Tag Archives: death

Can infra red light grow new brain cells to reverse Alzheimer’s?

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London: A scientist has claimed that an experimental helmet whch bathes the brain in infra-red light is capable of stimulating the growth of new brain cells in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

The creators of the helmet, a County Durham, UK-based medical research company called Virulite, say that ten minutes use daily over a period of four weeks can reverse the symtoms of dementia.

Dr Gordon Dougal, a director of Virulite, bases the claims on a study at the University of Sunderland which found infra-red light can reverse memory loss in mice.

Dr Dougal says that the treatment not only stops brain decay but partially reverses it.

The study at Sunderland found that exposing middle-aged mice to infrared light for six minutes a day for ten days improved their performance in a three-dimensional maze. In the human trials, due to start this summer, the scientists will use levels of infra-red that occur naturally in sunlight.

Worrying increase in alcohol-related deaths in older women – new UK figures reveal

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London: Insreasing numbers of females are dying of alcohol-related diseases, official UK Government statistics have revealed.

The number of deaths from both men and women have also doubled in the last 15 years, with a huge rise in middle-aged women.

The figures come as Britain faces and epidemic of binge-drinking among youngsters who they warn are likely to carry on damaging their bodies for the rest of their lives.

The UK’s office for National Statistics, figures show that there were 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2005 but this increased to 13.4 in 2006.

In 1991 there were 6.9 deaths per 100,000. The figures also show a rise in the number of alcohol-related deaths mainly as a result of liver disease from 4,144 in 1991 to 8,758 in 2006.

There has also been a huge increase s in deaths among middle-aged women. The death rate for women aged 35 to 54 doubled between 1991 and 2006, from 7.2 to 14.8 per 100,000 population.

Although the figures for women are increasingly worrying, men are still more likely to die from drink than women.

Two thirds of all alcohol-related deaths are among men, and there were 18.3 deaths per 100,000 population among men and 8.8 among women.

For men, the death rates in all age groups increased between 1991 and 2006. The biggest increase in deaths from alcohol consumption was seen among the 35 to 54 age group, with rates doubling since 1991 to 31.1 per 100,000.

Wellcome Collection London – 2008 programme

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London: An analysis of 26 skeletons selected from the Museum of London’s collection of 17,000; textile designs based on patterns found in x-ray crystallography, not seen since the 1951 Festival of Britain; a newly commissioned film by Marion Coutts and an exhibition about the thoughts and wishes of the dying – are some of the forthcoming special exhibitions at Wellcome Collection during 2008. [full listings below].

2008 will end with a major exhibition exploring the complex relationship between War & Medicine and the ways in which mankind’s desire to repair and heal has tried to keep pace with its capacity to wound and kill. The exhibition will look back as far as the Crimean War and will be brought up to date by specially commissioned artwork addressing the problems of military medicine in the conflict in Afghanistan. This will be the second part of a two-phase collaboration with the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in Dresden, the first of which, Sleeping & Dreaming, opened on 28 November and closes on 9 March 2008.

Wellcome Collection www.wellcomecollection.orgthe new £30m public venue from the Wellcome Trust opened in June 2007. The building’s three galleries combine medicine, life and art to provide insight into the human condition. Exhibitions, both temporary and permanent, are supported through a public events programme that brings together experts from the arts, science and humanities to further explore human wellbeing. Wellcome Collection has been visited by over 100,000 people during its first five months of opening.

WELLCOME COLLECTION SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS 2008:
Full information on each temporary exhibition will be posted at www.wellcomecollection.orgthroughout 2008. Entry to all exhibitions is free.

Sleeping & Dreaming (28 November 2007 – 10 March 2008)

Sleeping & Dreaming, the second major temporary exhibition at Wellcome Collection, explores sleep – the mysterious state we inhabit for a third of our lives. 250 objects across five major themes enable visitors to explore the biomedical and neurological processes that take place in the sleeping body and the social and cultural areas of our lives to which sleep and dreams are linked. The exhibition is the first of a two-part collaboration with the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in Dresden. Exhibits range from artworks by Goya, Catherine Yass, Jane Gifford and Laura Ford, to an interview with a victim of sleep-deprivation interrogation; from a vehicle designed to provide homeless people with a mobile place to sleep to an extraordinary range of alarm clocks and a collection of traditional lullabies from around the world. Sleeping & Dreaming public events are detailed below.

Life Before Death (8 April – 18 May 2008)

The German photographer Walther Schels and journalist Beate Lakotta spent a year talking with terminally ill patients in hospices across Germany. They photographed 24 consenting patients shortly before and just after they died. The resultant portraits are shown side-by-side, accompanied by a short text which describes the patient’s experience of the situation in which they find themselves – having to come to terms with the imminent end to their lives.

Atoms to Patterns (24 April – 10 August 2008)

This exhibition brings to light an extraordinary collection of vibrant textile designs from the early 1950s, most of which have been lying unseen in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Science Museum for over 50 years. For the 1951 Festival of Britain a group of designers collaborated with some of the most distinguished scientists of the period to devise a range of fabrics and furnishings based on patterns revealed by x-ray crystallography – a means of visualizing the crystal structure of both organic and inorganic materials.

Marion Coutts (30 May – 29 June 2008)

The artist Marion Coutts will present a new film, commissioned by Wellcome Collection, which will use objects from the collections of Henry Wellcome and
from the Science Museum playfully to explore the workings of memory.

Skeletons (22 July – 28 September 2008)

The Museum of London has approximately 17,000 skeletons in its care, all removed for their preservation, from building sites under different parts of London. This exhibition will present 26 of these skeletons along with all the information about their health and likely social circumstances that can be gleaned from the location in which they were found and from a detailed analysis of their bones. The skeletons featured include some dating back to Roman times and many which reveal a great deal about the health and social conditions of the period in which they lived..

War & Medicine (November 2008 – March 2009)

The third major special exhibition at Wellcome Collection and, following Sleeping & Dreaming, the second of two exhibitions devised in collaboration with the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Dresden. War & Medicine will assess the impact and influence that warfare and medicine have had on one another. It looks at the way mankind’s desire to repair and heal has tried to keep pace with its capacity to maim and kill, meeting sometimes with success and sometimes with failure. As with Sleeping & Dreaming, this exhibition will include the perspectives of artists, writers and filmmakers as well as those of medical scientists and social historians.

WELLCOME COLLECTION PERMANENT GALLERIES

Two of Wellcome Collection’s three galleries are permanent. These are:

Medicine Man (350 m2): This exhibition contains more than 500 strange and beautiful artefacts from Sir Henry Wellcome’s original collection, presented in a rich American walnut-panelled gallery, centred on a large ‘Wunderkammer’ cabinet.

Medicine Now (350 m2): The Medicine Now exhibition explores contemporary medical topics through the eyes of scientists, artists and popular culture in a bright contemporary environment.

SLEEPING & DREAMING PUBLIC EVENTS
All temporary exhibitions are supported by a series of public events that enable people to discover more about the subjects they cover. Below are the remaining public events for Sleeping & Dreaming that bring together experts from science, the arts and humanities to explore this twilight world. Events are free unless otherwise stated. All tickets must be booked in advance from < a href="http://www.wellcomecollection.org">www.wellcomecollection.org

Late-night Film Festival
Friday 25 January 2008, 19.00–23.00
Explore Wellcome Collection by night and see rare footage from the Wellcome Library collection screened alongside classic feature films and quirky shorts exploring sleeping and dreaming. Galleries, café and bookshop will be open throughout. A full screening programme will be available in December at www.wellcomecollection.org

Catherine Yass: Artist in Conversation and premiere of new film work
Thursday 7 February 2008, 19.00–20.30

The first opportunity of seeing a new work by leading British artist Catherine Yass that documents her waking moments and dream recall. Catherine will be joined in conversation by Lux Gallery Curator, Lucy Reynolds, and will discuss her interests in sleeping and dreaming.

Speaker: Catherine Yass, artist featured in exhibition

Facilitator: Lucy Reynolds, Curator, Lux

Sleep Talk

A unique symposium exploring insomnia and sleeplessness
Friday 22 February 2008, 19.00–21.00
Saturday 23 February 2008, 10.30–17.00
Tickets: £30 / £20 concessions

This symposium will explore insomnia and sleeplessness through science, psychology, history, sociology and art. The event will begin with a special performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations by innovative classical music group, Manning Cammerata. When Johann Sebastian Bach first composed this music, it was used as a curative for Count von Kaiserling’s insomnia.

Speakers Include
Ann Coxon, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern,
Kenton Kroker, Science and Technology Studies, York University, Toronto
Eluned Sumners Bremner, Department of Women’s Studies, University of Auckland
Kevin Morgan, Director of Clinical Sleep Research Unit, Loughborough University
Chris Idzikowski, Director, Edinburgh Sleep Centre
Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience, University of Oxford

An End To Feeling Shattered? If you could live without sleep, would you?
Friday 28 February 2008, 19.00–20.30
Drugs that enable you to stay awake 24 hours a day have been produced but would you want them? Should they be made available? What would be the impact on your body, your relationships and your life? Join a panel of outspoken speakers to debate whether drugs are the answer to 21st-centruy life.

Speakers
Simon Williams, Lecturer in Sociology, University of Warwick
Danielle Turner, Neuroscience coordinator, University of Cambridge
John Harris, Professor of Bioethics, University of Manchester

Facilitator
Toby Murcott, Science writer and presenter

What is the Wellcome Collection?

Wellcome Collection is a new £30 million visitor attraction from the Wellcome Trust that opened on 21 June 2007. Wellcome Collection is a world first. It combines three contemporary galleries together with the world-famous Wellcome Library, public events forum, café, bookshop, conference centre and members’ club, to provide visitors with radical insight into the human condition.

Wellcome Collection builds on the vision, legacy and personal collection of Wellcome Trust founder Sir Henry Wellcome and is part of the Wellcome Trust’s mission to foster understanding and promote research to improve human and animal health. The building is centred around three substantial galleries totalling 1350m2 and the world famous Wellcome Library.

About the Wellcome Trust: www.wellcometrust.ac.uk

The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK and the second largest medical research charity in the world. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending around £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. Wellcome Trust funding has supported a number of major successes, including:

*sequencing the human genome
*establishing the UK Biobank
*development of the antimalarial drug artemisinin
*pioneering cognitive behavioural therapies for psychological disorders
*building the Wellcome Wing at the Science Museum
* the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, the largest ever genetic study of common diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and bipolar disorder

The Wellcome Trust is a charity registered in England, no. 210183

Support Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

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Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK – every hour at least one man dies from this disease.

It is a cause that has suffered from years of neglect, so plan NOW for Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, 10-16 March 2008 – it’s your chance to make a difference.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week 2008 aims to raise the profile of prostate cancer among the public and in the media. Hundreds of individuals and groups across the UK will join forces to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and raise vital funds to improve research, information and support services for men and their families who are affected by this disease

An early diagnosis of prostate cancer could improve a man’s chances of finding a successful treatment, yet 90% of adults in the UK do not know what the prostate gland does and the crucial role it plays in a man’s sexual function.

About Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week is an annual health awareness campaign organised by The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Every year nearly 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United Kingdom and 10,000 men die from it.

African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than their white counterparts.

The Prostate Cancer Charity is striving for a world where lives are no longer limited by prostate cancer. The Charity is fighting prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.

If you have any queries about prostate cancer call The Prostate Cancer Charity’s confidential helpline 0800 074 8383 which is staffed by specialist nurses and open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and Wednesdays from 7 – 9pm.

If you want to make a donation to The Prostate Cancer Charity call 0208 222 7622 or visit www.prostate-cancer.org.uk

For further information contact: Lilas Allen or Nikki Nagler on 020 8222 7653/7670. Out of hours contact: 0798 432 5001. Email: or Email Nicola.Nagler@prostate-cancer.org.uk

Longevity accelerating, says new research

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London: Longevity is accelerating and there are more 100 year olds than ever before, according to a new report by the Cass Business School.

They say that men born in 1985 can expect to live to an average age of 91, according to a new forecast of life expectancy which concludes that all existing projections are too low.

The Government’s key forecast for longevity, which is also used in the pensions and life insurance industry, has seriously miscalculated how long men will live in the future, they also say.

Life expectancy is currently 76.6 years for men and 81 for women. The new research suggests that life expectancy for men born in 1985, who turn 65 in 2050, could be as high as 97 under the most optimistic scenario, although 91 is its central forecast. That is six years higher than the Office for National Statistics’ projection. The new Cass model has been applied only to men so far, but the next phase of the research will cover women.

The new calculation has serious implications for the Government and the pensions industry, who face having to pay an extra £160,368 per person in state benefits and occupational pensions, Cass calculates.

David Blake, director of the Pensions Institute at Cass Business School, said: “Our calculations demonstrate that longevity is accelerating far beyond what is currently predicted, and there is considerable uncertainty surrounding future life expectancy. This will present a huge challenge for long-term healthcare providers and intensifies the problems faced by both government and the pensions industry. They need to update the projections they use before the pensions deficits reach catastrophic proportions.”

Professor Blake said that the Office for National Statistics had a history of underestimating new trends: “It completely underestimated the scale of the postwar baby boom, which had serious implications for the provision of schools and hospitals, and it has continually underestimated longevity of elderly people.”

The Government has voiced concerns about the ageing population and has taken some steps to make provision for more older people. The retirement age is rising from 65 to 68 by 2044. Those actions were promoted by the ONS forecast that the proportion of over65s will go from 15 per cent now to 25 per cent by 2050. However, less provision for the older population has been made in healthcare.

The new centurions

– There are about 9,000 men and women over the age of 100, but the numbers are rising by 7 per cent a year

– By 2050, more than 150,000 people will be centenarians

– The costs of treating dementia and caring for sufferers have been calculated at £17 billion (and rising) per year

Arthritis drug banned from sale in UK and Germany

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London: The drug Prexige (lumiracoxib), used to treat osteoarthritic pain has been suspended from sale by health regulators in the UK and Germany over liver damage fears.

Manufacturer, Novartis, is informing regulatory agencies around the world of these changes, which come after similar actions in other countries in recent months.

Novartis will also comply with a request from the Austrian health authority to suspend sales pending a final decision by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), which reviews medicines in the European Union.

Patients taking Prexige in the UK, Germany, and Austria are advised to consult their medical practitioner.

Prexige was precribed as 100 mg once-daily treatment for osteoarthritic pain following EU approval through the Mutual Recognition Procedure (MRP) in October 2006. Itis also marketed and sold in Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, and Sweden.

Other EU countries may decide to independently suspend the marketing authorization or sale of Prexige ahead of a decision by the CHMP, which is expected in December.

Prexige is part of a class of drugs known as a COX-2 inhibitors and liver enzyme changes are a known side effect of these and traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The ban comes The actions in Europe come after an Urgent Safety Restriction was initiated in August 2007 for the Prexige 100 mg dose. Prexige was first withdrawn in August 2007 in Australia where a number of liver side effects were reported, including two deaths, associated with the use of Prexige at doses higher than 100 mg. No deaths have been reported worldwide with the 100 mg dose.

Exercise is the

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London: We are always keen to hear of the latest anti-ageing therapy, machine, pill or surgical intervention. Yet possibly the most effective ‘therapy’ for living longer and healthier and the closest thing we have to an ‘anti-ageing pill’ is regular exercise.

The International Institute for Anti-Ageing exercise expert, Professor Wayne Derman, tells us more.

“There is increasing research that suggests specific forms of exercise training, in appropriate doses (duration, frequency and intensity) can slow and in some cases even reverse the ageing changes in the body. This is particularly relevant to the chronic diseases associated with increasing age.

• In type 2 diabetes (when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin causing blood sugar levels to soar) strength training can improve the sufferer’s sensitivity to insulin, effectively helping to reverse the disease.
• Exercise enhances blood flow to the brain improving cognitive processing, reasoning and memory, as well as enhancing creativity. It is also profoundly antidepressant.
Exercise is such a good anti-ageing intervention because it is effective at various levels in the biological system. Even simple exercises such as walking can have a profound effect on one’s quality of life as the years add on. Because walking can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that help to keep urine in the bladder, simply walking for 30 minutes a day can reduce a woman’s risk of urinary incontinence by up to 25%.

The key of course, is how much we should exercise for optimal effects and what exercises should we be doing? New guidelines recommend:
• moderately intense cardio-respiratory activity (eg. brisk walking) 30 minutes a day, five days a week. ‘Moderately intense’ means anything that creates a sweat and raises the heart rate.
Or
• vigorously intense cardio-respiratory activity (eg. jogging) 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. ‘Vigorously intense’ means you can’t carry on a conversation while exercising.
Plus
• Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week. These can be done at home with an elasticised resistance band – an inexpensive and highly effective alternative to conventional weight and exercise equipment and ideal for strength training.

It is always important to remember that if you’ve been sedentary for a long time, are overweight, have a high risk of coronary heart disease or some other chronic health problem, see your doctor for a medical evaluation before beginning a physical activity programme.

Diabetes link to dementia

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New York: There could be a link between an adult’s diet and their risk of developing dementia, according to a newly published article in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Individuals with diabetes are believed to be particularly susceptible to reduced cognition in old age and an unhealthy diet is known as a significant risk factor for the increasingly common condition. Eating less fattening foods and maintaining a healthy weight can help people avoid diabetes and therefore should mean they are less at risk of losing cognitive capacity in later life, the authors of the recent study suggest.

World’s oldest creature may hold key to longevity

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Bangor: British scientists have found a 400 year-old clam, believed to be the world’s longest-living animal, off the coast of Iceland.

The scientists, from Bangor University in Wales, say that the discovery of the quahog clam, aged between 405 and 410 years old, might allow them to get a better understanding of the ageing process, as well as revealing the secrets of long life.

The creature was nicknamed Ming, after the dynasty which ruled China at the beginning of its life.

“When this animal was a juvenile, King James I replaced Queen Elizabeth I as English monarch, Shakespeare was writing his greatest plays – Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth – and Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake for espousing the view that the Sun rather than the Earth was the centre of the universe,” they say in a press release.

The scientists calculated the age of the animal by counting annual growth rings on the shell, a technology similar to that used when estimating a tree’s age.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, before Ming, the longest-lived animal was a clam found in 1982, aged 220.

Stroke the silent killer – new guide for victims and carers

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Are you at risk from the the third leading killer of young and old alike?

Discover a life transforming view of life after stroke, and discover new and beautiful ways to improve the quality of your life, even in the face of adversity…

Have you already suffered a stroke, or witnessed the struggles of a family member that has suffered, and want supportive, helpful and encouraging information that will allow you to lead an improved quality of life?

Every year for thousands of people stroke becomes a silent killer. For those lucky enough to survive, life following a stroke can be filled with pain, sorrow and feelings of loss and abandonment.

Fortunately, there are ways to overcome those feelings and limitations, and discover a new independence; one that you will discover is rich and rewarding.

Each year thousands of people become victims of stroke but can fail to recognize the early warning signs…

• Sudden weakness in your arm, leg or hands.
• The impression that you are not able to feel one side of your face or body.
• Difficulty seeing or experienced temporarily blurriness from one eye.
• Difficulty walking or experiencing balancing problems.
• The worst headache of your life…

If you have experienced one or more of the symptoms above, your life may be at risk. Stroke is increasingly prevalent in modern times. Call your doctor immediately or visit the nearest ER!

The impacts of stroke can be devastating for the more than
700,000 people that suffer from stroke each year.

The good news is when armed with knowledge and information; you can learn to lead an extraordinary life even following a devastating stroke. One of the most important desires stroke survivors have is the ability to regain an independent lifestyle.

How is this achieved? It is often achieved through rehabilitation, support and counselling, as well as caring for one’s individual health related problems following a stroke.

“The only work that will ultimately bring any good to any of us is the work of contributing to the healing of others…“
Adapted from M. Williamson

Friends and loved ones can also find they are confused about how to cope with a loved one’s loss. Fortunately, there is help and guidance just a moment away. Everyone can learn to heal others and heal their own sense of loss by learning more about life following a stroke.

“Life After A Stroke” is a moving, tell-all guide that teaches survivors, caregivers and close family how to cope with the after effects of a stroke. Using this guide you can learn how to regain some of your independence and improve the quality of your life to the greatest extent possible. It is available in standard and mp3 format for your convenience.

Imagine what your life would be like if you could learn to communicate with others in a sensible, logical and non-frustrating manner after a stroke…

While you may not return to the state of health you were in before, there is much evidence suggesting with proper knowledge and information, you can lead a rich and rewarding life after a stroke.

Are you ready to take back your life, or help another to do so?

Perhaps you are a caregiver looking for guidance and support while caring for a family member or loved one suffering from stroke. No matter the case, you’ve landed in just the right place to find the information you need.

Introducing a Revolutionary New Approach To Healing…Find out how to
improve the quality of YOUR life and that of your loved ones,
by adopting a few simple, common-sense strategies.

In this unique and gentle approach to Stroke, learn everything there is to know about stroke whether a survivor, friend, family member or caregiver.

This important guide contains information that will:

• Educate you about the immediate after – effects of stroke, so you know what to expect and how to overcome setbacks in the early weeks following a stroke.
• Teach you how to set goals following a stroke that will speed the progression of your healing.
• Help you understand what rehabilitation is all about, including what forms of rehabilitation are available and how they can improve your quality of life and standard of living.
• Help you discover and learn new and innovative tools for treating the physical symptoms of stroke, including spasticity and muscle pain.
• Tell you about new ways of treating old problems, including use of a popular cosmetic procedure that may reduce muscle tightness and help improve coordination and balance.
• Teach you what ITB therapy is and how it can improve delivery of targeted medications to your system, so you feel better faster, longer.
• Show you how to set up an individual approach to rehabilitation that aligns with your personal needs, goals and interests.

Learn how to avoid future strokes

Someone who has had a stroke is almost twice as likely to experience another. Learn the 2 most important steps you can take to prevent future strokes and enhance your odds for an improved quality of life following stroke.

Friends, Family and Caregivers

Friends, family and caregivers also need support and guidance during the period of time following a stroke. The good news is in Life After Stroke, you can learn how to communicate and reevaluate each member of a household’s roles, so everyone enjoys an improved quality of life when caring for a loved one.

Most importantly, Life After Stroke offers hope for the future. When you have nowhere else to turn, you always have hope.

You can find more information here: www.intrepreuner.ws

Diabetes and obesity continue to rise in UK

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London: Rates of obesity and diabetes continue to rise across England, although people are living longer than ever, the UK Government has revealed.

Obesity rates in England were by 2005 the highest among the 15 member states who then formed the European Union. Also life expectancy continues to increase.

A girl can expect to live to 81, more than a year and a half longer than a decade before. But life expectancy in the north of the country is shorter than in the south.

Women in the North East and North West live over two years less than those in the South East and South West, while men live over two and a half years less than their southern contemporaries.

In the decade ending in 2005 covered by the report, the proportion of obese men rose by over 40%, although the figures did start to fall slightly in the final year.

The proportion of obese women however rose by almost 35% and shows no signs of slowing. Among children, it was up by over 50%.

The figures for children are seen as much more precise than those for adults, as they are based on hard data provided by almost every school in the country, while the adult figures are extrapolated from sample surveys.

This latest report comes on the back of a major study into obesity sponsored by the government, which forecast that the majority of us would be obese by 2050.

Obesity is known to contribute to some health conditions, including type 2 diabetes. Overall rates for diabetes increased from 5.8% of the population to 8.4% between 1998 and 2004.

Other conditions on the increase include chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. This latest data shows that among females, rates for these diseases have increased above the average of Western Europe.

Mortality rates from cancer are on the decline, although the outcome still varies according to the specific type of the disease.

And life expectancy is improving for everyone. While a baby girl can now expect to live to 81.2, a baby boy can expect to live to 76.9, nearly 2.5 years longer than ten years previous, according to the 2005 statistics.

Stress increases breast cancer risk

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Stockholm: Stress at work can increase the risk of women developing breast cancer by upto a third, a new study of Swedish women suggests.

It is thought the increased risk is a result of poor lifestyle choices which lead to obesity, increased alcohol consumption, leading to a weakened immune system.

The study published in the journal of Epidemology found that women in demanding jobs are 30 per cent more likely to develop the disease than those who feel on top of their work.

The results of the study, which involved 36,000 women, appear to contradict previous research which has not found a link between stress and breast cancer.

Thousands of women die each year from the disease and although survival rates are improving, the number contracting it is on the increase.

The study looked at information on 36,000 Swedish women aged 30 to 50 who were in work when the study started in 1990. The study followed the women until 2004, by which time 767 of them had been diagnosed-with breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer increased by around 30 per cent for women with stressful jobs after other factors, such as alcohol consumption, number of children, weight, and age, were taken into account.

The Swedish researchers found no link between stress and cancer among women in part-time work.

The reason why stress might increase the risk is unclear, although studies show it may raise levels of the hormone oestrogen which can heighten the risk of cancer. Another theory is that stress changes women’s behaviour, making them adopt unhealthy habits such as smoking and not exercising.

Recent research has found that long working hours and stress from work can bring on the menopause early and, in pregnant women, increase the risk of a miscarriage.

However, a Danish study of 7,000 women over 18 years found those with high levels of stress were less likely to develop breast cancer than women with low stress levels. Leading-cancer scientists yesterday said more research is needed before stress can join other well-known risk factors.

More 100 year olds than ever before

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London: The number of people living past 100 in England and Wales reached almost 9,000 last year for the first time, figures show.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of centenarians had increased ninety-fold since 1911 when there were only 100 in the country, according to estimates.

The rise is being attributed to dramatic improvements in healthcare and housing conditions over the past century which have have led to people living longer.

While the number of women surviving past the landmark birthday still far outnumber men, the gap has narrowed slightly in recent years, the figures show.

The ONS calculates that there were seven women over 100 for every man in the same age group last year, compared with a ratio of eight to one four years before.

The figures, calculated from mortality rates and other factors, estimate that there were 8,970 people over the age of 100 in England and Wales last year – up from 8,340 in 2005.

The rate at which the number of people in the 100-plus age group has grown has quickened in recent years.

The 7.5% rise last year compares with an average rate of 5.8% for most of the current decade.

The ONS said that before 1940, the average annual increase was 1.9%.

While that rate picked up to 6.4% after the Second World War, it later slowed between 1981 and 2001 – partly as a result of the effects of the First World War and the 1918 flu pandemic on the population.

Cancer cure jab two years away

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Cambridge: Some humans have cancer fighting cells which may be used to fight the disease in others.

Dr Zheng Cui, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, whose work has been published in the latest issue of the New Scientist magazine, has shown in laboratory experiments that immune cells from some people can be almost 50 times more effective in fighting cancer than in others.

Dr Cui has previously shown cells from mice found to be immune to cancer can be used to cure ordinary mice with tumours.

These cancer-killing immune system cells are called granulocytes which could be made available from donors to significantly boost a cancer patient’s ability to fight their disease, and potentially cure them.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week gave Dr Cui permission to inject super-strength granulocytes into 22 patients.

He said: “Our hope is that this could be a cure. Our pre-clinical tests have been exceptionally successful.If this is half as effective in humans as it is in mice it could be that half of patients could be cured or at least given one to two years extra of high quality life.The technology needed to do this already exists, so if it works in humans we could save a lot of lives, and we could be doing so within two years.”

Dr Cui believes patients could benefit from the technique quickly because the technology used to extract granulocytes is the same as that already used by hospitals to obtain other blood components such as plasma or platelets.

Prof Gribben, a cancer immunologist at Cancer Research UK’s experimental centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, said: “The concept of using immune system cells to kill off someone else’s cancer is very, very exciting.”

Dr Cui, who presented his latest findings at an anti-ageing conference in Cambridge last week, extracted granulocytes from 100 people, including some with cancer.

When the immune cells were mixed with cervical cancer cells, those from different individuals demonstrated vastly varying abilities to fight the cancer.

Those of the strongest participants killed close to 97 per cent of the cancer cells in 24 hours, while those of the weakest killed only two per cent.

The abilities of the cells of participants aged over 50 were lower than average, and those of cancer patients even lower.

Dr Cui noticed that the strength of a person’s immune system to combat cancer can also vary according to how stressed they are and the time of year.

Initial experiments suggest it may be possible to transfer granulocytes which have demonstrated strong cancer-fighting powers into cancer sufferers.

In 1999 Prof Cui and colleagues discovered a male mouse that appeared to be completely resistant to virulent cancer cells of several different types.

Since then more than 2000 mice in 15 generations have been bred from the original cancer-free mouse and 40 per cent of the offspring have inherited the immunity.

With the immune system, some types of cells which provide “innate immunity” are constantly on patrol for foreign invaders, while others have to firstly learn to identify a specific threat before going on the attack.

Scientists developing cancer vaccines have generally attempted to stimulate responses in the immune system cells that require prior exposure.

Last year Dr Cui caused shockwaves in the cancer research community when he identified granulocytes as the cells responsible for the mouse cancer immunity – because they are among those which act automatically.

Prof Gribben said: “This is surprising because it goes against how we thought immune system works against cancer. It makes us think again about our preconceived notions.”

Prof Cui injected granulocytes from immune mice into ordinary mice, and found it was possible to give them protection from cancer.

Even more excitingly he found the transfusions caused existing cancers to go into remission and to clear them completely within weeks.

A single dose of the cells appeared to give many of the mice resistance to cancer for the rest of their lives.

Granulocyte transfusion has previously been used to try to prevent infections in cancer patients whose immune systems have been weakened by chemotherapy.

However their effectiveness has been unclear because they have mainly been given to patients in an advanced stage of disease.

Prof Gribben warned the US researchers would have to be careful to avoid other immune system cells from the donor proliferating in the patient’s body.

He added: “If they’re using live cells there is a theoretical risk of graft-versus-host disease, which can prove fatal.”

But Dr Cui said he is working on ways to minimise this risk.

Adults won’t exercise to live longer

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Even the threat of an early death is not incentive for most UK adults to exercise, according to a new survey of 2,100 people from YouGov.

Only 38% of people questioned by YouGov said they would do more exercise if their life depended on it. In addition, British Heart Foundation figures show only a third of people manage to do enough exercise to achieve the minimum recommended amount.

Experts warned inactivity is dangerous even in those who are a healthy weight.

In the YouGov survey brisk walking was found to be the favourite way of getting exercise – before dancing, swimming or going to the gym.

Physical activity and obesity are too different risk factors so even if you’re lean, if you’re inactive you increase your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, only 4% said they found exercise fun.

A greater inspiration was exercising to change body shape, particularly among women and young adults.

Almost a third of 18 to 24-year-olds reported they would do more exercise if they saw an unflattering photo of themselves or were told they looked fat.

Other less predictable forms of motivation to work out included fancying someone at the gym.

But only 13% of men and 7% of women said keeping a healthy heart was their main motivator.

Excuses for not exercising were found to be always close at hand – from not having enough time to the one in seven who blame bad weather for not doing enough physical activity.

The British Heart Foundation, which is launching a campaign to encourage people to up their heart rate for 30 minutes a day, says that someone dies every 15 minutes as a direct result of physical inactivity.

The government recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five times a week.

Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said it made for depressing reading but confirmed what had been shown in clinical trials, where even those who had a heart attack did not change their lifestyles.

“Children instinctively exercise when left to their own devices, but they don’t because they’re stopped from doing that by the school curriculum and parents scared of child abductors and murderers lurking on every corner.

“So, if it doesn’t become a habit, you’re not going to work hard to go against the tide and introduce it as an adult.”

He added that exercise could be incorporated into everyday life.

“Physical activity and obesity are too different risk factors, so even if you’re lean, if you’re inactive you increase your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease,” he said.

Americans die younger, reveals new report

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New York Americans are living longer than ever, but still die younger than people in some 40 other countries.

Ugovernment statistics released yesterday show American life expectancy at an all-time high of nearly 78 years. The information is from 2005, the latest year for which information was available.

The Centers for Disease Control notes that death rates declined for eight of the 15 leading causes of death. These include heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in America, which account for more than half of all deaths each year.

But the United States continues to slip in international rankings of life expectancy, lagging behind 41 countries including Japan, Jordan, Macau and Singapore, as well as most of Europe.

Independent researchers say America’s poor showing compared to other industrialized democracies results, in part, because of widespread obesity and a lack of health insurance.

Pop stars twice as likely to die early than ordinary mortals

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Rock and pop stars are more than twice as likely as the rest of the population to die an early death, and within a few years of becoming famous, reveals research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The findings are based on more than 1050 North American and European musicians and singers who shot to fame between 1956 and 1999.

All the musicians featured in the All Time Top 1000 albums, selected in 2000, and covering rock, punk, rap, R&B, electronica and new age genres.

How long the pop stars survived once they had achieved chart success and become famous was compared with the expected longevity of the general population, matched for age, sex, ethnicity and nationality, up to the end of 2005.

In all, 100 stars died between 1956 and 2005. The average age of death was 42 for North American stars and 35 for European stars.

Long term drug or alcohol problems accounted for more than one in four of the deaths.

When compared with the rest of the population in the UK and the US, rock and pop stars were around twice as likely to die early and even more likely to do so within five years of becoming famous.

Some 25 years after achieving fame, European pop stars returned to the same levels of life expectancy as the rest of the population.

But North American stars continued to experience higher death rates.

The music business would do well to take the health risks of substance abuse and risk taking behaviours more seriously, say the authors.

This is not only because of the long term effects on the stars themselves, but also because of the influence these stars exert on others.

One in 10 children in the UK aspires to become a pop star, say the authors, and the droves of eager hopefuls applying to take part in series such as the “X Factor,” confirm the attractiveness of this career option.

“Public health consideration needs to be given to preventing music icons promoting health-damaging behaviour amongst their emulators and fans,” say the authors.

Stars could do more to actively promote positive health messages, but these need to be backed up by example, they add.

“Where pop star behaviour remains typified by risk taking and substance use, it is unlikely that young people will see any positive health messages they champion as credible,” they warn.

Heart attack screening for siblings could save lives

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Glasgow: Premature heart attacks could be prevented if close relatives of victims were screened and treated, say experts at Glasgow University.

Siblings of those with premature heart disease – which occurs in men under 55 and women under 65 – have at least double the risk of developing problems. The siblings’ children also have an increased risk.

Specialists believe routine screening for those at higher risk should be looked at.

the UK’s Glasgow University, said: ‘Family history of coronary heart disease significantly increases risk of the disease in all firstdegree relatives.’

Common genetic factors are behind the extra risk. But doctors also blame a ‘shared lifestyle’ within families, such as eating similar unhealthy foods and smoking.

Using a series of calculations, doctors worked out that 88 per cent of premature heart attacks in those with a family history that were treated in England Wales and Scotland in 2004, could have been prevented through family screening.

Statins may be new weapon against Alzheimer’s

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Seattle: The family of anti-cholesterol drugs called statins and taken by millions around the world, can protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research.

An examination of brain tissue has provided the first direct evidence that statins – taken to prevent heart disease and strokes – can also ward off dementia and memory loss. The study is published in the American Journal of Neurology.

The new findings s come from a study of 110 brains – donated for medical research – at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. The researchers led by Dr Gail Li examined the brains for changes linked to Alzheimer’s -including the creation of ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’ made from the protein called beta amyloid.

These changes appear in the brain long before any symptoms of dementia develop. Eventually, they damage enough brain cells to trigger confusion, memory loss and eventually death. The researchers found far fewer tangles in the brains of people who had taken statins, compared to those who had not.

The findings were true even after age, sex and the history of strokes were taken into account. This is the first study to compare the brains of people who took statins with those who did not.

Dr Eric Larson, study co-author said: “These results are exciting, novel and have important implications for prevention strategies.”

Statins work by blocking the action of a chemical in the liver which is needed to make the ‘bad’ form of cholesterol, LDL. Reducing levels of bad cholesterol keeps blood vessels unclogged.

The researchers are not sure how statins also prevent the buildup of protein tangles in the brain. They suspect that a healthy flow of blood is a key factor.

Another study, five year’s ago at Boston University found that statins may cut the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 79 per cent, even in people with a family history of the disease. Some small- scale studies have found an apparent link between statins and cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Other studies, however, suggest that the drugs can ease the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.

Blood pressure drug increases longevity in elderly

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London: An international trial looking at the benefits of giving blood-pressure lowering medication to elderly patients has stopped early, after researchers observed significant reductions in overall mortality in those receiving treatment.

The 3,845 patient Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) is the largest ever clinical trial to look at the effects of lowering blood pressure solely in those aged 80 and over. Preliminary results of the trial, which is coordinated by scientists from Imperial College London, suggest that lowering blood pressure significantly reduces both stroke and mortality in the over-80s.

A number of earlier trials had demonstrated that reducing blood pressure in the under-80s reduces stroke and cardiovascular events. However, previous smaller and inconclusive studies also suggested that whilst lowering blood pressure in those aged 80 or over reduced the number of strokes, it did not reduce, and even increased, total mortality.

Patients with high blood pressure from across the world were randomised for the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which began in 2001. Patients were given either the placebo or a low dose diuretic (indapamide 1.5mg SR), and an additional ACE inhibitor (perindopril), in tablet form once a day.

Emeritus Professor Chris Bulpitt, HYVET Principal Investigator from the Care of the Elderly Department at Imperial College London, said: “It was not clear prior to our study whether the over-80s would benefit from blood pressure lowering medication in the same way as younger people.

Our results are great news for people in this age group because they suggest that where they have high blood pressure, such treatment can cut their chances of dying as well as stroke.”

The Steering Committee of HYVET accepted on 12th July 2007 the recommendation of its Data Safety Monitoring Board that the trial should be stopped.

Definitive figures will not be available until all the data has been collected. Results will then be published in the peer reviewed scientific press.

Over the next few months all HYVET patients will be seen for a final visit, where all patients on trial medication will be offered the option of switching to active indapamide 1.5 mg SR based antihypertensive treatment. Prior to their final visit, all patients are advised to stay on their existing drugs until they see their trial physician.

HYVET was co-ordinated by scientists from Imperial College London, working with colleagues around the world. The main trial was funded by both the British Heart Foundation and by the Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier.

1. About stroke and high blood pressure

* Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the England and Wales. In 2004, 11% of deaths amongst those aged 75-84, and 14% of deaths amongst those aged over 85 were due to stroke, according to the Office of National Statistics.

* In the UK about 150,000 people suffer a stroke each year, the equivalent of 1 every 4 minutes.

* About one third of stroke patients die within 6 months of the event, the majority occurring in the first month.

* Disability after stroke is the most important single cause of severe disability of people living in their own homes.

* There are 2 types of stroke:

a. Haemorrhagic – caused by blood leaking into brain tissue from a
blood vessel within the brain
b. Ischeamic – caused by a clot occluding a blood vessel, resulting in
loss of blood supply to a part of the brain and subsequent damage to brain tissue.

High blood pressure increases the chance of both a blood vessel leaking or rupturing, and of a clot forming within a blood vessel. High blood pressure increases the likelihood of damage to the lining of the blood vessel, which in turn leads to an increased chance of spontaneous clot formation within the blood vessel.

* The over 80s are the fastest growing group in the population worldwide – in the UK currently they account for 4% of the total population and this is expected to rise to over 11% by 2050.

* The risk of stroke increases with age, with some estimates suggesting that the risk doubles every decade after a person reaches 55 years of age

* In the UK approximately 4% of the total National Health Service budget is spent on stroke services each year.

Mix of diseases may cause Alzheimer’s

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BETHESDA: Few older people die with brains untouched by a pathological process, however, an individual’s likelihood of having clinical signs of dementia increases with the number of different disease processes present in the brain, according to a new study.

The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Julie Schneider, MD, and colleagues report the findings in the journal Neurology online.

Among their findings is the observation that the combination of Alzheimer’s disease and strokes is the most common mix of pathologies in the brains of people with dementia. The implication of these findings is that public health efforts to prevent and treat vascular disease could potentially reduce the occurrence of dementia, the researchers say in the paper.

The researchers used data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project — an ongoing study of 1,200 elderly volunteers who have agreed to be evaluated every year and to donate their brains upon death.

The current study compared clinical and autopsy data on the first 141 participants who have died.

Annual physical and psychological exams showed that, while they were alive, 50 of the 141 had dementia. Upon death, a neuropathologist, who was unaware of the results of the clinical evaluation, analyzed each person’s brain. The autopsies showed that about 85% of the individuals had evidence of at least one chronic disease process, such as Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, hemorrhages, tumors, traumatic brain injury or others.

Comparison of the clinical and autopsy results showed that only 30% of people with signs of dementia had Alzheimer’s disease alone. By contrast, 42% of the people with dementia had Alzheimer’s disease with infarcts and 16% had Alzheimer’s disease with Parkinson’s disease (including two people with all three conditions). Infarcts alone caused another 12% of the cases. Also, 80 of the 141 volunteers who died had sufficient Alzheimer’s disease pathology in their brains to fulfill accepted neuropathologic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease, although in life only 47 were clinically diagnosed with probable or possible Alzheimer’s disease.

“We know that people can have Alzheimer’s pathology without having symptoms,” says Dallas Anderson, PhD, population studies program director in the NIA Neuroscience and Neuopsychology of Aging Program. “The finding that Alzheimer’s pathology with cerebral infarcts is a very common combination in people with dementia adds to emerging evidence that we might be able to reduce some of the risk of dementia with the same tools we use for cardiovascular disease such as control of blood cholesterol levels and hypertension.”

NIA is conducting clinical trials to determine whether interventions for cardiovascular disease can prevent or slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. On-going trials cover a range of interventions such as statin drugs, vitamins and exercise.

SOURCE: The National Institutes of Health

Breast cancer victims live longer with good diet and exercise

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San Diego: Eating healthy food and taking regular exerice, cuts the risk of dying by half in breast cancer victims, say scientists at the University of California.

Walking for thirty minutes and eating five portions of vegetables and fruit daily offers protection even in obese women.

The studyis the first to look at the combined effects of diet and exercise directly on the survival rates of cancer victims and studied 1,490 women with an average age of 50.

All the women, who had undergone primary therapy for early-stage breast cancer took part in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study.

It was concluded that women who were both physically active and had a healthy diet were much more likely to survive for between five and 11 years longer than the others. Only around 7 per cent of the ‘ healthyliving’ women died within 11 years – about half that seen for the others taking part in the study.

The findings are published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

World’s oldest person dies at 114

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Hartford: The world’s oldest person, Emma Faust Tillman, has died in the US aged 114.

Mrs Tillman, the daughter of former slaves, died “peacefully” on Sunday night, said an official at a nursing home in Hartford, Connecticut.

Mrs Tillman had lived independently until she was 110 and had never smoked or drank, her family and friends said.

She only became the world’s oldest person last week, after the death of a 115-year-old man in Puerto Rico, the Guinness Book of World Records said.

“She was a wonderful woman,” said Karen Chadderton, administrator of Riverside health and Rehabilitation Center in Hartford.

Mrs Tillman had been very religious and had always attributed her longevity to God’s will, according to her family and friends.

She was born on 22 November 1892 on a plantation near Gibsonville in North Carolina.

In an interview with a local historical society in 1994, Mrs Tillman said her parents had been slaves.

Longevity appears to be common in Mrs Tillman’s family – three of her sisters and a brother lived past 100.

Japan’s Yone Minagawa, who was born in 1893, is now believed to be the world’s oldest person.

Coroner investigates death of girl after liposuction

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Sydney: The parents of a beautiful 26-year old girl called for more regulation for “vanity” surgery after her death following liposuction.

Lauren James died earlier this week, three days after the surgical procedure which removes unwanted fat. The local coroner is to investigate the death.

Lauren (pictured), was treated at a Caulfield North cosmetic surgery centre, died on Monday after complaining of bleeding and pain over the weekend.

Her family vowed yesterday to join any call for tougher regulation of the vanity surgery industry if the coroner found her death was linked to the liposuction.

A spokesperson for the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr Norm Olbourne, said regulation was needed in vanity surgery.

Ms James had liposuction on both thighs and her buttocks at the Centre of Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery in Caulfield North on January 19 and was discharged that day.

It is understood she complained of bleeding and saw the centre’s medical director, Dr Mervyn Cass, on Monday morning. She died about 8pm.

Ms James’s death has sparked calls for regulation of the vanity surgery industry.

In Australia, general practitioners can perform cosmetic procedures without surgical qualifications. Although in Lauren’s case the procedure was carried out by a qualified surgeon.

Ms James’s brother said the family was waiting to find out the cause of death.

“If it turns out that it was the surgery that caused Lauren’s death, we would want to prevent it happening to someone else,” Mr James said.

“We would fully endorse an investigation into the dangers and complications that can arise from what is seen as routine cosmetic surgery.”

The national head of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said there were “no standards” in cosmetic surgery.

The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery is trying to introduce new rules to ensure cosmetic surgery is carried out by doctors with post-graduate training, Dr Haikerwal said.

Dieters cut calories rather than exercise

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London: Dieters prefer to count calories rather than take the healthier exercise option, says a new poll from pharma giant, GlaxoSmithKline Nutritional Healthcare.

Twice as many dieters count calories to lose weight rather than exercise, a poll has found. And this diet loss method if more poplar with women than men.Calorie counting is most popular with women – half opt to count their food intake, compared with a third of men.

Surprisingly 59% of the 2,000 people surveyed by GlaxoSmithKline Nutritional Healthcare realised exercise makes the greater contribution to personal health.

More choice in low-calorie foods means people are giving up exercise in favour of consuming less, nutritionists say.

John Brewer, GSK Sports Scientist, said: “The trend of people swapping the gym for a low calorie meal is very worrying.

“Consuming fewer calories is no substitute for exercise. We cannot afford to become a nation of calorie-counting couch potatoes – the benefits of leading active lives are enormous.”

Graham Neale of GSK Nutritional Healthcare said diet food manufacturers had a responsibility to consumers.

He said: “With food and drink manufacturers broadening their ‘diet’ ranges, we need a concerted effort to encourage consumers to focus as much on ‘energy out’ as ‘energy in’.”