Bed Wetting by Children

Bed-wetting goes for sometime after birth and mostly seen up to the age of 6 to 7 years, by which time bladder control usually develops; a small percentage go till the age of 10. Perhaps after that age parents should consider the possible causes and possibly consult their doctor.
Image by Tony Trần via Flickr

Before going to the doctor they may try;

1.Limiting liquids before bedtime.

2.Encouraging the child to go to the bathroom before bedtime

3.Praising the child on dry mornings

4.Avoiding punishments

5.Waking the child during the night to empty their bladder

Amplify’d from www.healthfinder.gov

The American Academy of Family Physicians says bed-wetting isn't from naughty behavior or laziness. According to the academy, there may be a medical problem behind the bed-wetting child's behavior, such as:

Having a family history of bed wetting. Having difficulty waking from sleep. Being under physical or emotional stress. Having a urinary tract infection. Experiencing slow development of the central nervous system. Having a hormonal imbalance. Having an abnormality that affects the spinal cord, the urethral valve in boys or the ureter in girls or boys. Having a small bladder. Read more at www.healthfinder.gov

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Diabetes Curable with 600 Calorie per Day Diet?

The British doctors say, they can cure type II diabetes with 600 calorie per day diet. They claim to have reversed diabetes in 11 people.
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let us wait and watch for more news on it.

Amplify’d from www.cbsnews.com

British docs say they can cure diabetes: How?

(CBS) Can a diet cure type 2 diabetes? That's what British researchers are saying, after a low calorie diet reversed diabetes for 11 people.

For the eight week study - published in the June 24 issue of "Diabetologia"- researchers tracked the insulin levels of the diabetics as they ate an extreme 600-calorie-a-day diet consisting solely of diet shakes and non-starchy vegetables. After one week on the diet, the diabetics' blood sugar levels were no longer elevated. After eight weeks on the diet, their bodies' regained the ability to make insulin, essentially curing them of diabetes.

See more at www.cbsnews.com

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Low Fat Chocolate Milk Good After Exercise

Low carbohydrate protein drink after exer4cise helps to build muscle and restore vigour is an established fact.

It is proved once again as published in the Dailymail.

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Chocolate milk is ideal drink to recover from exercise and boost performance, claim scientists

After an exhausting session on the treadmill, many athletes reach for an isotonic sports drink or good old-fashioned water.

But two new studies from The University of Texas at Austin show that chocolate milk is the ideal post-workout recovery drink. Read more at www.dailymail.co.uk

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Why Not Generic Drugs in India?

When FDA approves generic drugs, why the the same can not be made popular in India.

Is it a mindset of doctors in India or obligation towards the manufacturers of branded drugs?

Why the "Jana Ousadhi" programme is not that popular?

Ultimately we need cheaper drugs for everybody.

Amplify’d from www.medpagetoday.com

FDA Approves Generic Levofloxacin

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has approved the first generic versions of the antibiotic levofloxacin (Levaquin) for patients 18 and older. The drug is indicated to treat mild, moderate, or severe bacterial infections of the skin, sinus, kidney, bladder, and prostate caused by certain germs. It is also used to treat people exposed to inhalational anthrax and some bacterial infections that cause bronchitis and pneumonia. Like all fluoroquinolones, levofloxacin comes with a boxed warning for an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture, a statement from the FDA said. The risk is elevated in patients older than 60; those taking corticosteroids; and kidney, heart, and lung transplant patients. The warning also notes the drug may worsen muscle weakness in myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease. Approval for the generic went to 12 companies, including: Akorn Aurobindo Pharma Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Glenmark Generics Hi-Tech Pharmacal Lupin Mylan Pharmaceuticals Sagent Strides Sandoz Teva Pharmaceuticals Torrent Pharmaceuticals Wockhardt Generic forms approved include tablet, oral solution, and injectable solution. Read more at www.medpagetoday.com

 

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Coffee may Help to Ease Alzheimer's Disease

Coffee may help to ease alzheimers disease the research finds.

Amplify’d from medicalxpress.com

A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease. A new Alzheimer's mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer's disease process.

The boost in GCSF levels is important, because the researchers also reported that long-term treatment with coffee (but not decaffeinated coffee) enhances memory in Alzheimer's mice. Higher blood GCSF levels due to coffee intake were associated with better memory. The researchers identified three ways that GCSF seems to improve memory performance in the Alzheimer's mice. First, GCSF recruits stem cells from bone marrow to enter the brain and remove the harmful beta-amyloid protein that initiates the disease. GCSF also creates new connections between brain cells and increases the birth of new neurons in the brain. Read more at medicalxpress.com

 

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Pregnancy and Screening for Syphilis

As published in the BBC on 16th June 2011, Syphilis causes 500,000 stillbirths and newborn deaths globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.

As published in Lancet about 2·1 million pregnant women have active syphilis every year. Without screening and treatment, 69% of these women will have an adverse outcome of pregnancy

 Image of Hutchinson's TeethHutchinson's teeth.Hutchinson's teeth.

Syphilis is a sexually-transmitted infectious disease. The bacterium Treponema Pallidum that cause it spread through broken skin or mucous membranes. Pregnant mothers infected with the disease can pass it to the baby developing in their womb. This is called congenital syphilis.


A study from University college of London showed screening and treatment resulted in a 58% decrease in stillbirths as well as a similar reduction in deaths in the first few weeks of life. Cases of congenital syphilis were also reduced.

Syphilis can cause still births, Low birth weight babies, death of new born and babies with classical stigmas of syphilis. Symptomatic newborns, if not stillborn, are born premature, with hepatosplenomegaly, skeletal abnormalities, pneumonia and a bullous skin disease known as pemphigus syphiliticus

Late congenital syphilis, when it occurs in children at or greater than 2 years of age who acquired the infection in mother's womb. may have Symptoms like;

• Notched upper incisor teeth known as Hutchinson's teeth.
• Inflammation of the cornea known as interstitial keratitis
• Deafness from auditory nerve disease.
• Frontal bossing (prominence of the brow ridge)
• Saddle nose (collapse of the bony part of nose)
• Hard palate defect.
• Swollen knees.
• Saber shins of tibia (A leg bone)
• Short maxillae
• Protruding mandible

A frequently-found group of symptoms is Hutchinson's triad, which consists of Hutchinson's teeth (notched incisors), keratitis and deafness and occurs in 63% of cases.

Mothers are usually screened for syphilis by their doctors in the early pregnancy, when they come for first check up.

Tests available are;

• VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) Test
• RPR (Rapid Plasma Reagin) Test
• FTA-ABS test (Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test)

The first two tests are for screening purpose and the FTA-ABS test is confirmatory test for syphilis.

If a carrying mother found positive need to be treated adequately by her doctor. The antibiotic frequently used is penicillin and sometimes doxycycline.

The FTA-ABS test remains positive for life long, so lacks a treatment monitoring value. Similarly the screening tests may have false positive and false positive values.

Those can be false positive in diseases like;

• Yaws
• Pinta
• Malaria
• Certain Pneumonias
• HIV
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
and
• Lyme disease

It will go a long way in preventing stillbirths or neonatal deaths due to syphilis, If all pregnant women were screened, and those who tested positive were treated with one dose of benzathine penicillin before 28 weeks' gestation.

Related articles

• Syphilis Testing Could Dramatically Cut Baby Deaths (nlm.nih.gov)
• Syphilis screening could prevent 500,000 children's deaths: Study (cbsnews.com)

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Body Mass Index (BMI)

The ideal weight of a person is calculated basing on the height and weight. Whether a person is either underweight or overweight is calculated from the Body Mass Index (BMI).

This is calculated by dividing the body weight in Kilograms by height in squared meters, i.e.Kg/square meter. It is inferred as follows; 

• BMI (kg/m2)

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1. Underweight ≤18·5.
2. Normal weight: 18·5–24.9.
3. Overweight: 25–29.9.
4. Obese class I: 30–34.9.
5. Obese class II: 35–39.9.
6. Obese class III: ≥40

Other predictors of risks of cardiovascular events are Waist to Hip ratio (WHR), Waist Circumference and abdominal or central obesity.

Diabetic and cardiovascular events rise with increasing BMI.

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New Test for HER 2 Gene in Breast Cancer

A new and convenient test for breast cancer patients to identify potential candidates for Trastuzumab therapy more easily has been devised. The HER2 gene can be stained and seen under a standard microscope.

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FDA Clears Improved HER2 Test in Breast Cancer

The FDA has approved a new quantitative test for HER2 genes in breast tumor samples that can be performed under a standard microscope, potentially making it easier to identify patients who would benefit from trastuzumab (Herceptin) therapy. Called Inform Dual ISH, the test allows clinical lab personnel to count the number of HER2 gene copies on chromosome 17 visually under a microscope. It is based on a staining system that colors chromosome 17 red and the HER2 gene black. Such assessments are possible with previous methods but they require fluorescence microscopes, the FDA explained in announcing the approval. Also, the Dual ISH system makes the HER2 and chromosome 17 copies visible for longer periods. The agency said the approval was based on a U.S. study involving tumor samples from 510 patients with breast cancer. It showed that the test was 96% sensitive in identifying HER2-positive tumor samples and 92.3% specific in ruling out HER2 positivity in samples that had the normal number of copies of the HER2 gene. Patients with more than the normal number of copies of the HER2 gene are considered candidates for trastuzumab therapy, whereas those with the normal number are not. The Inform Dual ISH test is manufactured by Ventana Medical Systems of Tucson, Ariz. Read more at www.medpagetoday.com

 

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Tornado Victims of Mossouri Die from Rare Disease

It was the deadliest single tornado in more than half a century that hit Mossouri , and it adds to a season of particularly deadly tornadoes. Storms in the Midwest and South have killed hundreds of people in the last two months, and left millions of dollars of damage behind.

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The tornado, which struck around dinner time, crushed nearly a third of the city. It pounded about 2,000 buildings, knocked out power and cellphone service for many, and damaged water treatment and sewage plants.

The aftermath of it has also been more dangerous as diseases related to Tornado started counting their victims. Last Friday the toll was raised to 151. Some of them suffered from rare disease that infected their injuries.

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Styrene and Formaldehyde May Cause Cancer

A lot of Styrene and Formaldehyde are in day to day use. Let us be careful about use of these compounds.

 National Institute of Health
Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

WASHINGTON — The government added styrene and seven other chemicals to its list of possible human carcinogens in a report delayed for years because of fierce lobbying from manufacturers. Styrene is found in foam coffee cups, food containers and building materials.

The report also strengthened the warning on formaldehyde, saying it was known to cause some kinds of leukemia. Formaldehyde is found in plywood, pressboard and even some hair treatments. Much of the research underlying these warnings comes from industrial settings, where workers are exposed to large amounts of these chemicals. The amount of styrene found in a coffee cup, by contrast, is very small.

Styrene, an important component of polystyrene, is used primarily in the manufacture of plastic packaging, thermal insulation in buildings, and disposable cups and food containers. It is also an important component of fiberglass and is found in boats, shower stalls and carpet backing.

The warnings are part of the Report on Carcinogens put together by the National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health. It is the 12th such report. The reports were originally envisioned to be put out annually, but the 11th report was published in 2005, and controversy surrounding the newest report delayed its release for years. Read more at www.nytimes.com

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Poplar buds for Skin Health

Antioxidant is in abundance in nature. We have to find it out.

Amplify’d from www.sciencedaily.com

Poplar Tree Leaf Bud Extract Could Fight Skin Aging

Xavier Vitrac and colleagues note that there's a long history of using poplar buds to treat various health problems, such as colds, sinusitis, sunburn and arthritis. A substance found in beehives that is made from poplar buds (called propolis) also appears to have similar disease-fighting benefits. Propolis' effects seem to be due to poplar bud compounds, but very little is known about these substances. To see whether poplar buds are a good source of antioxidants for skin creams, the researchers decided to test an extract from the buds.

The group found that poplar bud extract had moderate antioxidant activity, and it demonstrated anti-aging effects on cells in the laboratory. "The collective antioxidant properties and transcriptional effect of this extract suggest potential anti-aging properties which could be utilized in cosmetic and nutraceutical formulations," the scientists say. Read more at www.sciencedaily.com

 

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E. Coli Outbreak Source

Sprouts not cucumber, tomato and lettuce may be responsible for the recent E. Coli outbreak u=in Europe.

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Germany: E. coli definitely came from sprouts

(CBS/AP)  The head of Germany's national disease control center said Friday investigators have determined locally-grown vegetable sprouts are the cause of the European E. coli outbreak that has killed 29 and sickened nearly 3,000. Robert Koch Institute's president, Reinhard Burger told reporters that even though no tests of the sprouts from a farm in Lower Saxony had come back positive, the epidemiological investigation of the pattern of the outbreak had produced enough evidence to draw the conclusion.

See more at www.cbsnews.com

 

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Treatment for E. Coli Associated Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome

Alexion, Soliris® (eculizumab) useful in treating paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), sometimes referred to as Marchiafava-Micheli syndrome; a haemolytic anaemia is now being used to prevent Haemolytic Uraemia Syndrome (HUS) associated with the deadly E. Coli infection of the strain O104. http://amplify.com/u/a14q1v

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Painful Hand of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Objects drop from hand, inability to clinch a fist firmly, painful hand, and reduced muscle mass mainly in the outer side of palm; could be from carpal tunnel syndrome.
There are 8 bones in the wrist, arranged in a semicircular manner in two rows. Various ligaments attach the edges together to form several tunnels. The tendons, blood vessels and nerves pass to the palm through these tunnels. Median nerve   responsible for gross movement of hand passes through the largest tunnel and ulnar nerve passes in a separate tunnel.
Sometimes median nerve and at times ulnar get compressed in this tunnel giving rise to painful neuralgia, weakness in the muscles supplied by them; muscle wasting in the same groups; consequently weakening the grip of hand.
There may be  loss of sensation to varied extent in the thumb, index, middle finger and half of ring finger; and sensory blunting to pin-prick; if median nerve is compressed. If ulnar nerve is involved, though rarely; the rest of ring finger and little finger are affected. Female patients outnumber males in this disease.

Many diseases may cause this syndrome; important are;

• occupation involving long term work with vibrating instruments like drillers;
• fracture of radial bone with bad healing,
• myxedema of hypothyroid,
• pressure on wrist from mouse of comuter and 
• spontaneous compression from fascia of the tunnel. 
• It is also common in pregnancy.

Various clinical tests have been described. Electro-physiological study for nerve conduction, ultrasonogram and magnetic resonance imaging are helpful to figure out site of compression. Thyroid profile may be done, if hypothyroidism is suspected.
A conservative treatment involving local steroid injection, use of brace and treatment of hypothyroid if present; relieve the symptoms in a number of cases. If not, decompression surgery has to be conducted, which relieves the symptoms.

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• Carpal tunnel syndrome - All Information (umm.edu)

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New Drug Approved for Clostridium Diarrhoea

Clostridium difficile infection usually acquired from hospital or occurs as a super infection following long term antibiotic administration.
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FDA approves treatment for Clostridium difficile infection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Dificid (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD).

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and lead to colitis, other serious intestinal conditions, and death in severe cases. C. difficile bacteria are found in the stool of an infected person, and others can become infected if they touch items or surfaces contaminated with the bacteria or spores and then touch their mouths. Read more at www.fda.gov

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