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Use of Cellular Phones associated with Increased risk of Brain Tumors

A recent article published by a team in Sweden suggests that there is an increased risk of brain cancer in the areas of highest exposure in patients using digital telephones (Case Control Study on Radiology work, Medical X-Ray Investigations, and Cellular Telephones as Risk Factors for Brain Tumors, Hardell, et al, May 4, 2000, www.medscape.com). Their analysis focused on the effect of d...

Prince Charles lends support to Alternative Medicine

In an open show of support to Alternative Medicine, Britain's Prince Charles has urged the government to allocate 10 million pounds ($14.21 million) to fund a five-year research program into the effects of alternative medicine. The world is now sitting up and taking notice of holistic medicine and Prince Charles’s support to fund research in this field has come as a shot in the arm for th...

Mortality increased in Sporting enthusiasts!

Several times we have seen the newspapers carrying a news article about how some ardent cricket fan suffered a Heart attack and died following a high strung cricket match between India and Pakistan! A recent report by a Dutch research team under Dr. Diederick E. Grobbee has revealed that there is an increased mortality due to stoke and MI [Myocardial Infarction] after a major game. As co...

Cancer drugs in development nearly doubled since 1995

The number of drugs being developed for the treatment of cancer has nearlydoubled during the past six years, according to a new survey of pharmaceuticalcompanies.Currently, 170 pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms various CancerInstitutes are investigating 402 compounds for the treatment of variouscancers, up from 215 in 1995. Many of the drugs are alternatives to standardradiatio...

Tattoos may significantly increase risk of hepatitis C infection

It is a fad these days to sport tattoos. Kids often show off their sticker tattoos. But adults go a step further. Permanent tattoos, which are permanent reminders throughout life, in different designs and shapes, are very popular. However there is a darker side to the whole affair. The study in the United States of America says that tattoos significantly increase the risk of hepatiti...

Increase in sugar...decrease in brain function!!!

Long term effects of increase in blood sugar namely blindness, malfunction of the kidneys are known. But what about their immediate effects??. The researchers of Virginia have now come out with astonishing details that a raise in the blood sugar decreases the brain function. More than 100 adults with type 1 diabetes hwo had four symptoms which included, being sleepy; having dry eyes, nos...

E Merck introduces Livogen Z with zinc sulphate

E Merck has launched Livogen Z, in the market with zinc sulphate.Livogen Z is one of the three versions of the trademark haematinic drug Livogen.Livogen was an old product of Glaxo India with Rs 3 crore revenue.Glaxo India Ltd has sold its Livogen brand to E Merck India Ltd. According to a notification sent to the // Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Glaxo India signed a memorandum of unde...

Increase in tobacco deaths

Around one third of men in China will die from smoking, unless they give up now.A survey of deaths occurring in Hong Kong in 1998 may foreshadow what is likely to happen on the mainland in the future. Doctors at the University of Beijing find that tobacco was the cause of 33% of all male deaths and 5% of female deaths in the 30 to 65 age group. When male smokers only are considered, to...

Increased Heart Attack Risk From Celebrex,Vioxx

CELEBREX (celecoxib capsules) is used for relief of the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis and adult rheumatoid arthritis. By effectively reducing the pain, inflammation and stiffness of arthritis, celebrex can help you through the day with activities like standing, walking or climbing stairs, and through the night while sitting or lying in bed. Since their introduction in 1999, th...

Role of zinc in development

Researchers from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) discovered that children in South east Asia had better resistance to disease if they took extra zinc in addition to Vitamin A and iron supplements. In the past, zinc was largely ignored due to the difficulty in measuring zinc levels in the blood. Scientists now know that zinc deficiency leads to a reduction in...

Human gene number increases

A new estimate puts the paltry number of human genes more than 30 per cent higher. At around 30,000, the gene number estimated from the human genome sequence seemed scanty compared with the mustard weeds' (25,000) and the fruitfly's (13,000). Michael Cooke and colleagues at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation in San Diego, California compared the two gene sets and f...

Stress response increases suicide risk

Psychological responses to stress may cause significant problems including suicidal impulses. It is well-known that some people respond to major stressors - like war and natural calamities with a full-blown crisis known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where there is emotional numbness, panic and anxiety. And even lesser stressful events, like having an operation, can precipitate...

Sleep apnoea increases post-operative risks

People with sleep apnoea (shortness of breath) experience a greater risk of complications after elective knee or hip replacement. In sleep apnoea - which is most common in obese people - the muscles of the back of the throat relax during sleep and so obstruct the airways. The person stops breathing, momentarily, many times during the night and levels of oxygen in the blood fall.// Res...

New therapy better at increasing bone density

According to researchers, adding vitamin D to oestrogen and progesterone therapy for older women increases their bone density.It is already well established that hormone replacement therapy - oestrogen plus progesterone helps prevent osteoporosis in women past the menopause. According to researchers at Creighton University in the US, a new study covering 400 women, that this blend of horm...

Long travel increase pulmonary embolism

According to researchers from France, the number of miles you fly affects your risk of pulmonary embolism. There's increasing concern that long haul travel could increase the risk of blood clotting in the veins of the legs (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT). If the clot breaks off, it may travel to the lungs, forming a pulmonary embolism (PE) which is a potentially life-threatening condition....

Antidepressants increase gastric bleeding

A new survey suggests that certain antidepressants increase the risk of a gastrointestinal bleed in older patients. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a group of antidepressants which are very widely prescribed. They are preferred over older drugs because they are relatively free of side effects. But, as Researchers at Ottawa Hospital in Canada have just shown, they a...

Historic Increase In Incidence Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases In Scotland

The number of HIV cases in Scotland last year reached the highest figure over the past two decades according to an NHS report, the preliminary work of which started in 1986.// In view of increasing HIV testing, nearly 364 new cases were identified in 2004 alone. The incidence of other sexually transmitted infections also showed a considerable increase with the number of cases diagnose...

HIV kids helped by zinc -study

Supplementation of Zinc with Anti-retroviral drugs for children’s with AIDS was found to reduce deaths due to diarrhea in HIV infected children’s //and also found to enhance the immune system which helps to fight against the virus. The study was conducted by Physician Moss and his colleagues from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland and the study results published...

Indian Incense Invades American Senses

Washington: Walk into Lake Forest Mall, White Flint Mall or any other mall in America and the aroma that wafts into your senses is indelibly Indian//. This is Indian incense at its zenith, and there is no mistaking the aroma of sandalwood, jasmine or the heady champa. "We are importing agarbattis (incense sticks) from India on a large scale," says Martha Rodman at the Next s...

Medicare Queries Expected To Increase Over Time

The long awaited Medicare prescription drug benefit plan (Rite Aid) was at last implemented in areas close to Long Island and New York City yesterday. This brought in mixed feelings of anxiety and joy regarding the concept. // "There's a lot of confusion about insurance, period, this is just going to add to it," said Greg Jackson, at Rite Aid on West 109th Street in Manhattan. A very...

Exposure To Cadmium Associated With Increased Cancer Risk

People exposed to the metal cadmium in the environment have an increased cancer risk, according to Belgian researchers.The study, authored by Dr Jan A Staessen Iuniversity of Leuven, Belgium, was reported online in The Lancet Oncology. // Cadmium, a ubiquitous pollutant in industrial nations, has toxic effects. Due to its slow half-life, it accumulates in the body over a person’s life...

Increase In obesity among Canadians

Researchers Peter Katzmarzyk and Caitlin Mason from Queens University, Canada has reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal the data analyzed from seven national surveys which reported the obesity// and overweight in Canadian public. The data was collected from reports which were published between 1985 to 2003. The study showed an increasing trend of Body Mass Index in Canadian...

Gene Therapy Helps To Cure 'Incurable' Illness

The immune systems of two men who were born with an "incurable" genetic disorder that made them almost defenceless against bacterial and fungal infections has been repaired with Gene therapy. // Sixteen months after an operation to repair a defective gene, the once severely ill patients show signs of complete recovery, a German-based team of scientists said Sunday.Scientists believe that...

Deep Sleep Doesn't Increase Memory

Students who go to bed early to be ready for a big test the next day might be missing the mark, according to a study to be released Friday by a San Fernando Valley researcher that finds a good night's sleep does not increase memory. // REM sleep is a deep sleep during which an individual's eyes dart rapidly under closed eyelids and the body is almost completely paralyzed except for...

Zinc supplements improve survival rate

Daily zinc supplements given to babies with low birth weight can significantly improve survival rates, especially in countries where infants often die from infectious diseases. The research involved 1,154 full-term but smaller than normal babies born in New Delhi, India, most weighing 5 1/2 pounds or less. Mothers fed them supplements containing zinc or minerals for nine months. Fifteen o...

Allergy Risk Increased by Kerosene Use

The use of refined fossil fuels--especially kerosene, which is sometimes used for heating, cooking, and as a light source--may cause sniffling, wheezing, itching, and other allergy symptoms. Although the exact mechanism is unclear, researchers speculate that the fuels may somehow irritate the nasal lining and set the stage for an inflammatory or allergic response. // The researchers s...

IVF technique May Increase The Risk Of Birth Defects

The commonly used in vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may increase the risk of babies being born with abnormalities such as ambiguous genitalia. Researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, say that men whose infertility is genetic are likely to have other, more serious genetic faults that can be passed on when spermatozoa are injecte...

Strokes increased during squatting

Squatting may increase the risk of stroke, particularly if a person is defecating, researchers suggest.Doctors in Calcutta, India found a third of stroke deaths occurred while people were squatting.// Results presented to the World Congress of Neurology in London showed how doctors started investigating when they realised they were seeing more stroke patients in the morning than any other...

Vaginosis increases risk of miscarriage

Pregnant women who contract a common bacterial infection of the vagina are more likely to miscarry in the early stages of pregnancy, researchers have found.// Bacterial vaginosis, a form of inflammation of the vagina, is the most common cause of abnormal discharge among women of childbearing age. It affects 24% of pregnant women. The researchers studied 850 women undergoing in vitro fe...

Asthmatics at increased risk of lung cancer

People who suffer from asthma, particularly women, may have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Over a period of 30 years, researchers studied almost 100,000 patients who had been hospitalised and diagnosed with asthma.// None of the patients showed any signs of cancer at their initial assessment. Their health was monitored from the second year after asthma diagnosis until the la...

Step Aerobics Increases good cholesterol

According to researchers in France, doing regular exercise can improve a person's cholesterol levels, step aerobics may give a particular boost to the "good" HDL cholesterol that protects against heart diseases,their small study showed that although both step aerobics and traditional,// step-less aerobics classes improved women's overall cholesterol, only the steppers saw their HDL rise....

Serotonin increases stroke risk

According to a new study the use of serotonin-raising drugs like antidepressants and slimming pills in combination may trigger a stroke. In common the mecahnism of durgs is by increasing the levels of serotonin, a natural chemical with many different roles in the body.// Examples include diet pills, anti-migraine drugs and some of the newer antidepressants. Researchers at the Health wel...

Depression increases heart attacks

A new study suggests that people who are affected with depression are more likely to die of a heart attack than those who are not depressed.Led by Dr. Robert M. Carney at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, //the researchers concluded that depressed people tend to have poor heart rate variability (HRV). Heart rate variability is the rythm of the heart and a...

Excess vitamin A increases fracture risk

According to a new study long-term intake of a diet high in retinol or vitamin A may increase the risk of osteoporotic hip fracture. Any vitamin or mineral taken in adequately is good for health. Excess or less quantities of the nutrients is not good and ineffective.// We tend to think that vitamins are good for us - but that's not always the case, particularly when one component is taken...

High vitamin A increases risk of hip fractures

Too much vitamin A may increase the risk of hip fractures in older women. Vitamin A is important for such things as healthy skin and hair and bone growth.// Researchers found that women with the highest total intake - both from food and vitamin supplements - had double the risk of hip fractures compared with women with the lowest intake. One theory is that too much vitamin A inhibits...

Zinc may enhance growth in Young sickle cell patients

Sickle cell disease, sometimes called sickle cell anemia, is a hereditary condition that causes red blood cells to become sickle-shaped, which makes it difficult// for the cells to pass through the bloodstream to deliver oxygen to the body's tissues. Young sickle cell patients who are having delays in their growth and maturation may benefit from supplemental zinc, a mineral essential for...

New Birth Control Pills increase the stroke risk

Despite lower levels of estrogen, the new generations of birth control pills double the risk of stroke for women who take them. Researchers say the newest pills are no safer than the older versions when it comes to clotting problems.// In fact, the third-generation pills may be more dangerous than the second-generation ones. The first generation pills, introduced in 1960, was a mix of...

Less sleep increases mortality rates

According to sleep researchers people who sleep for more or less than seven hours a night have increased mortality rates. A study of over one million adults conducted over a six year time period// shows that the old advice that you need eight hours sleep a night might need modifying. Looking at the length of time people sleep and its relationship to life expectancy, researchers at the Uni...

Scios Inc. targets drug giants in arthritis war

Scios Inc. , a small California biotechnology company, is racing giant rivals to bring a pill to market that would displace injectable anti-inflammatory drugs and set a new standard in arthritis treatment. Scios' ambitions are much larger than its market capitalization of a little more than $1 billion. That's because the first company to commercialize an oral version of today's dominant i...

Smoking during pregnancy increases risk of cleft palate

Researchers from the university of Michigan state that Women who smoke while pregnant are 60 percent to 70 percent more likely than nonsmokers to give birth// to a baby with a cleft lip or palate. The risk of the birth defect rises with the number of cigarettes that a mother-to-be smokes each day, even after factors like the mother's race, age and educational level are considered. The fin...