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Immunosupressants for Eczema

Here's to all of you who thought that one only uses corticosteroids for skin disease. Yet, the host of drugs that have come out in the recent years which are dermatocentric are astounding and here is another. Using Tacrolimus, the agent which was devised for liver transplantation, there has been found to vast symptomatic relief of patients. Eczema is a devastating disease because of its c...

Half of world's children are passive smokers - damning disclosure from WHO

The world health organisation has come out with a damning disclosure that half the world's children are passive smoke. In a message on "No Tobacco Day 2001," World Health Organization chief Gro Harlem Brundtland said 700 million children were exposed to the health hazard because most governments still allowed smoking in public places. She added that scientists around the world agreed that...

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...

Antenatal kerosene exposure endangers child's sight

A research has found that if pregnant women whose jobs require too much exposure to solvents like kerosene, gasoline,glues etc may be more likely to have chilren with defective eyesight. Head researcher Dr. Gideon Koren and colleagues//, from Toronto published this in Jornal of Occupational health. They found that poor vision acuity (sharpness) were more common among children whose mo...

Exposure to EMF may cause leukemia

Long periods of exposure to high level electromagnetic fields (EMF) at home could double the risk of childhood leukemia, a major international study has found. //The three-year review was carried out for the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) by six senior epidemiologists from major institutions around the world. Leukemia, which develops in the bone...

How trees affect sun exposure

Do not assume that standing under a tree affords complete protection from the sun, say researchers at Hopkins University. When the sun comes out, it's pleasant to sit under a tree and assume that the foliage must be protecting you from the sun. But don't take the shade for granted, say researchers at Purdue University in the US.// They've built a mathematical model which reveals just...

Warning on radiowave exposure

Experts at the electromagnetic radiation research center feel, that we need to learn more about the health risks of low level radiowaves. Radiowaves and microwaves play an increasing role in everyday life - what with cellphones,// wireless computers and personal digital assistants, pagers, and text messengers. We often walk past cellphone base stations, often unaware of their existence....

Impact on Lung function based on exposure

According to a new study, the the functionality of lungs can be well analysed based on the things we are exposed to in our early days. Scientists have long known a test called forced expiratory volume in 1 second, or FEV 1, //is an effective measure of lung function and predictor of morbidity and death. While FEV 1 tends to decline with age, investigators have speculated factors like expo...

Occupational exposurer aises respiratory symptoms

According to a Norwegian study of 1656 subjects over an eleven year period reveals how exposure to dust and fumes in the workplace is linked to a significant increase in respiratory symptoms.// Initially, 2500 subjects from the city of Bergen and its surroundings were enrolled in 1985 and asked about lung symptoms, workplace dust and fume exposure, smoking habits and asthma. Then, aft...

Kidney function can be affected by lead exposure

Earlier studies have shown that exposure to lead may lead to deterioration of kidney function. Researchers in Taiwan, in a new study, have now shown that kidney function in people with chronic kidney problems may be adversely affected due to environmental lead exposure. The researchers studied a group of people with chronic kidney disease in which there were some who had a normal body bur...

Exposure To Tobacco Smoke Can Lead To Sickle Cell Crisis

A recent study finds children with sickle cell disease are more likely to end up in the hospital with a sickle cell crisis if they live in households where people smoke.// Study after study has confirmed exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke can harm the health of nonsmokers. It is found that exposure to smoke affects the way the blood handles oxygen, leading to a vast array of problems....

Radiation Exposure Found To Affect Intellect Later In Life

According to recent findings researchers say the risks and benefits of using CT scanning for young children need to be re-evaluated.// Researchers from Sweden studied more than 3,000 men who received radiation therapy before 18 months of age. Participants had their intellectual capacity tested at age 18 years or 19 years. Researchers also studied school attendance records for the young m...

Cancer Risk From Exposure To Diagnostic X-Rays

Diagnostic X-rays are the largest man made source of radiation exposure to the general population. Although there are // many benefits to these X-rays, it’s also believed exposure during the test is responsible for a small number of cancers. A new study attempts to calculate the risk of cancer from exposure to diagnostic X-rays. Researchers at the University of Oxford and Cancer Research...

Limiting Infants Exposure To Smoke At Home

Smoking in the home limits infants’ exposure to tobacco smoke. Infant exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increases the risk // of sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, and other respiratory conditions. A recent study analyzed the urinary cotinine levels, a byproduct of nicotine, of 314 infants living in smoking households. Participating infants were between 4 weeks and 24 weeks old....

Exposure To Night Light may Increase The Risk Of Leukemia

A pitch-black room may be the healthiest environment for your child at bedtime. According to new research , increased light at night // may put children at risk for leukemia. Researchers have determined that light at night is found to disrupt the circadian rhythm and suppress the production of melatonin. As an antioxidant, in many studies melatonin has been shown to protect DNA from oxi...

Understanding The Harmful Effects Of Radiation Exposure

According to recent findings researchers say the risks and benefits of using CT scanning for young children need to be re-evaluated.// Researchers from Sweden studied more than 3,000 men who received radiation therapy before 18 months of age. Participants had their intellectual capacity tested at age 18 years or 19 years. Researchers also studied school attendance records for the young me...

Asbestos Exposure Associated With An Increased Risk For Autoimmune Disease

Asbestos exposure has long been associated with cancers, fibrosis and other diseases. Based on findings of a recent study researchers say // exposure to asbestos may lay the groundwork for future autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Researchers examined 50 residents from Libby, which is known to be polluted by asbestos. They found these residents were...

Pesticide exposure may cause Parkinson’s diseas

Scientists have reportd that exposure to pesticides may raise the risk f Parkinson’s disease considerably//. The more a person is exposed to the pesticides the highre are his chances of developing Parkinson’s. The reseaearchers have studied about 3000 people in Europan countries who either have suffered from the diseases or were of similar backgrounds and exposed to risk factors like p...

Prenatal exposure to air pollution causes chromosomal damage

Pregnant mothers who are constantly exposed to air pollutions of big// cities may harm their unborn child by the air they inhale. Inhalation of polluted air of the metros can change the chromosomes of the fetus in womb. Pollutant particles emitted from the cars, trucks, buses, tobacco smoke, combustion etc can penetrate the placenta enough to harm the chromosome of the fetus....

Hearing loss can happen from regular exposure to carbon monoxide

Animal studies have shown the regular exposure to carbon monoxide can damage// the ears of young children. Carbon monoxide enters into the atmosphere from kerosene and gas stove combustions, generators and other liquid fuel powered equipments, car exhaust and tobacco smokes. At moderate concentrations carbon monoxide can cause angina, poor vision, and at times brain function impairment...

Low dose Radiation Exposure May Cause Cancer

In a large study conducted by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France on nuclear workers has found // that the workers who are exposed to chronic low doses of radiation have a slightly higher risk of developing cancer. This is the largest study ever conducted in 15 countries involving 407,000 nuclear industry workers. It was estimated that the chronic exposure c...

Exposure to cigarette smoke when in the womb can lead to asthma

Children, who are exposed to passive smoking when in the womb of the mother, may have asthma at a later age.// Researchers of the study had conducted an 11-year observation of incidence of asthma and other respiratory diseases in Norway said that maternal smoking is significantly related to incidence of asthma in childhood. Passive smoking by the other household family members also ma...

Exposure to Pesticides in Schools Produces Illnesses Among Employees, Students

The number of school children getting affected by illnesses due to exposure to //pesticides have increased significantly, from the figures of 1998 to 2002, reports a research in the recent issue of JAMA. “Exposure to pesticides in the school environment is a health risk facing children and school employees,” background information in the article states. Pesticides continue to be used b...

Exposure to tobacco smoke causes genetic damage in fetus

Exposure of pregnant women to tobacco smoke causes genetic damage// in the developing fetus, says a US study. Earlier studies have shown that smoking during pregnancy causes genetic damage in the developing fetus that can be detected at birth. Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School...

WHO Steps Up To Create A Public Awareness About The Consequences Of Exposure To Radon

Radon is a chemically inert, naturally occurring radioactive gas// without odour, colour or taste. Radon is a natural radioactive gas that emanates from the ground into the air. Radon gas in the air is present worldwide, its concentration depending on the highly variable uranium content of the soil. Radon gas escapes easily from the ground into the air and emits heavily ionizing radiation...

Exposure To Greenery And Graffiti May Affect Obesity

Research has pointed out that city people who are more exposed to graffiti on the walls of the cities and less to the greenery may be more likely to become obese than their counterparts living with more greenery. The findings // of this interesting research were published in the latest edition of BMJ. Obesity levels are high and increasing worldwide, and studies have suggested that pla...

Radio-guided Neurosurgery for treatment of Brain cancer

Radio-guided Neurosurgery using a gamma probe for the treatment of brain cancer is the new technology developed by doctors at The Manipal Institute of Neurological Disorders at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore. // The new technique effectively removes the brain tumor. Removal of brain tumors surgically leads to enormous risks and the success of the tumor removal entirely depends on the s...

Second Hand Exposure To Smoke In Childhood Can Cause Respiratory Problems Later

Researchers from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) had found that second-hand exposure to smoke during childhood increases the risk of respiratory problems that may last a lifetime. // The study of 35,000 adult non-smokers in Singapore found that those who lived with a smoker during childhood had more respiratory problems, including chronic cough. Study parti...

Immunosuppressive drug shows promise in treatment of eye disorder

It is a routine practice to prescribe drugs called immunosuppressant to transplant patients to prevent the transplanted organs from being rejected. The medical community has only been interested in worrying about the problems caused due to immunosuppression. Looking at the other side of the coin, there seems to be benefits as well.// It has been found out that the immunosuppressive dr...

Occupational Exposure To Radiation Causes Chromosome Aberrations

Professor Manoor Prakash Hande and his colleagues from National University of Singapore studied the effect of plutonium exposure and risk of developing Chromosomal aberrations leading to cancer// in Plutonium plant workers. The study is mainly aimed at identifying biomarkers for easy detection and identification of chromosome aberrations. The study is also aimed at finding a link between...

Mineral Oil exposure increases risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Occupational exposure to certain chemicals has been known to be associated with health hazards like acute bronchitis, cancer etc. from time immemorial. But it is known not until recently that rheumatoid arthritis risk is increased // following occupational exposure to mineraloil. The exact causative factor rheumatiod factor remains unestablished. However, a number of genetic, hormonal...

Lead exposure plus high blood pressure Leads to impaired mental ability

Exposure to lead in early childhood and adolescence may contribute to hypertension-related decline that can impair a person's cognitive abilities. // Both lead exposure and hypertension have been associated with cognitive impairments in older adults. The study indicates that the interaction between lead exposures early in life combined with high blood pressure in working age adults ma...

Mineral Oil exposure increases risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Occupational exposure to certain chemicals has been known to be associated with health hazards like acute bronchitis, cancer etc. from time immemorial. But it is known not until recently that rheumatoid arthritis risk is increased // following occupational exposure to mineraloil. The exact causative factor rheumatiod factor remains unestablished. However, a number of genetic, hormonal...

Ruling On Non Disclosure Of HIV Positive Status Is Not Ethical

You may expect your partner to inform you of his/her HIV status, but as far as law goes, you don't have a legal stand on this. Even horrifying is the fact that you have to rely on the quality of condom to protect you // from the virus. The Wellington District Court, New Zealand, dismissed the charges of criminal nuisance against Justin Dalley, who was charged with criminal nuisance aft...

Cryosurgery – Freeze Therapy For Lung Cance

Dr. Omar Maiwand and his team from Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust have found Cryosurgery effective in removing tumor// in lung cancer patients. The Harefield team has so far operated 16 patients using this freezing technology. Cryosurgery is undergone in patients where conventional surgical removal of tumor mass is not possible. It is estimated that about 20% of patients removing...

Chronic Exposure To Benzene May Result In Dysplasia

Autoimmune-mediated bone marrow injury is an early or predisposing event in the pathogenesis of benzene-induced persistent hematopoietic disease, according to recent // research which appears online on September 23 in the journal Leukemia Research. Myelodysplastic syndrome is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, dysplasia in one or more hema...

Acute Shortage Of Neurosurgeons In India: One Surgeon For Every 1 Million!

India has a severe shortfall of neurosurgeons with only one surgeon for every one million population. There is hence a greater need to build up trained manpower in the country. This is comparatively lower when compared to the situation in US and Japan where the ratio is 100,000 // and 6000 for every one million population respectively. Dr.A.K. Mahapatra, professor in the Department of...

The Exposure Of Cadmium And Its Effects On Kidneys

In 1999 an ongoing population-based Swedish study, Women's Health in the Lund Area, was expanded to include low-level cadmium exposure. Analysis of the data collected now reveals a small but significant kidney response to low-level cadmium exposure [EHP 113:1627-1631]//. This suggests that low-level cadmium exposure may pose a significant public health risk. The general population is like...

Immunosuppressive Action Of Fungal Metabolite - Gliotoxin

Researchers from Japan have recently demonstrated the first evidence that mast cell is a direct target of gliotoxin. Fungal secondary metabolites such as gliotoxin, an epipolythiodioxopiperazine toxin produced by pathogenic fungi like Candida and Aspergillus//, possess immunosuppressive activities and have been thought to contribute to pathology of fungal infections in animals and human...

Exposure to Chill can result in common cold symptoms

London:Exposure to chill Chilling can result in bring on common cold symptoms, says a new scientific research study which that also approves ratifies the conventional wisdom of mothers about cold. // Mothers often advice not going out in the winter without a hat or with wet hair. Since the early 1960s, doctors generally doubted this wisdom, says a report in the online edition of ABC News...