Health Fitness Blog: Disease Conditions

Showing posts with label Disease Conditions. Show all posts

WHO criticises big Indian supplier of tuberculosis drugs

WHO sounds alarm over big Indian supplier of tuberculosis drugs

LONDON/MUMBAI (Reuters) - A major Indian supplier of tuberculosis drugs to developing countries has been severely criticised by the World Health Organization for inadequate manufacturing standards and poor testing procedures.

The United Nations agency issued a warning letter to Mumbai-based Svizera Labs, part of Maneesh Pharmaceuticals, stating that the approval and use of its products would be suspended if "critical and major observations are not corrected within a reasonable time frame".

Asbestos is a group of minerals with thin microscopic fibers. Because these fibers are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals and do not conduct electricity, asbestos has been mined and used widely in the construction, automotive, and other industries.

If products containing asbestos are disturbed, the tiny fibers are released into the air. When they are breathed in, they can become trapped in the lungs and stay there for many years. Over time these fibers can accumulate and lead to serious health problems, including:

* Asbestosis, an inflammatory condition of lungs that can cause shortness of breath, coughing, and eventually scarring of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe.
* Mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, chest cavity, or abdomen.
* Lung cancer.
* Other lung problems, including pleural plaques (changes in the membranes surrounding the lungs), thickening of the membranes that surround the lungs, and pleural effusions (abnormal collections of fluid between the lungs and the inside wall of the chest.

At least six San Quentin State Prison inmates were ill with Legionnaires' disease and dozens more under observation Sunday, prompting a weekend halt to visitors, no hot meals and limited drinking water supplies at California's oldest prison.

At least 51 inmates are under observation for respiratory illness at the prison's medical unit, said Dana Simas, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Nomophobia: A Rising Trend in Students

Do you know this word? Nomophobia is a term describing a growing fear in today’s world — the fear of being without a mobile device, or beyond mobile phone contact. Among today’s high school and college students, it’s on the rise. An increasing number of college students now shower with their cell phone. The average adolescent would rather lose a pinky-finger than a cell phone. A growing percentage text or tweet instead of actually talking to others.

Nomophobia is everywhere in industrialized nations. The term is an abbreviation for “no-mobile-phone phobia,” which was coined during a 2010 study by the UK Post Office. The Post Office commissioned YouGov, a research organization, to look at anxieties suffered by mobile phone users. The study found that nearly 53 percent of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they “lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage.”

Niacin is one of the B vitamins, sometimes also known as B3. It is white powder soluble in water and more resistant to destruction that any of the other B complex vitamins. Niacin includes nicotinic acid and nicotinamide also sometimes call niacinamide. Both forms of niacin perform basically the same functions but nicotinic acid has the additional capability of lowering blood cholesterol levels. It also produces side effects not found with nicotinamide.

Niacin is carried in the blood and is found in all tissues but most abundantly in the liver, Kidney, heart, tissues brain and muscles. A lack of niacin can cause cell damage anywhere in the body.

Like the other B vitamins niacin is crucial for the body’s usage of enzymes which provides the body energy and the building blocks for cell reproduction and repair. It is known to be involved in more than 200 enzymes reactions in the body involving the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

Fiber does two major things in the body that can contribute directly and indirectly to energy. First and foremost, it helps control blood sugar. When your blood sugar is out of control, so is your energy. Low-fiber foods, especially processed carbohydrates that also don’t contain much fat or protein, send your blood sugar rocketing, which, in short order, sets you up for a big fat crash in energy.

A candy bar may give you a rush of blood sugar, but half an hour later you’ll be pinching yourself to keep your eyes open as your blood sugar plummets. On the other hand, eat some beans and your blood sugar will rise slowly and stay up there for a week. (I’m kidding, but you get the point).

Turmeric, also known as haldi in hindi, is one of the most widely used spices to add colour and flavour to food. However, if you suffer from diabetes, this spice is an essential ingredient you need to include in all your food preparations without fail. Known to be a potent antiseptic and a powerful antioxidant agent, turmeric is packed with numerous health benefits. Moreover, turmeric acts as an effective natural remedy to keep your blood sugar levels in control. Here’s what makes it a natural anti-diabetic compound.

How does it work?

MUMBAI: As many as 16 Mumbaikars, including seven children, tested positive for swine flu in the last 24 hours. Taking stock of the situation across the country, the Union health ministry advised states on Wednesday to vaccinate their healthcare workers, but did not recommend immunization for the general population.

Among the children who tested positive for the H1N1 virus on Wednesday, two, both 10 months old, from Nagpada and Andheri had to be admitted to different hospitals. The remaining five, including a three-month infant from Versova and four kids under 10 years from Goregaon, Mahalaxmi and Kandivli, were treated as outpatients. Around 17% of the H1N1-hit this year are very young children.

Funeral workers trained in the burial of Ebola victims lower a body into a grave at the Fing Tom cemetery in Freetown, Sierra Leone on October 10, 2014

Geneva (AFP) - The number of people with Ebola is set to hit 10,000 in West Africa, the World Health Organization said, as the scramble to find a cure gathered pace.

The UN's public health body said 9,936 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- the three countries at the epicentre of the world's worst-ever Ebola epidemic -- have contracted the disease. In total, 4,877 people have so far died.

Obama administration under fire for refusal to implement travel bans.

An Obama administration health official said Sunday that U.S. protocols on Ebola failed because they originally were intended for African field hospitals, while the White House came under another round of attacks for its refusal to restrict travel from nations suffering epidemic outbreaks.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the original Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instructions for dealing with the virus were taken from the World Health Organization’s protocol for Africa, where conditions are much different from those in U.S. hospitals.

What is Cord Blood?

After a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, some blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and the portion of the umbilical cord that remains attached to it. After birth, the baby no longer needs this extra blood. This blood is called placental blood or umbilical cord blood: "cord blood" for short.

Cord blood contains all the normal elements of blood - red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. But it is also rich in hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells, similar to those found in bone marrow. This is why cord blood can be used for transplantation as an alternative to bone marrow.

What is a healthy platelet count?

A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Having more than 450,000 platelets is a condition called thrombocytosis; having less than 150,000 is known as thrombocytopenia. You get your platelet number from a routine blood test called a complete blood count (CBC).

How to increase platelet count naturally?

Smoke and direct flame contact with food increases cancer risk, say experts.

While most of us worry about rain spoiling our fun, scientists raise a bigger concern: that eating barbecued meat, fish and poultry could cause cancer.

So, how much should we worry?
In recent years, a growing body of research has found that cooking meat over a flame increases our exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens known as PAHs and HCAs.

The current outbreak is the deadliest since Ebola was discovered in 1976

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Kenya as a "high-risk" country for the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Kenya was vulnerable because it was a major transport hub, with many flights from West Africa, a WHO official said.

This is the most serious warning to date by the WHO that Ebola could spread to East Africa.

The number of people killed by Ebola in West Africa has risen to 1,069, the WHO said in its latest update.

Fifty-six deaths and 128 new cases were reported in the region in the two days to 11 August, it added.

Spanish priest dies in Madrid five days after being flown out of Liberia

* Miguel Pajares dies five days after being airlifted from Liberia to Madrid
* Death toll climbs above 1,000 and outbreak shows no signs of slowing
* WHO declares it ethical to use untested drugs to attempt to control virus
* Missionary Mr Pajares, 75, caught Ebola while treating patients in Liberia
* He was 'given ZMapp drug' credited with recovery of two US aid workers

The Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa claimed its first European life yesterday.

Spanish priest Miguel Pajares died five days after being airlifted from Liberia to Madrid for expert care.

Brain damage is an injury that causes the destruction or deterioration of brain cells.

A traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain or skull caused by an external force, such as a strike or impact. Brain injuries are often permanent and disabling, unlike other injuries, such as broken legs or cuts that can heal. The leading causes of traumatic brain injury are falls, motor vehicle crashes, and assaults.

Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body.

As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding.

The disease, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola virus, kills up to 90% of people who are infected.

Your knees shriek as you walk upstairs and hands hurt when opening a jar. Is it just age or the most common form of arthritis – osteoarthritis? Learn how to heal your deteriorating joints. Here are 14 do’s and don’ts from top rheumatologists...

When did you start sounding like your grandmother? Those grunts you make bending down to pick up a book or getting out of bed in the morning may be triggered by more than just temporary pain.

Switching to a diet low in simple sugars and high in healthy fats, like the types found in canola oil, could help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar, according to a new study.

People with type 2 diabetes who were advised to follow a diet with a low glycemic index supplemented with extra canola oil had lower blood glucose levels and greater reductions in heart risk than those who ate a diet high in whole grains, researchers found.

Despite most being fully vaccinated for whooping cough, the infection is still present in about a fifth of UK children visiting their doctor with a persistent cough.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is one of the most common diseases that can be prevented by vaccine. Worldwide, nearly 300,000 children die from whooping cough each year.

There is also a significant socioeconomic burden attached to whooping cough. In the US, it has been linked with a mean medical cost of $242 and shown to cause school absences in 83% of adolescents for a mean of 5.5 days over a 2-year period.