HDL Yang Tinggi Menurunkan Risiko Kardiovaskular pada Diabetes Jenis 2

Menurut kajian terbaru, meningkatkan tahap lipoprotein berketumpatan tinggi, yang lebih dikenali sebagai HDL atau kolesterol "baik", dapat mengurangkan risiko serangan jantung dan strok di kalangan pesakit diabetes.

Dalam kajian pemerhatian, salah satu yang terbesar seumpamanya, meneliti rekod-rekod perubatan lebih daripada 30,000 pesakit yang menghidap diabetes mendapati bahawa pesakit yang mempunyai tahap HDL rendah mendapat lebih banyak serangan jantung dan strok.

Penyelidik mengkaji pesakit diabetes kerana mereka lebih cenderung kepada penyakit jantung dengan risiko seumur hidup setinggi 87 peratus.

Walaupun terdapat bukti bahawa mengurangkan jumlah lipoprotein berketumpatan rendah, juga dikenali sebagai LDL atau kolesterol "jahat", boleh mengurangkan risiko penyakit jantung, hubungan antara kolesterol HDL dan penyakit jantung adalah kurang jelas.

"Kajian kami menambah kepada bukti yang semakin kukuh bahawa meningkatkan paras HDL boleh menjadi satu strategi yang penting untuk mengurangkan risiko serangan jantung," menurut kajian yang diketuai penulis Gregory Nichols, PhD, penyiasat kanan Pusat Kaiser Permanente untuk Penyelidikan Kesihatan di Portland, Ore.

Kajian ini melibatkan 30,067 pesakit yang memasuki pendaftaran diabetes Kaiser Permanente di Oregon, Washington dan Georgia di antara tahun 2001 dan 2006. Pesakit-pesakit sekurang-kurangnya diambil dua ukuran HDL kolesterol antara 6 bulan dan 24 bulan.

Selepas mendapatkan ukuran kolesterol, penyelidik mengikuti perkembangan pesakit sehingga tahun ke 8 untuk melihat jika mereka dimasukkan ke hospital kerana serangan jantung atau strok.

Kebanyakan pesakit (61 peratus) tidak mempunyai sebarang perubahan ketara dalam paras HDL, dalam 22 peratus daripada pesakit, paras HDL meningkat sebanyak sekurang-kurangnya 6.5 mg / dl (miligram setiap deciliter darah); manakala dalam 17 peratus daripada pesakit, paras HDL menurun sekurang-kurangnya sebanyak jumlah yang sama.

Kajian mendapati bahawa pesakit yang tahap HDLnya meningkat, mengalami lebih sedikit serangan jantung dan strok iaitu sebanyak 8 peratus berbanding pesakit yang tahap HDLnya kekal sama, manakala pesakit yang tahap HDLnya menurun mencatat 11 peratus serangan jantung dan strok.

Jurnal Rujukan:

Gregory A. Nichols, Suma Vupputuri, A. Gabriela Rosales. Change in High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Risk of Subsequent Hospitalization for Coronary Artery Disease or Stroke Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The American Journal of Cardiology, Volume 108, Issue 8, 15 October 2011, Pages 1124-1128 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.05.047

AISO DONO LAH

Robert Kong, another 11 years veteran Anthonian, sent us this Manglish work of art by Antares. The title, if you have not already deciphered it, means "I also don't know" or "I don't know either"; please don't ask us which is less correct, we are Malaysians lah!

Aitelyu ah, every year laif getting harder,
Not like lastaim so seemple one.
You remember ornot dat taim we all in skool
Honda Cub five hundred dollar can buy.
Now how much oridi? Five tausend over!
Becos of INGFLATION wat, dey say…
So whatever happen to INFLASI SIFAR hah?
Dis mins debladigramen’s kempen for “Zero Ingflation”
Only add up to NUTTING pulak…
But aisodonolah…

De udder day my son come home from skool,
Say he nid computer.
Defler form one only, man,
Oridi want to so high-teck!
He say, nowdays got standard six buggers
Using word plocessor – Oi! Mamasan 2020, yutingwat!
So like a bladifoo I take de rascal to the IT Expo
And buy him two tausend linggit computer,
Summore got "Intel Inside" one.
Now defler as soon as he back from tiewshun
Oridi sitting like hunchback wid new video game:
Taa-taaaa-taaaaaaang! Zoop-zooooop!
Waaah, got STEREO sound one, pulak:
CIA, James Bond and Mossad versus Al-Qaeda and Al Gore!
Arfturds I go and see how de bladi ting work...
And de ungratefoo chap, ah,
He tell me to go away!
Never gif his old man chan to play…
Aiyoh, chewren dese days ah, watusay,
Aisodonolah…

Hweeyoh, doan tok to me about TRAFFIC JAM, brudder,
See my blood pressure oridi shoot up!
Lemme arsk you ah: got so many so-call iconomicks expert,
How come dey kennot add up how much
Taim, petrol, energy and payshuns wasted
In de bladi name of Progress, hah?
And how come de Otorities seemply allow
Dose gawdam devilopers to build high-rice condo
Even where got only kampong road?
Tingking of da FUTURE, da tick-skin flers say.
WHOSE FUTURE, I arsk you? Their own lah!
Two, tree housing projek oridi can retire,
Get free condo summore…
Cheh! Aisodonolah…

You want to hear a good joke ah?
Why garmen awfis orways got Piles of Work?
Becos dose buggers sit on their fat backside all day long
Till dey all kena PILES pulak –
So dey say PILES OF WORK is Ockupayshunal Hazard lah, haha!

But now ah, I hear dey will be UPGRADED, man:
Every seevil servant will get computer and internet
Under da Smart Awfis Plan -
Mins da furniture smarter than deflers who work there lah!
Dat’s wat MULTIMEDIO SUPER CURRYPUFF is all about lah:
From Mediocracy to Mediacrazy – waffor, man?
We only arsk dem to bekum NICER HOOMIN BEANS –
No nid for all sorts of ackspensif e-kwipment lah.
Aiyoh, so many kampong steel got no paip water
Or letrickcity; nearly half da bladi pawpoolayshun
Kennot read or rait (nemmain their speling lah)…
Steel sumflers want to ackshun only,
Awfer Bill Gates CON-SULTAN JOB IN POOTRAJAYA.
Yuting we kennot awford ah?
Twenty million a month oso no ploblem, man!
But where de heck da money coming from?
Oso, where de fuck de money going?
Aisodonolah.

Tok tok tok tokkok only!
ISO dis and ISO dat,
Aisodono wat.
Everywan and Kompeni going GREEN nowdays,
Mins wat? Learn to PLAY GOLF ah?
SARS-TAIN-ABLE EVERYTING…
Including GREED.
Watudu, booshit is manure - and manure good for growth wat,
You better shurrup and main your own affairs.
Any ploblem call Gurmit or Karpal Singh lah!
But who will do our Dirty Work for us, hah,
Wen dose flers retire?
Aisodonolah.

Oridi everyting PRIVATIZED and PIRATIZED,
Now no more Public Sektor lor!
Survival of the Fattest, yutingwat –
Dontch know your Charles Darwin ah, brudder?
“Aiyah, CARI MAKAN lah,” some say,
But ackchwurly ah, CURI MAKAN only.
Sneak around wid bags full of LOOT,
When caught REDHANDED wid pants down
Like dat oso never get de BOOT!
Ackshun spik lauder than words, dey say,
But in dis kiasu-kiasi so-sigh-ty ah,
You tok too laud you get DETAINED;
Kip quiet only, you bin DEBRAINED…
So waffor I tok to YOU ah?
Aisodonolah.

Can't figure out Antares' rants, drop us a line. We'll try not to further confuse you :).

Bersenam Sama Baik Sebagai Ubat Untuk Mencegah Migrain

Walaupun senaman sering dikatakan sebagai rawatan untuk migrain, tetapi sebelum ini tiada bukti yang cukup saintifik bahawa ia benar-benar berkesan. Walau bagaimanapun, penyelidikan dari Akademi Sahlgrenska kini telah menunjukkan bahawa senaman adalah sama baik sebagai ubat untuk mencegah migrain.

Hari ini doktor menggunakan pelbagai kaedah yang berlainan untuk mencegah migrain: di bidang farmaseutikal ubat yang berasaskan bahan topiramate telah terbukti berkesan, manakala kaedah bukan rawatan perubatan dengan kesan yang didokumentasikan termasuklah senaman relaksasi.

Tiada Bukti Awal

Senaman juga seringkali disyorkan sebagai rawatan, walaupun tidak ada bukti yang cukup saintifik bahawa ia benar-benar mempunyai apa-apa kesan ke atas pesakit-pesakit migrain.

Penyelidik dalam kajian rawak terkawal dari Akademi Sahlgrenska Universiti Gothenburg menganalisa sejauh mana senaman berkesan sebagai rawatan pencegahan untuk migrain berbanding dengan senaman relaksasi dan topiramate.

Bersenam 40 Minit

Disiarkan dalam Cephalalgia jurnal, kajian melibatkan 91 pesakit migrain, 1 / 3 daripada mereka telah diminta bersenam selama 40 minit tiga kali seminggu di bawah penyeliaan ahli fisioterapi, manakala 1/3 lagi melakukan senaman relaksasi, dan selebihnya diberikan topiramate. Kajian ini berlangsung selama tiga bulan, di mana status migrain pesakit, kualiti hidup, kapasiti aerobik dan tahap aktiviti fisikal telah dinilai sebelum, semasa dan selepas rawatan mereka. Hasil susulan kemudian dijalankan selepas tiga dan enam bulan.

Senaman Juga Sama Berkesan

Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa bilangan migrain menurun dalam ketiga-tiga kumpulan. Menariknya, tidak ada perbezaan dalam kesan pencegahan antara ketiga-tiga rawatan.

"Kesimpulan kami adalah senaman juga boleh bertindak sebagai alternatif kepada relaksasi dan topiramate dalam mencegah migrain, dan terutamanya sesuai untuk pesakit yang tidak mahu atau tidak dapat untuk mengambil ubat-ubatan pencegahan”, kata Emma Varkey, ahli fisioterapi dan pelajar kedoktoran di Akademi Sahlgrenska yang menjalankan kajian tersebut.

Sumber cerita:

Kisah di atas dicetak semula (dengan penyesuaian editorial oleh Team Zestzfulness) daripada satu kenyataan akhbar edisi September oleh Universiti Gothenburg.

Jurnal Rujukan:

E. Varkey, A. Cider, J. Carlsson, M. Linde. Exercise as migraine prophylaxis: A randomized study using relaxation and topiramate as controls. Cephalalgia, 2011; DOI: 10.1177/0333102411419681

Guidelines for Infant Sleep Safety and SIDS Reduction

AAP expands guidelines for infant sleep safety and SIDS risk reduction

Since the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended all babies should be placed on their backs to sleep in 1992, deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have declined dramatically. But sleep-related deaths from other causes, including suffocation, entrapment and asphyxia, have increased.

In an updated policy statement and technical report, the AAP is expanding its guidelines on safe sleep for babies, with additional information for parents on creating a safe environment for their babies to sleep.

"We have tried to make it easier for parents and providers to understand the recommendations by providing specific answers to common questions," said Rachel Moon, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP SIDS task force and lead author of the new guidelines. "As a health care community, we need to do a better job translating what the research identifies as 'best practices' into the day-to-day practice of caring for infants in both the hospital and home environment."

The policy statement, "SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment," and an accompanying technical report, will be released Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in Boston and published in the November issue of Pediatrics (published online Oct. 18).

Dr Moon will discuss the new recommendations during an embargoed news briefing for reporters at 11 a.m. ET Monday, Oct. 17, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. During the news briefing, a crib with objects such as crib bumpers, baby blankets, pillows and toys will be set up for Dr. Moon to demonstrate safe vs. unsafe sleep practices.

The policy statement and technical report provide global recommendations for education and safety related to SIDS risk reduction. In addition, the AAP is providing recommendations on a safe sleeping environment that can reduce the risk of all sleep-related infant deaths, including SIDS. Three important additions to the recommendations include:

• Breastfeeding is recommended and is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS.
• Infants should be immunized. Evidence suggests that immunization reduces the risk of SIDS by 50 percent.
• Bumper pads should not be used in cribs. There is no evidence that bumper pads prevent injuries, and there is a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation or entrapment.

"It is important for health care professionals, staff in newborn nurseries and neonatal intensive care units, and child care providers to endorse the recommended ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related deaths, starting at birth," Dr. Moon said. "There needs to be more education for health care providers and trainees on how to prevent suffocation deaths and to reduce SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths - our goal is to ultimately eliminate these deaths completely."

The report also includes the following recommendations:

• Always place your baby on his or her back for every sleep time.
• Always use a firm sleep surface. Car seats and other sitting devices are not recommended for routine sleep.
• The baby should sleep in the same room as the parents, but not in the same bed (room-sharing without bed-sharing).
• Keep soft objects or loose bedding out of the crib. This includes pillows, blankets, and bumper pads.
• Wedges and positioners should not be used.
• Pregnant woman should receive regular prenatal care.
• Don't smoke during pregnancy or after birth.
• Breastfeeding is recommended.
• Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime.
• Avoid covering the infant's head or overheating.
• Do not use home monitors or commercial devices marketed to reduce the risk of SIDS.
• Infants should receive all recommended vaccinations.
• Supervised, awake tummy time is recommended daily to facilitate development and minimize the occurrence of positional plagiocephaly.

###

The above has been downloaded from the newsroom of The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit http://www.aap.org.

Sarah McKenzie

While shopping in Perth after getting a grip on the ‘after dribble’, an advertisement announcing the adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas' best-selling novel, The Slap, into an eight-part TV drama series attracted me to the ABC shop. The Slap is a story about middle-class suburban Australia and its notions of child-rearing and acceptable behaviour that I had read in 2009. Good on ya, Christos!
While browsing in the shop, I felt obliged to buy something. Already loaded with a backlog of books to catch-up on, I picked up an ABC JAZZ CD instead, paid for it and tucked it away in my carry bag.
Weeks later, I recovered the CD, and discovered Sarah McKenzie!
At 23 years of age, pianist, vocalist and composer Sarah McKenzie is already a musician of remarkable flare and technique.
"Sarah McKenzie is a musical marval. She sings with the kind of phrasing that only a true Jazz singer can come up with while her groove of the piano is the stuff that makes people want to play Jazz”. James Morrison, Australia's best-known jazz musician.
I have downloaded Sarah’s rendition of the 1938 Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin’s Please Be Kind accompanied by James Morrison at The Basement, Sydney (uploaded by leigh23451 on Sep 8, 2009) to whet your appetite.
But really, you should go out and get Sarah’s debut album, Don’t Tempt Me.
Produced by Chong Lim, the man behind the success of many Australian artists, the album contains three originals by Sarah, including the Latin-style title track Don’t Tempt Me, a rollicking gospel inspired I’ve Got The Blues Tonight and the blues heartbreaker Love Me or Leave Me, written when Sarah was just 16 years of age.
This album has been nominated for The ARIA – Fine Arts Awards / 2011 Best Jazz Album.

Deng Shen Khoo

I lost my 11year old grand nephew, Khoo Deng Shen, yesterday morning to undifferentiated sarcoma of the psoas and iliacus.

Sarcomas are cancers that begin in the body's connective tissues. They are often divided into two groups. One group is bone cancer which begins in the hard part of the bone. The other group is soft tissue sarcomas which start in muscles, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, nerves, or other supportive tissues of the body. You can get further information on sarcoma at the Cincinnati Chlidren's.

Undifferentiated sarcoma is a very rare childhood cancer. When he walked with a limp after a fall during a tug-of-war exercise in July this year, doctors at two private medical centers in Petaling Jaya separately misdiagnosed it as psoas hematoma, a collection of blood that has seeped into the psoas muscle.

The five-year event-free and overall survival (EFS and OS) rates were 54% and 74%, respectively. Deng Shen could have had a good fighting chance had careful diagnosis been made and appropriate therapy promptly initiated

Deng Shen was a brave boy till the end, caring for the welfare of his family, care-givers and visitors. Not told of the inevitable, he sensed it and accepted it and even recorded a farewell message on his mobile for his parents and his 8 year old sister.

Deng Shen, you inspire us.

Eating Your Greens Can Change the Effect of Your Genes On Heart Disease

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at McMaster and McGill universities, has found that you may be able to change the effect of the genes you're given by your parents.

The researchers discovered the gene that is the strongest marker for heart disease, called 9p21, can actually be modified through the consumption of generous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables.

"We observed that the effect of a high-risk genotype can be mitigated by consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables," said Sonia Anand, joint principal investigator of the study and a researcher at the Population Health Research Institute and a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University.

"Our results support the public health recommendation to consume more than five servings of fruits or vegetables as a way to promote good health."

The research, which represents one of the largest gene-diet interaction studies ever conducted on cardiovascular disease, involved the analysis of more than 27,000 individuals from five ethnicities - European, South Asian, Chinese, Latin American and Arab - and the affect that their diets had on the effect of the 9p21 gene. The results suggest that individuals with the high-risk genotype who consumed a prudent diet, composed mainly of raw vegetables, fruits and berries, had a similar risk of heart attack to those with the low-risk genotype.

"We know that 9p21 genetic variants increase the risk of heart disease for those that carry it," said Jamie Engert, joint principal investigator of the study and researcher in cardiovascular diseases at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and associate member in the Department of Human Genetics at McGill University. "But it was a surprise to find that a healthy diet could significantly weaken its effect."

"Our research suggests there may be an important interplay between genes and diet in cardiovascular disease," said the study's lead author Ron Do, who conducted this research as part of his PhD at McGill and is now based at the Center for Human Genetics Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Future research is necessary to understand the mechanism of this interaction, which will shed light on the underlying metabolic processes that the 9p21 gene is involved in."

The results of the study are published in the current issue of the journal PLoS Medicine.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by The Zestzfulness Team) from materials provided By McMaster University on October 12, 2011. http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/

Journal Reference:

Ron Do, Changchun Xie, Xiaohe Zhang, Satu Männistö, Kennet Harald, Shofiqul Islam, Swneke D. Bailey, Sumathy Rangarajan, Matthew J. McQueen, Rafael Diaz, Liu Lisheng, Xingyu Wang, Kaisa Silander, Leena Peltonen, Salim Yusuf, Veikko Salomaa, James C. Engert, Sonia S. Anand. The Effect of Chromosome 9p21 Variants on Cardiovascular Disease May Be Modified by Dietary Intake: Evidence from a Case/Control and a Prospective Study. PLoS Medicine, 2011; 9 (10): e1001106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001106

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