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Quiz on COPD

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Chronic obstructive lung disease affects millions of people worldwide and is responsible for numerous deaths due to complications. Here is a quiz on the various aspects of COPD.

Pope Francis Had Lung Removed During Childhood

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Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio chosen as the first Latin American pope had his lung removed due to infection during childhood. According to a media report, Pope Francis, 76, had one of his lungs removed because of an infection. Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn, said there are several reasons the new pope could have had his lung removed about six decades ago, ABC News ..���.

More Calories in Sushi Rolls Than a Big Mac

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Sushi rolls are often mistaken to be low in calories and healthier as it contains fish and vegetables. A dietician from The UK has warned that a quick bite of sushi rolls could actually be loaded with calories. Dietitian Rachel Beller , famous for her book, 'Eat to lose , Eat to win' has revealed that sushi rolls could cause excess calorie intake as the roll which has rice means there is increased carbohydrate intake. "A typical sushi roll contains 290 ...

Bihar: 6000 Chickens Culled After Bird Flu Outbreak

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In Bihar's Purnea district, nearly 6,000 chickens were culled following an outbreak of bird flu, say officials. Rajesh Kumar, director of state animal husbandry department, said he has ordered the administration to keep a close watch on the situation for two months. "Three blocks in the district have been declared high risk zones," he said, adding that the H5N1 virus was detected in chickens last week. Kumar added that during a ...

Yeast Infections

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We only know yeast as the fermenting organism for bread making, however it can cause also infections in vagina and can cause a lot of discomfort and discharge.

Green Tea May Reduce Breast Cancer Risk in Post-Menopausal Women

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Phytochemicals present in green tea change the metabolism of estrogen and can reduce the risk of breast cancer especially in post-menopausal women, according to a study from NIH's National Cancer Institute. The incidence of breast cancer is 3 to 4 times higher in the U.S. compared to Japan. Again, green tea, commonly consumed in Japan, is an important source of dietary phytochemicals that fight cancers. Since there are limited ...

Hearing Loss may be a Symptom of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

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Hearing loss in both ears could be a symptom of the rare but always-fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. That was the conclusion of Henry Ford Hospital researchers after encountering a 67-year-old patient who had been progressively losing hearing in both ears for two months and was eventually diagnosed with the disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or CJD, is often confused with so-called "mad cow disease," and though they are in the same family of disorders, ...

Mechanism That Regulates Production of Energy-burning Brown Fat Discovered

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Joslin scientists have identified the key mechanism that regulates the production of brown fat. Brown fat plays an important role in heat production and energy metabolism. The findings, which appear in the upcoming issue of iNature/i, may lead to new therapies that increase BAT formation to treat obesity. Two types of fat tissue are present in humans and other mammals: white adipose tissue (WAT) or white fat, which stores fat; and brown adipose tissue (BAT) ...

Hi-tech Lab to Treat Dry Eyes

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Narayana Nethralaya has set up a lab to diagnose and treat dry eyes. Dry eyes is a lifestyle disease caused by long-term exposure to computer screen, an official said Wednesday. Touted to be Asia's first, the hi-tech lab analyses tears for imaging and understanding their pathology better. "Dryness in eyes is caused by multiple factors such as exposure to computer screen for longer than six hours a day, leading to evaporative dryness and systemic ...

"Diabulemia" : A New Lifestyle Disease Among Young Women

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Individuals with type 1 diabetes who refuse to take their regular insulin shots are unnecessarily risking their lives. Type 1 diabetes is an auto immune disease in which the body of an individual attacks and destroys the insulin- producing pancreatic cells. Insulin is a hormone which is required to break down glucose from food and convert it into glycogen to be stored as energy. In the absence of insulin this cannot be done, therefore, ...

Vitamin D Supplements Help Lower Blood Pressure

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In African-Americans, intake of vitamin D supplements was found to reduce blood pressure, report researchers. In the prospective trial, a three-month regimen of daily vitamin D increased circulating blood levels of vitamin D and resulted in a decrease in systolic blood pressure ranging from .7 to four mmHg (depending upon the dose given), compared with no change in participants who received a placebo. Systolic blood pressure, the top and highest number in ...

Scientists Identify Potential Early Indicator of Kidney Injury

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A key indicator of acute kidney injury has been discovered by a team of scientists. Acute kidney injury, a common and serious complication of hospitalization, is on the increase worldwide, affecting an estimated 6 percent of all hospitalized patients and 30-40 percent of adults and children having cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. "Semaphorin 3A appears to be a sensitive biomarker that we believe will give physicians an early and accurate heads-up that their ...

Early Screening Needed for Kidney Diseases: Experts

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Early screening method is the best option to manage kidney disease in India, say doctors on World Kidney Day. "Kidney disease often goes undetected because symptoms may not appear until the organs are actually failing. Those who have poor diabetic control, high blood pressure, smokers and have a family history of chronic kidney disease should do early detection by simple urine analysis and blood test," said Dinesh K. Dhanwal, a professor of medicine and an ...

New Jab to Fight Arthritis Pain

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Scientists have developed a new gene therapy technique, bringing hopes to millions crippled by arthritis pain. Not only does the wonder therapy stop the destruction of the joint, it appears to also protect against damage. It could pave the way for people known to be at risk of developing osteoarthritis being given the jab years in advance to prevent it from ever striking. Current treatments can only relieve symptoms. There is no cure ...

Key Entry Point for 'SARS-like' Virus Identified

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SARS-like virus infects the body via a docking point in lung cells, says study. Tests on lab cells have highlighted a key entry point for the new virus and suggest bats may be a natural reservoir for it, investigators said. The novel virus has been designated hCoV-EMC, meaning human coronavirus-Erasmus Medical Centre, after the Dutch health institution that spotted it. First detected last year, it is a cousin of Severe Acute Respiratory ...

Cancer Survival Rates Not Affected by Medicare Spending

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In a recent study, published online today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, it was found that Medicare spending for advanced cancer varied by 41% between high and low spending regions and this it did not affect the survival rates in the regions. Researchers analyzed the data from Medicare and National Cancer Institute for the period, 2002 to 2007. They noticed that 10% of the Medicare payments were made for cancer care to prolong the survival of cancer ...

Simple Reason Why Some Women Appear Grumpy in the Morning

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A research into the sleeping habits of 210 people, found that women who slept less at night woke up grumpy and angry as compared to men who slept just as much. It appears that women suffer much more than men both physically and mentally if they did not get enough sleep. This is due to the differences in hormones between the male and the female sex. Women need more sleep to keep their hormones in balance. Quoting author Edward Suarez, an associate ...

Contamination With Norovirus High in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

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The risk of contamination with norovirus is high in fresh fruits and vegetables especially in the event of exposure to water that is used to dilute pesticides, a recent insight has revealed. The report, led by Katharina Verhaelen of the National Institute for Health and the Environment, says "Water containing hNoV [human norovirus] used to dilute pesticides may be an important source of infectious hNoV in fresh produce chains.The application of pesticides may therefore ...

Food Companies to Cut Down Salt in Popular Dishes

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In a recent health initiative taken by the UK government, food companies are being urged to reduce the salt content in their popular dishes like sandwiches and chips. A survey of 1,805 adults revealed that 53% of them never considered the salt content in their food despite majority of them being aware of the health consequences of high intake of salt. Research on salt content in dishes of popular food outlets showed that most of the food contained much ...

Novel Test Improves Survival Rate of Childhood Cancer

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It is heartening to know that there is a huge improvement in survival rates of childhood cancer with the development of a novel test that can aid early detection of the cancer in children. According to Australian experts, this test can increase the survival rates by twice as much. Doctors from the Sydney Children's Hospital and the children's hospital at Westmead have developed a new test which can assess the presence of even small levels of leukemia ...

Antibiotic Z-Pak Causes Irregular Heartbeats Warns FDA

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FDA has recently issued a warning against the antibiotic, Azithromycin, which is commonly used to treat various infections of eye, ear and throat. Azithromycin, well known as Zithromax or Z- Pak is manufactured by Pfizer and is available as tablets or liquid. FDA in its statement notes that Zithromax may disturb the electrical activity of heart and cause irregular heartbeats. FDA warns doctors against prescribing the drug to patients with heart problems ...

Childhood Obesity Risk May Not be Reduced by Breastfeeding

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A new study published in the journal of the American Medical Association contradicts the common assumption that breastfeeding reduces the risk of obesity. The study involved 17,046 mothers and their infants. They were randomly divided into two groups and one group was introduced to interventional program promoting breastfeeding. Richard M. Martin, Ph.D., from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and his colleagues noticed that 43% of the mothers ...

Autistic Children are More Prone to Suicide

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Children with autism are at an increased risk of contemplating and attempting suicide when compared to children without autism, according to researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine. Psychiatrists analyzed the information collected from parents of 791 autistic children, 186 neurotypical children and 35 children who were depressed but were not autistic. It was found that certain demographic factors like being a male, aged above 10 years, being ...