Researchers have been advancing towards an innovative breakthrough in the HIV treatment. This breakthrough comes with a synthetic human growth hormone factor. A synthetic human growth hormone-releasing factor has significant beneficial effects on ‘lipid profiles and visceral obesity in patients with HIV-associated lipodystrophy’.

Ongoing clinical trials divided in to phased testing’s have revealed various other findings in addition to this breakthrough. Results from a phase III trial show that there is an analogy between the new factor and typical characteristics observed in the HIV patients.

The researchers explained about this new finding that, “Tesamorelin“is a synthetic human growth hormone releasing factor GHRH (1-44) analogue with a trans-3-hexenoyl group added to the N-terminal to increase the half-life over that of native GHRH (1-44)”.

continue reading Synthetic Human Growth Hormone Releasing Factor: A Breakthrough in HIV Treatment

An observational study conducted on the elderly diabetes patients provided sufficient evidence that treatment with the ‘anti diabetic rosiglitazone’ is associated with an increased risk for ‘ischemic cardiovascular events’ as well as heart failure and death.

The research study was conducted at ‘Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada’, by Lorraine Lipscombe and colleagues. Results of this study were published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”. This new study has now boiled up the ongoing heated debate over safety and labeling of ‘thiazolidinediones’.

Lorraine Lipscombe and colleagues studied the outcomes of almost 160,000 diabetes patients with more than 66 years and over age group who were treated with at least one ‘oral hypoglycemic agent’ between a period of 2002 and 2005, using health care databases for Ontario.

continue reading Elderly Diabetic Patients are Susceptible to Anti Diabetic Rosiglitazone Increasing Risks of Cardiovascular Problems

Deficiency of the vitamin D in the body could be the result of an abnormal metabolism of the vitamins. This deficiency of the Vitamin D associated with active tuberculosis (TB) is not explained by dietary or sun exposure factors.

Epidemiologic evidence suggested by the British research team established a link between vitamin D deficiency and TB, possibly owing to an immuno-modulatory role for vitamin D. Findings of this research ahs been published in the recent edition of the journal “Thorax”.

Dr.Heather Milburn from the ‘Guy’s Hospital, London’ and colleague researchers measured serum vitamin D levels at presentation and throughout the treatment in a mixed ethnic group of 178 patients attending an inner London chest clinic for possible TB and 130 healthy individuals they had contact with. Researchers were trying to find out the relationship between factors like seasonality, ethnic differences, and association with active disease.

Researchers found out that both diet and sunlight exposures are particularly important factors influencing serum vitamin D concentrations. They also administered dietary and sun exposure level with the help of questionnaires given to 35 patients and 35 healthy control individuals. Responses from all these individuals were matched for age, gender, and skin color.

continue reading Vitamin D Deficiency Contributes To Tuberculosis

A rise in the ‘teen birth rate’ for the first time since 1991, illustrated the utter failure of the ‘contraceptive based sex education’.

The “Family research Council (FRC)” made this declaration recently reacting over the announcement by the ‘Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’. FRC expressed its serious concern on this issue and called for a focus on authentic abstinence education as the best form of prevention for the youth.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins expressed his worries and stated that the so-called comprehensive protective effect of condoms promotes unsafe behavior. This results in an increase in STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) rates in young people, and an increase in out-of-wedlock teenage pregnancies.

continue reading Teen Birth Rate Increase: Abstinence-until-Marriage Education Promotes a Holistic Health Prevention

Levels of the ‘Glycemic Control‘ in the blood differ significantly among the pregnant women with ‘Type1 diabetes‘ and the pregnant women who are suffering from ‘Type 2 diabetes‘.

Researchers revealed these results on the completion of the fist study that involved a continuous monitoring throughout the pregnancy to examine changes in glucose levels.

Apparently, there was no observable difference between the two groups of diabetes types. Critical stage of diabetes however brings up these differences. The women suffering from diabetes had normal glucose levels for an average of only half of the time in a day of 12 hours during the critical stage of early pregnancy. This is an alarming situation according to the researchers.

Dr. Helen R. Murphy at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust in the UK and colleagues collected and analyzed data from continuous glucose monitoring for 7 days during each trimester of pregnancy in 40 women with ‘Type 1 diabetes’ and 17 women with ‘Type 2 diabetes’ during the study period.

The researchers discovered that as the pregnancies advanced, more time was spent with blood glucose in a normal range of 70 mg/dL to140 mg/dL. Women with ‘Type 2 diabetes’ spent nearly one third more time within a normal glucose range in comparison to the women with ‘Type 1 diabetes’.

continue reading Blood Glucose Levels Differ in Pregnancy with Diabetes Type

Recent research advancements and studies suggest that children are more susceptive to the higher respiratory tract expression of avian influenza receptors in comparison to the adults. This clearly means that the children particularly are vulnerable to infection.

Dr.John Nicholls from the University of Hong Kong and his specialized research team used modified immune-histo-chemical techniques to demonstrate more widespread expression of avian influenza receptors throughout the respiratory tract in general. Such specific study was never conducted in past.

Dr. John Nicholls found greater receptor expression in the respiratory epithelium of children than of adults. His team preferred adopting new technologically advanced methods for further investigations and obtained refined and improved results implying that previous findings on the tissue distribution of influenza receptors should now be re-evaluated.

continue reading Children are More Susceptive of Influenza and Bird Flu

‘Ultrasound-guided non-surgical therapy’ significantly reduces pain from ‘calcific tendonitis of the rotator cuff’ and restores mobility. Radiologists have started applying this new minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of tendonitis in the shoulder.

These are the findings of a recent research study conducted at the University of Genova in Italy. Results of this study were presented recently at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

“This is a quick, successful and inexpensive therapy for tendon calcifications. It provides significant and long-lasting reduction of symptoms“, said Dr.Luca M. Sconfienza from the Department of Radiology at A.O. Ospedale Santa Corona in Pietra Ligure.

‘Calcific tendonitis’ is a condition that causes the formation of small calcium deposits within the tendons of the rotator cuff in the shoulder. It is most common in adults 30 to 40 years old.

continue reading New Ultrasound-Guided Non-Surgical Therapy for Shoulder Pain

A recent study published in the current issue of the scientific journal “The Lancet” established that stringent tobacco control measures, involving higher tobacco taxes, smoke-free workplace laws, advertising bans and large health warnings, are among the most effective strategies nations can adopt to reduce deaths from chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.

This study sends a strong communication to all the governments around the world that these scientifically proven control measures to reduce tobacco use are the best and cost-effective ways to protect their citizen’s health. “The International Tobacco Control Treaty, The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control” also called for quick implementation of these measures.

The study involved 23 countries accounting for 80% of the ‘chronic disease burden’ in the developing world and calculated how many deaths could be prevented over 10 years by implementing health interventions to reduce tobacco use and salt intake. The study also calculated the financial costs involved.

continue reading Stringent Tobacco Control Measures Are Effective in Reducing Deaths from Chronic Diseases

If you are over 60, go take a hike or at least a brisk walk on a regular basis.
It may help you live a few more years, even if you are a bit overweight or even obese, says a study recently conducted by at the University of South Carolina.

This study puts forward specific evidences in addition to the number of studies conducted before. There are several studies available establishing the fact that there are benefits of being fit even if you are a little too fat.

“You cannot tell just by looking at someone if they are fit”, says Dr.Steven Blair, Professor in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. Dr.Steven Blair further adds, “You can certainly be fat, even obese, and still be fit”.

Dr.Steven Blair and his colleague researchers at the Arnold School of Public Health made an assessment of certain measurable parameters including the aerobic fitness, Body Mass Index (BMI), and the waist circumference.

continue reading Key to Healthy Aging is Being Physically Active at Any Weight

There are many skin conditions one may experience throughout life. However, some of these conditions can be the cause of a more serious health ailment. If you have ever had a child, or are familiar with infant care, than you are well-versed in the condition referred to as Jaundice, which is a common state among newborn children. Neonatal Jaundice is caused by the infants’ liver not being completely developed. While this condition causes the infant to have a yellow tint to their skin and eyes, it usually disappears within two weeks because this is the amount of time it takes for a newborn child’s liver to begin processing the bilirubin. Even though we are familiar with Neonatal Jaundice, when it comes to this disease within adults, many people are not so familiar with it.

When an adult suffers from Jaundice, there are many different reasons why their skin and eyes are turning yellow. One of the main causes for this ailment is liver disease, which spans far beyond having Cirrhosis of the Liver. You can obtain liver disease by being infected with Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, G, X as well as having overall liver failure. All of these conditions can cause Jaundice and when gone untreated, the condition only furthers. Even though you can obtain Jaundice through a wide variety of physical ailments, what exactly is this condition? And why does it affect your body in the known manner?

continue reading Jaundice