Health News

5-year-old recorded in UK: weighs 143 pounds

Child on Scale

Britain’s fattest five-year-old has been taken into care after weighing in at more than 143 pounds, or at least three times the weight of what is expected of a healthy child.

Child protection experts told the Sunday Times the case was “a tragedy”, expressing disbelief that action was not taken sooner by the local council.

The newspaper says the girl was seized in Newport, south Wales, in August last year weighing approximately 145 pounds – heavier than any 5-year-old of either sex recorded in an English school since 2008. Typically, girls that age weigh about 42 pounds.

Newport city council said the decision was made purely because of the girl’s obesity.

Source: Fox news

Paracetamol poisoning could be better treated: Study

Patients with paracetamol poisoning could be helped by a new way of delivering an antidote more quickly and with fewer side-effects, researchers say.

Treating patients with the common antidote remedy acetylcysteine over a shorter time period than currently applies leads to fewer side-effects, a trial study found.

Patients are normally given the drug by intravenous drip over a 21-hour period, with a large part of the dose given very quickly.

In a study, patients who received the same dose of acetylcysteine more gradually over a 12-hour period experienced less vomiting and fewer associated reactions.

Their treatment was also less interrupted than those receiving conventional treatment with a 21-hour drip.

Treatment with acetylcysteine often causes vomiting, a drop in blood pressure and other side-effects such as flushing, rashes and difficulty breathing.

Paracetamol is the most common cause of overdose in the UK and every year around 45,000 people are hospitalized for paracetamol poisoning.

The pilot, led by University of Edinburgh scientists, treated more than 200 patients and is the largest trial of its kind for paracetamol poisoning.

The treatment for poisoning was first used and developed by University of Edinburgh doctors in the 1970s.

“Our finding offers a major advance in treating paracetamol poisoning, both in terms of fewer unpleasant side-effects for patients and a shorter hospital stay,” said Nick Bateman, Professor at the University of Edinburgh’s BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science.

“We need to do more work on a larger population group to find out whether treatment over a shorter time frame is as safe as the current standard,” Bateman said.

The study, published in Lancet, was carried out with the Universities of Newcastle and Aberdeen and funded by the chief scientist office of the Scottish government.

Source: Times of India

How brain balances learning new skills while retaining old ones

Researchers have developed a new computational model that explains how the brain maintains the balance between plasticity and stability, and how it can learn very similar tasks without interference between them.

To learn new motor skills, the brain must be plastic: able to rapidly change the strengths of connections between neurons, forming new patterns that accomplish a particular task. However, if the brain were too plastic, previously learned skills would be lost too easily.
The key, the neuroscientists at MIT said, is that neurons are constantly changing their connections with other neurons. However, not all of the changes are functionally relevant- they simply allow the brain to explore many possible ways to execute a certain skill, such as a new tennis stroke.

“Your brain is always trying to find the configurations that balance everything so you can do two tasks, or three tasks, or however many you’re learning. There are many ways to solve a task, and you’re exploring all the different ways,” lead author Robert Ajemian said.

As the brain learns a new motor skill, neurons form circuits that can produce the desired output- a command that will activate the body’s muscles to perform a task such as swinging a tennis racket. Perfection is usually not achieved on the first try, so feedback from each effort helps the brain to find better solutions.

This works well for learning one skill, but complications arise when the brain is trying to learn many different skills at once. Because the same distributed network controls related motor tasks, new modifications to existing patterns can interfere with previously learned skills.

That connectivity offers an advantage, however, because it allows the brain to test out so many possible solutions to achieve combinations of tasks. The constant changes in these connections, which the researchers call hyper plasticity, is balanced by another inherent trait of neurons- they have a very low signal to noise ratio, meaning that they receive about as much useless information as useful input from their neighbors.

The MIT team said noise is a critical element of the brain’s learning ability. They found that it allows the brain to explore many solutions, but it can only be utilized if the network is hyper plastic.

The study was published in the National Academy of Sciences

Source: news track india

Stressed parents make for obese kids

Researchers including an Indian-origin scientist have linked parental stress to weight gain in children.

The study found that children whose parents have high levels of stress have a Body Mass Index, or BMI, about 2 per cent higher than those whose parents have low levels of stress.

Children with higher parental stress also gained weight at a 7 per cent higher rate during the study period than other children.

Those figures may sound low, said lead author Dr. Ketan Shankardass, but they’re significant because they are happening in children, whose bodies and eating and exercise habits are still developing. Plus, if that weight gain continues and is compounded over a lifetime, it could lead to serious obesity and health issues.

Dr. Shankardass, a social epidemiologist with the hospital’s Centre for Research on Inner City Health, studied data collected during the Children’s Health Study, one of the largest and most comprehensive investigations into the long-term effects of air pollution on the respiratory health of children.

The childrens’ BMI was calculated each year. Their parents were given a questionnaire to measure their perceived psychological stress that asked how often in the last month they were able or unable to control important things in their life and whether things were going their way or their difficulties were piling up so high they could not overcome them.

Dr. Shankardass noted that more than half the students followed in the California study were Hispanic, and that the effects of stress on their BMI was greater than children of other ethnic backgrounds.

The research has been published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.

Source: top news

Corn oil better at cutting cholesterol than extra virgin olive oil

Researchers have shown that corn oil significantly lowers cholesterol with more favorable changes in total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C than extra virgin olive oil.

The scientists were led by lead researcher, Dr. Kevin C Maki, PhD, of Biofortis, the clinical research arm of Merieux NutriSciences.

Among the 54 healthy men and women in the feeding study, consumption of foods made with corn oil resulted in significantly lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol than the same foods made with extra virgin olive oil.

Corn oil lowered LDL cholesterol by 10.9 percent compared to extra virgin olive oil’s 3.5 percent reduction1,2, and total cholesterol decreased by 8.2 percent with corn oil compared to 1.8 percent for extra virgin olive oil. (Read: 8 natural cholesterol busters)

Study participants received four tablespoons of corn oil or extra virgin olive oil in the foods provided every day, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations. All foods were provided to the study participants as part of a weight maintenance diet.

The randomized, double-blind, controlled crossover clinical trial assessed the effects of dietary oils on fasting lipoprotein lipids.

The study compared the effects of corn and extra virgin olive oil on LDL cholesterol (primary outcome variable), total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), Non-HDL cholesterol

Source: health India

phone addicts are less likely to be happy: New study

  1. Those who can’t resist a ring are also more likely to suffer anxiety
  2.  Social network sites also listed as sources of stress

If you are constantly on your mobile phone, most onlookers might think you have lots of friends and a busy social life.

However, those attached to the phone are likely to be less happy than those who can resist a ring or a message alert, says a study.

Avid mobile phone users also suffer from higher anxiety while students see their class work suffer with lower marks than those who are able to switch off.

Researchers studied more than 500 students to look at their daily phone usage and gauge how it affected their outlook on life.

They found that far from making people feel more connected to friends the phone only heightened their anxiety as many felt obligated to keep in constant touch.

They found users suffered heightened anxiety as many felt obligated to keep in constant touch.

Others had trouble disconnecting from social media sites such as Facebook.

The study by scientists Jacob Barkley, Aryn Karpinski and Andrew Lepp is in stark contrast to previous research that found mobile phones improve social interaction and help reduce feelings of isolation.

Previous research has claimed that mobile phones improve social interaction and help reduce feelings of isolation.

But the latest study by Kent University in Ohio found constant phone use was linked to greater stress.

One student said: ‘The social network sometimes just makes me feel a little bit tied to my phone.

‘It makes me feel like I have another obligation in my life.’

Another complained that having a mobile phone meant that he could always be contacted at any time.

The researchers used a clinical measure of anxiety and each student’s level of satisfaction with their own life in the analysis.

Researcher Andrew Lepp added: ‘There is no me time or solitude left in some of these students’ lives and I think mental health requires a bit of personal alone time to reflect, look inward, process life’s events, and just recover from daily stressors.’

Those taking part, aged from 18 to 22, allowed the study team to access their exam results, known in the US as a grade point average (GPA), from university records.

‘Also, a few of the students we interviewed reported sending texts constantly throughout the day from morning to night that in itself might be stressful.’

There are now more mobile phones in the UK than people with the latest figures showing 80.2 million subscription.

The popularity in recent years of smart phones, such as the iPhone, has meant that 94 per cent of all adults own a mobile.

Source: mail online

 

Dengue cases in New Delhi reach 5,462

The number of dengue cases in the capital has reached 5,462, a municipal health officer said Monday.

Though the number reported every week has reduced, the cases are still being witnessed in different parts of the city.

Most cases have been reported from the north zone (2,167), followed by south (1,642) and east (1,508) zones.

An additional 69 cases have been reported from the National Capital Region, including parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Having surpassed the 2012 figure, the number of cases this year is nearing the 2010 figure (6,229).

Source: New Indian Express

Hide and seek: Brain cancer cells ‘lose’ mutations to evade cancer drugs

Brain cancer can play a deadly game of hide and seek.

A new study published in the journal Science has revealed that brain cancer cells can actually evade many current cancer drugs – by temporarily scaling down a certain genetic mutation that the drugs target. Additionally, once therapy has stopped, the cancer cells can then intensify the mutation once again.

According to the researchers, this study has huge implications for the future treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a brain cancer that is in desperate need of effective therapies.

“It’s one of the most common types of adult brain cancer and one of the most lethal of all types of human cancers,” study author Dr. Paul Mischel, a member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and a professor in the department of pathology at the University of California, San Diego, told FoxNews.com. “And there are a number of real challenges [in treatment]. There are no good early detections for the disease, and the tumor cells invade through the brain, so it’s almost completely impossibly to surgically remove the entire tumor.”

Mischel also noted that GBM becomes resistant to modern chemotherapy and radiation treatments relatively quickly.

Recently, alternative cancer drugs have emerged that are capable of targeting specific genetic mutations in cancer cells. About 60 percent of GBM cells express a mutated variant of the epidermal growth factor receptor – also called EGFRvIII.  Found in the extrachromosomal DNA of these cancer cells, EGFRvIII helps to promote tumor growth and proliferation, and many targeted therapies work by targeting and suppressing this specific mutation.

However, these drugs ultimately haven’t translated to better outcomes for GBM patients.

“You would think that drugs that are used to target that receptor would be effective, but the results have been very disappointing,” Mischel said.

In order to better understand why, Mischel and his research team analyzed the genetic makeup of GBM tumors. When they treated the cancer cells with targeted therapies, they found that the pieces of mutant EGFRvIII DNA, which normally float outside the cancer’s chromosomes, temporarily jumped onto an obscure chromosome — where they could “hide” from the drugs. Then, once they ceased treatment, the DNA pieces removed themselves from the chromosome and floated freely once again, promoting cancer cell proliferation.

So in essence, the cancer cells were able to “shut down” the expression of the mutation while the cancer drugs were present in the body.

“This was a real surprise,” Mischel said. “…Those pieces of extra chromosomal DNA ‘disappeared’ when treated with the drug. It’s truly a hide-and-seek mechanism, because when the drug was removed, it jumped back off the chromosome.”

Mischel said it is still not understood exactly how the cancer can detect the presence of the drugs in the body, but the researchers have a few preliminary ideas.

“The mechanism by which the DNA is sensing the drug is really not understand,” Mischel said. “But the theory is that the DNA is sensing the signals that are being sent indirectly by the drug.”

The study’s findings help better explain why GBM becomes resistant to targeted therapies and it may help doctors determine a better course of treatment for patients. Mischel argued that the discovery could completely change how physicians treat patients with other types of cancer as well.

“It’s really a complete paradigm shift in how we begin to think about treating people with targeted therapies,” Mischel said. “…This find has big implications for this disease, because other types of cancers have these mutations present on extra chromosomal DNA….How we dose these tumors could change. The data we have in hand would suggest a very different type of dosage for targeted cancer treatment.”

Source: all voices

Testosterone-heart disease link explained

In recent months, there has been a great deal of contradictory information regarding testosterone. So much so that it is hard for any man to decipher what level is right, and whether seeking an “optimal” level is the preferred course of action.

In 2011, 5.3 million prescriptions for testosterone were written in the United States. The rate of prescriptions has tripled since 2000, and sales reached $1.6 billion in 2011. There has obviously been a lot of marketing for testosterone and low-T syndrome, but what exactly is testosterone is and what would are the benefits of treatment?

Testosterone is a hormone which helps regulate heart function and plays a part in sperm production, bone health, energy levels, concentration and muscle mass. This essential hormone does much more than just fuel a man’s sex drive. The problem is, most men experience a natural decline in testosterone as they age starting at 30, and testosterone supplementation is commonly prescribed to help these men regulate their hormone levels. The benefits and risks of the long-term use of testosterone therapy however, are not well known.

In a new study, the University of Texas looked at 9,000 male veterans who had undergone coronary angiography between 2005 and 2011, a procedure for testing the arteries when people have symptoms such as chest pain or are at high risk for heart problems.

The study found that men with signs of heart problems who take injections of testosterone or use gel containing the hormone had a 30 percent increased risk of heart attack, stroke or dying, compared with men who didn’t use the hormone. The study was stopped early due to higher rates of heart problems in the group receiving the hormone.

It is important to note that all of the men in the study more severe medical conditions including coronary artery disease, diabetes and previous heart attacks, than men in the general population. These risk factors may have been part of the reason testosterone treatments were harmful to them, but more research is needed to know for sure.

It is not hard to see why medical professionals would also be divided when it comes to testosterone treatment. Some side effects include acne, enlarged breasts, prostate problems, testicle shrinkage and limited sperm production. Similarly, once you start on it, you suppress your own production of testosterone and injections become a lifetime commitment.

As is the case with most hormones, testosterone needs to be kept in balance, and your physician can decide what level is right for you since this, too, can vary from man to man, and from lab to lab. A treatment program should be frequently monitored through lab tests, paying attention to potential side effects.

Men with prostate cancer should not receive testosterone as it could speed up cancer growth. Testosterone is not thought to cause prostate cancer, but may speed up the severity of the disease.

Source news.nom

Patients who came into direct contact with cobalt-60 likely to die

Six people have reportedly been admitted to a hospital in Mexico for radiation exposure after they came into contact with, or were in the vicinity of, stolen containers of highly radioactive cobalt-60.

Earlier reports indicated that the stolen containers had been broken open, and if this is the case, one expert said any patient who came into direct contact with the radioactive material may be vulnerable to central nervous system failure – a condition that results in the swelling of the brain and paralysis, and can lead to death in a matter of hours.

“All you can do is supportive care, perhaps steroids and IV fluids and monitoring and doing what you can,” Dr. James O’Donnell, division chief of nuclear medicine at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, told FoxNews.com. “If you know someone is exposed above (a certain) point, if they do experience central nervous system collapse, our experience in [the] medical world is there’s not an awful lot you can do, it’s not likely to be successful and they’re likely to die.”

Cobalt-60 is an isotope typically only used in machinery, or in radiation therapy for cancer patients, according to O’Donnell. The health effects of exposure to cobalt-60 depend upon the length of time a person is exposed, their distance from the radioactive material, and whether or not any type of shielding was present – for example, if the radioactive material was stored in a container.

While any patients who experienced direct contact with cobalt-60 may be at risk of death, O’Donnell said that others who were simply in the vicinity of the material may experience lesser side effects, such as skin burns or blisters, or gastrointestinal problems.

“With the kinds of exposures they were getting, I would guess it isn’t going to be really hyper-acute, like a bomb, but more gastrointestinal, which means they could get cramping, nausea, vomiting, bleeding that would be hard to control,” O’Donnell said.

Reports indicate that one patient admitted was experiencing dizziness and vomiting, according to FoxNews.com.

Risk to hospital workers

Depending on whether or not the admitted patients experienced direct contact with cobalt-60, other patients or hospital workers may be at some risk for exposure to the radioactive material, O’Donnell noted.

“If someone is (externally) exposed to gamma rays, the treatment of the patient is external and there’s no real hazard to any health care personnel or anyone taking care of them. You’re not going to catch someone else’s sunburn,” O’Donnell said. “But if they broke into the container and scraped it, or got it on them, now they’re contaminated and if someone else were to get it on them, now they could be exposed because the actual source of the radiation is there.”

However, he noted that most hospitals are equipped to deal with radiation exposure and are well-versed on techniques that can limit the exposure of hospital workers, or other patients.

“Everything stops, you try to put down absorbent paper, cover things up, cover things with a lead apron, try to isolate the contamination away from people. Then clean up the patient, wash them up, hose them off,” O’Donnell said. “And that’s where the radiation safety people at the hospital get involved with radiation detectors, and try to get (the radiation) back down to the background level.”

Any hospital with a radiology department would have access to dosimeters, which track exposure to radiated energy, according to O’Donnell. As a result, they would be able to ensure that hospital workers limit their exposure. Long-term exposure to radiation has been associated with an increased risk for certain cancers like lymphoma or leukeumia.

“You can never say the risk of anything is zero, but the foreseeable risk would be low enough for occupation workers,” O’Donnell said. “It’s based on our experience that for people who get no more (a certain amount of exposure), there’s no increase in cancers.”

Source: healcon