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Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) monitoring
2007-11-13 14:37:00
Glycation of haemoglobin to produce HbA1c occurs throughout the 120 day average lifespan of the red blood cell. HbA1c has become established as the monitoring test of choice to assess medium term diabetic control and as a key parameter on which to base changes in management of patients. Common situations exist, however, in which the HbA1c can be misleading. As the average lifespan of a red blood cell is approximately 120 days, in situations in which red cell lifespan is reduced HbA1c may not accurately reflect diabetic control. With increasing emphasis on achieving lower HbA1c values in patients with diabetes, clinicians need to be aware of these situations and understand the limitations of the test methods used. Examples of potential causes of clinically misleading glycated haemoglobin results Increased red cell turnover • Blood loss • Haemolytic disease (including subclinical) • Haemoglobinopathies and red cell disorders • Myelodysplastic disease Interferences • Persiste...
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Diabetes and Stroke
2007-11-12 21:14:00
A person with diabetes is at higher risk than others for stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. As with many of the health problems associated with diabetes, higher-than-normal blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are factors. The A1c is a test that measures blood sugar levels over the previous months. The American Diabetes Association says that “people with A1c levels above 7% ... [are] nearly three times as likely to have a stroke as people with an A1c level below 5%.” Persistently elevated blood glucose levels contribute to the buildup of plaque in blood vessels. Plaque -- a pasty substance made up of cholesterol, calcium, cellular waste and protein -- sticks to the walls of blood vessels and can interfere with blood flow. This impaired blood flow can lead to stroke. For those with diabetes, the important thing to do when it comes to reducing stroke risk is to keep blood sugars within the target range.Controlling blood glucose levels will help minimize plaque buildup. Risk F...
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Assessment of obesity [Digg]
2007-11-12 20:18:00
This is about Assesment of Obesity .
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Assessment of obesity
2007-11-10 19:11:00
Obesity can be assessed in several ways. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, and the appropriateness and scientific acceptability of each method will depend on the situation. The assessment methods often measure different aspects of obesity—for example, total or regional adiposity. They also produce different results when they are used to estimate morbidity and mortality. When there is increased body fat, there will also be necessary increases in some lean tissue, including the fibrous and vascular tissues in adipose tissue, heart muscle, bone mass, and truncal or postural musculature. All these non-fat tissues have a higher density (1.0 g/ml) than fat (0.7 g/ml). The density of non-fat tissues is also increased by physical activity, which of course tends to reduce body fat. In general, measurements of body weight and body dimensions (anthropometry) are used to reflect body fat in large (epidemiological) studies or in clinic settings as such measurements provide a rapid ...
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Reason for back pains
2007-11-08 20:53:00
The reason for back pains, ischias, piriformis syndrome, disc herniations/degenerations and spinal problems is sacroiliac joint subluxation/dislocation/syndrome/dysfunc tion. It causes also back muscle spasms, groin/hip/knee/ankle/achilles/feet problems,...
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Sciatica and Piriformis Syndrome
2007-11-08 20:15:00
Many people diagnosed with "sciatica" - pain that runs from their buttocks to their feet - may actually have piriformis syndrome. Here the doctor explains the key differences between these two afflictions, their respective treatments, and how piriformis syndrome can be alleviated with open-MR guided injections as opposed to painful, invasive back surgery.
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Failed Back Surgery Syndrome
2007-11-08 19:43:00
When back surgery fails to remove the pain, the result is a condition known as failed back surgery syndrome, or FBSS. The incidence of FBSS ranges between 5 and 50%, according to a study done in 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic. The author of the study attributes the high percentage of FBSS cases in part to the rise in number of surgeries performed. 1 Failed back surgery syndrome can be due to a number of factors that doctors and researchers are still discussing. These include: Scar tissue that forms around the surgery site, interrupting normal neurological functioning. The technicalities of the operation are not successful, the performing surgeon had poor technique, and/or there is iatrogenic injury present. The surgery is not performed at the site that causes the pain. The surgery performed is not actually necessary. The patient is a poor fit for a successful surgery. The diagnosis was incorrect. Complications of surgery arise.Most patients with FBSS have accompanying psychological,...
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Pharma Companies Conducting Unethical Clinical Trials
2007-11-06 13:59:00
In one of the most shocking stories in modern day India, a BBC investigation has revealed that Pharma ceutical companies have been recruiting patients without their consent for drug trials which has become a big business in India today.According to the BBC, six years ago an experimental drug from the US called M4N was injected into cancer patients in India without being properly tested on animals first. Later it was discovered that several patients had not known they were part of a clinical trial. In almost all cases the poor patients have no idea that experiments were being carried out on them. BBC's Reporter Paul Kenyon tracked down a drug trial being conducted for a major drug company in a psychiatric unit at a hospital in Gujarat to test an anti-psychotic drug developed by the drug pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson. But the patient said that he had no idea that he was part of a clinical trial. "I didn't know that experiments were being carried out on me. I was told tha...
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RENAL DISEASES
2007-10-29 15:59:00
Kidney are composed of millions of tiny filter-cells called nephrons, which have even smaller vessels located within them. Prolonged high glucose levels can damage these small vessels. Even if glucose levels are reasonably well-controlled most of the time, kidney damage can still occur when someone has had diabetes for several years.When glucose circulates in the blood, it binds to proteins, making the proteins "sticky." As these sticky molecules pass through the smaller blood vessels, they can stick to the vessel walls, causing inflammation, leaking and collapsing.When this happens in the kidneys, the tiny nephrons become damaged and the kidneys lose the ability to filter toxins out of the blood. How Is Kidney Disease Diagnosed? Chronic kidney disease can sometimes be a "silent" condition, where there are no obvious symptoms until the disease is quite progressed. Doctors recommend screening for kidney function if you have diabetes. There are screening tests that can help detect kid...
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Hepatitis A Vaccine
2007-10-18 20:23:00
The hepatitis A virus causes an acute inflammatory disease of the liver. It is transmitted by the fecal–oral route and has an incubation period of 15 to 50 days (average period, 28 days). The majority of the world's population is still at moderate-to-high risk for hepatitis A virus infection. In the United States, the incidence of hepatitis A has decreased substantially with the introduction of childhood vaccination. Immune globulin has been the only product currently recommended for postexposure prophylaxis in the United States. In some settings, the number of people with indications for immune globulin may be quite large. For example, in a 2003 foodborne outbreak in the United States, more than 9000 persons received immune globulin, either because of exposure to the hepatitis A virus at the involved restaurant or because of contact with persons who became ill with the virus. Data from immunogenicity studies, studies in animals, and phase 3 trials indicate that hepatitis A vacci...
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Macrophage Engulfing Bacterium
2007-09-30 10:24:00
A macrophage, in yellow, engulfs and consumes a bacterium. Macrophages are large phagocytes, cells that wander through the body consuming foreign particles such as dust, asbestos particles, and bacteria. They help protect the body against infection. Dennis Kunkel/CNRI/Phototake NYC
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Scanning electron micrograph of a normal T lymphocyte. T
2007-09-30 10:18:00
T lymphocytes are specialized white blood cells that identify and destroy invading organisms such as bacteria and viruses. Some T lymphocytes directly destroy invading organisms, whereas other T lymphocytes regulate the immune system by directing immune responses. NIBSC/Science Source/Photo Researchers, Inc.
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The Facts Of NSAIDs
2007-09-29 19:24:00
Pain and inflammation sometimes occur in a circadian rhythm (daily rhythmic cycle based on a 24 hour interval). Therefore NSAIDs may be more effective at certain times. NSAIDs are divided into two groups: those with plasma (blood) half-lives less than 6 hours (i.e. aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen) and those with half-lives greater than 10 hours (i.e. diflunisal, piroxicam, and sulindac). Since it takes three to five half-lives to stabilize blood levels, NSAIDs with longer half-lives require a loading dose to be given (large dose given initially). The "half-life" is the time it takes a drug to go down to half of its initial level. Prostaglandins, which are inhibited by NSAIDs, function in the body to protect the stomach lining, promote clotting of the blood, regulate salt and fluid balance, and maintain blood flow to the kidneys when kidney function is reduced. By decreasing prostaglandins, NSAIDs can cause stomach irritation, bleeding, fluid retention, and decreased kidney function. ...
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European Medicines Agency Recommends Restricted Use of Nimesulide-containin
2007-09-28 18:56:00
Finalising a review of the liver safety of systemic formulations of medicines containing nimesulide, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has concluded that the benefits of these medicines outweigh their risks, but that there is a need to limit the duration of use and to restrict their use to ensure that the risk of patients developing liver problems is kept to a minimum.Medicines containing nimesulide in systemic formulations are authorised in a number of European Union (EU) Member States to treat acute pain, and the symptoms of painful osteoarthritis and primary dysmenorrhoea (period pains).The CHMP therefore recommended that treatment with nimesulide should be limited to a maximum of 15 days and that consequently all packs containing more than 30 doses (tablets or sachets) should be removed from the market. Doctors are advised to base their decision to prescribe nimesulide on an assessment of the individual patient's overall risks.SOURCE: European Medicines Agency
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Fish oil significantly reduces production of various prostaglandins that ac
2007-09-27 16:19:00
Omega 3 fatty acids in dietary fish oil are reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombogenic and anti-arrhythmic effects in humans, but the biochemical basis for these beneficial health effects is not well understood. Dietary fish oil causes its prostaglandin-lowering effects through three different mechanisms, says Dr. Smith. First, the much fewer prostaglandins are made from omega 3 fatty acids as compared to the other class of fatty acids in the body, the omega 6 family of fatty acids that originate in the diet from leafy vegetables and other plant sources. Second, the omega 3 fatty acids compete with omega 6 fatty acids for the same binding site on the COX 1 enzyme that converts the omega 6 fatty acids to prostaglandin (which is why the COX 1 enzyme and its COX 2 cousin are the targets of anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen). The more omega 3 fatty acids present to block the binding sites, the fewer omega 6 fatty acids are able to be converted to prostaglandin. Third,...
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Health education video regarding Hepatitis-c infection
2007-09-23 08:30:00
If the screening test for Hepatitis is Positive for Hep-C virus it doesnt mean that The virus is still present in your body so for detail watch the video
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Addition of Biphasic, Prandial, or Basal Insulin to Oral Therapy in Type 2
2007-09-21 20:55:00
A single analogue-insulin formulation added to metformin and sulfonylurea resulted in a glycated hemoglobin level of 6.5% or less in a minority of patients at 1 year. The addition of biphasic or prandial insulin aspart reduced levels more than the addition of basal insulin detemir but were associated with greater risks of hypoglycemia and weight gain. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/ NEJMoa075392?query=TOC
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Depression Worsens Health More Than Angina, Arthritis, Asthma, Diabetes
2007-09-21 20:42:00
Depression produces the greatest decrement in health compared with the chronic diseases angina, arthritis, asthma, and diabetes, conclude authors of an Article in this week's edition of The Lancet.The authors conclude: "The co-morbid state of depression incrementally worsens health compared with depression alone, with any of the chronic diseases alone, and with any combination of chronic diseases without depression. These results indicate the urgency of addressing depression as a public health priority to reduce disease burden and disability, and to improve the overall health of populations."SOURCE: The Lancet
More About: Health , Depression , Asthma , Diabetes , Arthritis

Microtubule inhibitors as a potential treatment for malaria.
2007-09-05 13:33:00
The spread of parasitic resistance has necessitated the development of new drugs and drug targets for the treatment of malaria. Microtubules, which have gained outstanding importance as target molecules for the development of anticancer drugs, are likely to be potent antimalarial targets. The clinical implementation of microtubule inhibitors has given rise to a detailed mechanistic understanding of their interaction with tubulin on the molecular level and their effects on the cellular level. By comparison, our knowledge on Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of the most severe form of malaria, is rather poor. This article gives an overview on the microtubule inhibitors that have been explored in the parasite, reviews their effects on parasite growth and assesses their potential as novel antimalarials. Source; http://www.anopheles.org/showabstract.php ?pmid=17683277&source=newsletter
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CD8(+) T lymphocytes protective against malaria liver stages are primed in
2007-09-05 13:14:00
The success of immunization with irradiated sporozoites is unparalleled among the current vaccination approaches against malaria, but its mechanistic underpinnings have yet to be fully elucidated. Using a model mimicking natural infection by Plasmodium yoelii, we delineated early events governing the development of protective CD8(+) T-cell responses to the circumsporozoite protein. We demonstrate that dendritic cells in cutaneous lymph nodes prime the first cohort of CD8(+) T cells after an infectious mosquito bite. Ablation of these lymphoid sites greatly impairs subsequent development of protective immunity. Activated CD8(+) T cells then travel to systemic sites, including the liver, in a sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-dependent fashion. These effector cells, however, no longer require bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells for protection; instead, they recognize antigen on parenchymal cells-presumably parasitized hepatocytes. Therefore, we report an unexpected dichotomy in t...
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What Causes Insulin Resistance?
2007-09-04 20:36:00
Insulin Resistance has many factors that contribute to its presence in the body. In essence, our environment and lifestyles have evolved too rapidly for our bodies to keep pace. We are still genetically "wired" to thrive on the entrenched habits of our ancestors who consumed different, nutrient-rich foods, a diet low in carbohydrates and also sustained greater levels of movement and exercise. Some people may also have a genetic predisposition to Insulin Resistance. Others develop Insulin Resistance through unhealthy lifestyles. Over time, the above factors have damaged the complex ability of our bodies' cells to properly utilize insulin to convert glucose to energy. Unhealthy, high carbohydrate diets cause the pancreas to overproduce insulin that overwhelms the cell. In turn, the cell protects itself by reducing the number of receptor sites on its surface.This results in devastating effects:Insulin, which acts like a key in a lock, is less effective in opening up the cell and allow...

Pre-Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X)
2007-09-04 20:31:00
Insulin Resistance-linked obesity is often an underlying cause of both Pre-Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X). The latter disorder can lead to Cardiovascular Disease and may result in a heart attack or stroke. Insulin receptor sites act as "a key in a lock," allowing glucose to pass through the cell wall and be converted to energy. But the condition of Insulin Resistance vastly reduces the number of these receptor sites, causing glucose, or sugar, to "bounce" off the cell wall and then free-float in the blood stream to the liver.Once there, this excess glucose is converted into fat and stored via the blood stream throughout the body. This process often leads to obesity, a key factor in the onset of Metabolic Syndrome, which can also increase the risk of blood clot formation and reduce the kidneys' ability to remove salt from the blood stream. Excess levels of insulin that also result from Insulin Resistance can be a further source of damage to the cardiovascular system. I...

Amazing Hypnosis Makes You High
2007-09-02 09:21:00
Let me do hypnosis on you. In 45 sec your brain is going crazy, you wont belive your eyes. Hypnosis is a process in which critical thinking faculties of the mind are bypassed and a type of selective thinking and perception is established. Although some individuals experience an increase in suggestibility and subjective feelings of an altered state of consciousness, this is not true for everyone. In fact, some supposed hypnotic indicators and subjective changes can be achieved without relaxation or a lengthy induction by means of simple suggestion or waking hypnosis, a fact that increases the controversy and misunderstandings around hypnosis and the hypnotic state.THEORIESAlpha- and theta-state theories Through data collected by electroencephalography(EEGs), four major brain-wave patterns—frequency of electrical impulses firing from the brain—have been identified. The beta state (alert/working) is defined as 14–32 Hz, the alpha state (relaxed/reflecting) as the 7–14 Hz, the t...
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Guidelines for the Management of Unstable Angina and Non-ST-Elevation Myoca
2007-08-31 21:35:00
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have jointly released revised Guid elines for the Management of Patients with Unstable Angina (UA)/Non-ST- Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI). Major changes to the guidelines include: suggesting an initial non-invasive set of preliminary tests, such as a stress test, echocardiogram or radionuclide angiogram; recommending the use of anti-platelet therapy clopidogrel for at least 1 year after receiving a drug-eluting stent; highlighting the importance of more intense lipid and blood pressure control; and advising cessation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) use for all UA/NSTEMI patients during hospitalization.Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, and UA and NSTEMI are acute manifestations of this condition. In 2004, the National Center for Health Statistics reported 669,000 hospitalizations for UA and 896,000 for myocardial infarction (MI). Unstable an...
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Irish Board Suspends Marketing of Drugs Containing Nimesulide
2007-08-21 20:20:00
The Irish Medicines Board [IMB] today announced the suspension of the marketing and sale of nimesulide-containing medicinal products for oral use available in Ireland, with immediate effect.The products concerned are:· Aulin 100mg Tablets (PA 294/18/1)· Aulin 100mg Granules (PA 294/18/2)· Mesulid 100mg Granules (PA 915/1/1)· Mesulid 100mg Tablets (PA 915/1/2)· Mesine 100mg Tablets (PA 281/111/1)· Aulin 100mg Tablets (PPA 465/110/1)· Aulin 100mg Granules (PPA 1328/51/1)· Aulin 100mg Tablets (PPA 1328/51/2)Nimesulide is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine that is authorised in Ireland since 1995 for the treatment of acute pain, the symptomatic treatment of painful osteoarthritis and for primary dysmenorrhoea [period pains]. It is available only on prescription.Liver damage is a rare but serious adverse effect known to occur with nimesulide and the IMB has previously issued advice to healthcare professionals regarding this risk. The IMB has now been provided with informa...
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How to be a “SMART” clinical trial monitor
2007-08-21 20:01:00
Clinical research, a fast emerging powerful knowledge-based industry, has thrown open a diverse pool of clinical research jobs for professionals from disciplines like medicine, pharmacy, nursing, science and laboratory technology.These enthusiastic professionals are keen to work in various areas of clinical research eg. project management, monitoring, quality assurance and data management. This growing industry attracts many such professionals who wish to make a career in clinical research. SMART monitor The monitor or clinical research associate is an individual who oversees initiation, progress, and conduct of the clinical trial to ensure the scientific integrity of the data collected, and the protection of the rights, safety, and well-being of human study subjects. Monitor ing is a mixed bag of activities. The monitor has to perform almost all the managerial activities and to perform these activities the monitor should be SMART. The monitor’s role requires him/her to be a:S = S...
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Warfarin Better Than Aspirin at Stroke Prevention in Elderly People With At
2007-08-21 19:50:00
Warfarin is more effective than aspirin in prevention of stroke in people with a certain type of irregular heartbeat who are aged 75 or over, conclude authors of an Article published in this week's edition of The Lancet.Dr. Jonathan Mant, University of Birmingham, UK, and colleagues did a study (the Birmingham Atrial Fibrillation Treatment of the Aged Study/BAFTA) to determine how warfarin and aspirin affected stroke risk, and whether use of these drugs outweighed the increased risk of bleeding in elderly patients. They studied 973 patients aged 75 years or over (average 81 years), all of whom had atrial fibrillation, a particular type of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Of these patients, 488 were randomised to receive warfarin and 485 to receive aspirin, and were followed up for an average of 2·7 years. The incidence of fatal or disabling stroke (either ischaemic or haemorrhagic), intracranial haemorrhage, and clinically significant arterial embolism were studied in each group....
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India launches Clinical Trials Registry
2007-08-19 16:33:00
Clinical trials conducted for testing efficacy of new drugs are set to become transparent with the launch of a national registry for recording such an exercise. The Clinical Trials Regis try - India (CTRI), the first such initiative in Asia, was launched at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) here on Friday. Any researcher who plans to conduct drug trials on humans is expected to declare the details of the exercise in the Registry, that is jointly funded by the Department of Science and Technology, WHO and ICMR. More at http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health Science/India_launches_Clinical_Trials_Re gistry/articleshow/2221212.cms

Telemedicine
2007-08-16 21:12:00
Telemedicine has been defined as the use of telecommunications to provide medical information and services.It may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as sophisticated as using satellite technology to broadcast a consultation between providers at facilities in two countries, using videoconferencing equipment or robotic technology. Types of Technology Two different kinds of technology make up most of the telemedicine applications in use today. The first, called store and forward, is used for transferring digital images from one location to another. A digital image is taken using a digital camera, ('stored') and then sent ('forwarded') by computer to another location. This is typically used for non-emergent situations, when a diagnosis or consultation may be made in the next 24 - 48 hours and sent back. The image may be transferred within a building, between two buildings in the same city, or from one location to another anywhere in the...
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Case: Man with Fever and Odynophagia
2007-08-16 19:28:00
A 60-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever, odynophagia, weight loss, and erythematous papular rash on his back and chest. He had been well until 5 months earlier, when he began to have fatigue and malaise, as well as decreased appetite, and he lost 7.3 kg of weight. He also had an erythematous rash on his cheeks, a dry cough, and diffuse arthralgias and myalgias. He had a 40-pack-year smoking history. He was an avid hunter and had had many deer-tick bites. What is the differential diagnosis? Diagnosis: Systemic lupus erythematosus with cutaneous involvement, lupus nephritis, lupus lymphadenitis, and pulmonary vasculitis. Acute HIV InfectionThe most common signs and symptoms of acute HIV-1 infection include fever and fatigue (seen in 80 to 90% of patients), myalgia or arthralgia (50 to 70%), weight loss and maculopapular rash (40 to 80%), generalized lymphadenopathy (40 to 70%), meningeal and gastrointestinal manifestations (35 to 50%), and oral and genita...
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