Skiers, rowers may not have more back pain

NEW YORK: Despite putting constant stress on their backs, rowers and cross-country skiers may not have any more chronic lower back pain than the rest of us, a new study suggests. Elite athletes in certain sports that ask a lot of the spine - like gymnastics and wrestling - have been found that have an increased risk of lower back pain. Rowers and cross-country skiers don't have to bend themselves backwards. But they do have to flex and extend their spines, over and over again. "They expose their backs to monotonous movements for a number of years," said Ida Stange Foss, of the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences in Oslo, the lead researcher on the study. Yet in the long run, Foss's team found, elite rowers and skiers may have no more lower back woes than people who get their sports on TV. Of 415 former rowers and cross-country skiers surveyed, about 56 percent said they'd had any lower back pain in the past year. That compared with 53 percent of non-athletes - a difference that could have been due to chance. "This is an important and positive message for the athletes," Foss said in an email. However, the news was not all good. Rowers and skiers who'd trained harder in the past year - more than 550 hours - were also more likely to have had a bout of low back pain in the past year. The pain was generally short-lived. "Most of the elite athletes reported a pain duration between one and seven days, (or) eight to 30 days during the past year," Foss said. "Very few reported pain lasting for more than one month." Still, that means active rowers and cross-country skiers might need to take steps to protect their backs. "It is important for the athletes to prevent lower back pain through strengthening the core muscles and increasing the core stability, to better tolerate the high training volume," Foss said. The study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, included 173 rowers and 242 cross-country skiers who'd been surveyed back in 2000. Foss's team surveyed them again in 2010, asking about their training and exercise levels over the past decade, any problems with back pain. For comparison, the researchers surveyed 116 non-athletes and 209 athletes in orienteering - a sport that involves outdoor running and no specific strain on the back. Most people in each group - around two-thirds - said they'd had low back pain at some point in their lives. Of the athletes, 17 to 19 percent said they'd had pain in the past week, as did 20 percent of the less sporty group. Other studies have found that when it comes to exercise and back pain, extremes matter: Both couch potatoes and heavy-training athletes may be at increased risk. Back in the 2000 survey of these same athletes, the researchers did find that lower back pain became more common as rowers and skiers bumped up their training to get ready for competition. And cross-country skiers had more pain when they used "classic" techniques rather than "freestyle," Foss noted. "These findings," she said, "indicate that it is important to vary movement patterns and techniques, especially during intense training periods." (Reuters)

eat healthy and exercise daily to keep Alzheimer’s away’

Psychiatric symptoms may include agitation, lack of sleep and aggressive behaviour. PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: A healthy diet and regular visits to the gym are known to ward off obesity and heart diseases, but along with an ‘active’ brain, they can also prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
People who engage in reading, playing board games, completing crossword puzzles and other intellectual activities, are less likely to develop the disease, said members of the Pakistan Society of Neurology at a press conference on Wednesday.
Dr Muhammad Wasay, the associate professor at the Aga Khan University Hospital’s (AKUH) department of neurology, said that Alzheimer’s or dementia is a neurological disease which is characterised by progressive loss of memory and social functioning.
According to the doctors, the press conference was organised because people are still not aware of the disease even though it is increasing globally. Even the general practitioners cannot catch the symptoms sometimes as they do not have sufficient information about the disorder, said Dr Wasay.
Exact data about how many patients have been diagnosed is not available in Pakistan, said Prof. Saad Shafqat, the head of neurology department at AKUH. “We can still estimate that Pakistan has the same number as India and Iran, where almost 7 per cent people above the age of 65 and around 10 to 15 per cent above the age of 80 have dementia.” But people should not make the mistake of associating the disease with ageing, clarified Shafqat.
The society plans to arrange a walk on Friday followed by a Continuing Medical Education seminar for doctors. The doctors have also recorded an 11-episode programme which will be aired on TV and posted on YouTube.
Symptoms and treatment
The inability to remember day-to-day activities are one of the early on signs of Alzheimer’s, said Dr Wasay. “The disease can be an immense social burden, as the erratic behaviour of an Alzheimer’s patient can disturb the entire family.” for more ..http://tribune.com.pk/story/439574/read-more-eat-healthy-and-exercise-daily-to-keep-alzheimers-away/

Allergies slash risk of cancer: study

Allergies slash risk of cancer: study

Updated at: 0908 PST, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 AUSTIN: Allergy sufferers are far less likely to contract cancer than everyone else, say scientists. They believe that adverse reactions stimulate the immune system, helping to ward off other potentially fatal conditions. They found that asthmatics were 30 per cent less likely to get ovarian cancer than others, and children with allergies to airborne substances were 40 per cent less likely to develop leukemia than other youngsters.

Newborn babies learn in their sleep

Newborn babies learn in their sleep

Updated at: 1023 PST, Thursday, May 20, 2010 LONDON: Newborn babies develop so quickly because they’re learning even when they’re asleep, it seems. A newborn’s brain is continually adapting and adjusting even when they’re napping, researchers say. Tests on one-day-old and two-day-old babies have suggested newborns act as “data sponges”, absorbing info from their surrounding world non-stop, reports the Telegraph. The tests involved newborn babies being played a tune, which was followed by a gentle puff of air on their eyelids. Around 20 minutes on, 24 of the 26 babies involved had learnt to anticipate the air puff, squeezing shut their eyes. The babies’ brainwaves also changed, the researchers from the University of Florida found. "We found a basic form of learning in sleeping newborns, a type of learning that may not be seen in sleeping adults,” explained psychologist Dana Byrd. "They are better learners, better 'data sponges' than we knew. While past studies find this type of learning can occur in infants who are awake, this is the first study to document it in their most frequent state, while they are asleep. "Newborn infants' sleep patterns are quite different to those of older children or adults in that they show more active sleep where heart and breathing rates are very changeable. "It may be this sleep state is more amenable to experiencing the world in a way that facilitates learning." Dana said the findings might be useful for identifying babies that aren’t developing as anticipated, such as those at risk of autism or dyslexia.

New clue to fighting dengue fever

Dengue fever is transmitted by a mosquito bite

New clues into how the body fights off the tropical disease dengue fever could help in the search for a vaccine.

The research, published in Science, also explains why those who recover from the virus have much worse symptoms if they catch it again.

Dengue fever is a viral infection spread by a mosquito bite. It is a major cause of illness worldwide, and cases are on the rise.

There is currently no licensed vaccine or drug treatment.

The researchers, based in the UK and Thailand, took blood samples from infected volunteers.

They found antibodies produced in response to the virus do not do a very effective job.

Rather than neutralising the virus, they actually help it infect more cells, springing into action when a person is infected a second time by a different strain of the virus.

Key information

This phenomenon accounts for why a second bout of dengue fever can be more severe and dangerous.

DENGUE FEVER Dengue fever is prevalent in sub-tropical and tropical regions including South East Asia and South America It is a major cause of illness worldwide, causing about 100 million episodes of feverish illness a year Symptoms include high fever, aching in the joints and vomiting Complications can rarely prove fatal There are four major strains of the virus

It also provides new insight into how to design a vaccine for dengue fever.

The authors of the Science paper say vaccines that steer clear of a key viral protein involved in the immune response should be the most effective.

Professor Gavin Screaton, head of the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London, led the study.

He said: "Our new research gives us some key information about what is and what is not likely to work when trying to combat the dengue virus.

"We hope that our findings will bring scientists one step closer to creating an effective vaccine."

Professor Screaton said one of the major challenges was developing a vaccine for a virus that has four very different strains.

"The need for vaccines is enormous but the challenge is that in this case you need to hit four bugs all at once down a single needle," he added.

US soft drinks firms say sugary sodas cut in schools

The soda industry argues obesity is a complex problem

The US soft drinks industry says it has dramatically cut the number of high-calorie soft drinks sold in US schools as part of a drive to tackle obesity.

The American Beverage Association said shipments of full-calorie drinks to schools were down 95%.

Nearly one in three children and teenagers in the US are overweight or obese and health experts say sugary drinks are part of the problem.

Several US states and cities are considering taxing soft drinks.

The reduction in sugary soft drinks in schools formed part of a deal between the major companies and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation.

Under the voluntary guidelines, in place since 2006, full-calorie soft drinks were removed from school canteens and vending machines. Lighter drinks, including low-fat milk, diet sodas, juices, flavoured waters and teas were promoted in their place.

"There's been a dramatic shift toward lower calorie and more nutritious beverages in schools, it could lay the foundation for broader changes in our society," former US President Bill Clinton told a news conference on Monday.

Soda tax

Independent consulting firm Keybridge Research looked at what changes the guidelines had brought about and found that:

• the total beverage calories shipped to schools between the first half of the 2004-05 school year and the first half of the 2009-10 school year has decreased by 88%
• there had been a dramatic shift toward lower-calorie and higher nutrient beverages in schools, including waters, 100% juices, and portion-controlled sports drinks
• shipment volumes of full-calorie drinks were 95% lower in the first half of the 2009-10 school year compared with the first half of the 2004-05 school year.

The soft drinks industry has been a main target of critics who say the sugary beverages they sell are a key factor in the levels of childhood obesity in the US.

The state of California and the city of Philadelphia have introduced legislation to tax soft drinks, while both the New York Governor David Paterson and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are also pushing for such a tax.

"In these tough economic times, easy fixes to our problems are hard to come by," said Mr Bloomberg at the weekend. "But the soda tax is a fix that just makes sense, it would cut rising health costs."

Susan Neely of the American Beverage Association, which includes major firms like Coca Cola, PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, said such a tax would not solve "a complex problem like obesity".

Reid, Senate health care holdout signal progress

WASHINGTON – After marathon talks, the Obama administration and Democratic leaders appeared near agreement with Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson late Friday night to provide the crucial 60th vote needed for Senate passage of health care legislation.

Majority Leader Harry Reid intends to unveil a final package of changes in the long-debated legislation on Saturday "and is confident that it will prevail," his spokesman, Jim Manley, said in a late-night statement.

Nelson, the Senate's most conservative Democrat, has been seeking fresh concessions to restrict access to abortion coverage in the legislation, as well as more money for his home state of Nebraska and other changes.

He told reporters "real progress" had been made, but he offered no details and said nothing final had emerged from the talks.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a supporter of the bill who took part in the negotiations, also sounded pleased. "I've been in Harry Reid's office for 13 hours and I'm glad to get out of there," he said. "But I'm particularly glad with what has happened in that office."

With Nelson's vote, President Barack Obama's Senate allies would have the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster by Republicans determined to defeat the bill. Without it, the prospect was far less certain, with Reid ready to initiate a series of steps Saturday, culminating in further debate the next day and a critical test vote shortly after midnight Sunday. Democrats hope for final passage before Christmas.

That gave Nelson enormous leverage as he pressed for concessions that included stronger restrictions on abortions to be covered by insurance policies offered in a newly overhauled health care system. Officials said he was also seeking to ease the impact of a proposed insurance industry tax on nonprofit companies, as well as win more federal funds to cover Nebraska's cost of treating patients in Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor. These officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the administration and Democratic leaders had offered concessions on those points.

The Nebraska Democrat has already rejected one proposed offer on abortions as insufficient, and the presence in the talks of Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., indicated additional changes were on the table.

Boxer has a strong record in favor of abortion rights. She told reporters as she left the Capitol at the end of the evening there had been progress made on the issue of separating personal funds, which may be used to pay for abortions, from federal funds, which may not.

The issue is contentious because the legislation provides federal subsidies to help lower and middle-income families afford insurance and the other federal health care programs ban the use of government money to pay for abortions.

Nelson said the revised approach "would exclude any kind of federal funds directly or indirectly being used to fund elective abortions, and the question is always how you get them as tight as you can and still be able to get a common understanding and something that you could all agree to." The restrictions would cover all abortions except those involving rape, incest or if the life of the mother was in jeopardy.

An earlier proposed compromise on that issue — which attempted to separate public from private funds for abortion coverage — won the tentative support of Catholic hospitals. But the National Right to Life Committee objected, dismissing it as an accounting gimmick.

Later Friday, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also rejected the proposal. He said it "does not comply with long-standing ... restrictions on federal funding of elective abortions" that govern other government programs. The bishops played a significant role in drafting an abortion-related provision in the House bill.

If Republicans cared much about the outcome of negotiations, it wasn't apparent.

"This massive piece of legislation that seeks to restructure one-sixth of our economy is being written behind closed doors without input from anyone in an effort to jam it past not only the Senate but the American people before Christmas," said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader.

"They are virtually thumbing their nose at the American people who are virtually screaming at us, don't pass this bill," he added.

Public opinion polls show lagging support for the measure, although Democrats argue that will change once legislation passes and consumers see benefits.

Not all liberals saw it that way.

MoveOn.org, which helped fuel Obama's election last year, announced its opposition to the measure, citing its lack of a government-run insurance option. It urged its members to sign a petition saying, "America needs real health care reform — not a massive giveaway to the insurance companies."

The bill is designed to extend coverage to millions who lack it, prohibit the industry from denying insurance on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions and generally slow the rate of growth of medical spending nationwide.

At a cost of nearly $1 trillion over a decade, it includes hundreds of billions of dollars to defray the cost of coverage to individuals and families at lower and middle incomes.

Reid, D-Nev., has been preparing a final series of revisions to the 2,074-page bill, with Senate debate expected to begin on them shortly after they are made public sometime early Saturday.

In addition to the negotiations with Nelson, there were talks with Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who voted for an earlier version of the legislation when it cleared the Senate Finance Committee.

Republicans, who have been accused by Rush Limbaugh and others for failing to oppose the legislation vigorously enough, have threatened to force Senate clerks to read the entire text of the proposed changes aloud, a process that could consume eight hours or so.

HIV & AIDS news

How HIV cripples immune cells

This is the actin cytoskeleton of human T-lymphocytes (red) in the presence of the stimulus CCL-19. An HIV-1 infection (HIV-1 protein CA in green) leads to the loss of actin reorganization and therefore of cell motility. Credit: Source: Hygiene Institute, Heidelberg University Hospital.In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. The working group around Professor Dr. Oliver Fackler in the Virology Department of the Hygiene Institute of the Heidelberg University Hospital has discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing how HIV, the AIDS pathogen, cripples immune cells: Cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein. The study was published in the highly respected journal "Cell Host & Microbe". This discovery may have pointed the way towards a new treatment approach.

Over 30 million persons worldwide are infected with HIV. Typically, after the initial infection accompanied by acute symptoms, there is a latency period of several years before the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) manifests. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has developed numerous strategies for eluding the body's defenses and the medications administered. The prerequisite for efficient reproduction of the virus in the patient's body is the virus's own Nef protein. Without Nef, the development of AIDS is significantly slowed or even stopped completely. The underlying mechanism of this observation was a complete mystery up to now, however.

HIV modifies the cell structure system of the host cells

Viruses alter the support structures of affected cells, enabling them to enter the cells more easily. The cell structure element actin, which also gives muscles their mobility, aids in the motility of immune cells. This is necessary for immune cells to be able to establish contact with each other and combat the virus. After each movement, actin must be returned to its original state in order to be available once again. HIV especially attacks immune cells of the T-helper type. These cells support not only direct "defense against the enemy", but are also necessary for building sufficient antibodies against the invader. For this, they must rely on their mobility.

Short-circuiting of two different signal paths in the cell by Nef

The researchers examined the movement of cells in living zebra fish embryos and were able to show that cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein. As they continued their experiments on cell cultures, they were able to explain the underlying mechanism: Nef causes an enzyme that normally has nothing to do with cell mobility to deactivate a regulator for actin regeneration. Nef therefore causes a short-circuit of two cellular mechanisms, thus inhibiting the reorganization of the cell structure element actin and the cell's ability to move. Thus, the affected immune cells can no longer fulfill their function.

"We speculate that the negative effect of Nef on the mobility of T-helper cells has far reaching consequences for the efficient formation of antibodies by B-lymphocytes in the patient. The mechanism we have described could be involved in the increasingly observed malfunction of B-lymphocytes in AIDSpatients", explains Professor Fackler. Up to now, Nef has not been a target of antiviral therapy. Since one of the first molecular mechanisms has now been decoded, however, and the importance of Nef for the disease has become clearer, this could change in the future. link...

September is Leukemia & Lymphoma Awareness Month

September is Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month, highlighting two of the most invasive hematologic cancers ravaging the planet link..

New York City to offer students free H1N1 vaccines

NEW YORK (Reuters) - All primary school-age children in New York City will be offered free vaccines for seasonal and H1N1 flu this year under a plan announced on Tuesday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. link..

Health Tip: Pack Your Child's Lunch

HealthDay News) -- Between helping with homework, making dinner, and the nightly bedtime routine, it's difficult to find the time to pack a healthy lunch each day for your child. link...

Women deserve better access to birth control: UN

BERLIN (AFP) - With a woman dying every minute because of complications in childbirth or pregnancy, the UN on Tuesday appealed for the world to contribute more to improve women's health and access to contraception. link..

H1N1 claims 5 more lives; toll rises to 106

NEW DELHI: Five more persons succumbed to swine flu, including two from Andhra Pradesh which registered its first deaths due to the disease, taking the countrywide toll today to 106.

A total of 97 fresh cases were also reported during the day all of which are indigenous.

The five deaths were from Andhra Pradesh (2), Maharashtra (2) and Karnataka (1).

A 25-year-old government employee, who was admitted to Government Chest hospital in Andhra Pradesh on August 31 and had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, died last night, state health authorities said adding that a woman, 35, succumbed to the virus at a corporate hospital there.

In Karnataka, Shahida Misgar, 36, succumbed to H1N1 virus today at a private hospital in the state, health authorities said.

One of the deaths in Maharashtra was in Pune, the worst affected city by the pandemic so far. Link...

Kids Need More Than Sports for Positive Growth

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) -- If you want your children to flourish, get them involved in extracurricular activities other than sports, new research suggests. link...

Weight-Loss Surgery Breaks Families' 'Obesity Cycle'

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Obese mothers have children who are likely to be obese, but a new study concludes that weight-loss surgery can break the cycle. link...

Rate of severe childhood obesity up sharply in U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The rate of severe obesity among U.S. children and teenagers more than tripled over the past three decades, a new study finds. link.....

Adult video gamers often overweight, depressed

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teens aren't the only ones glued to the video game console. According to a new survey, the average video gamer in the U.S. today is 35 years old -- and not all that healthy physically or emotionally. link...

Obese People Have 'Severe Brain Degeneration'

A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today. link...

In serious debt? You're also more likely obese

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who are heavily in debt are more likely to be heavy themselves, too, according to new research from Germany. link...

Mediterranean diet tops low-fat diet for diabetics

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet is more effective than a typical low-fat, calorie-restricted diet for diabetes management, according to a study released Monday. link...