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Steroids of No Help to Babies with Breathing Problems

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According to a report by the New England Journal of Medicine, a steroid popularly prescribed to babies with breathing problems—particularly lower respiratory infections or Bronchiolitis—is not helpful.

One of the main causes of infant hospitalization is lower respiratory tract infection. During the study, one half of the babies were given steroids and the other half was treated with placebo medicine. None of the two treatments gave good results and 40 percent of babies from both the groups had to be hospitalized again.

Party Drugs Likely Help Spread HIV Infections

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A recent survey in the US has revealed that the increasing use of party drugs such as the stimulant “ice” (a methamphetamine) may be the cause behind escalating HIV-infections among gay men.

Although the study does not confirm that these party drugs are the direct causes of HIV infections, constantly increasing trends cannot be ignored.
Methamphetamine that is used in these drugs stimulates the male libido and enables them to stay awake for hours and have marathon sex sessions. And, a higher rate of risky sexual behavior is likely to lead to higher HIV infection rates.

In addition to drug use, many infected men have also confirmed that they either met their sex partners in a club or used the services provided on the Internet to arrange for anonymous sex partners. This also increases the risk of HIV infection.


Source: AAP (7/24/07)

Obesity May be a “Contagious” Disease

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According to researchers at Harbard University, obesity is socially contagious. And, it can spread through your social ties. The research is actually inclined toward finding methods that can help in controlling the obesity and overweight epidemic.

The study reports that obesity cannot be cured just by treating the person suffering from it. For more effective treatment, it’s necessary to  treat the entire social network of the patient.
This is because people have a natural inclination of being influenced by the habits and appearance of those who are around them. Therefore, weight gain of one person in a particular social circle may encourage weight gain in others within the same group.

This new revelation supports the efforts to promote and educate people about the benefits of a nutritional diet in a workplace where many of us find social circles.

Source: Washington Post (7/25/07) 

Low Cholesterol May Increase Cancer Risk

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According to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, use of cholesterol-lowering drugs or statins may increase the risk of developing cancer in patients.

Statins are commonly prescribed to heart patients because they help in lowering the level of cholesterol in blood.

During the analysis, 13 statin clinical trials were performed on 41,000 patients. The results indicated a higher rate of a newly-diagnosed cancer in low-cholesterol patients than high-cholesterol patients.

Although, in comparison to high cholesterol patients one additional case of cancer was found in low-cholesterol patients, researchers are still not sure about a direct link between statin use and increased cancer risk.

Emerging Risk Factors for Gallstone Disease – Four Fs

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In medical school, you are taught the "four Fs" for suspicions of gallstones—Fair, Fat, Forty, Female. Recent research backs up these findings, with women between 20 – 60 having at least a 3X higher incidence of the disease than their male counterparts.

The American College of Gastroenterology has put out new guidelines for managing the risks of this disorder, including:

  • A body weight that is healthy
  • Avoidance of drastic dietary changes (i.e. crash diets)
  • Regular exercise
  • Choosing a diet rich in fruits, vegetable, grains and low-fat
  • Source: Newswise (7/24/07)

HIV Infection Risk Much Lower for Circumcised Men

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Uncircumcised men are more than twice as likely to to contract HIV from an infected female partner, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), because the skin cells in the foreskin are particularly susceptible to the HIV virus.

Circumcision reduced the risk of contracting HIV by about 60 percent, a far greater result than the 30% reduction targeted by an AIDS vaccine.

At an AIDS conference in Sidney, Australia, Robert Bailey, an epidemiology professor at the University of Illinois, urged international health agencies to promote male circumcision as an effective means to lower the rate of HIV infections.

In March, 2007, the World Health Organization issued a statement urging males to get circumcised for health reasons.

However, the organization stressed that circumcision does not protect from HIV, and says that “men should still use condoms and take other precautions such as abstinence, delaying the start of sexual activity and reducing the number of sexual partners.”

References: AP (7/24/07)

Tomatoes vs. Cancer, is the Evidence on Lycopene In?

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Sure it’s better to eat less fat, more vegetables and more tomatoes. But does the antioxidant lycopene prevent cancer?

A review published online by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute stated that their researches couldn’t find any scientifically sound evidence to support links between consuming antioxidants (food or supplements) and a statistically significant decrease in cancer of the prostate, lung, GI tract, breast or pancreas.

Source: New York Times (7/24/07)

Summer Blues: Mosquitos vs. Garlic

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Mosquitos love me. They’ll pass up a crowded room full of sweating targets before chomping in on my bare arms or legs. An inconvenience at home for sure, but a nasty problem in malarial areas (no safariis for me in the wet months).

So what is a human target to do if they don’t want the DEET repellents? Should they try garlic?
The answer has long been known—forget the garlic.

A Soft-Drink a Day Increases Heart Disease Risk Factors

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Adults who drink at least one soft drink per day are 30% more likely to develop new-onset diabetes or have low levels of good cholesterol.

A recent study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association reports that drinking at least one soft drink a day of a diet or regular soft drink are at greater risk for heart disease than those who don’t. The study was conducted on 3,500 middle aged men and women. The study found that soft-drink consumers are more likely to develop matabolic syndrome, a combination of
a combination of factors like high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides — are more likely to suffer diabetes and heart disease.

Adults who consume at least one soft drink a day are more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease than those who don’t, even if the beverage is diet, according to a study published today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers studying about 3,500 middle-aged men and women as part of a larger, long-term heart study found an association between daily soft drink consumption and an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

The American Heart Association defines metabolic syndrome as:

  • Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
  • Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)
  • Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
  • Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)

    • Metabolic syndrome is a growing problem in America, where an estimated 50 million people exhibit symptoms and have greater risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls.