DID YOU KNOW

THE PHARMA REVIEW NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011

Cardamom

This is a thermogenic herb that increases metabolism and helps burn body fat. Cardamom is considered one of the best digestive aids and is believed to soothe the digestive system and help the body process other foods more efficiently.

Chillies

Foods containing chillies are said to be as foods that burn fat. Chillies contain capsaicin that helps in increasing the metabolism. Capsaicin is a thermogenic food, so it causes the body to burn calories for 20 minutes after you eat the chillies.

Curry leaves

Incorporating curry leaves into your daily diet can help you lose weight. These leaves flush out fat and toxins, reducing fat deposits that are stored in the body, as well as reducing bad cholesterol levels. If you are overweight, incorporate eight to 10 curry leaves into your diet daily. Chop them finely and mix them into a drink, or sprinkle them over a meal.

Garlic

An effective fat-burning food, garlic contains the sulphur compound allicin which has anti-bacterial effects and helps reduce cholesterol and unhealthy fats.

Moong dal

The bean sprouts are rich in Vitamin A, B, C and E and many minerals, such as calcium, iron and potassium. It is recommended as a food replacement in many slimming programmes, as it has a very low fat content. It is a rich source of protein and fibre, which helps lower blood cholesterol level. The high fibre content yields complex carbohydrates, which aid digestion, are effective in stabilising blood sugar and prevent its rapid rise after meal consumption.

Honey

It is a home remedy for obesity. It mobilises the extra fat deposits in the body allowing it to be utilised as energy for normal functions. One should start with about 10 grams or a tablespoon, taken with hot water early in the morning.

Buttermilk

It is the somewhat sour, residual fluid that is left after butter is churned. The probiotic food contains just 2.2 grams of fat and about 99 calories, as compared to whole milk that contains 8.9 grams fat and 157 calories. Regular intake provides the body with all essential nutrients and does not add fats and calories to the body. It is thus helpful in weight loss.

Millets

Fibre-rich foods such as millets - jowar, bajra, ragi, etc - absorb cholesterol and help increase the secretion of the bile that emulsifies fats. Cinnamon and cloves: Used extensively in Indian cooking, the spices have been found to improve the function of insulin and to lower glucose, total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes.

Turmeric

Curcumin, the active component of turmeric, is an object of research owing to its properties that suggest they may help to turn off certain genes that cause scarring and enlargement of the heart. Regular intake may help reduce low density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol and high blood pressure, increase blood circulation and prevent blood clotting, helping to prevent heart attack.

THE PHARMA REVIEW SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2011

Sleeping with your contact lens on can make you blind

Here’s a word of caution for those who wear contacts – going to sleep in your lenses can blind you, experts have warned. According to them, people should make it a point to take out and rinse contact lenses as poor lens hygiene can lead to a range of nasty eye ailments, including microbial keratitis, an infection of cornea, the front-al part of the eye where lenses sit. Left untreated, it can lead to permanent visual damage – and, in extreme cases, blindness, they have warned. The eye has natural protection against the foreign bodies – through a fluid covering the eye that contains protective enzymes and by blinking, which prevents anything sticking to the eye’s surface. Yet minute air and waterborne microbes sometimes break through these defenses, penetrating the protective layer of cells on the cornea. The bacteria pseudomonas is the most common keratinize-causing microbe, breeds in dirty lens case, say the experts.

Rude colleague can disrupt personal life

How cool is your workplace?. A fellow worker’s rudeness can be so intense that it could ruin your personal life, scientists say. Researchers at Baylor University in Taxes found that stress created by incivility can impact the well-being of a workers’ family and their partner. Since the person comes home more stressed and distracted, the partner is likely to pick up more of the family responsibilities, and those demands may interfere with the partner’s work life, the researchers found. Such stress, they said, also affected the worker’s and the partner’s marital satisfaction. Researcher Meredith Ferguson said Employees who experience such incivility at work bring home stress, negative emotion and perceived ostracism. This affects more than their family life it also creates problems for the partner’s life at work.”

Milk rehydrates better than sports drinks

Active children are better off drinking milk than water or sports drinks, especially in hot and humid weather. A part from being a source of high-quality protein, carbohydrates, calcium and electrolytes, milk efficiently replaces body salts lost through sweat and helps the body retain fluids longer. Milk also provides protein – not found in the other rehydration drinks – needed by children for muscle development and growth.

Predicting future clot formation in the veins

UK researchers have developed the first ever primary care tool to predict a person’s future risk of developing potentially life threatening blood clots. The algorithm uses lifestyle factors and medical history to predict the absolute risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the veins that can trigger heart attacks) over one and five years, expressed as a percentage. The tool is available online at www. qthrombosis.org. Increasing age, smoking; obesity, and existing vascular, and renal diseases are risk factors for clots.

Old age creeps up on spiders too

Alike humans, old age creeps up on spiders too the insects lose ability to weave neat webs as they approach the twilight of their life, says a new study by French researchers. The researchers at the University of Nancy have found that while youngsters produce tidy circles with perfect angles and evenly spaced gaps, their older counterparts’ efforts include gaping holes and eccentric patterns. Older the spider gets, the more chaotic its web becomes.

Wine for weight loss

A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away. Light-to-moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine, lowers your risk of diabetes by 30% and helps you lose weight, report researchers from the Navarro University in Spain. They also found that moderate drinkers are between 16% and 25 % less likely to develop the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors – high bad cholesterol, low good cholesterol, high triglyceride (blood fats) and insulinresistance – for heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Due to the notion that alcohol causes weight gain, rather than a weight loss, experts now want to carry out further research on the role alcohol plays in people’s diet.

Foods that interfere with cancer treatment

Acai berry, cumin, herbal tea, turmeric and long – term use of garlic – commonly believed to be beneficial to your health – may negatively impact chemotherapy treatment. US researchers say there is growing evidence that these popular herbs, roots and fruits may intensify or weaken the effect of chemotherapy drugs and in some cases, may cause a toxic, even lethal reaction. The fact that food and herbal supplements are natural does not necessarily mean they are safe, they warned.

THE PHARMA REVIEW MAY - JUNE 2011

In AIDS fight. Cure may be better than prevention

After 30 years of AIDS prevention efforts. global leaders may now need to shift their focus to spending more on drugs used to treat the disease as new data show this is also the best way to prevent the virus from spreading. The UN General Assembly will take up the issue as it assesses progress in fighting the disease -first reported on June 5, 1981 - that has infected more than 60 million people and claimed nearly 30 million lives. Guiding the meeting is ground breaking new data that shows early treatment of HIV can out its transmission to a sexual partner by 96 per cent. UNAIDS said at least $22 billion will be needed to combat the disease by 2015.

Diabetes may shorten working life

New York: People with diabetes may leave the workforce sooner than employees without diabetes -suggesting, French researchers say that the disease could be taking a large economic toll. “Diabetes can impact individuals’ ability to maintain employment through different pathways,” said senior researcher Dr Rosemary Dray-Spira, of the French national research institute INSERM. For example, diabetes complications such as vision loss and nerve damage can lead to mobility problems or amputations that make it difficult for people to do their jobs. Dray-Spira’s team found obesity seemed to explain much of the higher risk of work disability among people with diabetes.

“Brain can’t handle more than 150 friends’

London: You may boast of having an impressive list of friends on social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, but a new study suggests that your brain can’t handle more than 150 friends.

Researchers, led by Robin Dunbar of

Oxford University, have carried out the study and concluded human beings cannot develop close bonds with more than 150 people. Indeed, so intense has been Dunbar’s research of the magic number that is has earned him a measure of fame. It is now referred to as “Dunbar’s Number”, a term ironically coined on Face book among fans of his work. He has researched societies and businesses around the world and has found that 150 is the optimum group for social cohesion and interaction.

From African and Native American tribes to successful companies, a typical community is about 150 people. The reason 150 is the optimal number for a community comes form our primate ancestors, according to Dunbar. Dunbar’s Number faces certain modern day complications. He said: “You grow up somewhere, you go to school on the other side of the country, you get a job, you go to Europe for a bit-it’s much harder for us to keep those relationships working and good when they’re that distributed.

5 cups of Coffee a day may lead to hallucinations

Washington: Drinking coffee in moderation may be okay, but downing too much-say five or more cups of the beverage daily – can cause hallucinations, says a study. Researchers at La Trobe University have found that drinking five cups of coffees ore more a day may be enough to increase one’s tendency to hallucinate because of caffeine in it. Coffee and other caffeinated beverages such as tea, soft-drink and energy drinks access the stimulant and when taken in large quantities increase tendencies to hallucinate according to lead researcher Simon Crowe. In their study, the researchers measured the effect of stress and caffeine with 92 nonclinical participants. Five coffees a day or more was found to be enough to increase the participant’s tendency to hallucinate, said Crowe.

Drugs war not winnable, world govts. told

New York: The Global Commission on Drug Policy, a high-profile group of global leaders which includes former presidents of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Switzerland, said the ‘war on drugs’, a decades-long strategy of outlawing drugs and jailing drug users while battling cartels that control the trade, had not worked. The commission urged governments to consider decriminalizing drugs in a bid to cut consumption and weaken the power of organized crime gangs. “lt’s not peace instead of war its a more intelligent way to fight the use of drugs,” former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Chair of the Commission, told a news conference in New York.

Pomegranate juice could ease workplace stress

Edinburgh: Drinking pomegranate juice daily could ease one’s stress at the workplace by reducing blood pressure and lowering stress hormone levels. Researchers at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, in Britain, studied the physiological effect of daily consumption of half litre of pomegranate juice over a two-week period. They found that all 60 volunteers, from a range of working environments, reported being more enthusiastic and less distressed after having the drink.

THE PHARMA REVIEW MARCH - APRIL 2011

Breast Cancer: Lymph node op not a must
Chicago: Women with early breast cancer may not need to have surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes under the armpit. The finding may spare many women the pain and years of side effects related to this long-standing procedure. Certain women with breast cancer who had only their sentinel lymph node removed - the lymph node closed to the cancer – survived just as long as women who had more extensive surgery to remove lymph nodes in the armpit, know as ancillary lymph node dissection or ALND, researchers found. For the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Armando Giuliano of Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, and colleagues analyzed the two procedures in women with invasive breast cancer who had their tumors removed and underwent radiation and chemotherapy.

Being nice or nasty is linked to genes
London : Being nice or being nasty is in your genes particularly is your’re a women, say researchers. A new study of almost 1,000 pairs of identical and non-identical twins had found that genetic factors appeared to how likely one was to do charitable deeds or work hard in one’s job, the Biology Letters journal reported. However, the researches at Edinburgh University in Scotland also said the environment in which people live still plays a part in how nice they are, meaning they cannot just blame their genes if they’re feeling a bit basty. Twins make good research subjects because, in the case of identical twins, they have the same genetic make-up. Comparing them to non-identical twins, whose genes vary, allows researchers to look at what impact genetics has in certain situations compared to other factors such as the environment in which they live.

Late to bed & rising early ups heart risk
London: Are you among those who get up early but go to bed very late? Beware, your sleeping habit may be a “ticking time bomb” for your health and it could lead to heart attack and stroke, scientists claim. Going to bed late but waking up early because of hectic work schedule has become a trend for many, but scientist said having such a habit means inviting serious health hazards. Researchers at the University of Warwick Medical School in the UK found those who could not afford to sleep for at least six hours a day are more likely to die from a heart attack of stroke.
For their study, Cappuccio and colleagues looked at the sleeping habits of 475,000 participants from 15 previous studies across eight countries. It was found that those who slept for less than six hours were 48% more likely to develop or die from heart disease and 15% more likely to develop or die from a stroke. According to them, not having enough sleep decreases the levels of leptin in our blood, which means we do not feel as satisfied after eating. Experts recommend adults get at least six or seven hours’ shut eye a night to stay healthy.

Handheld heath
London: German scientists have developed a new handheld scanner which they say can tell accurately in less than 30 seconds how healthy or unhealthy you are. Developed by a team at the Charite medical school in Berlin, the device has the ability to gauge the damage that bad habits such as smoking or a fondness for junk food are having on the body.
They expected that a version suitable for home use could be on sale by this summer for as little as $ 175, the Daily Mail reported. A similar gadget called “tricorder” has already been shown in TV series “Star Trek” in which Dr McCoy aboard the fictional Starship Enterprise used it to diagnose and treat the crew.
But, researchers said the real life equivalent will shock people into leading healthy lifestyles.

THE PHARMA REVIEW JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2011

Achieve your Ideal BMI and Aim for a flat belly
Follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly to achieve an ideal body mass index <23Kg/m2, waist circumference <80 cms (women) and < 90 cms (men). Buy yourself a good weighing scale, better still the kind that gives your body composition analysis.

Practise Mindful Eating
Plan your diet daily – like you plan your budget, meetings and time. Choose a diet rich in whole grains like oats, barley, brown rice and whole wheat; pulses, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy, seafood, lean meats, nuts, seeds and cold pressed oils.

Include Functional Foods
Foods that provide special health benefits, which go beyond nutritional components like energy, vitamins, minerals etc. Are called functional foods. They are natural or formulated foods that enhance physiological performance or prevent diseases. These include garlic, onions, whole grains, legumes, flaxseeds, soy and broccoli; grapes, barriers and nuts.

Maintain A Food Diary
The first step towards improving your diet is reaching for a pen and paper. A food diary helps to increase your awareness on what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat. It’s virtually a ‘reality check’. You can analyse the foods you’ve listed by comparing them to the five recommendations for healthy eating. Undoubtedly, one of the most powerful tools to start with.

Shop and Stock Smart
Learn to read labels. Do not buy only on the basis of claims like ‘fat-free’, ‘sugar-free’ or ‘cholesterol-free’. Buy and stock appropriate snack food like nuts, seeds, fresh fruits, vegetables and roasted snacks. Avoid storing unhealthy foods on a regular basis.

Use Organic/Locally Grown Foods
Organic is no longer a fashion statement or a fad. Indiscriminate use of fertilisers and pesticides has resulted in a number health hazards. Consumed on a regular basis, these chemicals form deposits in our tissues and vital organs, particularly liver, kidney, and brain. Organic food is grown without pesticides and chemical inputs. Consuming locally and regionally grown foods too is more sensible approach as it ensures that food is fresh, more nutritious, has fewer “travel miles” and less handling or processing.

Experiment with Healthy Cooking
BE creative and invest in healthy recipe books. Involve your family to make healthy eating a fun experience. Getting children involved in menu planning ad cooking will help them start young.

Exercise Regularly
Exercise is a must. It helps strengthen heart muscles, improve blood cholesterol levels, decrease blood pressure, guard against over-weight, obesity, diabetes, bone loss associated with osteoporosis and reduce risk for other chronic diseases. In addition, it can help you manage stress and boost your sense of well-being.

Manage Stress
Best time to learn how to manage your stress is before stress strikes you. Some practical tips include: Be optimistic and productive 85-10 minutes of meditation daily* Deep breathing exercises anywhere * 10-15 minutes of yoga *Try and get 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily *Spend atleas4t 1 hr a day with family *Take regular breaks. Rmember you are unique. Good nutrition can play a powerful role in helping cope with stress along with other stres manaement techniques.

Get Regular Health Checks Done
Visit your physician and nutritionist regularly and review your supplements. These should include a thorough physical examination, blood pressure measurement, blood glucose level, fasting lipid profile, along with a thorough assessment of dietary & exercise habits and assessment of stress levels.

Identify Problem Areas
Check your diet, exercise, thoughts and habits like addiction, cravings, alcohol, eating disorders etc. Which conflict with your health goals. Work on these to apply corrections and seek professional help, if necessary.
Source: Indian Express News Paper

THE PHARMA REVIEW NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2010

No Strong Evidence Dad’s Age Affects IVF Success

While age is key factor in a woman’s chances of conceiving, naturally or via assisted reproduction, there is no consistent evidence that a man’s age affects the chances of success with infertility treatment, according to a study published in Fertility and Sterility. In an analysis of 10 studies conducted in the last decade, researchers from Israel’s Carmel Medical Center found there was no clear relationship between men’s age and success. Studies indicated that men do have a biological clock of sorts. Sperm quality may decline after age 40, and also the chances of having a baby; a study also found that a couple’s risk of miscarriage was higher with a man above 40.

Early Hearing Screening Improves Child Development

Screening for hearing problems within the first weeks of life benefits children, especially when interventions quickly follow, suggests a new study published in the journal of the American Medical Association. Analyzing the test reports of nearly 600,000 babies, researchers from Leaden University Medical Center compared children born in regions in which newborn hearing screening is the norm to those not screened. They found that newborn screening led to more spoken and fewer signed words, as well as better social and motor development at 3 to 5 years of age.

Fathers on Fatty Diet May Give Diabetes to Daughters

Fathers who eat a high fat diet may give their daughters diabetes, a study using rats has suggested. But if this is true in humans, it may be potentially contributing to the obesity and diabetes epidemic, report researchers from the University of New South Wales in Nature. Past studies found that a pregnant woman’s weight and the father’s health and lifestyle may also be important. Fathers have been advised to stop smoking and consume less alcohol around conception but maybe the advice ought to be stronger.

Vitamin B12 Tied to Alzheimer’s Disease Control

Vitamin B12 may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in Neurology. The researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm took Blood Samples from 271 seniors without Dementia. At a second examination about seven years later, they found 17 had developed Alzheimer’s, Those who did no, had higher levels of holotranscobalamin—the active portion of vitamin B12—and lower levels of homo cysteine, an amino acid tied to mental decline, stroke and heart disease.

Conception is a rare event, fertility study shows

Fewer than 8% of all tries at making a baby in a lab dish will succeed. Researchers from shady Grove Fertility Center in Maryland, US reviewed all IVF cycles at their center between 2004 and 2008, out of 110,000 fertilised egg cells, only 31,437 resulted in viable embryos. Usually just one or two embryos are implanted at a time, and the others are frozen. But assuming that all the frozen embryos would eventually be used, 8,366 babies would theoretically be born-just 7.5 percent of all fertilised eggs.

When do babies start sleeping through the night?

Sleep deprived new moms and dads can’t wait to have their baby sleep through the night. A study conducted at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand suggests that about half of babies will be sleeping through the night after about two or three months. After looking at the sleep patterns over the first year of life for 75 healthy, full-term newborns, the researchers concluded that from five months on, parents can realistically expect to experience an uninterrupted sleep. But there will still be an unlucky few who won’t get reprieve until after their child’s first birthday, the researchers reported in Pediatrics.

‘Evening types’ more likely to smoke

Night owls may be more likely than early birds to smoke, and less likely to kick the habit over time, Researchers from University of Helsinki found that among over 23,000 twin pairs followed for 30 years, those who described themselves as "evening types" alert at night and bleary-eyed in the morning were more likely to be current smokers and less likely to quit over time. The findings, reported in the journal Addiction, do not necessarily mean that there is something about being a night person that raises smoking risk. One possibility is that nicotine, which is a stimulant, tends to keep smokers up at night, the researchers reported.

Brisk walkers have lower breast cancer risk

Women who take brisk walks regularly have a lower risk of developing breast cancer after menopause and it’s never too late to start. Reviewing data collected from nearly 100,000 postmenopausal women, researchers from the Harvard Medical University found that women who scheduled at least an hour of brisk walking per day were 15% less likely to get breast cancer. Those boosted activity levels after menopause were 10% less likely to develop the disease, the researchers said in the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

THE PHARMA REVIEW SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2010

Quitting Smoking Helps After Serious Heart Attack Damage

It’s never too late for smokers to do their hearts good by kicking the habit – even after a heart attack has left them with significant damage to the organ’s main pumping chamber, say researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Among 2,231 patients with left ventricular dysfunction – where damage to the heart’s main pumping chamber significantly reduces its blood – pumping efficiency – those who quit smoking within six months of heart attack were less likely to die within five years of suffering a repeat attack than smokers who continued the habit. Smoking cessation itself was linked to a 40% reduction in the risk of death compared with persistent smoking, the team reported in American Journal of Cardiology.

Even when Prostate Cancer Returns, Most Survive

Men who show signs that their disease has returned after prostate cancer treatment are still more likely to die of other causes. Researchers from VA Connecticut Healthcare System in West Haven and Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven looked at 623 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and followed them for up to 16 years after treatment. Only 12% of them died of prostate cancer. The risk of dying for these men were found to be was 11% at 5years, 20% 10, and 42% at 15years, the researchers reported in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Vitamins C, E Show no Effect on Preterm Birth Risk

Taking high doses of vitamins C and E during pregnancy may not change a woman’s risk of preterm delivery. Past studies found a connection between vitamin C deficiency and an elevated risk of preterm birth. Plus, Vitamin C has been thought to play a role in maintaining the placenta and the membranes that surround the fetus. The study – a new analysis from a clinical trial published earlier this year – show no benefit of vitamins C and E in lowering preeclampsia risk. The researchers randomly assigned 10,154 pregnant women to take either a combination of vitamins C and E of inactive placebo pills. All of the women had uncomplicated pregnancies and only 7% of women in both the vitamin and placebo groups had a preterm birth, reported the study, published in Obstetrics @ Gynecology.

Parten Abuse Tied to Corporal Punishment
in Children

Violence and psychological abuse between parents often go hand in hand with corporal punishment of their kids, reports a new study published in Pediatrics. The children who had the highest odds of being spanked were those whose parents were aggressive toward each other, found the researchers from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. Interviewing a broad swath of families from 20 big cities, the researchers found that mothers were more likely to be the one swatting the kid, although both parents tended to use spanking more if they had been victims of aggression by their partner.

Sugar Does not Relieve Pain in Newborns: Study

Contrary to international guidelines sugar given to newborn babies does not ease pain, according to a study published on Thursday in the Lancet. In 2001, doctors published recommendations, based on a series of trials, that oral sucrose be administered to newborns to help relieve pain from invasive procedures. But a new look suggests that sucrose does not reduce pain signals in the brain of spinal cord, but merely changes the babies; facial expression, which gives a false impression that pain is being relieved. Rebecca Slater of University College London and colleagues pricked the heels of 59 newborns with a small blade and monitored pain activity in the brain and spine using electrode caps. The infants were assigned either sterile water or a sucrose solution, placed on the tongue by a tiny syringe. Pain activity did not differ significantly between the two groups.

2-Year-Old Gets Artificial Lung

A two-year-old boy has made medical history by becoming the world’s youngest person to receive and artificial lung. Owen Stark seemed a happy and healthy toddler until his collapse during a shopping trip near his home in Missouri, US. Doctors at St Louls Children’s Hospital took Stark off the heart-lung bypass machine and fitted him with a German-built artificial lung.

Antibiotics Concept 2000 Years Old

Scientists have discovered green fluorescence in Nubian skeletons indicating a tetracycline-labeled bone, a finding that shows that antibiotics were already in use nearly 2,000 years ago. A chemical analysis they were regularly consuming tetracycline, most likely in their beer. "It’s becoming increasingly clear that this prehistoric population was using empirical have no doubt that they knew what they were doing" said Emory anthropologist George Armelagos.

THE PHARMA REVIEW JULY-AUGUST 2010

A Big Nose can Shield from Cold, FLU

Here’s some good news for people with a big nose. It offers greater protection from illnesses, says a new study. Researchers have carried out the study and found that although commonly mocked, a prominent nose helps prevent one from catching cold and flu viruses. And, the bigger the nose, the larger the natural barrier which can physically stop dust particles and airborne bacteria from entering the body. The study found larger noses inhaled almost 7% fewer pollutants and they also act as a barrier to deflect germs away form the mouth and could even reduce the effects of hayfever.

Zero to Twenty Dog Bites can Leave Children with Emotional Scars too

When animals attack, some children might develop post traumatic stress disorder, of PTSD. That’s the message of a new study that followed children suffering from animal bites. Researchers from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing studied 358 kids aged 5-17 years who were attacked by animals. Most had dog bites, but some had been bitten by cats, rabbits, rats, or guinea pigs. After three months’ observation, 19 children were diagnosed with PTSD. Those hospitalized for severe bites were most at risk-10 out of 38 of them developed PTSD. The study – published in the journal Pediatrics – underscores the need for psychological evaluation of children after animal bites, said the researchers.

Eating Walnuts Every Day Keeps Dementia Away

Want to stave off dementia? All you need to do is to eat walnuts everyday, according to a new study, led by an Indian-origin researcher. Dr. Abha Chauhan and his colleagues at New York State Institute have carried out the study and found eating walnuts on a regular basis can keep one’s mental skills up. According to the researchers, vitamin E and flavonoids in walnuts actually help in destroying harmful free radical chemicals that cause dementia.

Cholesterol Tests Must for Kids, Say Docs

Tens of thousands of kids may benefit from cholesterol-lowering medication, but no one would know because screening guidelines exclude too many children, US doctors said on Monday. In a report published in the journal Pediatrics, they call for screening of all children, expanding one set of current recommendations that target only those whose parents of grandparents have heart disease or high cholesterol.

Twenty to Forty before Going on A Diet, Watch your Vitamin Intake

When weighing the benefits of one weight–loss plan over another, dieters should consider what else might get cut along with the calories. The focus of popular diets rests on the amount of food consumed and the quantities of proteins, fats and carbs. Vitamins and minerals tend to be overlooked. As a result, deficiencies arise that increase the risk of serious health problems, including low blood count, osteoporosis and neurological damage. After analyzing data form 300 women following a weight–loss diet–Atkins, Zone, LEARN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, Nutrition) of Ornish-researchers from California’s Standford University found them at risk of inadequate levels of these nutrients. Vitamin E posed the biggest problem, said the report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Now, A Jab to Stop Cancer in Tracks

In what could be called a major breakthrough, scientists claim to have created a jab which can cure even the most deadly cancers – by shrinking tumors and stopping them from spreading. The injection, which is already being tested on patients with breast, bowel, pancreatic, cervical and ovarian cancers, could hit the market in as little as five years, its creator Prof Ray Iles of Middlesex University said. The drug, which is being developed in conjunction with US firm Celldex Therapeutics, revs up the immune system, directing it to destroy Human chorionic gonadotropin of hCG which is made by some breast, bowel, ovarian, cervical tumours and around half of bladder and pancreatic cancers. The drug shrinks tumours and, crucially, stops them from spreading, or metastasizing, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported. Prof IIes said: "Not only are you causing the cancer to shrink, it is not metastasizing. If you come in with chemotherapy and surgery, you’ve got a cure." Tests on animals have already had "extremely good" results and preliminary trials on people show it to be safe. The jab is now being given to 60 men and women newly diagnosed with bladder cancer. Further, larger trials will be needed before it is deemed suitable for wide fertility spread se. professor Iles said: "The vaccine has the potential to help us make rapid advances in the treatment of this inversive cancer." The destruction of hCG would also mean the jab acted as a contraceptive. However, women’s fertility should return to normal within a year after completing treatment.

THE PHARMA REVIEW MAY-JUNE 2010

Preemies May Face Lifetime Lung Trouble

Children born extremely early at 25 weeks or before may risk a lifetime of lung problems, including asthma, suggests a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Researchers from University College London found that extremely pre-term babies who lived to age 11 often had abnormal lung function and were twice as likely as children born at a full 39 or 40 weeks to be diagnosed with asthma. They studied all babies born at or before 25 weeks gestation. The children were examined and their lung function and respiratory health checked when they were 2, 6 and 11. 56 per cent had abnormal spirometry results -a test of blowing into an instrument to assess lung strength. One in four had asthma. But 65 per cent had not had any respiratory symptoms for the last 12 months.

Hospitalisation for Choking Rare, Deadly

While it's extremely rare for a child to be admitted to the hospital after choking on food, tiny toy pieces or other foreign bodies, they are "surprisingly likely" to die in hospital, suggests a study published in the Archives of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery. Researchers from Children's National Medical Center at The George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, found about one in 30 children hospitalized for choking, die. Discharge reports from 3,438 hospitals suggest that procedures performed most often were bronchoscopy (52%) esophagoscopy (28%). Tracheotomy is done in 2% cases.

Too Much Sugar Increases Heart Risks

Eating a lot of sugar not only makes you fat it may also increase a person's risk for heart disease, suggests a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers from the Emory School of Medicine found that people who ate more added sugar were more likely to have higher risk factors for heart disease, such as higher triglyceride and lower levels of protective high-density lipoprotein or HElL cholesterol. Too much sugar not only contributes to obesity, but also is a key culprit in diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association.

Diet may be linked to lower Alzheimer's
Risk among the elderly

Older adults appear to be at lower risk for Alzheimer's disease if they eat a diet rich in fish, poultry, fruit, nuts, dark leafy greens, vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and oil-and-vinegar dressing, suggests a study published in the Journal Archives of Neurology. Researchers from Taub Institute at Columbia University found that among older people whose diet included most of these foods, the risk for Alzheimer's was more than one-third lower over the course of four years than among those who ate the least such foods and more high-fat dairy products, butter, red meat and organ meat. The food combination associated with lower risk is low in saturated fat and rich in nutrients like folate, vitamin E and Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Four Bad Habits add 12 Years to Your Age
Smoking, Drinking, Inactivity and a Poor Diet Combine to Pose Huge Health Risk: Researchers

Four common bad habits combined-smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet - can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests. The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years, and they highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Overall, 314 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviors. Among them, 91, or 29%, died during the study. Among the 387 healthiest people with none of the four habits, only 32 or about 8%: died. The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily. These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo. The study appeared in Archives of Internal Medicine. The healthiest group included never-smokers and those who had quit; teetotalers, women who had fewer than two drinks daily and men who had fewer than three; those who got at least two hours of physical activity weekly; and those who ate fruits and vegetables at least three times daily.