Do you fear for your health or feel exhausted all the time? Are you overweight? Or do you just have too much belly fat? Do you suffer from diabetes, monitor your blood sugar all the time, have serious blood sugar and insulin imbalances, or have elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglyceride levels? If so, you may find this remarkable story of one my patient's very interesting.
One evening, after a lecture in New York, a man approached me about becoming my patient. He was rotund, with a round, ruddy face, a booming voice, and a gentle manner. Everything about him was large--his appetite, his belly, and his heart.
Health & Wellness
UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have provided the most extensive account to date of the unique observable characteristics seen in patients with an extremely rare premature aging syndrome.
The findings, reported online and in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggest that patients with atypical progeroid syndrome (APS) should not be lumped together with those diagnosed with two similar but more well-defined accelerated aging disorders called progeria and mandibuloacral dysplasia (MAD).
"Before this paper, APS was not recognized as a distinct disease," said Dr. Abhimanyu Garg, professor of internal medicine in the Center for Human Nutrition at UT Southwestern and the study's lead author. "Although APS is extremely rare, we believe it should be a distinct entity, particularly since it seems to be less severe than either of the related disorders, and the patients show unique clinical features and metabolic abnormalities."
There are currently 24 reported cases of APS worldwide, including the 11 evaluated in the recent UT Southwestern study.
The findings, reported online and in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, suggest that patients with atypical progeroid syndrome (APS) should not be lumped together with those diagnosed with two similar but more well-defined accelerated aging disorders called progeria and mandibuloacral dysplasia (MAD).
"Before this paper, APS was not recognized as a distinct disease," said Dr. Abhimanyu Garg, professor of internal medicine in the Center for Human Nutrition at UT Southwestern and the study's lead author. "Although APS is extremely rare, we believe it should be a distinct entity, particularly since it seems to be less severe than either of the related disorders, and the patients show unique clinical features and metabolic abnormalities."
There are currently 24 reported cases of APS worldwide, including the 11 evaluated in the recent UT Southwestern study.
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Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that cannot be produced by the body and are supplied from food intake. Oily fish like salmon, walnuts and ground flax seeds are rich sources of these fatty acids.
While the cardioprotective benefits of these fats had long been recognized, the new study, however, is the first to report their benefits to brain health.
According to the study published in Behavioral Neuroscience, two omega-3 fatty acids known as docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid play a critical role in maintaining the health of the nervous system.
A study of killers in Victoria has identified startling links between mental illness and homicide, with four out of every five women who kill found to have suffered a mental disorder before offending.
Among men who kill, one in three was diagnosed with a mental disorder.
Mental health problems across both groups included depression and personality disorders, but most common was schizophrenia, which was diagnosed for 38 of the 435 killers. Men with schizophrenia were found to be eight times more likely to kill, and women with schizophrenia 29 times more likely to kill, than non-sufferers.
The findings come as the former clinical director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Paul Mullen, said Victoria had gone too far in de-institutionalising mental health.
Now a Monash University professor emeritus of forensic psychiatry, he said the push for ever shorter hospital stays meant many people with serious disorders such as schizophrenia were not adequately treated.
Among men who kill, one in three was diagnosed with a mental disorder.
Mental health problems across both groups included depression and personality disorders, but most common was schizophrenia, which was diagnosed for 38 of the 435 killers. Men with schizophrenia were found to be eight times more likely to kill, and women with schizophrenia 29 times more likely to kill, than non-sufferers.
The findings come as the former clinical director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Paul Mullen, said Victoria had gone too far in de-institutionalising mental health.
Now a Monash University professor emeritus of forensic psychiatry, he said the push for ever shorter hospital stays meant many people with serious disorders such as schizophrenia were not adequately treated.
Progression to daily marijuana use in adolescence may hasten the onset of symptoms leading up to psychosis, an Emory University study finds. The study was published in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The researchers analyzed data from 109 hospitalized patients who were experiencing their first psychotic episode. The results showed that patients who had a history of using marijuana, or cannabis, and increased to daily pot smoking experienced both psychotic and pre-psychotic symptoms at earlier ages.
"We were surprised that it wasn't just whether or not they used cannabis in adolescence that predicted the age of onset, rather it was how quickly they progressed to becoming a daily cannabis user that was the stronger predictor," said Michael Compton, lead author and assistant professor of psychiatry in the Emory School of Medicine.
The researchers analyzed data from 109 hospitalized patients who were experiencing their first psychotic episode. The results showed that patients who had a history of using marijuana, or cannabis, and increased to daily pot smoking experienced both psychotic and pre-psychotic symptoms at earlier ages.
"We were surprised that it wasn't just whether or not they used cannabis in adolescence that predicted the age of onset, rather it was how quickly they progressed to becoming a daily cannabis user that was the stronger predictor," said Michael Compton, lead author and assistant professor of psychiatry in the Emory School of Medicine.
A new study led by a team of researchers at New York Medical College suggests that that medical liability concerns may be playing a role in the increase of MRSA in healthcare settings by encouraging clinicians to prescribe antibiotics more often and more broadly than clinical circumstances and evidence-based guidelines warrant.
The study appeared in the September-October issue of the American Journal of Therapeutics.
The team analyzed census figures, statistics on population density of attorneys and physicians, and data on antibiotic utilization for the United States, Canada, and 15 European countries. They compared this to statistics on the percentage of methicillin resistance among clinical isolates of S. aureus. They found a strong correlation between the prevalence of methicillin resistance and density of attorneys in countries in Europe and North America. They found no correlation between prevalence of methicillin resistance and physician density.
The study appeared in the September-October issue of the American Journal of Therapeutics.
The team analyzed census figures, statistics on population density of attorneys and physicians, and data on antibiotic utilization for the United States, Canada, and 15 European countries. They compared this to statistics on the percentage of methicillin resistance among clinical isolates of S. aureus. They found a strong correlation between the prevalence of methicillin resistance and density of attorneys in countries in Europe and North America. They found no correlation between prevalence of methicillin resistance and physician density.
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have uncovered fundamental differences between the bone which makes up the skull and the bones in our limbs, which they believe could hold the key to tackling bone weakness and fractures.
It is well know that bones in the arms and legs become weak and vulnerable to breaks when they are not maintained by weight bearing exercise. However skull bone, which bears almost no weight remains particularly resistant to breaking.
The new research published in PLoS ONE offers an explanation for this phenomenon for the first time. The researchers say that their new understanding of the differences between the two types of bone could lead to new ways to treat or prevent osteoporosis.
It is well know that bones in the arms and legs become weak and vulnerable to breaks when they are not maintained by weight bearing exercise. However skull bone, which bears almost no weight remains particularly resistant to breaking.
The new research published in PLoS ONE offers an explanation for this phenomenon for the first time. The researchers say that their new understanding of the differences between the two types of bone could lead to new ways to treat or prevent osteoporosis.
The emu, a native of Australia, is a large, ostrich looking bird that doesn't fly. The Australian Aborigines first discovered the benefits of emu oil and have been using it for thousands of years for bone, muscle and joint pain, as an anti-inflammatory and for many skin conditions. The west is finally taking notice of this remarkable oil.
© iStockphoto/Beth Jeppson
Why does a human baby need a full year before it can start walking, while a newborn foal gets up on its legs almost directly after birth?
Why does a human baby need a full year before it can start walking, while a newborn foal gets up on its legs almost directly after birth?
The findings are published in the journal PNAS.
The Lund group consists of neurophysiologists Martin Garwicz and Maria Christensson and developmental psychologist Elia Psouni. Contrary to convention, they used conception and not birth as the starting point of motor development in their comparison between different mammals. This revealed astonishing similarities among species that diverged in evolution as much as 100 million years ago. -- Humans certainly have more brain cells and bigger brains than most other terrestrial mammalian species, but with respect to walking, brain development appears to be similar for us and other mammals. Our study demonstrates that the difference is quantitative, not qualitative, says Martin Garwicz.
A new study links chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, with increased activity of cells that act as sentinels to activate the body's immune system.
The University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs research adds to growing awareness of the immune system's role in COPD, a serious, progressive lung disease that affects more than 12 million Americans with wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightening and other symptoms. Understanding immune factors is key if doctors are to find better ways to detect and treat the disease early when patients might benefit most, believe some COPD researchers.
Nearly all people diagnosed with COPD have emphysema or chronic bronchitis or most commonly, both conditions. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Most people with COPD are smokers or former smokers.
The University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs research adds to growing awareness of the immune system's role in COPD, a serious, progressive lung disease that affects more than 12 million Americans with wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightening and other symptoms. Understanding immune factors is key if doctors are to find better ways to detect and treat the disease early when patients might benefit most, believe some COPD researchers.
Nearly all people diagnosed with COPD have emphysema or chronic bronchitis or most commonly, both conditions. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Most people with COPD are smokers or former smokers.
