Nosebleeds Common But Seldom Serious, Study Finds

Fewer than one in 10 people hospitalized for an unexplained nosebleed requires invasive treatment to stop the bleeding, a review of nationwide data has found.
About 38 percent of people with nosebleeds so bad they are admitted to the hospital wind up having their nosebleed resolved with little or no treatment, according to the study published online Oct. 17 in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.
Clinicians successfully treated another 53 percent of nosebleed patients either by stuffing the nose with cotton or by cauterizing a broken blood vessel using heat, electricity or chemicals.
Only about 8 percent of hospitalized nosebleed patients needed treatment through surgery or by embolization, a process in which doctors seal off the bleeding vessel from within, the researchers found.
The small minority of patients who needed invasive treatment faced increased risk and expense, the data showed. For example, the odds of patients suffering a strokefollowing embolization were significantly higher than in patients who were treated by packing their nose with cotton.
Study co-author Dr. Jennifer Villwock said the results show why doctors like to proceed slowly when treating a bad nosebleed, giving the more conservative options a chance before opting for more invasive treatments.
“Sometimes it seems like we are putting patients through a lot, but we are doing it with their best interests in mind because the more invasive treatments are not without risk,” said Villwock, an otolaryngologist with the State University of New York-Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse. “If we can get it stopped at the bedside, that’s going to be best for all involved, but that can seem frustrating when your nose has been bleeding for hours.”
Three of every five people will suffer a nosebleed — also known by the medical term epistaxis — in their lifetime, Villwock said.
The nose contains many small blood vessels, and these can be ruptured easily, she said. Just the act of breathing can dry out and irritate the lining of the nose, particularly in low humidity or if a person is suffering from a cold or allergies.
Seasonal changes can also have an impact, an expert explained.
“This is the beginning of nosebleed season, as the weather gets cold and the heated air is on in most people’s houses,” said Dr. Lisa Liberatore, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the New York Head & Neck Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “We’re going to see several patients a day, and I’m sure the emergency room is going to get their fair share of nosebleeds.”
People also can suffer nosebleeds if they have taken a blow to the nose, are on a blood-thinning medication or have a cancerous lesion in their nose

Read More at http://www.webmd.com

Can Cinnamon Help a Common Cause of Infertility?

Cinnamon has long been used to add flavor to sweet and savory foods. Now, preliminary research suggests the spice may also help jump-start irregular menstrual cycles in women affected by a common infertility disorder.

A small study by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York City found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome who took inexpensive daily cinnamon supplements experienced nearly twice the menstrual cycles over a six-month period as women with the syndrome given an inactive placebo. Two of the women in the treated group reported spontaneous pregnancies during the trial.

“There is a lot of interest in homeopathic or natural remedies for this condition,” said study author Dr. Daniel Kort, a postdoctoral fellow in reproductive endocrinology at the medical center. “This may be something we can do using a totally natural substance that can help a large group of patients.”

The study was scheduled for presentation Wednesday at a meeting of the International Federation of Fertility Societies and American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Boston.

An estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of women of childbearing age have polycystic ovary syndrome, with up to 5 million Americans affected. Polycystic ovary syndrome, which involves many of the body’s systems, is thought to be caused by insensitivity to the hormone insulin. Typical symptoms include menstrual irregularity, infertility, acne, excess hair growth on the face or body, and thinning scalp hair.

Treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome currently includes weight loss, ovulation-inducing drugs such as clomiphene (brand name Clomid) and diabetes medications such as metformin, said Dr. Avner Hershlag, chief of the Center for Human Reproduction at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

Kort said that it’s not yet clear exactly why cinnamon may work to regulate menstrual cycles in those with polycystic ovary syndrome, but it may improve the body’s ability to process glucose and insulin. Prior research among diabetic patients suggested the spice can reduce insulin resistance.

Of the 16 patients who completed Kort’s trial, 11 were given daily 1,500-milligram cinnamon supplements and five were given placebo pills. Diet and activity levels were monitored, and patients completed monthly menstrual calendars.

After six months, women receiving cinnamon had significant improvement in menstrual cycle regularity, having an average of nearly four menstrual periods over that time compared to an average of 2.2 periods among the placebo group. Two women reported spontaneous pregnancies after three months of cinnamon treatment, meaning they became pregnant without additional help.

Polycystic ovary syndrome “is one of the most common causes why women don’t have regular menstrual cycles,” Kort said. “But the clinical consequences later in life are truly great — from an increased risk of diabetes and glucose intolerance to endometrial cancer. Many women can go their whole lives without regular menstrual cycles, and it doesn’t necessarily bother them until they want to have children.”

The 1,500-milligram cinnamon dose was chosen for this trial because it was between the 1,000 to 2,000 mg daily that seemed to have metabolic effects on diabetic patients in earlier research, Kort said. But all doses in that range are cheaply obtained, costing pennies per capsule.

“Compared to most medical therapies these days, the cost is very small,” he said.

Although the study suggests a link between cinnamon and improvement of polycystic ovary syndrome, it doesn’t establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.

Still, Hershlag called the study “welcome and interesting” and said he sees no reason women with polycystic ovary syndrome shouldn’t use more cinnamon in their food or take cinnamon supplements.

“Any work that’s something nutritional in nature and seems to affect the abnormal physiology of polycystic ovaries is welcome,” Hershlag said. “If they want to spice up their life and take it, that’s fine . . . but I think the best thing to do when you have polycystic ovaries is to be under the control of a physician.”

Some women with polycystic ovary syndrome from Kort’s clinic are already trying cinnamon supplementation at home in the hopes of regulating their own menstrual cycles, he said, although he acknowledged the spice wasn’t likely to be a cure-all for the condition.

“It’s unlikely to be the sole source of improvement or to change entire (treatment) protocols,” he said. “It’s not going to regulate every patient who takes it, but a good percentage who take it may experience some benefit, and the side effects are low. It’s relatively cheap and well tolerated.”

Some day, Kort added, he hopes to organize a larger trial examining the issue.

Data and conclusions presented at scientific conferences are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Source: http://news.health.com

One-Third of U.S. Adults Are Obese, CDC Says

The adult obesity rate in the United States remains as high as ever, with one in three Americans carrying unhealthy amounts of weight, according to a new federal report.

The obesity rate has remained essentially unchanged for a decade, despite the large amount of attention focused on its threat to public health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

“It’s kind of a confirmation of what we saw last time, that the prevalence of obesity in adults may be leveling off,” said co-author Cynthia Ogden, a senior epidemiologist with the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. “From 2003-04 through 2011-12, there have been no statistical changes in obesity in adults.”

This persistent rate has proved frustrating to public-health experts, given that obesity is a leading risk factor for chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis.

“The goal of the human species since we evolved has been to have enough to eat, and we’ve gotten there. Unfortunately, it’s so plentiful we can take in more than [we] need,” said Matt Petersen, managing director of medical information and professional engagement for the American Diabetes Association. “The human body and brain is wired to take in more than a sufficient number of calories, and that’s a hard thing to change. We’re talking about really powerful aspects of our metabolism.”

The obesity epidemic continues to gnaw away at America’s economic potential. The U.S. economy loses an estimated $270 billion a year due to health care costs and loss of productivity associated with obesity and overweight, according to a 2011 report produced by the Society of Actuaries.

The CDC report found that nearly 35 percent of American adults are obese, with a body-mass index — a measurement of body fat based on height and weight — greater than 30. That equates to a person 5 feet 4 inches tall who weighs 175 pounds or more, or a person 5 feet 9 inches tall who weights 203 pounds or more.

The last estimate produced for 2009-10 found that 35.7 percent of adults were obese, Ogden said.

  • The report also included the following U.S. figures:
  • The prevalence of obesity is higher among middle-aged adults (39.5 percent) than among younger (30.3 percent) or older (35.4 percent) adults.
  • Overall, men and women have similar rates of obesity. However, 56.6 percent of black women were obese compared with 37.1 percent of black men.
  • Blacks have the highest obesity rate (47.8 percent), followed by Hispanics (42.5 percent) and whites (32.6 percent). Asians have the lowest obesity rate (10.8 percent).

“It just shows that we still have a lot of work to do,” said Rachel Johnson, a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association. “We’re making a little bit of progress in childhood obesity — some very small declines, but it at least feels like we’re making some headway there. There are some small pockets in a few cities or states where we’ve seen a modest decline in childhood obesity, due to very aggressive interventions.”

The current means for battling obesity — dieting, bariatric (weight-loss) surgery, exercise — have so far proven unable to overcome the widespread availability of low-cost, high-calorie food, said Petersen at the American Diabetic Association.

The association has come up with a program for healthy eating and moderate exercise that is proving effective. “If we can successfully implement those programs at the community level nationwide, we are hopeful we will see a reduction in diabetes due to factors that should also address obesity,” he said.

But effectively tackling the adult obesity epidemic likely will involve structural changes in American society, Johnson said.

“My view is that we have to start making some pretty major environmental changes so we make the healthy choice the easy choice,” she said. “We’ve got to move beyond the idea that it’s all about personal choice and education, and we need to start making these environmental changes.”

She tossed out a few ideas — taxes to increase the price of unhealthy food, new ways to make healthy food cheaper and major employers offering healthy food in the workplace.

“The beginning of this century has got to be about behavior change,” Johnson said. “How do we help people make healthy choices, and how do we create an environment that’s conducive to good health?”

Read More : http://www.newsday.com/

Carrot compound may ward off cancer, heart disease

Scientists have developed a new technology that uses grated carrot to obtain natural compounds which they claim have the potential to prevent cancer, flu, cardiovascular diseases and neuro degenerative conditions.

Researchers from the FEMSA Center of Biotechnology at Technologic of Monterrey (ITESM) designed the technique, which also allows them to obtain shikimic acid – a substance which is a raw material used to produce antiviral drugs for influenza.

Currently the production of bioactive compounds in plants is accomplished by genetic engineering; however, this new process employs an alternate technique in which the tissue is stressed by cutting and applying herbicides.

The project, lead by Daniel Alberto Jacobo Velazques, won the National Award in Food Science and Technology (PNCTA) 2012 in the Technology Professional in Food category.

The award has been given and organised for 37 years by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) and the Mexican Industry of Coca-Cola.

Velazques explained that they activate the carrot’s metabolism using cut stress (grating), and then the carbon flow of its metabolism is modulated by applying an herbicide called glyphosate that inhibits enzymes.

This technique makes it possible to accumulate great amounts of shikimic acid and phenolic compounds in the plant tissue.

“The first four parts of the research have been completed, we have figured out the mechanism by which the carrot produces this compounds when subjected to stress. Now, we look for the optimization of the production so the plant tissue will secrete more of this compounds,” Velazques said.

“Afterwards we’d like to extract them to produce dietary supplements and shikimic acid. The shikimic acid is the raw material that the pharmaceutical industry needs to produce Tamiflu, a useful drug in the treatment against flu,” Velazques added.

Velazques pointed that currently, shikimic acid is extracted from the Star anise, which is only produced in China; in contrast, the carrot is cultivated in many regions across the planet.

Besides the extraction of the shikimic acid, phenolic compounds are obtained, which help to prevent diseases in humans, mostly because its antioxidant potential that aids in the neutralization of free radicals in the blood stream, preventing chronic degenerative diseases.

 

Source:

Walking, the most preferred exercise: Survey

One-fourth of the people do not exercise, and out of those who do, walking is the most preferred form of physical activity over working out in a gym, running or swimming, reveals a survey in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

According to the Max Bupa Walk for Health Survey, 56 percent of the people find walking as the preferred exercise while 44 percent prefer to run gym or swim. The average duration of a walk is 31 minutes.

The survey shows health is the primary concern that gets Delhiites (45 percent) to walk, followed by Bangaloreans (43 percent) and Mumbaikars (38 percent).

The survey also says one in two people feel less stressed, and one in four people feel more socially active and productive at work as a benefit of walking.

Improved digestion has been cited as the primary reason for the respondents to take up walking. It emerged as the key reason for 41 percent of the respondents.

Nearly 74 percent affirmed that sustained walking regime has helped them to feel fresh. However, long office hours, lack of walking space, excessive traffic and pre-conceived notions about walking are some of the barriers.

Interestingly, 24 percent respondents adopted walking based on the doctor’s consultation.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com

Simple tips to reduce stomach acid

Stomach acid is very important for digestion but it should not become very high, says a food expert. Avoiding spicy food is the best way to keep it under control.

According to Geeta Sidhu-Robb, raw food pioneer and creator of the Nosh Detox- a diet that helps in removing toxins from the body, one should avoid spicy food that causes such a problem.

She also shares other tips to reduce stomach acid, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Eat smaller and lighter meals regularly.
Avoid eating late in the night, also sleep with your head in a raised position.

Avoid peppermint tea.

Losing weight provides a long term solution to stomach acid.

Medications like aspirin and Ibuprofen make it worse.

Avoid smoking as this makes the occurrence of acid reflux more likely.
Source: http://wonderwoman.intoday.in

Sustained protection against cholera in humans up to five years.

The study showed the vaccine had a protective efficacy of 65 percent over a five-year period.

The landmark study was collaboration between scientists from the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) an international organization based in Seoul, and the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, (NICED), an institute under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Cholera is a potentially deadly infectious disease that causes profuse, dehydrating diarrhea in children and adults.

The oral cholera vaccine (OCV) contains strains of killed cholera bacteria that have been previously shown to be safe in humans and is administered through a two-dose regimen.

The vaccine was specifically developed for use in developing countries through a public-private partnership led by IVI with support from the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The partnership involved Shantha Biotechnics (part of the Sanofi group) based in Hyderabad, India; VaBiotech, a state-owned vaccine manufacturer located in Hanoi, Vietnam; and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

The vaccine, which is produced by Shantha Biotechnics in India and licensed as Shanchol, was prequalified by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) in September 2011.

“The study results suggest that this vaccine will protect persons at risk of severe cholera for five years,” Dr. Thomas F. Wierzba, Deputy Director General of Vaccine Development and Delivery at IVI and co-author of the study, said.
“With protection sustained for five years, we will be able to provide greater benefits to the poor at reduced costs,” he said.

The study is published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Source: http://www.newstrackindia.com

Psychological counseling necessary for students, says Professor

The Psychology Department of GGDSD College Sector 32, organised a seminar on ‘Current Perspectives and Future Trends in Psychology’ on Friday with internationally-renowned psychologist Vidhu Mohan addressing the seminar.

Professor Vidhu has an experience of four decades in the field and is responsible for the initiation of Psychology as an independent department in a number of national-level universities across the country.

Also, Mohan is a consultant for the UGC and UPSC.

At the seminar organised by the Psychology Club ‘Aesthesia’, she talked about the importance of the emotional quotient and mentioned different transitional periods in the life of an individual ranging from childhood, adolescent, adulthood, parental age and finally old age.

Vidhu also provided a wider view-point about the impact that takes place due to different types of parenting practices, child rearing methods, school environment, understanding of aptitudes, laying out of career paths, mental preparation of work environments, pre and post parental counselling, inculcation of values, adjustment to peer pressure, drugs, alcoholism, and identification of one’s self.

In an interactive session with the students, she emphasised on the importance of counselling in the areas of education, social, welfare and gender sensitisation.

“When students pass out from Class X, they end up struggling with the question of what they should be doing or what stream they should choose? I personally suggest everyone should take an aptitude test. It helps evaluate one’s interest towards a particular field and enables them to choose the right direction for the future. Psychological counselling is an important aspect of psychology. The schools should conduct counselling sessions at an early stage for both students and parents,” said Mohan.

Source: http://article.wn.com

New urine test to detect blood clots

A team of engineers with an Indian origin researcher have developed a way to detect blood clots, which can form in anyone who sits on a plane for a long time and which often remain undetected until they break free and cause a stroke or heart attack, by using a simple urine test.

The noninvasive diagnostic, relies on nanoparticles that detect the presence of thrombin, a key blood-clotting factor.

Senior author of the paper, Sangeeta Bhatia fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology and the John and Dorothy Wilson Professor of Biochemistry, said that such a system could be used to monitor patients who are at high risk for blood clots.

Bhatia and her colleagues developed their new test based on a technology they first reported last year for early detection of colorectal cancer.

The system consists of iron oxide nanoparticles, which the Food and Drug Administration has approved for human use, coated with peptides (short proteins) that are specialized to interact with thrombin.

After being injected into mice, the nanoparticles travel throughout the body. When the particles encounter thrombin, the thrombin cleaves the peptides at a specific location, releasing fragments that are then excreted in the animals’ urine.

Once the urine is collected, the protein fragments can be identified by treating the sample with antibodies specific to peptide tags included in the fragments. The researchers showed that the amount of these tags found in the urine is directly proportional to the level of blood clotting in the mice’s lungs.

The study is published in the journal ACS Nano.

Source: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com

Brain Size Linked To Eating Disorders

Is brain size related to eating disorders? University of Colorado researchers discovered that girls with anorexia nervosa had a larger insula, a part of the brain that is active when tasting food, in comparison to girls without the disorder. They also found evidence of a larger orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the brain that signals when to stop eating, in anorexic girls.

“The negative correlation between taste pleasantness and orbitofrontal cortex volume in individuals with anorexia nervosa could contribute to food avoidance in this disorder,” wrote the authors in their study newly published in The Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Peering Within

After assembling a group of 19 adolescents with anorexia nervosa and a control group of 22 healthy girls, Dr. Guido Frank, assistant professor at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine, and his colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study gray matter and white matter volume. The researchers also employed diffusion tensor imaging, which can reveal abnormalities in white matter, to assess brain tissue integrity. Finally, they compared their results to similar studies of both adult individuals with anorexia and a group of healthy volunteers.

What the researchers discovered was, compared to the healthy control group, individuals with anorexia had greater left orbitofrontal, right insular, and bilateral temporal cortex gray matter volumes and greater temporal lobe white matter volumes. Generally, the temporal lobe is involved in processing sensory input. The right insular sorts out taste perception and also integrates body perception. Because of the abnormality seen in these areas, the researchers of this study suggest that these brain areas may contribute to the perception of being fat despite being underweight.

 

With regard to the orbitofrontal cortex, this is the region of the brain involved in decision making. In fact, previous studies have identified the medial orbitofrontal cortex as the area of the brain that “signals” a feeling of being sated by a certain type of food.

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The results of this study, then, suggest that the larger volume in the orbitofrontal cortex fosters the abnormal behavior of anorexics. Perhaps, the researchers noted, it is this enlarged brain area that prompts anorexics to stop eating before they’ve had enough food — sooner than a healthy individual would. Significantly, this bigger-than-normal orbitofrontal cortex is not a characteristic of anorexia alone, but can be found in a variety of eating disorders.

Complementary Work

In a previous study, a group of researchers led once again by Frank found evidence indicating the reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women anddesensitized in obese women. In fact, their research suggested that eating behavior may be related to dopamine pathways, the same neural networks involved in addictions.

 

Within rodents, it had been proven that food restriction and weight loss are associated with greater dopamine-related reward responses, the researchers sought to study the same brain processes in humans. To do so, Frank and his colleagues turned to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). With this technology, they examined the brain activity of 63 women who were either anorexic or obese and then compared the results to the brain activity of women considered a “normal” weight.

How exactly did they design the experiment? The researchers relied on a familiar task associated with understanding dopamine function in the brain: They conditioned the women participants to associate certain shapes with either a sweet or a non-sweet solution and then the researchers expectedly or unexpectedly provided the taste solutions. During the experiment, an unexpected sweet-tasting solution resulted inincreased neural activation of reward systems in the anorexic patients and decreasedactivation in obese individuals.

“It is clear that in humans the brain’s reward system helps to regulate food intake,” Frank stated in a press release. Although these networks function in anorexia nervosa and obesity, the specific mechanism and reasons for this have not yet been made clear.

 

Source: http://www.medicaldaily.com