More Evidence that PPIs Blunt Antiplatelet Activity

Image via Wikipedia

This link is all about the warning of FDA in concomitant use of some proton pump inhibitors (PPI) with clopidogrel; a blood thinning agent usually prescribed after stent placements and other cases of coronary artery disease treatment. It has been seen by the researchers that pantaprazole a PPI prescribed to reduce adverse effect of aspirin, which is also co-prescribed along with clopidogrel may interfere with the action of clopidogrel, adversely affecting the task of blood thinning.

clipped from www.medpagetoday.com The risk of rehospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI) almost doubled in patients treated with both a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and clopidogrel (Plavix) after acute MI or coronary stent deployment, data from a retrospective cohort study showed. PPIs are frequently used to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients treated with clopidogrel. However, a growing volume of evidence has suggested that PPIs might reduce clopidogrel's efficacy, the authors wrote. In one recent study, patients treated with omeprazole (Prilosec) in addition to aspirin and clopidogrel had a significantly higher platelet reactivity index score after seven days of treatment than patients who didn't get the PPI (J Am Coll Cardiol 2008; 51: 256-60). However, a subgroup analysis of a large clinical trial showed no increased risk of adverse events in patients who received clopidogrel with or without a PPI (Circulation 2008; 118(suppl 2): Abstract 3999).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Patients Who Take a Proton-Pump Inhibitor Are Less Likely To Be Hospitalized for Bleeding Ulcers (nlm.nih.gov)
• New evidence on co-prescribing for heart and stroke patients (scienceblog.com)
• FDA Adds Boxed Warning to Plavix Label to Highlight Reduced Effectiveness of the Drug In Poor Metabolizers (spittoon.23andme.com)

Diabetics are Prone for Fungal Diseases

Image via Wikipedia

Diabetes, especially if uncontrolled, lowers the immunity status of the patient. They are prone for bacterial infection and/or fungal infestation. Candida, a common fungus usually invades nail beds, body surfaces and interior organs. The hallow organs like esophagus and stomach gets invaded commonly. Patient usually complains of burning sensation inside the chest and loss of appetite. It can be diagnosed through an endoscopy. Very good anti-fungal drugs are available, can be taken in consultation with the physician. Above all, diabetes should be controlled with glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level around 7%. 
A video of esophageal candidisis can be watched here.

Related articles by Zemanta

• HbA1c levels for diagnosis and screening of Diabetes Mellitus? (medicine.com.my)

Physical Exercise Eases Fibromyalgia

Physical exercise may reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia; where physical, psychological and humeral elements play their roles.

clipped from www.medpagetoday.com Obesity and Inactivity Up Risk for Fibromyalgia Moreover, the relative risk for women who were overweight and did not engage in leisure time physical activity was 2.09 (95% CI 1.36 to 3.21), the researchers reported in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Being overweight or obese is a strong and independent risk factor for the future development of fibromyalgia in women, particularly for those who are inactive, a Norwegian study found Studies have shown lower levels of physical fitness among patients with fibromyalgia compared with healthy controls. The analysis also found a nonsignificant tendency toward a dose-response effect for physical activity, with women who reported exercising at least four times per week having a 29% lower risk of fibromyalgia compared with those who were inactive (adjusted RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.46 to 1.09, P for trend =0.13). Women who exercised for two hours or more per week had a relative risk of 0.77 (95% CI 0.52 to 1.15, P for trend =0.16).

Related articles by Zemanta

• Know the Treatments and get Ready to Fight with Fibromyalgia (curesfibromyalgia.com)
• Fibromyalgia Pain Symptoms - Fibromyalgia Book (slideshare.net)

Low Salt in DASH Menu May Help to Stop Hypertension and Other Diseases

Image via Wikipedia

Low Salt in DASH Menu May Help to Stop Hypertension and Other Diseases
DASH is acronym for "Dietary approach to stop hypertension". This diet menu has been supported by National Institutes of Health

and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, US and some other organizations. Results of the research heavily support the dietary approach to control the hypertension; and so also other diseases like diabetes, obesity, cognitive failure and urinary stone disease.

First Full Face Transplant

Image via Wikipedia

It is reported that a group of Spanish doctors have successfully transplanted full face of a person, after failure of several earlier operations on him; he had injured himself in a shooting accident. .

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk HOW SURGEONS REBUILT PATIENT'S FACE 1. Patient lost jaw, nose and other parts of his face in shooting accident. 2. Donor's facial skin, muscles, nose, cheekbones, teeth and jawbone used to rebuild patient's face. Metal plates used to support new facial structure, which included reconstructing the roof of the mouth. 3. Donor's nerves, blood vessels and skin connected to patient. Patient will have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life. Source: Vall D'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona Face from dead donor is removed in four hour operation Veins, arteries, skin, muscles, and bones are taken The patient is anaesthetised partway through surgery on the donor and any previous skin grafts are removed The donor face and accompanying blood vessels are stitched to the patient using complex microvascular surgery A team of 30 Spanish doctors say they have successfully performed the world's first full face transplant.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Spanish hospital claims world's first full face transplant (ctv.ca)

Robotic Physiotherapist on Development

Image via Wikipedia, Infarction of Brain seen In CT Scanning

Patients, after suffering from a brain stroke, often require long term physiotherapy to regain near normal functions of paralyzed limbs. Here comes the role of physiotherapist. It is good to know that robot is going to replace man.
In India, patient's relatives usually perform the role after learning it from experts.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Robot trainer benefits stroke patients - study Intensive therapy using a robot has helped patients improve arm movement years after having a stroke, according to a US study. Robots for stroke therapy are also being tested in the UK The New England Journal of Medicine reported that many patients had improved quality of life. UK stroke experts said the advance was "exciting" but added that robots were still at early stages of development. Strokes can leave people with long-lasting disability, which can include limited movement and weakness in upper limbs. Intensive therapy, starting as soon as possible after the stroke, is the recommended way to maximise the amount of movement recovered. However, providing the physiotherapist needed for at least a hour per patient per day places large demands on the NHS. The Brown University trial tested a device called the MIT-Manus, specifically designed to help exercise the upper limbs.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Robot 'helps arms after stroke' (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Arm movement regained years after stroke (cbc.ca)
• Most People Unaware They've Had a Minor Stroke (nlm.nih.gov)

Robotic Physiotherapist on Development

Patients suffering from brain stroke, often require long term physiotherapy to regain movement of limbs to a near normal level. And, here comes the demand for physiotherapist. It is good news to know that robot is gong to replace man.
In India, patient's relatives learn it from the physiotherapists of the institutions and help the patient to do physiotherapy.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Robot trainer benefits stroke patients - study Robots for stroke therapy are also being tested in the UK Intensive therapy using a robot has helped patients improve arm movement years after having a stroke, according to a US study. The New England Journal of Medicine reported that many patients had improved quality of life. UK stroke experts said the advance was "exciting" but added that robots were still at early stages of development. Strokes can leave people with long-lasting disability, which can include limited movement and weakness in upper limbs. Intensive therapy, starting as soon as possible after the stroke, is the recommended way to maximise the amount of movement recovered. However, providing the physiotherapist needed for at least a hour per patient per day places large demands on the NHS. The Brown University trial tested a device called the MIT-Manus, specifically designed to help exercise the upper limbs.

Great Ways to Prevent Ill Effects of Diabetes Trough Blood Glucose Test

Image via Wikipedia

This is a guest post by Kristina V. Ridley. She is a very enthusiastic writer and spends lot of time in creating awareness on diabetes.  I appreciate it very much.



One of the main parts of the body that is affected is the pancreas to cause type II Diabetes. Many people eat foods that contain high doses of sugar, which turns into glucose in the blood stream. When glucose enters the blood, insulin is released by the pancreas so that the glucose becomes a type of fuel for the body. For a person who is living with Type 2 diabetes, it is difficult for the body to produce the insulin it needs, and uses what little is produced. At this point, there is plenty of glucose to be used as fuel for the body, but the cells are not able to find it.
The American Diabetes Association has the duty of looking for information regarding this important medical condition. 23.6 million individuals living in America currently have diabetes, and because of this the country is seen as very unhealthy. Ninety percent of this figure has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes and the tendency to be overweight usually run in the family. If there is too much glucose in your body, it could result in serious internal organ damage and affects other system of body. 
The Life of a Diabetic
The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the blood is the average blood glucose level in the preceding or past three months. Diabetics should usually maintain HbA1c level around 7%. According to the CDC, the risks of many types of diseases would reduce by up to 40% if people would reduce their HbA1c levels to 7 percent.
Over-Controlled Levels
Recently, there have been medical studies that seem to indicate that maintaining HbA1c levels below 7% may be a bad idea after all. A study conducted by a medical center in Seattle (Lancet and Swedish), indicates that people who keep their median HbA1c levels below 7%, and/or use insulin will be at a higher death risk. Then again, many studies indicate that maintaining a seven percent level of HbA1c is still healthy. Maintaining a seven percent level of HbA1c is still good, according to the endocrinologist Matt Davies for as long as physicians are well-aware of the medical history of their patients before any treatment is prescribed.
About the Author - Kristina V. Ridley writes on her personal hobby blog focused on healthy eating and tips to measure blood glucose levels at home to help people understand early diabetes symptoms.

Related articles by Zemanta

• If Your Doctor Prescribes n HbA1c Test (nlm.nih.gov)
• Diabetes sugar 'can go too low' (news.bbc.co.uk)
• Intense blood sugar treatment risky (cbc.ca)

Common Benign Breast Diseases: A Lady Should Know

Common Benign Breast Diseases: A Lady Should Know

How to Prevent and Manage Post-Menopausal Osteoporosis | RememME

How to Prevent and Manage Post-Menopausal Osteoporosis | RememME

First Baby to Get Xenon Gas Treatment to Prevent Possible Brain Injury

Image by Jacob Johan via Flickr

Some new born babies without respiration at birth, birth asphyxiated suffer from brain damages to various extent, consequent disability in the later life and some also die.
Cooling their brains reduces oxygen demand and when regain spontaneous respiration, may not suffer from brain damage; was the subject of research.
The result has been seen in UK, with Xenon gas treatment used to cool the brain of a baby having 50:50 chance of brain damage; reported here.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk First baby given xenon gas to prevent brain injury A newborn baby has become the first in the world to receive xenon gas treatment, pioneered in Bristol in a bid to prevent brain injury. Riley Joyce had no pulse and was not breathing when he was first delivered by emergency Caesarean section at the Royal United Hospital, Bath. He had a 50:50 chance of permanent brain injury and was transferred to St Michael's Hospital, Bristol. 'Cooling babies' She said: "Over the past eight years, we have shown in the laboratory that xenon doubles the protective effect of cooling on the brain. Professor Thoreson said: "After seven days, Riley was alert, able to look at his mother's face, hold up his head and begin to take milk." Every year in the UK more than 1,000 otherwise healthy babies born at full term die or suffer brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen or blood supply at birth. "Xenon is a precious and finite resource and difficult to extract so it can cost up to £30 a litre.

Related articles by Zemanta

• First baby treated with xenon gas (news.bbc.co.uk)

How to Diagnose Stone in the Urinary tract | eHow.com

How to Diagnose Stone in the Urinary tract | eHow.com

DNA Repair in Mice with BRCA1 Gene Mutations

Chromosome Model

It may be possible in the near future that researchers will be able to identify all the factors those play their role in transforming normal cells to abnormal; initiating and sustaining uncontrolled growth, and rendering them resistant to treatment.
A more collaborative approach and information sharing is perhaps the key. 

clipped from www.cancer.gov Scientists Restore DNA Repair in Mice with BRCA1 Gene Mutations The gene BRCA1 plays an important role in repairing DNA damage that inevitably occurs as cells replicate. Through a pathway known as homologous recombination (HR), the gene helps cells make repairs and prevent further genetic changes that could set the stage for cancer. But as a new study in mice suggests, multiple pathways may actually compete with one another to repair DNA damage within cells. The study further suggests that it may be possible to restore the HR pathway and promote faithful DNA repair in cells with BRCA1 mutations. An enzyme called DNA ligase repairs a broken strand of DNA. (Image courtesy of Dr. Tom Ellenberger, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.) Some repair pathways, he noted, do more harm than good. While the HR pathway is essentially free of errors, the 53BP1-associated pathway produces genetic mutations that increase the risk of cancer when the BRCA1 protein is absent.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pathways that Can Repair Brca1 Cancer Gene Mutation Clarified in Mice (nlm.nih.gov)
• Blocking gene boosts radiotherapy (news.bbc.co.uk)

medTitans - Adverse Effect of Phenytion in Post-Menopausal Women: Osteoporosis.

medTitans - Adverse Effect of Phenytion in Post-Menopausal Women: Osteoporosis.

medTitans - Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Presenting as Dyspepsia, Ulcer in Stomach and Simulating Cancer Stomach

medTitans - Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Presenting as Dyspepsia, Ulcer in Stomach and Simulating Cancer Stomach

Essential Firefox Browser Addons for a Blogger

Blogger requires some assistance in form of gathering suitable images to complement posting of an article. Also important is other similar articles the reader might be interested in. These two tasks are fulfilled by Zemanta a firefox addon. It automatically suggests labels, other reference articles, one’s own articles and images in the real time basis; those can be embedded with a click. It can be accessed from here.

Sometimes, Zemanta may fall short as regards images and video, which can be fulfilled by Apture. Apture can find out images and video according to the need. Add from here.




Clipmarks is a very good addon for clipping a relevant portion of an article published online and can help to blog it in blogger and/or wordpress. It can be accessed from here.

Amplify, first came into existence for amplifying a portion of a web article with the comment of the clipper; now has been giving platform for blogging. It simultaneously posts the article to Facebook, Twittter, Myspace and some other social networking sites. Recently, it has added posting of short thoughts. Access here.

  
Yoono is a very good addon which, when activated can post any web page to nearly five networking sites. This can be added from here.

Addthis, is also very helpful in posting articles from the URL, as it locates itself in the address bar of the browser. It can be added from here.

Another very good addon is Onlywire. Here one has to open an account there and put the button in the blog, either in the side bar or in the footer of the post. One has to configure the sites he wants to post his article in onlywire web site; and those are remembered there. And, with one click of the button the article is posted to several places. Of course, one has to finalize the posting to some sites requiring more authentications. Get it here.

There can be several others, but I found these to be essential.



Alternatively;
One may open the firefox browser,

Go to Tools and click,

~see the drop down menu,
Go to~ addons,

Write the name of the addon, search and add
.

Now you can enjoy the ease of posting and campaigning your article.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How to Stop Phishing Posts in Blogger (clinispot.blogspot.com)

How to Treat A Clicking or Trigger Finger | eHow.com

How to Treat A Clicking or Trigger Finger | eHow.com

medTitans - Multiple Fistula-in-Ano May be Due to Tuberculosis

medTitans - Multiple Fistula-in-Ano May be Due to Tuberculosis

Related articles by Zemanta

• World Tuberculosis Day (one.org)
• Diseases Presenting as Piles (thepclinic.com)

Hydrocele or Varicocele may Cause Less Sperm Production

Image via Wikipedia

Testes develop inside the abdomen and descend down to the scrotal sac to remain in a relatively cooler environment that is helpful for sperm production. It draws a fold of tissue from abdomen called peritoneum along with it. Sometimes clear fluid accumulates in the potential space in the said fold to be termed as hydrocele. Sometimes the veins draining the testes become large in caliber and tortuous hampering blood flow back to the circulation, called as varicocele.
In both the conditions the temperature of testes goes up. The cooler environment of about 2 degree Celsius less, in the scrotum no longer remains and temperature goes up. That may hamper sperm production, the spermatogenesis. Sometimes, during the surgery in that area, there may be trauma to the sperm carrying system or to the testis itself. Patients having already less sperm production may take the plea of injury as a cause, and sue the doctor in court of law for compensation. So, in view of the above problem, it is always desirable to take history of siblings and order for a sperm count before the surgery. That may help the doctor to asses the reproductive status of a male patient and may not leave any room for future litigation.
One testis is enough for sperm production and fertilization. I have seen people having huge hydrocele in this part of the world and at the same time having more than one child.  

Related articles by Zemanta

• Infertility A Warning Sign of Prostate cancer ? (clinispot.blogspot.com)