Tag: Health

Common antibiotics may be linked to a serious disruption in brain function, called delirium, and other brain problems, researchers including one of Indian-origin have claimed. Delirium causes mental confusion that may be accompanied by hallucinations and agitation. Medications are often the cause of delirium, but antibiotics are not necessarily the first medications doctors may suspect.

“People who have delirium are more likely to have other complications, go into a nursing home instead of going home after being in the hospital and are more likely to die than people who do not develop delirium,” said Shamik Bhattacharyya, of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “Any efforts we can make to help identify the cause of delirium have the potential to be greatly beneficial,” said Bhattacharyya.

For the study, researchers reviewed all available scientific reports and found case reports on 391 patients, over seven decades, who were given antibiotics and later developed delirium and other brain problems. A total of 54 different antibiotics were involved, from 12 different classes of antibiotics ranging from commonly used antibiotics such as sulfonamides and ciprofloxacin to intravenous antibiotics such as cefepime and penicillin.

About 47% had delusions or hallucinations, 14% had seizures, 15% had involuntary muscle twitching and 5% had loss of control of body movements. EEG, a test that detects electrical activity in the brain, was abnormal in 70% of the cases.

As many as 25% of the people who developed delirium had kidney failure. The researchers identified three types of delirium and other brain problems related to antibiotics.

Type 1 was characterised by seizures and most often associated with penicillin and cephalosporins. Type 2 was marked by symptoms of psychosis and associated with procaine penicillin, sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones and macrolides. Both Type 1 and Type 2 had a quick onset of symptoms, within days. Once antibiotics were stopped, symptoms also stopped within days.

Type 3 was characterised by abnormal brain scans and impaired muscle coordination and other signs of brain dysfunction, and was only associated with the drug metronidazole.

The beginning of noticeable symptoms took weeks instead of days. Symptoms also took longer to go away once the antibiotic was stopped. Bhattacharyya noted that all of the patients had an active infection that could not be ruled out as the cause of the delirium and other brain problems.

A scale used to determine whether side effects can be attributed to a drug found that the association was possible in most cases. When infections that affected the central nervous system were not included, the association was probable, researchers said. The study was published in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Source: PTI

Here’s to green tea once again. A compound found in green tea may help combat joint pain, inflammation and tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis, researchers, including those from India, have claimed.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating autoimmune disorder that mostly affects the small joints of the hands and feet. It causes painful swelling that progresses into cartilage damage, bone erosion and joint deformity.

“Existing drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are expensive, immunosuppressive and sometimes unsuitable for long-term use,” said Salahuddin Ahmed,lead researcher on the project from Washington State University (WSU) in Spokane.

His team evaluated a phytochemical called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is a molecule with anti-inflammatory properties found in green tea.

The study suggests that EGCG has high potential as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis because of how effectively the molecule blocks the effects of the disease without blocking other cellular functions. “This study has opened the field of research into using EGCG for targeting TAK1 — an important signalling protein — through which proinflammatory cytokines transmit their signals to cause inflammation and tissue destruction in rheumatoid arthritis,” said Ahmed.

The researchers, including Anil Singh and Sadiq Umar from WSU, confirmed their findings in a pre-clinical animal model of human rheumatoid arthritis, where they observed that ankle swelling in animals given EGCG in a 10-day treatment plan was markedly reduced.

Source: PTI

A lot of workout tutorials include sit ups as one of the exercises that help you lose those unwanted pounds around the waist. But are sit ups really helpful in belly fat reduction? Here are a few things that one should know before relying only on sit ups for belly fat reduction…

SIT UPS BURN OVERALL FAT

If you think that doing sit ups alone will help you get a flat stomach, then you are mistaken. Sit ups don’t target your belly specifically but can help you lose fat in general. Doing sit ups at a moderate intensity for 10 minutes without rest, burns as much as 60 calories. Your weight also has a big role to play. If you weigh less than 68 kilos, you will burn lesser calories in the stipulated time and if you weigh more, you will burn more calories if you do seven sit ups in one minute.

SPOT REDUCTION IS A MYTH

Reduction of belly fat requires a disciplined and dedicated regime of a few well balanced exercises. So, if you want to get rid of fat from your belly, the first thing that you should do is include lunges, leg raises, twist crunches and reverse crunches in your workout regime. Don’t be too strict with yourself at the beginning -start gradually and steadily increase the number of lunges and crunches you do. Don’t forget to do a light warm-up before you begin your routine.

OTHER BENEFITS OF SIT UPS:

While sit ups might not be the best option for losing fat overall, they do offer a lot of other benefits. They strengthen the core and help build abdominal muscles. Having more muscles will, in turn, increase the amount of calories that your body burns, which will help you burn fat. Also, building your abdominal muscles will firm up your stomach, and thereby give you a sculpted look. This, however, is only possible once the fat is gone. So, include other exercises like crunches and plank in your fitness regime. They also help strengthen your thigh muscles. If you’re struggling with cellulite in your thighs, sit ups are a good option.

Source: TOI

Expecting mothers, take note. Women who ate more than the recommended three servings of fish per week while pregnant gave birth to children at a higher risk of obesity than expectant moms who ate less, says a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Paediatrics found an association between higher fish intake and the likelihood of rapid growth and obesity in offspring, but researchers cautioned that they had not proven any cause and effect.

Pregnant women are often concerned about how much fish to consume, since it can be good for the developing brain of the foetus but also contains pollutants such as mercury which can be harmful. Researchers said more work needs to be done, and that for now it would be “speculative” to hypothesise that “fish-associated contaminant exposure may play a role in the observed associations.”

The study, led by Leda Chatzi, a doctor at the University of Crete, analysed data from more than 26,000 pregnant women and their children in European and US studies. The study relied on women’s reports of how much fish they consumed weekly while pregnant, and followed their children until the age of six to uncover links between maternal fish intake and childhood growth.

The amount of fish women ate varied from an average of 0.5 times per week in Belgium to 4.45 times per week in Spain. “High fish intake was eating fish more than three times per week,” said the study.

“Women who ate fish more than three times per week when they were pregnant gave birth to children with higher BMI values at two, four and six years of age compared with women who ate fish less,” said the study. “High maternal fish intake during pregnancy also was associated with an increased risk of rapid growth from birth to two years and with an increased risk of overweight/obesity for children at ages four and six years compared with maternal fish intake while pregnant of once a week or less.”

The effect of excessive of fish intake was greater in girls than boys. The study did not delve into what kinds of fish the women ate, nor did it study levels of contaminants like methyl mercury.

The takeaway message, said study authors, was that pregnant women should follow recommended guidelines for fish intake and not exceed three servings per week.

AFP

Hot sex doesn’t just blow minds — it sharpens them. Getting lucky stimulates your brain and helps fight dementia, a study claims.

Older guys who engage in lovemaking regularly have better brain health and are less likely to lose memory.

Men with active sex lives between the ages of 50 and 89, scored 23 per cent higher on cognitive word tests and three per cent higher on numbers puzzles, said the researchers, who quizzed 6,800 people.

Sex hormones, like dopamine, are linked to the brain’s reward centre and help cognitive function.

For the study, participants were asked to recall 10 words five minutes after hearing them. They were also handed a number sequence, with one digit out of place, and asked to correct the pattern.

“The findings have implications that maintaining a healthy sex life in older age could be instrumental in improving cognitive function and well-being,” the study said.

Did you know mangoes have numerous compounds that have antioxidant properties?

These compounds include vitamin C and beta carotene, as well as several polyphenolic compounds including gallic acid and their larger polymers gallotannins, that have been linked to anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities in previous in vitro and in vivo studies.The absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivatives have not previously been investigated in humans.

In this human pilot trial published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 11 healthy volunteers between the ages of 21 and 38 years old consumed 400g/day of mango-pulp for 10 days, with blood and urine samples taken on days one and 10 of the study following mango consumption. Participants refrained from consuming dietary supplements and foods which could be sources of gallic acid such as berries, grapes, and tea for one week prior to the beginning of the study and during the 10 days of mango consumption.

Seven metabolites of gallic acid were identified in the urine of healthy volunteers, and of those two microbial metabolites were found to be significantly more excreted following 10 days of mango consumption.

The presence of gallic acid and pyrogallol metabolites in human urine after the consumption 400g of mango indicates the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivative and confirms the bio availability of these mango-derived metabolites.

More than just giving you grey hair, the challenges associated with parenting — such as sleep deprivation, stress and chronic infections – – can radically rewire your immune system, new research has found.

What is more, the researchers found that raising a child together has a greater effect on your immune system than the seasonal ‘flu vaccine or travellers’ gastroenteritis. “This is the first time anyone has looked at the immune profiles of two unrelated individuals in a close relationship,” said co-lead researcher Adrian Liston from University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium.

“Since parenting is one of the most severe environmental challenges anyone willingly puts themselves through, it makes sense that it radically rewires the immune system — still, it was a surprise that having kids was a much more potent immune challenge than severe gastroenteritis,” Liston noted.

The research took a detailed look at the immune systems of 670 people, ranging from 2-86 years of age, to understand more about what drives variation in our immune systems between individuals.

From an assessment of the effects of a range of factors, including age, gender and obesity, one of the most potent factors that altered an individual’s immune system was whether they co-parented a child. Individuals who lived together and shared a child showed a 50%?reduction in the variation between their two immune systems, compared with the diversity seen in the wider population, the study showed. The findings appeared in the journal Nature Immunology.

Source: IANS

Soon, the winter will be gone, unfortunately leaving behind some chilling effects. As the days get longer and the temperatures begin to shin up, off go the jumpers and boots and on come the skin-exposing garbs and flip-flops.

During spring, your heart might be enjoying the season’s magic, but your skin is crying out with the winter blues – dry, scaly, rough, spots on heels, knees and elbows as well as stressed-out, overheated, undernourished skin on your face and body.

With a forecast of brighter days ahead, it’s time to spring clean your skin-care routines.

Dr. Anup Dhir, Senior Consultant, Cosmetic Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi, says, “The harsh winter can have a detrimental effect on the skin, so spring is the time to rejuvenate it. The most important skin care regime for spring is exfoliation and hydration to get rid of the dead, flaky winter skin to reveal the healthy glow.”

He adds, “You can buy a good, gentle exfoliator or use a homemade one, like with combining sugar and coconut oil or oatmeal and honey.”

In scientific terms, there exists the phenomenon called the Hayflick limit, which is the number of times a normal cell population will divide before it stops. For human skin, that number is around 50, suggesting that each skin cell is only allowed to rejuvenate itself 50 times before it becomes useless.

Exfoliation takes away the dead skin cells from the top layer of the skin, to stimulate new cell growth, below the surface of the skin. The consensus is that a gentle and mild exfoliant, once a week, is enough for most skin types.

Dr. Dhir further says, “Remember to use a good moisturiser to make the skin supple and soft.”

Seasonal changes can cause our skin to undergo considerable modifications – higher the temperature, oilier is the skin. And so, it’s important to use a lighter moisturizer during spring. Sunflower oil and vitamin E work as emollients that trap moisture inside skin cells, keeping the skin hydrated. But if you prefer not to switch to a new moisturizer, you can try mixing some rosewater into your winter one.

Dr. Dhir next suggests using a “high factor sunscreen cream.” If you like dolling up, you can use the sunblock beneath your makeup.

Sunscreen is a must-have year-round, but as for the spring and summer, it becomes crucial, when more of your skin is exposed for longer periods of time. It helps you stay vigilant. Non-chemical sunscreens with ingredients like titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide are a better choice as these do not react with skin the way harsher chemicals do.

Also, a research, conducted in Australia and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, demonstrated that regular sunscreen use can prevent the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma.

According to Dr. Dhir, when warm weather arrives one should “eat fresh fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water.”

Conventional wisdom tells us that drinking more water will have a positive impact on skin, providing a younger-looking, radiant complexion. However, definitive research on any positive effects water consumption has on the skin is scarce.

When it comes to skin, the phrase “you are what you eat” cannot be truer. Foods like bell peppers, mushroom, shellfish, strawberries, sunflower seeds and others can give you a spring glow.

A diet rich in antioxidants like carotenenes, vitamins A and E, algae and EFAs is extremely beneficial for springtime skin as it will kick-start sluggish skin conditions and reveal a brighter, rejuvenated complexion.

Spring is a great time to let your skin go au natural and lighten up on the makeup. Warmer days mean sweating, which can leave a mess on your face if you wear a lot of makeup and can lead to clogged pores and acne.

Source: ANI

LONDON (TIP): Mothers-to-be, beware. Your child is more likely to develop asthma if you use paracetamol — a common painkiller — during pregnancy, a new study has warned.

Using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study, researchers compared associations between several conditions during pregnancy (with and without the use of paracetamol) and asthma developing in the 114,500 children in the study.

They examined asthma outcomes at ages three and seven, and evaluated the likelihood of the association being as a result of the three most common triggers for paracetamol use in pregnancy — pain, fever, and influenza.

“Uncovering potential adverse effects is of public health importance, as paracetamol is the most commonly used painkiller among pregnant women and infants,” said Maria Magnus from the University of Bristol in UK. Results showed that 5.7%?of the children had asthma at age three, and 5.1% had asthma at age seven.

The research found a consistent link between children having asthma at age three and having been exposed to paracetamol during pregnancy. The strongest association was seen if the mother used paracetamol during pregnancy for more than one complaint with a child having asthma at three years old. The findings indicated that prenatal paracetamol exposure showed an independent association with asthma development. The association was similar whether used for influenza, fever, or pain. The research was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Source: PTI

With different viruses devastating new territories every two years with imperialistic ease, the world has been forced to forge alliances with a fervour never seen before. Over the past 15 years, diseases that went viral within weeks to create pandemics and outbreaks across continents include Ebola from west Africa in 2013-15, middle-eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) from 2012 to present, H1N1 pandemic influenza
(popular referred to as swine flu) from Mexico in 2009-2010, H5N1 (bird flu) from Asia to the present in 2003, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), from China to 37 countries in 2002.

Better hygiene, antibiotics, diagnostics, and vaccines have armoured us against disease by offering tools for preventing and responding to outbreaks, but rapid growth in population, greater animal-human interaction, economic globalisation, environmental degradation, and increasing travel across borders is leading to epidemics that not just sicken and kill but also cause economic disruption that span generations.

Another global pandemic on the scale of the 1918 influenza (Spanish flu) outbreak, which killed 50-100 million people, for example, would cost the world more than $60 billion. If left to run its natural course– without modern surveillance, testing and treatment protocols — the novel H1N1 pandemic influenza virus would have gone the Spanish flu way and killed or come close to killing as many across the world.

Uncommon flu 

Most new viruses that cause outbreaks start with flu-like symptoms of fever, cough and body ache that may rapidly lead to lung collapse and death from multi-organ failure. Except for H5N1, where people sickened from direct contact with infected birds and disease remained limited to 15 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe over 15 years, all outbreaks occur from person-to-person transmission, which is far more difficult to control.

Ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people and took close to three years and$2.2 billion to contain, stood out from other respiratory diseases because of its starkly horrific symptoms of highly-infectious bleeding and sweating that sickened those caring for the ill and dying. Though the cycle of transmission was psychologically brutal for those affected, it was less challenging than influenza from the public health perspective: people were safe as long as they avoided direct physical contact with the family and friends who were ailing and dying. Treatment in isolation wards and using gloves, face-masks and hazmat suits became a mainstay of containment. And it worked.

Rapid response 

Worried by the growing threats of outbreaks, a 17-member international commission outlined an ambitious plan to prepare for the next global health crisis, whether it’s a resurgence of Ebola, SARS, bird flu, Zika, or an entirely new disease. Writing in New England Journal of Medicine , the commission underlines the urgent need to improve public health capabilities and infrastructure of countries, set up an international leadership for preparedness and response, and fund research and development on infectious diseases. The annual cost of preparedness would be $4.5 billion, which is roughly Rs 50 per person per year.

Source: HT