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Bypass Heart Surgery Performed Without General Anesthesia

A minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) procedure was performed at Pittsburgh while the patient was awake. The operation was done under thoracic epidural anesthesia. This approach may help in discharging the patient early from the hospital. Dr. Zenati from the team of doctors who performed the surgery said that patients who are operated in this way may not have to go t...

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...

Passive smoking affects respiratory system

Scientists have produced strong evidence that passive smoking has a lasting impact on the respiratory systems of children. A team from the US National Center for Environmental Health in Atlanta studied data from 3,400 children aged 3 to 16 years. The researchers analysed the children's blood to determine the concentration of a substance called cotinine, produced when the b...

Black Actor Confesses Sex Cult Past

London: Comic actor Jack Black has revealed he grew up in a weird sex cult after his parents tried to save their marriage by becoming its members//. According to contactmusic.com, Black told GQ magazine that he experienced naturist Family Synergy gatherings when he was a child, where everyone was encouraged to bare all in front of each other. He said his home life was deeply affected b...

A new study surpasses Gene Therapy Hurdle

According to researchers at Hopkins University, they have found a way to use blood stem cells to make genetic changes in the immune system, surpassing an obstacle to certain forms of gene therapy. The implications, biologist Lingho Chengh range from improving the body's immune response to developing cancer vaccines to reducing the danger of rejecting transplanted organs. Blood stem cells...

Older Men Surviving Coronary Bypasses

The survival rate for older men undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery is rising, even though more patients than ever are undergoing the procedure.// Coronary artery bypass surgery uses a blood vessel from another part of the body to reroute blood around narrowed or clogged arteries in the heart. A buildup of substances such as fats or plaque causes this narrowing, known as atheroscler...

Tiotropium surpasses Ipratropium

Tiotropium significantly improves lung function, dyspnoea and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compared to alternative therapy.// Previous studies have suggested that tiotropium may be the only treatment other than smoking cessation capable of reversing the symptoms of COPD. These latest findings are further evidence of the drug’s potential for...

Heart bypass-mental decline link

Tens of thousands of bypass patients suffer mental decline after bypass surgery, including difficulty thinking and remembering. One leading theory is that the heart-lung machine is the culprit. But according to a new study,// the loss of mental sharpness suffered by many heart-bypass patients several months after surgery may not be caused by the heart-lung machine used in the operating ro...

New treatment for muscle spasms

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) causes the muscles in the limbs and body to tighten up suddenly. Spasms can be triggered by noise, touch or emotional distress. People with the condition are often too disabled// to walk or move, or are afraid to leave the house in case they suffer a spasm and fall. The condition resembles chronic tetanus. Scientists have developed a highly effective treatment...

Aspirin surpasses Modern Anti-clotting Drugs

Aspirin has been a pain-reliever for more than 100 years. And while most of the popular remedies used in the 19th century have been abandoned, the use of aspirin has increased. This powerful pill will //reduce pain, fever, inflammation, prevent blood clots, and even reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke. In the more than 35 years since aspirin's potent anti-clotting effects were...

Toxin injections support stroke associated spasticity

Researchers have found that injections of botulinum toxin eases hand spasticity among stroke survivors. Spasticity in the limbs is a common after effect of stroke, and it causes much disability,// because it interferes with activities like getting dressed and eating. Previous research has shown that botulinum toxin - a substance that relieves muscle tightness - may help with this problem....

Carbon monoxide passes down

Legislation pointed at reducing carbon monoxide emissions has resulted in a drop in poisoning deaths. Carbon monoxide can be fatal if inhaled and is involved in a number of accidental deaths and suicides each year. //The main sources of carbon monoxide are vehicle emissions and malfunctioning domestic heating equipment. In 1980, the Clean Air Act was passed in the US to reduce carbon mono...

Screening bypasses radical breast surgery

According to researchers at the Britain University, breast screening is linked with a fall of almost half in the number of mastectomies. A team working for the leading charity Cancer Research UK// has analyzed data from a group of 55,000 women in Florence, Italy, aged between 55 and 65. They find that following the introduction of a breast screening programme, the rate of mastectomy - rem...

Bypass Surgery & Pleural Effusion

"Pleural effusion is a common complication after bypass surgery", say researchers who recently carried out a study of 400 patients who had undergone bypass heart surgery. Pleural effusion involves the accumulation of fluid within the pleural space in the chest. Pleural space is //the narrow space between the lungs and the chest wall, covered by a thin transparent membrane called the pleur...

Passive smoking may be harmless

Researchers at UCLA suggests that passive smoking does not cause health problems for nonsmokers. Epidemiologists concluded that second hand smoking does not increase the risk for lung cancer and heart disease. An experiment was conducted on more than 35,000 California residents. Those who were part of the study were non-smokers, but their spouses were active smokers. The researchers said...

Pasta sauces recalled in cancer scare

European stores are removing thousands of jars of pasta sauces because they contain a cancer-causing dye normally used in gasoline and shoe polish.// Sky News said consumers are being warned to avoid the affected brands, including Bertolli, as well as private-label sauces made for supermarket chains Sainsbury's and Safeway. The alert follows the discovery of a red dye cal...

Life after Bypass not so Promising for Women.

Women fare significantly worse than men after bypass surgery, according to a new study done by researchers . However, researchers are not able to say whether the //results are due to medical or psychosocial factors. Doctors have long known women have worse outcomes after bypass surgery than men. Most have attributed this to the fact that women who need the surgery are generally older,...

Passive Smoking A Health Hazard Unnoticed

Being surrounded by smokers in public may be more damaging for your health that you might think say researchers , according to a new study that shows // there may be a greater risk posed to non-smokers from passive smoke or second-hand smoke in public than previous research has shown. Although past research has focused on studying the health risks of cohabitating with a smoker, researche...

The Reason For Loss Of Appetite After Gastric Bypass

Researchers now say they might have a partial explanation for the loss of hunger and rapid weight loss observed after gastric bypass surgery.// In the gastric bypass procedure, the stomach is divided to create a pouch out of the small proximal portion of the stomach, which is then attached to the small intestine, bypassing a large part of the stomach and all of the duodenum. It was found...

New Tooth Paste Is Here To Fill In Dental Cavities

A Japanese team had invented a synthetic paste that will make dental treatment painless. The paste is made of modified hydroxyapatite // that is almost similar to natural tooth enamel, and can be applied on dental cavities to fill in the gap. Conventionally, when dental caries affects a tooth, the affected part is removed and the gap is filled with a metal alloy or resin. At times such...

Shrinking bladder with age is a thing of past

Scientists from University of Pittsburgh had said in a new study that there’s adequate proof that bladder// does not shrink in size with age, in spite of the elderly frequenting the bathroom more. Researchers had compiled data on bladder capacity and stability, urethral closure pressure, voiding flow rate and detrusor contraction strength from 95 females of ages 22 to 90. The results w...

Twisted bypass grafts work better

In a new revealation, researchers have shown that twisting the graft to bypass a blockage in the blood// vessels may work better and last longer. In using a graft to bypass blockages, scientists often use plastic prosthetic tubes. Similar tubes are also used when patients with renal problems have dialysis. This is called a shunt. The problem with the usage of shunt have difficlties, as...

Gastric bypass surgery reduces risk of heart disease

Gastric bypass surgery that is often done as a measure for weight reduction may have the potential to reduce risks of // heart disease. One of the most common procedures to control morbid obesity is by gastric bypass surgery that reduces the size of the stomach and allows the food to pass to the small intestine much faster. Together with psychological and behavioral support, this proc...

Obesity better handled with gastric bypass surgery

A few years ago, 43-year-old Patrick Deuel of Nebraska, was slated for a slow but sure death, weighing in at 486 kg, suffering from diabetes //and unable to sit up or even turn over in bed. Deuel is now half the man he used to be, as he lost more than 200 kg after undergoing an operation that is becoming increasingly popular among morbidly obese Americans. The acclaimed so...

Bypassing open heart bypass surgery...

A breakthrough in the treatment of coronary artery disease promises to reduce the need for open heart bypass surgery. Medical research has come up with a drug-coated stent which once inserted after clearing a clogged artery has shown an ability to check the recurrence of blockages, a common problem with the angioplasty procedure.// The results of this new procedure, based on a scientif...

Surgeons Perform Robotic Gastric Bypass Surgery

Researchers from Stanford School of Medicine had used remote controlled robotic arms and a binocular camera to perform laproscopic gastric bypass surgery successfully. Their research findings are published // in the August issue of Archives of Surgery. The laproscopic gastric bypass surgery (a Roux-en-Y procedure) is often considered the most challenging minimally invasive procedure in...

Record Growth Of Soya-Based Dairy Alternatives Over The Past Year In European Markets

A recent survey by Prosoy shows that Soy milks, yoghurts and desserts grew by 22 per cent in 2004 and that people have become even more health-conscious and more aware of food intolerance and allergies. // Researchers say that based on the current trend, sales are further expected to grow in the next three years. The study coordinators stated that they have tracked well over 130 new pr...

Cardiac bypass seems to be favoring men more than women

The functioning of different organs in our body is dependent upon a good blood supply. Heart is the organ, which is involved in the supply// of blood to different parts of the body. The heart is being supplied blood by the coronary arteries. However, if there is a narrowing or clogging in the blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart, the region of heart being supplied by the vessel...

Passive Cigarette Smoking Increases Isoprostane Formation

During the recent past, the risk of passive smoking has been widely recognized. Passive smoking has been demonstrated //to exert a variety of deleterious effects, associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease eventually resulting in vascular damage. Isoprostanes, a reliable marker of in vivo oxidation injury, have been shown to increase in active cigarette smoking. However...

Colgate To Develop Anti-Cancer Toothpastes And Mouthwashes

AUSTIN, Texas - Oral care product leader Colgate-Palmolive Company has entered into an alliance with Introgen Therapeutics to market oral health care formulations specifically designed to fight against pre-cancerous //conditions in the oral cavity as well as oral cancer. Towards this end Colgate purchased $20 million of Introgen shares with exclusive rights over the products that are pr...

Past President Narayanan's Condition Still Critical

New Delhi: Former Indian President K.R. Narayanan continues to be in critical condition in a hospital here where he is being treated for acute pneumonia, an Aide of government said. // Narayanan, who turned 85 on Oct 27, was admitted to the Indian Army's Research and Referral Hospital two days later and has been on a ventilator since then. There is no change in his condition....

Declining Rates Of Sperm Donors Over The Past 5 Years

There has been a sharp decline in the number of men who volunteer for sperm donation since 2000 according to researchers at the Newcastle Fertility Centre. The observation could be because of lack of motivation among students to do so//. Sperm bank is a facility that collects freezes and stores semen sample for purposes of artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization or for research....

US Airlines Worried About Bird Flu In Passengers

WASHINGTON - Federal officials in the United States are worried that U.S. airlines could be on the front lines in the event of an outbreak of the deadly bird flu//. Health officials are already issuing guidelines on the measures to be taken if any sick passengers are to be quarantined. The Federal officials are vested with authority to take quick measures if they suspect any passenger...

British Grandmother has timely bypass surgery in India

A British grandmother from Wolverhampton has returned to the UK after a successful bypass surgery in Delhi at a much lower cost, yet another testimony to India’s burgeoning medical tourism.// Mavis Childs, 67, waited for more than two years to have the surgery on the National Health Service (NHS). But she opted for India when the operation was cancelled, which meant a further six months...

U.S. To Tighten Sick Passenger, Quarantine Rules

Citing a need to protect Americans from bird flu and other diseases, the US health officials propose regulatory changes requiring airlines and shipping firms to hand over// passenger and crew lists on demand and expand how they report serious illnesses. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the federal agency responsible for monitoring and responding to he...

Passion Fizzling Out? Blame The “Love Molecule

You look at the love of your life and find that the passion has fizzled out. You no longer feel the blood rush to your brain or your heart thud in your chest // and are at a loss to understand this. Well, help is at hand. Blame the "Love Molecule." Italian researchers have found that the first year of romance is the best one since there is a high level of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) that...

Paid-For Sex Rates In Britain Has Increased Two Fold Over The Past 10 Years

A recent survey done to evaluate the prevalence of paid-sex in Britain projects alarming results showing the rates have indeed doubled over the past decade. The survey was conducted amongst 11,000 British adults // between 1990 and 2000. The study participants were required to provide details regarding their sexual lifestyle and attitude towards sex in general. Additionally, the men we...

Unpasteurised juices found to be potential health hazards

Juices form an integral part of a healthy diet. But with the advent of technology lots has been found unhealthy with untreated juice. Consumers today have numerous choices when it comes to drinking juice // . One thing that is overlooked is whether juices have undergone safety treatments from microbes. Though illness due to juice is rare, several outbreaks of diarrhoeal illness due to ju...

Ayurveda Spas are hot in San Francisco

San Francisco: Spas are very popular in US and in San Francisco. Asian spas offering Ayurveda, are the hottest trend.// There are more than 500 spas in San Francisco. Many of them have included Asian methods, such as yoga, tai chi and Japanese shiatsu. Americans spent $11.2 billion in going to spas in 2003. According to the International Spa Association, 136 million Americans visited sp...

Poor Andhra Women Enable Bypass Surgery Paying 50 Paise Each

Tens of thousands of poor Andhra women have financed the bypass surgery of a fisherwoman costing Rs 60,000 by contributing 50 paise each.// Thanks to their efforts, B. Hemavati, 35, wife of a fisherman and a mother of two, will undergo a life saving operation at the Tirupati-based Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) very soon. Hemavati, a farm worker in Wes...