Health

London, September 10: Smoking is injurious to health, everyone knows. Yet, a new study has claimed that it can help create stronger memories.

Researchers, led by Baylor College of Medicine, have carried out the study and found that remembering what happened the night before might be easier for smokers as compared to non-smokers.

According to them, this is because nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes, “tricks” the brain into creating links between smoking and a feeling of well-being.

Sydney, September 10: The build-up of iron in cellular mitochondria, the centre for cell respiration and energy production, can bring on a debilitating hereditary disease like Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA). The disease causes brain and cardiac disorders, ending in early death.

The accumulation of iron in mitochondria is toxic, substantially damaging the cell and causing death.

Last week, Novartis announced that its pilot trials on 100 volunteers for a vaccine to immunise against swine flu gave strong immune response after one dose. That study will be further validated as Novartis gets 6,000 more people on the vaccine before rolling out its brand Celltura for the accumulating government supplies.

New Delhi, September 10: Food products of Nestle, Cadbury, Kellogg, Britannia, and Safal are among those on a ‘red list’ in a guide prepared by NGO Greenpeace about common food products in India that have genetically modified (GM) components or are GM-free.

The Safe Food Guide released by Greenpeace here ranks 16 well-known brands. It places food manufacturers like MTR, Dabur, Haldiram’s, ITC Foods, PepsiCo India and Ruchi Soya in the ?green list’ based on their stand to Greenpeace that their products are GM-free.

Pune, September 10: Seventeen students of a boarding school at Shirgaon in Pune district have tested positive for swine flu and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals, health officials said on Wednesday.

Most of the parents have taken their wards home after the spread of the infection in the K K Birla School which housed around 500 students in its hostel.

All students infected with the virus have shown improvement in their condition following treatment, officials said.
Meanwhile, eight fresh cases of swine flu were reported in the city on Tuesday, they added.

New Delhi, September 09: Seven people, including two each in Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka, died due to swine flu Wednesday, taking India’s toll to 145, health authorities said here

With the two deaths — one each in Pune and Mumbai, respectively — the toll in Maharashtra, which has seen the maximum number of deaths and cases, has gone up to 67. The total number of people affected by the virus in the state has gone up to 1,885.

Washington, September 09: Shedding excess pounds before pregnancy can break the cycle of hereditary weight problems, leading to the birth of healthier children.

Previous studies had reported that besides the health risks associated with obesity for both moms and babies, obese mothers are more likely to give birth to obese children.

According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, losing significant weight through obesity surgery before conceiving lowers the risk of obesity in the child.

New Delhi, September 09: Early morning showers made a pleasant start to Wednesday in the capital. Met officials have predicted more rain later in the day.

“About 4.4 mm rain was recorded in the capital,” a Met official said.

The rain brought down the maximum temperature by a notch.

“The maximum temperature was 33.2 degrees Celsius, one degree below yesterday’s (Tuesday) temperature. The minimum temperature is around 24.5, same as yesterday’s,” the official said.

The sky will remain overcast as more rain is expected.

–Agencies

Bangalore, September 09: A 28-year-old man died of influenza A (H1N1) in Bagalkot in Karnataka, taking the death toll in the state to 44, an official said Wednesday.

The latest swine flu victim was admitted last Wednesday to a government hospital in Bagalkot, around 500 km from here. He died last Friday.

However, the report confirming that he tested positive for the virus was received Tuesday, a health official said.

Meanwhile a central team from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) visited Bangalore Tuesday.

Mumbai, September 09: A 29-year-old pregnant woman, who was admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai, died of swine flu taking the toll due to the viral infection to 14 in the city.

Nine-month-pregnant Sapna was admitted to Holi spirit hospital in suburban Andheri with flu like symptoms on 29th August.

Her swab sample was sent for testing on 1st September, Disaster Control of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) said on Tuesday.

She was given full course of Tamiflu but she died on 6th September, a day after she tested positive for the virus.

Washington, September 09: Food makers must alert government officials of potentially contaminated products within 24 hours under a new rule designed to help federal regulators spot food safety issues sooner.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday unveiled a new electronic database where manufacturers must notify the government if they believe one of their products is likely to cause sickness or death in people or animals.

New York, September 08: Findings from a study of Dow Chemical workers suggest that exposure to dioxin may not increase the risk for certain cancers, as is widely believed.

Compared with deaths in the general U.S. population, researchers found no higher deaths from all cancers, and specifically from lung cancers and non-malignant lung disease, among pesticide plant workers exposed to dioxin over 36 years on average.

Washington, September 08: House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday he could back a bill to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system without a so-called public option that would create a government-run insurance program.

Hoyer reiterated his support for a public option, but said he believed meaningful legislation to expand coverage could pass without it.

Dehra Dun, September 08: Five students have tested positive for swine flu in the prestigious Doon school here, forcing the administration to curtail certain activities, a school spokesman said here today.

While four of them have been sent to their homes, one has been quarantined in the school itself, he said adding there was no need to panic.

As a follow-up action, a large-capacity quarantine ward has been set up in the school and additional medical staff recruited.

Even boys with mild flu-like symptoms have been quarantined, a spokesman said.

Melbourne, September 08: Australian medical groups on Tuesday slammed state government guidelines recommending sleep-deprived doctors should drink up to six cups of coffee to remain alert during marathon shifts.

Queensland Health made the suggestion in a policy paper on fatigue risk management, declaring “strategic use of caffeine… to be beneficial” for doctors, Brisbane’s Courier-Mail newspaper reported.

New Delhi, September 07: Indian Railways have agreed to examine a proposal to provide 75 percent concession to HIV/AIDS patients for their rail journeys for medical treatment while various states have agreed to provide free transport to them for the purpose, the Supreme Court was informed Monday.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam was given this information by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) during the adjudication of a public interest lawsuit, seeking various types of medical and other helps for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs).

New Delhi, September 07: Two swine flu patients a 12-year-old girl and a 69-year-old man are critical and are on ventilator at a Delhi hospital, doctors said Monday.

“Both of them are in very critical condition and we are keeping our fingers crossed,” N.K. Chaturvedi, medical superintendent of the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, said.

They were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus late last week but have other health complications as well.

“The girl has a respiratory problem and the 69-year-old male is suffering from renal failure,” Chaturvedi said.

Berlin, September 07: Restless nights, lack of sleep and bloodshot eyes are usually associated with parents who can’t get their newborns to sleep. But these sleep problems can linger well into the child’s early school years.

A baby screaming through the night can easily become a child who actively resists going to bed. Later on, parents find themselves fending off a child who’s barging into the living room at all hours when he ought to be sound asleep.

To a degree, such behaviour is normal, say experts. But if sleep becomes a serious issue, parents should seek expert advice.

Berlin, September 07: Giving a child a drink might be a quick and easy way to help fight headaches.

Letting the child spend less time in front of the computer or TV might also help the pain, advises Peter Kropp, a professor at the Institute for Medical Psychology at the University Clinic of Rostock in Germany. Making sure children get enough sleep is another possible remedy.

Washington, September 06: Adopting a healthy lifestyle and breastfeeding the baby can annually prevent some 70,000 cases of breast cancer in the long-run, a new report finds.

While genes are responsible for a considerable number of breast cancers, the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund’s report showed that lifestyle changes can prevent many cases from happening.

Jerusalem, September 06: Sleep deprivation is every new parent’s worst nightmare. It is a form of torture that can leave them sobbing louder than their child. Yet a new study claims babies’ sleep problems are all in the mind – the mother’s mind before her child is even born.

Parents have only themselves to blame for all those hours of lost sleep, according to researchers in Israel who found that a mother-to-be’s expectations about infant sleep will affect how her baby sleeps after it is born.

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Neck pain. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.
Poor sleeping posture
Neck injury
Whiplash
Neck strain
Neck sprain
Neck muscle disorder
Neck muscle spasm
Neck ligament disorder
Torticollis
Head injury
Spinal disorder
Arthritis
Cervical spine arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Cervical spondylosis
Disc disorders
Ruptured disc
Prolapsed cervical disc
Wrong pillow
Poor posture
Carotidynia
Congenital cervical rib
Cervical spine infection

New Delhi, September 06: More swine flu cases surfaced in the city on Friday with 60 patients including 28 children testing positive for the virus taking the total number of H1N1 cases in New Delhi to 832.

Two swine flu patients, admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, were in critical condition for the third day today.

The 69-year-old man and 12-year-old girl were admitted on 3rd September.

Washington, September 06: Midnight raids on the refrigerator may have worse consequences than indigestion — a study in mice boosts the theory that when you eat affects whether the calories go to your hips or get burned off.

Mice fed during the daytime — when they normally would be sleeping — gained more weight than mice fed at night, Fred Turek of Northwestern University in Illinois and colleagues found.

Washington, September 06: Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found a key contributor in the development of preeclampsia in pregnant women – a condition that can result in miscarriage and maternal death.

The researchers in the study focused on identifying the differences in the uteri of pregnant women with and without preeclampsia and how the mother”s tissues vary from the immediately adjacent foetus” tissue in preeclamptic women.