According to a new study published online in the journal Radiology, African Americans have increased levels of non-calcified plaque, which consists of buildups of soft deposits deep in the walls of the arteries that are not detected by some cardiac tests. Non-calcified plaque is more vulnerable to rupturing and causing a blood clot, which could lead to a heart attack or other cardiovascular event.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, African American adults are more likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease and are at greater risk of death from heart disease than white adults. In 2007, African American men were 30 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white men to die from heart disease.

“For a long time, physicians have searched for explanations as to why African Americans have higher rates of heart disease and higher cardiac death rates, but less coronary artery calcium than Caucasians,” said U. Joseph Schoepf, M.D., professor of radiology and medicine and director of cardiovascular imaging at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “We show that one possible explanation for the discrepancy may be found in the higher rate of less stable, non-calcified plaque in the heart vessels of African Americans.”

Calcium scoring with CT is a common screening tool for patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, because increased levels of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries generally correlates with a greater risk of heart attack or other cardiovascular event. However, calcium scoring does not detect non-calcified plaque.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/HBQj7nqq0qA/Afro-American-Heart-Disease-Detection-Better-With-CT-Angiography-87095-1.htm

“The cellulose powder has no adverse effects, and this fact makes it a particularly attractive treatment for children. It is used increasingly in many countries, but there is until now no scientific study proving the efficacy of the cellulose powder in children during the pollen season”, is the comment from Nils berg, associate professor at the Department of Pediatrics and consultant at the Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital.

Therefore, a study was carried out at the Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg during the birch pollen season in spring 2009. The cellulose powder was compared with a placebo (a substance without any medical effect). Fifty-three children and adolescents aged 8-18 years with allergic reaction to pollen participated in the study, lasting for 4 weeks when they puffed the powder in the nose3 times daily. Every day they also were on an antihistamine tablet (the most common treatment of hay fever). Reminders and reporting of symptom scores were performed using SMS messaging on mobile phones.

Pollen occurrence was measured every day on the roof of the hospital, and the pollen counts subsequently were analysed in relation to the symptoms reported by the children. Further data for the study came from previously unpublished statistics of pollen levels collected for 31 years at the same location in Gothenburg, from 1979 to 2009.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/rvY81xjn31g/Hay-Fever-in-Children-Reduced-by-Cellulose-Powder-87084-1.htm

Addressing a gathering of transplant co-coordinators, doctors, government representatives and the media, hosted by MOHAN Foundation (Multi Organ Harvesting Network), a key player in promoting and facilitating organ donation in many parts of South India, Dr. Delmonico lauded the efforts made in Chennai to improve India’s rate of deceased organ donation, saying Delhi and Mumbai need to learn from Chennai’s example in this area. Sharing the WHO critical pathways and his experience in clearing some hurdles in organ donation and transplantation, Dr. Delmonico said he visited the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Ms. Jayalalitha yesterday, June 28, 2011 and discussed how the deceased organ donation program could be taken forward in the state.

Dr. Sunil Shroff, Managing Trustee of MOHAN Foundation elaborated on the course module for the Transplant Coordinators’ Training Program evolved by MOHAN Foundation that trains candidates to liaise with hospitals and bereaved families to facilitate organ donation and transplantation. The triumph of the cause lay in the fact that organs donations and transplantations have been a made possible by a shared effort of nurses, doctors, hospitals, the government, facilitators and bereaved families of deceased organ donors. Dr. Delmonico observed that MOHAN Foundation’s representatives should have “greater access to intensive care units (ICUs), medical authorities in hospitals and others sitting in the sidelines to make the donation process smoother.” Mr. P.W.C. Davidar IAS observed that Tamilnadu had come a long way in having the procedures in place to facilitate organ donation and pledged to continue working to make things easier from the government’s side.

Ms.Veena, Transplant Coordinator, MOHAN Foundation made a presentation on the organ donations achieved in Government hospital in the last year till date. Out of the 76 brain dead patients identified, families of 49 agreed for organ donation and 27 families said, “No” to organ donation for various reasons such as religious beliefs, anger at the medical treatment, anger and grief at the situation etc. Besides these, several roadblocks identified by the foundation that hampered organ donation were presented and discussed. Some impediments discussed, revolved around identification of brain dead patients, maintenance of brain dead patients, lab results, brain death certification, police inquest, authorization for organ removal, postmortem and transportation.

Dr. Delmonico presented certificates to the participants of the Transplant Coordinators’ Training program conducted by Mohan Foundation in April 2011. Dr. Delmonico said his visit to Chennai was prompted by Tamilnadu’s success in the deceased organ donation program in the last 2 years. The organ donor rate in the southern state in India stands at 1.2 per million population which is 15 times the national average. The success lies in the coming together of government administration, government and private hospitals, NGOs like MOHAN Foundation and NNOS.

Add your bit to scale up the deceased organ donation program now!

Donate Organs. Save lives. Carry a Donor card.

Source-Medindia

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/i98GpJWBRP0/Renowned-US-Organ-Transplant-Surgeon-in-Chennai-to-Support-Deceased-Organ-Donation-87071-1.htm

More than a third believe it is worse than work, and nearly a quarter think it as stressful as moving house.

Credit-card insurer CPP, who questioned around 2,000 holidaymakers, found 9 percent – or almost four million in the wider travelling population – now avoid flying because of airport stress including flight delays, mislaid belongings and getting to the gate on time.

Almost half of travellers believe a holiday doesn’t start until they have left the airport.

The survey also found passengers thought Heathrow was Britain’s most stressful airport, followed by Gatwick and Manchester.

“Humans are wired to experience stress in situations where many feel out of control. Airports – where you have to follow instructions that are likely to change at the last minute, and procedures that are unpredictable – lead many to react with a stress response,” the Daily Mail quoted psychologist David Moxon as saying.

Source-ANI

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/OeBMuoq6qu8/Stress-for-Air-Passengers-Worse-Than-work-or-Moving-House-87072-1.htm

The scientists have also said that they are waiting to welcome anybody who is willing to become a human guinea pig to eat the test-tube hamburger.

Meat made from stem cells may be the best thing to happen, as scientists have warned that in the coming few decades, there could be a dearth of livestock to feed the increasing population worldwide.

The product, which is currently in the development stage, is called invitro meat and is actually created after extracting more than 10,000 stem cells from cattle. The stem cells are then allowed to multiply more than a billion times in the laboratory to produce a muscle tissue similar to beef.

Mark Post, professor of physiology at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and the brain behind this idea said, “I don’t see any way you could rely on old-fashioned livestock in the coming decades. In vitro meat will be the only choice left. We are trying to prove to the world we can make a product out of this, and we need a courageous person who is willing to be the first to taste it. If no one comes forward, then it might be me.”

Source-Medindia

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/tIuxObUYvfI/Have-You-Heard-of-a-Test-tube-Hamburger-Made-from-Stem-Cells-87056-1.htm

They found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years. In addition, increased moderate activity resulted in a 7.4 percent decrease in the rate of visceral fat accumulation over the same time period.

“We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease,” said Kristen Hairston, assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist and lead researcher on the study.

“Our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big health impact,” he added.

The researchers examined whether lifestyle factors, such as diet and frequency of exercise, were associated with a five-year change in abdominal fat of African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

At the beginning of the study, which involved 1,114 people, the participants were given a physical exam, an extensive questionnaire on lifestyle issues, and a CT scan. Five years later, the exact same process was repeated.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/PNkt012zGWM/Eat-Apples-Green-Peas-and-Beans-to-Cut-Belly-Fat-87039-1.htm

Despite a reinvented personality and new look in September, with many fitness and wellness features,  the product  failed to make an impact and fell woefully short of expectations.

Source-Medindia

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/8z8OkV-gZWM/Curtains-Down-for-Google-Health-87029-1.htm

Burnout syndrome can also affect people who are in monotonous jobs for more than a decade which worsens due to lack of recognition.

But the silver lining is that when people enjoy a healthy family life, it can offset burn out syndrome.

Source-Medindia

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/allhealthnews/~3/qSWh9LOCLCU/Risk-of-Burnout-With-Working-More-Than-40-Hours-a-Week-87027-1.htm