Health

Washington, January 07: Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) who drink more than 2.25 cups of regular coffee daily have milder liver fibrosis, a new study has found.

Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) found that the daily amount of caffeine intake (308 mg) had therapeutic effect on patients withchronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The study has been published in the January 2010 issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

London, January 07: Contrary to popular belief that giving up smoking is good for diabetics, a new study claimed that kicking the habit sharply increases the risk of developing the disease.

American researchers found that quitters had a 70 per cent increased risk of developing type-two diabetes in the first six years as compared with non-smokers because they tend to put on weight.

The Johns Hopkins University team, however, stressed that smoking is a well known risk factor for type-two diabetes — as well as many other health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Aew Delhi, January 07: After weeks of witnessing high number of swine flu cases, no fresh case was reported on Wednesday. This reinforced the Health department’s observation that while other winter ailments are on the rise, swine flu cases are declining.

In the last one week, only two positive cases have been reported in the city.

—Agencies

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London, January 06: Contrary to popular belief that giving up smoking is good for diabetics, a new study claimed that kicking the habit sharply increases the risk of developing the disease.

American researchers found that quitters had a 70 per cent increased risk of developing type-two diabetes in the first six years as compared with non-smokers because they tend to put on weight.

The Johns Hopkins University team, however, stressed that smoking is a well known risk factor for type-two diabetes — as well as many other health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Hyderabad, January 06: Your desire for a `massage’ in the nearby `special massage/ beauty parlours’ could make you an easy victim of HIV/AIDS. The risk is more in case of these `massage centres’ located in urban areas.

Despite the decreasing number of HIV/AIDS cases in the State, a visible increase in new ways of contracting the disease was witnessed in several urban areas.

Gurgaon, January 05: Those who work for long hours on computers become victims of weak backs and shoulders, an affliction that doctors believe has multiplied over the years.

“Gurgaon is an IT hub and the problem is definitely severe here. I have seen a nearly 10 fold increase in the number of shoulder and back ache patients. They are falling flat on weak shoulders,” said I.P.S. Oberoi, a senior orthopaedic doctor at the Artemis Health Institute in Gurgaon.

Washington, January 05: Congressional Democrats and President Barack Obama began work in earnest Tuesday on difficult issues still standing in the way of their sweeping health care overhaul after months of tortuous debate. Topping the list: How to help Americans pay for insurance premiums.

The Democratic-controlled White House and Congress are now closer to achieving near—universal health care than any of their predecessors. Extending health care coverage to 30 million out of nearly 50 million uninsured Americans brings the president close to achieving his top domestic priority.

New Delhi, January 05: Munching a handful of pistachio nuts not only makes for a great snack but also a healthy one because it lowers the blood sugar level by slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates in the body, a study said Tuesday.

‘Pistachio, when eaten with high carbohydrate food items like white bread, may actually slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the body, resulting in a lower than expected blood sugar level,’ said a statement on a study conducted by the University of Toronto.

New Delhi, January 05:For those who dread surgical methods to enhance their beauty, non-surgical stem cell facelifts have come as good news.

Facelift surgery involves removing excess skin and fat and making tissues firmer. Stem cell facelift, in contrast, is a facial rejuvenation without surgery.

“Stem cell facelift is carried out under local anaesthesia and fat is harvested from the patient’s body manually using a syringe, usually from the lower abdomen where there is a plentiful supply,” Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at Apollo Hospital, told IANS.

London, January 05: Scientists are on track to map the genetic fingerprints of germs, which they claim would help prevent the spread of infections by identifying the source of outbreaks of diseases.

A team in Britain is in fact working on a DNA database that will help doctors to exactly determine the route by which patients have picked up bacteria and thus to control spread of infection.

California, January 05: The ophthalmologists at the University of California-Los Angeles have done a study related to smoking and its effects on the eye. They say that after 80 years there is an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration, due to smoking and this can cause damage to the center of the retina, which in turn, even cause blindness.

Washington, January 05: Human rights groups on Monday praised the official lifting of a decades-old ban that prevented people with HIV/AIDS from traveling to the United States. President Barack Obama announced in October that his administration would end the ban, and the legislation lifting the travel restrictions came into effect on Monday.

London, January 04: Hemoglobin A1c (A1c) is a faster and easier diagnostic test to detect diabetic patients, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) report says.

The A1c test, which measures average blood glucose levels for a period of up to 3 months, was previously only used to evaluate diabetic control over time.

According to the guideline recently released by ADA, HbA1c is a better test to identify undiagnosed individuals already suffering from prediabetes or diabetes.

New York, January 04: While transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) had long been the most effective treatment for chronic low back pain, a new study voices doubt over this belief.

Previous studies had reported controversial results regarding the efficacy of TENS in treating different types of pain.

TENS is a portable, pocket-sized, battery-operated device applied to the skin at the area of pain. The electric nerve stimulation is believed to block the pain signal to the brain, providing short-term relief.

Tehran, January 04: Iranians have successfully terminated the animal phase of the trial testing the efficacy of a new technique for treating tinnitus or ear ringing with the help of stem cells.

Iran is one of the countries with the highest number of individuals suffering from tinnitus in the world; the majority of these patients are war veterans and factory workers whose auditory system has been injured due to exposure to loud noise.

New Delhi, January 04: Identification of encephalitis virus which continues to kill hundreds of children every year and maim thousands in eastern Uttar Pradesh still remains a challenge for scientists, the ICMR has said.

“We know that in about 15 per cent cases Japanese Encephalitis is the cause of death, but for the remaining 85 per cent the reason (virus) is yet to be ascertained. It still remains a challenge,” Director General, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) V M Katoch told.

London, January 04: To much glucose in the blood is unhealthy, doctors have said for long. Now, a new study has found that high blood sugar can raise the risk of developing cancer, with women sufferers being the most vulnerable.

Scientists in Sweden have carried out the study and found people, particularly the women, with high blood sugar levels face a greater danger of developing cancer and die from the disease as well.

London, January 03: In a finding that could help addicts get rid off cocaine, American scientists have identified a bacteria which can reduce addictiveness and prevent deaths due to drug-overdose.

Scientists at Scripps Research Institute in California, using a mouse-model, found that the naturally-occurring bacterial enzyme Cocaine esterase — CocE — breaks down cocaine which reduces its addictive properties.

London, January 03: The number of middle-aged people dying as a result of obesity in the UK has almost doubled in the last decade, according to official figures.

More than 190 people aged under 65 died as a direct result of their obesity last year – compared to just 88 in 2000.

Moreover, deaths among those aged between 46 and 55 almost tripled.

These figures suggest that obesity will soon present a bigger threat to public health than smoking.

Washington, January 02: Don’t halt exercises just because you have aching knees and joints caused by arthritis.

People with arthritis who exercise regularly report less pain, says a new Mayo Clinic study.

Regular, modest exercise improves joint stability and strengthens muscles, says the study. It also improves mood, sleep, energy levels and day-to-day functioning.

When a person avoids exercise, joints become less mobile and the surrounding muscles shrink, causing increased fatigue and pain.

Madurai, January 02: India will have to face the challenge of A(H1N1) influenza for one more year since the flu is now surfacing in new places in the country, V.M. Katoch, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General, said here on Saturday.

“In places where swine flu cases were already reported, it has been contained. But we found that it is spreading to new pockets and hence we face the challenge for one more year. It is like a flood and will take some time to recede,” he observed.

Raipur, January 02: Doctors took out a pair of scissors from a 60-year-old man’s stomach that a doctor had forgotten to remove after an operation two years ago.

The latest surgery took three long hours and was conducted late Friday at a government hospital in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, about 40 km from here, senior surgeon D.C. Jain told IANS.

Jain said the patient, Dhruv Verma, was a resident of Bemetara in Durg district. The scissors were apparently left behind by a private doctor in December 2007.

Pune, January 02: In an endeavour to formulate India-specific treatment guidelines for HIV patients, a group of medical professionals here has set up an organisation which will offer an in-depth clinical training to its members from this year.

Named ‘HIV Medicine Association of India’ (HIV-MAI), the new body will impart clinical training to doctors in order to enable them to offer effective treatment suited to Indian conditions rather than relying on western guidelines which have been found inadequate to address the HIV cases in India, according to Dr Sanjay Pujari, director, HIV-MAI.

New Delhi, January 02: At least 13 more people have died due to swine flu in India taking the toll due to the pandemic virus to 967, health authorities said Friday.

Of the 13 deaths, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand reported three deaths each, and Delhi and Karnataka reported two deaths each. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab reported one death each.

With these deaths, the casualty figure has reached 268 in Maharashtra and 133 in Karnataka. While 13 people have so far lost their lives in Uttarakhand, the number of deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab are nine and 33, respectively.