UK Today News » Health

One out of six mobile phones in the UK has E.coli?

Christina — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:14:59 +0000

UK Today News: A recent British study in the UK has stated that one in six mobile phones have some traces of E.coli. This happens as most of the time people are not bothered about washing hands before using their phones.

The study has found that nine in ten mobile phones have some or other kind of bacteria, which also includes E.coli. E.coli is the bacteria which was responsible for the number of deaths caused in Germany in the month of June.

More than 350 samples were taken by researchers from the London School Of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine from the phones as well as the hands of the people. Samples were taken from 12 cities across Britain.

95 percent of the people had said that they had washed their hands with soap, but still 16 percent of the phones and people’s hands had E.coli that was transmitted from faeces. It was also found that 25 percent of the phones and 31 percent of the hands had contained Staphylococcus aureus. This bacteria is naturally present in the skin but can become dangerous if it is transferred between people, especially those who have a week immune system. Overall, 92 percent of the mobile phones and 82 percent of the hands have some kind of bacteria in them.

Malaria cases rise drastically in the UK

Anita J — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:09:45 +0000

UK Today News: The number of cases of malaria in the UK has drastically increased in the past few years. A new report has been disclosed by the Health Protection Agency, which stated that a whopping 1,495 cases of the disease had been reported in the year 2008. This has jumped up to 1,761 cases were reported in the year 2010.

Looking at the growing concerns, the agency is now constantly warning people to take precautionary measures in order to reduce the number of cases. The agency has warned travelers to take enough measures so that they are not vulnerable to the disease. People have been advised to take anti malaria pills to make them immune of malaria, besides covering their bodies at all times, and using mosquito repellents if possible.

Many people think that they will not contract the disease as they have already gone through it once. But this is far from the truth. Malaria is caused due to the biting of the mosquito and the symptoms can appear within eight days after being bitten by the insect. The figures have shown that four out of 10 cases were of the residents of UK, who had just returned from Nigeria or Ghana. The report had even mentioned that 11% of the cases were of those who had visited India. The experts have advised that one must take enough precautions before travelling to any other country especially tropical areas.

To keep Malaria at bay, ensure that your garbage bins are covered outside, else this will attract mosquitoes. Also see that there is no open stagnant water as this could become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Besides this, closing your windows at around 6pm, or getting net for your windows is a nice way of keeping mosquitoes at bay.

Does drinking coffee increase your blood pressure? Probably not, says new study

Christina — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:57:39 +0000

UK Today News: In some good news for all coffee lovers, a new study states that drinking numerous cups of coffee in a day will not shoot up the blood pressure. Earlier, certain experts had said that drinking coffee could lead to high blood pressure and even hypertension, which may in some cases lead to heart problems and short life expectancy; but newer research has refuted such claims.

According to a recent US report, people who consumed several cups of coffee pose no threat of high blood pressure. A data of more than 170,000 people along with six studies was collected by the researchers. The participants were asked how many cups of coffee they had consumed each day. Later on, they were followed for 33 years. Data of the people who drank more coffee was compared to people who had less coffee. The researchers found that the ones who had consumed more coffee, were no different from those who had less coffee.

But another research team from Louisiana State of University School of Public Health had said that the relationship between coffee and blood pressure was complicated. The researchers had said that different people from different genetic backgrounds respond differently to coffee. For some, it may be safe to have coffee, but it may not be safe for all people. As with most research, there are ups and downs to the results.

Visited a farm? Wash hands with water and not a hand sanitizer, says study

Christina — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:16:10 +0000

UK Today News: The usage of hand sanitizers have increased in recent days by families, especially those who have small children. But a recent study has stated that hand sanitizers are not a substitute for water and soap. According to the Health Protection Agency, hand sanitizing gels cannot provide protection from certain germs, which are found in farms.

The warning was issued by the HPA, during the Easter holiday, when most of the families would be visiting farms. Farms are a place where germs reside in animals in the form of animal droppings. Such germs can be harmful if they are ingested, through the mouth. These chances tend to be higher in the case of children, who are more vulnerable to inflectional diseases like diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems. In order to reduce the chances of infection, adults and children must thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water, and not only use hand sanitizers.

Hand gels can be used only in limited cleaner areas like the offices, lifts and trains. But they cannot kill germs like E. coli or cryptosporidium, which are mostly found in animal droppings and farms. Doctors advise that the children who are more vulnerable to infection, must take care about the hygiene and must be under parental observation.

British scientists develop drug to deal with stress

Christina — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:58:29 +0000

UK Today News: One of the major problems that the younger generation is facing today is stress. Now British scientists have come up with a new drug to deal with stress, a problem which is mostly faced by people of all ages due to the fast paced lifestyle and demands of the generation.

Neuropsin protein is one of the several types of proteins in the brain. Neuropsin is also known as the anxiety protein. This protein is regulated by the amygdala – which is a region deep inside the brain, which is responsible for the emotional moods of the individual.

When the amygdale is triggered, it also triggers stress and emotional pangs in humans. Scientists have developed a drug that targets the neuropsin through the amygdale, which could prove a useful treatment for the patients dealing with post traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Robert Pawlak, a lead scientist from the University of Leicester has said that problems related to stress are becoming common and are slowly affecting a large number of population, due to social impact and personal problems. Earlier the scientists had said that stress problems affect only a few people, but later it was found that majority of people actually deal with such problems. Out of them, only a few people develop psychiatric disorders, which include stress, depression and post traumatic disorder.

British researchers find new injection life saver for heart stroke patients

Anita J — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:47:34 +0000

UK Today News: With the increasing number of heart attacks world wide, a new injection has reportedly been introduced by Professor Wilhelm Schwaeble and his team from the University of Leicester, UK.

New studies state that not many people are aware that the actual damage of the heart and the body begins after the heart stroke. Damage is done to the brain tissues as well as the heart muscles. Such damage is caused as many of the body parts lack oxygen and interruption of blood flow, after the stroke.

The damage or the scarring occurs nine to twelve hours after the stroke. Many of the cells of the body also lack oxygen. The injection helps in reducing the life threatening damage done to the body and the heart.

The research team has found that the drug can protect the cells from tissue scaling up to 60 percent. The discovery of the drug is a major landmark in medical history in terms of treatment for strokes. The results of the drug came as a surprise for the cardiologist and they could not believe what was happening. The drug can also reduce the chances of heart transplants and can also be made a part of some surgical procedure. It took seven years for the researchers, to develop the drug and they hope that it will have an extremely high success rate.

TeloVac vaccine for pancreatic cancer tested in the UK

Anita J — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:52:46 +0000

UK Today News: Pancreatic cancer has reportedly become one of the most deadliest cancers in the world. The survival rate of the patients with such type of cancers is the lowest right now, compared to the other types of cancers. In order to prevent this cancer, a trial version of a vaccine has been initiated in the UK.

The vaccine is called TeloVac and the trial is conducted on more than 1,000 patients suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer. Normally, it is found that vaccines provide protection from infections. But this vaccine is said to help boost the immune system of the body to fight against the cancer.

The patients are given the vaccines along with the chemotherapy treatment. The study group trial will be then be compared to the treatment in which chemotherapy alone is used. The vaccine contains telomerase and some small portions of protein.

According to professor John Neoptolemos from the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, the tumors are clever enough to even turn the immune cells to protect the tumor. The vaccines will help to turn off the guarding effect of the cells, Prof. John added. Pancreatic cancer has the minimum survival rates, which is a cause of concern. Not more than five patients in 100 survive the deadly cancer for five years.

Manuka honey can possibly reverse antibiotic resistance, says new British study

Anita J — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:51:15 +0000

UK Today News: Honey is not just known to be sweet, it’s also known for some good health values. A recent study has even shown that s type of honey called manuka honey, can be effective in reversing antibiotic resistance, which also helps in a big way in clearing the wounds that have been infected.

The University of Wales Institute Cardiff had conducted a study that manuka honey has the ability to block three types of bacteria which are found in wounds, Group A Streptococci, Meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The manuka honey is derived the by the nectar of bees which are found in the manuka trees in New Zealand. In olden days, it was said that the honey had antimicrobial properties, but in recent days there is no evidence for its importance in modern medicine.

The studies have found that the honey helps to block the attachment of the bacteria to the tissues, which is considered as the initial stage of infection. The prohibited attachment also helps to prevent repeated infections. Rose Cooper, who had conducted the study had said that manuka honey may increase the possibilities of digging out more solutions on the threat of increased antibiotic resistance in the not so distant future. The results of the study were displayed and presented at the Society for General Microbiology’s spring conference, which was held in the United Kingdom.

Look’s like this is one sweet thing that is good for you, honey!

More than 13,000 cases of cancer caused by alcohol in the UK every year

Anita J — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:43:20 +0000

UK Today News: New research in the UK states that more than 13,000 cases of cancer in the country have been caused due to the consumption of alcohol. The studies have said that thousands of cancer cases could have been prevented if only the men and women made it a habit to stop after two drinks every day.

The study was carried out in eight of the European countries, which included the UK. It was found that almost half of the cancer cases were related to either mouth or throat, with the main areas getting affected being the mouth, voicebox, oesophagus and pharynx – all due to alcohol.

Alcohol was also responsible for more than 2,500 breast cancer cases and more than 3,000 colorectal cancer related conditions every year. The study was revealed by the European prospective investigating into cancer and nutrition. The Epic is currently having a watch on the relation between diet and the cancer in countries like Italy, France, Spain, the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Greece and Denmark.

The research had also revealed that 3% of cancer cases in women and 10% of cancer cases in men were caused due to alcohol. Naomi Allen from the Oxford University has said that cancer can also be caused by having even moderate amounts and that it can also cause more cancers than the research actually suggests.

Top 10 fruit juices to help in weight reduction

Rob — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:46:58 +0000

UK Today News: In this age of junk food and vulnerability to heart attacks and other health related ailments, it is essential to keep fit and stay healthy. Obesity may not be initially harmful, but it can be hazardous if it is ignored. It is very important to take care of your health and make sure that you keep yourself healthy at all time.

For all those who want to lose those extra kgs, here are the top 10 juices that can help to reduce weight in a healthy way:

1. Beetroot juice – The natural red color of the vegetable helps in developing red blood cells in the body and is also rich in iron, potassium, manganese and vitamin C. The juice is also helpful to those facing memory loss problems.

2. Carrot juice – Carrot juice is best recommended by ophthalmologists, as it is very beneficial for the eyes. The juice has antioxidants, calcium, potassium and magnesium, which is healthy for the human body.

3. Pear Juice – Pear Juice has high levels of calcium, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. The juice can be also mixed with other juices to make it even healthier.

4. Cranberry juice – Cranberry juice is rich in vitamin C and helps in curing urinary tract infections, which is mostly faced by women. The juice also helps in preventing diseases like E.coli, which infects the bladder.

5. Grape Juice – Grape juice is known for protecting the brain cells. An antioxidant rich drink, it helps to fight against all sorts of diseases.

6. Mango Juice – The best drink to beat the heat of summer, this juice also helps in cleansing of blood and is also beneficial for the kidneys.

7. Orange juice – Rich in vitamin C, the juice helps in stimulating blood movement in the body. The flavonoids in the juice also help in building a good immune system.

8. Pomegranate juice – The juice is best recommended for a healthy heart and is recommended by all doctors. Pomegranate juice also helps in avoiding prostrate cancer.

9. Concord grape juice – The concord grape juice is helpful for those who have blood pressure problems. The drink also helps in reducing heart related problems.

10. Blueberry juice – Along with vitamin C, the juice is packed with lot of fibers. The fruit has less calories and makes it a healthy drink to reduce fat.

UK Today News » Health

One out of six mobile phones in the UK has E.coli?

You might also like

Malaria cases rise drastically in the UK

You might also like

Does drinking coffee increase your blood pressure? Probably not, says new study

Related News

Visited a farm? Wash hands with water and not a hand sanitizer, says study

You might also like

British scientists develop drug to deal with stress

You might also like

British researchers find new injection life saver for heart stroke patients

You might also like

TeloVac vaccine for pancreatic cancer tested in the UK

You might also like

Manuka honey can possibly reverse antibiotic resistance, says new British study

You might also like

More than 13,000 cases of cancer caused by alcohol in the UK every year

You might also like

Top 10 fruit juices to help in weight reduction

You might also like