Month: July 2009

Bangalore, July 28: President Nikolas Sarkozy, known to be a fitness enthusiast, was diagnosed with Near-Syncope on Sunday, after being rushed to hospital following a spell of dizziness. Doctors linked it to fatigue and exercise on a humid day.

“It is called Syncope when a person feels very giddy and loses consciousness. A near black out is called Near Syncope,” explains Dr Ravi Kishore, an electro-physiologist with the Syncope Clinic in Bangalore. President Sarkosy is in his 50s, but Syncope, according to Dr Kishore, can occur to a person in any age group.

Chicago, July 28: Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of all medical spending in the United States or an estimated $147 billion a year, US researchers have said.

They said obese people spend 40 percent more — or $1,429 more per year — in healthcare costs than people of normal weight.

“It is critical that we take effective steps to contain and reduce the enormous burden of obesity on our nation,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference at a CDC obesity meeting where the study was presented.

Dhaka, July 28: Bangladeshi authorities said Tuesday they had found traces of a toxic chemical in paracetamol syrup believed to have killed two dozen children in the past six weeks.

Health Minister A.F.M Ruhul Haq said investigators had found diethyl glycol in the locally produced syrup.

“We conducted two tests on the paracetamol syrup and each time we found diethyl glycol. It’s a toxic chemical used in the textile and leather dyeing industries. It damages your kidneys if you consume it,” the minister told AFP.

Washington, July 28: : Tiny ovarian tumors lurk in the Fallopian tubes for an average of four years before they grow large enough to be detected, researchers revealed on Monday in a study that explains why diagnosis usually comes too late to save a woman’s life.

They said they were trying to find ways to improve testing for the cancer, one of the deadliest because it is so hard to detect before it has spread.

Sydney, July 28: Long-term consumption of soy products dramatically cuts down the risk of ischemic stroke, according to new research.

Ischemic stroke is the most common kind of stroke, caused by an interruption of the blood flow to the brain.

The research found people who consumed 50 grams of soy products a week reduced stroke risk. Those who ate between 50 to 300 grams of soy had a greater drop still, while those consuming 300 grams or more a week had the most health benefits.