Health

Poor Dental Health Linked to Atherosclerosis

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Previous research has shown that poor dental health and periodontitis have been linked to atherosclerosis, which is a condition where fatty material collects along artery walls. This causes the arteries to become narrower and can lead to cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, angina (chest pain), and stroke. Researchers in Sweden recently tested the hypotheses that bacteria from the mouth and/or the gut could end up in the atherosclerotic plaque and contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease. The researchers found the number of bacteria in the plaque correlated with the number of white blood cells. This meant that this was a cause of inflammation. The researchers used sequencing methods to determine the composition of the bacteria in the mouth, gut and arterial plaque of 15 patients in both a control and a study group. They observed that bacteria were … Read more

Women Who Receive Dental Care Have Lower Heart Disease Risk

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A recent article by Sarah Yang at University of California Berkeley suggests that women who receive dental care can reduce their risks of stroke, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular problems. The study was published in the journal Health Economics in September 29, 2010 and examined data from men and women enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study. No link between men and dental care and their chance of cardiovascular events was found in this study. Nearly 7,000 people were in the study ranging from ages of 44 to 88. The data in the Health and Retirement Study followed the same individuals over a period of time and surveyed them every two years with questions such as if they have visited the dentist and if they had experience any anginia (chest pain), stroke, heart attack, or congestive heart failure during the … Read more

Patient Harm in Medical Care

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The New England Journal of Medicine has recently published an article titled “Temporal Trends in Rates of Patient Harm Resulting from Medical Care.” This article was conducted by Christopher Landrigan and 5 other researches, appeared in the November 25, 2010, edition and you can download and view it at http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMsa1004404 The article explores a random sample of 10 hospitals located in the state of North Carolina in the U.S.  A total of 2,341 patients were looked at from this sample and 588 of them had what was identified as a harm meaning that the patient was somehow harmed as a result of medical procedures, medications, or something else that was performed or given during their care. “Of 588 harms that were identified, 245 (41.7%) were temporary harms requiring intervention…  251 (42.7%) were temporary harms requiring initial or prolonged hospitalization. An … Read more

Bone Loss from Valproate

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The drug valproate is commonly used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. However, valproate appears to reduce the formation of two key proteins important for bone strength. This comes a recent news as before the reason for bone less in patients taking valproate was a mystery. Glenn Morris and his fellow researchers have demonstrated that the use of valproate has grown over the years to include other diseases/disorders.  Valproate now is prescribed for mood disorders, migraine headache, and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Many SMA patients will develop weak bones as a result SMA which of course makes additional bone loss not welcome. Now the molecular explanation for the bone loss side effect of valproate is known. Valproate reduces production of collagen, the key protein that gives bone its strength, and does so by around 60%. The drug also … Read more

Hair Samples Prove Stress Causes Heart Attacks

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New research has used male hair samples to prove that chronic stress and lead to cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack. It has been known for some time now that stress such as that from a marriage, job problems, and/or financial problems can lead to an increased risk of heart attack. However, there was never really a way to directly measure this stress. Drs. Gideon Koren and Stan Van Uum from the University of Western Ontario have developed a method to measure cortisol levels in hair which can provide a measure of stress levels before a problem like a heart attack occurs. It is well known that cortisol is a stress hormone and more of it is released when someone is stressed out. Dr. Koren explains  “We know that on average, hair grows one centimetre (cm) a month, and … Read more