Bad bosses may damage your heart

I read a good article which found from BBC UK; Bad Bossess May Damage Your Heart. I'm happy to read the article and I think you should to know this information. It's a good for all employees.

Inconsiderate bosses not only make work stressful, they may also increase the risk of heart disease for their employees, experts believe.

A Swedish team found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men. And the effect may be cumulative - the risk went up the longer an employee worked for the same company. The study is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.


Stressful environment

Experts said that feeling undervalued and unsupported at work can cause stress, which often fosters unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking, that can lead to heart disease. Previous work has shown that unfair bosses can drive up their employees' blood pressure, and persistent high blood pressure can increase heart disease risk.

For the latest study, researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University tracked the heart health of the male employees, aged between 19 and 70 and working in the Stockholm area, over a period of nearly a decade.

During this time 74 cases of fatal and non-fatal heart attack or acute angina, or death from ischaemic heart disease, occurred. All the participants were asked to rate the leadership style of their senior managers on competencies such as how clearly they set out goals for their staff and how good they were at communicating and giving feedback.

The staff who deemed their senior managers to be the least competent had a 25% higher risk of a serious heart problem. And those working for what was classed as a long time - four years or more - had a 64% higher risk.

The findings held true, regardless of educational attainment, social class, income, workload, lifestyle factors, such as smoking and exercise, and other risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The researchers, which included experts from University College London in the UK and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, said that if a direct cause and effect was confirmed, then managers' behaviour should be targeted in a bid to stave off serious heart disease among less senior employees. They said managers should give employees clear work objectives and sufficient power in relation to their responsibilities.

Cathy Ross, cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, said: "This limited, male-only study suggests that a good, clear working relationship with your manager may help to protect against heart disease.

"Feeling undervalued and unsupported can cause stress, which often leads to unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, eating a poor diet, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise - adding to your risk of developing heart problems.

"Being fit and active can give you the double benefit of busting work stress and boosting your heart health at the same time."

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Too much paracetamol may cause liver damage

Many researchers were surprised when they found out that too much paracetamol may cause liver damage. Previous studies had shown that Tylenol in combination with hydrocodone caused liver damage and might lead on to liver failure – expert had thought the lover toxicity was associated with hydrocodone.

Recent studies by Dr Eliam Lee of the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Centre, has documented that 38% of acute live failure cases in 22 hospitals in the United States were associated with excessive paracetamol usage. Also 35% of the study group were found to be suffering from severe liver damage as a result of paracetamol use.

A healthy adult who takes more than 10 to 12 grams in one dose or more than 7.5 grams a day for a longer period, risks liver damage, reports the German Federation of German Apothecary Associations.

In children paracetamol can cause death due to poisoning and serious consequences ranging from hospitalization to permanent disability might occur. The recommended doses for children are even lower. For safety reasons, officially recommended doses of paracetamol were recently ratcheted downward.

As paracetamol is routinely included in combination drug therapies, there is the risk of unintentional overdosing. In general, painkillers that are not prescribed by a doctor should not be taken for more than three consecutive days and no more than 10 days a month.

The consumers must be aware of the potential hazards of paracetamol more so because it might be is being marketed in here. And perhaps, there are no label warnings about the side effects of the drug.


Sources:
bio-medicine.org
M&C

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Be Careful With Your Cat

Scientists found having the mutant FLG gene increased the risk of eczema in a baby's first year twofold, but adding exposure to a cat quadrupled that risk.
The study, of 892 babies born in the UK and Denmark, was published in the Public Library of Science journal. Rates of eczema, which can cause dry, itchy skin and it have been rising in the UK in recent years.

The cause of the condition is not fully understood, but it is known that chemicals which cause allergic reactions do seem to trigger flare-ups.
Scientists believe interplay between these chemicals and our genes may be key to the initial development of the condition.

The potential role played by the FLG gene, which it believes is crucial in maintaining the skin's role as a protective barrier. Some variants of the gene stop it working properly, but faulty genes alone do not explain eczema - as some people appear to carry them and never suffer from the condition.

Environmental factors
The study looked for a connection between "environmental" factors and the triggering of the disease in children. Researchers from universities of Manchester and Copenhagen looked at groups of babies to see what difference exposure to cat, dog and dust mite allergens made to those carrying the variants of the FLG gene.
They found that, on average, the variants on their own roughly doubled the chances of eczema in the first 12 months of life. In those families who also owned cats at the time of the birth, the risk was almost quadrupled.

There was no significant increase in the risk if there was dog or dust-mite exposure. According to researchers, cat but not dog ownership substantially increases the risk of eczema in the first year of life in children with FLG 'loss of function' variants. Dr Michael Cork, a dermatology expert from the University of Sheffield, said the study was relatively small, and the results should be interpreted cautiously. "There is plenty of other evidence that exposure to cats can actually protect against the development of eczema. It is possible that it could actually induce tolerance in children. This is a highly complex area, and any results like this need to be weighed alongside other studies."

Source:
news.bbc.co.uk

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Health News

Too much body fat raises the risk of about a dozen different cancers, according to a major new study that adds to growing evidence linking excess weight to cancer at most sites in the body. British scientists who pooled data from 141 studies on 20 cancer types found a higher body mass index is associated with:

An increased risk of thyroid, kidney and colon cancers, cancer of the esophagus, multiple myeloma (a cancer of the blood cells), leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in both sexes;

- Rectal cancer and malignant melanoma (a deadly skin cancer) in men and;
- And gallbladder, pancreas, endometrial and postmenopausal breast cancers in women.

The study is published in this week's edition of the journal The Lancet.Today, most Canadians are overweight or obese. According to the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, 23 per cent of Canadians aged 18 or older -- about 5.5 million adults -- had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, putting them in the obese category. Another 8.6 million, or 36 per cent, were overweight, with a BMI greater than 25. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight).

Researchers warn fat is becoming the new tobacco: Many of the associations between a bigger body mass and cancer risk were for cancers that aren't related to smoking.

"Conceivably, as cigarette smoking (which is the largest cause of cancers in developed countries) decreases, excess body weight could become the dominant lifestyle factor that contributes to cancer occurrence in such countries," the authors conclude.

And, unlike smoking, it's not known whether it's too late to lower cancer risks once the weight is already on.

"This study is all about preventing weight gain in the first place," says lead author Dr. Andrew Renehan, senior lecturer in cancer studies and surgery at the University of Manchester.

"When you ask populations what do they think are the risk factors for cancers, they all know smoking, they all know about family risk, but not many mention obesity. There's an awareness that needs to be echoed over and over again."

A key report last fall from the World Cancer Research Fund concluded body fat is associated with an increased risk of cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colorectum, post-menopausal breast, endometrium and kidney.

Renehan's group went further. They looked at less common cancers as well, and at differences between sexes and populations to quantify the cancer risks.

The team estimated cancer risk with every five-unit increase in BMI. Overall, the increased cancer risk corresponds to a weight gain of about 37 pounds in men, and 28.6 pounds in women who have an average BMI of 23, or about "the middle of normal weight," Renehan says.

The study reinforces that "the leaner we are, the better off we are in terms of health status," says Dr. David Lau, professor of medicine at the University of Calgary and president of Obesity Canada. He said even people who aren't overweight might benefit "if you can slim off a few pounds. It goes beyond just overweight and obesity."

Just how excess weight increases cancer risk isn't fully understood. One theory is that excess body fat causes changes in circulating concentrations of hormones that can cause cells to proliferate, leading to runaway cancer formation.

It's also possible that fat cells, especially those inside the belly, produce a basket of messengers that may induce cells to become cancer cells.

"The bottom line is that fat cells produce toxins that can wreak havoc, and not just in sugar and lipid metabolism, which can in turn lead to high risk for heart disease and diabetes. We now know this may also be mechanistically linked to the formation of a number of cancers," Lau says.

The team analyzed 141 articles that involved 282,137 cancer cases. In men, a higher BMI raised the risk of esophageal cancer by 52 per cent, thyroid cancer by 33 per cent and colon and kidney cancers each by 24 per cent.

In women, increased BMI raised the risk of endometrial and gallbladder cancer each by 59 per cent, cancer of the esophagus by 51 per cent and kidney cancers by 34 per cent.

The association for colon cancer was stronger in men than in women (24 per cent versus nine per cent). The magnitude of associations between increased BMI and cancer were similar across different populations, though the link between increased body fat and breast cancers was particularly strong in Asia-Pacific populations.

It's unknown whether excess weight in adolescence or early adulthood increases the cancer risk, or whether where the fat is located makes a difference. The team used BMI as a measure of body fat, but some say abdominal or belly fat might be a better predictor of cancer risk, which is the case for cardiovascular disease.

According to an accompanying article, obesity accounts for about 30,000 deaths in the U.K. each year, "and 10 times that" in the U.S., where obesity is now thought to have overtaken smoking as the main preventable cause of sickness and premature death.

It will take "multiple public health approaches to reverse the obesity epidemic, the Swedish authors write, including restricting junk food ads, taxing sugary drinks and other high-calorie, high-fat foods, lowering the cost of healthy foods and promoting physical activity in schools and workplaces.

Sex Diseases Still Rising
Results of a new study find that in the United States, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases are on the rise.

2006 was the second year in a row that saw an increase in all 3 of the leading sexually transmitted diseases, a fact that worries health professionals a great deal.

The CDC study found that chlamydia cases in 2006 topped the 1 million mark, the most cases to be reported since statistics were kept by the CDC starting in 1984.

Compared to 2005, the rate of positive gonorrhea cases rose by 5.5 percent.

Cases of syphilis jumped 13.8 percent from 2005 to 2006, also a sharp increase in cases.

"This is a hidden epidemic," said Dr. Stuart Berman, who helps tracks STDs for the CDC.

"Most people are not aware of how many STDs are out there, the risks that they run and the need for getting regular testing for some of these and treatment -- and having their partners treated. We'd like to see these rates going down."

"The honest truth is that we're on the early part of the learning curve with populations in which traditional approaches to prevention aren't working as effectively," said John Douglas, CDC's director of STD prevention, in a telephone call with reporters.

"When you see that almost half of these infections are among young people, that tells you we have to do a much better job of sex education in public schools," said Bill Stackhouse, director of the Institute for Gay Men's Health in New York, in a telephone interview today.

Source:
world top news

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Cancer Found More Often in Dense Breast

Past research has shown that women with "dense" breasts are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than women whose breasts are less "dense." Dense breasts contain more glandular and connective tissue. Less dense breasts are mainly made up of fat tissue. Every woman has different amounts of the different types of tissue in her breasts.

Breast cancer itself is made up of dense tissue. This means that, on a mammogram, a tumor is harder to spot in dense tissue than in fatty tissue, because the tumor looks a lot like the tissue around it. So one possible explanation for the higher rate of breast cancer in women with dense breasts is that mammograms are less likely to find tumors early in those women. But researchers don't believe this is the whole story. Past research suggests some type of link between dense breasts and a higher risk for breast cancer.
The link isn't a direct, cause-and-effect connection: Just because a breast is dense doesn't mean it's more likely to have cancer develop in it. Instead, researchers believe that breast density and breast cancer risk may BOTH be affected by the same inherited genes. To prove this, researchers first have to be sure that both breast cancer risk and breast density are in fact affected by inheritance (genetics).
Breast cancer risk is already known to be at least partly inherited. We know that you have a higher risk if other people in your family have been affected by the disease.
But what about breast density? Previous studies have shown that age, menopausal status, weight, and number of children account for just 20% to 30% of the variation in breast density among women.
In order to determine how much of the REMAINING variation in breast density is due to inherited, or genetic, factors, researchers decided to study groups of twins.
Twins are good study subjects because they share genetic backgrounds and usually—at least during childhood—live in the same environment. Identical twins have exactly the same genes, while fraternal twins share only some of their genes. By comparing groups of identical and fraternal twins, researchers can look at how much certain traits are affected by genes and how much they're affected by environment.
For example, if pairs of identical twins who grew up in the same household have very similar musical abilities, while fraternal twins who grew up in the same household have very different musical abilities, researchers might conclude that genes have a stronger effect than environmental factors on musical ability.
The women in the study were between the ages of 40 and 70, had either undergone or were willing to undergo mammography, and did NOT have breast cancer.
In addition to studying the women's mammograms, researchers asked all of the twins to complete questionnaires about their:
• weight
• height
• exercise patterns
• smoking history
• alcohol consumption patterns
• menstrual and reproductive histories
• use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy.

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Source: www.breastcancer.org

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Nicotine

Nicotine is an organic compound, an alkaloid found naturally throughout the tobacco plant, with a high concentration in the leaves. It constitutes 0.3 to 5% of the plant by dry weight, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots, and accumulates in the leaves. It is a potent nerve poison and is included in many insecticides. In lower concentrations, the substance is a stimulant and is one of the main factors leading to the pleasure and habit-forming qualities of tobacco smoking. Nicotine has limited carcinogenic effects, inhibiting the body's ability to destroy potentially cancerous cells; however, nicotine does not promote the development of cancer in healthy cells. In addition to the tobacco plant, nicotine is also found in lower quantities in other members of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, which includes tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. Nicotine alkaloids are also found in the leaves of the coca plant.

Chemistry Nicotine is a hygroscopic oily liquid that is miscible with water in its base form. As a nitrogenous base, nicotine forms salts with acids that are usually solid and water soluble. Nicotine easily penetrates the skin and forms vapors at elevated temperature.

Effects on the body In small doses nicotine has a stimulating effect, increasing activity, alertness and memory. Repeat users report a pleasant relaxing effect. It also increases the heart rate and blood pressure and reduces the appetite. In large doses it may cause vomiting and nausea. The LD50 of nicotine (that is, the lethal dosage reported to kill 50% of the population) is 50 mg/kg for rats and 3 mg/kg for mice. 40-60 mg can be a lethal dosage for adult human beings.

Repeat users of nicotine very often develop a physical dependency to the chemical. A report released on May 16, 1988 by United States Surgeon General C. Everett Koop stated that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine; although many people do not agree with such a comparison. Physical withdrawal symptoms include irritability, headaches, anxiety, cognitive disturbances and sleep disruption. These symptoms peak at around 48-72 hours, and generally cease after two to six weeks.

Although the amount of nicotine inhaled with tobacco smoke is quite small (most of the substance is destroyed by the heat) it is still sufficient to cause dependence. The amount of nicotine absorbed by the body from smoking depends on many factors, including the type of tobacco, whether the smoke is inhaled, and whether a filter is used. For chewing tobacco,or snus which is held in the mouth between the lip and gum, the amount released into the body tends to be much greater than smoked tobacco.

As nicotine enters the body, it quickly gets distributed through the bloodstream and can cross the blood-brain barrier. On average it takes about seven seconds for the substance to reach the brain. It acts on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In small concentrations it increases the activity of these receptors, among other things leading to an increased flow of adrenaline, a stimulating hormone. The release of adrenaline causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and respiration, as well as higher glucose levels in the blood. Cotinine is a break-down product of nicotine which remains in the blood for up to 48 hours, and so can be used as an indicator of a person's exposure to smoke. In high doses, nicotine will cause a depolarizing block of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which is the reason for its toxicity and its effectiveness as an insecticide.

In addition, nicotine increases dopamine levels in the reward circuits of the brain. Studies have shown that smoking tobacco inhibits monoamine oxidase (MAO), an enzyme responsible for breaking down monoaminergic neurotransmitters such as dopamine, in the brain. It is currently believed that nicotine by itself does not inhibit the production of monoamine oxidase (MAO), but that other ingredients in inhaled tobacco smoke are believed to be responsible for this activity. In this way, it generates feelings of pleasure. This reaction is similar to that caused by cocaine and heroin, and is another reason people keep smoking: to sustain high dopamine levels.

It has been noted that the majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia smoke tobacco. Estimates for the number of schizophrenics that smoke range from 75% to 90%. It is argued that the increased level of smoking in schizophrenia may be due to a desire to self-medicate with nicotine. [1] [2]

Nicotine and its metabolites are being researched for the treatment of a number of disorders, including ADHD, Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease.

The carcinogenic properties of nicotine in standalone form, i.e. separate from tobacco smoke, have not been evaluated by the IARC, and it has not been assigned to an official carcinogen group. The currently available data indicates that nicotine on its own does not promote the development of cancer in healthy tissue, and has no mutagenic properties. Its teratogenic properties have not yet been adequately researched, and while the likelihood of birth defects caused by nicotine is believed to be very small or nonexistent, nicotine replacement product manufacturers recommend consultation with a physician before using a nicotine patch or nicotine gum while pregnant or nursing. However, nicotine and the increased acetylcholinic activity it causes have been shown to impede apoptosis, which is one of the means used by the body to destroy unwanted cells (programmed cell death). Since apoptosis helps remove mutated or damaged cells that may evolve into cancerous tissue, its inhibition by nicotine creates more favourable conditions for cancer to develop once the initial mutations have occurred. Thus, in combination with the numerous potent carcinogens in tobacco smoke, nicotine plays a role in carcinogenesis and may be considered to be a carcinogen on those grounds. It is also important to note that its addictive properties are often the primary motivating factor for tobacco smoking, contributing to the proliferation of cancer.

Therapeutic uses.
The primary therapeutic use of nicotine is in treating nicotine dependence. Controlled levels of nicotine are given to a patient through gums, dermal patches, or nasal sprays in an effort to wean them off of their dependence.

Recent studies have indicated that nicotine can be used to help adults suffering from autosomal dominant frontal lobe epilepsy. The same areas that cause seizures in that form of epilepsy are also responsible for processing nicotine in the brain.

History and name.
Nicotine is named after the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum which in turn is named after Jean Nicot, who sent tobacco seeds from Portugal to Paris in 1550 and promoted its medicinal use. It was first isolated in 1828; its molecular formula was established in 1843 and it was first synthesized in 1904.

source: encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/nicotine

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Menstrual Cycle

Pain During Menstruation. In one type of painful menstruation, doctors cannot find any problem with the reproductive organs. This common disorder tends to affect about half of all young women fairly soon after they first begin to menstruate. Painful contractions may occur as the uterine walls release natural substances called prostaglandins. Psychological factors may play a role.

Most women begin to menstruate between 11 and 13 years of age and continue until they reach menopause some 40 years later. Although the "normal" cycle is 28 days, there is no cause for concern if periods are spaced 25 to 34 days apart, since precise regularity is rare. During the "typical" 3-to-5 day menstrual period, the average woman loses less than 2 ounces of blood.

The first menstrual period separates childhood from adolescence. Along with breast enlargement and the growth of pubic hair, it signals a young woman's sexual maturity. This monthly vaginal discharge of blood, secretions, and cells from the surface of the uterus is the final step in a complex cycle that prepares the body to conceive a child.

Each cycle begins when, responding to a cascade of hormones, a dormant egg cell within one of the ovaries begins to ripen. Cells around the maturing egg release the female hormone estrogen, prompting the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) to thicken in preparation for receipt of a fertilized egg.

When it reaches maturity, the developing egg bursts from the ovary and begins its trip down the fallopian tube to the uterus in a process called ovulation. The supporting cells left behind after ovulation then began to manufacture another hormone, progesterone, in addition to estrogen. This second hormone fosters further growth in the lining of the uterus.

If fertilization does not take place, the ovum dies and production of estrogen and progesterone stops. Robbed of its sustaining hormones, the thickened lining of the uterus begins to break down. The dead endometrial cells, along with a little blood, are then discharged in the menstrual flow.

Normal menstruation depends on the delicate orchestration of the hormones that govern development of the egg. The menstrual cycle can also be affected by disease, diet, emotions, and defective development of the reproductive organs.

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Bone Health

5 Steps to bone health

1. Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D.
2. Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise.
3. Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol.
4. Talk to your doctor about bone health.
5. Have a bone density test and take medication when appropriate

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