Occasional marijuana won't harm lungs, finds study

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Researchers from University of California, San Francisco have found smoking marijuana occasionally doesn't harm the lungs. However, they also found in their study that excessive cannabis smoking does lead to lung damage.


In their study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the scientists followed 5,016 men and women who were part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study for a period of 20 years.


Because cannabis has some of the same chemicals as cigarette tobacco, the researchers were interested in finding out if marijuana causes the type of lung damage associated with tobacco.


Fifty-four percent reported they smoked marijuana, tobacco, or both. Tobacco was smoke more often - 8 to 9 cigarettes a day compared with two or 3 episodes of marijuana use in the previous 30 days. 

The authors write:

“With up to 7 joint-years of life-time exposure (e.g., 1 joint/day for 7 years or 1 joint/week for 49 years), we found no evidence that increasing exposure to marijuana adversely affects pulmonary function.”

Measurements used to test lung damage included FEV1 - the amount of air you can blow out of your lungs in one second after taking a full, deep breath, and FVC, which is the total amount of air forcibly exhaled after taking full breath in.


In the study FVC actually improved. The researchers suggest it may be from  inhaling deeply that occurs with marijuana smoking that strengthens and stretches the lungs. 


The research team, which was led by Mark J. Pletcher, MD, MPH, notes marijuana has benefits for controlling pain, improving mood and promoting appetite. 


The finding that occasional marijuana smoking doesn't harm the lungs, might be used in support of medicinal use of cannabis to treat chronic health conditions. However, smoking pot more than 20 times a month was shown to cause a substantial decrease in FEV1 - forced exhaled (lung) volume in one-second. 


Source:

Pletcher MJ, Vittinghoff E, Kalhan R, Richman J, Safford M, Sidney S, Lin F, Kertesz S. Association between marijuana exposure and pulmonary function over 20 years. JAMA 2012; 307(2): 173-81

Arizona University Scientists Develop Ebola Vaccine

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Image is Ebola virus

Researchers from Arizona University have developed a vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus that works on mice.

The scientists have found a way to grow and purify the vaccine using the tobacco plant. According to the finding, reported in more detail today at EmaxHealth, the production of the vaccine is inexpensive and could be stored for extended periods without expiring.

The Ebola vaccine is different because it doesn't use a live virus, which means it doesn't require special storage for safety reasons.

The vaccine isn't used to prevent Ebola, but instead provokes the body's immune system to fight the infection.

The next step is to see if the Ebola vaccine works as well humans as it did in mice.

Fish eaters may be lowering their risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Baked or broiled fish
linked to lower risk of Alzheimer's

For the first time, researchers have found a direct relationship between eating baked or broiled fish and lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine studied 260 people with no memory problems, finding that eating fish at least once a week seems to preserve gray matter in the brain.

Participants were chosen from the Cardiovascular Health Study.

The investigators used the National Cancer Institute Food Frequency Questionnaire to determine how often the study participants ate fish: 63 patients consumed fish on a weekly basis, and most ate fish one to four times per week.

Advanced 3D MRI, using Voxel-based morphometry was used to measure the volume of gray matter in the brain at baseline and then again 10 years later.

The research team compared gray matter volume among people who ate fish, matching the finding with eating fish. They also adjusted the findings for age, gender, BMI, ethnicity, education and physical activity.

When gray matter decreases, it means brain cells involved in sensory perception, muscle control, vision, hearing, memory, emotions and speech are shrinking.

Cyrus Raji, M.D., Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh said "Consuming baked or broiled fish promotes stronger neurons in the brain's gray matter by making them larger and healthier. This simple lifestyle choice increases the brain's resistance to Alzheimer's disease and lowers risk for the disorder."

From the study result, the scientists found eating baked or broiled fish at least once a week keeps brain volume intact in the hippocampal, posterior cingulate and orbital frontal cortex – areas responsible for short and long - term memory, awareness, cognition and emotion and reward respectively.

Eating baked or broiled fish was also associated with heightened cognition.

"Working memory, which allows people to focus on tasks and commit information to short-term memory, is one of the most important cognitive domains," Dr. Raji said.

Working memory is destroyed by Alzheimer's disease. We found higher levels of working memory in people who ate baked or broiled fish on a weekly basis, even when accounting for other factors…”

The new study supports previous findings that eating fish promotes brain health and might lower the chances of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study found eating fish at least once a week – baked or broiled – lowered the 5-year risk of mild memory problems and Alzheimer’s disease five-fold. The authors write, “While we controlled for education in this study, other lifestyle and socio-economic factors may underlie these relationships.”

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Avoid jock itch, athlete’s foot and other fungus at the gym

Avoid ringworm, athlete's foot, jock itch
and other fungus that can come from the gym

If you enjoy spending time at the gym, chances are you or someone you know has been plagued with some sort of fungus. Jock itch, ringworm and athlete’s foot are spread easily, making it important to take steps to avoid fungus at the gym.

Jock itch causes a raised, red, itchy rash in the groin area. The medical term for jock itch, which can affect women too, is tinea cruris. The best way to avoid the problem is to dry off after a workout and change into loose clothing. Jock itch and other fungi thrive in a moist environment and start from sweating. Make sure you dry off completely after showering.

Athlete’s foot or tinea pedis is easily picked up from wet floors at the gym. The condition usually begins with intense itching between the toes. Without treatment athlete’s foot can spread; causing the skin to peel.

You can avoid athlete’s foot by wearing clean dry socks, avoiding sweaty shoes and wearing shower shoes at the gym. Make sure you wash and dry your feet completely every day. After a workout; at home, take off your shoes and let your feet air out.

Athlete’s foot can occur on the palms, fingers and heels. If it spreads to the fingernails or toenails, they can become thick, painful and brittle.

Your doctor can prescribe medication to treat the foot fungus. Look for over-the-counter treatments that contain the anti-fungal miconazole, clotrimazole, or tolnaftate .Clean your feet twice a day, dry thoroughly, apply the medication and wear clean cotton socks.

Ringworm is another type of fungus that spreads easily. It can occur on the scalp or skin. Drying off well after a workout can help prevent ringworm. Don’t share towels or other personal items to reduce the chances of ringworm.

To avoid bacterial infections at the gym, make sure you wipe down equipment, before and after a workout. Wash your hands before and after you exercise. Cover any cuts or scrapes with a band aide. Don’t go to the gym if you’re sick.

Fungus infections like jock itch, athlete’s foot and ringworm aren’t dangerous, but they can cause discomfort.

Avoiding fungal infections at the gym means paying attention to hygiene before, during and after exercise.

Wear fresh clothing during exercise, dry yourself off thoroughly after exercise and don loose clothing, keep your shoes clean and dry, wear shoes that cover the toes in the shower, and if needed, seek treatment advice from your personal physician to treat fungus infections at the first sign of rash, itching or skin changes that can signal ringworm. 

Image: Ringworm 

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Women report humiliation and stress from cervical smears

Women interviewed by UK
investigators say
cervical smears are humiliating
and stressful

A new investigation reveals women interviewed think getting a PAP (cervical smear) test is humiliating and stressful. 

Researchers say a woman’s feelings about cervical smears shouldn't be ignored, and that health care providers should recognize and discuss expectations and anxiety women might experience from the tests.

In findings from University of Leicester, published in the international journal Family Practice, women report they aren’t always treated kindly when they have their exam to detect cancer.

In their study, the researchers found women would like a more personalized approach.

According to Dr Natalie Armstrong, Lecturer in Social Science Applied to Health at the University of Leicester:

"Attitudes towards cervical smears remain something of a paradox. On one hand, screening appears to command impressive levels of public support - as demonstrated by campaigns to widen the eligibility criteria - but on the other hand there is considerable evidence suggesting that individual women find the experience of the screening test problematic."

For many women, a gynecological exam is stressful and painful.

Armstrong interviewed 34 women for her paper, published in collaboration with colleagues at Glasgow Caledonian University.

She says one woman stated, "It's just so cold. You go in, you take your clothes off, she does that and I mean it's just so, it's just so degrading and embarrassing. It's just horrible."

“Women can feel passive, helpless and vulnerable in the face of a situation where they risk pain and discomfort, shame and humiliation, and violation and invasion of privacy”, says Armstrong.

She says one solution may be to talk to women about their expectations during a cervical PAP smear to allow them to express their feelings.

"Ignoring women's fears, anxieties and concerns can appear to deny the reality, or at least the validity, of women's emotional responses.”

Women in the study said health care professionals can seem detached and distant during exams.

Armstrong hopes the finding can translate to a better experience for women undergoing the embarrassment of having a cervical smear test. Women interviewed in the University of Leicester study found the exams stressful and humiliating. 

CDC report highlights overdose deaths from prescription painkillers

A new report from the CDC highlights the problem of overdose and death from prescription painkillers. According to the CDC, physicians, consumers and policy makers can act together to ensure patients receive safe pain management.


According to the finding, A large portion of overdose deaths are the result of people taking the medications recreationally. According to the CDC, in 2010, 12 million Americans over age 12 said they took painkillers in the past year just to get high, rather than for medical purposes.


The report also found more men than women die from drug overdose from prescription painkillers that include oxycodone, methadone and hyrdocodone. 


Read the rest of the story at EmaxHealth.

Surgeon removes eight pound, foot long tumor from man’s liver

Large liver tumor example

Man turned away by 3 surgeons

Marcus Muhich had a tumor in his liver that weighed 8 pounds and was a foot long. He had been turned down by three surgeons who said his tumor was inoperable.

The man was ultimately referred to a surgeon at Loyola University.

It’s now been two years since Dr. Margo Shoup, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Loyola University Medical Center removed Mr. Muhich’s tumor. He is cancer free and calls Dr. Shoup a “miracle worker”.

The tumor was so large it was pressing against the man’s vena cava – a major artery that supplies blood flow to the heart. Three surgeons at major academic hospitals told Muhich the tumor couldn't be removed.

Because the cancerous liver tumor was pressing on the man’s vena cava, he was having an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation.

The 8 pound tumor was felt by a cardiologist when Muhich sought care for his heart rhythm disturbance.

Dr. Shoup was able to determine the cancer had not spread, even though it was large.

The chances of rupture of the vena cava and liver during surgery would have meant Muhich could bleed to death, but Dr. Shoup removed the tumor without complication.

Now the man is cancer free, his heartbeat is normal and there were no major surgery complications.

"The recovery was not difficult at all," Muhich said. "It hurt very little.

It’s been two years since the 8 pound, foot long tumor was removed. "Since he has reached the two-year point without a recurrence, his prognosis is excellent," Shoup said.

How did the man end up at Loyola University for surgery? -  Sarita Gilligan, Muhich’s sister said, "We truly believe God sent us there."

Source: Loyola University

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