World / Health & Beauty
Tooth loss could be behind your blues
17.07.2008 04:28
b4uindia.com
Feeling depressed or unable to face people? Well, in that case, check your smile, for tooth loss can be the reason why you’re feeling so gloomy. What’s more, if you think it’s just you whose facing crisis, well think again, for nearly 20 million teeth are extracted each year leaving scores of people to deal with the psychological affects of a less than perfect smile. However, during the Academy of General Dentistry''s (AGD) 56th Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Orlando, Fla., July 16-20, H. Asuman Kiyak, PhD, will address the psychological issues affecting people who must deal with the loss of a tooth, as well as explain how this loss can affect the quality of life. In Dr. Kiyak''s course, "Enhancing the Oral Health and Quality of Life for Partially Edentulous or Fully Edentulous Patients: The Importance of Communication," she will reveal the post traumatic effects a patient endures after the loss of a tooth and will also pinpoint ways a doctor can communicate with a patient to help them cope with and understand their options for restoring their smile. "The major impact of tooth loss is on the appearance and social relations component of quality of life because people cannot change their appearance with missing teeth," says Dr. Kiyak. In fact, recent results from a survey distributed to nearly 20,000 AGD members revealed that more than 86 percent of general dentists reported social embarrassment is one of the greatest problems associated with tooth loss and more than half of these patients avoid social interaction because of it. Yet, Dr. Kiyak noted that there are ways that patients can learn how to cope with the loss of a tooth. Dr. Kiyak encourages patients to weigh their options with the pros and cons for replacement teeth or even endodontic treatment to save a "hopeless" tooth and review videos or still photos of others who have lost teeth and their current teeth status with removable or implant-supported dentures. Read testimonials of others who have undergone single, multiple, total tooth loss and replacement of these teeth with removable or implant-supported dentures, how they have coped with each stage and how they are functioning orally, systemically and psychologically with these dentures, says Dr. Kiyak. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Men and women’s bodies wired for ‘different diet plans’
17.07.2008 04:28
b4uindia.com
Can’t help to understand why your husband’s diet chart is not helping you get rid of those love handles? Well, a group of researchers have the answer for your query: men and women need different diet plans to increase longevity and reproduction. In the first study of its kind, the researchers have shown that gender plays a major role in determining which diet is better suited to promoting longer life or better reproductive success. In the evolutionary "battle of the sexes", traits that benefit males are costly when expressed in females and vice versa. This conflict may have implications for human diet, aging and reproduction, says a team of scientists from UNSW, the University of Sydney and Massey University. "When it comes to choosing the right diet, we need to look more closely to the individual, their sex and their reproductive stage in life," says Associate Professor Rob Brooks, Director of the Evolution and Ecology Research Centre at the University of New South Wales. "It may be, for example, that women in their child-bearing years need a different diet to those who are post-menopausal. "It also underlines the important lesson that what we want to eat or, if you like, what we''re programmed to eat, is not necessarily best for us,” Brooks said. The researchers are conducting long-term studies on Australian black field crickets and have discovered that the lifespan of both males and females is maximized on high-carbohydrate, low-protein diets, they say in the latest issue of Current Biology. But reproductive success differs dramatically between the sexes when the carbohydrate-protein balance is changed: males live longest and have the greatest reproductive success with a diet that favours carbohydrates to protein by eight-to-one, whereas females have greatest success when the ratio is just one-to-one. Given a choice, however, females eat only a small amount more protein than males. The shared ability to sense and choose food dooms both males and females to eat a diet that is a compromise between what is best for each sex. "Male and female crickets maximise their fitness on different diets," says UNSW''s Dr Alexei Maklakov, the study''s lead author. "Despite that, the dietary preferences of the sexes are very similar. Instead of selecting foods in a sex-specific manner, males and females select ''intermediate'' diets that are less than optimal for both sexes,” Maklakov added. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Gene variant in people with African ancestry ups HIV infection risk
17.07.2008 04:28
b4uindia.com
An Indian-origin researcher at South Texas Veterans Health Care System and University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio says that a variant of a gene found only in people of African ancestry increases the chances of becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) by 40 per cent. Sunil Ahuja, however, also points out that once people are infected, the same variant seems to protect against the progression of the disease, enabling those carrying the infection to live about two years longer. "It''s well-known that individuals vary in their susceptibility to HIV and that after infection occurs, the disease progresses at variable rates," said Ahuja, whose study has been reported in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, a publication of Cell Press. "The mystery of variable infection and progression was originally thought to be mainly the result of viral characteristics, but in recent years it has become evident that there is a strong host genetic component," he added. According to the researchers, the new discovery is one of few genetic risk factors for HIV found only in people of African descent. They say that in Africa, where about 90 per cent of all people carry the variant, it may be responsible for 11 percent of the HIV burden there. The researchers say that the gene in question encodes a protein found mainly at the surface of red blood cells, called Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC). They say that the DARC variant, found commonly in people of African ancestry, leaves them without this particular red blood cell receptor. They highlight the fact that the so-called ‘DARC-negative’ condition has been well studied because it also confers protection against infection by a malaria parasite known as Plasmodium vivax. The researchers speculate that this DARC gene variant may have risen to such high frequency as protection against some other, more lethal strain of malaria that existed at some time in the past. Robin Weiss of University College London said: "The big message of this paper is that something that protected people against malaria in the past is now leaving them more susceptible to HIV.” Matthew Dolan of the Wilford Hall United States Air Force Medical Center and San Antonio Military Medical Center adde: "After thousands of years of adaptation, this Duffy variant rose to high frequency because it helped protect against malaria. Now, with another global pandemic on the scene, this same variant renders people more susceptible to HIV. It shows the complex interplay between historically important diseases and susceptibility in contemporary times." Previous research had shown that HIV could bind to red blood cells via DARC, and that DARC binds a wide array of inflammatory molecules known as chemokines, including one called CCL5, which is highly effective in suppressing replication of HIV-1. In the latest research, the experts studied cell culture, and found further evidence that HIV binds to DARC on red cells. "We started looking at red cells together with HIV and, sure enough, the virus attached. The DARC molecule on red cells in cell culture then transferred the virus to lymphocytes to get infected," Weiss said. When chemokines were added to the mix, less HIV-1 bound to the red cells, confirming that the virus and chemokines were in competition for the DARC receptor. "Duffy acts somewhat like a sponge. It binds all these chemokine molecules and that binding also extends to HIV, setting up a triumvirate of interactions between DARC, chemokines and virus," Ahuja said. The researchers also discovered that the prevalence of the "DARC-negative" variant in African Americans was greater amongst those with HIV than in those without. While the DARC-negative genotype was associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection, the researchers also observed that people with the variant had a slower disease course. "The parts of a car that get it into gear are separate from those that get it moving once in gear. A similar analogy applies to HIV; the factors that influence its transmission are not necessarily the same as those that influence disease progression," Ahuja said. "The results underscore that genetic variants that influence transmission and disease progression can differ in their frequency among different populations, with possible impacts on the heterogeneity of HIV disease burden--not just at the level of individuals but also populations," the researchers concluded. They may also have implications for evaluating the efficacy of HIV vaccines. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Tobacco industry ‘manipulating cigarette menthol to attract young smokers’
17.07.2008 04:28
b4uindia.com
A new study has found that manufacturers are deliberately manipulating menthol content in cigarettes to attract young people. Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that the tobacco industry is intentionally adjusting menthol to create a milder experience for the first time smoker. Menthol covers the harshness and irritation of cigarettes, allowing delivery of an effective dose of nicotine, the addictive chemical in cigarettes. "For decades, the tobacco industry has carefully manipulated menthol content not only to lure youth but also to lock in lifelong adult customers," said Howard Koh, Professor and Associate Dean for Public Health Practice at HSPH and a co-author of the paper. A team of researchers led Jennifer M. Kreslake, a research analysis from the Tobacco Control Research Program at HSPH analysed the internal tobacco industry documents on menthol product development, and conducted laboratory tests to measure menthol content in U.S. brands, examined market research reports She also drew data from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual nationally representative survey among U.S. residents aged 12 years and older The industry documents revealed that tobacco companies researched how controlling menthol levels could increase brand sales among specific groups. The companies determined that products with higher menthol levels and stronger perceived menthol sensation suited long-term smokers of menthol cigarettes while milder brands with lower menthol levels appealed to younger smokers. According to a 2006 study, 43.8 percent of current smokers aged 12 to 17 years reported that they used menthol cigarettes as did 35.6 percent of current smokers aged 18 to 24 years. By contrast, 30.6 percent of smokers older than 35 years reported menthol use. The authors suggest, "to protect the public health, tobacco products should be federally regulated, and additives such as menthol should be included in that regulation." "This is another example of the cynical behavior of the tobacco industry to hook teens and African Americans to a deadly addiction. This is after the industry told the American public it had changed its marketing practices. The FDA bill provides the vehicle to end the hypocrisy and save the lives of the young and a targeted minority group," said Gregory N. Connolly, Professor of the Practice of Public Health and director of the Tobacco Control Research Program at HSPH. The study appears in the online "First Look" section of the American Journal of Public Health. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Cancer survival varies widely between countries
17.07.2008 04:28
b4uindia.com
A global analysis has shown that cancer survival rate varies widely among different countries The worldwide analysis of 31 countries in 5 continents found that black men and women are less likely to survive cancer than white men and women in the United States. The CONCORD study involved analysis of people suffering from cancers of the breast (women), colon, rectum and prostate. The team found that the USA has the highest 5-year survival rate for prostate cancer. Breast cancer women were 80 pct more likely to survive in North America, Sweden, Japan, Finland and Australia, while the rate dropped to 60pct in Brazil and Slovakia. The survival rates were even bad in Algeria with only 40 pct women surviving this cancer. However, in the USA 84.7 pct women white women survived compared to 70.9 pct black women. For people suffering from colorectal cancer, the five-year survival was higher in North America, Japan, Australia and some western European countries and lower in Algeria, Brazil and in eastern European countries. White patients in the USA were 10pct more likely than black patients to survive colorectal cancer. The five-year survival in prostate cancer patients was higher in the USA with 92 pct than in all other 30 countries. However, the survival rate slightly differed in black and white men. Almost 92pct white patients and 85.8 pct black patients were likely to survive prostate cancer. “The differences in cancer survival between countries and between black and white men and women in the USA are large and consistent across geographic areas,” said Michel P Coleman, Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and lead author of the study, “Most of the wide variation in survival is likely to be due to differences in access to diagnostic and treatment services, and factors such as tumour biology, state at diagnosis or compliance with treatment may also be significant,” he added. The study is published online today in Lancet Oncology. (ANI)
India
Health & Beauty
Kidney Transplants Less Successful At Night
17.07.2008 04:16
medicalnewstoday.com
Kidney transplants should be carried out during the day if possible. At least this is the conclusion suggested by a survey just published by urologists and internists at the University of Bonn (Transplantation Proceedings, vol. 40, p. 1341 ff.). Hence operations carried out at night require a further operation more than twice as often as other operations. Moreover, the risk of premature failure of the transplant is higher with operations taking place at night.
World
Transplantation
Cognitive Behavior Therapy Benefits Chronic Fatigue Patients
17.07.2008 04:16
medicalnewstoday.com
Cognitive behaviour therapy is effective in treating the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a recent systematic review carried out by Cochrane Researchers. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a potentially long-lasting illness that can cause considerable distress and disability. Some estimates suggest it may affect as many as 1 in 100 of the population globally.
World
Psychiatry
MPs Forced To Hide Mental Health Problems, UK
17.07.2008 04:15
medicalnewstoday.com
A new report published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health, with support from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the mental health charities Mind, Rethink and Stand to Reason, shows that one in five MPs surveyed has experience of a mental health problem but fears disclosing this because of the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health issues.
World
Mental Disorders
Both Metrifonate And Praziquantel Can Be Used To Combat Urinary Schistosomiasis
17.07.2008 04:15
medicalnewstoday.com
In 2000 the World Health Organization (WHO) stopped recommending metrifonate for treating urinary schistosomiasis because the drug did not appear to be as effective as the treatment of choice, praziquantel. Now a systematic review published in the latest edition of The Cochrane Library indicates that both metrifonate and praziquantel are effective at treating the infection.
World
Infectious Diseases
Lords Committee On Intergovenmental Organisations To Publish Report On Infectious Disease, UK
17.07.2008 04:15
medicalnewstoday.com
The House of Lords Select Committee on Intergovernmental Organisations will next week publish its report on the spread of infectious diseases and the role of intergovernmental organisations in dealing with that threat.
World
Infectious Diseases
Childhood Diarrhea: Treat With Zinc Over 6 Months Of Age
17.07.2008 04:15
medicalnewstoday.com
Zinc supplementation benefits children suffering from diarrhoea in developing countries, but only in infants over six months old, Cochrane Researchers have found. Their study supports World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for the treatment of diarrhoea with zinc, although not in the very young.
World
Gastroenterology
Optical Bodies Warn, 'Don't Lose Sight Of The Risks When Buying Contact Lenses', UK
17.07.2008 04:15
medicalnewstoday.com
The General Optical Council and British Contact Lens Association are today urging consumers to follow advice on buying contact lenses safely. The bodies are taking action following reports of cases of contact lens wearers experiencing eye health problems after buying lenses without getting proper eye care and advice. Two new studies from Australia and the US have also suggested increased risks associated with purchasing contact lenses online.
World
Eyesight Disorders
No Evidence Yet On Whether Diet Alone Can Control Type 2 Diabetes
17.07.2008 04:15
medicalnewstoday.com
Despite strong evidence that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or at least delayed by a combination of lifestyle changes and good dietary advice, a team of Cochrane Researchers found that there is no indication whether dietary advice alone can prevent the disease. Type 2 diabetes is very common and the number of people affected is increasing. The disease is linked to obesity, with 80% of individuals who develop the disease being obese.
World
Diabetes
TG2 Identified As Potential Therapeutic Target In Chemo-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
17.07.2008 04:14
medicalnewstoday.com
M. D. Anderson team silences protein with siRNA, implicates TG2 in fourth cancer Scientists from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found overexpression of tissue type transglutaminase (TG2) in ovarian cancer is associated with increased tumor cell growth and adhesion, resistance to chemotherapy and lower overall survival rates.
World
Cancer
Rates Of Oesophageal Cancer In UK Among The Worst In Europe,
17.07.2008 04:14
medicalnewstoday.com
Call for national research study to investigate the causes of oesophageal cancer The Barrett's Oesophagus Foundation would like to support the Chief Medical Officer's recommendation for a large scale national research study to investigate the risk factors associated with the rising rate of cancer of the oesophagus. This was included in his Annual Report published recently, which raised grave concern over the sharp rise in oesophageal (gullet) cancer over the last two decades.
World
Cancer
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