Public Health
Two clones of highly antibiotic-resistant organism strains, which previously had only been identified in the United States, are now causing serious sickness and death in several Colombian cities including the capital Bogotá, say researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The study, done in collaboration with Universidad El Bosque in Bogotá, is presented in a research letter published in the Nov. 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
U.S. clones of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF) have…
Is there anything that Google can't do?
An article in the NY Times ("Google Uses Searches to Track Flu's Spread") by Miguel Helft reports that Google may be able to detect outbreaks of influenza up to two weeks earlier than the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). According to Google, people who have the symptoms of the flu search for terms such as muscle aches and flu on the search engine, and data-mining of these searches can help pinpoint outbreaks in advance.
There are several alarming items that can be derived from this report.
Google is faster at reporting medical events, epecially…
Working out on a stationary bicycle or walking on a treadmill just 25 to 30 minutes most days of the week is enough to modestly lower risk of hospitalization or death for patients with heart failure, say researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
The findings stem from the HF-ACTION trial (A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes Exercise TraiNing), the most comprehensive study to date examining the effects of exercise upon patients with heart failure. The study was reported today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008 by…
As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as important as high levels of sodium—especially among African Americans, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"There has been a lot of publicity about lowering salt or sodium in the diet in order to lower blood pressure, but not enough on increasing dietary potassium," comments lead author Susan Hedayati, MD, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and the…
ashley |
If you're a yogurt consumer like myself, you've probably noticed the aisle flooded with signs for probiotic yogurt, probiotic shots and even probiotic candy bars (hey, it's true!) While staying away from these items for some time I thought I'd now try to figure out the reality behind these and put the hype to rest.
Apparently, probiotics have been used for centuries as natural components in health-promoting foods and upon transportation to the United States, they have sparked a huge growth in the yogurt industry for their claims of increased immune response as well as sufficient…
ashley |
An allergy refers to an exaggerated reaction by our immune systemin response to bodily contact with certain foreign substances. When anallergen comes in contact with the body, it causes the immune system todevelop an allergic reaction in persons who are allergic to it.
Ten to 20% of adults in the population report food intolerances—mostly they refer to these as "food allergies." But only a small proportion of these are genuine, immunologically mediated allergies. Foodintolerances are therefore overrated on the one hand, but on the other hand, potentially dangerous food allergies are often not…
ashley |
We all know that high cholesterol is associated with the possibility of diabetes, but what about a connection between triglyceride levels and obesity? It may seem far fetched, but conducting a simple test of bodily triglyceride levels may give beneficial insight to those of who that are more susceptible for becoming obese.
Triglycerides are among the most common lipids found in the body and compromise approximately 95% of dietary fat. Both produced by the body and absorbed from foods, triglycerides are used mainly for energy. Calories ingested that are not used immediately by tissues are…
A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates that not only do human hands harbor far higher numbers of bacteria species than previously believed, women have far more kinds of microbes on their palms than men. The results help understand human bacteria and should help establish a "healthy baseline" to detect microbial community differences on individuals that are associated with a wide variety of human diseases, said CU-Boulder ecology and evolutionary biology assistant professor Noah Fierer, lead study author.
Using gene sequencing techniques, the team found a typical hand…
You've had the flu three years in a row. The first year, you got it from Bob, the IT guy, who sneezed while updating your computer. The second year, you got it from Harry, who touched the tab on the water cooler after sneezing into his hand. The third year, you got it from Linda because she made out with Harry, and Harry's wife got the flu from their kids. Gross.
This year, if avoiding the flu is on your high list of priorities, see your HR manager about implementing a green cleaning program in your office. If they're worried about the cost, maybe this staggering bit of information will…
A research study carried out by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) proves that administering natural antioxidants can reduce the effects of lead poisoning in animals during the gestation and lactation periods. The study suggests that it could also be effective in humans.
In this study, published in the magazine Food and Chemical Toxicology, the researchers aimed to prove that since the principal toxicity mechanism of lead poisoning is that it creates free radicals that lead to cellular destruction; administrating natural antioxidants could reverse this process and re-establish…