogspot.com
Color your plate!

A plate that includes colorful vegetables is not just appealing to the eye. A wide variety of produce also provides your body with a number of health promoting benefits, such as vitamins, minerals and fiber. It's important to eat a wide variety of colorful vegetables and fruits every day.

The following table gives examples of some of the seasonal vegetables and fruits you are likely to find in local markets during the summer months.

Fresh, in-season vegetables include:		Fresh, in-season fruits include:
Green beans Tomatoes Radishes Zucchini Peppers Corn Cucumbers Spinach Sweet potatoes	Onions Potatoes Eggplant Garlic Okra Squash Black-eyed peas Lettuce Rhubarb	Blueberries Strawberries Cherries Melons Nectarines Peaches Pears Plums Pineapple	Red grapes Raspberries Valencia oranges Apples Watermelon Papaya Kiwi Mango Figs

For suggestions on ways to prepare many vegetables and fruits, visit Healthtipsnews.blogspot.com: Fruit and Vegetable of the Month and Healthtipsnews.blogspot.com: Recipes.

Go ahead; enjoy summer meals by including delicious produce at every opportunity! You can start healthy eating habits to follow year-round!

5 Tips to healthy eating and physical activity for you.

2009-06-26T02:21:00.000-07:00

1. Start your day with breakfast.
Breakfast fills your "empty tank" to get you going after a long night without food. And it can help you do better in school. Easy to prepare breakfasts include cold cereal with fruit and low-fat milk, whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit, whole-grain waffles or even last night's pizza!

2. Get Moving!
It's easy to fit physical activities into your daily routine. Walk, bike or jog to see friends. Take a 10-minute activity break every hour while you read, do homework or watch TV. Climb stairs instead of taking an escalator or elevator. Try to do these things for a total of 30 minutes every day.

3. Snack smart.
Snacks are a great way to refuel. Choose snacks from different food groups - a glass of low-fat milk and a few graham crackers, an apple or celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins, or some dry cereal. If you eat smart at other meals, cookies, chips and candy are OK for occasional snacking.

4. Work up a sweat.
Vigorous work-outs - when you're breathing hard and sweating - help your heart pump better, give you more energy and help you look and feel best. Start with a warm-up that stretches your muscles. Include 20 minutes of aerobic activity, such as running, jogging, or dancing. Follow-up with activities that help make you stronger such as push-ups or lifting weights. Then cool-down with more stretching and deep breathing.

5. Balance your food choices - don't eat too much of any one thing.
You don't have to give up foods like hamburgers, french fries and ice cream to eat healthy. You just have to be smart about how often and how much of them you eat. Your body needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fat and many different vitamins and minerals such as vitamins C and A, iron and calcium from a variety of foods. Balancing food choices from the Food Guide Pyramid and checking out the Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels will help you get all these nutrients.

Vinegar Might Help Keep Off Pounds

2009-06-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

Researchers find fat-fighting properties in the lab and in mice.

Not only is vinegar low in calories, but it might actually help avoid weight gain, a new study suggests.

In a study in mice, Japanese researchers fed one group a high-fat diet along with acetic acid, a main component of vinegar, for six weeks. The others were fed a high-fat diet and given water.

Mice in both groups gained weight, but the mice who consumed acetic acid gained up to 10 percent less than those given water, the study found. The results are in the July 8 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

In the lab, researchers found the acetic acid inhibited the accumulation of body fat and hepatic lipids, which include cholesterol and triglycerides, by increasing the expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation.

The genes produce proteins that help break down fats, preventing the fat from being stored by the body.

Vinegar, used throughout the world as a condiment and a preservative, has been used as a folk medicine for thousands of years, including to treat scurvy during the U.S. Civil War and to treat wounds during World War I, according to the Vinegar Institute.

Recent research has shown that vinegar might help control blood pressure, blood sugar levels and fat accumulation.

So does this mean you should douse your fish and chips with malt vinegar to make it healthier? The study didn't address vinegar's potential to help humans stay slim, but you can dream.

Global Efforts to Lower 'Bad' Cholesterol Working

2009-06-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

Survey of nine countries finds improvements over 10-year period.

People in the United States and around the world who are trying to lower their "bad" cholesterol have been succeeding more often in the past decade, new research suggests.

The look at almost 10,000 patients from nine countries found that, overall, 73 percent had reached their target level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) -- nearly double the number since the survey was first conducted in 1996-1997. Three-quarters of those surveyed were on a statin drug to lower cholesterol (for an average duration of about two years), while others either used different medications or made only lifestyle changes, such as improved exercise and nutrition regimens, to try to bring down their LDL levels, the researchers found.

In the United States, patients of all levels of risk for coronary heart disease showed improvement from their initial 38 percent success rate in 1996-1997. Of those considered at low risk, 86 percent met their target LDL level; 74 percent of moderate-risk patients reached their goal; and 67 percent in the high-risk category hit their mark, according to the findings, published in the current issue of Circulation.

LDL is known as "bad" cholesterol because it is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. A person's risk category was based on factors such as having existing coronary artery disease, being obese, diabetic, a smoker and having other known links to heart disease. LDL targets were based on these risk categories, ranging from less than 160 milligrams per deciliter for those at low risk to less than 70 milligrams per deciliter for those considered very high risk, according to a news release from the American Heart Association.

The only real disappointment internationally was in the category of those considered at very high risk, where only 30 percent met their target, the study authors noted.

"Although there is room for improvement, particularly in very high-risk patients, these results indicate that lipid-lowering therapy is being applied much more successfully than it was a decade ago," study author Dr. David D. Waters, a professor emeritus of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said in the news release.

The rates of achieving the LDL goals ranged from 47 percent in Spain to 84 percent in South Korea, a variation the researchers were at a loss to explain. The other countries in the study, besides the United States, were Brazil, Canada, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and Taiwan.

The study was funded by Pfizer, Inc., maker of the statin drug, Lipitor.

HIV 'Atlas' Shows Virus Targeting Minorities

2009-06-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

80% of U.S. cases occur in just 20% of counties, report finds.

Your chances of getting infected with HIV may largely depend on where in America you live, a new report finds.

The HIV/AIDS Atlas found that 80 percent of U.S. cases are clustered in 20 percent of counties -- typically comprised heavily of gay, black, Latino and other minority populations.

The new data doesn't mean that anyone should relax their guard in protecting themselves against the AIDS-causing virus, experts said, but it may alert people and policymakers to the level of danger closest to home.

"If we think of the AIDS pandemic as a global wildfire, the way that you fight wildfires is to identify the hot spots," said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "The reality right now is that we have not focused on geographies in this country and we know that you can't fight the disease if you don't know who has it. And we know that in every disease early detection is the key."

The report, put together by the National Minority Quality Forum with support from drug company Gilead Sciences, is the first ground-level look at the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.

"We wanted to make sure that organizations had the information they needed to organize interventions in their communities, as well as talk intelligently to legislators," Gary Puckrein, president and chief executive officer of the forum, said at a Monday teleconference.

"We also think a lot about policymaking. We're trying to create a more mature conversation in the 21st century of, 'Where are the communities that have the burden?' The question is, do communities have the resources they need? We want to improve the quality of care that patients get but we can also manage health-care resources a lot better" with these facts, he added.

The release of the Atlas also helps sets the stage for National HIV Testing day on June 27.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.1 million people in the United States now live with HIV, with 56,000 more infected each year -- a number about 40 percent higher than previously estimated. Some 20 percent of people with HIV -- 220,000 individuals -- do not know they are infected and are thought to be responsible for up to 70 percent of new infections.

In a way, the new level of reporting on HIV incidence is simply catching up with monitoring routinely done for other diseases.

"We have been mapping chronic disease now for about three to four years. We've mapped diabetes to the zip code level, cardiovascular disease and end-stage renal [kidney] disease," Puckrein noted. "After the CDC announced that everyone should know their HIV status in their guidelines, we thought that communities also needed to know their status."

TheAtlas draws on 2005-07 data from health departments in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New York City. It found that, of 3,027 counties that provided data for the report, 556 counties bear the lion's share of the nation's HIV/AIDS burden.

Furthermore, the epidemic has hit hardest in the two-thirds of the 556 counties that are predominantly minority populations, including blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders.

A random sampling of the 20 percent of counties with the highest HIV rates include: Marin and San Francisco counties, Calif; Miami-Dade county, Fla; Bronx, Queens and New York (Manhattan) counties, New York City; Richland (Columbia), S.C.; Orleans (New Orleans), La; Butts, Clayton and Dekalb counties (Atlanta), Ga; New Haven and Hartford counties, Conn; Multnomah (Portland) Ore; and Denver (Denver) Colo.

In New York City, data on HIV prevalence has now been pinpointed to the zip-code level, although other locales were "more comfortable" providing data at the wider, county level, Puckrein said.

Puckrein emphasized that the Atlas does not count the actual number of people in the community living with HIV/AIDS. Instead, it looks at a ratio of what percent of the population in those communities are living with the disease.

The map is also broken down by age, gender and race/ethnicity, as well as by congressional and state legislative districts.

Search Upload * Upload Video File * Record from Webcam Watch this video in a new window How To Get Fat (& How Not To) (College Health Guru)

2009-06-22T06:37:00.001-07:00

Painkillers May Be Good for the Prostate

2009-06-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Yet medical experts stress that men shouldn't take them with just this in mind.

Taking over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen might help men avoid prostate problems.

But even so, medical experts are quick to caution men not to self-dose or to take more than the recommended amounts of these medications, because harmful side effects can result.

"Our data suggest if men are taking these [medications] for another problem, it might prevent urological problems as well," said Jennifer St. Sauver, an epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who led a study that found that men who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) daily had a reduction of about 50 percent in enlargement of the prostate gland. The condition, called benign prostatic hyperplasia, affects many men after age 40.

The gland, about the size of a walnut, is below the bladder and surrounds the urine-carrying canal or urethra. The gland often enlarges in older men, making urination difficult.

But men in St. Sauver's study who took painkillers daily had more than a third fewer moderate to severe urinary problems than men who did not take daily painkillers.

Lower levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) also seem to be a benefit experienced by men who take NSAIDs regularly. PSA is a biomarker in the bloodstream that is used to assess the risk of getting prostate cancer.

Dr. Eric A. Singer, chief resident in urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, led a team of researchers who found that regular use of NSAIDs yielded PSA levels 10 percent lower than in men who didn't use them. St. Sauver's study found lower PSA levels among NSAID users in her study as well.

Men taking acetaminophen also were included in Singer's study, and they had about the same reduction in PSA levels. But, because the number of men who took acetaminophen was low, the result was not great enough to be statistically significant, he explained.

Exactly how the medications seemingly prevent enlargement of the prostate and other problems isn't certain, St. Sauver and Singer agreed. But they speculated that the medication's anti-inflammatory action plays a major role.

However, men who take NSAIDs need to keep in mind that, if taken in excess, the drugs can cause kidney ailments and other problems, Singer warned. And too much acetaminophen has been associated with liver toxicity.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that extended use of NSAIDs can increase the chances of a fatal heart attack or stroke and also can cause ulcers or excessive bleeding in the stomach and intestines.

Because of such possibilities, "we are certainly not telling men to take NSAIDs to reduce PSA or prostate cancer risk," Singer said, despite the "good news" from the studies.

''Talk to your health-care provider about prostate health and prostate cancer screening," he advised, adding a reminder to "make sure your doctor knows what medications you are taking."

No one knows exactly why some men develop prostate cancer, and others don't. In the United States, though, almost 190,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year, and about one in six will develop it at some point in their life, according to the American Cancer Society.

Age is the main risk factor for prostate cancer. U.S. government statistics show that the disease rarely occurs in men younger than 40 and most often strikes men older than 65.

To treat prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the gland, according to the Cancer Society, doctors most often recommend:

* Prostatectomy, surgery to remove all or part of the prostate gland
* Radiation, either via an external beam or implanted radioactive seeds
* Watchful waiting, the term used to describe deferring treatment until there are signs that the cancer is progressing

And, as treatment and detection methods have improved, the survival rate for prostate cancer has been improving in the United States in recent decades, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Health Tips,Health Food ,kids Health Tips,Health

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