Increased Cases Of Diarrheal Disease On Cruise Ships

These days there are a lot of cases of diarrheal diseases being reported on cruise ships than were the cases in the 1990s.

There were statistics reported that showed that the incidence of the gastroenteritis in a seven day cruise has increased from about two cases from 1990 to 2000 to about three cases between 2001 and 2004.

There are excellent health practices on cruise ships, as well as high a very high level of inspections to maintain a very proper hygiene, but the gastroenteritis that is likely linked with person to person spread of illness is caused by norovirus is something that is very difficult to prevent.

It was also stated that this problem can be in other traveling modes such as airplanes and trains in which there is a high density of travelers. According to the statistics, there were about 16 cases of people per 100,000 who were suffering from gastroenteritis among the passenger in the cruise ships in 2000, which was an improved figure of 29 cases per 100,000 passengers in 1990.

But in 2002, there were about 29 outbreaks, which was a much high figure than before.
The researchers mentioned that the ships were performing really well even on inspections that were unannounced and were doing at best on the health inspections throughout the time when the study was being conducted with about half of the ships scoring above 95 on a scale of 1 to 100.

The researchers stated that the increase in the cases of the gastroenteritis has increased because of the prevalence of the norovirus. This virus is found commonly in the regions of Europe and North America.

The norovirus is the most frequent cause of gastroenteritis and the symptoms that it causes include diarrhea and vomiting. The virus is spread from person to person contact, through contaminated food or water or through coming in contact with the contaminated surfaces.

It is also stated that there is about 1% less chance of contracting the viral gastroenteritis while the cruisers spend an average of about seven days at the sea. It was also stated that the best preventive strategy that can be done to prevent this illness is to wash the hands using the hand sanitizers so as to prevent contracting this illness.


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Antidepressants Linked To Health Problems In Newborns

According the latest research, the women who are taking the antidepressant drugs that are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, who are pregnant or are willing to become pregnant must discuss their situation with their doctors because of the risks that these drugs pose to the baby.

They also added that the SSRI treatments must not be stopped prior to getting a consultation with their doctors, as the individuals might have an adverse reaction because of that, which is potentially serious.

The antidepressant treatment with the SSRIs should only be continued if the benefits outweigh the risks to the unborn child. It can also be considered as to switching to the other treatment option or stopping the treatment altogether.

The different antidepressant drugs that are prescribed to treat depression are as follows, which include Wellbutrin, Celexa, Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, Effexor etc.

The researchers suggested that the SSRIs when used during the second half of the pregnancy can cause persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. The newborns who suffer from this condition do not receive enough oxygen in the blood and then they are admitted in the intensive care unit for the treatment to survive.

It has also been found that the babies who are born with these conditions is six times more in the babies who were exposed to SSRIs than the babies who were not exposed to this drug.

In another report it was also mentioned that the children who were exposed to SSRIs and other newer antidepressants during pregnancy could develop serious complications at birth. There is an increase in the overall risk of the major birth defects that has also been associated with the SSRI use.

The researchers stated that the side effects that occur due to the marketed products can be managed with the active participation of the health care professionals as well as the individuals who are using the medicines.


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Treating Arthritis With Anti-Cancer Drug

A very effective anti-cancer drug is now okayed to treat the rheumatoid arthritis patients who have tried the drugs to treat arthritis but has not get any benefit from them.

The anti-cancer drug that is used to treat arthritis is Rituxan, which is used to treat the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The companies Genentech Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc. said that the drug Rituxan should be used by patients who have not received any benefit from the drugs that are used specifically for rheumatoid arthritis such as tumor necrosis factor or TNF blockers of which the brand names include Enbrel, Remicade and Humira.

In the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system just attacks the tissues of the joints and causes inflammation of the joints and destroys the cartilage, tendon and bones and hence causing disabilities.

Now the drug, Rituxan, which is also known as rituximab, is being studied to treat the other autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis and the route of administration of this drug is intravenous.

This news has proved a very good news for the company producing the drug, rituximab, to come back in the market with boost in sales. It is yet to be tested to see whether this drug can be used for the other autoimmune diseases.

It was also found that the Rituxan could eventually reach about $1 billion in sales to treat these autoimmune diseases other than cancer. The analysts also said that the sales of Rituxan in US would climb up from about $1.8 billion last year to about $2 billion this year and then further grow up to about $2.3 billion next year, which is a marked boost up in the sales of this drug.


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Risk Of Using Steroids In Teenagers

A recent study suggested that the use of steroids in children may have a longer lasting effect on the brains of teenagers.

The study that was conducted to look at the different anabolic steroids on the hamsters found that the drug just causes a trigger that results in an aggressive state.

They also found that the effects of the steroids may also last for at least two years and they may cause permanent brain changes. The scientists also added that one cannot say as to how the length of the effects from the steroids in humans, since the study was conducted on hamsters.

It was also being stated that the long term use of steroids can cause mood swings, hallucinations, paranoia, liver damage, high blood pressure, as well as increased risk of heart disease and stroke and some types of cancers. It was also noted that coming off of steroids can lead to depression as well.

In another study that was conducted by a university in Boston, they studied the behavior of an adolescent hamster when another hamster was put into their cage. It was found that the hamster naturally defended their territory by wrestling, play fighting, wrestling.

But when the hamsters were injected with the commonly used steroids that were suspended in the oil, the hamsters became extremely aggressive and when the drug was withdrawn, even then the newly vicious hamster attacked, bit and chased the intruder.

It was found that the aggressiveness of the hamster increased to about 10 times more than that of the other hamster who was only injected with the oil.

They found that the effect lasted for almost two weeks and after that the animal just reverted back to its normal playful defensive state.

On the post mortem of the hamsters, it was found that there had been changes in the brain of those hamsters and while the time in which they were being given the steroids, the anterior hypothalamus regulates the aggression and social behavior, secreted more neurotransmitter known as vasopressin.

It was found that about three weeks after the withdrawal, the vasopressin levels had subsided and the aggression levels subsided with it.

The scientists also found that the portion of the brain that they studied in rodents is similar to that in humans and therefore this might be applicable to humans as well.

The researchers said that the developing brain in children is more adaptable and pliable, the steroids could change the trajectory if the steroids are administered during development.
The researchers said that if the steroids hit the right areas of the brain at the right time then they can cause permanent changes.

It is being said that the people who are abusing steroids and especially these are young athletes or weight lifters and the effects of these steroids can have long term effects even after they are stopped.


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Increasing Levels Of Children Falling Victim To Diabetes

The increasing levels of obesity in children are causing about 100 obese children to be diagnosed with diabetes that normally affects only middle aged adults.

According to the research that the type 2 diabetes in children has reached to about 10 times in the past five years and there has been a record report of the cases between 2004 and 2005 in children under 16 years of age.

There is also data from the physicians who said that children even as young as nine years old have been diagnosed with this condition.

The doctors link obesity to be causing diabetes and is the culprit, and leads the young ones to ill health and can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, eye and kidney disease.

The researchers say that this might be a very little data that they have got as of now and they say that there may be thousands of more kids who are at risk of developing this condition.
There are about 60,000 children who are thought to be suffering from weight related metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of different conditions including high blood pressure and high cholesterol level, which is thought to lead into diabetes.

The doctors are saying that the childhood obesity has really climbed in the figures and it is still creeping up. The most important thing is that as to how to control this issue, which is rising at such a rapid rate.

A survey that was conducted in England found that there are about 18 percent children who are of school going age are overweight and about 6 percent can be categorized as obese.
In type 1 diabetes, the people who are suffering from this problem are unable to produce insulin and the diabetes occurs during childhood or during the adolescent age and then is treated with insulin injections.

In type 2 diabetes, there is not enough insulin that is produced and this usually affects people who are over the age of 40 years and can be controlled with stricter diet plans. Both of these types of diabetes can cause problems such as strokes, heart disease and blindness.

There are increasing number of cases reported of children having type 2 diabetes, which was once a disease of the people in their 40s and this is pretty alarming.


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Impaired Immunity Connected With Crohn’s Disease

An impaired immune system can be a cause of Crohn’s disease, however until now the diseases was thought to be caused by increased inflammation.

In a brief description of Crohn’s, it is an inflammatory disease of the bowel and the symptoms include fever, pain, diarrhea, and a significant weight loss. The most common cause of Crohn’s is that the bacteria or viruses may be a trigger of excessive inflammation.

It was discovered that the people with Crohn’s disease were found to be suffering from defective immune response.

In a normal response by the body to an injury, the immune system identifies the infection or injury and then there is a call being given to the white blood cells, which then engulf the bacteria and kill them. After that the pus is formed and it consists of dead cells and other cellular debris.
It was found that the patients who were suffering from Crohn’s disease had very low levels of neutrophils at the injury site in the bowel and skin.

The researchers injected the patients with E. coli after extracting out the harmful substances and then injected it into the arms of the patients to study the blood flow and the immune response to bacteria.

The researchers found that there was much lower blood flow response in the Crohn’s patients as compared to the people who did not have any disease.

Therefore it was suggested that in Crohn’s disease the people suffering from it have a very delayed response and elimination of the bacteria due to the ineffective neutrophil response.
The researchers also noted that the stimulation of blood flow with drugs like Viagra can help compensate for the lack of neutrophil activity.

The researchers stated that the wall of the bowel is normally an effective barrier between the bowel contents and the inner bowel lining, but when the barrier is broken by an injury or infection then the bacteria seep into the bowel wall and cause an acute inflammatory response, which would bring things back to normal.

However in Crohn’s disease the acute inflammation response fails to start and thus leaves the bacteria to grow in the bowel wall, which thus triggers the chronic secondary inflammation.


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You Cannot Always Sleep With Melatonin

According to the latest research, it was found that the widely used hormone supplement, melatonin is a widely used over the counter hormone supplement and it cannot work as a sleeping pill if the insomnia is caused by an underlying condition. The melatonin does not help prevent the jet lag that one goes through as well.

It is not said that the melatonin is of no use at all to use as a sleep aid. The researchers just conducted the study on the individuals who were suffering from the different medical or psychiatric conditions and were suffering from insomnia because of that. It was also found that the supplement also does not appear to cause any harm to the individuals who take it.

The study was conducted on about 97 people that was focused on sleep problems related to specific disorders, a study on about 427 people, which was focused on sleep trouble related to sleep restriction due to jet lag or shift work and about 651 people who were involved in about 17 safety related studies.

The researchers said that their study was small and if there would have been any other research that would have been bigger than their study then the results might have been quite different than the ones that they got in your study.

There was information provided by the doctor who said that older people often have trouble falling asleep because the pineal gland that works to produce the melatonin gets calcified with age. The people who are elderly, when take the melatonin can add up to the lack of the pineal gland and can improve their sleep.

There was a mention in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, which when given in small doses such as 0.3 mg can help people overcome their problem of insomnia.

If melatonin is given in larger amounts, it then deactivates the receptors that transfers the hormone into the cells.

It was also found out that when the dose of the melatonin was raised, the results that were thought to be achieved by this medicine were not that great and overwhelm the receptors.


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When Is The Right Time To End Cancer Treatment

Cancer is a lethal disease and you have shown some great strength and courage by coming this far and you have dealt with everything with keeping your nerves really strong. During the course of the disease you had your treatment and gone through the related side effects.

It is of great importance to note that if your cancer treatment unfortunately did not work for you then you need to eventually think of giving up the treatment, it would be a tough choice for you to make. You can always ask as to what other treatment options or clinical trials are there for you to use. You must take your time in gathering the information and can look into other different modes of treatment as well and see what are the researches saying in the medical field and is there any benefit that you can take from them.

Just remember that when you were diagnosed with cancer you and your doctor sat down and you went through a whole lot of options and you were feeling a lot hopeful and now since that did not work out, you must not feel down, because you will find another way that will work out for you, and keep looking, and keep your hopes high. This is a challenge and you will find a way to get through. Just be optimistic.

After knowing that the therapy is not working for you, you need to change your goals and that would be a wise decision that you would be taking. Being realistic, you might not get the cure, but you still can focus on different things that you still can get and control, for example you can work on controlling the pain.

Things also depend largely as to what was the stage at which your cancer was diagnosed and if it was an advanced stage then you must know that there is no cure and at that time your goal might be to control the cancer from further spread or you can shrink the cancer to prevent it from spreading.

By looking at the above scenario, your goal now can be to focus more on comfort rather than cure and keeping yourself as symptom free as possible. You can focus more on your family and relationships and seeing what you have missed most of your life and trying to catch up with that and not to think about cancer.

You must know that what is the best time for you that you need to stop your treatment that you have been taking for to cure the cancer. You can always opt for going off of the treatment by knowing your current condition and know the actual status of your cancer and not denying anything but being totally realistic. You must know as to what is the treatment doing to you, is it causing further deterioration or is it causing you to feel better. There might be a whole lot side effects that could cause you to stop taking your treatment and that is right if they are hurting more than helping.

When you think of quitting your treatment, you must need to take your religious beliefs and other personal values into consideration.

When you have thought about quitting treatment, you must talk this out with your doctor and let him know as to what are the things that are making you think to take that decision and what is the opinion of your doctor. If the doctors have anything at their end that they could let you know and that would help, you must take that into consideration and revise your decision regarding that cause you might have a chance there.

You must know the fact that your doctor is on your side and he is going to help you the most as he could and whatever he will tell you would be in your best interest.


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Help Your Close Ones To Combat Depression

Depression is a feeling of sadness and despair in which it just eats out the person inside. Depression is something that can isolate an individual and thus it would take them away from their family, friends and people who are close to them.

The person who is going through the episode of depression is a person who has no interest in life at all. If you see any individual who is going through depression, you can just observe them pretty closely as to what are the different feelings that they are going through and thus you can see their feelings and you can learn a lot as to the different phases they experience and your role in that to help them come out of those feelings.

You must know that you can do a lot for those individuals how are going through such a disaster in their life and just remember that these feelings are contagious and can absorb you too, so it is best for you that you just take care of your emotional feelings and make sure that you are not going to fall apart as they are doing at the current point in time. You are the one who is going to support that person and not the one who would be depressed like the person whom you are thinking to help.

The most important thing in helping someone with depression is that you recognize the signs of depression, which are sadness and despair and a feeling where they are going down every single day and are not able to come out of the feelings they are in. They will lose the interest in the pleasure activities that they used to have and they have crying spells as well too. Their sleep would be disturbed, they might have impaired thinking or concentration, you can observe them close and see that they are losing weight or might gain weight as well, fatigue is another sign, low self esteem, loss of libido and suicidal ideations are other signs that can be looked for in these individuals.

The first and the foremost thing that you can do is that you recognize it and you let the person who is suffering through depression to understand that they are going through depression. After that you have gone through the realization process, you need to urge them that they need to see a doctor, as it is a medical situation and this needs to be looked into by a professional so that they could guide the best. You can also tell them that there are other medical conditions that could trigger the symptoms of depression such as thyroid disease. This would put the realization that they do need to get themselves checked and they would get the best care possible.

You must know that pretty clearly that it is a feeling of impending doom and if you haven’t had felt what depression is then you just cannot feel what depression really is and what the other person is going through. You can read information on depression to see as to what it does to individuals and how lethal it can be.

You can offer the people suffering from depression the empathy and compassion and being by their side to comfort them as much as you can.

You can acknowledge their pain and don’t talk on the things much that would put them back in the same feelings that they were and you must not give them advices.

You can ask them as to how you can help them and you can do for them as to whatever they would want you to do and show them your concerns and your compassion for them.
You must always reinforce them positively and tell them how much they mean to you and how your life depends on them in so many ways and you don’t want them to be in that feeling and it really hurts you to see the suffering they are in.

You can ask them to go for a walk with you and you must ask them politely and do not press them much on that and just try to find their areas of interest in which they might find the strength to get themselves go out of the home and enjoy some time and feel a little better cause this can be a big break to make them feel good.

You must remember that if you see any signs of suicidal ideation in the individuals then you must take immediate action by letting their personal care provider know about the situation and you must stay with the person at all times so that they do not commit the suicide that they are planning to or saying through words directly that they are going to commit suicide, be very careful cause it is when they need the most attention.

You may want to look upon this antidepressant cymbalta.


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Prostate Cancer Screening

There is a large population of men who fall in the clutches of prostate cancer and that is why it is necessary that men should get their prostate checked starting from the age of 50 till the age of 70.

There are millions of people that fall in this age and undergo the tests every year to get assessment as to the status of their prostate gland. The prostate check includes a blood test that checks the prostate specific antigen, which is also known as PSA, as well as a digital rectal examination in which the individual’s prostate gland’s anatomy is assessed through the rectal wall.

There is a stunning news that the prostate examinations are not perfect and that men should decide for themselves as to whether they would want to get screened for prostate cancer or not. This statement was made by Dr. John Concato, who is a clinical epidemiologist at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System.

It is being mentioned by the doctors that some of the cases of prostate cancer grow pretty slow and their growth does not cause much symptoms, but on the other hand if that cancer is detected at an early stage and the patient goes through surgery and radiation treatment then this can cause incontinence and impotence, which was not that the individual was experiencing while having that cancer. Therefore this early recognition of the cancer is causing a lot of harm than the good as was expected.

It is also interesting to know that the PSA tests can give uncertain results, in which it is stated that if the individuals who have elevated prostate antigen specific levels, do not have prostate cancer. On the other hand some men who have low PSA levels do have cancer.

It is recommended that before an individual goes through the screening tests, they must be knowing the risks and benefits of this test so that they could make a decision as to whether they want to undergo the test or not.

In a study that was conducted included about two different groups of men who were treated at 10 different Veterans Affairs medical centers and one group consisted of about 501 men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer and they died later because of that disease or other causes and then the researchers chose about 501 more men who matched the first group in terms of age and other factors, but they survived. The only difference between the two groups was that the group who was alive was not screened for prostate cancer and did not receive any treatments.

In order to understand the prostate anatomy, the prostate gland is a size of a walnut, which is located under the bladder and that makes the fluid for semen. It is interesting to note that the prostate cancer is second only to the skin cancer in its prevalence in American men.

It is mentioned that the diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer.
There are more studies being conducted to see as to what would be the most beneficial tests that would be there and how to assess as to when to start the treatment so that the individual’s quality of life is not affected in anyway.


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