Women who take common antibiotics to treat infections during the early stages of pregnancy may be at a two-fold higher risk of suffering a miscarriage, a new study warns.
Researchers from the Universite de Montreal in Canada looked at data from about 8,702 cases, defined as clinically detected spontaneous abortions, which were matched with 87,020 controls. The mean gestational age at the time of miscarriage was 14 weeks.
Researchers found that many classes of common antibiotics, such as macrolides, quinolones, tetracyclines, sulfonamides and metronidazole, were associated with increased risk of miscarriage in early pregnancy.
Erythromycin and nitrofurantoin, often used to treat urinary tract infections in pregnant women, were not associated with increased risk, the researchers said.These findings may be useful for policy-makers to update guidelines for the treatment of infections during pregnancy , the researchers noted.
The study was published in the ‘Canadian Medical Association Journal’.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-08-11 15:57:492020-08-11 15:57:49Antibiotics may up miscarriage risk
It’s now official -working over 8 hours a day increases the risk of stroke by 33%.
Scientists have for the first time quantified the number of hours of work that could cause serious harm. Working 55 hours or more per week is linked to a 33% greater risk of stroke and a more modest (13%) increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with working a standard 35 to 40 hour week. The largest study till date on the issue, involving over 6,00,000 individuals will be published in The Lancet on Thursday .
It clearly shows that the longer people worked, the higher their chances of a stroke. In the study , data from 25 studies involving 6,03,838 men and women from Europe, USA and Australia were looked into, with each of them studied for nearly nine years.
The study was carried out by Mika Kivimaki, professor of epidemiology at University College London.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-08-11 12:44:522020-08-11 12:44:52Working over 8 hrs a day raises stroke risk by 33%
A caucasian senior woman in a doctors office. She has white hair and is wearing a blue top. She is sitting in the examination room with an asian nurse holding a clipboard. She is holding a hand to her chest and looking uncomfortable. She is experiencing chest pains. The nurse is touching the patients shoulder to comfort her.
Older adults with higher levels of a thyroid hormone may be at an increased risk of artery disease and consequent death, according to new research. Free thyroxine (known as FT4) is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland that helps control the rate at which the body uses energy. Previous research linked the hormone to risk of irregular heartbeats.
The findings showed that elderly with high levels of FT4 hormone may be at twice the risk of having high levels of coronary artery calcification scores, which may be an indicator of atherosclerosis — the process of progressive thickening and hardening of the walls of arteries from fat deposits on their inner lining.
“We expected that thyroid function would influence the risk of developing atherosclerosis by affecting cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure. However, our results remained very similar after accounting for several cardiovascular risk factors,” said lead author Arjola Bano, from Erasmus University in the Netherlands. “This suggests that mechanisms other than traditional cardiovascular risk factors may play a role,” Bano added. Further, increasing FT4 levels were associated with 87% greater risk of suffering an atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular event as well as double the risk of atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular death. “Our findings suggest that thyroid hormone FT4 measurement can help identify individuals at increased risk of atherosclerosis,” Bano said.
For the study, detailed in the journal Circulation Research, the team analysed data from 9,420 participants with an average age of 65. They looked at data on two types of hormones: thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine (known as FT4) and their link to atherosclerosis and death due to coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease or other artery-related illness.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-08-07 11:00:282020-08-07 11:00:28Senior citizens, beware: High thyroid hormone levels can increase risk of heart disease
Late night eating habits disrupt the working of the body’s biological clock as it is out-of-sync with the 24-hour cycle.
Are you in the habit of late night snacking? Beware, as people with this habit have a higher risk of developing various heart diseases and diabetes, says new research. Late night eating habits disrupt the working of the body’s biological clock. It is out-of-sync with the 24-hour cycle, resulting in high blood-fat levels and heart problems, the researchers found.
“The fact that we can ignore our biological clock is important for survival; we can decide to sleep during the day when we are extremely tired or we run away from danger at night,” said Ruud Buijs, Professor at the University of Mexico in Mexico City. “However, doing this frequently — with shift work, jet lag, or staying up late at night — will harm our health in the long-term, especially when we eat at times when we should sleep,” Buijs added.
The researchers studied rats who were subjected to a challenge. They were fed during the beginning of rest phase (day) and the beginning of active phase (night). The results showed that after feeding the rats at the beginning of their rest period, the level of blood fat spiked more drastically than when fed during the beginning of their active phase.
The research, published in the journal Experimental Physiology, revealed no change in the blood fat levels when the researchers removed the part of the rat’s brain that controls the 24-hour cycle. It was evident that the presence of blood fat in high levels not only affected the metabolism rate but also increased the chance of various heart diseases and diabetes.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-08-07 10:37:592020-08-07 10:37:59Midnight Eating Habits May Increase Your Risk of Diabetes & Cardiac Issues
Pregnant women’s exposure to non-ionising radiation from smartphones, Bluetooth devices and laptops may more than double the risk of miscarriage, a study has showed.
Non-ionising radiation — radiation that produces enough energy to move around atoms in a molecule, but not enough to remove electrons completely — from magnetic fields is produced when electric devices are in use and electricity is flowing.
It can be generated by a number of environmental sources, including electric appliances, power lines and transformers, wireless devices and wireless networks.
While the health hazards from ionising radiation are well-established and include radiation sickness, cancer and genetic damage, the evidence of health risks to humans from non-ionising radiation remains limited, said De-Kun Li, a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente — a US-based health care firm.
For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team asked for 913 pregnant women over age 18 to wear a small (a bit larger than a deck of cards) magnetic-field monitoring device for 24 hours. After controlling for multiple other factors, women who were exposed to higher magnetic fields levels had 2.72 times the risk of miscarriage than those with lower magnetic fields exposure.
The increased risk of miscarriage associated with high magnetic fields was consistently observed regardless of the sources of high magnetic fields. The association was much stronger if magnetic fields was measured on a typical day of participants’ pregnancies. The finding also demonstrated that accurate measurement of magnetic field exposure is vital for examining magnetic field health effects.
“This study provides evidence from a human population that magnetic field non-ionising radiation could have adverse biological impacts on human health,” Li noted. “We hope that the finding from this study will stimulate much-needed additional studies into the potential environmental hazards to human health, including the health of pregnant women,” he said.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-08-03 13:04:032020-08-03 13:04:03Radiation from smartphones may up miscarriage risk: Study
Scientists have shown how alcohol damages DNA in stem cells, helping to explain why drinking increases your risk of cancer, according to research part-funded by Cancer Research UK and published in Nature today.
Much previous research looking at the precise ways in which alcohol causes cancer has been done in cell cultures. But in this study, researchers have used mice to show how alcohol exposure leads to permanent genetic damage.
Scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, gave diluted alcohol, chemically known as ethanol, to mice. They then used chromosome analysis and DNA sequencing to examine the genetic damage caused by acetaldehyde, a harmful chemical produced when the body processes alcohol.
They found that acetaldehyde can break and damage DNA within blood stem cells leading to rearranged chromosomes and permanently altering the DNA sequences within these cells.
It is important to understand how the DNA blueprint within stem cells is damaged because when healthy stem cells become faulty, they can give rise to cancer.
These new findings therefore help us to understand how drinking alcohol increases the risk of developing 7 types of cancer including common types like breast and bowel.
Professor Ketan Patel, lead author of the study and scientist, part funded by Cancer Research UK, at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “Some cancers develop due to DNA damage in stem cells. While some damage occurs by chance, our findings suggest that drinking alcohol can increase the risk of this damage.”
The study also examined how the body tries to protect itself against damage caused by alcohol. The first line of defence is a family of enzymes called aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH). These enzymes break down harmful acetaldehyde into acetate, which our cells can use as a source of energy.
Worldwide, millions of people, particularly those from South East Asia, either lack these enzymes or carry faulty versions of them. So, when they drink, acetaldehyde builds up which causes a flushed complexion, and also leads to them feeling unwell.
In the study, when mice lacking the critical ALDH enzyme — ALDH2 — were given alcohol, it resulted in four times as much DNA damage in their cells compared to mice with the fully functioning ALDH2 enzyme.
The second line of defence used by cells is a variety of DNA repair systems which, most of the time, allow them to fix and reverse different types of DNA damage. But they don’t always work and some people carry mutations which mean their cells aren’t able to carry out these repairs effectively.
Professor Patel added: “Our study highlights that not being able to process alcohol effectively can lead to an even higher risk of alcohol-related DNA damage and therefore certain cancers. But it’s important to remember that alcohol clearance and DNA repair systems are not perfect and alcohol can still cause cancer in different ways, even in people whose defence mechanisms are intact.”
This research was funded by Cancer Research UK, Wellcome and the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK’s expert on cancer prevention, said: “This thought-provoking research highlights the damage alcohol can do to our cells, costing some people more than just a hangover.
“We know that alcohol contributes to over 12,000 cancer cases in the UK each year, so it’s a good idea to think about cutting down on the amount you drink.”
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-08-03 12:57:162020-08-03 12:57:16How alcohol damages DNA and increases cancer risk
A type of superbug bacteria is spreading rapidly among people who inject drugs, says a new government report. Due to it, users of heroin and other injectable drugs were 16 times more likely than other people to develop severe illnesses, said the report.
“Drug use has crept up and now accounts for a substantial proportion of these very serious infections,” said Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University, one of the study’s authors.
The US is in the midst of its deadliest drug epidemic ever. While overdose deaths have been the main concern, studies have noted that HIV and hepatitis C infections are spreading among drug users. The authors say the new report is one of the first — and the largest — to highlight how superbug bacterial infections are spreading, too.
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, often live on the skin without causing symptoms. But they can become more dangerous if they enter the bloodstream, destroying heart valves or causing damage. Health officials have tied MRSA to as many as 11,000 US deaths a year.
Public health efforts have focussed on MRSA’s spread in hospitals and nursing homes, and infection-control campaigns have been credited for recent drops in MRSA infections at health care facilities. But as that success story has unfolded, MRSA infections tied to illicit drug use have risen. The opioid epidemic began with abuse of prescription pain pills, but in recent years has shifted to heroin and other injectable drugs.
MRSA is on the skin, and as the needle goes into the skin it brings the bacteria with it, explained Dr Isaac See of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, another of the study’s authors. The proportion of invasive, bloodstream-infecting MRSA cases that occurred among injection drug users more than doubled in five years, the study found. In 2011, 4% of those MRSA cases involved injection drug users; in 2016, the proportion was 9%.
The report is based on infections diagnosed at hospitals across Connecticut and in parts of California, Georgia, Minnesota, New York and Tennessee. Data were collected between 2005 and 2016.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-07-27 13:17:222020-07-27 13:17:22Beware, injectable drug users are at risk of superbug infections
Breast cancer is one of the leading and most common forms of cancers affecting women all across the world. Early diagnosis and preventive measures can go a long way in spotting and treating breast cancer before it assumes a life threatening character. One of the easiest ways to prevent or keep a check on breast cancer development would be to go for regular breast examination and a routine mammography after the age of 40. If “women choose to start annual screening mammography starting at age 40, over the long term, this would be significant because fewer women would die from breast cancer”, said Elizabeth Kagan Arleo from the New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. As per a recent report published in the journal Cancer, when annual screening were started at the age 40, it resulted in greatest reduction in breast cancer-specific deaths with a nearly 40 per cent reduction in deaths. The study therefore suggests routine mammography initiation for women as early in their life to rule out or timely diagnose the possibility of any cancerous development.
While simple screenings – most involving imaging tests – are one of the best ways to monitor health against the risk of cancer, maintaining a healthy diet and an active lifestyle can also go a long way in staving off the risks. Not just in prevention but during the course of the illness as well, a balanced diet may facilitate speedier recovery and better response to the ongoing treatment. “Our results suggest that a dietary intervention can increase the effectiveness of a targeted cancer therapy,” Vincent Cryns, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US was quoted by IANS.
What you eat on a regular basis plays a vital role in determining your health and potential risk of developing any lifestyle ailment. We take a look at three simple dietary habits that can help you cut down risk of developing breast cancer.
Load up on fibre
Experts at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health found out that girls who consumed more fresh fruits and veggies during their adolescence were at lesser risk of developing breast cancer. With an additional 10 grams of fibre added to their daily diet, the risk of breast cancer in the girls reduced by 13%.
Say no to all-things processed
Processed sugar tops the list. A diet rich in refined items and low in fibre has been associated with upping the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, found experts from the University of California. High dependence on junk food, refined and processed food items may trigger obesity, one of the leading causes of lifestyle diseases including cancer.
Monitor your Vitamin D
Vitamin D receptors may help prevent tumour growth and keep them from expanding. “Vitamin D receptors are not lost until a tumour is very advanced. This is the reason for better survival in patients whose vitamin D blood levels are high,” Cedric F Garland from the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California was quoted by PTI.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-07-13 09:37:432020-07-13 09:37:43Routine Mammography May Cut Breast Cancer Deaths by 40 Percent, 3 Dietary Habits to Reduce the Risk
According to a new study, measuring calcium build-up in the arteries can be a good way of assessing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Measuring calcium build-up in the arteries can be a good way of assessing the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a recent study.
Patients without calcium buildup in the coronary arteries had significantly lower risk of future heart attack or stroke despite other high risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or bad cholesterol levels, the research from UT Southwestern cardiologists showed. These individuals had less than a 3 % chance of a cardiovascular event over the next decade, even though many had well-known risk factors, well below the 7.5 % level set by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association as a guideline to begin statin treatment.
“The event rates when coronary calcium is absent are low,” said preventive cardiologist Dr Parag Joshi. “Our findings suggest that individuals with no calcium buildup in their blood vessels may not have to take statins despite the presence of other risk factors that cause coronary disease.” There may still be other reasons statins are a good therapy, so Joshi said that the new findings suggest that adding a CT scan for calcium may be worthwhile as doctors and patients discuss treatment options.
“A CT scan is a test that is easily done, costs about 100 bucks in most major cities, and can give a lot more information about the patient’s 10-year risk,” said Joshi. Calcium accumulates in the arteries of the heart after plaque builds up and calcifies over time.
The UT Southwestern researchers looked at CT scans of the chest and heart of 6,184 people aged 45 to 84, who had never had a heart attack or stroke, and were participants in a large, multi-site, multi-year study known as MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). The new findings appear online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
00seshunarayanahttps://imedworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MedWorks-Logo-02-300x300.pngseshunarayana2020-07-07 23:49:402020-07-07 23:49:40A good way to assess the risk of heart attack
