Health News - Tuesday, January 30, 2007
A new study suggests that children who grow up within a third of a mile of a freeway may be sustaining permanent respiratory problems. The study in California focused on proximity to a freeway, and not just in Los Angeles.
Researchers studied developing lung function in 1,445 children living in 12 Southern California communities for eight years, from age 10 to 18. They found that the closer the children lived to a freeway, the more likely they were to experience reduced growth in lung function as measured by the standard tests. Continue reading
Doctors in Leicester on Tuesday will become the first in Britain to use keyhole surgery to replace a heart valve. The procedure, to be conducted on an 89-year-old woman at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital, has only been performed to date in four other hospitals worldwide.
In the new technique, heart valves are implanted using a catheter inserted into an artery in the groin, avoiding the need for the trauma of open heart surgery. It has been developed to treat elderly patients who would otherwise be too infirm for major surgery. Continue reading
Restaurants will be urged to voluntarily phase out trans fats from kitchens over the next 18 months under a plan unveiled by city and county leaders Tuesday. Incentives for restaurant owners could include an official window decal indicating they have eliminated the artery-clogging substance. The decals would likely be handed out during inspections.
The decal "could help consumers decide if they want to go into a restaurant," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for Los Angeles County. "Restaurants want to do the right thing." The county Board of Supervisors and the City Council backed the health effort. Continue reading
A Chinese herb called danshen could one day be the foundation of a new treatment for high blood pressure, scientists say. In a new study, researchers report that an active ingredient in the herb reduces hypertension in hamsters and appears to work by widening blood vessels.
"Traditionally, we knew this was working for high blood pressure, but we didn't know what the mechanism was," said study author David D. Kim, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The roots of danshen, a kind of sage, are used as medicine in Chinese culture. The herb is used to treat heart problems and high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, a condition that affects an estimated 50 million Americans, according to background information for the study. Continue reading
Recent studies suggest that the incidence of kidney stones is increasing, both in the U.S. and worldwide, and data compiled by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, suggest that diabetes may be a predisposing factor, particularly for kidney stones composed of uric acid.
A kidney stone is a solid mass consisting of tiny crystals made of calcium, uric acid or other substances. Pain in the back, flank or abdomen is a common feature, along with bloody urine, excessive or painful urination, nausea and vomiting, and other symptoms. Dr. John C. Lieske and his associates identify all Olmsted County residents diagnosed with kidney stones between 1980 and 1999. The 3,561 patients were matched by age and gender with an equal number of individuals without kidney stones. The researchers also examined patients diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Continue reading