Health Jockey

Here’s some great news for the thousands suffering from sinusitis. Doctors at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) in Delhi reveal the introduction of a novel non-surgical procedure to sure acute to chronic sinusitis called as Balloon sinuplasty.

The new procedure involves a method wherein a balloon is inflated in the affected nasal area thus clearing the blockage. As for Sinusitis, it is a condition in which the sinuses or the cavities around the nasal passage are inflamed. The condition can get really bad if mucus collects in the cavity as it blocks the airway. Its symptoms include headache, nasal blockage, yellow green nasal discharge or post nasal drip, facial pain, pressure, congestion or fullness along with malaise and fatigue.

About the introduction, Dr Shalabh Sharma, senior consultant, ENT, SGRH, commented, “The usual treatment procedure of treating acute or chronic sinusitis is to open the nasal tract Read the rest of this story >>

Muscle wasting or weakness called as muscle atrophy in medical terms is a common problem faced by adults all over the world. As you age the condition gets more prominent especially if you belong to the sedentary lifestyle group.

Well a new research now reveals that patients suffering this problem can now find solace in a group of drugs commonly prescribed for asthma. Conducted by a team of researchers under the guidance of Dr James Ryall of the University of Melbourne’s Department of Physiology, the study shows that a batch of drugs used in asthma treatment may actually help reverse muscle wasting and weakness caused by ageing.

The scientists looked at drugs belonging to the beta-agonists group. Known best for their curative effects in asthma treatment, researchers found these drugs to have a powerful impact on skeletal muscles as well. These effects were most noticeable in improving muscle growth and strength.

The findings Read the rest of this story >>

If you are someone who enjoys that regular dose of alcohol-Beware! The more alcohol you consume, the smaller will be your total brain volume. At least that’s what a new research claims.

Carried out by researchers from Wellesley College, Mass, the novel study reveals that consumption of alcohol even in small amounts may trigger age-related reduction in brain volume. Shrinking of the brain has earlier been associated with dementia along with problems with thinking, learning and memory. The brain naturally shrinks at a rate about 1.9 percent per decade. It also gets white matter lesions as it gets older.

Previous researches suggest that moderate consumption of alcohol may lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Directed by Carol Ann Paul, M.S., of Wellesley College, Mass., and colleagues, the research included 1,839 adults with an average age of 60. These subjects were part of the Framingham Offspring Study that started in 1971 and Read the rest of this story >>

Researchers are now turning to nanotechnology in search for antibiotics. Scientists at the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), University College of London (UCL) are now working on the nanochemical, Vancomycin to battle out superbug infections including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Led by Rachel McKendry and Gabriel Aeppli, the team of researchers used the novel approach to inspect the way antibiotics function. They found that compared to other common antibiotics, Vancomycin gives much better results in fighting all kinds of bacteria including both resistant and non-resistant varieties.

“There has been an alarming growth in antibiotic-resistant hospital superbugs such as MRSA and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE),” reveals Rachel McKendry. “This is a major global health problem and is driving the development of new technologies to investigate antibiotics and how they work.”

To Read the rest of this story >>

Music these days is more than just an art form. It has an eminent place in our lives considering the number of gadgets like iPod and MP3 players gaining popularity. Whether you agree or not every other person is hooked on to their music players, but this sound wiring may just cost us our hearing ability.

Directed by a team of nine experts at Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) in the European Union (EU), the novel study discovered that about 1 in 10 people with personal MP3 or CD players, who listen to music at high volume, are making themselves vulnerable to permanent hearing loss.

“Regularly listening to personal music players at high-volume settings when young often has no immediate effect on hearing but is likely to result in hearing loss later in life. Some authors stress that if young people continue to listen to music for long periods of time and at high volume levels during several years, they run the Read the rest of this story >>

Nicknamed the sunshine vitamin as the skin makes it from ultraviolet rays, vitamin D is fast gaining importance due to its role in the prevention of various skin cancers. The vitamin it appears may also reduce the chances of developing Parkinson’s disease.

A study by researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia shows that Parkinson’s disease may have a significant association with lack of vitamin D. Parkinson’s is a disease that is known to cause movement disorders nerve cells in the brain are affected. Its symptoms include tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement.

“We found that vitamin D insufficiency may have a unique association with Parkinson’s which is intriguing and warrants further investigation”, remarked study author Marian Evatt.

The research included an examination of elderly people with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that the people Read the rest of this story >>

Pneumonia jab namely comprising of Prevnar and Pneumovax is known to prevent against bacterial infection. A novel Canadian study however suggests that getting a pneumonia vaccine may also help cut your risks of a heart attack.

The study conducted by scientists at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec and led by Dr. Danielle Pilon reveals that the pneumonia vaccines may halve the risk of a heart attack. The vaccines are usually administered to those who are at most risk of a bacterial infection especially elderly people and those with chronic ailments like asthma, diabetes and heart failure.

Study co-author Dr. François Lamontagne mentioned, “We compared the vaccination rates of the two groups to find that the patients who did end up getting a heart attack were less likely to have been vaccinated.”

“The hypothesis was that if the vaccination can alter one of the steps in atherosclerosis formation, Read the rest of this story >>

Do you frequently get a cold that doesn’t seem to go away, even after popping pills? May be you need to check on your hygiene, you heard it right. Natural measures like washing your hands provide much better protection than popping pills in keeping cold at bay, suggests a new study by researchers at German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

The researchers also add that those who think that taking Vitamin C pills help in fighting colds need to reconfirm their facts. Vitamin C is actually quite harmful for humans when consumed in large quantities.

Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute’s Director, commented, “Not only is there no proof that some antioxidants prolong life, but there is some evidence that certain products may even lead to earlier death.”

He further added, “It can be very difficult to accept that these beliefs are myths, but they are not true if further research does not confirm Read the rest of this story >>

You may have heard the idiom ‘As sweet as sugar’. There could just be some truth to this as an intriguing study by researchers at the Amsterdam University and Florida State University reveals an interesting link between glucose levels and the expression of prejudice and the use of stereotypes.

According to the study, when we consume sweet drinks we apparently get a sugar rush that nourishes the brain with feed that is necessary to choke off outspoken opinions. That’s right! Levels of glucose in the body control the way we express our opinions.

“Ensuring people have sufficient energy for self-control may help to improve their ability to control both prejudice and use of stereotypes in their day-to-day life. People with lower glucose levels are more likely to use stereotypes when describing others and, if they are high in prejudice, are more likely to make derogatory statements,” the researchers remarked.

They further added, “When people Read the rest of this story >>

Liver transplant is a common surgery for treatment of patients with serious liver conditions including hepatitis, liver cancer, fulminant (acute) liver failure, cirrhosis and end stage liver disease. However a recent study puts to question this treatment particularly for children as it brings with it an increased risk of cancer.

Led by Helena Isoniemi of Finland, a team of researchers indicate that the chances of developing cancer are upped by three times for people who undergo a liver transplant.

The authors mentioned, “Based on our data, one out of six liver transplant patients is estimated to develop some form of cancer by 20 years after transplantation. This study points out the importance of cancer surveillance after liver transplantation. The most common cancer types in our cohort were lymphoma and skin cancer. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which included four cases of post-transplant lymphoproliverative disorder, occurred more frequently in males, in Read the rest of this story >>