Eco

Recommendations for Treatment of Blood Pressue

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP),USA, have come out with recommendations to treat Hypertension.Control of systolic blood pressure is as important as control of Diastolic blood pressure. This is a crucial message for health care providers, patients, and their families. For many years, the importance of low...

Amphetamines Help Recovery of Stroke Patients

A new study from Doctors at UT Southwestern in Dallas soon report that amphetamines may speed up the recovery of speech in stroke patients who have lost the function. This study was done on patients who had suffered from ischemic stroke, or a stroke due to loss of blood and oxygen to the brain. Amphetamines were given to 30 stroke patients who lost their ability to spea...

Thyroid hormone treatment hastens recovery after cardiac surgery

Thyroid hormone treatment after surgery requiring heart bypass speeds recovery in children undergoing correction of congenital heart defects, according to a clinical trial published in The Lancet. The effects were greatest in the patients who underwent long and difficult surgeries. Following trauma or surgery or during a critical illness, thyroid hormone concentrations plummet. Ma...

Patient’s perception of health status helps in better recover

We always insist that we should feel healthy to actually live healthy. Doctors in England say that following a coronary bypass surgery; the patient’s attitude helps in an early recovery. To justify this argument the researchers conducted a health survey just before coronary bypass operations and assessed the patient’s own perception of his/her own health status. Following surgery those wh...

Frozen Canadian baby stages miraculous recovery

When she was brought to the hospital, doctors declared her clinically dead, but lo and behold, she was awake and smiling on Monday in a miraculo...

Exclusive breast-feeding advised for six months in infants recommends World Health Organization

A resolution put forward by Brazil, at the annual assembly of the world health organization is to be accepted advising exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months in all infants. The resolution was passed at the committee stage on Wednesday after 2 hours of debate where many national delegates and members of charitable organizations argued vehemently for breast-feeding. Nestle, a...

New point scale to ascertain the stroke recovery

Stroke is undoubtedly the most common neurological disorder and one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Five million people die of stroke each year and more than 15 million suffer non-fatal strokes. But the question of the day is about the recovery - whether the patient would recover and if so how long would it take. Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Dis...

Helping stroke patients to recover balance

Researchers in France say that the distorting spectacles can help stroke patients with posture problems to recover their balance. They think that the spectacles reset the patient's mental makeup and hope that the effect will lead to a long-lasitng cure for some postural problems. People who have a stroke affecting the brain's right hemisphere may suffer paralysis down their left...

New FDA Approved Drug NATRECOR For Heart Failure Patients

The US government has approved a genetically engineered drug called NATRECOR to ease the breathing of hospitalized congestive heart failure patients. Congestive heart failure is a condition // in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body's other organs. Most of the patients with congestive heart failure suffer flare-ups in which they gasp for breath and need...

Recouping blood flow after a stroke

The brain can grow new blood vessels after a minor stroke, which helps to restore blood flow in the damaged area. The brain tries to heal itself after a stroke. We know that people gradually recover lost functions - like speech and movement in many cases. Now a study in laboratory rats reveals that the blood supply of the brain can respond to stroke damage. Researchers at the Harvard...

Second hope for men with erectile dysfunction

Pfizer's Viagra was a blessing in disguise for the over 150 million around the world who silently suffered from the male sexual disorder called erectile dysfunction. Now, these men have a second hope with two new drugs introduced(and waiting for approval from the U.S. FDA) by the drug majors Eli Lilly and Bayer. The drugs, Cialis (tadalafil), by Eli Lilly, and Levitra (vardenafil), by Bay...

Study Finds Low Socio-Economic Status Linked to Poor Dental Health

An article appearing in the American Journal of Public Health says that low income groups and those with little education are more prone to suffer from severe dental diseases//. The study arrived at these conclusions after analyzing data from 15,000 people residing in North Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota and Maryland. The researchers say that a person's income was intimately tied to t...

Surgeons implant second artificial heart

Kentucky surgeons who implanted the world's first self-contained artificial heart in a 59-year-old man more than 2 months ago announced on Thursday that they have installed a second such device in a 70-year-old man. The latest patient, who was not identified, was recovering in intensive care at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, the hospital said in a statement. // The self-contained mech...

Health Officials Recommend Flu Vaccine

In the past, they could be signs of flu. These days, people fear the symptoms could mean anthrax. That is one reason they are willing to wait in hours-long lines to get a shot of influenza vaccine this year: They want to avoid both the flu and anthrax panic. "We're getting a tremendous amount of calls and a tremendous response'' to flu vaccination clinics, said Cindy Schulte of the Schene...

Women recognise faces better

Women beat men hands down when it comes to recognising faces, according to an Internet based experiement conducted in Sweden. Researchers at Halmstand University approached 10,000 people via e-mail, asking them to take part in an online face-recognition trial. More than 1800 took part. The found that not only were women much better at face recognition that men, but also less susceptibl...

Overweight children Don't Necessarily Become overweight adults

The idea that children who are overweight will grow up to be overweight adults isn't especially accurate. Many studies have found that body mass index in childhood is very often reflected in body mass index in adulthood. People who were thinnest as children and fattest as adults tended to have the highest adult risk of disease. The study looked at the health records of 1,142 children....

New Drug, Pleconaril speeds recovery from common cold

Colds are the single most frequent reason why people go to the doctor. Antibiotics are worthless against colds, though doctors often prescribe them anyway. Researchers have developed a drug that speeds recovery from the common cold -- a significant breakthrough for scientists who have been in pursuit of a cure for decades. The new drug, Pleconaril -- which is still months away from drugs...

Recovery from lung injury

According to researchers older people have a less chance of surviving lung injury. But recovery is possible if ventilator treatment is given in time. On an average older people are more susceptible to lung problems that leave them needing the help of a ventilator.// What's not been clear is whether they do as well with treatment as those who are younger. A new study suggests that age is i...

Computers may become surgeons

Brain surgery, endoscopies and other complicated medical procedures could be made safer and faster in the future by using computers. Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles are examining the way people use vision// to interact with their environment and are attempting to design computer systems based on their findings. Currently, surgeons routinely use technology tha...

Risk Of Decongestants In Hypertensive Patients

Having a stuffy nose can be unpleasant, but doctors say that discomfort is minor compared to the risk of taking over-the-counter decongestants if you have high blood pressure. Though they are generally safe, many popular cold and flu medicines contain decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, which doctors say may aggravate blood pressure problems.// And while products c...

A new recovery for heart attacks

Researchers form Australia have correlated a molecular 'switch' that helps our body's cells make up when oxygen levels fall, a finding that could provide the basis for future drugs to help in recovery from stroke and heart attack.// A team from the University of Adelaide's Molecular Biosciences department and CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition report their findings in this week's issu...

Effective And Economical Agent For Anthrax

As anthrax and other biological weapons continue to be worrisome threats, common pest control agent called methyl bromide is more effective and cheaper// than current treatments in eradicating deadly bacterial spores from buildings. Tests indicate that the methylbromide - used for more than 50 years to control insect pests in buildings, grain elevators and fresh fruit - is a better option...

FDA debates status of decongestant drugs

An advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration agreed that an ingredient commonly used in over-the-counter decongestants is unsafe, and it plans to recommend further review by the FDA. The FDA Non-Prescription Drugs Advisory Committee met to discuss a new five-year study by Yale University researchers that found phenyl-propanolamine (PPA), an active ingredient in non-prescr...

Assisting stroke patients to recover balance

Researchers in France say that the distorting spectacles can help stroke patients with posture problems to recover their balance. They think that the spectacles reset the patient's mental makeup and hope that the effect will lead to a long-lasting cure for some postural problems.// People who have a stroke affecting the brain's right hemisphere may suffer paralysis down their left sid...

New Vitamin K Recommendations

Vitamin K plays a critical role in helping your blood clot properly.It is so important that all newborns receive an injection immediately after birth to prevent bleeding. The vitamin is found most commonly in leafy green vegetables and is made by bacteria //in the intestine.Since newborns do not have bacteria established, they need supplemental vitamin K. An Adequate Intake level of...

Recognizing heart risk in dialysis patients

In a recent research they suggest that high levels of C-reactive protein and low levels of albumin indicate high risk of heart disease in kidney patients. Of the 25% of patients who die while on kidney dialysis,// half do so from heart disease. Previous studies suggest that such patients run between five and one hundred times the risk of heart problems compared to the rest of the populati...

Spine Surgeries becoming less painful

The number of people suffering from spine problems is on the rise; the most common of them being a herniated disc and spinal canal stenosis. Herniated disc is more common in the age group of 25 to 35 years while spinal canal stenosis is common among// older people. Hitherto, both these disorders were treated through conventional spine surgeries which required an incision of about 12cms to...

Barcodes to become newborns' ID

A new system has been developed to prevent mix-ups over identification of newborn babies. The system, which records the fingerprints of newborns as barcodes, has been introduced in the maternity ward of La Zarzuela Hospital in Madrid, Spain. As soon as babies are born, their fingerprints, and those of their// mothers, are stored in electronic barcodes which mother and baby wear on their...

H.Pylori testing recommended in patients with peptic ulcer

Researchers in the United States have found that the practice of testing and treating H.Pylori has steadily increased over the past 14 years. However, they suggested that patients with confirmed peptic ulcer disease should be tested for Helicobacter Pylori(H.Pylori) infection rather than receiving treatment for the infection as a matter of course. Testing was a more appropriate option// t...

Cancers & Reconstruction

A team of doctors from different specialties, recently joined hands to demonstrate how a team based approach can benefit cancer patients. Dr. Peter Costantino, an otolaryngologist, about three years ago, found a rare and often fatal tumor in Angela Carrozza’s nasal cavity and right eye socket. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, nearly 38,000 cases of head and neck can...

Second SARS suspect fuels worry in India

After the country reported a new suspected case of the disease fears of the deadly SARS virus grew in India. This happened hours after doctors gave the cleared a woman suspected of being India's first SARS case. In Hyderabed a 48-year-old software worker was immediately admitted to a hospital after he arrived from Australia via Singapore. He had symptoms of high fever, cough and cold simi...

Diabetes could become an epidemic

The Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation is predicting a 300pc rise in the number of people affected by Type 2 Diabetes, though other experts say this figure is possibly a little high. In a new report from the DRWF it is indicated that an epidemic of type two diabetes is to occur. If left untreated or mismanaged the condition can lead to heart disease, blindness and kidney failure. I...

Gynecological Surgeries Reduce Cancer Risk

Gynecological surgery can substantially reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in women at high risk for the condition, according to new research. Researchers say the magnitude of the risk reduction depends upon the type and extent of surgery. Ovarian cancer has the highest fatality rate of all gynecological cancer and few preventive or screening options. One of the strong predictors of develo...

Recognize Heart Attack Signs

When someone has a heart attack, the most important thing they can do to increase their chances of surviving and minimize damage to their heart is to get help as soon as possible. That might seem obvious, but according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, many people take a "wait and see" attitude when they experience heart attack symptoms because they don't recognize the si...

Radiation after Breast Reconstruction

Previous studies have shown breast cancer patients who receive radiation therapy after undergoing breast reconstruction and a mastectomy may be more likely to develop complications.// However, a new study shows this may not be the case. Researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center studied 85 women with breast cancer who underwent a mastectomy, breast reconstruction, and postoperative r...

Animals Can give us a second chance at life

In the 1960s, surgeons experimented by transplanting chimpanzee organs into humans in need of an organ transplant. In 1985, Baby Fae received a baboon heart and survived 20 days. // Since then, doctors have continued to look to animals as a source for organs, tissues and cells to treat various diseases, all with varying degrees of success. Here’s a look at the controversy surrounding cros...

Animals can give us a second chance at life

In the 1960s, surgeons experimented by transplanting chimpanzee organs into humans in need of an organ transplant. In 1985, Baby Fae received a baboon heart and survived 20 days. Since then, doctors// have continued to look to animals as a source for organs, tissues and cells to treat various diseases, all with varying degrees of success. Here’s a look at the controversy surrounding cross...

“ Economy Class Syndrome

Their study finds even flying in business class can put people at increased risk of developing dangerous blood clots during long flights.// The link between blood clots (venous thromboembolism) and prolonged sitting was first described during World War II, when doctors noticed a rise in fatal pulmonary embolisms among people who slept in deck chairs in London air raid shelters. The asso...

Parents Should Look For Signs Of Children Becoming Overweight

In a most recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 30 percent of children have a body mass index above the 85th percentile,// and 15 percent of children have a BMI above the 95th percentile, which has doubled over the last 20 years and the National Institutes of Health report that overweight adolescents have a 70-percent chance of becoming overweight adults, wh...

Recovery After Heart Transplantation

While still considered major surgery, heart transplantation has been around for almost 40 years. Most of the time, problems arise //after the person goes home. Some of those problems are fatal. Now a new drug on the horizon is helping transplant patients lead a normal life. Patients are at risk of two major problems after surgery -- rejection of the donor heart and a condition called car...