Simple keyhole surgery can halve heart attack risk

August 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Doctors have said that a one-hour operation that could halve the risk of heart attacks in patients with high blood pressure could be available from next year.

In trails patients undergoing the keyhole procedure saw their blood pressure drop by a

fifth within six months — enough to halve the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

A follow-up after 18-months showed no reversal of the condition. The trials proved so successful that some clinics have already made it available privately, and researchers expect the treatment to be made available to tens of thousands of British patients on the NHS.

The procedure severed the nerves, which connect the kidneys to the brain and carry signals to control blood pressure.

Doctors say the operation, which costs just 6,000 pounds, could offer a lasting solution for tens of thousands of British patients whose high blood pressure cannot be controlled by conventional drugs. Although people who undergo the procedure still have to take medication to keep their condition in check, it brings about a drop in blood pressure, which drugs alone have failed to provide.

Further trials will establish whether the technique, known as renal denervation, could also help patients whose bodies will not tolerate conventional blood pressure drugs.

In a study, which involved more than 100 patients across 11 countries, researchers found that the 20 per cent reduction in patients’ blood pressure was still maintained a year and a half after the procedure, with no major side effects reported.

“We are encouraged to see that renal denervation shows substantial and sustained blood pressure reduction in treatment resistant patients,” the Telegraph quoted Dr Murray Esler of Saarland University Hospital in Germany as saying.

“We know the renal nerves play a crucial role in blood pressure elevation and this study shows those nerves can be targeted with renal denervation without major side effects,” Dr Esler added.

The new procedure, first trialled at Barts and the London NHS trust in 2009, involves severing malfunctioning nerves around the kidneys.

The nerves send signals to the brain that tell it that blood pressure is too low, causing the brain to increase it to dangerously high levels.

Doctors correct the fault by threading a wire through the renal artery until it reaches the kidneys, where it lets off a burst of heat to burn the nerves and disable them.

Although the operation is moderately painful, it does not require a general anaesthetic and patients can generally leave hospital on the same day.

Charities have so far funded a small number of procedures for patients in severe need, but doctors involved in the trial said they will lobby NHS commissioning boards to make it available to a limited number of treatment-resistant patients next year.

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Doctors have said that a one-hour operation that could halve the risk of heart attacks in patients with high blood pressure could be available from next year.
In trails patients undergoing the keyhole procedure saw their blood pressure drop by a fifth within six months — enough to halve the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
A follow-up after 18-months showed no reversal of the condition. The trials proved so successful that some clinics have already made it available privately, and researchers expect the treatment to be made available to tens of thousands of British patients on the NHS.
The procedure severed the nerves, which connect the kidneys to the brain and carry signals to control blood pressure.
Doctors say the operation, which costs just 6,000 pounds, could offer a lasting solution for tens of thousands of British patients whose high blood pressure cannot be controlled by conventional drugs. Although people who undergo the procedure still have to take medication to keep their condition in check, it brings about a drop in blood pressure, which drugs alone have failed to provide.
Further trials will establish whether the technique, known as renal denervation, could also help patients whose bodies will not tolerate conventional blood pressure drugs.
In a study, which involved more than 100 patients across 11 countries, researchers found that the 20 per cent reduction in patients’ blood pressure was still maintained a year and a half after the procedure, with no major side effects reported.
“We are encouraged to see that renal denervation shows substantial and sustained blood pressure reduction in treatment resistant patients,” the Telegraph quoted Dr Murray Esler of Saarland University Hospital in Germany as saying.
“We know the renal nerves play a crucial role in blood pressure elevation and this study shows those nerves can be targeted with renal denervation without major side effects,” Dr Esler added.
The new procedure, first trialled at Barts and the London NHS trust in 2009, involves severing malfunctioning nerves around the kidneys.
The nerves send signals to the brain that tell it that blood pressure is too low, causing the brain to increase it to dangerously high levels.
Doctors correct the fault by threading a wire through the renal artery until it reaches the kidneys, where it lets off a burst of heat to burn the nerves and disable them.
Although the operation is moderately painful, it does not require a general anaesthetic and patients can generally leave hospital on the same day.
Charities have so far funded a small number of procedures for patients in severe need, but doctors involved in the trial said they will lobby NHS commissioning boards to make it available to a limited number of treatment-resistant patients next year.
Findings from the study were presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Munich.
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Less sleep can lead to higher risk of diabetes and obesity, study

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

order viagra online

and obesity, study ” width=”225″ height=”225″ class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-99160″ />According to a new study, not enough sleep or inconsistent sleep times could significantly increase the risk of diabetes and obesity.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied a total of 21 healthy participants in a controlled environment for six weeks. They regulated their diets activities, hours of sleep and sleep disruptions.

The researchers let the subjects sleep 10 hours per night at the beginning and the end of the study. However, in between they made their subjects sleep at all different times of day and night and made sure that they just got five and a half hours of sleep in each 24-hour period.

They found that sleep restriction along with sleep disruption resulted in decreased resting metabolic rate and higher glucose concentrations in the blood after eating due to poor insulin secretion by the pancreas. These symptoms can lead to weight gain and a risk of diabetes, according to researchers.

The study indicates how people working in shifts could face higher risk of obesity.

“We think these results support the findings from studies showing that, in people with a pre-diabetic condition, shift workers who stay awake at night are much more likely to progress to full-on diabetes than day workers,” neuroscientist and lead study author Orfeu M. Buxton said in a statement.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

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Dental X-rays can double brain tumor risk, study finds

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dental X-rays could double the risk for the most common brain tumor, according to a study released Tuesday from scientists and doctors at Yale, Harvard and other prestigious institutions published in Cancer, a scientific journal of the Americ

an Cancer Society.

It sounds frightening — and there is no question it invokes a serious warning — but even those who carried out the research urge people not to overreact.

“Our take home message is don’t panic. Don’t stop going to the dentist,” said the lead author of the study Dr. Elizabeth Claus, a neurological surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the Yale School of Public Health.

But people “should have a conversation with their dentist” about the need to use X-rays as little as possible to keep teeth healthy, Claus says. That’s a conclusion few would dispute, with or without the new study.

The tumor studied is meningioma, a type that is usually not malignant, meaning it can grow but not spread. To be sure, it can cause severe problems in some patients. But people with meningiomas often live long, healthy lives with no treatment, dying of some other cause. Doctors diagnose about 5,000 cases a year in the United States, about three times as often in women as in men.

Significantly, the study is the weakest type of epidemiology, a so-called “case control” study. The researchers interviewed 1,433 people diagnosed with meningioma and compared them with 1,350 people with no such diagnosis. The two groups were matched for age, gender, race, income and places of residence. In a tiny portion of the cases the researchers actually looked at dental records. But, most often, they asked the study subjects – whose average age was 57 — to recall their history of dental X-rays going back to childhood.

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Binge-eating disorder destructive for men as well

October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Oct 30 (ANI): A new study has found that binge-eating disorder is as destructive for men as it is for women but men are less likely to seek treatment as compared to their female counterparts.

Striegal and her colleagues analysed bot

h men and women who participated in health risk self-assessment screening.

Just over 21,700 men and 24,600 women participated in the screening and the researchers analysed differences within that group for obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, depression and impairment in work productivity.

The researchers found that out of the 46,351 people questioned, 1,630 men and 2,754 women reported binge eating, which they defined as experiencing at last one binge episode in the past month.

The study has been recently published in the International Journal of Eating. (ANI)

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Sterling hits 5-month high vs dollar

July 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 27 (Reuters) – Sterling extended gains against the dollar on Tuesday, rising to a five-month high, as investors tentatively stepped into risk-taking trades. The pound rose as high as $1.5530 GBP=D4, its highest since late February. It was last at $1.5518, up 0.2 percent on the day. (Reporting by London forex team)

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Greece, Spain bonds good for China -EU trade chief

July 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 22 (Reuters) – China’s purchases of bonds from Greece and Spain are a good investment and will keep their value, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said on Thursday.

The several hundreds of millions of euros bought pose no risk for China, De Gucht told reporters at a news conference. (Reporting by Farah Master; Writing by Jacqueline Wong; Editing by Edmund Klamann)

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Voter support drops for battered Japan govt -Kyodo

July 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 13 (Reuters) – Voter support for Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s government, reeling from a thrashing at the polls, has fallen to 36.3 percent, a Kyodo news agency survey showed on Tuesday, posing another headache for Kan as he faces a potential leadership challenge from inside his own party.

Kan’s ruling coalition lost its majority in a weekend upper house election, putting his policies to deal with massive debt and generate growth at risk and prompting warnings by credit ratings agencies S&P and Fitch on Japan’s sovereign ratings. [ID:nTOE66C03L]

Kan’s ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) still controls the more powerful lower house. But it needs help from other parties to push bills through the upper chamber as they struggle to end decades of stagnation in the world’s No.2 economy. (Reporting by Linda Sieg)

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Euro adds to broad gains, hits 2-mth high vs dollar

July 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 9 (Reuters) – The euro hit a two-month high against the dollar and rose broadly on Friday as improving risk demand prompted European banks to pick up the currency.

The euro EUR= climbed as high as $1.2723 according to electronic trading platform EBS. London traders cited demand from a Swiss bank from around $1.2680 as helping to push the single currency higher.

It rose broadly, climbing to 112.69 yen EURJPY= and 83.84 pence against sterling EURGBP=D4, its highest versus both currencies since June 21. (Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu)

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Kaldewei Recalling Bath Handles

July 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

AHLEN, Germany, July 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Kaldewei is recalling the bath handles “Rondostar-Multi-Griff”, “Studiostar-Multi-Griff” and “Saniluxstar-Multi-Griff” supplied between 1996 and 2002. This recall does not affect any of the other Kaldewei bath handles.

In very rare cases, incorrect assembly of the above bath handles may result in damage if greasy substances penetrate between the surface of the bath and the handle seal. This may damage the plastic in the handle and thus weaken the material over time. In extreme cases the handle may break under pressure.

The risk is greater if an appropriately qualified specialist did not fit the handles. The handles in question may be attached to various Kaldewei bath models.

Customers with a Kaldewei bath handle like the one illustrated with the sketched dimensions are asked to contact Kaldewei at the following service hotline number (standard telephone charges apply) in order to discuss the further course of action.

Service hotline: +49-2382-785-140 (standard telephone charges apply)

Customers will be able to obtain further information here and establish whether they have a product that is affected by the recall.

You will also find further information at http://www.kaldewei.com

- Cross reference: Picture is available via epa european pressphoto agency and can be downloaded free of charge at:

http://www.presseportal.de/story.htx?firmaid=58044 -

Press contact

Franz Kaldewei GmbH & Co. KG
Martin Koch
Beckumer Strasse 33-35
D-59229 Ahlen
Tel.: +49-23-82-785-210
Fax: +49-23-82-785-8210
Email: martin.koch@kaldewei.de

SOURCE Franz Kaldewei GmbH & Co. KG

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Taiwan stocks close down, China slowdown weighs

July 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan stocks fell 1 percent on Thursday, pressured by figures showing a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing growth and a lack of appetite for risk amid concerns over the health of the global recovery.

The TAIEX index fell 75.31 points to 7,254.06.

It shed 1.3 percent on Wednesday, ending the second quarter down 7.5 percent. That came on top of a 3.3 percent fall in the first quarter. (Reporting by Jonathan Standing; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)

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ECB’s Trichet sees no deflation risks emerging in euro zone

June 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 24 (Reuters) – European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet was quoted on Thursday as saying he does not see deflation risks materialising in the euro zone.

Bonds

In an interview with Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper, he also denied that budget cuts would drag on growth in the 16-nation region.

Aasked about the risk of deflation, he said: “I don’t think that such risks could materialise”, adding that inflation expectstions were well anchored.

“As regards the economy, the idea that austerity measures could trigger stagnation is incorrect,” Trichet said, according to am English-language transcript published on the ECB’s Web site. (Reporting by Krista Hughes)

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Low-rated U.S. firms may struggle to refinance debt: S&P

June 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Low-rated U.S. companies may struggle to refinance more than $1.7 trillion in debt that comes due between 2011 and 2014 as growing economic concerns make banks and investors more reticent to lend, Standard & Poor’s said on Wednesday.

The amount of risky bonds and loans that mature each year will steadily climb to a peak of $550 billion in 2014, S&P said in a report.

“We believe that many borrowers at the low end of the ratings scale will encounter serious hurdles to their refinancing needs in 2013 and 2014,” said S&P Managing Director John Bilardello.

Lower-rated companies took advantage of good credit markets last year and at the beginning of this year to refinance debt, S&P said.

However, “in our view, very low market demand for collateralized debt, combined with U.S. banks’ own refinancing needs, makes it apparent why the credit markets have once again tightened after a significant bounce back in the early part of 2010,” the rating agency said.

Refinancing risk in coming years will be most prevalent for companies hit hardest by the recent recession, including consumer-dependent firms, S&P said.

This includes restaurants and retailers, who have $8.9 billion in debt due in 2011, another $12 billion 2010 and almost $17 billion maturing in 2013. Media, entertainment and leisure companies have $17.7 billion in debt due next year, another $36.5 billion due in 2012 and $50.6 billion maturing in 2013, S&P said.

(Reporting by Karen Brettell; Editing by Dan Grebler)

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U.S. crude rises more than $1 on economy, weaker dollar

June 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

June 14 (Reuters) – U.S. crude climbed more than $1 on Monday, heading towards $75 a barrel as renewed optimism about the global economic recovery rekindled appetite for risk, sending stock markets higher and the dollar down.

The dollar weakened about 0.6 percent against a basket of currencies .DXY, with the euro at a one-week high, while Japanese stocks rose as the nation’s manufacturers grew more optimistic about the business environment in the April-June quarter. [ID:nTOE65A05M]

U.S. crude for July CLc1 rose as much as $1.01 to $74.79 a barrel and was up 96 cents to $74.74 at 0514 GMT, still down 14 percent from a 19-month high above $87 in early May. ICE Brent LCOc1 gained 77 cents to $75.12. (Reporting by Alejandro Barbajosa; Editing by Michael Urquhart)

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Pacemaker reuse cost-effective alternative in Third World countries

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): A new research has suggested that pacemaker reuse may be a safe, effective and ethical alternative to address the medical needs for people in Third World countries who couldn”t otherwise afford therapy.

Researchers examined pacemaker reuse compared with a control population of new device implantation in studies from Jan. 1, 1975 to July 1, 2009.

They assessed complication rates, risk of infection, physiological complications and device malfunction.

In four trials with 603 patients, they found new pacemaker implantation was associated with a 4 percent decrease in overall complications compared to reuse of previously implanted devices. However, the finding is not statistically significant.

The researchers also found no increased risk of infection, physiological complications or device malfunction. There were no device-related deaths among those who received new or reused pacemakers. (ANI)

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Statins linked to liver problems, kidney failure

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 21 (ANI): Scientists in the UK have uncovered a range of ‘unintended’ side effects of cholesterol-busting drugs statins.

Their research showed that some doses and types of statins are linked with a greater risk of adverse effects, including liver problems and kidney failure, reports the BBC.

The researchers, from the University of Nottingham, stressed that for many people the benefits of statins outweighed any adverse effects, but the findings would help weigh up the pros and cons in each patient.

As part of the study, the researchers looked at data from more than two million 30-84 year-olds from GP practices in England and Wales over a six-year period.

Adverse effects identified in the study include liver problems, acute kidney failure, muscle weakness and cataracts.

For kidney failure and liver dysfunction, higher doses of the drugs seemed to be associated with greater risk.

Risks of side-effects were greatest in the first year of use.

The study has been published in the British Medical Journal. (ANI)

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Arsenic in playgrounds not harmful to kids: Study

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 21 (ANI): Researchers in University of Alberta have found in a study that children in playgrounds aren’t at risk from pressure treated wooden playground structures.

For parents who love to take their kids to the playground every summer, this is a great bit of news.

Chris Le, a scientist in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, can put to rest any safety concerns regarding playgrounds made of chromated copper arsenate-treated wood.

The study compared arsenic levels in urine and saliva samples of children playing in eight pressure treated wooden playgrounds and those in eight playgrounds made of other materials.

It found no significant difference in the concentration of arsenic species in children playing on playgrounds with or without the chemically treated wood – and hence concluded that CCA treated wood in playgrounds is not likely to significantly contribute to the overall arsenic exposure in children.

Around 70 per cent of playgrounds in North America are made with pressure-treated wood. Le and his group want to encourage children to stay physically active, just make sure to wash their hands after play. (ANI)

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Male antelopes trick females to boost their chances of mating

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Male topi antelopes deceive their female counterparts in order to increase their chances of mating, a new research has found.

The study of topi antelopes in Kenya”s Masai Mara National Reserve Park, conducted by scientists at the University of Liverpool, found that male antelopes snort and look intently ahead if an ovulating female begins to stray from their territory.

This type of behaviour suggests to the female that there is predator danger ahead. Typical predators of the topi include lions, cheetahs, leopards and humans.

When scientists examined the behaviour closely they discovered that the male antelope”s snort and intent look were a false call made to keep the female in his vicinity and there was no danger nearby.

Rather than risk any danger of a predator the female stays within the male antelope”s territory, which increases his chances of mating with her.

This type of intentional deception of a sexual partner has not been documented before in animals. Previous studies have shown that animals do deceive each other but mainly in hostile situations or to protect themselves. (ANI)

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‘Binge listening’ in clubs causes hearing loss

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, May 19 (ANI): Forget about binge drinking, it is ‘binge listening’ that’s harming the youngsters who go clubbing.

Youngsters in Australians are apparently showing early signs of hearing loss due to night outs at pubs and clubs, where they get exposed to three weeks” worth of noise in one night.

In a new survey, Harvey Dillon, the director of research at the National Acoustic Laboratories, found that out of the 1000 people quizzed, more than two-thirds of young people reported hearing loud music at venues such as nightclubs and pubs. He also measured the sound exposure of eight people.

“Most people were getting almost no noise until they went out on the weekend, and then they were getting up to three weeks” worth of noise in one night,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Dillon, as saying.

He insisted that most people were unaware of the risks of being exposed to loud music.

He said: “Of those with the highest exposure to dangerous noise about 6 per cent thought they had no risk of hearing damage and 20 per cent thought they had a very small risk.

“You never notice the small losses but even occasional damage causes permanent hearing loss and eventually it accumulates and you do notice,” he said. (ANI)

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Contaminated run-off from fire reaching wetlands

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Contaminated water from a fire at a frozen food factory at Wingfield has been flowing into wetlands in northern Adelaide.

The fire at Rand Refrigerated Logistics is estimated to have left a damage bill of up to $10 million.

The company has moved to offices nearby and says frozen food supplies to supermarkets will not be disrupted despite the loss of stock.

Clive Jenkins from the Environment Protection Authority says water used to fight the blaze is now contaminated as it flows into the Barker wetlands.

“The quality of the water was mainly organic chemicals in nature, dairy products and plastic containers,” he said.

“The wetland is well and truly capable of assimilating those so there’s very little risk.”

The Metropolitan Fire Service says the blaze smouldered all weekend but is finally out.

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Cardiac procedure cuts risk of Alzheimer”s disease and stroke

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 14 (ANI): Catheter ablation, treatment of the most common heart rhythm disorder, significantly reduces the risk of stroke, mortality, Alzheimer”s disease and other forms of dementia, researchers have found.

The finding, by researchers from the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, was presented at National Heart Rhythm Society Sessions.

According to two studies, patients with atrial fibrillation treated with catheter ablation are less likely to develop Alzheimer”s disease or other forms of dementia, and have a significantly reduced risk of stroke and death compared to A-fib patients with who are not treated with ablation.

During atrial fibrillation, the heart”s two small upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively.

Blood isn”t pumped completely out of them, so it may pool and clot. If a piece of a blood clot in the atria leaves the heart and becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke results. (ANI)

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