Monthly Archives: July 2013

“Intelligent knife” tells surgeon if tissue is cancerous

July 21, 2013   Org Medlines   1 Comment
intelligent knife

Scientists have developed an “intelligent knife” that can tell surgeons immediately whether the tissue they are cutting is cancerous or not.

In the first study to test the invention in the operating theatre, the “iKnife” diagnosed tissue samples from 91 patients with 100 per cent accuracy, instantly providing information that normally takes up to half an hour to reveal using laboratory tests.

The findings, by researchers at Imperial College London, are published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, the European Research Council and the Hungarian National Office for Research and Technology.

In cancers involving solid tumours, removal of the cancer in surgery is generally the best hope for treatment. The surgeon normally takes out the tumour with a margin of healthy tissue. However, it is often impossible to tell by sight which tissue is cancerous. One in five breast cancer patients who have surgery require a second operation to fully remove the cancer. In cases of uncertainty, the removed tissue is sent to a lab for examination while the patient remains under general anaesthetic.

The iKnife is based on electrosurgery, a technology invented in the 1920s that is commonly used today. Electrosurgical knives use an electrical current to rapidly heat tissue, cutting through it while minimising blood loss. In doing so, they vaporise the tissue, creating smoke that is normally sucked away by extraction systems.

The inventor of the iKnife, Dr Zoltan Takats of Imperial College London, realised that this smoke would be a rich source of biological information. To create the iKnife, he connected an electrosurgical knife to a mass spectrometer, an analytical instrument used to identify what chemicals are present in a sample. Different types of cell produce thousands of metabolites in different concentrations, so the profile of chemicals in a biological sample can reveal information about the state of that tissue.

In the new study, the researchers first used the iKnife to analyse tissue samples collected from 302 surgery patients, recording the characteristics of thousands of cancerous and non-cancerous tissues, including brain, lung, breast, stomach, colon and liver tumours to create a reference library. The iKnife works by matching its readings during surgery to the reference library to determine what type of tissue is being cut, giving a result in less than three seconds.

The technology was then transferred to the operating theatre to perform real-time analysis during surgery. In all 91 tests, the tissue type identified by the iKnife matched the post-operative diagnosis based on traditional methods.

While the iKnife was being tested, surgeons were unable to see the results of its readings. The researchers hope to carry out a clinical trial to see whether giving surgeons access to the iKnife’s analysis can improve patients’ outcomes.

“These results provide compelling evidence that the iKnife can be applied in a wide range of cancer surgery procedures,” Dr Takats said. “It provides a result almost instantly, allowing surgeons to carry out procedures with a level of accuracy that hasn’t been possible before. We believe it has the potential to reduce tumour recurrence rates and enable more patients to survive.”

Although the current study focussed on cancer diagnosis, Dr Takats says the iKnife can identify many other features, such as tissue with an inadequate blood supply, or types of bacteria present in the tissue. He has also carried out experiments using it to distinguish horsemeat from beef.

Professor Jeremy Nicholson, Head of the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, who co-authored the study, said: “The iKnife is one manifestation of several advanced chemical profiling technologies developed in our labs that are contributing to surgical decision-making and real-time diagnostics. These methods are part of a new framework of patient journey optimisation that we are building at Imperial to help doctors diagnose disease, select the best treatments, and monitor individual patients’ progress as part our personalised healthcare plan.”

Lord Darzi, Professor of Surgery at Imperial College London, who also co-authored the study, said: “In cancer surgery, you want to take out as little healthy tissue as possible, but you have to ensure that you remove all of the cancer. There is a real need for technology that can help the surgeon determine which tissue to cut out and which to leave in. This study shows that the iKnife has the potential to do this, and the impact on cancer surgery could be enormous.”

Lord Howe, Health Minister, said: “We want to be among the best countries in the world at treating cancer and know that new technologies have the potential to save lives. The iKnife could reduce the need for people needing secondary operations for cancer and improve accuracy, and I’m delighted we could support the work of researchers at Imperial College London. This project shows once again how Government funding is putting the UK at the forefront of world-leading health research.”

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_17-7-2013-17-17-32

Dr Takats has obtained his PhD from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. He has worked as a post-doctoral research associate at Purdue University, Indiana, USA. After returning to Hungary, he served as Director of Cell Screen Research Centre and also as Head of Newborn Screening and Metabolic Diagnostic Laboratory at Semmelweis University, Budapest.

Dr Takats was awarded the Starting Grant by the European Research Council in 2008 and he subsequently, became a Junior Research Group Leader at Justus Liebig University, Gießen, Germany.  He moved to the United Kingdom in 2012 and currently works as a Reader at Imperial College London.

Dr Takats has pursued pioneering research in mass spectrometry and he is one of the founders of the field of ‘Ambient Mass Spectrometry’. He is the primary inventor of six mass spectrometric ionization techniques and author of 78 peer reviewed publications. He was the recipient of the prestigious Mattauch-Herzog Award of the German Mass Spectrometry Society and the Hungarian Star Award for Outstanding Innovators. He is the founder of Prosolia Inc, Medimass Ltd and Massprom Ltd, all companies pursuing analytical and medical device development.  

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Portugese doctors heading for the exits

July 21, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
walk-away

Portugese doctors heading for the exits.

Portugal

The number of job seekers signed on at Portuguese unemployment centres had a 22.5% year on year jumpin October and was 1.7% up a month earlier at 695,000, the Employment and Vocational Training Institute(IEFP) announced Thursday.

Youths under 25 were the ones that saw their unemployment rate go up the most.

The IEFP said more people with all levels of schooling were out of work than a year ago, but the biggest jump was for those who had a university degree, up 43%.

The main reason for being out of work continued to be “the end of temporary jobs”.

The areas of the country with the greatest jumps in unemployment were Madeira and the Alentejo.

Meanwhile medical professionals are heading for the exits.

The number of nurses who asked authorisation to work abroad has increased fourfold over the past three years and stands at 2,300 so far in 2012, many of whom with “many years experience”, said the president of the Nursing Association.

Association President Germano Couto said that in 2009 just over 600 had asked to emigrate, with more than 1,000 in 2010 and 1,724 in 2011.

Couto said he was “very concerned” with this wave of emigration as the country “needs nursing care that the citizens are not getting”.

Similarly, the president of the Doctors’ Association said “experienced doctors”, some in their 50s, with very low incomes were being forced to emigrate just to survive.

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Have you heard of Telemedicine?

July 20, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
telemedicine

Have you heard of Telemedicine? What is Telemedicine?

Formally defined, telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services using two-way video, email, smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of telecommunications technology.

Starting out over forty years ago with demonstrations of hospitals extending care to patients in remote areas, the use of telemedicine has spread rapidly and is now becoming integrated into the ongoing operations of hospitals, specialty departments, home health agencies, private physician offices as well as consumer’s homes and workplaces.

Telemedicine is not a separate medical specialty. Products and services related to telemedicine are often part of a larger investment by health care institutions in either information technology or the delivery of clinical care. Even in the reimbursement fee structure, there is usually no distinction made between services provided on site and those provided through telemedicine and often no separate coding required for billing of remote services. ATA(American Telemedicine Association) has historically considered telemedicine and telehealth to be interchangeable terms, encompassing a wide definition of remote healthcare. Patient consultations via video conferencing, transmission of still images, e-health including patient portals, remote monitoring of vital signs, continuing medical education, consumer-focused wireless applications and nursing call centers, among other applications, are all considered part of telemedicine and telehealth.

While the term telehealth is sometimes used to refer to a broader definition of remote healthcare that does not always involve clinical services, ATA uses the terms in the same way one would refer to medicine or health in the common vernacular. Telemedicine is closely allied with the term health information technology (HIT). However, HIT more commonly refers to electronic medical records and related information systems while telemedicine refers to the actual delivery of remote clinical services using technology.

What Services Can Be Provided By Telemedicine?

Sometimes telemedicine is best understood in terms of the services provided and the mechanisms used to provide those services. Here are some examples:

  • Primary care and specialist referral services may involve a primary care or allied health professional providing a consultation with a patient or a specialist assisting the primary care physician in rendering a diagnosis. This may involve the use of live interactive video or the use of store and forward transmission of diagnostic images, vital signs and/or video clips along with patient data for later review.
  • Remote patient monitoring, including home telehealth, uses devices to remotely collect and send data to a home health agency or a remote diagnostic testing facility (RDTF) for interpretation. Such applications might include a specific vital sign, such as blood glucose or heart ECG or a variety of indicators for homebound patients. Such services can be used to supplement the use of visiting nurses.
  • Consumer medical and health information includes the use of the Internet and wireless devices for consumers to obtain specialized health information and on-line discussion groups to provide peer-to-peer support.
  • Medical education provides continuing medical education credits for health professionals and special medical education seminars for targeted groups in remote locations.

What Are the Benefits of Telemedicine?

Telemedicine has been growing rapidly because it offers four fundamental benefits:

  • Improved Access – For over 40 years, telemedicine has been used to bring healthcare services to patients in distant locations. Not only does telemedicine improve access to patients but it also allows physicians and health facilities to expand their reach, beyond their own offices. Given the provider shortages throughout the world–in both rural and urban areas–telemedicine has a unique capacity to increase service to millions of new patients.
  • Cost Efficiencies – Reducing or containing the cost of healthcare is one of the most important reasons for funding and adopting telehealth technologies. Telemedicine has been shown to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer or shorter hospital stays.
  • Improved Quality – Studies have consistently shown that the quality of healthcare services delivered via telemedicine are as good those given in traditional in-person consulations. In some specialties, particularly in mental health and ICU care, telemedicine delivers a superior product, with greater outcomes and patient satisfaction.
  • Patient Demand – Consumers want telemedicine. The greatest impact of telemedicine is on the patient, their family and their community. Using telemedicine technologies reduces travel time and related stresses for the patient. Over the past 15 years study after study has documented patient satisfaction and support for telemedical services. Such services offer patients the access to providers that might not be available otherwise, as well as medical services without the need to travel long distances.

First: visit this site to fully understand how tetelemedicine works. http://www.americantelemed.org/learn

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Potential for MERS Coronavirus to Spread Internationally

July 20, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
98525630-new-respiratory

The life-threatening MERS coronavirus that has emerged in the Middle East could spread faster and wider during two international mass gatherings involving millions of people in the next few months, according to researchers who describe the most likely pathways of international spread based upon worldwide patterns of air travel.

Researchers led by Dr. Kamran Khan of St. Michael’s Hospital encouraged health care providers to learn from the experience of SARS by anticipating rather than reacting to the introduction of MERS in travelers returning from the Middle East. SARS, which was also caused by a previously unknown coronavirus, killed 800 people worldwide a decade ago, including 44 in Toronto, and cost the Canadian economy an estimated $2 billion.

The MERS coronavirus, which appears to have emerged in the Middle East in early 2012, has spread to several countries in Western Europe and North Africa where there have been localized clusters of cases. Worldwide about 80 cases have been confirmed, with a mortality rate of more than 50 per cent.

Dr. Khan said there is potential for the virus to spread faster and wider during two annual events that draw millions of domestic and foreign Muslims to Saudi Arabia. The first is umrah, a pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of year but is considered particularly auspicious during the month of Ramadan, which this year began on July 9 and ends on Aug. 7. The second is the hajj, a five-day pilgrimage required of all physically and financially able Muslims at least once in their life. It takes place Oct. 13-18 this year and is expected to draw more than 3 million people.

Dr. Khan’s team analyzed 2012 worldwide airline traffic and historic hajj data to predict population movements in and out of Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East during these two mass gatherings to help countries assess their potential for MERS introduction via returning travelers and pilgrims. He also used World Bank economic and per capita health care expenditure data to help gauge individual countries’ abilities to detect imported MERS in a timely manner and mount an effective public health response.

Dr. Khan, an infectious disease physician, is the founder of BioDiaspora, a web-based technology that uses global air traffic patterns to predict the international spread of infectious disease. The BioDiaspora platform has been used by numerous international agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization to evaluate emerging infectious disease threats, including those during global mass gatherings such as the Olympics and the hajj.

“With millions of foreign pilgrims set to congregate in Mecca and Medina between Ramadan and the hajj, pilgrims could acquire and subsequently return to their home countries with MERS, either through direct exposure to the as-of-yet unidentified source or through contact with domestic pilgrims who may be infected,” he said.

Dr. Khan’s team found that of the 16.8 million travelers who flew on commercial flights out of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates between June and November 2012 (the period starting one month before Ramadan and ending one month after the hajj) 51.6 per cent had destinations in just eight countries: India (16.3 per cent), Egypt (10.4 per cent), Pakistan (7.8 per cent), Britain (4.3 per cent), Kuwait (3.6 per cent), Bangladesh (3.1 per cent), Iran (3.1 per cent) and Bahrain (2.9 per cent).

Twelve cities–Cairo, Kuwait City, London, Bahrain, Beirut, Mumbai, Dhaka, Karachi, Manila, Kozhikode (India), Istanbul and Jakarta–each received more than 350,000 commercial air travelers between June and November 2012 from the four countries where MERS cases have been traced back to.

In contrast to SARS, where the disease was introduced into predominantly high-income countries through air travel, more than half of all air travelers departing Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and UAE have final destinations in low or lower-middle income countries. Two-thirds of all hajj pilgrims originate from low or lower-middle income countries.

Of particular note is the degree of connectivity between the Middle East and South Asia. Collectively, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal represent the final destinations of nearly one-third of all international air travelers departing Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE, and the origins of roughly one in four foreign hajj pilgrims worldwide.

“Given that these countries have limited resources, they may have difficulty quickly identifying imported MERS cases, implementing rigorous infection control precautions and responding effectively to newly introduced cases,” Dr. Khan said.

Dr. Khan’s previous research suggests that if screening of air travelers for MERS is considered, it would be far more efficient and less disruptive to the world’s air traffic to screen travelers as they leave source areas in the Middle East rather than screen the same travelers as they arrive at other airports around the world. However, all countries receiving pilgrims and other travelers from known MERS areas should mobilize their infectious disease surveillance and public health resources in ways that are commensurate with their potential for MERS introduction, he said.

Educating and preparing front-line health care providers to consider the possibility of MERS in patients is also critical, he said, since that is a necessary first step to implement effective infection control practices that could minimize the risk of spread to others. In the SARS epidemic, delays in considering the diagnosis led to delays in implementing appropriate infection control measures, which in turn enabled SARS to spread within health care institutions.

read more at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130719162253.htm

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Successful growth of the Hungarian recruitment company- Doctors Abroad Ltd.

July 19, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
Doctors Abroad Ltd.

Successful growth of the Hungarian recruitment company- Doctors Abroad Ltd.

Doctors Abroad Healhtcare Consulting Ltd from Hungary is proud to announce their next achievement on the recruitment market. From now on they have more than 11 countries to offer medical jobs, reaching from Singapore to Switzerland. Their top- notch performance made them to be the outstanding member of the Mid-Eastern European Recruitment Firms. Providing undisrupitve service for more than 4 years and the recent expansions to countries like Greece shows that the healthcare industry is still in a growning phase.

Doctors Abroad also launched their premium based offers at premiumdoctors.eu offering jobs from the UAE, Singapore, Ireland and even from France

About Doctors Abroad ltd.

Doctors Abroad Healthcare Consulting and Medical Recruitment Agency is the leading International provider of healthcare recruitment in the UK and sixteen different countries. Supplying the full range (Foundation doctors, House Officer, Senior House Officer, Specialist Registrars, Consultant) of medical professionals into NHS Trusts, PCTs, and GP Surgeries. We have established a reputation for providing a quality of service and integrity that is second to none.

In order to meet the unique requirements of the sectors within the healthcare arena, Doctors Abroad Healthcare operates through specialist businesses. With this focussed approach, the dedicated teams build invaluable experience in meeting the unique challenges facing their chosen sector, thus delivering an unparalleled service to both Clients and Candidates.

Benefit from your Hungarian (International, EU) medical diploma. Work in Abroad, train in the Abroad. Excellent training and locum opportunities.

Consultation about UK jobs, training posts, locum jobs, clinical attachment, GMC issues  and training issues. You got your degree, you paid a lot, studied a lot, it is time to benefit from your EU diploma.

For further please visit: http://doctorsabroad.hu/english%20index.html

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Health clinics for immigrant Poles reveal the NHS’s shortcomings

July 19, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
AccidentEmergencyN_2276103i

THE first thing Polish immigrants brought to Britain, when the country opened its doors to eastern European workers in 2004, was an admirable work ethic. Gangmasters told stories about farm labourers picking cabbages at night, by the light of car headlamps. Then Polish delicatessens began to appear, selling herring and pierogi; then came Polish solicitors. But the Poles’ most intriguing import, and the one that ought to cause native Britons to think hardest, is medical care.

Hard by the Hanger Lane gyratory, a grotty eight-lane roundabout in west London, is a quiet pioneer. The My Medyk clinic opened in 2008 and now has 30,000 patients on its rolls. The firm has opened a second branch in London and wants to open a third. Rivals are multiplying. Most of these private clinics contain dentists, general practitioners (GPs), paediatricians and gynaecologists. They have pulled off the remarkable feat of selling medical care to working- and middle-class people who could get it for nothing.

The National Health Service dominates British health care. Although private companies supply equipment, drugs and ancillary services and, increasingly, carry out medical care under contract, patients rarely enter into commercial relationships with them. Private health care is sold as a luxury for the affluent and usually only covers hospital treatment, not primary care—that is, visits to a doctor.

It is British primary care, however, that many Poles find wanting. Some prefer to see Polish-speaking doctors, although many who use the private clinics speak excellent English. More simply want better customer service than British GPs tend to provide, with their brief consultations and frustrating systems for booking appointments. And the immigrants are used to a different set-up. In Poland, as in much of continental Europe, GPs do not act as gatekeepers. Patients book appointments directly with specialists, who also perform procedures that would be classed as out-patient services in Britain.

“There was a gap in the market”, explains Radek Przypis, manager of the Hanger Lane outfit. The clinics charge fixed fees, which are published on their websites, for consultations and treatments. This means that they rely on regular customers for revenue, and need to treat them well if they are to retain them. The clinics often invest in imaging and diagnostic equipment, such as ultrasound scanners (a 3-D pregnancy scan costs £95, or $146). This is a booming business: more children in Britain are now born to Polish women than to women from any other foreign country.

The clinics also reflect the famous Polish immigrant penchant for hard work. Krzysztof Zemlik, business development manager at the Green Surgery in central Manchester, which admits patients until 9pm or 10pm seven days a week, says that his surgery sometimes stays open until two or three o’clock in the morning. The My Medyk clinic successfully lobbied to be allowed to open on Sundays (it pointed out that taxi firms are able to do so).

Though set up to meet demand from Britain’s growing Polish population, the clinics are trying to broaden their appeal. Manchester’s Green Surgery has Slovaks, Hungarians and, oddly, Portuguese on its books. Whereas the Green Surgery caters mainly to professionals, My Medyk’s patients come from a broader range of backgrounds. Many of them are “people working on construction sites and cleaning people’s houses,” says Mr Przypis.

The clinics hope to expand by offering major procedures at private hospitals in Poland. They also believe they can convince Britons of ordinary means to pay for regular check-ups—something that is currently a lifestyle product aimed at the affluent. In short, they aim to improve British health care, doing to the medical market what Polish farm labourers did to England’s fields. They may not succeed—but the attempt is worth watching.

From the print edition: Britain

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The number of medical malpractice cases is on the rise in Germany

July 18, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
malpractice

The number of medical malpractice cases is on the rise in Germany, according to a new report. Of the nearly 8,000 complaints reviewed by experts, about one-fourth were proven to be cases of malpractice.

Last year, more than 12,200 patients attempted to claim compensation for their treatments, the German Medical Association reported from Berlin on Monday. That is an increase from 11,100 in 2011, and 10,400 five years ago.

Experts evaluated 7,578 cases and, in 1,889 of them, found error on the part of the doctor or another person involved in treatment that caused damage. Most of the mistakes led to only temporary side effects, but some victims had their ailments lengthened, said the association’s president Johann Neu. Eighty-two people in the cases reviewed died because of medical error.

Most of the complaints involved surgery on the knee or hip joint, followed by a lack of treatment for broken legs, ankles or arms. The number of complaints over breast cancer treatment also climbed in 2012.

Suspected malpractice

It was suspected that there were more cases of malpractice in Germany during last year’s debate on patients’ rights legislation. A new law passed by the country’s ruling center-right coalition that strengthens error reporting systems in clinics went into effect four months ago. However, there are still calls for a nationwide malpractice register.

Andreas Crusius, the chairman of the organization’s Standing Conference of the Expert Commissions and Arbitration Boards of Doctors, stressed that, among the 540 million procedures annually across Germany, the percentage of patients mistreated was very low. He added it was wrong to talk about “doctor blunders.”

“Mistakes happen, even in medicine,” he said. “[Doctors] are under enormous pressure because of suspected or proven malpractice and can often only continue their work with difficulty.”

dr/mkg (dpa, AFP, epd) http://www.dw.de/medical-malpractice-cases-on-the-rise-in-germany/a-16887975

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Tips for the hottest days

July 18, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
1317948200-early-autumn-heatwave--london_855532

As UK struggles with the heatwave it is best to see how we can keep our cool in theses days. It seems UK is heading to a never seen, at least a week long ,crazy summer weather. Those coming from a warm country couldn’t be any happier, those being born in Albion couldn’t be more stressed out from the heat.

Let see the health tips to “survive”

  1. Use box fans and ceiling fans to promote air circulation throughout your home. Opening doors in the house and using box fans to push hot air outdoors can function as an “exhaust” system and draw cooler evening air into the house. In the cooler evenings, open all windows and promote as much air circulation as possible. When the sun rises, close all doors and windows, making sure to close curtains and blinds as well, to keep the indoors cool for as long as possible. When the outside air cools to a lower temperature than inside (usually in the evenings or at night), open up the windows and turn on the fans again.
  2. Take advantage of the cooling power of water. Fill buckets or basins and soak your feet. Wet towels and bandannas can have a cooling effect when worn on the shoulders or head. Take cool showers or baths, and consider using a spray bottle filled with cold water for refreshing spritzes throughout the day.
  3. Head downstairs. Since hot air rises, the upper stories of a home will be warmer than the ground floor. A basement can be a cool refuge from the midday heat.
  4. Eliminate extra sources of heat. Incandescent light bulbs can generate unnecessary heat, as can computers or appliances left running. Eat fresh foods that do not require you to use the oven or stove to prepare.
  5. Remember to maintain an adequate level of hydration, which means you’ll need to consume more water than you usually do when it’s hot. If you’re sweating profusely, you will also need to replace electrolytes by eating a small amount of food with your water or by drinking specially-formulated electrolyte replacement drinks. Thirst is the first sign of dehydration; you should drink sufficient amounts of fluids before you feel thirsty in order to prevent dehydration.
  6. Avoid alcoholic beverages and caffeine, as both of these substances can act as diuretics and promote dehydration.
  7. For a homemade “air conditioning” system, sit in the path of a box fan that is aimed at an open cooler, or pan filled with ice.
  8. Try to visit public buildings with air conditioning during the hottest hours of the day if the heat becomes unbearable. Libraries, shopping malls, and movie theaters can all be good places to cool down.
  9. Don’t eat large, protein-rich meals that can increase metabolic heat and warm the body.
  10. Be able to recognize the symptoms of heat-related illnesses and true heat emergencies (heat cramps, heat rash, heat exhaustion, heat stroke). Call emergency services (911) in the event of a heat emergency and try to cool the victim until help arrives.
  11. Finally, remember that pets also suffer when the temperature rises. Cooling animals (dogs, rabbits, cats) by giving them a “cool” bath or shower will help keep their body temperature down. A cool towel on a tile floor to lay on, a cool towel or washcloth laying over the skin next to a fan will also help cool the animal. Make sure they have plenty of cool water to drink as well. Signs of a heat stroke in a pet are:
  • rapid panting,
  • wide eyes,
  • lots of drooling,
  • hot skin,
  • twitching muscles,
  • vomiting and
  • a dazed look.
  • Call your vet if you think your pet has a heat stroke

Source: Red cross

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Outbreak of HIV/AIDS among injecting drug users in Romania

July 17, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
drug use

After scrolling through the addictology blog of Hungary addictus.blog.hu we have found a truly “gripping” story about the Romanian HIV/AIDS infection outbreak among injecting drug users.

Romania is experiencing an hiv crisis among injecting drug users. By the end of june 2013 most of needle exchange services and part of opiate substitution treatment will stop, due to lack of funding. The consequences will be disastrous.
Take action and help us to stop the HIV epidemic in Romania!  Watch the video

more info here: http://drogriporter.hu/en

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Alcohol is to blame for one in every 30 cancer deaths each year in the US!

July 17, 2013   Org Medlines   No comments
Alcoholism in Europe

 Alcohol is to blame for one in every 30 cancer deaths each year in the US! And in the EU?

For anyone who still thinks that drinking does not contribute to cancer, a new report finds that alcohol is to blame for one in every 30 cancer deaths each year in the United States.

The connection is even more pronounced with breast cancer, with 15 percent of those deaths related to alcohol consumption, the researchers added.

And don’t think that drinking in moderation will help, because 30 percent of all alcohol-related cancer deaths are linked to drinking 1.5 drinks or less a day, the report found.

Alcohol is a cancer-causing agent that’s in “plain sight,” but people just don’t see it, said study author Dr. David Nelson, director of the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

“As expected, people who are higher alcohol users were at higher risk, but there was really no safe level of alcohol use,” he stressed.

Moderate drinking has been associated with heart benefits, Nelson noted. “But, in the broader context of all the issues and all the problems that alcohol is related to, alcohol causes 10 times as many deaths as it prevents,” he said.

The best thing people who believe they are at risk for cancer can do is reduce their alcohol consumption, Nelson said. “From a cancer prevention perspective, the less you drink, the lower your risk of an alcohol-related cancer and, obviously, if one doesn’t drink at all then that’s the lowest risk,” he said.

The report was published online Feb. 14 in the American Journal of Public Health.

To determine the risks related to drinking and cancer, Nelson’s team compiled data from a variety of sources, including the 2009 Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the 2009-2010 National Alcohol Survey.

Along with breast cancer in women, cancers of the mouth, throat and esophaguswere also common causes of alcohol-related cancer deaths in men, accounting for about 6,000 deaths each year.

Each alcohol-related cancer death accounted for an average of 18 years of potential life lost, the researchers added.

Previous studies have shown drinking is a risk factor for cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum and, in women, breast cancer, the researchers noted.

According to the American Cancer Society, it’s not entirely clear how alcohol might raise cancer risk. Alcohol might act as a chemical irritant to sensitive cells, impeding their DNA repair, or damage cells in other ways. It might also act as a “solvent” for other carcinogens, such as those found in tobacco smoke, helping those chemicals enter into cells more easily. Or alcohol might affect levels of key hormones such as estrogen, upping odds for breast cancer.

One expert says the findings in this study are consistent with what has been shown before.

“Nobody is recommending that if you do not drink to start drinking for any reason,” said Susan Gapstur, vice president of epidemiology at the cancer society. “If you do drink, limit your consumption.”

Gapstur did point out that smoking is a much more powerful factor in cancer deaths than alcohol. Although some 20,000 cancer deaths can be attributed to alcohol each year, more than 100,000 cancer deaths are caused by smoking, she said.

To strike a balance between the cancer risk of drinking and its possible benefit inpreventing heart disease, Gapstur suggested talking with your doctor about the risks and benefits of drinking.

Ever thought of how Europe is standing? Well here are the figures for alcohol realted deaths. From the report it seems obvious that new matter- alcohol triggered cancer- of alcohol realted deaths should be monitored in the next guidelines fo the WHO.

alcoholrealtedeaths

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More information:

For more on alcohol and cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

and http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/160680/e96457.pdf

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