Stress at work is linked to heart disease

A stressful job has a direct biological impact on the body, raising the risk of heart disease, research has indicated. – New research has produced strong evidence of how work stress is linked to the biological mechanisms involved in the onset of heart disease. The research published in Europe’s leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.

Delayed action led to bird flu spread in India

West Bengal government’s delayed action contributed to the rapid spread of bird flu in West Bengal, India.
– The Indian Central Govt. hinted that the West Bengal government’s delayed action contributed to the rapid spread of bird flu even as it allayed fears about the disease spreading to humans in the state.

Men drink twice as much alcohol as women

Men in Britain drink twice as much alcohol as women, according to official figures. Office for National Statistics data says men get through an average 18.7 units per week compared to women at nine units. – Men are drinking twice as much alcohol as women according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics – 18.7 units a week, on average, compared with 9.0 units.

Gastric banding obesity surgery cures type 2 diabetes

A new study gives the strongest evidence yet that obesity surgery can cure diabetes. Gastric banding is a medical procedure where a band is placed around a patient’s stomach to reduce appetite and food intake. – A new world-first study by Monash University researchers has found gastric banding surgery has a profound impact on one of society’s biggest health issues – diabetes. Obese patients with Type 2 diabetes who underwent gastric banding were five times more likely to have their diabetes go into long term remission, compared with patients who engaged in conventional weight loss therapies, such as a controlled calorie diet and exercise.

Bird flu update – over 2.4 lakh birds culled in West Bengal, India

An outbreak of bird flu in India’s most densely populated state could spiral out of control as the disease spread to a seventh district. – As per latest information received, a total mortality of 1,13,796 poultry birds has been reported from Birbhum, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Burdwan & Bankura districts of West Bengal.

Surgical site infections common after breast surgery

Surgical site infection after breast cancer surgical procedures was more common than expected for clean surgery and more common than SSI after non?cancer-related breast surgical procedures. – Infections at the incision site occurred in more than 5 percent of patients following breast surgery and cost them more than $4,000 each in hospital-related expenses, revealed in a US study.

Vytorin does not appear to be unsafe – American Heart Association

Schering-Plough Corp and Merck & Co are defending their shared cholesterol treatments, Vytorin and Zetia, in advertisements in The New York Times after a failed study generated negative publicity. – Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals released results from the ENHANCE trial, which found that the ezetimibe/simvastatin (Zetia/Zocor) combination drug known as Vytorin was no more effective in reducing artery plaque build-up than simvastatin (Zocor) alone. There were no statistically significant differences in the safety of the drugs, which are used to lower cholesterol.

Integrated health strategies can save children’s lives, says UNICEF

The State of the World?s Children 2008: Child Survival – The report provides information on a strategic framework developed by UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank ? at the invitation of the African Union ? to help African countries and others reduce the toll of maternal and child deaths.
– Strategies that can help reduce the number of children who die before their fifth birthday were highlighted today, at the launch of UNICEF’s flagship report – The State of the World’s Children 2008: Child Survival ? in Geneva.

Depression and anxiety can double heart disease risk

Anxiety and depression are associated with mechanisms that promote atherosclerosis. Most recent studies of emotional disturbances in coronary artery disease (CAD) have focused on depression only. Anxiety and depression predict greater MACE (Major adverse cardiac events) risk in patients with stable CAD (Coronary Artery Disease). – Matters of the mind can affect matters of the heart. A new study from Universit? de Montr?al and McGill University researchers has found that major anxiety and/or depression, can double a coronary artery disease patient’s chances of repeated heart ailments. This is one of the first studies to focus on patients with stable coronary artery disease ? not those who were hospitalized for events such as a heart attack.

Studies highlight MRSA evolution and resilience

A single strain of an evolving bacterium has been responsible for most of the community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections. – Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are caused primarily by a single strain-USA300-of an evolving bacterium that has spread with “extraordinary transmissibility” throughout the United States during the past five years, according to a new study led by National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists. CA-MRSA, an emerging public health concern, typically causes readily treatable soft-tissue infections such as boils, but also can lead to life-threatening conditions that are difficult to treat.

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