BACTERIA IN THE BONE



The relief on Nanda Patil's face is easy to spot. Although a walker stands next to her at all times, it's not a symbol of assistance. It's affirmation that Patil can walk. It's the first time in eight years that the Kolhapur resident has been able to walk. In 2007, Patil, now 58, first experienced pain in her left knee. Over the years, the soreness worsened, leaving her unable to stand on her feet. When treatment with local doctors led nowhere, desperate, Patil's husband Shivaji sought help from a quack, who he claims slammed a brick into her knee to induce movement. "Last year, a relative suggested that I consult specialists in Mumbai," says Patil.

New way of preventing diabetes-linked blindness

Blocking a second protein linked to blood vessel growth, along with one that is already well-known, could offer a new way to treat and prevent a blinding eye disease caused by diabetes.

Diabetic eye disease occurs when the normal blood vessels in the eye are replaced over time with abnormal, leaky, fragile blood vessels that leak fluid or bleed into the eye
By: Indo-Asian News Service | New York | Published on:May 26, 2015 12:40 pm

Blocking a second protein linked to blood vessel growth, along with one that is already well-known, could offer a new way to treat and prevent a blinding eye disease caused by diabetes, say researchers, one among them of Indian-origin.

Diabetic eye disease occurs when the normal blood vessels in the eye are replaced over time with abnormal, leaky, fragile blood vessels that leak fluid or bleed into the eye, damaging the light-sensitive retina and causing blindness.

Why Women Need More Sleep Than Men: Research Shows Stronger Mental, Physical Response To Inadequate Rest


Women need more sleep than men, according to a recent study. Researchers from Duke University have discovered that, compared to men, women experience more mental and physical consequences from inadequate rest. Besides giving half the population a legitimate reason to sleep in, the findings could also inspire new health recommendations for women at greater risk of heart disease, depression, and psychological problems.

The study, which was led by clinical psychologist and sleep expert Michael Breus, estimated men and women’s respective needs for sleep by assessing their ability to deal with insufficient rest. According to Breus, the experiment suggested a sharp difference between genders. "We found that women had more depression, women had more anger, and women had more hostility early in the morning," he told reporters.
Who Needs How Much?

Many biological factors are thought to contribute to this disparity. However, some experts believe that it ultimately comes down to mental energy expenditure. Women, they say, simply use their brain more than men do.

"One of the major functions of sleep is to allow the brain to recover and repair itself. During deep sleep, the cortex — the part of the brain responsible for thought, memory, language and so on — disengages from the senses and goes into recovery mode,” Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Center at Loughborough University in England, told The Australian. "The more of your brain you use during the day, the more of it that needs to recover and, consequently, the more sleep you need. Women tend to multi-task — they do lots at once and are flexible — and so they use more of their actual brain than men do.”

It follows that, if men used their brains more during the day, they would need a couple of extra hours too. "A man who has a complex job that involves a lot of decision-making and lateral thinking may also need more sleep than the average male — though probably still not as much as a woman,” Horne said.
The Science of Sleep

Breus’ and his colleagues’ study adds to a growing number of scientific inquiries into the health outcomes of sleep deprivation. In a paper published earlier this year, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine showed a correlation between inadequate rest and accelerated skin aging. Other studies have linked poor sleeping patterns to an elevated risk of heart disease, blood clots, stroke, and psychiatric problems.

The average American adult requires between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every day. That said, 80 percent of the population say they habitually fall short of this quota. To learn more about sleep and improving rest patterns, visit The National Sleep Foundation’s online resources.

Food inspectors order Nestle India to recall batch of Maggi noodles, say product has excess lead



The Food Safety and Drug Administration in Uttar Pradesh said high lead content was found during routine tests on two dozen packets of instant noodles Maggi, manufactured by Nestle in India. (Reuters File Photo)

Food inspectors have ordered Nestle India to recall a batch of Maggi noodles from shops across the country, saying the product contained dangerous levels of lead.

Have 4 eggs a week to slash risk of diabetes



Including 4 eggs to your diet per week could help reduce risk of developing diabetes, finds a new study.

University of Eastern Finland researchers were surprised to learn that eggs, which are high in cholesterol, could cut the risk developing Type 2 diabetes by nearly 40 per cent, the Daily Express reported.

It may be due to nutrients, that improves the way the body metabolises sugar and help to dampen down inflammation which leads to chronic illness.

Govt to launch cleanliness awards for health facilities



New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) The government is set to announce a scheme under which public health facilities will be awarded based on their performance on various parameters, including sanitation, cleanliness and infection control.

Health Minister J P Nadda will launch the initiative to award public health facilities, 'Kayakalp', tomorrow and also release 'Swachhata' guidelines for these facilities.

Health Ministry officials said that this initiative was the Ministry's contribution to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'.

Elaborating on the objectives of the initiative, health officials said it is aimed at promoting cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices at public healthcare facilities.

Simple exercises can help control snoring

New York: If snoring is hampering your partner's sound sleep, simple mouth and tongue exercises can do wonders.

Researchers have found that these exercises can reduce frequency of snoring by 36 percent and total power of snoring by 59 percent.

"This study demonstrates a promising, non-invasive treatment for large populations suffering from snoring, the snorers and their bed partners, that are largely omitted from research and treatment," said Barbara Phillips, medical director, sleep laboratory at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in the US.

Diet or exercise, what cuts diabetes risk?



Diet or exercise, what cuts diabetes risk? (Getty Images)

Though people often think of the benefits from exercise, calorie restriction and weight loss as interchangeable, they may all actually offer distinct and cumulative benefits when it comes to managing Type-2 diabetes risk, says new research.

"On the surface, it may seem obvious, and yet there are a lot of people who believe that if they maintain a healthy weight, it doesn't matter what they eat," said Edward Weiss, associate professor at Saint Louis University in the US.

And others have an appropriate food intake but do not exercise.

"This study says you can be healthier, if you exercise and eat the right amount of food. There is more to be gained by including both approaches in your life," Weiss noted.

The study enrolled sedentary, overweight, middle-aged men and women, who were assigned to one of three groups designed to reduce weight by six-eight percent through calorie restriction, exercise or a combination of both.

Researchers recorded the participants' insulin sensitivity levels, a marker for diabetes risk that measures how effectively the body is able to use insulin.

The investigators found that both exercise and calorie restriction had positive effects on insulin sensitivity.

Most interestingly, the group that did both saw two times the improvement in insulin sensitivity than either of the single-approach groups.

The study suggests that both exercise and calorie restriction have additive beneficial effects on glucoregulation -- the steady maintenance of glucose, or sugar, in the body.

The study was published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Source - times of india

Diabetes accelerates brain ageing, reveals new study

A new study has indicated that brains of people with type 1 diabetes show signs of accelerated ageing that correlate with slower information processing.
Image for representational purposes only.

A new study has indicated that brains of people with type 1 diabetes show signs of accelerated ageing that correlate with slower information processing.

The study conducted at University of Pittsburgh Schools indicate that clinicians should consider screening middle-aged patients with type 1 diabetes for cognitive difficulties.

Senior author Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH, associate professor in Pitt Public Health's Department of Epidemiology, said that severity of cognitive complications and cerebral small vessel disease which can starve the brain of oxygen is much more intense than they expected, but it can be measured in a clinical setting. Rosano continued that further study in younger patients is needed, but it stands to reason that early detection and intervention such as controlling cardiometabolic factors and tighter glycemic control, which help prevent microvascular complications also could reduce or delay these cognitive complications.

The people with type 1 diabetes were all participants in the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications Study.

The MRIs showed that 33% of the people with type 1 diabetes had moderate to severe levels of white matter hyperintensities (markers of damage to the brain's white matter, present in normal aging and neurological disorders) compared with 7% of their non-diabetic counterparts.

On three cognitive tests that measure abilities such as information-processing speed, manual dexterity and verbal intelligence, the people with type 1 diabetes averaged lower scores than those without the condition. Among only the participants with type 1 diabetes, those with greater volumes of white matter hyperintensities averaged lower cognitive scores than those with smaller volumes, though the difference was less pronounced.

Lead author Karen A Nunley, Ph D , postdoctoral fellow in Pitt Public Health's neuroepidemiology program said that people with type 1 diabetes were living longer than ever before, and the incidence of type 1 diabetes was increasing annually.

The research will be published in the May 19 issue of the journal Neurology.
Source - DNA

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