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Weight Loss After 50 Years Of Age Reduces Breast Cancer Risk

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers amongst women in India and worldwide. A recent study about women who lost weight at 50 and maintained a healthy weight thereon showed a decreased risk of breast cancer as compared to women with more weight. This study is therefore a way to help women work around prevention of cancer.

Breast Cancer Risk

The study is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In USA over two third of the adult women are overweight or obese. The study was carried out by the researchers at the American Cancer Society, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health using the Pooling Project of Prospective Studies of Diet and Cancer (DCPP) in order to determine the connection between sustained loss of weight after menopause or later adulthood and the risk of breast cancer.

The study involved over 180,000 women over 50 years of age across 10 studies. The sample size is huge and this analysis is the first to assess the breast cancer risk impact over sustained weight loss. The study did examine weight three times across 10 years period viz. at the time of enrollment, post five years and again four years thereafter.

The results showed that women who were able to reduce more weight in later adulthood and sustained it were able to lower the risk of breast cancer. The women who were able to shed around 9 kg’s of weight and then game some of it but not all did show a significant reduction in breast cancer risk.

The lead author of the study Lauren Teras, PhD says ‘These findings may be a strong motivator for the two thirds of American women who are overweight to lose some of that weight. Even if you gain weight after age 50, it is not too late to lower your risk of breast cancer”.

*Sourced from Internet

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The Role Of Legumes In Heart Health

We all know how a nutritious and balanced diet can help us live longer by keeping heart ailments at bay. A recent study carried out to find out the role of legumes in heart health reveals that legumes. Though it’s never been easy to know the benefits of food on an individual basis.

Five color legumes for healthy , Soy bean, Navy bean or white bean, Black beam, Red bean and Green bean,

But, recently researchers of the review called Advances in Nutrition took up the task of understanding the significance of legumes like lentils, peas and beans etc. around heart health.

Primarily, they focused on cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, myocardial infarction besides looking into hypertension, obesity and diabetes. They chose cardiovascular diseases because it is one of the most common causes of mortality and even one of the most expensive ones. It is known to cause US 1 billion dollars a day.

They used the data analysis of Eurpoean Association which recently carried out a series of systematic reviews as well as meta-analysis for Diabetics study. The researchers hope that these results could be quite a help in updating the recommendations already made around the role of legumes in preventing as well as treating cardio-metabolic diseases.

The data review and comparison with people with lowest and highest intake of legumes revealed that dietary pulses that had legumes which either did or did not include other legumes did decrease coronary heart disease, obesity incidence and hypertension.

Though the researchers were able to find a positive relationship between intake of legumes in higher amounts and reduction in certain parameters related to cardiovascular risks, the conclusion they came to are muted relatively.

As per the researchers “The overall certainty of the evidence was graded as low for CVD incidence and ‘very low for all the other outcomes.”

Therefore, the co author of the study Dr Hana Kahleova said “ Americans eat less than one serving of legumes per day, on average. Simply adding more beans to our plates could be a powerful tool in fighting heart disease and bringing down blood pressure.

*Sourced from Internet

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How Climatic Conditions Effect Mental Health

No a new idea really, as there have been studies earlier around relationship study between mental health and climatic conditions. But, as the climatic conditions seen to be changing drastically and global warming issues and more are becoming the talk of the town, even the psychological health issues are becoming the areas of focus.

The earlier studies primarily were carried out for a short period of time and only have been able to identify the links between mental health as well as temperature but the research till date only involves short time period and more focused on connection rather than causal factors. Moreover, this findings have so far not yielded any substantial conclusions. So, the researchers with this study are hoping to get answers to their questions that are not answered as yet.

The researchers for their study has gathered data from various sources including Californian emergency departments, collecting data and analyzing information from the data of mental health diagnosis visits during the period of 2005 – 2016.

They even mined for data around suicides in America during 1960 – 2016 period. These information was based on statuses that were individually self-reported. After drilling the climatic temperature in US down, the researchers managed to develop ‘’fine spatial and temporal scales”.

From the study the researchers concluded that the mental health outcomes decrease as the temperatures cool and the increase mental health issues with rise in temperatures. Statistically speaking they found that there was a rise in 0.48% rise in mental health visits with a rise in average monthly temperature of 10 F and even a rise in suicides by 0.35%

In short, the rise and drop in temperatures has a significant impact of the mental health because the authors of the study also showed stability in the estimates even when accounted for socio economic status and air conditioning adoption.

As for suicide rate, it rises only if there is a rise in temperature amid the growing season because growing season is all about crop yields. If the temperature rises, the crop yield reduces and leads to financial issues that in turn increase the risk of suicides.

*Sourced from Internet

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After 50 Alcohol Consumption Ain’t That Risky?

Addiction to alcohol ain’t good for your health, is what we are all aware off. The consequences of the same include cancers of certain type, liver damage, and heart as well as brain disease too. Having said that there are studies about health benefits of drinking in limit as well. One such recent study has found that alcohol intake in moderation does protect against mortality due to cardiovascular diseases.

After 50 Alcohol Consumption

The study published in Journal of Alcohol and Drugs and lead by a team of Boston medical center in Massachusetts presents a fresh approach towards the long going debate on whether moderate drinking is good for health.

As per the researchers, the studies carried out earlier were not accurate enough. The reason was that the study included participants of age above 50. The researchers argue that people who have passed away before 50 due to alcohol consumption are not included in the study. Hence, people who aren’t alive cannot participate in a cohort study.

As per Dr. Timothy Naimi, alcohol addicts who are alive at 50 could have been healthy before and also could have been drinking within limits also. The authors were of the opinion that around 40 percent of the deaths due to alcohol intake were before the age of 50 years, meaning the deaths due to alcohol intake are not taken into consideration at all leading to ignoring the dangers of it.

The analysis showed that age played a major role in the risk levels associated with alcohol. The rate of alcohol related deaths in people between the age group of 20 – 49 was 35.8 percent. They also studied individual of age above 65 years. The study did show that over 35 percent of the deaths occurred due to alcohol intake but they also found that around 80 percent of the deaths in this age group.

They also found a vast difference when they took into consideration the age group of 20-49 years and the lost number of years. The number of years saved by drinking were around 14.5 percent only.

*Sourced from the Internet

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Dengue Is Back! – How To Deal With It?

As almost 500 cases crop up in Dakshin Kannada or Mangaluru, Dengue is back this season and with a big bang for sure in Karnataka. Already four people have succumbed to the deadly fever that is a result of the Aedes mosquitos. Unike malaria mosquitos, Dengue mosquitos breed inside the house in clean water. A viral infection, Dengue is at its peak in the monsoon season every year. The most common symptoms of dengue include headache, swollen lymph nodes, rashes, exhaustion and high fever. The main characteristics of dengue include high fever, rashes and headache.

The acute phase of the fever can last upto two weeks. The more serious and life threatening condition of Dengue is Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) occurring mostly in under 10 years children. This complication can cause circulatory collapse, hemorrhage and abdominal pain. The symptoms often occur after 3 days to 15 days of the mosquito bite. The weather conditions also are responsible to an extent for breeding the dengue mosquitos. Outbreaks are more common in tropical and subtropical areas. Though the condition is not contagious, if a mosquito bites a dengue infected, it does contract the dengue virus too and spread it onward to other people.

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Thus the Aedes mosquito is considered the vector or transmitter and humans as the source of infection. As mentioned Dengue Hemorrhagic fever or DHF is a shock syndrome of dengue that mostly affects children under 10 years of age. DHF starts abruptly with consistent fever accompanied with headache. Other symptoms include cough, nausea, sore throat, and vomiting as well as abdominal pain. The shock occurs around 2 to 6 days after the onset of symptoms with sudden collapse, mouth blueness, weak pulse to name a few. Bleeding is also a common possibility and DHF requires close monitoring. There is no particular treatment and only intensive care with blood transfusion and oxygen provision as well as immediate fluid replacement are some of the treatments. If proper treatment is provided the mortality rate could be less but it could rise to as high as 20% if not treated properly.

The best idea is to take care around your house and avoid travelling to mosquito prone areas. Check for water storage possibilities for breeding mosquitos and treat appropriately.

*Sourced from the Internet

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Know About The Vital Screening Test That You Could Ignore!

In the times when pesticides and carcinogenic stuff has become a daily part of our life and is laying the path for different types of cancers, preventive screenings can help a lot in catching cancer in time and improving the quality of life.

Today people are very much aware about preventive screenings at an early age but due to lack of time and hectic work schedules and other priorities you tend to ignore a few. Definitely, people are taking cancer screenings seriously.

Vital Screening Test

One such condition is Osteoporosis. In this condition the body loses a lot of bone and makes very less or sometimes it could be both together. In Osteoporosis, bones become brittle. They could break even if there is a simple fall or at times even due to sneezing.

As per health experts early detection and intervention can help you curb the progression of the condition with the help of medicines as well as required life style changes. To detect osteoporosis, you need to go through the bone mineral density (BMD) test.

The diagnosis can help you detect the condition, the risk factors as well as the tracking over the course of your treatment. The test that is commonly taken and is painless in nature is the Central DXA test or the Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry test similar to X-ray. This test is recommended for the 65 and above women. As of now age based recommendations are not there for men. As per the NIH below 65 women who are at the risk of fracture also need to get tested.

Risk factors include low body weight, genes, early menopause, addictions like smoking and rheumatoid arthritis disorder. People with family history of osteoporosis are at the risk of getting it early on in their 40’s. So, thinking that osteoporosis can only occur post 65 years is not apparently true.

Well, get a little more aware and serious around some conditions that might not be life threatening but still vital because it could affect quality of life by getting you into painful problems.

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*Sourced from the Internet

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Pea Sized Insulin Pill For Diabetetics – Inspired By Nature

Insulin injections for diabetics who have to have daily shots are always a big no. One would rather prefer a pill over injections any day. It does affect the quality of life of many diabetics who need to take a shot every day for filling up their insulin scarcity. But, seems like a solution is underway or in the making. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology research team has made an invention called the pea sized insulin pill. If this invention works, then not only insulin but it can be used as a replacement for many other injectable medicines.

“This undated photo provided by researchers in February 2019 shows the components of swallowable self-righting device which can inject drugs from inside the stomach. The new invention, reported Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, by an MIT-led research team, has been tested only in animals so far. But if it pans out, it might offer a work-around to make not just insulin but a variety of usually injected medicines a little easier to take. (Felice Frankel via AP)”

The research for developing insulin that can be taken orally has been going on for decades now but without any success as in market reach till date. But insulin and many similar compounds do not have the ability to complete the tough journey through the digestive system. As per a non-researcher from the Mount Sinai’s Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute, ‘’the pill is like a miniaturized rocket launcher’’.

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This pea sized pill has the ability to commute through the esophagus in seconds and in minutes of swallowing it’s inside the stomach. The design is inspired by that of a leopard tortoise whose shell design helps it to flip on its back and right itself. The researchers created this miniature capsule of similar shape with a weighted bottom so it can roll in the correct direction to latch automatically. It also came with a micro-injector made from dried insulin that was compressed into a sharp point. The researchers powered it with the help of a tiny spring and a sugar disk that was hardened. The pill pops after the acids in the stomach dissolve the pill has been already tested on pigs and the ingestible injection has been able to lower blood sugar levels just like standard shots do. Steven Little, the chairman of the chemical engineering department of University of Pittsburgh said that “It’s a very clever idea, that is meant to solve a very long standing problem”

The only hurdle in the research at present is that it cannot be taken over an empty stomach. Hence, presently it is could be uses instead of morning insulin shots and not post meal. Also, as the capsule is made of stainless steel and biodegradable material that floats and gets excreted, there is no harm as such. There are no side effects even if it pokes the stomach wall. Gastroenterologists have been long using needles for delivering medicines for patients. Though the medicine will take around three more years before it is tested on humans and to know how the stomach responds to it if used on a daily basis.

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*sourced from the Internet

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Genetically Modified Virus Effective in Cancer Treatment – An Overview

The study published in the journal for Cancer Research states that scientists have developed a new technique in which they use a genetically modified virus for killing cancer cells and even has the ability to destroy their hiding places. Named as the enadenotucirev, this novel dual action virus targets cancer cells as well as the healthy cells that are tricked into cancer cell protection by the immune system of the body called fibro-blasts.

Genetically Modified Virus Effective in Cancer Treatment

The therapy used presently for killing the tricked viruses of cancer may also kill the fibroblast cells leading to toxicity. Carcinomas, the most common kind of cancer are found to start in the cells of the skin or in the tissues covering or lining internal organs like lungs, pancreas, breasts, colon, prostate and ovaries.
As per Kerry Fisher of Britain’s University of Oxford there hasn’t been any way where you can kill the cancer cells and the fibroblasts that are known to protect them as well, without causing any harm to the other parts of the body. Therefore, this technique that can be used for targeting the cancer cells as well as the fibroblasts is definitely cited as a vital development in reducing the suppression inside the carcinomas as well as initiating the normal immune process.

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The team included some genetic instructions before publishing the study in the journal order the infected cancer cells to produce a protein called bispecific T cell engager, that has the ability to bind and stick two cells together. Here the first end is fibroblasts and the second end is T cells – a kind of immune cell that kills defective cells. The result, T cells started killing attached fibroblasts. The team also carried out the testing of the virus on a human bone marrow successfully to find that the process did not result in creating any toxicity to the rest of the body or any inappropriate activation of T cells.

The clinical trials of Enadenotucirev have already started for carcinoma treatment and in the upcoming year it will begin its clinical trials of finding out the safety and affectivity of it on people suffering from cancer.

 

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*Sourced from the Internet

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Zika Virus – Symptoms, Causes and treatment

Recently, Zika virus has taken a toll in Jaipur with over 42 confirmed cases. A fatal virus, Zika finds its roots in Uganda, where it was discovered in the year 1947. The same mosquito responsible for tracing yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue virus is known to transmit Zika. Thought it can be transmitted through the following besides mosquito –

  • Pregnant women to her unborn child
  • Blood Transfusion
  • Sexual intercourse
  • Possibly through saliva while kissing (may or may not)

Zika virus can cause various disorders/ Complications like Premature birth, severe dehydration, hearing impairment, eye problems in infants, Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) and the following as well –

Zika Virus - Symptoms, Causes and treatment

Congenital malformations
When the virus is transmitted to the unborn child through a pregnant woman, it is bound to attack the nervous system of the child and cause microcephaly or prevent brain growth. It may damage the fetus, which could not be visible immediately but many years of birth. This virus is present in the milk of an infected mother as well.

Guillain Barre Syndrome
After the Zika virus enters the nervous system, some people tend to suffer from a disorder known as Guillain Barre Syndrome. It can also get into the brain and cause other neurological symptoms. This virus has the ability to not directly attack but get the immune system to attack the nervous system.

Symptoms
The symptoms of people infected by Zika include the following

  • Fever
  • Joint pain
  • Rash
  • Nausea
  • Headache
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Chills
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Sweating
  • Cheek Swelling

Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Zika can be done using a blood, saliva , semen and urine test.

Zika Treatment
As on date there is not treatment or vaccination available for Zika. You only can treat the symptoms using fever reducers and medicines for reducing vomiting or rash.

*Sourced from the Internet

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Be Aware of the Silent Killer Called Ovarian Cancer

Many women aren’t aware that ovarian cancer is also known as the Silent Killer because generally no visible symptoms indicate the presence of this cancer and the symptoms surface only during the final stages. This cancer has known to affect as many as over 20K women across the world every year and due to the lack of visible symptoms indicating the cancer, it makes this cancer even scarier.

CAUSES AND RISKS
The causes of this cancer are not clear as yet but family history is one of the risk factors and the women having a family member or relative with ovarian cancer or breast cancer are definitely at a higher risk of the same. Age can also be termed as one of the risk factors because most women get it after 60 -63 years. Also, the women who have had one or more pregnancies before the age of 26 are at a lower risk. The risk is lower if the number of pregnancies is higher. Even using contraceptives frequently tends to lower the risk of ovarian cancer. As per doctors there is this contraceptive hormone called DMPA or Depo pro-vera CI that if injected of more than 3 years, reduces the risk of ovarian cancer even further. Women who make use of infertility treatment drugs over a period of one year are also known to have a high risk of getting ovarian cancer. Other risk factors include obesity, hormone therapy and gynecologic surgery as in surgery of reproductive organs and getting endometriosis at the age of 30 years.

Ovarian Cancer

DIAGNOSIS AND STAGES
The doctor on examination will ask for some tests that include blood test, a CT scan or MRI as well as Laparoscopy, biopsy, abdominal fluid aspiration test or colonoscopy for that matter.

Stages
As per the American Cancer society ovarian cancer has four stages
Stage 1 – This is the preliminary stage of ovarian cancer where only the ovary or the ovaries are affected.
Stage 2 – This is the secondary stage where the cancer is out of the ovaries and spread around the areas like fallopian tubes, uterus, rectum or the bladder.
Stage 3 – This is a later stage of cancer where the cancer affects the lymph nodes, abdominal lining or even the back of the abdomen.
Stage 4 – The last stage of cancer where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body outside the peritoneal cavity viz. abdomen or pelvis upto the liver, fluid around the lungs or the spleen.

SYMPTOMS
The initial symptoms of ovarian cancer are easy to miss because they are very much similar to premenstrual syndrome. So, you have to be alert and if you find any of the below mentioned symptoms that persist for a long time then good idea is to go for checkup.

Recurring Abdominal Pain
If you have been experiencing stomach ache for a long time even if you don’t have your monthly cycles then its time you get it tested.

Appetite loss and Nausea
When ovarian cancer starts spreading around, it affects the bowel system and causes nausea. If you feel you have been experiencing and loss in your appetite or feeling full sooner than ever, check it out.

Bloating and Constipation
When a tumor is growing inside you even when you do not eat much you feel fuller and bloated. It can also affect your bowel movement leading to regular constipation issues.

Irregular monthly cycles
A tumor in the ovary will cause your monthly period to become irregular or sorts. So, if you haven’t been experiencing any irregularity in your monthly periods earlier but only lately for a while, good idea to meet up with your doctor.

Frequent urination
If you have been making frequent trips to the bathroom for peeing then this could be the sign. Do not ignore and visit your doctor.

TREATMENT
The treatment is based on the diagnosis of the stage of the cancer and includes procedures like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy as well as hormonal therapy. One or more treatments in combination are usually used depending upon the stage of the cancer.

Surgery types
The extent of surgery is also based on the stage and includes removal of ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus as well the affected surrounding tissues. Then there is de-bulking surgery and lymph node dissections also which is done to reduce the cancerous tissues if the cancer is spread beyond the pelvic region and removal of lymph nodes near the aorta respectively.

Therapy types
Chemotherapy is generally done post-surgery to kill the remaining cancer cells. A medication known as cytotoxic medication poisonous drugs to the cells in-order to prevent growth and division. This is a recurring process based on the cancer growth. Targeted Chemotherapy is another treatment that involves target specific function or pathways of cancer cells. Another therapy that is used as a part to treatment is Hormone therapy. It is done to cut the supply of estrogen from the cancer cells in order to slow their growth. Radiation therapy is also used for treatment of cancer and is generally used in advanced form of cancer.

Survival
As the stage increases the survival rate decreases. While for Stage I there is a 90% chance of survival, for stage IV, the chance is 17%.

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*Sourced from the Internet