Medical Resource

Top Medical Innovations in Year 2011

2012-01-08T21:03:00.001-08:00

T-cell antibody for metastatic melanoma

Unlike many cancers, deaths from melanoma are on the rise, with 8,700 melanoma-related deaths in the U.S. in 2009. But researchers in 125 cancer centers testing a new anti-cancer-drug, ipilimumab, reported 23 percent of patients with advanced stage III or IV metastatic melanoma were alive two years later, compared to 14 percent who didn't take the drug. On average, those taking ipilimumab survived 10 months; those receiving only a melanoma drug survived just six months. Ipilimumab works by targeting a protein molecule, CTLA-4, which suppresses the immune system, blocking the suppression and enabling the immune system to fight the disease.

JUPITER study

About half of the 785,000 Americans who suffer their first heart attacks each year have healthy cholesterol levels. In the groundbreaking JUPITER trial, 15,000 people with normal cholesterol and elevated levels of inflammation received either a statin drug (usually prescribed for people with high cholesterol) or a placebo. Researchers followed their high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level—a biomarker of inflammation—and found 44 percent less heart disease and death among those taking statins. "In fact, this trial was halted after only two years because the results were so dramatic," says Chris Coburn, the CCF's executive director of innovations. "It turned out to be a real game-changer."

"Telehealth" wireless cardiac device.

More than 500,000 new cases of heart failure—the leading cause of hospitalizations—are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Nearly 60 percent of these patients are readmitted over the next year. Now, instead of waiting for new (and possibly dangerous) symptoms to appear, patients can be continually monitored with this a variety of at-home tele-health monitoring devices as well as an implanted device currently being tested. In the latest trial, readmissions of heart failure patients were reduced by 38 percent per year using the implanted device.

Sipuleucel-T

The first FDA-approved cancer vaccine. While sipuleucel-T is not a cure for metastatic prostate cancer, it is seen as a step in prolonging lives by encouraging the immune response. "This was a very controversial choice," Coburn says. "At first it was rejected by the FDA, then reconsidered and accepted." The vaccine is extremely expensive, costing about $90,000 for a round of treatment, and while it can extend life for patients with advanced, metastatic androgen-independent prostate cancer by about four months compared to the control group in clinical studies, it does not shrink tumors. Still, researchers are optimistic: they hope that giving the vaccine earlier might show more effect, and it is the first vaccine to show any survival benefit at all.

*Exhaled nitric oxide breath analysis for monitoring asthma. Conventional methods for testing asthma cannot evaluate the lung dysfunction and inflammation that are the root cause for the disease. This new, hand-held breath analyzer measures the patient's levels of exhaled nitric oxide, a biomarker that indicates inflammation of the airways, often long before actual asthma symptoms appear. This type of monitoring goes beyond detecting lung dysfunction, giving doctors a better understanding of the patient's inflammation patterns, helping fine-tune treatment.

Other Top Innovations for 2011

Two hepatitis C protease-inhibiting drugs
Endoscopic, incision-less weight-loss surgery
The first oral treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis
A capsule-camera that takes photos and video clips of the digestive tract, and
A bio-marker for early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

source-healthymagination.com

Malaria and Miscarriage Risk

2011-12-14T21:13:00.001-08:00

According to the largest study on the effects of malaria and different anti-malarial drugs in early pregnancy to date, just one episode of malaria in the first trimester is linked to a three-fold greater risk of miscarriage. Researchers also discovered that women treated with anti-malarial drugs did not suffer any serious side effects or increase their likelihood of miscarriage. The study was published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

According to estimates each year, 125 million pregnancies are at risk of malaria. During pregnancy, malaria can cause both severe anemia and parasitic infection in the fetus and increase the risk of low birth-weight, preterm birth, and maternal death.

Until now, scientists know little about the effects of malaria in early pregnancy or the benefits and harms of anti-malarial drugs during the early stages of pregnancy. The treatment of all falciparum malaria is artesunate-based combination therapy (ACT), however, it is not recommend during the first pregnancy trimester as it has been proven toxic in animal studies, potentially causing birth defects or miscarriage.

Leading author Rose McGready from Shoklo Malaria Research Unit in Thailand, explained:

"Both vivax and falciparum malaria contribute significantly to avoidable fetal and infant death. These results suggest that the adverse effects of malaria in the first trimester substantially outweigh any adverse effects of its treatment...[and] emphasizes the importance of early detection of malaria and prompt effective treatment for all pregnant women."

McGready and his team set out to provide more evidence and reviewed records of pregnant women who attended antenatal clinics of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit on the northwestern border of Thailand between May 1986 and October 2010. They compared outcomes of 16,668 women who no malaria during pregnancy with 945 women who had only a single episode in the first trimester, i.e. at less than 14 weeks into their pregnancy, and discovered that asymptomatic malaria, showing no noticeable symptoms, was linked to almost a three times higher risk of miscarriage compared with those who did not contract malaria, whilst the risk of miscarriage for those with symptomatic malaria tended to be at least four-times more likely. In women with vivax and falciparum malaria the risk of miscarriage was similar.

The researchers discovered that the chances of miscarriage was comparable in women who received chloroquine (26%), quinine (27%), and artesunate (31%) during the first-trimester, with no substantial difference reported between treatments in other birth outcomes, such as still birth or low birth weights. Unlike the findings from animal studies, the researchers detected no additional toxic effects in women treated with artesunate.

The authors comment: "Miscarriage in 24 first-trimester episodes of hyperparasitaemia or severe malaria was high but artesunate did not result in higher rates of miscarriage than did quinine," and conclude saying, that: "These findings have serious implications for malaria treatment and prevention policies, which currently ignore the first trimester...A randomized trial of first-trimester artemisinin-based treatment is now needed to make firm recommendations on the safety of first-trimester malaria treatments with this class of anti-malarial drug."

Meghna Desai and Stephanie Dellicour from the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kisumu, Kenya write in an associated comment:

"This study provides a level of reassurance regarding the potential risk associated with artemisinin exposure in early pregnancy, compared with the established risk of malaria. This study, combined with data from ongoing studies done in sub-Saharan Africa, will for the first time allow an informed risk/benefit assessment of disease versus treatment with artemisinin combination treatments in pregnancy."

Written by Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today

source-medicalnewstoday.com

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) - Transient cessation of respiration

2011-12-14T21:11:00.001-08:00

Those suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are four times more prone to suffer from cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome (MS) such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and insulin resistance. Delhi has 9.3% prevalence of OSA which is a highly prevalent but an under-recognized clinical problem. In an urban setting in northern India, the occurrence of OSA is 13.7% and 3.8% in men and women.

However, patients with moderate-to-severe OSA can reverse metabolic abnormalities and lower blood pressure by undergoing three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

These are the findings of two separate studies - one published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR) and the other in New England Journal of Medicine - carried out by Dr S K Sharma, who heads the department of medicine at AIIMS.

The IJMR study says that prevalence of MS in OSA patients was as high as 79% compared to 48% in non-OSA patients. Diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma insulin, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio were significantly higher in subjects with OSA as compared to non-OSA. There was a trend towards increased systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. OSA is a condition, where there is collapse of the upper airway during sleep, leading to decrease or complete cessation of airflow. Dr Sharma said, "We found a 79% prevalence of MS in OSA patients compared with 48% in the control group. The prevalence of MS with increasing severity of OSA suggests an association between OSA and MS."

The second study randomly assigned OSA patients to undergo three months of therapeutic CPAP followed by three months of sham CPAP. Before and after each intervention, the team recorded their blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, fasting blood lipid profile, glycated hemoglobin levels, carotid intima-media thickness and visceral fat.

In 20% of the patients with the metabolic syndrome, who underwent CPAP therapy, it was resolved within three months - a clinically significant improvement. The frequency of the metabolic syndrome was reduced after CPAP therapy (reversal found in 11 of 86 patients (13%) undergoing CPAP therapy against one of 86 (1%) undergoing sham CPAP. Dr Sharma said "CPAP is the first-line treatment for symptomatic OSA. However, the effect of CPAP on the metabolic syndrome was unclear. Hence, the finding has major significance."
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Hospitals blind to safety rules

2011-12-11T21:00:00.001-08:00

RANCHI: Even small and ill-maintained nursing homes and hospitals in the capital make huge profit in name of providing best medical care but unfortunately never spend even a small part of their booty to install fire-fighting equipment.

These institutions do not even bother to train doctors and employees to tackle an emergency in case of fire or earthquake.

A random check by TOI at dozen-odd hospitals and nursing homes revealed that in case of a fire instead of saving lives of patients, doctors and paramedical staff will first run to save themselves very much like what happened at AMRI, Kolkata, on Friday.

None of the doctors or paramedical staff in nursing homes and hospitals is trained to use fire extinguishers and water cannons be it at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) or Sadar Hospital. These two hospitals cater to thousands of patients not only from the state capital but even from far-off places within Jharkhand and bordering districts of West Bengal and Bihar.

Sadar Hospital does not have fire extinguisher on its premises. Deputy superintendent A K Jha said: "We don't have fire extinguishers as for now but we will arrange them soon. There are two emergency doors and windows in the hospital which have been marked for safe exit in case of fire." He added that all the shortfalls would not be there in the under-construction new building.

Project engineer Chandan Chaudhary said, "We will have water sprinklers, automatic fire detection system, LPG gas sensor, automatic conference system and beam sensor which will be helpful in case of fire."

RIMS, which has a few fire extinguishers placed here and there, has never conducted a mock drill. "A situation of fire never arose in the hospital. We will obviously try to save the patients in such cases," said a staff but when asked how he did not have an answer.

RIMS director Tulsi Mahato confided that they never had a mock drill to train people to tackle emergency. Even the fire extinguisher outside his chamber had expired. When this was brought to his notice, he claimed, "Even if it has expried, it will work."

Former Indian Medical Association (IMA) national vice-president Ajay Kumar Singh, who also manages a private nursing home in Ranchi, also admitted that most doctors and paramedical staff in the state are not trained to handle such situations. "It is very unfortunate but we have to admit that doctors and paramedical staff are not trained to tackle fire or earthquake," said Singh. "We don't have hospitals and nursing home establishment act in the state which forces these institutions to at least have minimum arrangement to tackle such situation," he added.

CCL's Gandhinagar Central Hospital (GCH) and Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital (KMEH) have fire-fighting arrangements. GCH Hospital security officer B N Singh said that there are 30 fire extinguishers in the hospital which are replaced every three months. "We conduct mock drills every three months and when we change the fire extinguishers, we use the old one to train the staff to use them," said Singh.

source-articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

AMDL Health launches application for BlackBerry

2011-12-09T20:42:00.001-08:00

Mumbai, Dec 9 (PTI) Advanced Micronic Devices Ltd (AMDL) today launched a mobile application which offers remote patient monitoring system to medical practitioners and can be accessed on BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The application, eTraq, has been launched by AMDL Health, healthcare division of Advanced Micronic, an Opto Circuits Group company. AMDL Health, supplier of medical equipment and devices, said though eTraq doctors can access local patient monitors connected to a hospital's central monitoring system. The application helps doctors to make timely decisions by eliminating the need for the doctor's physical presence at the place where the medical reports are generated. "Providing real-time critical patient information to enable quick diagnostics is the goal of the application for the BlackBerry PlayBook," AMDL Chief Executive Arindam Sen told reporters here. The BSE-listed AMDL had posted Rs 72-crore revenue in FY 11 and expects to earn revenue of Rs 80 crore in the current fiscal.

source-ibnlive.in.com

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Board will conduct the medical entry test for 2012.

2011-12-01T04:04:00.001-08:00

KOLKATA: After weeks of nail-biting apprehension, Medical aspirants can breathe easy. The West Bengal Joint Entrance Board will conduct the medical entry test for 2012.

Earlier, there was suspense over the CBSE-conducted Common Entrance Test (CET) that is being made mandatory nationwide. If Bengal were to follow it this year, thousands of higher secondary students would have a tough time getting to terms with the CBSE syllabus and answering the test in English. The WBJEE questions are set in Bengali as well, but there is no vernacular option in CET.

After a meeting of the JEE board members with officials of the higher education and health departments on Wednesday, the board unanimously decided to conduct the JEE medical and engineering 2012 as usual. "We'll issue the final notification soon and start distributing forms," said board chairman Bhaskar Gupta.

Gupta assured examinees that they needn't worry about strictures from the Medical Council of India (MCI) that it may derecognize degrees of MBBS students who do not take the CET.

"The government must have a plan. We could not have taken a decision bypassing the government. It knows about the problem and will take responsibility for the medical students. They need not worry. Moreover, though MCI had said they may derecognize the degrees of students who do not appear in CET, they have not confirmed the decision," Gupta said, adding: "Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are also conducting separate medical entrance tests and not participating in CET. They have got stay orders from the high courts."

He would not say if the Bengal government was planning to take legal steps and secure a stay order. "This can be best answered by the government itself. However, legal advisors of WBJEE board have given me the go-ahead and informed me that there won't be any legal hassles if we take a separate admission test," Gupta added.

The WBJEE will be held on April 15 next year. "All the questions will be multiple-choice. We shall start making preparations accordingly."

"With only five months to go for CET, medical aspirants in the state were in a dilemma. We could not let the uncertainty continue any further," said a health department official.

Though chief minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to conduct the exam in Bengali, no reply has arrived even after three weeks. "The CM had wanted a reply within a week. The Centre had been acting pricey. CBSE, which will conduct CET in 2012, has said they will prepare question papers only in English and Hindi and not in regional languages. We had no option but to keep the medical entrance exam with us at least for one more year," said the health official.

"There is also a difference between the NCERT and Bengal syllabii. Till today, students were not sure which syllabus they had to follow. How could they start preparing for the exam?" the official said, adding that the government was preparing to take legal steps and file a case in high court soon.

It was education minister Bratya Basu who had pointed out that language and syllabus were the two major obstacles for the state to accepts CET from this year.

source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Diets That Fight Diseases

2011-11-30T20:36:00.001-08:00

While dieting is often thought of as a way to lose weight, the pursuit of a svelte body isn't the main goal of all diets. Some are simple modifications aimed at improving blood pressure and better overall health.

Here are five diets that can help fend off diseases and make you healthier.

Low-glycemic index diet

The glycemic index diet is based on the idea that carbohydrates that can lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels should be avoided.

The diet focuses on consuming the "right" carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar balanced.

Foods that are emphasized include low-glycemic index breads such as pumpernickel and rye, large flake oatmeal, oat bran, pasta, parboiled rice, quinoa, beans, peas, lentils and nuts. People are also encouraged to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and few potatoes.

Although a diet of low-glycemic index foods is the basis of weight loss plans such as Nutrisystem and the Zone diet, the diet has a more significant impact on patients with Type 2 diabetes, or prediabetes. Not only can the diet help control blood sugar levels and reduce overall diabetes risk, it can also increase high-density lipoprotein (the "good" cholesterol) and reduce overall cardiovascular risks.

In a randomized clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2008 in which 210 people followed the diet for six months, the diet was shown to be more effective at controlling blood sugar levels than a high-cereal fiber diet consisting of "brown" carbohydrates such as whole grain breads, whole grain breakfast cereals, brown rice, potatoes with skins and whole wheat bread.

Vegetarian diet

Though a vegetarian diet may be adopted for cultural, religious or ecological reasons, a primarily plant-based diet also brings health benefits. According to the American Heart Association, studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Most vegetarian diets, even ones that include eggs and dairy products, often have less saturated fat and cholesterol and more complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C and E and carotenoids than diets that include meat.

Concerns that a vegetarian diet lacks protein and essential vitamins can be addressed though careful meal planning and a balanced diet, according to the National Institutes of Health.

DASH diet

"DASH," which stands for "dietary approaches to stop hypertension," is a diet promoted by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute as a way to lower blood pressure. Much of the eating plan is rather intuitive — it stresses a balanced meal rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts. It also contains less sodium, sugar, fats and red meats than the typical American diet.

There are no special recipes; however, the daily caloric intake and the number of allowable servings should correspond to a person's age and level of physical activity.

The blood pressure reduction can happen quickly, as early as two weeks into the diet. A recent randomized study by Duke University researchers in 2010 involving 144 overweight, unmedicated patients showed that the diet alone could reduce systolic blood pressure (the top blood pressure number) by 11 points and diastolic blood pressure by 7 points.

And the DASH diet, in combination with exercise, can reduce systolic blood pressure by 16 points and diastolic blood pressure by 10 points, the study showed.

The same study also shows that, aside from lowering blood pressure, the DASH diet, combined with exercise and weight loss, can offer significant improvements in insulin sensitivity for overweight and obese individuals. Another 2010 study by Johns Hopkins University researchers showed that the diet can also trim the estimated 10-year coronary heart disease risk by 18 percent for individuals with prehypertension or stage-1 hypertension.

Low-gluten diet or gluten-free diet

Gluten is a type of protein found in grains like wheat, barley and rye. Diets that limit or eliminate gluten are often prescribed to patients with celiac disease, in which the immune system responds to gluten by irritating and damaging the small intestine. This prevents the body from absorbing such important nutrients as vitamins, calcium, protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Aside from avoiding wheat, barley and rye, people who follow a gluten-free diet will also have to omit many breads, pastas, cereals and processed foods from their diet.

Although there are anecdotal claims that a gluten-free diet can lead to behavioral improvements for people with autism, so far there is no evidence-based research that supports these claims. A 2010 consensus report published in the journal Pediatrics by Harvard Medical School researchers explained that while gastrointestinal disorders and associated symptoms are reported in autistic individuals, a link between autism and gluten in the diet has not been established.

While more research is on the way, currently there are no studies showing that a gluten-free diet affects any health conditions other than celiac disease.

Ketogenic diet

The Ketogenic diet is not for everybody. In fact, this highly specialized and carefully balanced diet is meant for people with epilepsy (especially children) whose seizures have not responded to medicines.

Those on the diet adhere to a very specific ratio of fat, carbohydrate and protein: around 80 percent fat, 15 percent protein and 5 percent carbohydrate.

Meal plans are patient-tailored and can include heavy cream, bacon, eggs, tuna, shrimp, vegetables, mayonnaise, sausages and other high-fat and low-carbohydrate foods. Patients should not eat starchy vegetables and fruits, breads, pasta or sources of simple sugars (even toothpaste might have some sugar in it). Side effects, according to the Mayo Clinic, include constipation, dehydration, lack of energy and hunger.

The diet, though unconventional, is effective at controlling epilepsy. One clinical trial published in The Lancet in 2008 showed that children on the ketogenic diet reduced the number of seizures they suffered by more than a third, compared with children not on the diet.

On top of that, 28 out of 54 children on the diet suffered 50 percent fewer seizures, and five children had better than 90 percent seizure reduction after staying on the diet for three months, the study showed.

However, the diet's strictness, unpalatability and side effects can make it difficult to adhere to.

Source- MyHealthNewsDaily

Foods - Good for Your Brain

2011-11-29T20:36:00.001-08:00

Foods high in compounds such as antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids can improve brain health and memory, experts say.

From fruit to fish, here are six things that, based on various studies, may perk up your gray matter.

Walnuts

They even look like little brains, so maybe that's Mother Nature's way of telling us what walnuts are good for.

Indeed, a 2009 study in the Journal of Nutrition found that diets in which nuts made up as little as 2 percent reversed signs of aging in the brains of old rats, including the ability of the brain to function and process information.

And a study presented in 2010 at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease reported that mice with Alzheimer's demonstrated improved learning, memory and motor coordination after being fed walnuts.

Walnuts contain high amounts of antioxidants, which some researchers say may combat the damage to brain cells' DNA caused by free radicals in our bodies.

Carrots

Carrots have long been known to be good for the eyes — and it turns out, they're good for the brain, too.

Carrots have high levels of a compound called luteolin , which could reduce age-related memory deficits and inflammation in the brain, according to a study published in 2010 in the journal Nutrition. In the study, mice whose daily diet was supplemented with 20 milligrams of luteolin had reduced inflammation in their brains. The researchers said the compound also restored the mice's memory to the level of younger mice's.

Olive oil, peppers and celery are also high in luteolin.

Berries

Adding some vitamin-rich berries to your diet may not be a bad idea if you want to improve your memory, according to several studies.

One study, published in 2010 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that after 12 weeks of daily supplements of wild blueberry juice, nine older adults who had started to experience slight memory problems showed better learning and recall abilities than a similar group of adults who didn't take the supplements. The blueberry group also showed reduced symptoms of depression.

And in a 2009 report in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers said they examined a group of studies that showed fruits such as blueberries and strawberries, which are high in antioxidants, can decrease a type of stress in cells associated with aging and increase the signaling capabilities in brains. In one of the studies, researchers placed 6-month-old rats on a diet supplemented with blueberry and strawberry extracts (totaling 2 percent of their diet) for nine months. These rats had better spatial and memory skills than rats not given the supplements.

Fish

Although recent research has shown that taking fish oil supplements may not help slow the cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease, other studies have shown that eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids could help slow typical cognitive decline that comes with age.

A 2005 study in the journal Archives of Neurology found that people 65 and older who ate two meals of fish a week for six years had a 13 percent decrease in cognitive decline, compared with people who didn't eat any fish regularly. And people who ate one meal of fish a week had a 10 percent decrease in cognitive decline.

Fish high in vitamin B12 may also help protect against Alzheimer's , according to a study published in 2010 in the journal Neurology.

Coffee and tea

Coffee and tea do more than keep you awake in the mornings — studies have shown they may prevent Alzheimer's disease and improve cognitive function.

A 2010 study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that when researchers gave caffeinated coffee to mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease, the disease either slowed in progression or never developed. Based on the finding, coffee eventually could serve as a therapeutic treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease, the researchers said.

Tea showed protective effects on the brain, too. Tea drinkers did better on tests on memory and information processing than non-tea drinkers did, according to a 2010 study of 716 Chinese adults 55 and older in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.

Spinach

Your mom always told you to eat your spinach, and there's science to back up her advice. The green leafy vegetable is loaded with vitamins C and E, which, studies have shown, help to improve cognitive abilities.

A 2000 study in the Journals of Gerontology showed that rats whose diet was supplemented with vitamin E experienced a 500 to 900 percent increase in brain and nerve tissue over an eight-month period, as well as an increase in the release of dopamine in the brain, the "pleasure" chemical that controls flow of information to different parts of the brain.

And a 2000 study in the journal Brain Research found that aging rats had some of their age-related memory and motor deficits reversed after they were fed diets supplemented with spinach, strawberries or blueberries.

Pass it on: To amp up your brain health and slow cognitive decline, eat your leafy greens, berries, nuts and fish.

source-myhealthnewsdaily.com

Morning snacking may be damaging your diet

2011-11-29T20:30:00.001-08:00

Snacking between breakfast and lunch might ding your diet more than snacking at other times of the day, a new study suggests.

Women taking part in a weight loss study who ate a midmorning snack lost an average of 7 percent of their body weight over the course of a year, whereas women who did not snack before lunch lost 11 percent of their body weight.

The urge to grab a snack during the relatively short time between breakfast and lunch could be a sign of generally less healthy eating, the researchers said.

Midmorning snacking "might be a reflection of recreational or mindless eating habits, rather than eating to satisfy true hunger," said study researcher Anne McTiernan, director of the prevention center at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The study is published online Nov. 25 in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The study included 123 overweight and obese women between the ages of 50 and 75. The participants were taking part in a larger study designed to help them lose weight, and to examine the effects of diet and exercise on breast cancer.

While 97 percent of the women reported eating snacks daily, only 19 percent reported snacking between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. (The most common time for snacking among study participants was the afternoon — 76 percent reported snacking between 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.)

Women who snacked in the morning were more likely to snack more frequently throughout the day. The study showed that 47.8 percent of those who ate a midmorning snack reported they ate three or more snacks daily, while 38.9 percent of women who ate a snack in the evening reported eating that many snacks.

In general, eating healthy snacks can help dieters reach their goals by staving off hunger, the researchers said.

"Snacking could be part of a dieter's toolkit, if they're eating in response to true hunger," McTiernan said.

But instead, studies have found that eating habits in the U.S. are changing — eating is increasingly influenced by cues other than hunger, and people are eating more frequently, the study said. In other words, eating is becoming more "mindless."

And the problem with that is that mindless snacking racks up extra calories, but doesn't mean that we'll eat any less at our next meal, according to the study.

A study published this month showed that people who snack have diets that are slightly healthier overall than people who don't snack. Snackers ate more fruit and more whole grains than people who didn't eat snacks, that study found.

Moreover, in the new study, women who reported eating two or three snacks per day had higher fiber intakes than women who ate one or no snacks per day. And those who snacked in the afternoon had higher fruit and vegetable intakes than those who didn't.

"Individuals undergoing dietary weight-loss programs should be educated on ways to healthfully incorporate snacks into the diet," the researchers wrote in the conclusion of the study.

Pass it on: Feeling the urge to eat a snack before lunchtime might be a sign that your eating habits are not as healthy as they could be.

source-today.msnbc.msn.com

Low-cal diet can cure diabetes

2011-11-29T20:25:00.001-08:00

Consuming a low-calorie diet daily for four months can cure Type 2 diabetes, a new study has revealed.

People who cut down on their calories intake had a far more significant improvement in the condition and in their general health than the medication offered.

They no longer required life- saving insulin, the level of fat built up around their hearts was considerably reduced and their cardiac function improved.

"It is striking to see how a relatively simple intervention of a very low-calorie diet effectively cures Type 2 diabetes," the Daily Express quoted lead author of the study, Dr Sebastiaan Hammer as saying.

"Our results show that 16 weeks of caloric restriction improved heart function in these patients."

"More importantly, despite regain of weight, these beneficial cardiovascular effects were persistent over the long term."

"Lifestyle interventions may have more powerful beneficial cardiac effects than medication in these patients," Hammer added.

In the study, the researchers used scans and analysed heart function and pericardial fat in 15 patients-seven men and eight women-with Type 2 diabetes before and after four months of a diet consisting of 500 calories a day.

Changes in body mass index (BMI) were also measured. The results revealed that caloric restriction reduced BMI from 35.3 to 27.5 over a period of four months.

Pericardial fat also decreased by about a third and resting heart function improved distinctly.

The discovery important implications because diabetics and the obese are particularly more vulnerable to suffering a potentially fatal heart attack or being struck down by debilitating heart disease. source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Free Medical Books

2011-07-27T21:41:00.001-07:00

Dr.Devi Shetty, Hrudayalaya Interview on heart!

2011-07-15T21:59:00.001-07:00

A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty,&nbs! p;Narayana Hrudayalaya(Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees The transcript of the chat is given below. Useful for everyone.

Q: What are the thumb rules for a layman to take care of his heart?

Ans:

1. Diet - Less of carbohydrate, more of protein, less oil

2. Exercise - Half an hour's walk, at least five days a week; avoid lifts and avoid sitting for a longtime

3. Quit smoking

4. Control weight

5. Control blood pressure and sugar

Q: Is eating non-veg food (fish) good for the heart?

Ans: No

: It's still a grave shock to hear that some apparently healthy! person

gets a cardiac arrest. How do we understand it in perspecti ve?

Ans: This is called silent attack; that is why we recommend everyone past the age of 30 to undergo routine health checkups.

Q: Are heart diseases hereditary?

Ans: Yes

Q: What are the ways in which the heart is stressed? What practices do you suggest to de-stress?

Ans: Change your attitude towards life. Do not look for perfection in everything in life.

Q: Is walking better than jogging or is more intensive exercise required to keep a healthy heart?

Ans: Walking is better than jogging since jogging leads to early fatigue and injury to joints

Q: You have done so much for the poor and needy. What has inspired you to do so?

Ans:

Mother Theresa , who was my patient.

Q: Can people with low blood pressure suffer heart diseases?

Ans: Extremely rare.

Q: Does cholesterol accumulates right from an early age

(I'm currently only 22) or do you have to worry about it only after you are above 30 years of age?

Ans: Cholesterol accumulates

from childhood.

Q: How do irregular eating habits affect the heart ?

Ans: You tend to eat junk food when the habits are irregular and your body's enzyme release for digestion gets confused.

Q: How can I control cholesterol content without using medicin es?

Ans: Control diet, walk and eat walnut.

Q: Which is the best and worst food for the heart?

Ans:

Fruits and vegetables are the best and the worst is oil.

Q: Which oil is better - groundnut, sunflower, olive?

Ans: All oils are bad .

Q: What is the routine checkup one should go through? Is there any specific test?

Ans: Routine blood test to ensure sugar, cholesterol is ok. Check BP, Treadmill test after an echo.

Q: What are the first aid steps to be taken on a heart attack?

Ans: Help the person into a sl! eeping position , place an aspirin tablet under the tongue with a sorbitrate tablet if available, and rush him to a coronary care unit since the maximum casualty takes place within the first hour.

Q: How do you differentiate between pain caused by a heart attack and that caused due to gastric trouble?

Ans: Extremely difficult without ECG.

Q: What is the main cause of a steep increase in heart problems amongst youngsters? I see people of about 30-40 yrs of age having heart attacks and serious heart problems.

Ans: Increased awareness has increased incidents. Also, sedentary lifestyles, smoking, junk food, lack of exercise in a country where people are genetically three times more vulnerable for heart attacks than Europeans and Americans.

Q: Is it possible for a person to have ! BP outside the normal range of 120/80 and yet be perfectly healthy?

Ans: Yes.

Q: Marriages within close relatives can lead to heart problems for the child. Is it true?

Ans : Yes, co-sanguinity leads to congenital abnormalities and you may not have a software engineer as a child

Q: Many of us have an irregular daily routine and many a times we have to stay late nights in office. Does this affect our heart ? What precautions would you recommend?

Ans : When you are young, nature protects you against all these irregularities. However, as you grow older, respect the biological clock.

Q: Will taking anti-hypertensive drugs cause some other complications (short / long term)?

Ans : Yes, most drugs have some side effects. However, modern anti-hypertensive drugs are ex! tremely safe.

Q: Will consuming more coffee/tea lead to heart attacks?

Ans : No.

Q: Are asthma patients more prone to heart disease?

Ans : No.

Q: How would you define junk food?

Ans : Fried food like Kentucky , McDonalds , samosas, and even masala dosas.

Q: You mentioned that Indians are three times more vulnerable. What is the reason for this, as Europeans and Americans also eat a lot of junk food?

Ans: Every race is vulnerable to some disease and unfortunately, Indians are vulnerable for the most expensive disease.

Q: Does consuming bananas help reduce hypertension?

Ans : No.

Q: Can a person help himself during a heart attack (Because we see a lot of forwarded emails on this)?

Ans : Yes. Lie down comfortably and put an aspirin tablet of any description under the tongue and ask someone to take you to the nearest coronary care unit without any delay and do not wait for the ambulance since most of the time, the ambulance does not turn up.

Q: Do, in any way, low white blood cells and low hemoglobin count lead to heart problems?

Ans : No. But it is ideal to have normal hemoglobin level to increase your exercise capacity.

Q: Sometimes, due to the hectic schedule we are not able to exercise. So, does walking while doing daily chores at home or climbing the stairs in the house, work as a substitute for exercise?

Ans : Certainly. Avoid sitting conti! nuously for more than half an hour and even the act of getting out of the chair and going to another chair and sitting helps a lot.

Q: Is there a relation between heart problems and blood sugar?

Ans: Yes. A strong relationship since diabetics are more vulnerable to heart attacks than non-diabetics.

Qn: What are the things one needs to take care of after a heart operation?

Ans : Diet, exercise, drugs on time , Control cho lesterol, BP, weight.

Q: Are people working on night shifts more vulnerable to heart disease when compared to day shift workers?

Ans : No.

Q: What are the modern anti-hypertensive drugs?

Ans : There are hundreds of drugs an! d your doctor will chose the right combination for your problem, but m y suggestion is to avoid the drugs and go for natural ways of controlling blood pressure by walk, diet to

reduce weight and changing attitudes towards lifestyles.

Q: Does Dispirin or similar headache pills increase the risk of heart attacks?

Ans : No.

Q: Why is the rate of heart attacks more in men than in women?

Ans : Nature protects women till the age of 45. (Present Global census show that the Percentage of heart disease in women has increased than in men )

Qn: How can one keep the heart in a good condition?

Ans : Eat a healthy diet, avoid junk food, exercise everyday, do not smoke and, go for health checkup s if you are past the age of 30 ( once in six months recommended) ....

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T23:13:00.001-08:00

A Very Safe, Happy and Prosperous New Year to All Our Valued readers.

We must take a pledge today to:

1. Stop Ragging in all the Institutions and make Indian Education System a Ragging Free Place.

2. Make Indian Institutions a Innovation Place Where Innovative Ideas are generated.

3. Make Indian Institutions a Leader in Education and Research.

Ragging India Team

State-of-art blood bank to come up at PMCH

2010-09-30T06:05:00.001-07:00

Dhanbad, Sept. 28: Red Cross Society of Dhanbad has joined hands with the Federation of Dhanbad Zila Chambers of Commerce and Industry to create awareness about blood donation.

A blood donation camp will be organised at Red Cross Bhavan on October 1 to mark the International Voluntary Blood Donation Day

A meeting in this regard was organised here today. Presided over by deputy commissioner Sunil Kumar Burnwal, who is also the chairman of Red Cross Society of Dhanbad, the meeting resolved to make the upcoming camp a success by carrying out widespread campaigns.

A decision to organise the camp was taken at a meeting held at the district collectorate on Monday, during which it was also decided to establish a state-of-art blood bank on the Saraidhela campus of the Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH).

Giving details, the district tuberculosis control officer, P.K. Bhagat, who is also secretary of Red Cross society of Dhanbad, said the chamber of commerce would bear the organisational expenses of the event. Bhagat added that the new blood bank at PMCH would be established within a year.

Spokesman of the chamber of commerce Surendra Arora said members of the association would also donate blood during the camp.source-telegraphindia.com

Mediclaim cases drop

2010-08-24T05:44:00.001-07:00

CHENNAI: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have flagged off the admission season to B-schools by announcing the dates for the Common Admission Test (CAT), which is set to begin on October 27 in 33 cities across the country.

Based on last year's feedback, testing agency Prometric has made several changes to ensure smooth conduct of the exams this year. CAT 2009, when the test first went online, was riddled with glitches. This year the testing window has been expanded from 10 days to 20 days. The exam will be spread out between October 27 and November 24 to ensure that too many candidates don't log in at the same time and jam the server.

The implementing agencies, too, have been changed this year. The IIMs have decided to let go of NIIT, which was the implementing agency for CAT 2009, and have instead chosen Everonn Education and MeriTrac as delivery partners for this year's test. Everonn is an existing test delivery partner of Prometric's IT certification business, and Meritrac, too, has a good track record in conducting examinations in India.

"They will ensure site-readiness of the test centres, and be in charge of test administration and onsite technical support," said Soumitra Roy, managing director of Prometric, India. source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Medical isotopes scarcity

2010-08-24T05:42:00.001-07:00

NEW DELHI: Medical scans could get costly in India soon, thanks to a severe global shortage of medical isotopes — minute amounts of radioactive substances used to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases.

Doctors confirmed that they have been facing a prolonged shortage of the most widely-used diagnostic radio-isotope, Technetium-99m, which is largely issued for scans for almost all body parts.

The global shortage has been due to the shutdown of a nuclear reactor in eastern Ontario that produces a third of the world's medical isotope requirements. The crisis has led to the escalating price of Molybdenum 99 — the raw materiel from which Technetium 99m is made.

Consequently, hospitals in India are being forced to pay at least three to four times the original price of molybdenum 99 that are being sourced from Holland, France and South Africa. "Molybdenum 99 now costs three times more than what it was six months ago. We have no choice but to source it at such high prices. However, we haven't increased our rates for patients. But if this shortage continues, scans and X-rays will definitely become more expensive," said Dr Uma Ravi Shankar, who heads the department of nuclear medicine at Apollo Hospital.
Dr Pankaj Dougall, HoD, nuclear medicine at Max Healthcare, agreed. source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Swine Flu Vaccine - H1N1 Vaccine

2010-07-14T06:13:00.001-07:00

As the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is a new virus, no swine flu vaccine was immediately available to prevent infections.

And unfortunately, the seasonal flu vaccine that many of us receive will not provide any protection against the swine flu virus.

A vaccine has been developed, tested, and now FDA approved and an increasing supply of doses are arriving at doctor's office and clinics to help prevent infections from the 2009 H1N1 strain of the flu.

Swine Flu Vaccine

Can the swine flu vaccine be combined with the seasonal flu vaccine? No, as vaccine companies had to be done making seasonal flu vaccine before they could get started on the swine flu vaccine.

Who will get the swine flu vaccine?

CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that swine flu vaccine should first go to:

Pregnant women
Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age
Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel
All children and young adults from 6 months through 24 years of age, and
Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza

Next, as swine flu vaccine improves to the point that all priority groups have gotten vaccinated, everyone from the ages of 25 through 64 years will get vaccinated too. Lastly, people 65 or older, who have the least risk from the swine flu will be offered the swine flu vaccine.

It is possible to get both a seasonal flu vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine at the same time, unless they are both the nasal spray version of the flu vaccine. Instead, kids can get one as a nasal spray and one as a flu shot, or both as flu shots.

And as expected, kids who are nine years old and under need two doses of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine separated by at least four weeks to get full protection against the swine flu. Older children, like adults, need just one dose.

Keep in mind that even if your child was diagnosed with swine flu, unless the diagnosis was confirmed by a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test, then they should still get the swine flu vaccine. Most people have not had that test and simply had a rapid flu test in their doctor's office or where diagnosed based on their swine flu symptoms, which is a less certain way to know if you really had 2009 H1N1 swine flu.

Finding Swine Flu Shots

Although five companies are making H1N1 swine flu shots, including Sanofi Pasteur, Novartis, GSK, Medimmune and CSL, doctors aren't able to directly order swine flu vaccine from them. Instead, the federal government is purchasing all of the swine flu shots and then is distributing them via a centralized distribution program. Pediatricians and other health care providers can order swine flu vaccine if they want to receive swine flu vaccine to give their patients.

Parents might also want to ask their pediatrician if they participating in the swine flu distribution program to make sure they have a place to get their kids a swine flu vaccine. If they aren't, the swine flu vaccine is now readily available at many health clinics and pharmacies.

Although the swine flu vaccine is free, pediatricians will likely charge a small vaccine administration fee to their patients.

Swine Flu Vaccine Trials

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has conducted swine flu clinical trials to make sure the new swine flu vaccines are safe and effective. They were conducted at eight university research hospitals and medical organizations across the United States, including Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, and Emory University in Atlanta.

The first clinical trials tested whether one or two doses are needed and will test both 15mcg and 30mcg doses of vaccine. Although the trials started in adults, they were also tested in children.

The safety of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine continues to be monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through reporting of vaccine side effects to VAERS.

1976 Swine Flu Vaccine

Although it is true that we didn't have a swine flu vaccine when this pandemic began, there once was a swine flu vaccine that was made to target the swine flu H1N1 strain that was found at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Because of fears that this swine flu strain was similar to the flu strain that caused the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, a vaccination program immunized more than 40 million people in the United States between October 1976 to December 1976.

The immunization program was stopped early because the swine flu pandemic didn't occur, and the swine flu vaccine was thought to cause many side effects, including Guillain-Barre syndrome.

It is important to note that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine that is going to be used in the United States is basically a flu vaccine and the FDA states that it was 'manufactured using the same approved processes used to produce the seasonal influenza vaccines.' It does not contain any new adjuvants, which are vaccine additives that can help them to work better. It was the possibility that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccine was going to contain some new adjuvants which made people originally think this was a 'new' vaccine and created some of the controversy about it.source:pediatrics.about.com

Powerful HIV antibodies found for vaccine

2010-07-14T06:09:00.001-07:00

U.S. scientists have discovered the most effective HIV antibodies to date, which could be used to find a vaccine for the virus, according to a study published in Science Thursday.

A team of researchers coordinated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the two proteins that can neutralize more than 90 per cent of known global strains of HIV.

The VRC01 and VRC02 antibodies neutralize more strains with greater strength than any other previously known antibody, the study said.

After finding out how the antibodies work and where they attach to the virus, the scientists have started developing a potential vaccine. They also said that their work could be used in HIV treatment.

"In addition, the technique the teams used to find the new antibodies represents a novel strategy that could be applied to vaccine design for many other infectious diseases," said Anthony Fauci, director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

An AIDS vaccine, which will prevent HIV infection as effectively as vaccines prevent polio and other viral infections, is still several years away. Vaccine development is expensive and daunting because HIV is like a moving target, mutating readily.

Finding individual antibodies that can neutralize HIV strains is difficult because the virus is constantly changing its surface proteins to evade recognition by the immune system - resulting in a very large number of HIV variants worldwide.

But the newly found antibodies "attach to a virtually unchanging part of the virus, and this explains why they can neutralize such an extraordinary range of HIV strains," said John Mascola, who led one of the study teams.

The findings were published shortly before a large international AIDS conference that brings together scientists, international bodies and non-governmental advocates in Vienna from July 18.source:thehindu.com

Breast Milk Transmits Drugs and Medicines to the Baby

2010-06-25T06:43:00.001-07:00

There is great confusion among the scientific community about whether women who are drug abusers should breast feed their babies. In order to shed some light on this issue, scientists from various Spanish hospitals and research centres are reviewing the methods used to detect substances in breast milk, their adverse effects, and the recommendations that mothers should follow in this month's issue of the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

"The general recommendation is to totally avoid drug abuse while breastfeeding, because these substances can pass directly through to the newborn," Óscar García Algar, co-author of the study and a doctor in the Paediatrics Department at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, said.

The researcher adds: "This recommendation extends to the prenatal period, because these substances are passed on to the foetus via the placenta, and then in the postnatal period via the environment. If they have exposure through the milk, they will certainly also have had it during the pregnancy, and they can also be in the environment, as is the case with tobacco smoke." .

For this study, the team used the average daily intake of the breastfeeding baby, around 150 millilitres of milk per kilo of weight, as a benchmark. The recommendations are listed for each substance, taking the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as a reference.

Nicotine, caffeine and alcohol

The breast milk of smoking mothers contains between 2 and 240 nanograms of nicotine per millilitre, which means their babies receive a dose equivalent to 0.3 to 36 micrograms/kg/day. These infants tend to suffer more from colic and are more prone to respiratory infections.

The advice is to give up smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or at least to limit the habit as much as possible, extend the time between the last cigarette and the baby's feed, use nicotine patches, smoke outside the house and avoid smoky environments.

Caffeine -- found in coffee, tea, cola drinks and medicines -- can cause irritability and insomnia. Although the level of caffeine absorption varies greatly from one person to another, this substance has a lengthy half-life in newborns. For this reason, it is recommended to reduce consumption during breastfeeding to a maximum of 300 mg/day, equivalent to around three cups of coffee per day.

For alcohol, the exact risk is still ill-defined, and no studies have been carried out to correlate the dose, although some research suggests it can harm the infant's motor development, as well as causing changes to their sleep patterns, reduce the amount they eat, and increase the risk of hypoglycaemia.

The AAP feels that alcohol consumption is compatible with breastfeeding, but this study states that no amount can be considered safe until the levels in breast milk are established. Strategies for minimising risk include feeding the baby before consuming alcoholic drinks, or at least allowing two or three hours to pass after drinking. Alcoholic women are advised to feed their babies with a bottle.

The risks of alcohol to the foetus in pregnant women have already been shown. "But despite this, a recent study by our group showed that 45.7% of the women who came to give birth in our hospital had consumed considerable amounts of alcohol during pregnancy," says the doctor.

Cannabis, cocaine and other drugs

Cannabis, which is transmitted both through the mother's milk and smoke, can cause sedation, lethargy, weakness and poor feeding habits in breastfeeding babies. The long-term risks are also unknown. Women are advised not to use it, but if they use marijuana occasionally, the experts advise them to do so several hours before feeding, and not to expose their children to the smoke.

The advice on cocaine, meanwhile, is to "totally avoid it" during breastfeeding. The first case of toxicity caused by this drug through breast milk was a baby boy just two weeks old who suffered irritability, trembling, dilated pupils, tachycardia and high blood pressure after feeding.

Women are also advised against breastfeeding if they take amphetamines. These can cause agitation, crying and lack of sleep. Using them also reduces a mother's ability to care for her children.

Breastfeeding is not recommended either for women who use heroin, which is excreted into the milk in sufficient amounts to cause addiction in the baby. In the case of "need," the advice is to allow at least one or two days to pass after taking the drug before feeding the baby, and to start a substitute treatment as soon as possible, if possible with methadone.

Other opiates used as medicines -- morphine, meperidine and codeine -- are excreted into the milk in minimal amounts and are compatible with breastfeeding, as are benzodiazepines, as long as they are taken in controlled doses.. These are the drugs most frequently prescribed to women during pregnancy and after birth.

In terms of anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs, the AAP says "these can be a cause for concern during breastfeeding." For now, their effects on breastfeeding babies are unknown, and further studies are recommended.source:timesofindia.hotklix

MCI scam in pvt medical college

2010-06-25T06:27:00.001-07:00

LUCKNOW: Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) on Wednesday reached the campus of a medical college in Balaganj locality under Thakurganj police station of the Old city and started a detailed inspection of documentation related to the registration, government sanction and approval of the Medical Council of India (MCI) to the institute.

Sources in the CBI said that the inspection was sequel to the April 22, 2010 arrest of MCI chief Ketan Desai and recovery of Rs 2 crore in cash that he had received allegedly to provide an MCI approval to a medical college coming up in Punjab.

Subsequently, CBI conducted raids at two private medical institutes in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh following reports that the two institutes had also bribed the MCI to procure its mandatory approval and recognition to start with the private medical college.

Investigations into the Dr Ketan Desai case provided CBI with a list of nearly a 100 medical colleges across the country which were awarded MCI approval and recognition by Desai despite the failure of the institutes' management to equip their institutes with prerequisites. The private medical college in the Old City happens to be one of the institutes that have come under the CBI scanner because of the Ketan Desai angle.

"The inspection has just began and is sure to take a couple of days before the documents provided by the management will be collected and subsequently dispatched to the respective government authorities for their verification," said a senior CBI officer associated with the probe. "It is only after this much of the exercise is completed that the agency will be in a position to comment whether the institute had adopted any unfair means or shortcuts to obtain the necessary clearances," he said. source:timesofindia

Medico suicide attempt case transferred to Ahmedabad

2010-06-16T21:40:00.001-07:00

AHMEDABAD: The case of attempted suicide by a second year medical student of BJ Medical college after she faced allegations of being a kleptomaniac, has been transferred to Ahmedabad. The girl, Trupti Makwana, who belongs to Limdi in Surendranagar, had told the police that she had attempted suicide because she was ragged by fellow hostelmates.

She accused at least six of her hostelmates of ragging her, in her statement recorded at Shahibaug police station after the case was transferred on Tuesday.

The complaint had first been registered at Limdi police station, but since the scene of offence was BJ Medical college in Ahmedabad, the case has been transferred to Shahibaug police station.

Shahibaug police station officials recorded Trupti's statement where she has narrated an incident about how one of her hostelmates had forgotten her tiffin in her room. When Trupti went to return it, her classmates accused her of stealing it. They even made her sign a statement confessing to the crime.

She claims to have been continuously harassed by her hostelmates who called her a kleptomaniac, which she said was equivalent to ragging.

After she gave a written complaint admitting to the charges, the college authorities had called her mother and asked her to take Trupti home in Limdi. She had, on May 25, tried to slit her wrist with a sharp weapon and was rushed to a local hospital. source:timesofindia

First day in college - A Few Tips

2010-06-16T21:37:00.001-07:00

Mumbai: The transition from uniforms to trendy clothes, and from teachers to professors can bring with it a mixed bag of emotions for youngsters who are about to set their foot into college on the first day.

Youngsters might have to deal with anxiety, excitement and nervousness — emotions that they'll have to learn to take in their stride. Also, fear of facing seniors and the possibility of ragging have to be dealt with.

A few cool tips from those who have already been there and done will surely help youngsters to sail smoothly through the initial days of college.

VJ Juhi Pandey remembers deciding to keep to herself at least for the first week of college. "I thought of keeping to myself for at least a week of college and then take it as it comes. But I remember making a couple of friends on day one and it was a very natural process. I didn't really have to take any extra efforts to do so," she says. "I would definitely tell the young guys to look around, be willing to meet new people, reach out and make friends," she adds.

And what about ragging? This is one sensitive issue that has to be dealt with some amount of maturity. VJ Cyrus Sahukar recalls his day one of college. He says, "I made all kinds of weird plans like wearing spectacles to college so that I look older and don't get ragged. But that of course didn't work because I was making a deliberate effort to escape college and ragging, ultimately I was made to act like a mad dog and had to bark at everyone who entered the college gate." He continues, "If you think that things are getting humiliating, don't be party to that kind of behavior. If it's in good humour, be sporting and don't fear."

Psychologist Deepti Makhija says that some amount of anxiety is very normal. "If you are not experiencing anxiety, you must be lying. The fact that it is normal is soothing. However, don't go overboard with preparing for day one. Just be yourself and have a good time. That is most important," advices Deepti.source:DNAINDIA

HOW TO REDUCE GREEN HOUSE GAS AT HOME

2010-06-09T00:33:00.001-07:00

Not every family can afford to fix solar panels to their roofs or erect a wind turbine, but there are still steps you can take to save energy and therefore money.

1. Switch your electricity supply to a green tariff that promises to supply electricity from renewable sources.

2. Save on your heating bill by insulating and draught-proofing your home.

3. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs. They can use one quarter the electricity and last ten times as long.

4. Recycle paper, plastic, glass and metals. You not only save natural resources, but the energy that goes into making and transporting them.

5. Choose products that have less packaging -then you have less to recycle

6. Don't leave electrical equipment, like TVs and computers on standby they can use up to 75% of the electricity they use when turned on.

7. Take your mobile phone charger out of the socket when not being used.

8. Turn your thermostat down 1°C – you could save 10% on your fuel bills.

9. Only use your washing machine when there is a full load. Set your washing machine to warm or cool washes.

10. Fix leaking taps. A hot tap dripping could waste enough water each day for one bath.

11. Don't overheat your water. The recommended level is 60°C.

12. A full freezer uses less electricity than a half empty one – and if that isn't a good reason for buying more ice cream….

13. Kettles – if you don't need a full kettle of water don't boil a full kettle of water!

14. Dry your washing outside on the line when the weather is fine.

15. Hang reflective foil (with the shiny side facing the radiator) behind radiators fitted to outside walls to reduce heat loss.

16. Line your curtains and close them at dusk.

17. When choosing electrical appliances, make sure what you are buying is energy efficient.

18. Wearing t-shirts in winter and turning the heater up is just silly, put on warmer clothes.

19. Remember to turn the lights off when you leave the room ...... unless somebody else is still in the room!

Alcohol, smoking, coffee linked to migraines

2010-06-07T07:30:00.001-07:00

A new study has linked alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking to increased migraines and tension-type headaches (TTH) in high school students.

Coffee drinking and physical inactivity were associated specifically with migraines in the study by German researchers.

Prior studies have indicated that headache is one of the most frequently reported health complaints in adolescents with 5 percent -15 percent of this age group suffering from migraine and 15 percent -25 percent with TTH. Modifiable risk factors, such as alcohol use, cigarette smoking and coffee drinking which have been associated with headache in adults, have not been fully explored in a youth population.

Astrid Milde-Busch, and colleagues at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany invited 1,260 students in grades 10 and 11 (aged 14-20) from eleven area public schools to participate in the study.

The students were asked to fill out a questionnaire on headache and associated lifestyle factors. Students were asked: ''Did you have headache during the last seven days/three months/six months?'' and were classified as headache sufferers if the response was positive. Furthermore, migraine and
TTH were differentiated by questions regarding headache characteristics and symptoms. The questionnaire also inquired about diet and lifestyle (e.g. ''Do you daily have breakfast before you go to school?''; ''How much beer, wine and cocktails do you normally drink?''; ''How much coffee do you normally drink?''; ''Do you smoke?'').

Research results show 83.1 percent of students reported headache at least once during the previous six months with 10.2 percent reporting migraine; 48.7 percent citing TTH; and 19.8 percent having combined migraine plus TTH. For diet, 28.4 percent of students never had breakfast; 16.5 percent did not eat a daily break meal (snack); and only 24.0 percent had a daily warm lunch.

Researchers found that 22.3 percent of students consumed less than 1 liter (4.23 8 ounce cups) of non-alcoholic drinks per day. Alcohol consumption, however, was widespread among students in the study with 38.5 percent, 18.6 percent, and 25.3 percent drinking beer, wine, and cocktails at least once per week, respectively. Results also showed that 73.3 percent of participants reported never smoking and 43.4 percent students noted that they did not drink coffee.

The authors found that a high consumption of alcoholic drinks and coffee, smoking, and lack of physical activity were significantly associated with migraine plus TTH episodes. There was a significant association of coffee drinking and physical inactivity with migraine.

The study appears online in Headache, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Headache Society.
Source:Timesofindia

Acupuncture and pain

2010-06-07T07:28:00.001-07:00

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have offered new insights into how acupuncture alleviates pain.

The researchers identified the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body.

Building on that knowledge, scientists were able to triple the beneficial effects of acupuncture in mice by adding a medication approved to treat leukemia in people.

The research focuses on adenosine, a natural compound known for its role in regulating sleep, for its effects on the heart, and for its anti-inflammatory properties.

But adenosine also acts as a natural painkiller, becoming active in the skin after an injury to inhibit nerve signals and ease pain in a way similar to lidocaine.

In the current study, scientists found that the chemical is also very active in deeper tissues affected by acupuncture.

The Rochester researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on the peripheral nervous system – the nerves in our body that aren't part of the brain and spinal cord.

The research complements a rich, established body of work showing that in the central nervous system, acupuncture creates signals that cause the brain to churn out natural pain-killing endorphins.

The new findings add to the scientific heft underlying acupuncture, said neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, who led the research.

"Acupuncture has been a mainstay of medical treatment in certain parts of the world for 4,000 years, but because it has not been understood completely, many people have remained skeptical," said Nedergaard.

"In this work, we provide information about one physical mechanism through which acupuncture reduces pain in the body," she added.

The study has been published online May 30 in Nature Neuroscience.
source:TimesofIndia