Category Archives: Cancer

Most travelers survive in-flight medical emergencies, study shows

Is there a doctor on board? Surprisingly often, there is - in half of in-flight medical emergencies - and sick airline passengers almost always survive, a new study finds. The research is the largest look yet at what happens to people who develop a medical problem on a commercial flight - about 44,000 of the 2.75 billion passengers worldwide each year, researchers estimate. Most cases don't require diverting a plane as the study's leader, Dr. Christian Martin-Gill, advised a pilot to do two years. He works for MD-STAT, a service at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center that advises about 20 major airlines on how to handle in-flight emergencies. Another large service is based in Phoenix. Martin-Gill handled a call when a passenger seemed to be having a heart attack on a flight from Europe to the U.S. The man's implanted defibrillator had shocked his heart five times to try to restore normal rhythm. “The aircraft was in the middle of its destination, flying over the Atlantic,” so he recommended landing at Newfoundland off the Canadian coast to get the man to the nearest hospital, Martin-Gill said. The federally funded study reviewed about 12,000 cases handled by the Pittsburgh center over nearly three years. Results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found: -The odds of a medical emergency are 1 per 604 flights, or 16 per 1 million passengers. -Planes had to be diverted for emergency help in only 7 percent of cases. -Doctors were on board and volunteered to help in 48 percent of cases; nurses and other health workers were available in another 28 percent. Only one-third of cases had to be handled by flight attendants alone. -The most common problems: Dizziness or passing out (37 percent of cases); trouble breathing (12 percent) and nausea or vomiting (10 percent). -About one-fourth of passengers were evaluated at a hospital after landing and 9 percent were admitted, usually with stroke, respiratory or cardiac symptoms. -Out of nearly 12,000 cases, a defibrillator was applied 137 times, including in 24 cases of cardiac arrest, where the heart had stopped. (Sometimes defibrillators are used to analyze an irregular heart rhythm to help doctors figure out what to do, not necessarily to deliver a shock.) -Of the cases in this study, only 36 deaths occurred, 30 of them during the flight and the others after landing. -Pregnancy-related problems were generally rare - 61 cases, in this study - and two-thirds of them involved women less than 24 weeks along with possible miscarriages. Air travel is considered safe up to the 36th week, or the last month, of pregnancy. Only three cases of women in labor beyond 24 weeks of pregnancy led to a plane being diverted. Dr. Lisa Rosenbaum, a University of Pennsylvania cardiologist, helped in a case like that in 2007, on a flight from Boston to Portland, Ore. The passenger was three months from her due date but was having contractions every minute - something that can often be stopped with drugs and treatment at a hospital but not in midair. “It was clear to me that labor was imminent and that we needed to land the plane,” so, on her advice, the pilot diverted to upstate New York, Rosenbaum said. “It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It's not like taking care of a patient in the hospital.” Dr. David Rogers, a pediatric surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, felt that fear five years ago when an elderly woman had trouble breathing during a flight to Atlanta from Toledo, Ohio. Being a specialist at treating children rather than adults, “my first reaction was to look around and hope there would be somebody else” more qualified to help, he said. Luckily, a flight attendant had already given the woman an oxygen mask and she seemed to be improving, so he felt the plane could continue to Atlanta, the woman's home. Trying to determine whether to divert a plane was a tough call, he said. “I'm making a decision that's going to affect a plane full of people,” not just the patient, Rogers said. Some passengers may fear liability if they help in such situations, but a Good Samaritan law protects those who do so, the study notes. And although health workers are not legally obliged to help, they have a moral obligation to do so, the authors write. And you never know what kind of help will be requested. Martin-Gill said a partner once was consulted when a dog suffered a cardiac arrest during a flight. He didn't know how things turned out.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/most-travelers-survive-in-flight-medical-emergencies-study-shows/

High doses of common painkillers increase heart attack risks

Long-term high-dose use of painkillers such as ibuprofen or diclofenac is “equally hazardous” in terms of heart attack risk as use of the drug Vioxx, which was withdrawn due to its potential dangers, researchers said on Thursday. Presenting the results of a large international study into a class of painkillers called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), the researchers said high doses of them increase the risk of a major vascular event - a heart attack, stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease - by around a third. This means that for every 1,000 people with an average risk of heart disease who take high-dose diclofenac or ibuprofen for a year, about three extra would have an avoidable heart attack, of which one would be fatal, the researchers said. This puts the heart risks of generic NSAIDs on a par with a newer class of NSAIDs known as COX-2 inhibitors or coxibs, which includes Vioxx - a painkiller that U.S. drugmaker Merck pulled from sale in 2004 because of links to heart risks. Other drugs in the coxib class include cerecoxib, sold by Pfizer under the brand name Celebrex, and etoricoxib, sold by Merck under the brand name Arcoxia. “What we are saying is that they (coxibs, ibuprofen and diclofenac) have similar risks, but they also have similar benefits,” said Colin Baigent of the clinical trial service unit at Britain's Oxford University, who led the study published in The Lancet medical journal on Thursday. He stressed that the risks are mainly relevant to people who suffer chronic pain, such as patients with arthritis who need to take high doses of painkillers - such as 150mg of diclofenac or 2400mg of ibuprofen a day - for long periods. “A short course of lower dose tablets purchased without a prescription, for example, for a muscle sprain, is not likely to be hazardous,” he said. BALANCING RISKS AND BENEFITS The study team gathered data, including on admissions to hospital for cardiovascular or gastrointestinal disease, from all randomized trials that have previously tested NSAIDs. This allowed them to pool results of 639 randomized trials involving more than 300,000 people and re-analyze the data to establish the risks of NSAIDs in certain types of patients. In contrast to the findings on ibuprofen and diclofenac, the study found that high doses of naproxen, another NSAID, did not appear to increase the risk of heart attacks. The researchers said this may be because naproxen also has protective effects that balance out any extra heart risks. Baigent said it was important patients should not make hasty decisions or change their treatment without consulting a doctor. “For many arthritis patients, NSAIDs reduce joint pain and swelling effectively and help them to enjoy a reasonable quality of life,” he said. “We really must be careful about the way we present the risks of these drugs. “They do have risks, but they also have benefits, and patients should be presented with all those bits of information and allowed to make choices for themselves.” Donald Singer, a professor of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics at Britain's Warwick University, who was not involved in the study, said its findings “underscore a key point for patients and prescribers: powerful drugs may have serious harmful effects”. “It is therefore important for prescribers to take into account these risks and ensure patients are fully informed about the medicines they are taking,” he said in an emailed comment.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/high-doses-common-painkillers-increase-heart-attack-risks/

The best way to scorch fat and lean up for the summer

With less than a month left until summer, you've got to tone up fast. It's time to learn about Tabata, a Japanese method of training with sessions that's based on timing instead of counting reps and is absolutely perfect for scorching fat and getting toned up for the summer. Tabata is known for improving performance and muscle tone. In fact, a study in the Journal of Physiology found that short, intense interval workouts like Tabata can be a more time-efficient way to get in shape than longer, steadier paced workouts. RELATED: Last-Minute Beach Shape-Up Routine Try these four Tabata moves two to three times a week; it should take 20 minutes to complete. Each move should start with 20 seconds of flat-out effort on each move, 10 seconds of rest, and repeat eight times. Take a full minute to rest before moving on to the next exercise. You will also need weights that are about half the weight of your normal level so you can last through the time sets. Lastly, since this is a high-intensity exercise, you should try wearing a heart rate monitor to make sure that you're working out at 80 percent of your maximum heart rate, your optimal fat-burning zone. Let's get started! 1. Press-up Row. In a pushup position, grip the handles of two weights. Instead of lowering yourself down, bring one arm up to your armpit while holding yourself tight. Lower and repeat. RELATED: 24 Fat-Burning Ab Exercises (No Crunches!) 2. Leapfrog Plank.  Leave your weights to the side, get in the pushup position, with your shoulders and hands in line and your back straight. “Leap” your feet forward towards your hands, and then jump back to plank position. Do this back and forth as fast as you can. 3. Front Squat. Rest your weights on your shoulders, palms facing out, standing with feet hip-width apart. Slowly squat (remember to keep your butt tucked in and your back straight!) as far down as you can, making sure that your knees are aligned with your toes. then return to start. 4. Clean and Press. Stand with your weights at your toes. Squat down and grab your weights overhand. Stand up and lift the weights up and over your head, then lower them down to the floor. Repeat. RELATED: Fastest Fat Burners Ever! Jennifer Cohen is a leading fitness authority, TV personality, best-selling author, and entrepreneur.  With her signature, straight-talking approach to wellness, Jennifer was the featured trainer on The CW's Shedding for the Wedding, mentoring the contestants' to lose hundreds of pounds before their big day, and she appears regularly on NBC's Today Show, Extra, The Doctors and Good Morning America. This article originally appeared on Health.com.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/best-way-to-scorch-fat-and-lean-up-for-summer/

Decontaminating patients cuts hospital infections dramatically

Infections in U.S. hospitals kill tens of thousands of people each year, and many institutions fight back by screening new patients to see if they carry a dangerous germ, and isolating those who do. But a big study suggests a far more effective approach: Decontaminating every patient in intensive care. Washing everyone with antiseptic wipes and giving them antibiotic nose ointment reduced bloodstream infections dramatically in the study at more than 40 U.S. hospitals. The practice could prove controversial, because it would involve even uninfected patients and because experts say it could lead to germs becoming more resistant to antibiotics. But it worked better than screening methods, now required in nine states. The study found that 54 patients would need to be decontaminated to prevent one bloodstream infection. Nevertheless, the findings are “very dramatic” and will lead to changes in practice and probably new laws, said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious-disease specialist who was not involved in the research. Some hospitals are already on board. The study targeted ICU patients, who tend to be older, sicker, weaker and most likely to be infected with dangerous bacteria, including drug-resistant staph germs. The decontamination method worked like this: For up to five days, 26,000 ICU patients got a nose swab twice a day with bacteria-fighting ointment, plus once-daily bathing with antiseptic wipes. Afterward, they were more than 40 percent less likely to get a bloodstream infection of any type than patients who had been screened and isolated for a dangerous germ called MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. In the year before the experiment began, there were 950 bloodstream infections in intensive care patients at the hospitals studied. The results suggest that more than 400 of those could have been prevented if all hospitals had used the decontamination method. “We've definitively shown that it is better to target high-risk people,” not high-risk germs, said lead author Dr. Susan Huang, a researcher and infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, Irvine. The hospitals in the study are all part of the Hospital Corporation of America system, the nation's largest hospital chain. HCA spokesman Ed Fishbough said the 162-hospital company is adopting universal ICU decontamination. The study was published online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study focused on the MRSA germ. It can live on the skin or in the nose without causing symptoms but can be life-threatening when it reaches the bloodstream or vital organs. It is especially dangerous because it is resistant to many antibiotics. More than 70,000 ICU patients were randomly selected to get one of three treatments: MRSA screening and isolation; screening, isolation and decontamination of MRSA carriers only; and universal decontamination without screening. Partial decontamination worked better than just screening, and universal decontamination was best. About a decade ago, hospital-linked invasive MRSA infections sickened more than 90,000 people nationwide each year, leading to roughly 20,000 deaths. As hospitals improved cleanliness through such measures as better hand-washing and isolating carriers of deadly germs, those numbers dropped by about a third, with fewer than 10,000 deaths in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has been recommending screening and isolation in certain cases. Now it's having experts review the results and help determine whether the agency should revise its recommendations, said the CDC's Dr. John Jernigan. “It is a very important finding. It advances our understanding of how best to control infections caused by MRSA” and other germs, Jernigan said. The CDC and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality helped pay for the study. Dr. Carolyn Clancy, who heads the research agency, said the findings have “the potential to influence clinical practice significantly and create a safer environment where patients can heal without harm.” Jernigan said the decontamination approach is much simpler than screening and isolation. But he said its costs need to be studied. Huang said the five-day nose treatment costs about $35 for brand-name ointment but only $4 for a generic version. The antiseptic wipes cost only about $3 to $5 more per day than usual washing methods, she said. But those costs might be offset by other savings from avoiding widespread screening and isolation, she said. Intensive care patients are already routinely bathed. The study just swapped soap with wipes containing a common antiseptic. Some study authors have received fees from makers of antiseptic wipes or have done research or unpaid consulting for those companies. The nose ointment treatment is more controversial because it could cause more germs to become resistant to the antibiotic, Jernigan said. “That's something we're going to have to very closely monitor if this practice is implemented widely,” he said. An editorial accompanying the study voices similar concerns and notes that research published earlier this year found that using just antiseptic wipes on ICU patients reduced bloodstream infections. Two infection control specialists at Virginia Commonwealth University wrote the editorial. Editorial co-author Dr. Michael Edmond said his university's hospital is among those that already use antiseptic wipes on ICU patients. While MRSA screening and isolation is widely accepted, Edmond said that approach “takes a toll on patients.” Isolating patients who test positive for MRSA but don't have symptoms makes patients angry and depressed, and studies have shown that isolated patients are visited less often by nurses and tend to have more bedsores and falls, he said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/30/decontaminating-patients-cuts-hospital-infections/

New possibilities for prostate cancer treatment revealed

Published today in Science Translational Medicine, a study led by Monash University researchers has found prostate cancer cells that survive androgen withdrawal treatment. Previously unidentified, these cells are potential targets for future treatments. As they are present early in disease development, there is the possibility of therapy before the cancer reaches the aggressive, incurable stage. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with around 20,000 new cases diagnosed each year in Australia…

Kidney stones: Symptoms and treatment

Chances are you or someone you know has had a kidney stone at some point in their life; they are very common, affecting approximately one in ten people throughout their lifetime.  The risk of kidney stones is higher in the United States than the rest of the world and this number has only been increasing over the past two to three decades.  Despite the high incidence in the U.S., however, this is a condition that affects people worldwide and has done so for millennia; bladder and kidney stones have even been found in Egyptian mummies. Kidney stones are small, hard deposits, typically composed of mineral and acid salts, that form inside your kidneys.  As one might expect, because urine is a vehicle for waste excretion, it is comprised of numerous chemicals and wastes (including calcium, oxalate, urate, cysteine, xanthine and phosphate).  When the urine is too concentrated, that is too little liquid and too much waste, crystals will begin to form.  Over time, these crystals can join together and form a larger stone-like solid.   There is no single cause for kidney stones and often, the cause is unknown.  There are, however, different types of kidney stones, which can help pinpoint the origin.  Calcium stones (in the form of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate), for example, are the most common form of kidney stone.  Oxalate is a naturally occurring substance in food, so anything that increases levels of this compound, can increase the risk of a kidney stone.  Uric acid stones often form in people who do not consume enough fluids, eat high protein diets or have gout.  Struvite stones often form as the result of a kidney infection.   Treatment for kidney stones primarily depends on the size of the stone.  If it is smaller than four millimeters in diameter, you have a good chance of passing it spontaneously. Consuming two to three quarts of water a day and using a pain reliever can help pass these small stones.  Larger stones may require invasive treatment including: surgery, using a scope passed through the urethra or shock-wave lithotripsy, where high-energy sound waves break up the stone in to more easily passable stones. Risk factors for developing kidney stones include: being over age 40, being male, ingesting too little water, too much/little exercise, obesity, weight loss surgery, digestive diseases, and consuming a diet high in salt, protein or sugar, especially fructose.  Having a family history of kidney stones can also increase your risk of developing them; furthermore, if you have already experienced kidney stones, you are at an increased risk of developing more.   Prevention of kidney stones can be as simple as a few dietary changes.  Consuming more water during the day is one of the easiest measures you can take.  Doctors recommend excreting about 2.6 quarts of urine every day.  Depending on the severity of your kidney stones, you may want to measure and monitor your urine excretion.  Consume fewer oxalate-rich foods, especially if you tend to form calcium oxalate stones.  Such foods include chocolate, soy products, okra, beets, sweet potatoes, tea and nuts.  Consume foods low in salt and animal protein.  Speak with your doctor about your calcium intake via food and supplements before making any changes here.  Furthermore, speak with your doctor about the possibility of prescription drugs to help with your kidney stones.  Dr. David B. Samadi is the Vice Chairman of the Department of Urology and Chief of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He is a board-certified urologist, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of urological disease, with a focus on robotic prostate cancer treatments. To learn more please visit his websites RoboticOncology.com and SMART-surgery.com. Find Dr. Samadi on Facebook.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/kidney-stones-symptoms-and-treatment/

Is there a hidden scandal lurking in ObamaCare?

America, we are in trouble – and we better wake up and act.   Just look at the state of affairs in our country today.  We are seeing scandal after scandal, with the Benghazi controversy, the IRS targeting of conservative groups, and the freedom of the press being challenged by the Department of Justice. The word scandal is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage.”  I think the implementation of ObamaCare fulfills that definition. I remember back in 2010 when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made her infamous remark about the Affordable Care Act, saying “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it....” Well the bill has been passed, and now we see what’s in it: An utter mess with incomprehensible rules. If we compare the assertions the president made about ObamaCare when it was first introduced to the current bill as it has been passed today, we find that all the president’s guarantees regarding ObamaCare are not there.   The truth of the matter is that we were not fully informed.  For example, President Obama maintained that this bill would lower the cost of health care, especially in regards to insurance premiums.  That is simply not true.  Many different analyses clearly show that in some markets, insurance premiums can increase as high as 30 to 40 percent. One of the main reasons for this increase can be attributed to all the hidden taxes that this bill contains, which the insurance industry will likely pass on to consumers.   Another false guarantee given by the administration was that individuals would be able to keep their doctors and current level of service through ObamaCare.  Again, this is not true. The so-called insurance exchanges being set up in many states by the federal government will most likely create a non-competitive environment, meaning patients who cannot afford other types of insurance will be forced to buy insurance from the government.  And if their current doctors are not willing to participate in that single-payer health care system, these patients will ultimately lose the guarantee of keeping their own doctors. So what does this all mean? It means that if everything goes according to the president’s plan, the health care landscape is going to completely change over the next decade. A potential scenario is that private doctors will be employees of one large health care system. Health standards such as maintaining an ideal weight and eliminating habits like drinking alcohol and soda will be placed on families so that they can qualify for health care.  So in other words, your individual freedom will be targeted. I know many people argue that it’s better if everyone has health insurance and maintains a healthy lifestyle.  Yes it is, but I still believe that an individual’s health care should not be dictated by the government. Instead it should be a choice made by the individual and his or her health provider. Many senior politicians and consultants have found as of late that ObamaCare is a train wreck.  And yet, the person in charge of implementing ObamaCare, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, continues to drive the train forward.  Rather than work with leaders who are suggesting changes ,she has decided to enlist the help of the private sector in getting donations to help fund ObamaCare.   Many have questioned this move, but one thing Secretary Sebelius knows is how to organize her community of followers.  Recently, she has teamed up with Nancy-Ann DeParle, former director of the White House Office of Health Reform, placing her in charge of asking insurance companies to donate $1 million or more to Enroll America, a non-profit organization promoting enrollment in the subsidized insurance markets, according to a report from Politico. You see, folks, ObamaCare is all about politics and control, and to me, that is a formula for disaster.  This is something that should not be taken for granted but rather openly evaluated by the American public.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/is-there-hidden-scandal-lurking-in-obamacare/

Cholesterol sets off chaotic blood vessel growth

The work, led by Yury Miller, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego, will be published in the advance online edition of the journal Nature on May 29. Cholesterol is a structural component of the cell and is indispensable for normal cellular function, although its excess often leads to abnormal proliferation, migration, inflammatory responses or cell death. The researchers studied how the removal of cholesterol from endothelial cells (cells that line the blood vessels) impacts the development of new blood vessels, the process called angiogenesis. According to Miller, removal of excess cholesterol from endothelial cells is essential for restraining excessive growth of blood vessels. …

New blood test predicts gestational diabetes risk early in pregnancy

For pregnant women, gestational diabetes can be a troubling complication.  A form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) causes glucose levels in the bloodstream to be higher than normal, which can pose significant risks to the unborn baby’s health. While GDM can often be controlled through proper diet, exercise and medication, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for women hoping to manage their high blood sugar and prevent complications during their pregnancy. In order to better identify the condition in pregnant women earlier, researchers from Tokyo Women’s Medical University have identified a biomarker in pregnant women’s blood that can help determine her risk of developing gestational diabetes. “Currently, at mid-pregnancy – 24 to 28 weeks – a glucose challenge test is performed to find GDM,” study author Dr. Atsuhiro Ichihara, of Tokyo Women’s Medical University, told FoxNews.com.  “However, earlier detection of GDM has been needed for early intervention or prevention,” Ichihara noted that usually only women who have risk factors such as obesity or a family history of GDM are screened earlier on in pregnancy.  Therefore, women who develop GDM and do not have these common risk factors often remain undiagnosed until the second trimester – and a delay in diagnosis often means therapies for GDM are less effective. If left untreated, GDM can increase the risk of jaundice, breathing issues and hypoglycemia in the newborn child.  More extreme side effects of uncontrolled GDM include the risk of premature delivery, preeclampsia, and even the death of the child before or shortly after birth.   Through previous research, Ichihara and his team had determined that the protein renin receptor (P)RR plays a significant role in the assembly and function of the enzyme known as vacuolar H+-ATPase (v-ATPase).  According to Ichihara, the disruption of this enzyme’s functions leads to the development of GDM.  The researchers believed that measuring levels of s(P)RR – the soluble form of (P)RR found in the bloodstream – could help predict whether or not pregnant women eventually develop diabetes. Using the popular diagnostic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, the team analyzed the blood of 716 pregnant women during their first trimesters, measuring for their levels of s(P)RR.  Of the study’s participants, 44 women ultimately developed GDM. Confirming the researchers’ hypothesis, tests results showed that women with elevated levels of s(P)RR in their blood were 2.9 times more likely to develop gestational diabetes than the women with the lowest levels. According to Ichihara, the increased levels of s(P)RR suggest that the mothers are experiencing slowed metabolisms, putting them at risk for GDM. “The increased s(P)RR levels are thought to reflect the enhanced expression of (P)RR,” Ichihara said. “The GDM or pre-GDM patients have impaired metabolism, so the increase in the activity of v-ATPase is required to compensate the impaired metabolism. (P)RR is one of the factors stimulating the v-ATPase activity.” Overall, the research team hopes that this test will be utilized in pregnant women in addition to traditional markers for GDM – such as obesity and high blood pressure.  Ichihara said the test could also come in handy for detecting other conditions, as recent studies have found a connection between elevated s(P)RR levels and the birth of larger babies and high blood pressure in late pregnancy. “The evidence suggests the biomarker is important in the interaction between mother and fetus during pregnancy,” Ichihara said. The research was published in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/new-blood-test-determines-gestational-diabetes-risk-early-in-pregnancy/

‘Junk DNA’ plays active role in cancer progression, researchers find

The researchers, led by Dr Cristina Tufarelli, in the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health Sciences, discovered that the presence of this faulty genetic element — known as chimeric transcript LCT13 — is associated with the switching off of a known tumour suppressor gene (known as TFPI-2) whose expression is required to prevent cancer invasion and metastasis. …