Month: September 2013

15% of common strokes occur in adolescents and young adults

A team of researcher including an Indian origin has suggested that 15 percent of the most common type of strokes occur in adolescents and young adults, and more young people are showing risk factors for such strokes.

Co-author neurologist Jose Biller of Loyola University Medical Center said that the impact of strokes in this age group is devastating to the adolescent or young adult, their families and society.

About 85 percent of all strokes are ischemic, meaning they are caused by blockages that block blood flow to the brain. And more young people have risk factors for ischemic strokes.

Those risks include high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, abnormal cholesterol levels, congenital heart disease and smoking.

Strokes in young people have a disproportionally large economic impact, because they can disable patients before their most productive years. And while coping with the shock of having a stroke, “younger survivors may be dealing with relationships, careers and raising children – issues that require additional awareness and resources,” the consensus report said.

Biller, one of the nation’s leading experts on stroke in young people, is second author of the consensus report. Biller is chair of the Department of Neurology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. First author of the report is Aneesh Singhal, MD of Massachusetts General Hospital.

The study has been published in the journal Neurology.

 

Genetic cause of childhood leukemia revealed

Scientists have uncovered a genetic link specific to the risk of childhood leukaemia.

Study author Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said that at the very least the discovery gives us a new window into inherited causes of childhood leukemia.

Offit said that more immediately, testing for this mutation may allow affected families to prevent leukemia in future generations.

The mutation was first observed in a family treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering of which several family members of different generations had been diagnosed with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

A second, non-related, leukemia-prone family cared for at a different hospital was later found to have the same mutation. A series of experiments were conducted confirming that the observed mutation compromised the normal function of the gene, which may increase the risk of developing ALL.

The inherited genetic mutation is located in a gene called PAX5, which is known to play a role in the development of some B cell cancers, including ALL.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Genetics.

 

Why mornings are deadliest for heart attack deaths

An Indian scientist has claimed that evidence from people suffering from heart disease supports the existence of the molecular link first discovered in laboratory mice between the body’s natural circadian rhythms and cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death.

Mukesh Jain, M.D., said that it pinpoints a previously unrecognized factor in the electrical storm that makes the heart’s main pumping chambers suddenly begin to beat erratically in a way that stops the flow of blood to the brain and body.

Termed ventricular fibrillation, the condition causes sudden cardiac death (SCD), in which the victim instantly becomes unconscious and dies unless CPR or a defibrillator is available to shock the heart back into its steady beat.

The peak risk hours when SCD strikes range from 6 am to 10 am, with a smaller peak in the late afternoon. Scientists long suspected a link between SCD and the 24-hour body clock, located in the brain.

It governs 24-hour cycles of sleep and wakefulness called circadian rhythms that coordinate a range of body functions with the outside environment.

Jain’s group discovered a protein called KLF15 that helps regulate the heart’s electrical activity, and occurs in the body in levels that change like clockwork throughout the day. KLF15 helps form channels that allow substances to enter and exit heart cells in ways critical to maintaining a normal, steady heartbeat.

They first discovered that patients with heart failure have lower levels of KLF15. Then, they established in laboratory mice that KLF15 is the molecular link between SCD and the circadian rhythm. And mice with low levels of the protein have the same heart problems as people with SCD.

 Source: zee news

Yoga may benefit prisoners psychologically

Yoga can improve the mood and mental well being of prisoners and may also affect their impulsive behaviour, a study has revealed.

The researchers at the Oxford University have found that prisoners after a ten-week yoga course reported improved mood, reduced stress and were better at a task related to behaviour control than those who continued in their normal prison routine.
“We found that the group that did the yoga course showed an improvement in positive mood, a decrease in stress and greater accuracy in a computer test of impulsivity and attention,” Dr Amy Bilderbeck and Dr Miguel Farias, who led the study at the Departments of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry at Oxford University, said.

“The suggestion is that yoga is helpful for these prisoners,” they further explained.

The study has been presented in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Flexible’ microneedle patch to help deliver drug sans jab

An assistant professor has created a flexible microneedle patch, which allows drugs to be delivered directly and fully through the skin.

The new patch can quicken drug delivery time while cutting waste, and can likely minimize side-effects in some cases, notable in vaccinations and cancer therapy.

Leading development of the flexible patch was Lissett Bickford, now an assistant professor and researcher of biomedical engineering and the mechanical engineering, both part of the Virginia Tech College of Engineering.

Microneedle patch technology used on the skin has existed for several years, each patch containing an array of hundreds of micron-sized needles that pierce the skin and dissolve, delivering embedded therapeutics.

Bickford, with her research team, including Chapel Hill graduate student Katherine A. Moga, were able to develop a new flexible microneedle patch that forms to the skin directly – think a regular household bandage – and then fully pierces the skin and dissolves.

Bickford said the softer, more malleable and water-soluble material also allows for more precise control over the shape, size, and composition of the patch, with little to no waste.

The study has been published in the scientific journal, Advanced Materials.

 

When Med Students Get Medical Students’ Disease

Each year hundreds of medical students think they have contracted the exact diseases they are studying. But they haven’t.

“Medical students’ disease” refers to the phenomenon in which medical students notice something innocuous about their health and then attach to it exaggerated significance. It often corresponds to a disease they have recently learned about in lectures or encountered on the wards.

We are at the start of a new academic year and close to 20,000 students are beginning medical school in the United States. How did medical students’ disease get discovered? And does it really exist? It was around when I was in medical school, in the 1980s. And in my own class, we experienced a surprising twist.

Medical students’ disease — which has also been called “nosophobia,” meaning “fear of disease” — first gained attention in the mid-1960s after the publication of two articles from prominent psychiatric departments. Researchers at McGill University reviewed records from the student health service and reported that 70 percent of medical students complained of symptoms of various illnesses they had studied. Typical was a student who decided he had schizophrenia during his psychiatry rotation but later changed his diagnosis to Meniere’s disease, an inner ear disorder. He had neither condition.

Meanwhile, investigators at the University of Southern California School of Medicine interviewed 33 senior medical students, finding that almost 80 percent had incorrectly given themselves diagnoses of diseases ranging from cancer to tuberculosis. The authors wrote that medical students’ disease was often met with “jocularity and humor,” but that it could also be a “signal of general emotional distress and conflict.”

As we marched through our syllabus, several of my classmates believed they had developed various diseases. Most common were apparent brain tumors when we learned neurology and angina during our lectures on the heart. Having been told that medical students were prone to hypochondriasis, we generally responded with eye-rolling.

But then something surprising happened. Two of us turned out to be seriously ill.

One of my classmates, Cam, had actually started feeling unwell the summer before medical school, noting that he could no longer lift as much weight as before. In addition, his vision was not quite right.

He saw a neuro-opthalmologist, a specialist in neurological diseases of the eye, before leaving for school. This doctor tentatively diagnosed myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder that causes weakness throughout the body, especially the eyes and eyelids.

But when Cam visited a neurologist during the first month of medical school, the doctor, likely having seen many imaginary illnesses among students, was, according to Cam, “a little dismissive.” Cam thought his symptoms were real, but also wondered if it might all be in his head. Fortunately, however, the neurologist sent him to see another neuro-ophthalmologist, who confirmed the original diagnosis.

To this day, Cam experiences periodic “low level eye weakness,” but it does not interfere with his ability to work as an infectious diseases specialist.

I was present the day, during our second year, when another of my classmates, Mike, first learned he might be ill. We were in hematology laboratory and learning how to check our red blood cell counts, also known as the hematocrit. We almost all had normal levels ranging between 35 and 50.

But Mike’s reading was only 27. Assuming that Mike had done the test incorrectly, our professor told him to repeat it and watched his technique, which was fine. It was 27 again. Mike was severely anemic. He remembers the teacher pulling him to the side and quietly advising him to go to student health.

In retrospect, Mike, an inveterate basketball player, realized he had been getting short of breath — a sign of anemia.

Further tests revealed that Mike had iron-deficiency anemia, meaning he was losing blood, most likely from his intestines. Yet numerous tests did not reveal the source of the bleeding.

Mike began to wonder about other possible causes of his condition. One classmate told him that the anemia was a result of Mike’s propensity for junk food.

Seemingly sick but without a diagnosis, Mike finished the semester. But only barely. He had developed a large mass in his abdomen. When his doctors performed a colonoscopy, the diagnosis became obvious: Mike had a colon cancer that had caused his intestine to ball up.

The news was jarring, to say the least — about as far from an imaginary diagnosis as any medical student could have. Surgeons removed part of Mike’s large intestine. Fortunately, the lymph nodes were negative and Mike survived. Today he is a general internist.

Cam and Mike were truly sick, but what about other medical students who only think they are? Is medical students’ disease really such a problem, borne from overly anxious and stressed future doctors?

A few more recent controlled studies — with better methodology than the older research — suggest that the answer is no. For example, medical students at Oxford University had similar “health anxiety” scores to control groups comprised of non-medical students and non-students. A study of four medical schools concurred and even found that first- and fourth-year medical students had lower anxiety and worry levels than other graduate students.

It appears, then, that while some medical students do falsely experience symptoms of diseases they have encountered, they are no more hypochondriacal than other students. So it is probably wrong to speak of a distinct entity known as medical students’ disease, even if the concept amuses more senior physicians. And when students, like Cam and Mike, really do not feel well, we should take their complaints seriously.

Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/when-med-students-get-medical-students-disease/?ref=health

F.D.A. Approves a Drug for Late-Stage Pancreatic Cancer

In a clinical trial, the Celgene drug Abraxane prolonged the lives of patients by a little less than two months on average.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Celgene’s drug Abraxane for use in treating advanced pancreatic cancer, supplementing the thin arsenal available to fight the disease.

In a clinical trial, Abraxane prolonged the lives of patients by a little less than two months on average. Pancreatic specialists have said the drug was a welcome, if modest, advance against a disease that is extremely tough to treat.

“Patients with pancreatic cancer are often diagnosed after the cancer has advanced and cannot be surgically removed,” Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of cancer drugs for the F.D.A., said in a statement on Friday. “In these situations, and in situations where the cancer has progressed following surgery, options like Abraxane can help prolong a patient’s life.”

There will be about 45,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed in the United States this year and about 38,000 deaths, making it the fourth-leading cause of cancer death.

Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer typically live only half a year. For years, researchers have tried to improve that by adding drugs to the standard treatment, gemcitabine, but without notable success.

Abraxane did provide a statistically significant improvement in survival. In its main clinical trial, patients who received Abraxane and gemcitabine lived a median of 8.5 months, compared to 6.7 months for those receiving only gemcitabine.

Abraxane will compete with Folfirinox, a combination of four generic drugs. Folfirinox appears to extend survival by a greater amount than Abraxane, but doctors say it is harder to tolerate and administer.

Abraxane is a novel form of paclitaxel, also known by the brand name Taxol. In Abraxane, the paclitaxel is bound in tiny particles to albumin, a human protein. That is said to enhance delivery of the drug to the tumor and reduce side effects.

Still, Abraxane can depress levels of white blood cells and platelets and raise the risk of bacterial blood stream infections and lung inflammation, the F.D.A. said.

Abraxane was approved to treat breast cancer in 2005 and lung cancer in 2012. Sales last year were $427 million. Celgene’s total revenue that year was $5.5 billion, mostly from the multiple myeloma drug Revlimid.

Geoffrey Meacham, a biotechnology analyst at J. P. Morgan, said in a note on Friday that he expected Abraxane to “rapidly becomes the standard of care” for pancreatic cancer. He said sales for that use could eventually exceed $750 million annually.

Celgene said the drug would cost $6,000 to $8,000 a month.

Source: Newyork times

 

Is there an anti-inflammatory diet?

foods-for-inflammation

When inflammation is out of control—as in rheumatoid arthritis—it can damage the body.

Inflammation is part of the body’s immune response; without it, we can’t heal. But when it’s out of control—as in rheumatoid arthritis—it can damage the body. Plus, it’s thought to play a role in obesity, heart disease, and cancer.

Foods high in sugar and saturated fat can spur inflammation. “They cause overactivity in the immune system, which can lead to joint pain, fatigue, and damage to the blood vessels,” says Scott Zashin, MD, clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Other foods may curb inflammation. Add these items to your plate today.

14 foods that fight Inflammation

Beetroot

This vegetable’s brilliant red color is a tip-off to its equally brilliant antioxidant properties: Beets (and beetroot juice) have been shown to reduce inflammation, as well as protect against cancer and heart disease, thanks to their hearty helping of fiber, vitamin C and plant pigments called betalains.

Fatty Fish

Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation. To get the benefits, however, you need to eat fish several times a week, and it should be cooked in healthy way

Whole Grains

Consuming most of your grains as whole grains, as opposed to refined, white bread, cereal, rice, and pasta can help keep harmful inflammation at bay. That’s because whole grains have more fiber, which has been shown to reduce levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the blood, and they usually have less added sugar.

Dark Leafy Greens

Studies have suggested that vitamin E may play a key role in protecting the body from pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines—and one of the best sources of this vitamin is dark green veggies, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens. Dark greens and cruciferous vegetables also tend to have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals—like calcium, iron, and disease-fighting phytochemicals—than those with lighter-colored leaves.

Nuts:

Another source of inflammation-fighting healthy fats is nuts—particularly almonds, which are rich in fiber, calcium, and vitamin E, and walnuts, which have high amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fat. All nuts, though, are packed with antioxidants, which can help your body fight off and repair the damage caused by inflammation. Nuts (along with fish, leafy greens, and whole grains) are a big part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to reduce inflammation in as little as six weeks.

Soy:

Several studies have suggested that isoflavones, estrogen-like compounds found in soy products, may help lower CRP and inflammation levels in women—and a 2007 animal study published in the Journal of Inflammation found that isoflavones also helped reduce the negative effects of inflammation on bone and heart health in mice.

Low fat Diary:

Milk products are sometimes considered a trigger food for inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, because some people have allergies or intolerances to casein, the protein found in dairy. But for people who can tolerate it, low-fat and nonfat milk are an important source of nutrients. Yogurt can also contain probiotics, which can reduce gut inflammation.

Peppers:

Colorful vegetables are part of a healthier diet in general,” says Dr. Costenbader. “As opposed to white potatoes or corn, colorful peppers, tomatoes, squash, and leafy vegetables have high quantities of antioxidant vitamins and lower levels of starch.” Bell peppers are available in a variety of colors, while hot peppers (like chili and cayenne) are rich in capsaicin, a chemical that’s used in topical creams that reduce pain and inflammation.

Tomatoes:

Juicy red tomatoes, specifically, are rich in lycopene, which has been shown to reduce inflammation in the lungs and throughout the body. Cooked tomatoes contain even more lycopene than raw ones, so tomato sauce works, too

Ginger and Turmeric

These spices, common in Asian and Indian cooking, have been shown in various studies to have anti-inflammatory properties. “While the evidence in terms of RA inflammation is not very strong, they are vegetables—and part of a healthy, vegetable-rich diet,” says Dr. Costenbader.

Garlics and onions

There’s a good reason why these pungent vegetables are known for their immunity-boosting properties. In test-tube and animal studies, garlic has been shown to work similarly to NSAID pain medications (like ibuprofen), shutting off the pathways that lead to inflammation. Onions contain similar anti-inflammatory chemicals, including the phytonutrient quercetin and the compound allicin, which breaks down to produce free radical-fighting sulfenic acid.

olive oil:

“Anything that fits into a heart-healthy diet is probably also good for inflammation—and that includes healthy, plant-based fats like olive oil,” says Dr. Zashin, author of Natural Arthritis Treatment. In fact, a 2010 Spanish study found that the Mediterranean diet’s myriad health benefits may be largely due to its liberal use of olive oil, especially the extra-virgin kind. The compound oleocanthal, which gives olive oil its taste, has been shown to have a similar effect as NSAID painkillers in the body.

Berries;

All fruits can help fight inflammation, because they’re low in fat and calories and high in antioxidants. But berries, especially, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties—possibly because of anthocyanins, the powerful chemicals that gives them their rich color.

Cherries:

In a 2012 presentation, Oregon Health & Science University researchers suggested that tart cherries have the “highest anti-inflammatory content of any food.” Studies have found that tart cherry juice can reduce the inflammation in lab rats’ blood vessels by up to 50%; in humans, meanwhile, it’s been shown to help athletes improve their performance and reduce their use of anti-inflammatory pain meds.

 

 

12 Reasons to Stop Multitasking Now!

texting-and-driving-multitaskingTexting while walking, sending emails during meetings, chatting on the phone while cooking dinner. In today’s society, doing just one thing at a time seems downright luxurious, even wasteful.

But chances are, you’re not doing yourself (or your boss, or your friends and family) any favors by multitasking your way through the day. Research shows that it’s not nearly as efficient as we like to believe, and can even be harmful to our health. Here are 12 reasons why you should stop everything you’re doing—well, all but one thing—and rethink the way you work, socialize, and live your life

Chobani recalls moldy yogurt after complaints, FDA probe

Chobani_AP2.jpgU.S. yogurt-maker Chobani is officially recalling moldy cups of Greek yogurt after customers complained that the product tasted runny and fizzy and some reported illnesses.

The recall, announced on Thursday, follows nearly a week after Chobani sought to quietly remove the yogurt from store shelves without alerting the public, a strategy the U.S. Food and Drug Administration called “unusual.”

Privately-held Chobani said it is removing the product “due to some claims of illness,” though a spokeswoman, Amy Juaristi, downplayed the claims, saying the mold, which can occur in dairy, “is unlikely to have ill health effects.” Juaristi said tainted cups would be replaced.

FDA spokeswoman Tamara Ward said the agency is continuing its discussions with Chobani. She declined to give further details. On Wednesday Ward said the FDA was looking into the situation to assess the level of risk to the public and to determine whether the company was communicating appropriately with the public.

Chobani’s problems began last Friday, when unhappy yogurt-eaters began to complain, flooding the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages reporting foul smells, bloated containers, and gastrointestinal distress.

Some commented on the characteristically thick Greek yogurt’s “runny” consistency and said they would not buy Chobani again.

The company had asked some retailers last week to remove certain yogurt cups from store shelves but did not issue a formal recall.

Thursday’s recall was “a voluntary decision to remove any final products that might have been out there,” Juaristi said.

The private company said the problem had affected less than 5 percent of its production and that 95 percent of the tainted cups had been identified by Thursday morning. The mold was limited to yogurt cups produced at Chobani’s Idaho plant. The company also has a plant in New York and one in Australia.

Chobani said cups with the code 16-012 and expiration dates between 9/11/2013 and 10/7/2013 would be replaced.

Euromonitor, a sales tracking firm, ranks Chobani the second-best selling brand in the U.S. Greek-style yogurt market, after Yoplait. Chobani’s chief executive and founder is Hamdi Ulukaya.

Greek-style yogurt, which is thicker, creamier and often higher in protein than other types of yogurt, now makes up more than 40 percent of the U.S. yogurt market, Reuters has reported.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/06/chobani-recalls-moldy-yogurt-after-complaints-fda-probe/#ixzz2eC1qecVf