Eating Vegetbles Could Prevent Macular Degeneration - Experts

Researchers in Australia said eating vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce consumers’ risk of developing early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

According to findings of the study at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research in Sydney, people who ate between 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35 per cent lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69mgs of vegetable nitrates each day

To this end, the lead Re searcher, Associate Professor Bamini Gopinath, from the Westmead Institute and the University of Sydney, said the confirmation of this finding could necessitate incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates including green leafy vegetables and beetroot as a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition, which may result in blurred or no vision in the centre of the visual field. It is due to damage to the macula of the retina. Gopinath said the link between vegetable nitrates and macular degeneration could have important implications.

“Essentially, we found that people who ate 100 to 142 mgs of vegetable nitrates every day had a reduced risk of developing early signs of macular degeneration compared with people who ate fewer nitrates. Spinach has approximately 20mg of nitrate per 100g, while beetroot has nearly 15mg of nitrate per 100g. The team interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults, aged over 49 and followed them over a 15-year period. Age is the strongest known risk factor and the disease is more likely to occur after the age of 50.

There is currently no cure for the disease. The research compiled data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a benchmark population-based study that started in 1992. It is one of the world’s largest epidemiology studies, measuring diet and lifestyle factors against health outcomes and a range of chronic diseases. Gopinath added: “Our research aims to understand why eye diseases occur, as well as the genetic and environmental conditions that may threaten vision.”

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Chinese Drugs With Human Flesh In Nigeria - The Truth, The Half Truth

New facts have begun to emerge over the existence of Chinese drugs containing human flesh in the Nigerian market.it will be recalled that a couple of weeks ago, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON)  confirmed that a Chinese drug in Nigeria markets contains human flesh.
SON made the confirmation when it received a letter sent by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) on the unnamed Chinese drug reported to be made from human flesh.
The Intelligence Agency had alerted several relevant agencies including SON, National Agency for Food Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC) and the Nigerian Customs Service on the Chinese drug in circulation.
Efforts made by  to verify the name of the drug were not successful, as several calls and messages got no response.
It was not the first time that drugs from fetuses and human flesh have filtered into markets. In 2011, Chinese officials launched investigations into the production of drugs made from dead fetuses. The capsules were disguised as stamina boosters and some people believed them to be a panacea for disease.
Investigations also revealed that thousands of the same drugs were first confiscated in South Korea in 2012.

According to investigations by the NIA, the capsules were filled with powdered flesh from dead babies whose bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder in North Eastern China.
“The South Korean Customs Service, on 30th September 2018 revealed that it has seized 2,751 Chinese drugs/capsules, containing human remains from foetus, infants and flesh imported into the country by some Chinese nationals,” NIA said in a statement.
“The manufacturers claim that the drugs/capsules can boost stamina, cure cancer, diabetes and some other terminal diseases.”
“The capsules were smuggled in suitcases and through international mail.”
The agency revealed that South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety indicated that 18.7 billion viruses, including hepatitis B virus were found in the capsules.
It also stressed that the making of the human remain drugs and consuming them are crimes against humanity, which can also lead to serious health challenges.
The Nigeria government agency then called on other health related agencies to enlighten Nigerians to be cautious of such drugs.
“However, it is important for all relevant health regulatory agencies in Nigeria especially the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, NDLEA and SON to sensitize Nigerians of this development and warn them of the inherent dangers of patronizing drugs imported from China.”
“The Customs Service, NIPOST and other mail delivery services should also step up monitoring of cargoes and packages with drugs imported into Nigeria.”

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Vitamin D Deficency May Cause Lung Cancer

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States (US) said low levels of Vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of a disease that causes lung inflammation and scarring.

To this end, an Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Dr. Erin Michos said that adequate levels of Vitamin D may be important for lung health.

According to the findings of a new study published in the ‘Journal of Nutrition’, lower than normal blood levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of early signs of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Michos, who is study leader said: “We might now consider adding vitamin D deficiency to the list of factors involved in disease processes, along with the known ILD risk factors such as environmental toxins and smoking.”

Interstitial lung disease may be caused by long-term exposure to hazardous materials, such as asbestos or coal dust, or it can be caused by an auto-immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. Once lung scarring occurs, it’s generally irreversible.

Symptoms include a dry cough. Shortness of breath can occur either at rest or after exertion and treatment depends on the underlying cause but often includes steroids.

 The researchers reviewed medical data collected on more than 6,000 adults over 10 years.

Michos said: “We knew that the activated Vitamin D hormone has anti-inflammatory properties and helps regulate the immune system, which goes awry in ILD.”
According to him, there was also evidence in the literature that vitamin D plays a role in obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and we now found that the association exists with this scarring form of lung disease, too.”

COPD is an umbrella term used to describe progressive lung diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and refractory (non-reversible) asthma. This disease is characterised by increasing breathlessness.

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High Salt Intake Could Lead To Early Death : Researchers

Eating foods that are high in salt is known to contribute to high blood pressure ; and now, new findings has  shown that it is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. According to a new study published in the ‘International Journal of Epidemiology,’ there is a direct linear relationship between increased sodium chloride (salt) intake and increased risk of death.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston (BWH), United States (US) and their colleagues carried out the study. Too much sodium consumption can increase blood pressure and cause the body to hold onto fluid. On its part, high blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.
Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as those that affect the muscles of the heart, valves or rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.

Previous studies shows that high salt intake increases blood pressure, which could lead to heart disease, while high potassium intake could help relax blood vessels and excrete the sodium and decrease blood pressure. Although, it is hard to measure how much sodium a person has consumed, a biostatistician in the Department of Medicine at BWH. Nancy Cook, ScD, said the study team used multiple measures to get a more accurate picture of participants salt intake.

Sodium intake can be measured using a spot test to determine how much salt has been excreted in a person’s urine sample. However, sodium levels in urine can fluctuate throughout the day so an accurate measure of a person’s sodium intake on a given day requires a full 24-hour sample.
In addition, sodium consumption may change from day to day, meaning that the best way to get a full picture of sodium intake is to take samples on multiple days, the ‘science daily’ reported. According to the report, “The gold-standard method showed a direct linear relationship between increased sodium intake and increased risk of death.”
Similarly, “The team found that the Kawasaki formula suggested a J-shaped curve, which would imply that both low levels and high levels of sodium consumption were associated with increased mortality.”

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How To Eliminate Mosquitoes Without Using Pesticides

According to a recent study, controlling the mosquitoes at the larval stage may be the best strategy to reduce their population.
In  the study published in the journal ‘PLOS ONE,’ introducing hungry minnows — small freshwater fish — into bodies of water where mosquitoes breed, can dramatically decrease the number of adult mosquitoes, especially those capable of carrying the West Nile disease, the virus of which is spread by infected mosquitoes.

Malaria is a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease caused by a Plasmodium parasite.It is transmitted to humans through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito.

Once an infected mosquito bites a human, the parasites multiply in the host’s liver before infecting and destroying red blood cells.
Nigeria suffers the world’s greatest malaria burden, with approximately 51 million cases and 207,000 deaths reported annually (approximately 30 per cent of the total malaria burden in Africa), while 97 per cent of the total population is at risk of malaria infection.

Although, the use of insecticides remain one of the most effective ways to get rid of mosquitoes as well as other flying and crawling insects, researchers have found a cheap and pesticide-free way to combat mosquito populations. However, previous studies show that pesticides are poisons and, unfortunately, they can harm more than just the ‘pests’ at which they are targeted. They are toxic, and exposure to pesticides can not only cause a number of health effects, but is linked to a range of serious illnesses and diseases in humans, from respiratory problems to cancer.

The research team introduced minnow fish into ten treatment reservoirs and also monitored an additional six non-treated reservoirs, ‘The HealthSite’ reported.

 The findings showed that treatment ponds suppressed levels of mosquito larva over each season compared to controls with a model-predicted 114 per cent decrease in larva density within treatment ponds.

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Sickle Cell In Nigeria : What You Need To Know

In Nigeria, over 150,000 children are born annually with symptomatic sickle cell anaemia, 1-in-4 people are healthy carriers of the disease.
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited disease in which the red blood cells in your body are shaped in sickles with jagged edges as opposed to smooth ovals or discs.
People with SCD have red blood cells that contain mostly haemoglobin S, an abnormal type of haemoglobin. The most common form of SCD is sickle cell anaemia.
Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. Now if you suffer from sickle cell, your red blood cells are deformed and weak. So not only do they deliver less oxygen to the body’s tissues, but they also can get stuck and break off into little pieces in your vessels.
Symptoms
Symptoms begin to emanate around four to six months. This may result in a number of health problems with the baby such as attacks of pain (otherwise known as “sickle-cell crisis”), anaemia, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections, and stroke. It can also cause lung issues, bone deterioration, asthma, hypertension, gallstones, stroke and even death. In general, symptoms can be mild for some and severe for others.
Myths
As with any disease, myths and misperceptions are inevitable and these often make it more difficult for those affected to obtain the care and support they need.
Patients Usually Die In Childhood
In the past, babies that were born with SCD had very little chances of making it to their teenage years, talk more of adulthood, but this doesn’t hold water anymore as medical advancements have brought blood therapies to the fore, which has helped to increase life expectancy of sufferers by decades. In fact, Alhaja Laguda, a sickle cell disease survivor will be 93 by November 1st, 2018.
Sickle cell disorders affect patient’s intelligence
Myth! Children with sickle cell disorders can always attend school and participate fully in normal activities. Only that the class teachers should know of the diagnosis and understand the limitations sickle can impose on a child.

Sickle cell disease is infectious
Myth! Sickle Cell disease is a genetically inherited condition (passed down from parent to child). For a child to inherit SCD, both parents must carry the sickle cell trait (or have the disease), and each must pass the sickle cell gene to the child.
No Cure
This was true in the past but not anymore SCD patients can go for a transplant. According to a report in 2012, around 25 people woman in Chicago, have received a blood marrow transplant in hopes of being cured of SCD. And so far around 85 percent of those people have been successful in ridding themselves of the disease.
Sickle Cell and Genetics / Prevention
To have sickle cell, both of your parents must have the gene. If they do, with each pregnancy there is a 25 percent chance of having a baby with SCD. There is also a 25 percent chance of their child not having sickle cell and not being a carrier. But there is a 50 percent chance of having a baby who is a carrier with sickle cell trait but doesn’t have SCD.
If you carry the sickle cell trait, seeing a genetic counsellor before trying to conceive can help you understand your risk of having a child with sickle cell anaemia. He or she can also explain possible treatments, preventive measures and reproductive options.

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