Heavyweight babies more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis

Washington, June 30: Female babies with higher birth weight are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as adults than their average contemporaries, says a new study.

The results support the foetal origin of disease theory, which argues that certain conditions and diseases in adult life are programmed by factors during pregnancy.

Diabetes, coronary heart disease, and high blood pressure for example have been linked to low birth weight.

The findings are based on a survey of over 87,000 US women between 1976 and 2002, who were aged between 30 and 55 at the beginning of the study.

Every two years, the women were quizzed about their health, lifestyle and family illnesses. In 1992, they were asked to provide information on their birth weight.

During the study period, 619 women were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis for the first time, reports Eurekalert.

Women who weighed more than 4.54 kg at birth were twice as likely to develop the auto-immune disease as those who weighed between the average of 3.2 to 3.85 kg at birth.

The results held true even after taking into account factors likely to influence the baby's birth weight.

These included socio-economic status, parental smoking, maternal diabetes, age at first period, use of oral contraceptives, breastfeeding and weight.

There is no obvious biological explanation for the findings, say the authors. But adults with rheumatoid arthritis have abnormal hormone regulation, and it is thought that this process may be triggered while in the womb.

Researchers believe that the risk of rheumatoid arthritis could be lessened during pregnancy and altering the mother's diet could open up an avenue for prevention.

The findings have been published online ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Source: IANS/Eurekalert

Drink Toned Milk 'for a Healthy Heart'

New York (PTI): Downing as little as one glass of toned milk daily could keep the heart healthy by protecting it against a range of serious conditions, including stroke and heart disease, a new study has claimed.

A team of international researchers has found that adults who drink at least one serving of low-fat milk or milk products have 37 per cent lower odds of poor kidney function linked to heart disease than those who don't drink regularly.

According to the researchers, the study suggests that milk protein, vitamin D, magnesium and calcium may contribute to milk's potential heart health benefits.

In fact, they came to the conclusion after measuring the kidney function of more than 5,000 people, all adults aged between 45 and 84, the latest issue of the 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition' reported.

The researchers tracked eating patterns and tested albumin-to-creatinine ratio -- a measure that when too low, can indicate poor kidney function and an extremely high risk for cardiovascular disease -- of the participants.

They found that people who reported consuming more low-fat milk and milk products had lower ACR, or healthier kidney function. In fact, low-fat milk and milk products was the only food group evaluated that on its own was linked to a significantly reduced risk for kidney dysfunction.

An overall healthy diet, including low-fat milk and milk products, whole grains, fruits and vegetables was also associated with a benefit -- 20 per cent lower ACR or even healthier kidney function, the study revealed.

So, drink milk to a healthy heart!

Source: Hindu

Safer, Better Medication for Hepatitis B Identified

Washington, June 27: Hepatitis B patients who didn't respond to the common treatment of lamivudine might get better and safer results with another drug called entecavir, a new study has found.

Chronic Hepatitis B is the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Patients are likely to develop serious liver diseases like cirrhosis and liver cancer, especially if they have high levels of HB virus (HBV) DNA in their blood.

Lamivudine is one treatment for HBV, but the virus commonly becomes resistant and leads to disease progression. Adefovir dipivoxil is another treatment option, however, virologic suppression is not optimal.

A third drug, Entecavir, has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for patients who don't respond to lamivudine.

Researchers led by Morris Sherman of Toronto General Hospital, studied 286 patients taking part in a double-blind, double-dummy, randomised, controlled trial comparing the safety and efficacy of entecavir (one mg daily) to lamivudine (100 mg daily).

About 57 percent taking entecavir, compared to five percent of those taking lamivudine, were classified as virologic responders and were offered continued therapy for an additional year.

The researchers then assessed the efficacy, safety and resistance profile of entecavir through 96 weeks of treatment, reports EurekAlert.

'The year two results demonstrated that patients continue to experience clinical benefit with entecavir therapy beyond one year, while the safety profile remained stable,' Sherman said.

These findings will be published in the July issue of Hepatology.

Source: IANS

Higher coffee intake, lower liver cancer risk

Washington, June 27: There's some cheerful news for coffee addicts. The more they drink, lower the risk of liver cancer.

A large, prospective population-based study has borne out an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and liver cancer risk.

Researchers led by Gang Hu at the University of Helsinki set out to examine the link between coffee consumption and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), with the risk of liver cancer.

Finns drink more coffee per head than the Japanese, Americans, Italians, and other Europeans, so Hu and colleagues studied 60,323 participants aged between 25 and 74 years who were cancer-free.

They were included in seven independent cross-sectional population surveys conducted between 1972 and 2002 and followed up through June 2006.

Participants completed a questionnaire about their medical history, socio-economic factors and dietary and lifestyle habits. For a subset of participants, clinical data was available, including serum levels of GGT. Data on subsequent cancer diagnoses was collected from the countrywide Finnish Cancer Registry.

Based on their answers to 'how many cups of coffee do you drink daily,' participants were divided into five categories: 0-1 cup, 2-3 cups, 4-5 cups, 6-7 cups, and 8 or more cups daily. After a median follow-up period of 19.3 years, 128 participants were diagnosed with liver cancer.

The researchers noted that multivariable hazards ratio of liver cancer dropped for each group that drank more coffee. It fell from 1.00 to 0.66, 0.44, 0.38 to 0.32, respectively.

'The biological mechanisms behind the association of coffee consumption with the risk of liver cancer are not known,' the authors point out.

They also found that high levels of serum GGT were associated with an increased risk of liver cancer, reports Eurekalert.

These findings will appear in the July issue of Hepatology.

Bed-wetting children more prone to kidney damage

Jaipur, June 26: Children who urinate in bed are more prone to kidney damage than those who don't, a leading nephrologist here says.

L.C. Sharma, who heads the nephrology department at Rajasthan's premier Sawai Man Singh Hospital, attributes the problem to three causes.

With some children, it might just be a habit, while in others it could be due to a hormonal dysfunction. A third cause could be defective kidneys or weak bladder muscles, he says.

Sharma will now examine 2,000 schoolchildren in Jaipur to ascertain the exact nature and cause of this problem and find the right way of treating such cases. The three-month long research project will begin in July when schools reopen after the summer recess.

The medical name for bed-wetting is nocturnal enuresis. According to Sharma, a survey has found that it is common in 25 percent of children aged up to four years. The affliction decreases as they grow and it remains in only two to three percent children aged 12.

If not treated properly, some of these children may develop kidney diseases, Sharma warned.

'This is called reflux nephropathy in which urine infection first affects the gall bladder and then the kidneys,' he explained.

This could also hamper the mental growth of a child, Sharma added.

Source: IANS

Finally, a car that runs on water!

Skyrocketting fuel prices, adulterated fuel, long queues at petrol stations, often unscrupulous attendants out to fleece you -- your cup of woes spills over everytime you need to fill the tank of of your car.

But all this could be history if Genepax -- a Japanese company -- is successful in commercialising its latest innovation: the 'water car.'

Genepax unveiled the car in Osaka, Japan on June 12, saying that a litre of any kind of water would get the engine going for about an hour at a speed of 80 kmph, or 50 mph.

Genepax president Kiyoshi Hirasawa, in a mission statement published on the company's official web site, said, "Our mission is to develop technology and products for efficient production and use of energy. By 'efficient,' we mean ecologically and economically efficient. Ecological and economical energy is our business. Our goal is to create energy that is not taxing on our natural environment."

The water needed to run the car could be tap, rain or sea water, the company clarified.

Once the tank (which is at the rear) of the Genepax car is filled with water, a generator would extract hydrogen from the water using, what the comapny calls, its Water Energy System, or WES, to produce electricity that the car runs on. As opposed to the hybrid cars which emit water, Genepax's invention consumes water.

Whether the car is a commercial success or not remains to be seen, but Genepax said it had applied for a patent and is planning to collaborate with Japanese auto manufacturers.

"Energy made from water," as Hirasawa says, "is not a dream story anymore We hope many people will join us in our challenge to promote the use of our WES, for the better future of the earth," he added in a statement.

source: rediff

Robotic surgery at AIIMS for rare neuro disorder

NEW DELHI: For the first time ever, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has performed robotic thoracoscopic thymectomy on patients with myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disorder.

AIIMS has been performing video assisted thoracoscopic (VAT) thymectomy, or removal of thymus gland, for the past eight years involving more than 200 cases so far. But this is the first time that doctors used a robot for the purpose, making the procedure more precise. "Robotic surgery is more precise and accurate.

It is the future of all surgeries. The robots are so designed that they can reach inaccessible areas in the body and bend and curve as per the shape of the organ. If it works well, then AIIMS would be the only government hospital in India to offer robotic thymectomy," said a senior doctor.

Myasthenia gravis is a neuromuscular disease that leads to muscle weakness and fatigue. Though no definite cause is known, removal of the thymus gland often helps cure the problem completely. "The thymus gland plays an important role in the development of the immune system in early life. In infants, the size of the gland is really big and covers almost the entire chest, but with age the size reduces and has no role to play in the body. It is full of fat. In nearly 75% of myasthenia gravis patients, the size of the thymus gland is considerably big and the functioning is abnormal," said Dr Arvind Kumar, professor, surgery with specialisation in thoracoscopic thymectomy, AIIMS.

According to sources, nearly 12-16 thymectomies had been planned till Monday evening, but only six could be executed. Dr Arvind Kumar performed all the surgeries and was assisted by two experts from Germany, who had flown down especially for the three-day session.

Thymectomy can be either performed through an open method or VAT. The former is similar to open-heart surgery in which the chest bone is cut open and the thymus gland, which is anterior to the heart, is taken out. In VAT thymectomy, three tiny incisions are made in the left chest through which the surgical instruments along with a small scope is introduced into the body and the surgery is carried out with the help of a visual monitor. The robotic surgery is similar to VAT, but the only difference is that the surgeon uses a specialized console with monitor to perform the surgery. The plus point of VAT thymectomy is that it leaves minimal scars.

In myasthenia gravis, the body produces certain antibodies which attacks its own immune system and blocks or destroys the communication between nerves and muscles, thereby preventing muscle contraction.

Incidentally, thymectomy is also done on patients with thymic carcinoma (a rare type of thymus gland cancer) and non-metastic thymoma.

Source: TOI

Doc helps HIV positives give birth to a negative

Guntur (Andhra Pradesh): Four-year-old Prashanthi is nothing short of a miracle baby for her parents, both of whom are HIV positive. And Prashanthi is a miracke baby for she has tested negative for the virus.

Her father, Sathyanarayana, who is a contract labourer, says, "Before she was born, I used to think there was no point in living. Now that we have a child, there's hope for the future."

And the man who's responsible for this miracle is Dr Vasanth Kumar, a gynaecologist in Guntur's Government Hospital.

Over the last five years, Dr Kumar has worked with close to 300 HIV positive couples to show them that they too can have children who don't carry the dreaded virus. The doctor administers a dose of a drug called Nevirapine Prophylaxis to an HIV positive mother at the time of delivery and to the child immediately afterwards. The treatment lays a lot of emphasis on prenatal care, and neonatal treatment for the baby.

"There's a myth and a misconception that HIV positive couples cannot have children. It's wrong. They too can have children," says Dr Kumar.

Dr Kumar has also set up a focus group of HIV positive couples, which meets regularly and educates couples about proper medical care.

One such HIV positive whose wife has been able to deliver babies under Dr Kumar's expert care, Lateef says, "We eat and sleep happily now. Our children are fine. The doctor advises us and takes care of us and our children."

Source: IBNLIVE

Confronting with Mobile Woes

By K Ramanathan Iyer

I never thought that having a mobile phone would create such a ruckus in my life. To have efficient and cheaper communication we (I and my better half) had gone for two connections from the same service provider and to certain extent it proved to be a beneficial option for us.

But along with the connection there comes ‘head-aches’ like unsolicited calls and SMSs. At least we both get 20 SMSs a day each, both from the company and private people. Sometime we even get calls/SMSs offering a particular ring tone after midnight.

We get calls from banks as well asking for personal loans, credit cards, car loans or house loans. Most of the time the callers would belong to fairer sex (with sweet voice), but being a happily married and having the first name of Raja Dasrath’s elder son, these things hardly matter to me, but the persistent unwanted calls and SMSs really put me off.

Piqued by this I approached the company and enquired whether there was any way that I could stop these irritants. The officials from the company promptly diverted me towards their website and asked me to register in their ‘do not disturb’ section.

Thinking that our ordeal would see an end, we promptly visited the site and after a few minutes search, we located the said section of the website. I was asked to register our numbers, that we promptly did and pressed the “enter” button fast. Alas, a message poped out informing us that our request would be processed in 45 days time telling us indirectly that till then you would be getting these messages.

One month passed since then, but the unwanted calls and SMSs are unabated into my mobile set and we do not know what to do. From our friends, who have connections from different providers, we came to know that they too get a daily dose of such irritants regularly.

I do not know that whether it’s a shear coincidence or a planned strategy of the company, from the day on, the frequency of SMSs has increased. Sometime, we get it from the company itself informing their various schemes and sometime from some private parties informing about tuitions, English speaking course, etc.

If this not enough, one I reach office, I am being bombarded with phone calls from private banks asking me to take up their credit cards free of cost or a sweet voice pleading me to take up an insurance-cum-investment plan.

The funny part is that we both get messages almost simultaneously. So, we have adopted a policy to compare both the messages before opening it. If both are from the same person, we simply press the delete button. Same with the case of the calls we get.

But jokes apart, these unsolicited messages make one sick. This is nothing but invasion into one’s personal space. Though legal provisions are there to tackle such problems, companies fleece subscribers even if they opt to block such messages and calls.

I really wonder who provide these numbers to banks and insurance companies. Surely, there may be a nexus between the banks/insurance companies with the mobile service providers. That means our data has not been kept confidential by them. It’s nothing but a breach of trust.

Once I asked the caller, that from where they get numbers. A young innocent voice replied that they have all numbers stored in their “date base”.

Can any one give solution to lessen my agony?

Though I do not want to name the mobile company directly, I can give you a clue that the company belongs to a sibling of one of the world’s richest person and son of the great business tycoon of India.

Yes, you guessed it.