HEART DISEASE & DIABETES

 HEART DISEASE AND DIABETES

Heart disease is common in people with diabetes. Data from the National Diabetes Fact Sheet show that in 2004 heart disease was noted on 68% of diabetes-related death certificates in people 65 and older. Stroke was noted on 16% of the diabetes-related death certificates in people 65 and older. In general, the risks of heart disease death and stroke is 2-4 times higher in people with diabetes.

While all people with diabetes have an increased chance of developing heart disease, the condition is more common in those with type 2 diabetes.

Recommended Related to Diabetes

Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be reversed by eating right and exercising regularly. Do what Karen Parrish, 53, did: Take control of your disease rather than letting your disease control you. Parrish received her diagnosis of type 2 diabetes with little surprise. Both sides of her family have a history of the disease, and she knew the consequences of ignoring it. Still, Parrish, didn't fully commit to the lifestyle changes necessary to get her diabetes under control. "Knowing what...

Read the Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes? article > >

The Framingham Study was one of the first pieces of evidence to show that people with diabetes are more vulnerable to heart disease than those people who did not have diabetes. The Framingham Study looked at generations of people, including those with diabetes, to try to determine the health risk factors for developing heart disease. It showed that multiple health factors -- including diabetes -- could increase the possibility of developing heart disease. Aside from diabetes, other health problems associated with heart disease include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol levels, and a family history of early heart disease.
The more health risks factors a person has for heart disease, the higher the chances that they will develop heart disease and even die from it. Just like anyone else, people with diabetes have an increased risk of dying from heart disease if they have more health risk factors. However, the probability of dying from heart disease is dramatically higher in a person with diabetes. So, while a person with one health risk factor, such as high blood pressure, may have a certain chance of dying from heart disease, a person with diabetes has double or even quadruple the risk of dying.
For example, one medical study found that people with diabetes who had no other health risk factors for heart disease were 5 times more likely to die of heart disease than those without. Another medical study showed that people with diabetes, no matter the number of other heart disease risk factors, were as likely to have a heart attack as someone without diabetes who has already had a heart attack.
Heart disease experts recommend that all people with diabetes have their heart disease risk factors treated as aggressively as people who have already had heart attacks.


Source: WebMD

Botox – The 'Celebrity' Drug

 

'Youth is fair,a graceful stag
Leaping playing in the park;
Age is grey,a toothless hag
Stumbling in the dark'.

These four lines reflect the glory of youth and the dismal emotions that are attached to growing old. While most humans romanticize youth, they shrink from the thought of greying hair, sagging flesh and brittle bones, which are identified as the infirmities of old age.

With the changing trends, the concept of ageing gracefully by enhancing one’s inner beauty has caught on. Nevertheless there is a frantic search for the fountain of youth, especially among the celebrities and the aspiring 'also-rans', who are climbing the social ladder. Their challenge lies, not in the increasing years but, in efficiently hiding its symptoms. To them, Botox is 'God –sent'.

'Always remember that true beauty comes from within — from within bottles, jars, compacts, and tubes'- Peter's Almanac.

Botox has for the last few years been the injection that has restored the beauty of many celebrities and now is the most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the world. Celebrities such as Celine Dion, Cher, Madonna, Sharon Stone and Sylvester Stallone are rumoured to have had the benefit of the Botox needle.

The reason Botox has become so popular is due to the simplicity of the procedure.It does not require hospital admission, there are no surgical scars, no anesthesia and the results are visible in a few days. As one plastic surgeon puts it-'With Botox, the beauty is more than skin deep.'

Botox is the trade name for Botulinum Toxin A, a type of neurotoxin that is secreted by the bacterium, Clostridium botulinum. Since 1989,it has been used to treat several medical conditions like the 'uncontrolled blinking' or Blepharospasm and 'cross eyes' or Strabismus. During one such treatment, the doctors chanced upon the fact that Botox was capable of temporarily erasing frown lines and 'crow's feet' that formed around the eyes.

Botox functions by arresting the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, that is essential for muscular contractions. If there is no muscle contraction, there can be no wrinkling. But it was only in the year 2002 that the FDA approved of Botox for cosmetic purposes.

Although Botox has gained popularity for its cosmetic usage, it is being employed by several specialists to treat an array of medical conditions that involve muscular contractions or spasms, such as the Dystonias of various organs. It is being considered for various other disorders as well, like Fibromyalgia or the 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', but the FDA is yet to approve of it.

The effects of Botox are not long- lasting and they tend to wear away within 3-4 months. It is therefore essential to repeat the treatment periodically. This raises the potential of Botox as an addiction-inducing substance that a user might become heavily dependant on, in order to 'feel good'.

Moderation, as they say, holds the key. After all, as Voltaire said, 'Beauty pleases the eyes only, sweetness of disposition charms the soul'.

Source-Medindia

Read more: Botox – The 'Celebrity' Drug | Medindia http://www.medindia.net/news/healthinfocus/Botox-The-Celebrity-Drug-15709-1.htm#ixzz27PaKrV7b

ELECTRICAL ENERGY OF BRAIN CELLS

 MORE ELECTRICAL IMPULSES ARE GENERATED BY A SINGLE HUMAN BRAIN CELL IN ONE DAY THAN BY ALL THE TELEPHONES IN THE WORLD

 

 

 

Although not a "brain scan" as the term is usually used, the EEG, or electroencephalograph, deserves mention as one of the first -- and still very useful -- ways of non-invasively observing human brain activity. An EEG is a recording of electrical signals from the brain made by hooking up electrodes to the subject's scalp. These electrodes pick up electric signals naturally produced by the brain and send them to galvanometers (instruments that detect and measure small electric currents) that are in turn hooked up to pens, under which graph paper moves continuously. The pens trace the signals onto the graph paper. Although it was known as early as the nineteenth century that living brains have electrical activity, an Austrian psychiatrist named Hans Berger was the first to record this activity in humans, in the late 1920s.

EEGs allow researchers to follow electrical impulses across the surface of the brain and observe changes over split seconds of time. An EEG can show what state a person is in -- asleep, awake, anaesthetized -- because the characteristic patterns of current differ for each of these states. One important use of EEGs has been to show how long it takes the brain to process various stimuli. A major drawback of EEGs, however, is that they cannot show us the structures and anatomy of the brain or really tell us which specific regions of the brain do what.

CHARACTER ENHANCEMENT

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.

MICHELLE OBAMA DEFENDS HER HUSBAND

First lady Michelle Obama offered a personal perspective on why her husband should be re-elected, telling the Democratic convention that the same values she fell in love with guide him each day in the White House.



"In the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political -- they're personal," Mrs. Obama said in the final speech of the opening night. "Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it, and he wants everyone, everyone in this country to have the same opportunity."



Former President Bill Clinton headlines Wednesday night with a speech formally nominating President Barack Obama, and Obama concludes the convention with his acceptance speech on Thursday.

Source: CNN

HAPPINESS LINKED WITH A GENE THAT COMES IN LONG AND SHORT VERSIONS

Your overall happiness may depend in part on whether you drew the long or short version of a gene, say researchers...

In work that gives cranky teenagers another reason to blame their parents for all life's woes, researchers have uncovered a genetic link to happiness.
The study of more than 2,500 Americans revealed two variants of a gene that influenced how satisfied – or dissatisfied – people were with their lot.
Those born with two long versions of the gene (one is passed down from each parent) were more likely to declare themselves "very satisfied" with life than those who inherited two short versions.
The study marks a tentative step towards explaining the mystery of why some people seem naturally happier than others.
"This gives us more insight into the biological mechanisms that influence life satisfaction," said Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, a researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
"If you're feeling down, your neurological circuitry could be partially responsible. By that I don't mean to say that one can hold biology responsible for a depression, but a better understanding of one's unique genetic make-up combined with willpower could help in surmounting a psychological dip."
A greater understanding of happiness genes might in future allow would-be parents to create a child who will be more satisfied with their life.
Happiness is only partly influenced by genetic makeup. Studies in twins suggest that genes account for roughly a third to a half of the variation in happiness between people. It is not yet known how many genes affect how cheerful we are.
De Neve looked at the genetic makeup of 2,574 people selected to be representative of the general population, whose medical histories were recorded for the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Among the records were answers to a question participants were asked in their early 20s about life satisfaction.
In response to the question, "How satisfied are you with your life as a whole", they answered either "very satisfied", "satisfied", "neither satisfied or dissatisfied", "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied".
Writing in the Journal of Human Genetics, De Neve describes how roughly 40% said they were "very satisfied" with life, and among these, 35.4% had two long variants of the gene and only 19.1% had two short versions. Of those who were "dissatisfied" with life, 20% had two long variants of the gene, while 26.2% had two short versions. That indicates a slight over-representation of the long variants in happier people.
The gene, known as 5-HTT, is involved with the transport of serotonin, a feelgood chemical, in the brain. The longer variant leads to more efficient release and recycling of the neurotransmitter.
De Neve calculated that, everything else being equal, having one long version of the gene increased the number of people claiming to be "very satisfied" with life by around 8.5%. Having two long versions raised the number by 17.3%.
In unpublished work, De Neve and other researchers have since replicated the result in a separate group of people.
De Neve urged caution over the result, however, and emphasised that inheriting two short versions of the gene did not condemn a person to a life of misery any more than two long versions would make someone impervious to sadness.
"This gene has an important influence, but you cannot say it causes happiness. Happiness is hugely complex and your experiences throughout the course of your life will remain the dominant force on that," he said.
A 2009 study by Elaine Fox at the University of Essex suggested that people who carried long versions of the 5-HTT gene had a greater tendency to focus on the positives in life. The "bright side" version of the gene might bolster people's resilience to stressful events, and protect against anxiety, depression and other mental health problems.
Ed Diener, a psychologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author of the 2008 book, Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, said: "We are just beginning to understand the actual genetics of happiness, and how genes might influence brain hormones and other physiology that influence our well-being.
"This exciting work offers insights that one day may help us counter disorders such as depression. Parents one day might have the choice of whether to choose genes that will create a child who is more satisfied with his or her life."

This article was corrected on 11 May. The original text stated that, of those who were dissatisfied with life, 26.2% had long variants of the gene instead of 20%.
• This article was amended on 12 May 2011. The original paragraph: '"If you're feeling down, you can say it's your biology telling you life is less rosy than it is," he added.' has been clarified at the request of the individual.

Source: The Guardian

THALIDOMIDE MANUFACTURER GIVES APOLOGY

A German manufacturer of a drug that caused thousands of babies to be born with disabilities about five decades ago is apologizing for the first time.

The drug, thalidomide, caused babies to be born with shorter arms and legs after their mothers took it during pregnancy in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was marketed to women to counter morning sickness, according to the Thalidomide Trust, a UK body set up in the 1970s to help those affected.

In addition to the disabilities, some children whose mothers took the drug suffered heart problems, damaged hearing or eyesight , and in some cases, brain damage.

The drug was pulled from sale in 1961 after doctors linked it to birth defects

Source: CNN