Sunday, December 19, 2010

Fortified Orange Juice a Good Source of Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly in the news related to numerous health problems from brittle bones, heart disease, general fatigue, and in recent asthma. The researchers found that vitamin D fortified orange juice can be just as good sources of vitamins, supplements like oral capsules.
This is good news, the dependence on sunlight as a major source of vitamin D is often impractical, especially in northern latitudes in winter. In southern latitudes, people encouraged to use sunscreen and avoid the sun to prevent skin cancer.
Knowing that many people do not drink milk every day, but often drink orange juice with your breakfast, Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University School of Medicine and his colleagues are studying whether vitamin D, as the bioavailability of orange juice as well as from supplements. Their results were published in the April issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The milk was fortified with vitamin D since the 1930s. Orange juice has only vitamin D was added in recent years after a preliminary study by Holick offered OJ can be an effective way to deliver vitamin D. Minute Maid and Tropicana can be found with vitamin D added.
Holick and colleagues conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study with healthy adults aged 18-84 years (15-20/group), who received 1,000 IU of vitamin D3, 1,000 IU of vitamin D2, or placebo in orange juice or capsules for 11 weeks in late winter.
More than half (64%) of the subjects began to study vitamin D deficiency (ie 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25 (OH) D]) concentration <20 ng / ml). Within 11 weeks, the level of those who received vitamin D has increased significantly. There was no significant difference in growth regardless of the vitamin was consumed in juice or capsule form.
Participants who received the placebo, as demonstrated no improvement in their levels of vitamin D.
Natural food sources of rare - mostly just oily fish and mushrooms. Government regulation now allow only 100 IU of vitamin D to be added to portions of food and drink. It is not enough if you are not vitamin D, so that you may need to take a capsule supplements to get the therapeutic amount (ie, 2,000 IU per day for adults and 1,000 IU for children).
If possible, try to get from 15 to 20 minutes of sunlight daily walks in the sun unprotected hands sunscreen. Use a sunscreen for the rest of your sun exposed time outdoors.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Surgical Teams Reminded To Ensure Patient Safety

Encourage surgical teams in the take time out before each operation to confirm correct patient, correct procedure, correct surgical site, and other important information to ensure patient safety, the Association of Perioperative Nurses (AORN) in partnership with the Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (CSR) and the Joint Commission to recognize National Time Out Day on June 18.
AORN began sponsoring National Time Out Day in 2004 to raise awareness about the importance of requiring the entire surgical team - including physicians, nurses and surgical technologists - to pause (take time out) before all invasive procedures to communicate as a group and confirm key information about the patient and the procedure to help prevent errors.
The Joint Commission requires all accredited health care facilities in practice the time-out as part of its Universal Protocol for preventing wrong site, wrong procedure, wrong person surgery. "Despite the widespread adoption of health workers to take time out, surgical errors, wrong site surgery as still frequently reported in the United States and many perioperative professionals report the lack of a coherent approach to the universal protocol and participation of all relevant members of the team or," said Peter B. Angood, MD, vice president and general manager for Patient Safety Joint Commission.
"Just like a sports team huddles before the game to determine their game plan, or the team should take time out before the procedure for review purposes, patient information, equipment readiness, supply availability and roles and responsibilities of each team member, said Jeffrey Beutler, CRNA, MS, executive director of the American Association Nurse Anesthetists (Aana) and Chairman of the Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (CSR). "surgical procedures are performed under general anesthesia to be associated with a high level of intensity of care for any medical practice and require the joint efforts of the team many highly qualified individuals to be successful. Taking time out, members of the perioperative team pause for us to do all that is needed to ensure that our patients have a high probability of experiencing the best results. "
CSR is a multidisciplinary coalition of professional organizations whose members are involved in the practical care of surgical patients, including Aana, AORN, the American College of Surgeons, American Association of Surgical Assistants Physicians, American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Association of Surgical Technologists and the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses.
"By partnering with AORN on National Time Out Day and the Joint Commission of each organization, CGS members demonstrate their commitment to perioperative collaboration we hope to all or a team," said AORN Executive Director Linda Groah, RN, MSN, CNOR, CNAA, FAAN . Groah encourages perioperative professionals to recognize National Time Out Day to remind each member of the surgical team, is it important to take time out for patient safety.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Obese People not at Risk for Heart Disease, Diabetes

The researchers are now saying that obese people are not at risk for heart disease and diabetes are those with normal metabolic profiles. Obesity is usually associated with increased risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but in the absence of high cholesterol and blood pressure, not all obese people are destined to develop heart and blood vessels that can lead to diabetes and heart attack.
According to Andre van Beek, MD, PhD who co-authored the study from the Netherlands, "Some obese people have a normal cardiovascular risk, and they do not have an increased risk of heart disease and blood vessels. He adds that frequent monitoring risk factors is important and that the percentage of obese people who do not have to worry about heart disease and diabetes is low.
Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands looked at the 1325 obese participants of the 8356 Dutch PREVEND (Prevention of kidney and vascular disease Endstage). The results showed that some obese people were found to be at risk for heart disease and diabetes but the percentage was small.
Among the participants, ages 28 to 75 years, only 90 were obese health metabolic profiles indicates that they are unlikely to be targeted as a high risk of heart attack or diabetes.
Of the 90 obese individuals, only one developed heart disease for 71 / 2 years, finding that researchers say is comparable to those whose weight was normal.
Although obese people are not at risk of heart disease who have normal blood pressure and cholesterol, may be protected, the researchers said that obesity can lead to other health problems should be noted, including diseases of the joints and muscle complaints. The new findings show obesity also contributes to poor sexual health. They also note there are only a small percentage of obese people who are not at risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Monday, December 6, 2010

After Flood: Preventing And Removing Mold

Mold growth in overall event after flood waters recede. The forms are a natural part of the environment and we are exposed to mold spores in everyday activities. Because the forms have the potential to cause health problems when excessive growth occurs, they should be cleaned quickly and correctly. Any structure that has been flooded should be presumed to contain materials contaminated with mold if those materials were not thoroughly dried within 48 hours, said the Iowa Department of Public Health Director Tom Newton. In the present context, it is obvious mold to know something.
The impact of shape can cause reactions such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes and rashes. These types of reactions are common and may be immediate or delayed. To effectively prevent mold growth, the following steps should be taken:
* Clean and dry the area as quickly as possible. Open doors and windows and use fans or dehumidifiers to dry the area.
* Remove, dispose of and replace any items that have absorbed flood water and can not be thoroughly washed and dried. Examples of such items include carpets and carpet padding, upholstery, wallpaper, drywall, ceiling tiles, insulation materials, leather, paper, some wood and wood products and food.
* Clean wet non-porous (items that do not absorb water) items and surfaces with detergent and water to prevent mold growth.
If mold has already started to grow, it is important to remove it as soon as possible skoree.Bolshe mold grows, more destructive it can be. When cleaning mold, certain precautions must be taken:
* Wear gloves to protect hands. Safety glasses that do not have ventilation holes to prevent mildew and mold spores in your eyes.
* Avoid the inhalation of mold or mold spores. This can be done by carefully removing mold contaminated materials in order to mold spores did not bother. In cases of severe mold growth, a mask or respirator may be worn to minimize exposure.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Medical Schools in US News College Rankings

U.S. News and World Report has released its 27th annual ranking of "Best Colleges" for 2011. At the top are among the leading health and medical research universities in the world.
U.S. News ranks colleges and universities in three stages. The first separates each school in accordance with the classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Colleges are grouped in four main categories: national universities, national liberal arts college, the regional universities and regional colleges. Second, data on 16 indicators of academic quality are gathered from each school and tabulated. Finally, colleges are ranked according to their weighted evaluation.Research and Medical Universities Top 2011 Best College Ratings
Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts leads the list. This is a private university was founded in 1636. In addition to the college, Harvard has 13 other schools and institutions, including top-ranked medical school. In 2009, total medical school enrollment included 705 students. University-affiliated hospitals include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Harvard Medical School also provides the public with the most current practical, authoritative health information, drawing on the experience of 8000 physicians Faculty
Third on the list ranking is from Yale University, a private institution founded in 1701. It is located in New Haven, CT, and has a total student enrollment 5275. While it is probably best known for its top-ranked law school, Yale School of Medicine is a leader in academic medicine and health. Students can pursue the Doctor of Medicine (MD), the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), or Master's in areas such as health care and nursing. The school also offers a program of physician Associate (MMSC).
More recently, Yale University, was appointed as one of six national centers that will result in a five-year, $ 100 million campaign to investigate how the human immune system responds to the vaccine and infection.