Tag Archives: family

Girl dying of cystic fibrosis to receive lung transplant

Sarah Murgnahan, the 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl dying of cystic fibrosis, is getting a brand new pair of lungs. According to a Facebook post from Sarah’s mother, Janet, the family received word this morning of new lungs that had been made available, and Sarah will be taken to the operating room within the next 30 minutes.  The operation will take many hours. Sarah has been in desperate need of a lung transplant for the past 18 months.  However, under the current guidelines for organ donation, children under the age of 12 must wait for pediatric lungs to become available.  Adult lungs cannot be offered to children under 12, until they are offered to adults and adolescents first. The Murnaghans retained a lawyer last week and filed a lawsuit to have the guidelines changed, arguing the rule keeping Sarah off the list is “discriminatory.” A federal court judge granted a temporary order on June 5 that allowed Sarah to join an adult organ transplant list. It is not clear whether Sarah’s donor is an adult or a child. This story is developing.  source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/12/girl-dying-cystic-fibrosis-to-receive-lung-transplant-today/

7 ways to cut your diabetes risk

Defend yourself against prediabetes and type 2 diabetes by sticking to these lifestyle habits, like lifting weights and getting a good night's sleep Hit the Weights Upping your lean muscle mass could lower your insulin resistance and drop your odds of developing prediabetes, according to a new study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers found that for every 10 percent increase in muscle mass, people's prediabetes risk fell by 12 percent.  Build three days of resistance training into your weekly fitness plan, Sheri Colberg-Ochs, a professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University, said. And aim for at least two and a half hours a week of glucose-burning cardio activity such as running, cycling or swimming. MORE: 4 Muscle-Sculpting Kettlebell Exercises Score Enough Sleep Long-term sleep deprivation may amp up the body's insulin resistance, especially in people genetically predisposed to diabetes. A preliminary University of Chicago study found that those who regularly snoozed fewer than six hours a night were at the highest risk. Try to get at least seven hours of shut-eye each evening. MORE: 15 Tricks to Sleep Better Tonight Fiber Up The rough stuff isn't just good for digestion—it also curbs post-meal sugar spikes by slowing down the flow of glucose into the bloodstream. So when you crave something sweet, opt for fiber-rich fruit such as raspberries or pears. And consider adding brown rice to your diet: Eating two or more servings a week lowers diabetes risk by 11 percent, an Archives of Internal Medicine study said. MORE: What Your Food Cravings Say About Your Health Chill Out Chronic stress is a risk factor for many major diseases, including diabetes.  “When your body senses stress, it releases hormones that increase blood sugar,” Colberg-Ochs said.  That rush is beneficial in a pinch but dangerous long-term. Regularly practicing deep breathing or meditation, listening to calming music or getting massages can quell stress hormones and help lower overall blood sugar, she said. MORE: 8 Daily Strategies That De-Stress Your Life Embrace the Omegas The omega-3 fatty acids found in foods like oily fish (wild salmon, sardines) can help improve insulin sensitivity. Nosh on at least one serving of such seafood a week. Do the D The “sunshine vitamin” may be a key factor in the fight against diabetes. A review published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that people with high vitamin-D levels were less likely to develop type 2. Swallow 1,000 to 2,000 IU a day through dairy foods, fatty fish, or supplements. Spice Things Up Cinnamon may be an ace at lowering blood sugar levels, research in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine said. Rich in nutrients called polyphenols, the sweet spice may help insulin do its job more effectively. Sprinkle some into your morning joe or mix it into an oatmeal snack.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/10/7-ways-to-cut-your-diabetes-risk/

New liver cell for cellular therapy to aid in liver regeneration

"The discovery of the novel progenitor represents a fundamental advance in this field and potentially to the liver regeneration field using cell therapy," said the study’s senior author, Valerie Gouon-Evans, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor, in the Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Until now, liver transplantation has been the most successful treatment for people with liver failure, but we have a drastic shortage of organs…

5 siblings may all need heart transplants

Two of Jason and Stacy Bingham's young children have required heart transplants and the other three are facing the same fate. The Oregon couple thought they had their fair share of bad luck when 6-year-old Sierra got a transplant due to her failing heart. Six years later they were devastated to find out that 8-year-old daughter Lindsey would also require a heart transplant. Lindsey had presented with stomach pains and difficulty breathing, and her face and stomach were swollen. The children suffer from rare genetic condition affects approximately six out of every 1 million kids under 18 each year. It is a disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, which makes the heart increasingly weaker - and larger, as it tries to compensate. “At the time when the older sister was first diagnosed, not much was known about the genetics that can cause these defects,” the family's cardiologist Dr Daniel Bernstein told TODAY.com. “Today there are genetic tests.” So the Binghams got their children tested. Their son Gage, 4, has already had a pacemaker installed and will likely need a heart transplant at some point. Their 10-year-old Megan has shown a minor heart abnormality while 6-year-old Hunter is yet to display any problems, but given the family history it is something that he too will possibly face at some point. Click for more from news.com.au. To help the Bingham, visit http://www.heartsforbinghams.org/ or follow their blog http://jasonandstacybingham.blogspot.com/.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/5-siblings-may-all-need-heart-transplants/

Women willing to delay antibiotics for UTIs

More women than previously thought may be willing to delay taking antibiotics to treat a urinary tract infection in order to reduce the potentially unneeded use of antibiotics, a new Dutch study shows. More than one-third of women in the study with UTI symptoms said they were willing to wait a week to see if the infection would improve on its own before starting antibiotics. And more than 70 percent of the women who didn't use antibiotics for a week showed improvements or had their symptoms disappear completely, according to the study published May 30 in the journal BMC Family Practice. UTIs are more common in women than men, and are caused by E. coli bacteria in 80 to 90 percent of cases. The standard treatment for UTIs is a few days of antibiotic treatment, but the increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a serious concern, experts say. “To counteract this increasing resistance, the use of antibiotics should be limited in healthy patients who can also be cured without them,” study researcher Dr. Bart Knottnerus, from the University of Amsterdam said in an email. Studies show that when patients have UTI symptoms, most often, antibiotic treatment is started before the results of urine cultures, which look for the presence of bacteria, are known. “In fact, a culture is seldom done. Instead, the probability of a positive culture is estimated by asking questions and performing urine investigations,” Knottnerus said. “Since no test is perfect, some patients without UTI will get antibiotics, and some patients with UTI will not.” In the study, 137 patients were asked by their doctor to delay antibiotic treatment for one week. Fifty-one women were willing to wait. After one week, 28 of those women had still not used antibiotics and 20 of them reported clinical improvement. None of the participating women developed kidney infection, according to the study. Kidney infection is a serious condition that can occur if a UTI is left untreated, and needs a more aggressive antibiotic treatment. The researchers say that bladder infections seldom progress to the kidneys. “If a kidney infection occurs in a healthy woman, she can be cured by antibiotics,” Knottnerus said. “But to make sure that these antibiotics will still be effective in the future, it is important to limit their use in mild infections (like bladder infections).” It is important that women with UTI symptoms be monitored by a doctor if they choose to delay antibiotics. “If a woman gets ill (fever, shivering, flank pain), the infection may be progressing to the kidney,” Knottnerus said. Previous studies have shown that in somecases, patients recover from UTIs within a week without taking antibiotics. Knottnerus said the reason is that they either didn't have a UTI, or didn't need antibiotics to cure it. The body's defense mechanisms are often strong enough to fend off infections without any help from antibiotics, he said. Dr. Timothy Jenkins, assistant professor at the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado, said about the new study: “Progressive antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a major problem in the United States and worldwide, so it is very important that we develop novel strategies to reduce antibiotic use, such as the one proposed in this study.” Jenkins noted that antibiotic use in the Netherlands is extremely low, whereas antibiotic use in the United States is quite high. “Therefore, whether this study is applicable to women in the U.S. where the societal expectation for antibiotics is greater is not known,” he said. New guidelines published last week, from the Dutch College of General Practitioners, support the advice to delay antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections, the researchers said. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/04/women-willing-to-delay-antibiotics-for-utis/

Woman undergoes quaruple amputation after black market silicone butt injections

Apryl Michelle Brown had black-market silicone injections which turned out to be bathroom sealant. It left her in agony and led to her losing her hands and feet, as well as her buttocks. The 46-year-old former hairdresser blames “vanity” and wants to warn others of the terrible dangers of such illegal treatments. Teased as a child about her “pancake” bum, Brown vowed to buy a shapelier one when she was older. The moment that changed her life came in 2004, when two women walked into her successful beauty salon to get their hair done. One of them ran “pumping parties” — where unqualified practitioners inject illegal silicone into “patients” at their home. Brown, from Los Angeles, Calif., said: “One of the women told me how she had given bottom injections to the friend who was with her. “I remember thinking it was a miracle she’d walked into my life. Her friend showed me the work she’d had done and it looked great. “In a split second I made the decision that I was going to go to this woman and let her inject silicone into my behind.” That decision nearly killed her. Brown paid the woman, who had no medical background for two lots of injections. Doctors later discovered the substance used was industrial-grade silicone. Brown admitted: “I didn’t do any research. A combination of naivety, misplaced trust and insecurity led me to take this disastrous decision. “I trusted her because she seemed so professional, and I had no reason to think anything awful was going to happen. “She carried out the procedure in her daughter’s bedroom. She assessed my bottom and said, ‘You’ll need three or four sessions to get the result you want’. “The first procedure took an hour. I remember asking, ‘Is it meant to be so painful?’ and she said, ‘Yes’. It felt like it was squeezing through my nerves.” Within weeks Brown returned for her second treatment. She said: “After going through it again I had an epiphany. As I left her house I thought, ‘What am I doing? I have no idea what she’s putting in my body’. “I never returned. But though I didn’t know it then, my life had already changed forever.” Over the next two years the area where she’d been injected became hard and the skin blackened. Brown, mother to daughters Danye, 22 and Courtney, 21, said:  “Within a few months of the second injection my buttocks began to harden. I knew something wasn’t right. But shame stopped me seeking medical help. As time went on it got worse as the skin blackened. I developed hard lumps. Then the searing pain started. I had to tell my doctor what I did. I was so ashamed.” Brown spent the next four years in constant pain. Two surgeons told her it was too dangerous to remove the silicone. She said: “I was in so much agony I became a regular at hospital asking for medication to ease what was like a combination of a migraine, childbirth and toothache localized in one area. “I suffered day and night, so I was willing to do anything — including remove my buttocks.” In February 2011 a surgeon operated unsuccessfully. Brown developed a hole in her buttocks — thought to be the trigger for an infection that in June was nearly fatal.  She said: “I was 24 hours from dying. I didn’t think of leaving my family. It was a relief I’d finally be free of pain.” Doctors put her in an induced coma for two months while performing 27 surgeries — starting with amputating her buttocks — and doing extensive skin grafts. She said: “They saved me but gangrene set into my hands and feet. I was brought out of sedation shortly before I became a quadruple amputee. “My hands looked like those of a dead person. I knew then I was going to lose them.” She added: “At first you try to register your new limbs. The real comprehension comes when you start to live this new life. “I had dark times. I cried a sea of tears. I had to face the fact I’d lost my hands, feet and buttocks because of complications from bottom injections. I was overwhelmed by shame and guilt... all because I wanted a bigger bottom. “I was six months in hospital. By the time I was discharged I was determined to turn this terrible thing into something positive. “I decided to do a triathlon. I told myself if I could achieve that I could do anything. “I took my first steps again by the end of 2011. I built up to training six days a week, learning to walk, cycle then swim again using my residual limbs. “I’d be crying in pain but I’d push through it. And six weeks ago I did it — completing a three-mile walk, ten-mile cycle and a 150-meter swim. “When I crossed that finishing line with my family cheering me on, I cried tears of joy.” She added: “I haven’t sued or sought compensation. I just want to move on. There are things I miss dearly — I’ll never be able to do my girls’ hair or feel sand between my toes. “But I believe I survived to share my story. “I want to warn others of the dangers of black-market surgery. We were born whole, perfect and complete. “My greatest message is we have to learn to love and accept ourselves for who we are.” Click for more from The Sun. source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/woman-becomes-quadruple-amputee-after-black-market-silicone-injections/

France reports first death from new SARS-like coronavirus

The first person to fall ill in France with the new SARS-like coronavirus, a 65-year-old man who had been travelling in Dubai, has died in hospital from the illness, the health ministry said on Tuesday. Health Minister Marisol Touraine sent her condolences to the family of the man, whose death in the northern French city of Lille brings to 23 the number of people killed worldwide by the new virus. The man was diagnosed with the new virus strain, known as nCoV, on May 8, after being admitted to hospital on April 23, shortly after his return from Dubai, with what seemed at first to be a severe stomach bug and breathing problems. A second man, aged 50, is critically ill with the virus in the same hospital. The two men had shared a ward in April at a different hospital. While there is little evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission of the novel virus, which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, health experts are concerned about clustering as it has spread from the Gulf to France, Britain and Germany. The nCoV is from the same viral family that triggered the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that swept the world in late 2003 and killed 775 people. French health officials have screened dozens of people who had come into contact with the two carriers in Lille.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/28/france-reports-first-death-from-new-sars-like-coronavirus/

Terminal teen whose farewell song became web hit dies of cancer

A Minnesota teenager whose farewell song “Clouds” became an Internet sensation with nearly 3 million views on YouTube died Monday after battling a rare form of bone cancer, his family announced. Zach Sobiech, of Lakeland, died at his home, surrounded by family and his girlfriend, according to a CaringBridge post by his mother, Laura Sobiech. He was 18. Zach Sobiech's family declined a request for an interview from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, but released a statement announcing his passing. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our son Zachary David Sobiech. Our family has been blessed not only by his amazing presence in our lives, but also by the love and support of our family and friends and by so many people in the community. In particular we'd like to thank those people who listened with their hearts and helped Zach bring his message and his music to the world,” the statement said. Sobiech began writing songs of farewell to family and friends last fall. His first song, the catchy “Clouds,” inspired tributes and covers, including a celebrity video. Sobiech was told in June 2012 that he had months — perhaps a year — to live. When a scan in October showed about 20 new lesions in his lungs, Sobiech's mother suggested he start writing letters to say goodbye. “I'm not good at writing letters,” Sobiech told the Pioneer Press in December. “So I figured instead, I could just write songs for people, and they might be around longer. It's more powerful than writing a letter because a song can get stuck in your head. You find yourself humming it during the day.” In February, Rock the Cause digitally released Sobiech's album, “Fix Me Up,” which he co-wrote with bandmate Samantha “Sammy” Brown, and he flew to New York, where he signed with BMI, a music-rights management company that will collect royalties for him. Proceeds from the sale of “Clouds” and Sobiech's other songs also are going to the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund. In addition to raising money for the fund in his name at the Children's Cancer Research Fund, Sobiech worked to raise awareness for children suffering from his rare form of cancer. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Zach's family and friends,” said John Hallberg, the fund's CEO. “Zach Sobiech faced his cancer diagnosis with grace and strength. His music touched millions, and he leaves a lasting legacy that will help other young cancer patients through the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund. Zach once said, 'You don't have to find out you're dying to start living.' He taught us all how to live, and we are all better for having known him.” Sobiech, who would have graduated from Stillwater Area High School on June 8, received his diploma early — through his family at his house in late April, according to Lind Moncrief, assistant to the principal at the high school. Counselors and support services are available for students at the school. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Church of St. Michael in Stillwater.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/21/terminal-teen-whose-farewell-song-became-web-hit-dies-cancer/

Are you working out the wrong way? Common fitness myths debunked

We only have the best intentions when we work out, but sometimes it can be hard to know what exactly is best for our fitness. Luckily the American Council on Exercise debunked eight common workout myths for us so the next time you hit the pavement (or treadmill) you can start to see results. Related: 12 Reasons To Lose Weight Now Myth #1: Stretching before exercise reduces the risk of injury. False: The scientific literature of the past decade fails to support stretching before exercise as a successful strategy for injury prevention. However, research does support stretching at other times, including post-exercise, to reduce injury risk. Myth #2: Walking a mile burns as many calories as running a mile. In our dreams: While walking is a great physical activity, it does not require as much energy as running. Research has shown that running has a 40 percent greater energy cost compared to walking . That means you burn more calories when you run. Related: 15 Delicious Diet Breakfast Ideas Myth #3: Lactic acid causes acidosis and muscle fatigue during exercise.  False: The old myth linking lactate or lactic acid to fatigue is the result of a scientific misinterpretation that has prevailed through the years.  Lactate does not cause metabolic acidosis. Furthermore, it is useful in the performance of exercise at high intensities. Myth #4: Lower-intensity exercise puts you in the fat-burning zone, so it’s preferable to higher-intensity exercise.   Wrong: The “fat burning zone” at low intensities of exercise doesn’t even exist. To burn maximum calories in support of ongoing weight loss, progress to a moderate-intensity/higher-volume exercise program and include interval training. Related: Low-Calorie Desserts to Try Right Now Myth #5: Morning workouts increase metabolism better than workouts performed later in the day. Wishful thinking: The decision to exercise in the morning should be driven by personal preference rather than any false hopes that greater weight loss will be achieved by exercising before breakfast. Myth #6: Muscle weighs more than fat. Not true: Muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. The difference is their density. As we lose fat and gain muscle, weight may change very little, while body volume decreases as we become leaner. Related: Cheap, Healthy Meals Your Family Will Love Myth #7: Women who want to avoid looking bulky should avoid resistance training. False: Resistance training does not cause women to get bulky. In fact, it is virtually impossible for women to get as big (i.e., bulky) as men due to physiological differences, such as lower levels of testosterone. Myth #8: Spot reduction really works, especially if you want six-pack abs. In our dreams: Research shows that if a vigorous, high-volume, core-training program is performed, fat will be reduced in the abdominal area, but not selectively. A lean midsection requires a program of core, resistance and aerobic exercise—not just a focus on the abs.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/16/are-working-out-wrong-way-8-common-fitness-myths-debunked/