Manbir Online ...Medical Tidbits .. Page One

Some Interesting Topics

Breaking News Headlines

	Interesting Questions
	Some Fats
	Snake Bite
	Medi Dates
	Jokes
	Lighter Moments
	Ask a Question
	Manbir Mail

Some Facts on Exercise

Relation between Mercury & Alzhiemer's disease

There appears to be no link between Alzheimer's disease and mercury used in dental fillings, say University of Kentucky researchers. Such a link has been speculated on in the past, as scientists took closer looks at the effects of heavy metals on the brain. But the University of Kentucky study said there appears to be no harm from mercury fillings. "Although very small amounts of mercury are released from dental amalgam - generally when rubbed or abraded due to brushing or eating - it is not taken up by the brain," said Dr. Stanley Saxe, one of the authors of the study published in Journal of the American Dental Association.

Spinach is good for health
It is rich in antioxidants both betacarotene and lutein. Although the actual amount is relatively small, spinach contains far more of the two combined than most other fruits or vegetables. Antioxidants help fight formation of free radicals which are highly reactive molecules that can damage DNA and are responsible for the development of certain diseases.

Lead Poisoning in children in India

More than half of children below age 12 in seven major Indian cities suffer from serious lead poisoning, according to a new study. The findings were released at an international conference on lead poisoning prevention and treatment that began Monday in Bangalore, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The study of 22,000 people - including children, pregnant women and industrial workers - was done by the George Foundation, a child advocacy group. The major sources of lead poisoning were automobile fuel, food can soldering, lead-based paint, leaded cooking utensils and drinking water systems. Lead poisoning can lead to permanent brain damage, particularly among young children.

Keyhole Coronary artery surgery

The minimally invasive or "keyhole" approach is emerging as a safer and more economical alternative to conventional coronary artery bypass surgery.It reduces risks associated with cardiopulmonary bypass but it also reduces hospital stay and thus costs borne by the patient.

Minimally invasive coronary artery surgery (MICAS) includes the direct coronary artery bypass procedure on the beating heart, performed through a small incision, either a thoracotomy through the 4th intercostal space or a small median sternotomy. The less invasive technique has also been used in valve replacement surgery and in correcting the simpler congenital heart defects such as atrial and ventricular septal defects.

Men with strong grips are less likely to develop disabilities in old age.

A firm handshake may make a good first impression, but its real importance might not be felt for years. A study found that middle-aged men with strong grips are less likely to develop disabilities in old age. Good muscle strength in middle age can give people a margin of safety in later years, when they may face long periods of inactivity after surgery or illness, the researchers said in Journal of the American Medical Association. At the final exam, researchers timed the men's walking speed and checked their ability to rise from a chair. The one-third with the weakest grips at midlife were twice as likely to have problems caring for themselves as those in the upper third.

Low prevalence of Parkinsons's disease among Indians

is said to be due to the presence of some protective factors in the brain that inhibit the pathological changes leading to Parkinson's disease.

Prevelance ratio:

North Americans: 280/100,000

Africans: 59/100,000

Chinese: 44/100,000

Indians: 19/100,000. Parsis living in India have the highest recorded prevalence rate of 328/100,000. ( Parsis migrated to India from Persia now Iran. )

Chemotherapy Drug Greatly Improves Cervical Cancer Survival

Several new studies suggesting a chemotherapy drug combined with radiation can significantly improve cervical cancersurvival is expected to change current treatments for the disease fairly soon.

Three of the five studies are to be published in the April 15 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, but the studies were released early because of their massive public health implication. "We think we can save thousands of lives in the United States with this information," Dr. Mitchell Morris of Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston tells OnHealth. Dr. Morris' study found the chemotherapy drug cisplatin combined with the drug fluorouracil and radiation treatment increased a woman's chance of surviving cervical cancer by 50 percent. A second study conducted at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University in Ohio also found extremely positive results in using cisplatin chemoradiation in treating cervical cancer. And in a third study, researchers at Medical College in Albany, N.Y., found weekly doses of cisplatin combined with pelvic radiotherapy followed by a hysterectomy significantly reduced the risk of early death and recurrence. Cisplatin is a common chemotherapy drug used to treat breast, ovarian, lung, and uterine cancer. Cisplatin works by making cancer cells more sensitive to radiation, increasing the chances of destroying the cancer cells.

Common findings in Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's diseases

There is compelling evidence indicating common clinical and pathological findings in idiopathic Parkinsonism and Alzheimer's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. These conditions develop from pathological processes with more similarity than diversity.

It is now known that if Alzheimer patients servive long enough, many would develop parkinsonian features, and if PD patients servive long enough, more often than not , they get demented features

Click here for Today's Pick
Click here for Joke of the Day!