Useful Health Tips: July 2012

Monday, July 16, 2012

Obesity May Affect Response To Breast Cancer Treatment

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 16 Jul 2012 - 16:00 PDT

Experts have been questioning if hormone-suppressing drugs is the best treatment for obese women because they still have higher levels of estrogen than normal weight women even after treatment. The Institute of Cancer Research in London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, conducted a study and found that hormone-suppressing drugs did greatly decrease estrogen levels in obese women, however those levels still more than doubled a normal weight woman's level.

The experts published their study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology hoping their finding will help doctors be able to provide the best treatment for overweight and obese women. Scientists say that women receiving treatment for breast cancer should not be affected by these findings while emphasizing that the effect of obesity was modest.

More than three quarters of breast cancers need estrogen to grow, so one of the best ways to treat it is by stopping the hormone's ability to increase. As we already know, women with obesity have higher levels of estrogen than normal weight women. This new research shows that overweight women's hormone-suppressing drugs (aromatase inhibitors) considerably decreases their levels, but those levels are higher during treatment than normal weight women who receive the same treatment.

Senior author, team leader in the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, and head of the academic department of biochemistry at The Royal Marsden, Professor Mitch Dowsett, said:

"We found that women with higher BMIs had more estrogen remaining in their blood after treatment than healthy-weight women, which is consistent with previous suggestions that aromatase inhibitors might be slightly less effective in these women. Our findings are based on laboratory studies, so we would need to carry out clinical trials to tell us whether women with a higher BMI would benefit from changes to their treatment. Women with higher BMIs should certainly not be alarmed by this finding or stop taking their treatment. Our study takes us a step closer to understanding which of the treatment options available might be the most suitable for individual women."

The research team reviewed a recent study that found the aromatase indicator anastrozole had no better influence than an older drug, tamoxifen, in women with higher BMI. Tamoxifen is, however, more effective in the general population.

Even though it is possible that tamoxifen is more effective in women who are overweight, the researchers wanted to see if there was another possibility. They wanted to research if aromatase inhibitors had less of an influence these women.

Two aromatase inhibitors were examined- anastrozole and letrozole (a more potent drug). 54 postmenopausal women were examined who were treated at the Edinburgh Breast Unit and who had estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The women were treated with either 3 months of adjuvant anastrozole then 3 months of letrozole, or the drugs in the opposite order. 44 of those patients were able to give data before and after treatment on their BMI and estrogen levels. Their levels of estradiol and oestrone sulphate in the blood were measured.

Results showed:

Before treatment, women with higher BMIs also had higher estrogen levels (women with BMIs between 30 and 35 had about 3 times more plasma estrogen than women with a BMI of 25 or less.
Women with BMIs between 30 and 35 still had levels of plasma estrogen 3 times higher than healthy weight women after letrozole treatment.
The same trend for letrozole was seen in the anastrozole treatment, but it did not reach statistical significance.

Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, Professor Alan Ashworth, said:

"Aromatase inhibitors have played an increasing role in breast cancer treatment over the past decade, so it is important to understand the factors that affect how well they work in individual women in order to allow doctors to choose the best possible drug from the range available."

Written by Sarah Glynn

Additional
References
Citations

Meta-Analysis of Breast Cancer Outcomes in Adjuvant Trials of Aromatase Inhibitors Versus Tamoxifen
Mitch Dowsett, Jack Cuzick, Jim Ingle, Alan Coates, John Forbes, Judith Bliss, Marc Buyse, Michael Baum, Aman Buzdar, Marco Colleoni, Charles Coombes, Claire Snowdon, Michael Gnant, Raimund Jakesz, Manfred Kaufmann, Francesco Boccardo, Jon Godwin, Christina Davies and Richard Peto
Journal of Clinical Oncology November, 2009 doi:10.1200/JCO.2009.23.1274 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Obesity May Affect Response To Breast Cancer Treatment'

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Swine Flu Vaccine Linked To Guillain-BarrÃ© Syndrome Risk

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Swine Flu
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines; Public Health
Article Date: 10 Jul 2012 - 19:00 PDT

The 2009 influenza A(H1N1) "swine flu" vaccine, which was administered to millions of people around the world, is associated with a "small but significant risk" of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an uncommon paralyzing nerve disorder, scientists from Quebec, Canada, reported in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). The authors added that they believe the benefits of immunization outweighed the risks.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a very uncommon but serious autoimmune disorder that damages the peripheral nervous system. The syndrome is typically caused by an acute infectious process. The peripheral nervous system refers to the nerves in the body outside the brain and spinal cord. A person affected with Guillain-Barré syndrome will initially have a tingly and numbing sensation in the limbs, usually the lower part of the legs; there will also be weakness in those areas. Often the sensations spread to the entire body and the patient becomes paralyzed.

As background information, the authors wrote:

"The disease is thought to be autoimmune and triggered by a stimulus of external origin. In 1976-1977, an unusually high rate of GBS was identified in the United States following the administration of inactivated 'swine' influenza A(H1N1) vaccines. In 2003, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that the evidence favored acceptance of a causal relationship between the 1976 swine influenza vaccines and GBS in adults. Studies of seasonal influenza vaccines administered in subsequent years have found small or no increased risk.
In a more recent assessment of epidemiologic studies on seasonal influenza vaccines, experimental studies in animals, and case reports in humans, the IOM Committee to Review Adverse Effects of Vaccines concluded that the evidence was inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship."

The researchers explained that in the Autumn of 2009, in Quebec, public health authorities launched an immunization campaign against the A(H1N1) pandemic strain, using mostly an AS03 adjuvant vaccine. By the end of 2009 approximately 57% of Quebec's 7.8 million residents had received the vaccine.

Philippe De Wals, M.D., Ph.D., of Laval University, Quebec City, and team set out to determine what the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome was after the shots were administered.

The team carried out a population-based cohort study with follow-up for a period of six months, from October 2009 to the end of March 2010.

Data were gathered from all neurology clinics and acute care hospitals in Quebec of suspected and confirmed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) cases which had been reported by doctors, the majority of them neurologists during active surveillance. They also examined summary discharge databases of provincial hospitals. They also checked immunization status of the reported cases.

The investigators identified 83 confirmed cases of GBS over the six-month period. Twenty-five of them had been immunized against 2009 influenza A(H1N1) up to eight weeks before GBS onset - 19 of the 25 had been vaccinated within 4 weeks before onset.

After analyzing the data, the researchers concluded that there was "a small but significant risk of BGS following influenza A(H1N1) vaccination".

They attributed 2 GBS cases for every 1 million doses.

The authors emphasized that the higher risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome was only higher among people aged 50 years or more.

The authors wrote:

"In Quebec, the individual risk of hospitalization following a documented influenza A(H1N1) infection was 1 per 2,500 and the risk of death was 1/73,000. The H1N1 vaccine was very effective in preventing infections and complications. It is likely that the benefits of immunization outweigh the risks."

In the USA, approximately 1 to 2 people per 100,000 are affected by Guillain-Barré syndrome, says the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Just over 1,500 people in Great Britain are diagnosed annually with Guillain-Barré syndrome, out of a population of 62 million. As mentioned above, GBS is a rare disease. It is slightly more common in men than in women, and can affect people of all ages.

What is swine flu?

Swine flu, also referred to as swine influenza, pig influenza, pig flu and hog flu is a disease of pigs - an extremely contagious respiratory disease caused by one of several Influenza A viruses. From 1% to 4% of pigs that become infected with swine influenza virus die from the infection.

The most common swine influenza virus is of the H1N1 influenza subtype, but can be from other types, such as H1N2, H3N1, and H3N2.

The 2009 swine flu pandemic that infected humans was of the H1N1 type - not a very virulent (dangerous) type. The WHO (World Health Organization) declared the swine flu pandemic officially over in August 2010.

The World Health Organization says that the 2009/2010 H1N1 "swine flu" pandemic killed 18,500 people worldwide. However, a recent report published in The Lancet believes the total may be up to fifteen times higher. (Link to article)

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Visitor Opinions (latest shown first)

Herd immunity, Jessica, not God

posted by Dr. F. Morris on 10 Jul 2012 at 9:18 pm

Jessica, your protection is from others around you who became vaccinated, it has nothing to do with God. Freeloading, more like.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

God is my vaccine

posted by Jessica Gonzalez on 10 Jul 2012 at 9:16 pm

I have found that faith in the Lord provides me with all the immunization I need from disease. Try it!

| post followup | alert a moderator |

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Swine Flu Vaccine Linked To Guillain-Barré Syndrome Risk'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Monday, July 9, 2012

What Improves Quality Of Life For Dying Cancer Patients?

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 09 Jul 2012 - 20:00 PDT

Patients with advanced cancer who are reaching the end of their lives have a better quality of life if they are not hospitalized, are not in an intensive care unit, are being visited by a pastor if they are hospitalized or in a clinic, can worry less, have the opportunity to meditate or pray, and have a therapeutic alliance with their doctor, say researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, in a report published in Archives of Internal Medicine.

When curative treatments no longer work, or are not an option any more, the medical team shifts the focus from prolonging life to optimizing the patients QOL (quality of life) at the end of life (EOL).

As background information to their report, the authors explained that there is a lack of data regarding the strongest predictors of higher quality of life at the end of life.

The authors set out to identify what factors had the best impact on quality of life during the final weeks of life for a patient with advanced cancer.

Baohui Zhang, M.S., wrote:

"By doing so, we identify promising targets for health care interventions to improve QOL of dying patients."

Zhang and team's study involved 396 advanced cancer patients and their caregivers - they were all part of the Coping with Cancer study. The average age of the patients was 59 years.

Nine factors explained the biggest differences in patients' quality of life at their end of life:

Intensive care stays during the final week of their life
Hospital deaths
Level of patient worry at the start of the study
Meditation or religious prayer at baseline
Where the cancer care took place
The use of feeding tubes during their last week
Pastoral care inside the clinic or hospital
Chemotherapy during their last week of life
The patient-doctor therapeutic alliance where the patient felt they were being treated as a whole person

The authors wrote:

"Two of the most important determinants of poor patient quality QOL at the EOL were dying in a hospital and ICU stays in the last week of life. Therefore, attempts to avoid costly hospitalizations and to encourage transfer of hospitalized patients to home or hospice might improve patient QOL at the EOL."

One of the most influential predictors of worse quality of life during the patients final weeks was patient worry at baseline, the researchers found.

The team concluded:

"By reducing patient worry, encouraging contemplation, integrating pastoral care within medical care, fostering a therapeutic alliance between patient and physician that enables patients to feel dignified, and preventing unnecessary hospitalizations and receipt of life-prolonging care, physicians can enable their patients to live their last days with the highest possible level of comfort and care."

Related Commentary in the same journal

B. Zonderman, Ph.D., and Michele K. Evans, M.D., of the Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Md., wrote:

"The concept of quality of the EOL [end of life] in cancer patients has been under examined in cancer medicine in the quest to develop newer, more advanced, and effective modalities of interventional cytotoxic therapies. This study highlights the scarcity of research in an area that can give us important tools in further refining coherent treatment strategies for patients throughout the timeline of cancer treatment and disease trajectory.
It is surprising at this stage in the development and implementation of complex multimodal cancer treatment strategies that the factors most critical in influencing the quality of the EOL are not clearly defined and considered along the entire timeline beginning with cancer diagnosis.
This work as well as the American Society of Clinical Oncology statement support early introduction of palliative care for advanced cancer patients."

How do you talk to somebody when end of life nears?

When serious illness strikes, or takes over, what is the best way to talk to that person about his/her prognosis and quality of life? Surprisingly, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that none one had really studied that question. So, they audio-recorded 71 palliative care discussions. Link to article.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'What Improves Quality Of Life For Dying Cancer Patients?'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Transplant Cytomegalovirus Infection Test Approved By FDA

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Transplants / Organ Donations
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics; Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses; Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 05 Jul 2012 - 20:00 PDT

The FDA has approved a DNA test - COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test - to measure the efficacy of anti-viral treatment in solid organ transplant recipients who are being administered CMV (cytomegalovirus) antiviral therapy. The viral load test can determine, from a sample of the patient's blood plasma, levels of CMV nucleic acid.

The doctor can use the device to carry out a series of tests to determine what changes there are in the paient's CMV viral load while undergoing anti-CMV therapy.

A large drop in viral load between tests may mean that a specific therapy is effective, while no change or a rise in viral load may mean that the therapy is not working and a different one is needed.

If the fully automated COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test is used in combination with other laboratory and clinical data, the doctor can better manage and optimize patient care.

CMV can cause severe illness in patients with compromised immune systems, including solid organ transplant recipients. Complications include pneumonia, colitis, and liver problems. Solid organ transplant refers to transplants of the small intestine, kidney, pancreas, lung, or heart. Recipients of tissue, or cells, such as skin, muscle or bone marrow do not have so high a risk.

In 2011, there were 28,538 solid organ transplant procedures in the USA, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

Alberto Gutierrez, Ph.D., director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety in FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said:

"Tests such as the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test can play an important role in helping health care professionals appropriately treat patients."

The FDA approved the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test after reviewing data on the test's accuracy in measuring viral load, as well as its ability to measure variations in CMV quantities accurately.

The FDA examined data from a randomized trial which took place in three sites - frozen plasma samples from 211 kidney transplant recipients with confirmed CMV diagnosis had undergone a 7-week course of anti-CMV therapy were used.

The trial demonstrated that a lower baseline viral load usually means a shorter time to resolving the CMV disease, while considerable falls in viral load are closely associated with resolution of CMV disease.

The COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test is not a diagnostic tool for determining whether somebody has CMV infection, and neither is it approved as a screening test for CMV DNA presence in blood or blood products, the FDA stressed.

The COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan CMV Test is made by the Roche Molecular Systems in Somerville, N.J.

Paul Brown, Ph.D., head of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, said:

"We are pleased to offer this innovative test to address a key medical need for immunosuppressed solid organ transplant patients.
With this test, laboratories now have an FDA-approved option for standardized and automated CMV viral load testing that improves the laboratory's workflow. It provides physicians with clinically useful information to aid in the management of solid organ transplant patients with CMV disease."

Roche says that its new real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based CMV test is specifically made to be used on the fully automated COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® System, what the company describes as "an established platform for viral load monitoring of multiple infectious diseases. The system can be combined with the cobas p 630 Instrument, which provides an integrated pre-analytical primary tube handling solution."

In a communique issued today, Roche wrote:

"The COBAS® AmpliPrep / COBAS® TaqMan® CMV Test is intended for use as an aid in the management of solid-organ transplant patients who are undergoing anti-CMV therapy. In this population, the test can be used to assess virological response to antiviral treatment. The test is traceable to the first WHO International Standard for Human Cytomegalovirus for Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques (NIBSC 09/162) and reliably monitors cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections."

Deliveries of the new CMV test kit should commence next month, Roche expects.

About Cytomegalovirus

As mentioned earlier, CMV is the most common viral infection in SOT (solid organ transplant) patients; it is also the most important because of the complications associated with it for some transplant recipients. The patient can become infected through the donor organ, which can develop into a CMV infection. Some transplant recipients may already have CMV in their system from a previous infection; the virus which had lain dormant reactivates.

According to Roche, between 50% and 80% of all US citizens become infected with CMV.

Most healthy people who have the virus inside their system have either none or very mild symptoms. After infection, the virus remains within the body for the rest of the person's life, in a latent state.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Transplant Cytomegalovirus Infection Test Approved By FDA'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

UN Sets New Standards For Liquid Infant Formula, Seafood, Melons, Dried Figs And Labeling

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 05 Jul 2012 - 19:00 PDT

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), has announced new standards for the maximum level of melamine in liquid infant formula. Melamine can be deadly at high concentrations and has in the past been used to increase the protein content of infant formula and milk powder.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission celebrates its 49th birthday this year, and is meeting from the 2nd to 7th July with 600 delegates from 184 countries, plus the European Union. It's recommendations are relatively common sense.

After melamine tainted milk caused death and illness in a number of infants two years ago, the Codex Commission announced a maximum level of 1mg/kg for powdered infant formula and 2.5mg for other foods and animal feed. The Commission has now reduced the level to 0.15mg/kg in liquid infant milk. Melamine is used to make dishware and kitchenware, and for other industrial applications, so it's hard to understand how any level of the chemical is acceptable, least of all in baby milk.

The new levels will help both government and consumers to ensure that deliberate contamination is not occurring, whilst leaving manufacturers some breathing room for accidental occurrence of the chemical in their products.

Another toxic and possibly carcinogenic substance the commission looked at are aflatoxins. These are a group of mycotoxins produced by molds. Dried figs & fruit, nuts, spices and cereals can accumulate to high levels if they are not stored properly. The maximum agreed level is now 10mg/kg for dried figs - they also gave information on how to test and quantify this level to their standards.

Last summer there were problems with bacterial contamination in melons. Pre-cut slices are becoming particularly popular, with shoppers not wanting to waste money on a complete melon that partially goes to waste, but these of course allow contamination to occur more easily. Exposed fruit pulp provides a great breeding ground for bacteria and has been linked to both salmonella and listeria outbreaks.

With this in mind, the commission recommends that pre-cut melons be stored below 4' C as soon as possible after being cut, and that they should be wrapped or packed immediately. In addition, knives used for cutting the fruit should be regularly disinfected.

Seafood can also cause problems in food, with hygiene and cold storage being particularly important in mollusks, such as muscles and oysters. Hepatitis A and norovirus are of particular concern, because viruses transmitted via fecal-oral route can be particularly resistant and have been known to survive in mollusks, soil and sediments for months. Viruses can even survive freezing, refrigeration, UV radiation, and disinfection. They are, however, sensitive to heat.

The main problem with seafood is related to the water quality the organisms grow in. Cultivation areas that are suspected of being contaminated should be closed, and heat treatment of harvested mollusks is recommended. The Codex also recommended that food manufacturers around the world label nutritional content on their products, to keep consumers better informed. The WHO has produced a strategy for Diet, Physical Activity and Health - the recommendations are in line with WHO's strategy and constitute a major step towards promoting healthy eating worldwide.

Written by Rupert Shepherd
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'UN Sets New Standards For Liquid Infant Formula, Seafood, Melons, Dried Figs And Labeling'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Hundreds Receiving Help From Red Cross After Flooding, Fires And Power Outages

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 03 Jul 2012 - 15:00 PDT

In recent weeks, the American Red Cross has had their work cut out for them, with some 1,180 individuals trying to escape the wildfires, excruciating heat, and floods,Saturday at over 55 different shelters - stretching from the east coast all the way to California.

Charlie Shimanski, senior vice president of Red Cross Disaster Services commented:

"The Red Cross is helping people who ahve no power during this dangerous heat wave while continuing to feed and shelter people impacted by the wildfires out west and flooding in Florida. We urge people to stay safe and follow the direction of local officials during these emergencies."

After Friday's heavy-duty storms, millions of people are still living without power in their homes, and according to officials, they will probably go without electricity for at least another couple of days. The Red Cross reported over 900 people taking shelter in their facilities on Saturday, due to the power outages.

Currently, The Red Cross is offering services, such as cooling centers and shelters, in the following areas:

Ohio
Kentucky
Indiana
Maryland
New Jersey
Virginia
West Virginia
Washington D.C and the surrounding areas

The Red Cross had been urging people without power to stick to the safety tips they have been told. These include:

Making sure pets have a place to rest in the shade and ample amounts of water to drink
Connecting power machinery to generator outlets, not the home's electrical system
Checking up on friends/neighbors who live alone
Keeping fridges and freezers closed to make sure food stays preserved as long as possible (A freezer full of food can stay as cold as it originally was before a power outage should the door stay closed)
Unplugging appliances, with the exception of one light, in order to know when the power is back
Avoiding travel as much possible because the roads may not be safe, due to the lack of working traffic lights

Due to the ongoing wildfires that have been hitting the west coast states, 12 Red Cross shelters in Utah, Montana and Colorado housed over 200 people on Saturday. Red Cross volunteers are working endlessly to help the people who are being affected by these horrible fires to have food, shelter, and counseling due to the inevitable mental and emotional problems some of the people will be facing, on top of everything else, because of damaged homes and belongings.

In Florida, close to 75 people are still living in shelters run by Red Cross, until their neighborhoods have recovered from the aftermath of the tropical storm Debby. Hundreds of disaster experts have been diligently working to make sure the people affected by the storm have food, shelter and necessary supplies, such as rakes, shovels, flashlights, gloves and tarps, to repair the damages.

To make a donation to the Red Cross and the victims of these disasters, find a shelter, or receive more information about how to avoid dangerous situations during these tough times, click here.

Written by Christine Kearney
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Hundreds Receiving Help From Red Cross After Flooding, Fires And Power Outages'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Monday, July 2, 2012

5 Millionth IVF Baby Born This Year

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology; Pregnancy / Obstetrics; Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 02 Jul 2012 - 19:00 PDT

Experts estimate that around now, approximately 5 million babies have been born as a result of assisted reproduction technologies - namely IVF and ICSF. The first test tube baby was born in July 1978, in England, her name was Louise Brown. These data were presented yesterday at the 28th Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), Istanbul, Turkey.

Experts from ICMART (International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies) worked out the figure of 5 million babies from the number of IVF and ICSI treatment cycles recorded around the world up to 2008 - they then estimate what the additional numbers probably have been since then.

The presenters yesterday said that up to the end of last year, the total number of births was about 4.6 million, and this year the total will be around 5 million.

Dr David Adamson, chairman of ICMART, said:

"It means that this technology has been highly successful in treating infertile patients. Millions of families with children have been created, thereby reducing the burden of infertility.
"The technology has improved greatly over the years to increase pregnancy rates. The babies are as healthy as those from other infertile patients who conceive spontaneously. The technology is available globally in many different cultures. The major barriers to access are economic, and societal in some situations. With these accomplishments as a technology, and with recognition of Professor Robert Edwards as a Nobel Laureate, IVF is firmly established now in the mainstream of medicine."

According to ICMART, approximately 1.5 million ART cycles are carried out annually worldwide, resulting in the birth of about 350,000 babies. Experts say the numbers are progressively increasing. The most active region in the world is Europe, and the two most active countries are Japan and the USA.

ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) success rates "stabilizing"

Success rates from a single fresh treatment cycle of IVF and ICSI appear to have stabilized at around 32% pregnancy rate for each embryo that is transferred (and 28% per aspiration). This success rate has stabilized since 2008.

The total number of embryos transferred has dropped significantly, Dr. Ferraretti explained. Delivery rates can rise significantly while maintaining a very low multiple rate.

Regarding multiple pregnancies, Dr. Ferraretti said:

"The overall trend in Europe of transferring fewer embryos continues. We found in 2009 that, compared with previous years, fewer three-embryo transfers and more single embryo transfers were performed. As a result of this trend, ART triplets have fallen below 1%, and, for the first time, the twin delivery rate was below 20% (19.6%)."

Dr Anna Veiga, Chairman of ESHRE, and Scientific Director, Dexeus University Institute, Barcelona, Spain, said:

"Five million babies are a clear demonstration that IVF and ICSI are now an essential part of normalised and standardised clinical therapies for the treatment of infertile couples. Many aspects have changed since the early days of IVF, especially the results in terms of babies born, but there is still room for improvement.
Our objective is the birth of single healthy baby and this can be achieved though the optimisation of both clinical and embryological performance."

What are IVF and ICSI?

IVF (in vitro fertilization) - a procedure done in the lab in which male sperm are placed in a special dish with unfertilized eggs - hopefully the sperm enter the eggs and fertilize them. When fertilization occurs, the resulting embryos are transferred into the uterus of a woman or cryopreserved (frozen) for future use.

In vitro is latin for "within the glass". Basically, in vitro means that the biological process is performed outside the body of the organism (in this case a human being). In vivo is the opposite, when the process occurs inside the organism.

IFV is a major form of infertility treatment when other assisted reproductive technologies have failed. The process is as follows:

The woman's ovulatory process is monitored
An ovum or ova (plural: eggs) is/are removed from the female's ovaries and placed in a fluid medium in the laboratory
Male sperm are added to the mix to fertilize the egg(s)
The zygote (fertilized egg) is transferred into the women's uterus, the aim being to establish a successful pregnancy and the birth of a baby

IVF was developed by Robert G. Edwards, a physiologist and biologist, and Patrick Christopher Steptoe, an obstetrician and gynecologist - both from England. Edwards received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2010. Louise Brown was the first "test tube baby" and was born in 1978 as a result of natural cycle IVF.

ICSI (Intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is a form of IVF that goes one step further. The sperm is injected directly into the egg. The procedure is done under a microscope.

What is the difference between IVF and Test Tube Baby?

A test tube baby is the result of an egg being fertilized outside the woman's uterus. IVF is the process of fertilizing a woman's egg outside her body.

A test tube baby is the result, the outcome.

IVF is the technique, the process.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'5 Millionth IVF Baby Born This Year'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Severe Sleep Loss Affects Immune System Like Physical Stress Does

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 01 Jul 2012 - 18:00 PDT

Sleep deprivation and physical stress have similar effects on the immune system of human beings, researchers from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom reported in the journal SLEEP. Both physical stress and severe sleep loss jolt the immune system into action, the authors explained.

The scientists , from Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, United Kingdom, compared the number of white blood cells in 15 healthy young adult males who were subjected to normal sleep and severe sleep loss.

The greatest impact was on granulocytes - types of white blood cells - which lost their day-to-night time rhythmicity as numbers shot up, especially during nighttime.

Lead author, Katrin Ackermann, PhD, said:

"Future research will reveal the molecular mechanisms behind this immediate stress response and elucidate its role in the development of diseases associated with chronic sleep loss.
If confirmed with more data, this will have implications for clinical practice and for professions associated with long-term sleep loss, such as rotating shift work."

The authors explained that prior studies had found a link between lack of sleep and the development of certain diseases and conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes and obesity. Other studies have demonstration that adequate sleep helps keep the immune system working properly, and that long-term sleep loss is a major risk factor for immune system problems.

The 15 young men were made to follow a strict routine of eight hours sleep every day for one whole week - their white blood cells were categorized and measured. Within 90 minutes of waking up, they were exposed to 15+ minutes of outdoor light. They were not allowed to consume anything with caffeine in it, they were told not to drink alcohol or take any medications. The aim here was to stabilize their circadian clocks and bring sleep deprivation down to a minimum before the intensive laboratory study.

The scientist compared the participants' white cell counts during their normal sleep/wake cycle week to the count during the second part of the experiment when the subjects were made to spend 29 hours without any sleep at all.

Ackermann said:

"The granulocytes reacted immediately to the physical stress of sleep loss and directly mirrored the body's stress response."

What are ganulocytes?

A granulocyte is a type of white blood cell that is full of microscopic granules - tiny sacs that contain enzymes for digesting microorganisms.

Granulocytes form part of our innate immune system. Experts say they have a broad-based immune activity - they are nonspecific. Granulocytes are not like B-cells and T-cells which respond exclusively to specific antigens.

There are different types of granulocytes, including eosinophils, basophils and neutrophils; they get their names from their staining features in the lab.

Several problems associated with lack of sleep or sleep difficulties

Sleep deprivation and bad food choices - Investigators from the University of California demonstrated how sleep deprivation can undermine regions in the brain which are responsible for making food choices. They explained that their findings might explain why sleep deprivation is linked to a higher risk of becoming obese. (Link to article)

Lack of sleep and stroke risk - Normal weight adults who sleep less than six hours per night have a much greater risk of stroke symptoms during middle-to-older age than normal weight people who sleep more hours, researchers from the University of Alabama reported. (Link to article)

Sleep deprivation and anxiety - Scientists from the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, showed that sleep deprivation considerably exaggerates how much we anticipate impending emotional events, especially among those who are already highly anxious individuals. (Link to article)

Lack of sleep and the appeal of junk food - people who have not had enough sleep and have "tired brains" are more likely to find junk foods appealing, researchers from Columbia University in New York, revealed. (Link to article)

Too many workers not sleeping enough - according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), about one third of all workers in the USA are sleeping for less than six hours each day, instead of the recommended 7 to 9 hours. People especially at risk of not getting enough sleep included those working in health care, social assistance, transportation and warehousing sectors - many of them on shift-work. (Link to article)

Tired
Lack of sleep is becoming a growing problem throughout the world

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Additional
References
Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Visitor Opinions (latest shown first)

I agree with theory - Severe Sleep Loss Affects Immune System Like Physical Stress Does

posted by John on 1 Jul 2012 at 7:04 pm

I have suffered from Epilepsy for at least 2 decades. I learned through my own trial and error that 1st. by reducing stress my epilepsy episodes were reduced and than completely eliminated.

This didn't increase my white blood count however until I changed my mattress to a temperpedic and worked diligently to increase my 6 hours of sleep to 8 and 9 hours. Now I find my strength has increased in addition I have not had a seizure in over 3 years. I used to have as many as 5 or 6 a week.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

Add Your Opinion On This Article

'Severe Sleep Loss Affects Immune System Like Physical Stress Does'

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to: