Heena Sharma Blog

Green tea may reduce the risk of obesity and a number of inflammatory biomarkers linked with poor health, a study conducted in mice suggests. Mice fed a diet of two per cent green tea extract fared far better than those that ate a diet without it, according to the study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. The finding has prompted an upcoming study of green tea's potential benefits in people at high risk of diabetes and heart disease. The benefits seen in the study appear to stem from improved gut health, including more beneficial microbes in the intestines of the mice and less permeability in the intestinal wall -- a condition typically called "leaky gut" in people. "This study provides evidence that green tea encourages the growth of good gut bacteria, and that leads to a series of benefits that significantly lower the risk of obesity," said Richard Bruno, the study's lead author and a professor at The Ohio State University...

A recent study has discovered a link between second-hand smoking and development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The study, published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, found out that exposure to second-hand smoking increases the risk of various diseases and the researchers investigated the link between exposure to second-hand smoking and CKD. The study included 131,196 never-smokers who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study from 2001 to 2014. Participants were classified into 3 groups based on the frequency of second-hand smoke exposure as assessed with survey questionnaires: no-exposure, less than 3 days per week of exposure, and 3 or more days per week of exposure. Participants with less than three days per week and those with three or more days per week of exposure had 1.48-times and 1.44-times higher odds of having CKD when compared with participants with no second-hand cigarette exposure "Second-hand smoke expo...

A new study revealed that patients receiving hormone therapy as a part of their gender-transition treatment are at an elevated risk of developing cardiovascular diseases , including strokes, heart attacks and blood clots. The study was published in 'Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association'. The results are based on an analysis of medical records of 3,875 Dutch individuals who received hormone treatment between 1972and 2015 as part of their gender transition. "In light of our results, we urge both physicians and transgender individuals to be aware of this increased cardiovascular risk," said study author Nienke Nota. "It may be helpful to reduce risk factors by stopping smoking, exercising, eating a healthy diet and losing weight, if needed before starting therapy, and clinicians should continue to evaluate patients on an ongoing basis thereafter," Nota added. Past research has shown that hormone therapy increases cardiovascula...

Smoking may damage the immune response against melanoma and limit patients' survival chances, according to a new study. Melanoma patients with a history of smoking cigarettes are 40 per cent less likely to survive their skin cancer than people who have never smoked within a decade after their diagnosis, according to the study, published in the journal Cancer Research. Other researchers have reported that smoking have adverse effects on the immune system, but it is not yet known which chemicals are responsible for this. "The immune system is like an orchestra, with multiple pieces. This research suggests that smoking might disrupt how it works together in tune, allowing the musicians to continue playing but possibly in a more disorganised way," said lead researcher Julia Newton-Bishop, Professor at the University of Leeds. Smoking could directly affect how smokers' bodies deal with the melanoma cancer cells, said the researchers. "Overall, these ...

Consuming a Western diet, low in fibre and high in fat and sugar , can put you at increased risk of developing severe sepsis, researchers say. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found mice that were fed the Western diet showed an increase in chronic inflammation, sepsis severity and higher mortality rates than mice that were fed a normal diet. Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to an infection. It can lead to shock and organ failure. It is one of the most common cause of death worldwide. According to the researchers, including Brooke Napier from the Portland State University, the mice had more severe sepsis and were dying faster because of something in their diet, not because of the weight gain or microbiome, the body's community of bacteria. "The mice's immune system on the Western diet looked and functioned differently. It looks like the diet is manipulating...

Vitamin D, commonly known as the "sunshine vitamin", can combat tuberculosis (TB) bacteria found in the lungs of people with multi-drug resistant TB, according to latest research. The study showed that when added to antibiotic treatment, vitamin D was found to treat TB specifically in patients with multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB. The vitamin D supplementation was also found to be safe at the doses administered, with no links to serious adverse events, findings further revealed in the European Respiratory Journal. "Multi-drug resistant TB is on the rise globally. It's notoriously difficult to treat, and it carries a much worse prognosis than standard TB," said Lead Researcher Adrian Martineau, Professor from Queen Mary University of London. "Our study raises the possibility that vitamin D -- which is very safe and inexpensive -- could benefit this hard-to-treat group of patients by taking a novel approach to their treatment," said Martine...

The composition of breastmilk changes in pregnant women on probiotics, a recent study suggests. The finding, published in the Journal of JAMA Pediatrics, upends what scientists thought of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) -- the sugar molecules found exclusively in human breast milk -- and could lead to future studies on how the compounds can be potentially influenced by diet and other factors. Though HMOs are indigestible for a newborn child, they are consumed by certain species in the microbiome and can significantly affect its composition. As a result, scientists have begun focusing on HMOs as a possible reason that infants who consume breastmilk are less likely to get certain viral and bacterial infections, and other severe conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis, along with allergic diseases like a food allergy. The study analysed data from 81 pregnant women who were enrolled in a probiotic supplementation study in Finland. The researchers then compared 20 diff...

I t is natural for parents to protect their children from any harm, including the endless array of germs they are exposed to every day. As children grow up, they are continuously exposed to various germs, especially in places such as daycare centres and preschool. Children with low immunity are highly susceptible to various types of infections. The high incidence of infections has led to an increased and inappropriate use of antibiotics, which has further resulted in antimicrobial resistance . Antimicrobial resistance, a widespread problem, takes places when microbes build resistance against the medications intended to kill them due to overuse. It is one of the world's most pressing public health problems. The best way to tackle this is to build a strong immunity, which naturally protects your child from infections. Dr. Rajesh Kumawat, Head - Medical Services & Clinical Development, The Himalaya Drug Company, shares a few tips that can help boost your child's i...

Patients suffering from cancer and those treated with chemotherapy may be at 40 per cent increased risk of developing shingles, compared with those not having cancer, finds a new study. Shingles (herpes zoster) -- marked by painful rashes and skin blisters -- is caused by the varicella zoster virus that causes chickenpox. The virus remains dormant in the body but causes shingles if it reactivates later in life. The study showed that patients with a blood-related cancer had the greatest shingles risk of more than three times compared to people without cancer, the Health Day reported. The higher risk among blood cancer patients was present two years before their cancer diagnosis. In addition, those with a solid tumour including cancer in the lung, breast, prostate or other organs had a 30 per cent higher risk of shingles than people without cancer, lead researcher Jiahui Qian from the University of New South Wales in Australia was quoted as saying. Read More ...

Searching for ways to avoid getting sick this winter? Regular exercises and meditation may help ward off cold and flu, a study says. The study published in the journal PLoS One included 390 adults who were divided into three groups. The first group undertook meditation classes for eight weeks, while the second took exercise classes for eight weeks. The third group took neither of the classes. However, all the groups had to receive flu shots . According to Madison.com, the maximum numbers of cold and flu incidents were recorded in the third group, where the members had to miss 105 working days due to 134 respiratory infection episodes. Meanwhile, the meditation group had 112 respiratory infection episodes, for which they missed 73 days of work and the exercise group had 120 episodes and missed 82 days of work. However, exercises and meditation enabled the meditation group to cope up with the cold and flu situation by 17 per cent, while the exercise-only group could ...

Winter brings with it a number of health issues , from dry skin and common colds to joint pains and respiratory troubles. Things get worse because of the pollution in the air. So it is important to prepare your body to battle with winter health issues by improving your immunity. One of the reasons for respiratory illness is exposure to cold. Staying outdoors for long periods leads to common cold, allergies, nasal congestion and fever. Elders and children are more vulnerable to this winter onslaught. It is thus important to take care of your health by adopting some healthy habits. The simplest of solution is to ensure that you are physically prepared -- by wearing warm clothes and being active. Toes, ears, nose and fingers are most vulnerable, so make sure they are covered. The other easy habit to stay healthy is to drink plenty of water and moisturise your skin daily. A key factor in keeping immunity levels high is a diet that is made up of healthy, nutritious foo...

A recent study has found a link between age-related hearing loss and depression . The findings suggest the greater the hearing loss in elderly individuals, the greater the risk of having depressive symptoms . Thus, the treatment of age-related hearing loss could be one way to head off late-life depression. The study was published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. "Most people over age 70 have at least mild hearing loss, yet relatively few are diagnosed, much less treated, for this condition," said lead author Justin S. Golub. "Hearing loss is easy to diagnose and treat, and treatment may be even more important if it can help ease or prevent depression." Age-related hearing loss is the third-most common chronic condition in older adults. The condition is known to raise the risk of other conditions, such as cognitive impairment and dementia. Read More Business Standard

Training lay people to conduct HIV testing can be an effective approach to reach high-risk populations and prevent the spread of the infection throughout the world, a study has found. Lay providers can serve as a critical addition to efforts to help achieve the United Nations' global HIV targets by 2020 and help to cover the "last mile" of HIV services to at-risk populations. The study -- published in PLOS ONE -- suggests that community-based HIV testing is an effective approach to reach people at risk of HIV who have never been tested or test infrequently. Key at-risk populations include people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and first-time HIV testers. A cross-sectional survey of 1,230 individuals tested by lay providers found that 74 per cent of clients belonged to at-risk populations, 67 per cent were first-time HIV testers, and 85 per cent preferred lay provider testing to facility-based testing. Read More ...

Scientists have developed a unique anti-viral composition that can effectively provide protection against several influenza A viruses such as H1N1 , H3N2 , H5N1 and H7N9 . Influenza, a contagious respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat and lungs, is among the leading causes of death, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The new anti-viral composition is made up of three siRNAs (small interfering ribonucleic acids) targeted at three genes and encapsulated in hybrid polyelectrolyte microcapsules, the Sputnik reported. The results will be used to develop a drug to prevent and treat the viral infection, according to Alexander Timin from the Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia. The team developed 11 new siRNAs with anti-viral activity in vitro that can suppress conserved and consensus sequences in the genome of the influenza A virus on the NS, PA and NP genes. Anti-viral properties were screened and three siRNAs -- PA-1630, NP...

Turns out, a high cholesterol diet can trigger changes in the immune system that can lead to a serious form of fatty liver disease . Known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), it eventually progresses to cirrhosis or liver cancer, especially in those with obesity or Type 2 diabetes . Researchers at Keck School of Medicine found how a toxic combination of dietary fat and cholesterol impacts the behaviour of macrophages, a type of white blood cell, in the liver. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Hepatology. Using a mouse model, the study detailed the cascade of events in the immune system that eventually leads to the type of liver inflammation and scarring that is commonly seen in patients with NASH. "Despite its increasing prevalence and burden to the health care system, there are currently no food and drug administration-approved therapies for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease," said Hugo Rosen, study's corresponding author...

Exposure to cannabis can alter the genetic profile of sperms in men, and possibly affect the children too, a recent study suggests. As legal access to marijuana continues to expand across the U.S., more scientists are studying the effects of its active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in teens, adults and pregnant women.    Experiments in rats and a study with 24 men found that THC appears to target genes in two major cellular pathways and alters DNA methylation , a process essential for normal development. "What we have found is that the effects of cannabis use on males and their reproductive health are not completely null, in that there's something about cannabis use that affects the genetic profile in sperm," said Scott Kollins, senior author of the study. The study defined regular users as those who smoked marijuana at least weekly for the previous six months. Their sperm was compared to those who had not used marijuana in the past six month...

Being anxious or depressed can increase risks for heart disease and stroke, the same as smoking and obesity, according to a new study, that underscores the importance of treating mental health conditions. The findings showed that people with high levels of anxiety and depression are at 65 per cent higher risk for a heart condition, 64 per cent for stroke, 50 per cent for high blood pressure and 87 per cent for arthritis. "These increased odds are similar to those of participants who are smokers or are obese," said lead author Andrea Niles, from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). However, the study published in the journal Health Psychology, showed that cancer was found as an exception to conditions impacted by depression and anxiety. "Our findings are in line with a lot of other studies showing that psychological distress is not a strong predictor of many types of cancer," said co-author Aoife O'Donovan from the UCSF. Read ...

Turns out, teenagers dealing with stress because of their families may affect certain processes in the body, including blood pressure and the immune system . The researchers at the Penn State explored the strategies adolescents used to deal with chronic family stress and their effects on various metabolic and immune processes in the body. Strategies could include cognitive reappraisal -- trying to think of the stressor in a more positive way -- and suppression, or inhibiting the expression of emotions in reaction to a stressor. The team found that when faced with greater chronic family stress, teens, who used cognitive reappraisal, had better metabolic measures. "These changes are not something that will detrimentally impact anyone's health within a week or two, but that over years or decades could make a difference," said Hannah Schreier, a researcher. "That may be how small changes in metabolic or inflammatory outcomes may become associated with...

Turns out, undergoing a weekly, whole-body massage can help patients with arthritis (in their knees) experience significant improvement in pain and mobility. Researchers at the Duke University suggested that massage can offer a safe and effective complement to the management of knee osteoarthritis, at least in the short term. The finding of the study appeared in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. " Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability and affects more than 30 million people in America," said lead author Adam Perlman. "Medications are available, but many patients experience adverse side effects, raising the need for alternatives. This study demonstrates that massage has the potential to be one such option." Scientists enrolled 200 patients with osteoarthritis in their knees. Patients were randomly divided into three groups: those who received a one-hour, weekly Swedish massage for eight weeks; those who received a light-touch ...

important protection against drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria . Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health tracked 101 hog farm workers and 79 household members for four months, taking nasal swabs and asking questions about face mask use. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives. The researchers found that for workers who wore face masks consistently during the four-month study, witnessed a 50 to 70 percent reduction in the likelihood of finding dangerous, livestock-derived S. aureus strains in their swabs and household members appeared to be protected too. "Face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) could be effective in reducing occupational exposure to livestock-associated S. aureus and preventing the spread of these bacteria to workers and their families," said study's lead author Christopher D. Heaney. Read More Business Standard