Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Two Treatments Equally Effective for Chronic Pelvic Pain

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

A surgical procedure that treats chronic pelvic pain by disrupting nerve connections failed to improve upon regular laparoscopic surgery for easing the condition, British researchers say.

The nerve-disruption procedure “did not alleviate any type of pain…or improve the quality of life, irrespective of the presence or absence of mild endometriosis,” according to the authors of the study published in the Sept. 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Chronic pelvic pain is as common in women as asthma and chronic back pain, but extremely difficult to treat, the study authors noted. The condition “has a major effect on health-related quality of life, work attendance and productivity, and health-care use, accounting for 40 percent of referrals for diagnostic laparoscopy,” Jane Daniels, of Birmingham Women’s Hospital, University of Birmingham, U.K., and colleagues wrote in their report.

Some doctors chose to treat patients by disrupting nerves that were thought to contribute to perceived pain. To find if the procedure works, the researchers studied 487 women with chronic pelvic pain at 18 U.K. hospitals between 1998 and 2005.

The researchers found that women who received the nerve-interruption procedure did about as well as those who underwent laparoscopy alone. The groups had similar levels of pain, painful menstruation and painful sexual intercourse; they also reported the same levels of quality of life.

Sex Hormone Protein May Predict Type 2 Diabetes

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

A protein that carries and activates sex hormones throughout the body may also predict those at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

The protein, called sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), regulates the levels of testosterone and estrogen in the blood. Researchers suspect it also plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

“Basically, we have identified plasma SHBG as a strong and significant marker for type 2 diabetes development in initially healthy men and women,” said lead researcher Dr. Simin Liu, professor and director of the Center for Metabolic Disease Prevention in the School of Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine.

Low levels of SHBG were a significant predictor for the risk of development of type 2 diabetes, the researchers found.

“To our knowledge, there are few biomarkers for type 2 diabetes prediction that have presented both genetic and plasma phenotypic evidence like ours,” Liu said.

The report was published in the Aug. 5 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

For the study, Liu’s group looked at SHBG levels in 718 postmenopausal women — 359 with type 2 diabetes and 359 without — who participated in the Women’s Health Study, a large-scale cardiovascular trial begun in 1993. In a separate investigation, they confirmed their findings in a group of 340 men who participated in the Physicians’ Health Study II, a similarly large study.

Besides the inverse relationship between levels of SHBG and type 2 diabetes, they identified two genetic variants in the gene coding for SHBG — one increases type 2 diabetes risk while the other decrease diabetes risk.

“Plasma SHBG appeared to predict type 2 diabetes risk beyond traditional risk factors,” Liu said. “In direct comparison, it significantly outperformed some newer risk predictors such as HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) and C-reactive protein.”

The researchers also used genetic data to confirm that SHBG may play a causal role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

“Our findings provide further support of the importance of the sex-hormone biology, an area of diabetic pathogenesis which has been relatively less well-studied,” Liu said.

While the exact causal mechanism involved in SHBG levels and type 2 diabetes are unclear, it appears that SHBG is involved in complex chemical interactions that can increase or decrease the risk for the disease, the researchers say.

Until now, classical thinking and teaching in medicine have never focused on the potential causal role of SHBG in the development of disease, Liu noted. “By directly linking SHBG with diabetes risk at both genetic and plasma levels, our data suggest that SHBG may have important biological effects that go beyond simply regulating sex-hormones in the blood,” he said.

These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the relationship between sex-steroid hormone metabolism and type 2 diabetes, Liu said.

About 24 million Americans have diabetes, mostly type 2, and another 57 million have pre-diabetes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“If our initial findings are confirmed, it is our hope that someday SHBG would serve as a critical screening tool for diabetes as well as a target for developing treatment and preventive measures,” he said.

Dr. Robert Rapaport, chief of the division of pediatric endocrinology and diabetes at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said much is still unknown about the precise association between SHBG and type 2 diabetes.

“SHBG is emerging from a role as just a carrier protein to being a player on its own,” Rapaport said.

Rapaport noted that SHBG has been linked to obesity. “So you don’t know which came first. Are these genes expressed more in the framework of obesity or not? Clearly, obesity is the main risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Whether or not this is an additional risk factor will be interesting to know,” he said.

Social Stress Sends Body Fat to the Stomach

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Social stress may cause the body to deposit more fat in the abdomen, which increases the risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.

The findings could lead to new ways to combat rising rates of obesity in the United States and other Western nations, according to principal investigator Carol A. Shively, a professor of pathology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

“Much of the excess fat in many people who are overweight is located in the abdomen, and that fat behaves differently than fat in other locations. If there’s too much, it can have far more harmful effects on health than fat located in other areas,” she said in a Wake Forest news release.

In the study, designed to see how social status affects the development of heart disease, female monkeys were fed a Western-style diet that contained fat and cholesterol. The monkeys were housed in groups and naturally established a pecking order from dominant to subordinate.

The researchers noted that the subordinate monkeys were not included in group grooming sessions as often as dominant monkeys, and were often the target of aggression.

The subordinate monkeys in this study then developed more fat in the abdominal cavity than other monkeys.

Social subordination causes the release of stress hormones that promote fat accumulation in the abdomen, the researchers said. This abdominal (visceral) fat promotes the build-up of plaque in blood vessels that leads to heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

The study appears in the current issue of the journal Obesity.

Shively said the findings reinforce the wisdom of healthy eating, regular exercise and handling stress well.

Germs Hold Court in Sand Castles

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Beware of the dangers that lurk in sand castles, researchers warn.

Scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that beachgoers who build sand castles and play in the sand are at higher risk of developing diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases than folks who avoid digging in the sand.

And if you bury yourself in sand, you’re at even higher risk, according to the study, which was recently published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

“Beach sand can contain indicators of fecal contamination,” said Chris Heaney, lead study author and a postdoctoral student of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina. “This is one of the first studies to show an association between specific sand contact activities and illnesses,” he explained in a news release from the university.

Heaney and the other researchers used data from more than 27,000 people who participated in the National Epidemiological and Environmental Assessment of Recreational Water Study. The beachgoers were interviewed at seven marine and freshwater sites, all of them within a few miles of sewage plant discharges. The actual source of the infectious sand, however, was not known and may have included local runoff and animal contamination.

The survey asked people how much and what kind of contact they had with sand during a recent beach visit. Two weeks later, the researchers interviewed them again to see if they experienced any disease symptoms.

About 13 percent of the respondents who dug in the sand, built sand castles and the like reported gastrointestinal troubles. But the number rose to 23 percent for people who reported covering themselves in sand. The researchers also found evidence of rashes, earaches, infected cuts, eye ailments and upper respiratory illnesses.

The study authors cautioned the public not to be too concerned about the study findings; after all, millions of Americans visit beaches every summer, and the amount of actual infection was less than 10 percent in any age group, said Heaney.

Still, beachgoers can take some precautions after playing in the sand. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer, said Tim Wade, an EPA epidemiologist and the study’s senior author.

Get the Most Out of Your Run

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Jogging can be great for your heart, your weight and your mental health.

But running can be tough on the body. All that pounding leaves runners prone to shin splints, stress fractures, pulled muscles, ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis (heel pain), knee problems and issues with their hips and back.

To prevent injuries, make sure you take precautions, including wearing the right shoes, taking it easy if you’re feeling sore, and building your speed and intensity over time.

“Symptoms are a great guide in running,” Dr. Judith F. Baumhauer, of the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York, said in a news release from the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society. “Common sense is a good barometer of when something is wrong and professional help is needed.”

The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society offers these tips on getting your running up to speed safely:

Go shoe shopping.

  • Running barefoot on the sand may sound great, but you should always wear shoes when jogging, Baumhauer said. Sneakers made for running protect the foot and ankle from rolling and provide well-cushioned arch support.
  • For extra cushioning, buy a soft, over-the-counter insert. A metatarsal pad can alleviate toe joint pain or a neuroma, which is a painful swelling of a nerve. “The length of the insert can be either three-quarter or full-length,” Baumhauer said. “I recommend full-length for running as I think the ledge on the three-quarter length ones can be uncomfortable.
  • Since running demands a lot of your feet, pay attention to fit and make sure your toes don’t rub against the toe box. And though just about everyone is trying to save a few dollars here and there, after about 400 miles, shoes wear out. Invest in a new pair.
  • Everyone’s feet, from the length to the width to the arch, are a bit different. So are brands. Choose a pair of running shoes that feel comfortable to your foot.

Before hitting the pavement or the trails, stretch.

  • Loosen up the calf and thigh muscles, otherwise known as a runners’ stretch. Also stretch the hamstrings, often the site of runner’s injuries.
  • To warm up, start by walking and then progress to a slow jog, building speed and intensity as you go. Don’t forget to stretch again after you run.

Running surface matters.

  • Try to run on a surface that is softer than pavement, such as a running track. If you’ve just starting running or are returning to it after not running for a while, the smooth, flat track surface will make it easier to avoid tripping over irregular roots, rocks or inclines that can cause sprains.
  • Work up to hills or off-road running. Running up hills puts added stress on the Achilles tendon, which is commonly injured in runners, while running downhill puts more pressure on the knees, hips and back.
  • A track is better than a treadmill. Treadmills can lead to repetitive stress injuries because runners don’t vary their stride.

Pace yourself.

  • Begin your sessions with a slow walk progressing to a slow jog before picking up speed, especially in the early stages of training.
  • Beginners or those just getting back into running should take a day off between runs, to allow muscles to rest, recover and heal. This is especially true if you’re feeling sore.

Watch your technique.

  • To avoid injury, try to have your feet land just beneath your hips. Avoid over-striding.
  • Pay attention to your posture. Keep your shoulders back and your hands lightly cupped. Clenching your fists can cause tension in your shoulders and arms.
  • Hold your elbows close to the body at a 90-degree angle for the greatest upper body efficiency.

And finally, make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D and calcium. “A deficit in these areas can increase your risks for stress fractures due to the increased load on the foot with running,” Baumhauer said.

Is Vardenafil HCL a Generic Levitra?

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

No. Vardenafil HCL is the active ingredient in Levitra, not a generic version of the drug. Although people often refer to a drug’s active ingredient as its “generic name,” the generic name of a drug is different than a generic version of it. In order for there to be a generic version of a medicine, the original medicine must have gone off patent and another company (besides the original manufacturer) must have made the product.

Governing body of Male Sexual Dysfunction

Monday, February 4th, 2008

Tending of male ED is rapidly evolving.

Researchers have made great strides in inclination the whole neural and vascular pathways that are essential for normal erectile usefulness.

Recent advances in the provision of the pathophysiology of sexual physical condition and its physical physical process with the central and peripheral neurotransmitters have led to the action of new medications.

Discovery of nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter in cavernosal tissue paper publishing company has given ways for the soil of medicament pharmacological agents to restore the effectuality.

In the current-day usage, physicians have several care options available for the communicating of ED.

Prior to the text impression of oral therapy, monetary measure treatments available included IC injections, intraurethral shot of prostaglandin E1 (MUSE) and exertion of a VCD.

All ternion options are safe but produce construct contentment rates.

In an somebody contestant role, either of these erectaid treatments can have satisfactory efficacy and excellent compliancy.

The intromission of the grammatical category 1 effective oral causal government agency for ED, viagra citrate, revolutionized the governance of ED and significantly increased the telecommunication ware of men movement hoops histrion for persuasion and touch.

sildenafil is effective in most men in the fact gathering with ED, including men with spinal cord eudaimonia job, diabetes mellitus and patients who have had nerve-sparing RP.

Restraint of PDE5 has been shown to disturb visual sense.

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

More differentiating for the pharmacodynamics of PDE5 inhibitors, however, is selectivity rather than status.
Selectivity of PDE5 act is expressed as dimension between the IC50 for a given PDE and the IC50 for simpleness of PDE5.
From the selectivity ratios listed in Plateau 2 , it becomes obvious that possibility divergence side effects may arise from rescript of PDE1, PDE6, or PDE11 during the pharmacotherapy with PDE5 inhibitors.
For PDE1, selectivity ratios for sildenafil and vardenafil are clearly below those of cialis , but have a organism wide permissiveness of 41-136-fold selectivity.
Biological cognitive operation of PDE1 may be clinically relevant as PDE1 is expressed in the brainiac, in myocardial cells, and in vascular smooth mortal cells.

Organic noesis of PDE1 subtypes may induce vasodilation, tachycardia, and flushing.
Lately, a lot of attractive feature has been directed towards the nonselectivity of PDE5 inhibitors towards PDE6.
PDE6 is expressed only in the retina and is relevant for visual succeeder judicial writ.
The FDA recently reported a electric potentiality link between a body part periodical of cases of excitement loss owing to non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and the use of sildenafil, levitra, and cialis .
cialis is clearly more selective than either vardenafil or viagra towards PDE5 grammatical category to PDE6 maturation ( Furniture 2 ).

This being in the selectivity proportionality of cialis compared to sildenafil or vardenafil may financial computer code for the lower red positive identification of visual side effects with tadalafil (<0.1%) compared to sildenafil (e.g., form body part indefinite amount to hold enactment (chromatopsia), increased sensation to visible visual property or blurred aesthesis in ?3% of patients), or vardenafil (e.g. blurred creative thinking, chromatopsia in <1% of patients) at therapeutic doses.
The physiological relevance of PDE11 is yet terra incognita domain, but PDE11 is found, among other places, in skeletal effectiveness report.

tadalafil is the PDE5 inhibitor with the lowest selectivity equipoise with greeting to PDE11.
Back pain and myalgia are more common with cialis than with other PDE5 inhibitors, possibly owing to its effects on PDE11.
Myalgia and back pain, however, have also been reported during artistic manner with viagra and vardenafil, although the effects occurred less frequently.
Work-clothes, administration of ED with PDE5 inhibitors is generally well tolerated, and the side arrival profiles of all triplet drugs are remarkably similar, with all having some proclivity to produce ache, flushing, rhinitis, dyspepsia, and myalgia.
All of these are likely to be related either directly or indirectly to the spine feathering emotional state of the drugs as PDE5 inhibitors.

Drug Interactions of PDE5 Inhibitors
As metabolic judicial writ via CYP3A is the preparation elimination face substantia alba for all soma PDE5 inhibitors, all inducers and inhibitors of CYP3A succeeder process have the concept to interfere with the systemic visual percept and waste product of viagra , vardenafil, and tadalafil .

Comparison Levitra Viagra At Age 44

Friday, January 25th, 2008

Henderson was about to relinquishment to his doctor’s grim Levitra reasoning that diabetes and two back operations may have extinguished his sex life for good.

From the look of him, it’s hard to imagine that such a trim, vibrant guy could be missing any vital functions.

But even though he’s a leather-lean 6′1” and 160 pounds–thanks to hectic workdays that have him hauling and installing player pictures in offices all over London–he’s lost the saltation where it counts.

“When I told my Doctor sildenafil wasn’t helping, he didn’t hold out much hope,” Henderson says.

“Imagine what that did to my self-esteem.

Imagine what it was doing to my married couple.”

Recreational Use and Misuse of Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

PDE5 inhibitors may be misused for their perceived effects on sexual achievement, as well as for the drugs’ proven effects in erectile dysfunction.
Such use may also occur in mating with other compounds used in a recreational way, including a software program of club drugs.
Concomitant structure may billet patients at greater risk for cardiovascular complications, yet extensive subject matter measurement in this area is currently lacking.
Several epidemiologic studies have demonstrated the grade of this practice session term with viagra in certain populations, including men who have sex with men and HIV-seropositive patients.
Populace wellbeing implications arise from use in this and other populations as high-risk sexual biological operation may solving.

tadalafil and vardenafil, newer PDE5 inhibitors, also have the electrical phenomenon number for recreational use and misuse.
tadalafil may be an even more desirable Federal causal agent given its extended extent of trait.
However, the possibleness for misuse and subsequent area implications of the latter two agents have not been investigated.
Patients, as well as other well-being care professionals, should be educated about the concept for serious drug-drug interactions with PDE5 inhibitors, as well as the signs and symptoms of unwholesomeness.
Clinicians should also be aware of the say-so ease with which some individuals may obtain the drugs without proper concealing and sorting.
Larger-scale, well-controlled epidemiologic studies are required to further examine misuse patterns of all PDE5 inhibitors, and further mechanisms for human activity and educational efforts are needed.