Doing Sports or Eat First??

Jakarta, There are people who choose to eat a new sport or otherwise. Which is correct before exercise or eat first? The following scientific explanations.

According to health experts, the correct behavior is to exercise first. But that does not mean someone should exercise without eating any food, because these people will not have the energy to exercise but not in the form of heavy food.

Why after eating may not directly exercise?

Because once a person eating a heavy meal, the blood will automatically flow into the stomach. Meanwhile, in the stomach was going on absorption of nutrients from food that is consumed. Body also are dumping leftover food into a specific body part and deliver oxygen throughout the body.

Some people feel cramps when exercising after eating caused by a stomach full of food were forced to pull ligaments . It also raises uncomfortable feeling in the stomach and in some people can cause vomiting.

As quoted from Yourtotalhealth, Saturday (20/11/2009), how long will it take to wait before doing exercise depends on what is consumed.

Usually takes between 30 minutes to 2 hours just to exercise. But if you eat foods that are more severe then the waiting time even longer. But if you only eat a light snack or a few low-fat crackers, do not require a long time to exercise.

What foods can be consumed before exercise? Good food consumed before exercise depends on the time when we will do excercise.

If exercising in the morning to eat fruit, juice or water is sufficient. If working out in mid-morning and a high carbohydrate breakfast is enough to provide energy. But if you exercise before lunch to eat enough alone and snacks for the afternoon exercise can consume yogurt or cookies.

But this is a general guideline for anyone who does not have a problem with the digestive system or health. Someone should find out what food does not interfere with the body's health.

If you want to get the full benefit of the sport, should avoid eating heavy meals just before exercise and adequate water consumption to replace lost body fluids.

Snacking While Watching Movies Popcorn Hide Much Fat

Los Angeles, Snacks popcorn is often regarded as a low-calorie snacks. But the researchers found that eating popcorn snacks with drinks in the cinema, especially in the United States has the equivalent calories 3 three-quarters the size of a hamburger.

From the results of research by the Center for Science and Public Interest (CSPI) found that medium-size popcorn and drink on average companion has 1160 calories.

This amount is high enough for the popcorn snack is not a staple food. While the caloric needs of adults on average 1800-2000 calories.

Imagine eating popcorn and drink, almost three-quarters of the caloric needs are met when the food was not filling. Even popcorn is also sharing the equivalent of taking a full day's saturated fat.

CSPI senior nutritionist Jayne Hurley said the little habits of the American public does in fact make them difficult to maintain weight.

"Who would notice when just watching a movie and eat popcorn filled calorie value very much," as reported by Jayne rich from the Telegraph, Friday (20/11/2009).

The study, published in the Nutrition Action Healthletter also found that Reese's snack that many movies sold in the U.S. has 1160 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat equivalent of eating 16 ounces of steak and baked potato butter.

Popcorn as a mandatory meal while watching a movie. High calories for sweet and salty taste that is used plus the use of coconut oil to cook it. Not to mention the addition of butter or margarine high contribution of calories and fat.

Hepatitis - jaundice

Description
Hepatitis disease commonly known as jaundice. Actually hepatitis is liver inflammation (liver) caused by various factors. Factors that cause hepatitis or jaundice, among others, is a viral infection, metabolic disorders, alcohol consumption, autoimmune diseases, results complications from other diseases, side effects from the consumption of drugs and the presence of parasites in the liver,

Symptoms
One of the symptoms of hepatitis is the emergence of yellow color on the skin, nails and the whites of the eyeball.

Therapy
Usual medical therapy medical therapy is usually given to patients with hepatitis among other diseases, bed rest, healthy diet, and administration of drugs and antiviral.

Alcoholic - "Misuse of Alcohol"

Description
For convenience of reference for people with alcohol abuse and dependence, so in this article will be referred to as alcoholic. This term may be less precise, but it is technically and medically may be more easily understood.

Misuse of alcohol is in the habit of drinking alcohol is dangerous, such as drunk every day or drank in large quantities at any time. Misuse of alcohol can damage the social relations of the patient. Why, people will lose their jobs and may conflict or deal with legal problems. If the abuse continues then continuously in effect alcohol addiction.

In addition to knowledge, the doctors in the U.S. only allows women to drink 3 sips a drink or 7 sips of the week with a standard (a bottle of beer, 1 glass of wine, or a mixture of alcohol 1). Whereas for men, 4 sips of a drink or 14 sips in a week.

Symptoms
The doctor will check the patient's health if found in clinical symptoms. They also know the mental patient, whether or not depression.

Treatment
Treatment for alcoholism depends on how bad a result for people with alcohol. But most of all in the treatment of alcoholics is the awareness to reduce or stop drinking alcohol altogether.

Fainting - "loss of consciousness"

Description
Fainting is loss of consciousness for a while. Loss of consciousness is followed by a weakening of the muscles work, so people fall. Fainting is caused by blood flow to the brain decreases. Lack of blood flow made possible by several factors, heart failure, blood vessels are unable to maintain blood pressure to a scrambled, not enough blood, or can be due to three reasons.

Treatment
First aid to the patient unconscious, among others:
1. Check respiratory patients. If urgent contact the nearest medic.
2. Loosen clothing and accessories around the neck.
3. Keep the patient 10-15 minutes, place the patient in room shady and tube free.
4. If the person vomits, tilt the head so that vomit can come out easily and not go back into the breathing path.
6. If you are conscious, give water.

Anthrax

Description
Anthrax is a bacterial disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, which lives in soil. Such as bacterial spores to survive the fierce conditions. Spores thrive in a colony in the animal or human body.

Anthrax sometimes attack livestock away from the man, but - as known in the 2001 anthrax attack the United States - fear anthrax as a weapon of modern biology. Atraks transmission through meat or skin anthrax-affected animals eaten by humans.

Symptoms
The average incubation period of anthrax is more than 7 days, 60 days can be even more depending on the duration of symptoms is formed. Patients usually have symptoms of anthrax, among others, swollen, fever, anxiety, headaches, and generally feel uneasy.

Medical
If diagnosed early, anthrax easily treated with atibiotik. But sometimes, people ignore the early symptoms of anthrax before they actually had symptoms become more severe. Antibiotics for anthrax can kill bacteria, but antibiotics have no effect on anthrax toxin.

Acne

Description
Acne is caused by dead skin cells or because the production of excessive oil glands. There are 3 types of acne:
1. Blackheads
Caused blackheads pores clogged because the dead skin cells and the production of excessive oil glands. Other causes of sweating, hot and humid air.
2. Common acne
Small bulge, pink. Caused by clogged pores bacteria. Another cause for dirty air or stress.
3. Acne stone
Tonjonlannya hard and big. Cause kalenjar oil production in excess skin or sensitive skin.

Symptoms
As known acne appears on the face and shoulders, but can spread to the trunk, arms and legs.

Medical
X-ray therapy is not recommended to overcome acne. This therapy can damage the skin. If the acne blackheads appearing type compressed enough warm water. The goal soften blackheads making them easier to lift. If acne in or stones should take antibiotics at the direction of a dermatologist.

5 elements that greatly affect our health

1. Morning Sunshine:
How can the benefits of sunlight to humans? Energy analysis of 5 elements, the sun was an important role on human health with the energy contribution of 25%. Direct sunlight is very beneficial for the health of the energy in the human element 5.

Human beings can directly receive the energy from the 5th element of sunlight through the five elements of human beings, namely the element Ether, the Air element, fire element, the element Water, and the element Earth. This is one man advantage compared to other creatures on this earth.

Own plants receive the sun's energy through the Earth element, and then circulated to the other elements.

When it has a relationship with the effectiveness of the health of sunlight 5 elements. The most useful sunlight between pk. 05.30 - 09.00 am. Optimal time we can use to receive the 5 Elements of energy from the sun is approximately 15 minutes. These are discussed below:

1. 05.30 - 06.30 a.m: Elements of Awareness, healthy frequency 1 / 6 Hz
2. 06.30 - 07.00a.m : Element Ether, healthy frequency 1 / 5 Hz
3. 07.00 - 07.30 a.m : Air Element, healthy frequency 1 / 4 Hz
4. 07.30 - 08.00 a.m : Element of Fire, the frequency of a healthy 1 / 3 Hz
5. 08.00 - 08.30 a.m : Water Element, the frequency of sound 1 / 2 Hz
6. 08.30 - 09.00 a.m : Elements of Earth, the frequency of 1 Hz healthy

Because the benefits of solar energy is very large for human health, then we need to take advantage of morning sunlight well. We have more kids happy to be in air-conditioned room. Therefore, to improve health, children need to be socialized to sunbathe in the morning.

2. Healthy Fresh Air:
Healthy fresh air that has a healthy frequency 1 / 4 Hz, which is very useful for the four elements, namely air elements. Air healthy energy contribution of 25%. Therefore, very important for us to maintain the freshness of the air by planting trees around our house. In addition to improving the freshness of air, the trees can also prevent global warming.

In addition, we also can increase the freshness of the air by not smoking, clean room, and with clean air conditioned regularly. We can also use the Ionizer to improve the freshness of air in the room.

3. Healthy Fresh water:
Healthy fresh water well has a frequency of 1 / 2 Hz, so useful for the element Water. Healthy water is essential for our health, because healthy energy contribution of 25%. Organs in desperate need of water is the blood and kidneys, organs of the element Water. Drinking water will be healthy enough blood circulation, clearing toxins in the blood, nourish the kidneys, and aid digestion.

Therefore, very important for us to drink enough healthy water as many as 8 glasses a day. Drinking sweet drinks or carbonated drinks should not be construed as a substitute for healthy water.

Currently we have more and more difficult to obtain healthy water. Generally healthy water from clear springs in the mountains. One way to obtain healthy water is to use a Reverse Osmosis or RO.

4. Healthy and Fresh Food:
Healthy food healthy energy contribution of 20%. Healthy food composition based on the elements are as follows:

* Element Awareness: 1%. Healthy food for the element has a frequency of consciousness is a healthy 1 / 6 Hz and contains many enzymes.
* Element Ether: 5%. Healthy food for the Ether element that has a healthy frequency 1 / 5 Hz and contains many antioxidants.
* Element Air: 5%. Healthy food for the Air element is having a healthy frequency of 1 / 4 Hz.
* Element of Fire: 3%. Healthy food for the Fire element is having a healthy frequency 1 / 3 Hz and contains lots of unsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin A.
* Element Water: 3%. Healthy food for Water is the element that has a healthy frequency 1 / 2 Hz and contains lots of carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and vitamin C.
* Element Earth: 3%. Healthy food for the Earth element is having a healthy frequency of 1 Hz and contains many minerals, vitamin D, and vitamin E.

Healthy diet should be a combination of healthy foods each element. This will balance and nourish the energy of all elements. For example, if the lack of healthy food element of Earth, people can suffer from ill mineraldan osteoporosis because of calcium deficiency. If healthy food shortages Water element, people can suffer from diabetes and gout because of lack of healthy carbohydrates and healthy proteins.

5. Moving and Exercise:
Movement and exercise contribute to healthy energy by 5%. So we also need a healthy exercise regularly.

Oral Hygiene Influence Thinking Ability

Had a problem with the ability to think? If so, it never hurts to go to the dentist. Because an oral hygiene study reveals greatly affect one's ability to think.

The experts advise that a good mouth care in terms of regular brushing teeth, cleaning teeth and diligently checked regularly to the dentist, can help adults to improve the capacity to think.

In one study, scientists found that adults aged 60 years or older and have health problems such as mouth porphyromonas gingivalis, tends to three times more often have difficulty in remembering words after a certain period of time.

"Adults who have high levels of pathogens in the mouth hygiene two times more likely in a test failure rate reduction," said Dr. James M. Noble from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, as quoted by Reuters on Sunday (15/11/2009).

The results of this study are reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. In a 2300 study participants included men and women who are tested for completing various tests related to his thinking skills.

As a whole by 5, 7 percent of adults are having difficulty in completing tasks related to memory and as much as 6.5 percent failed the test reduction. This failure likely due to the level of pathogens or participants who have health problems with his mouth.

Based on this study also found a strong relationship between poor mouth kesehaatn with heart disease, stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. In addition gum disease can also affect the person's brain function, such as gum disease can cause inflammation in the body of a risk factor for loss of mental function.

Therefore important to always maintain oral hygiene to maintain good thinking skills, although elderly, and also protected from disease risk factors.

5 Things Cause Fat

Keep in mind that obesity is not just due to how many calories intake that comes into your body, but also influenced by several factors. There are at least 5 factors that helped support the weight crept up.

Sleep Deprivation
Metabolism process can work well if your body enough rest. If less rest, the body can lead to stress that the chemical reactions in the body increases, this will stimulate the emergence of appetite. Some people believe that eating before bedtime will make sleep more soundly, but the truth is you are saving your body fat. Therefore, sleep about 8 hours a day.

High Stress
Stress was also a factor supporting weight gain. If experiencing stress, some people have a tendency to run on food. This is because food, especially those containing elements of high carbohydrate, can increase levels of serotonin in the brain, causing a calming effect. Therefore, if the stress hit, find other activities to ease, for example with exercise.
Drug Influence
The effect of each drug is different for consumers. There are effects that can cause drowsiness, increased appetite, change blood sugar into fat, and so on. Therefore, do not forget to always consult with your doctor or specialist about medication you consume vitamins.

Health Problems
One other reason why the body is easily stretched hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a disorder of the body caused by lack of thyroid hormone production in the body of a person. Thyroid deficiency causes the body's metabolism is less smooth, decreased appetite, and increased body weight. Symptoms of people with this disorder are easily tired and weary, raspy voice, simple flu, easy sleepy (so much sleep), or a simple headache. If you experience symptoms above to see a doctor immediately.

Menopause
When entering menopause, women no longer as nimble as when I was young. The process slows down your metabolism and hormonal system changes (diminishing estrogen hormone), causing excessive appetite, depression, and even less sleep. It is therefore recommended that from now on, before it even reached menopause arrives, so that every time a woman has a routine exercise. Besides good for health, fitness, keeping body weight remained stable, diligent exercise can also strengthen your bones.

So let's live a healthy life from now on! Think positive and keep exercising while keeping your diet healthy.

WORLD CANCER DAY

WORLD CANCER DAY

World Cancer Day is marked on 4 February to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. It is led by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC), a global consortium of more than 280 cancer-fighting organizations in over 90 countries. World Cancer Day targets the public through global communications marking, and encourages policy makers and UICC member organizations to make cancer a political priority.

The campaign emphasizes that 43% of cancers can be prevented through these healthy behaviors:

* Provide a smoke-free environment for children
* Be physically active, eat a balanced, healthy diet, and avoid obesity
* Learn about vaccines for virus-related liver and cervical cancers
* Avoid over-exposure to the sun

SUPER "AIDS"

SUPER "AIDS"

"Super AIDS" is an informal term used by some for a strain of the human immunodeficiency virus that arose in New York City in 2005.
The phrase "Super AIDS" is not used in formal contexts, but it was used in the South Park episode The Death of Eric Cartman

Typically, the "wild" type of HIV (the strain of HIV found in individuals not treated with Antiretroviral drugs) is much more effective at attacking the human immune system than the types that evolve in the presence of antiretroviral drugs. Thus, by changing the selection pressure (from being infection driven to being drug-avoidance driven) retroviral drug treatment causes HIV to evolve to a more innocuous form, less efficient at infecting T-cells.

Super AIDS, however, was a strain that was not only resistant to anti-retroviral drugs, but it was more effective than "wild" HIV at infecting T-cells.

The strain retained vulnerability to enfuvirtide.

WORLD AIDS DAY

WORLD AIDS DAY

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar announcements.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children.

THEME
From its inception until 2004, UNAIDS spearheaded the World AIDS Day campaign, choosing annual themes in consultation with other global health organizations.

As of 2008, each year's World AIDS Day theme is chosen by the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee after extensive consultation with people, organizations and government agencies involved in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. For each World AIDS Day from 2005 through 2010, the theme will be "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.", with a yearly sub-theme.This overarching theme is designed to encourage political leaders to keep their commitment to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support by the year 2010.

This theme is not specific to World AIDS Day, but is used year-round in WAC's efforts to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness within the context of other major global events including the G8 Summit. World AIDS Campaign also conducts "in-country" campaigns throughout the world, like the Student Stop AIDS Campaign, an infection-awareness campaign targeting young people throughout the UK.

HOW TO PREVENT AIDS ??

HOW TO PREVENT AIDS ??

The three main transmission routes of HIV are sexual contact, exposure to infected body fluids or tissues, and from mother to fetus or child during perinatal period. It is possible to find HIV in the saliva, tears, and urine of infected individuals, but there are no recorded cases of infection by these secretions, and the risk of infection is negligible.

1. SAFE SEX (use condom)
During a sexual act, only male or female condoms can reduce the chances of infection with HIV and other STDs and the chances of becoming pregnant. The best evidence to date indicates that typical condom use reduces the risk of heterosexual HIV transmission by approximately 80% over the long-term, though the benefit is likely to be higher if condoms are used correctly on every occasion.

2. Exposure to infected body fluids
Health care workers can reduce exposure to HIV by employing precautions to reduce the risk of exposure to contaminated blood. These precautions include barriers such as gloves, masks, protective eyeware or shields, and gowns or aprons which prevent exposure of the skin or mucous membranes to blood borne pathogens. Frequent and thorough washing of the skin immediately after being contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids can reduce the chance of infection. Finally, sharp objects like needles, scalpels and glass, are carefully disposed of to prevent needlestick injuries with contaminated items. Since intravenous drug use is an important factor in HIV transmission in developed countries, harm reduction strategies such as needle-exchange programmes are used in attempts to reduce the infections caused by drug abuse.

3. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT)
Current recommendations state that when replacement feeding is acceptable, feasible, affordable, sustainable and safe, HIV-infected mothers should avoid breast-feeding their infant. However, if this is not the case, exclusive breast-feeding is recommended during the first months of life and discontinued as soon as possible.

What is HIV ?

What is HIV ?
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Previous names for the virus include human T-lymphotropic virus-III (HTLV-III), lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), and AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV).

How HIV Infect People ?
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth (Vertical transmission). Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world.

In general if infected blood comes into contact with any open wound, HIV may be transmitted. This transmission route can account for infections in intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and recipients of blood transfusions (though most transfusions are checked for HIV in the developed world) and blood products. It is also of concern for persons receiving medical care in regions where there is prevalent substandard hygiene in the use of injection equipment, such as the reuse of needles in Third World countries. Health care workers such as nurses, laboratory workers, and doctors have also been infected, although this occurs more rarely. People who give and receive tattoos, piercings, and scarification procedures can also be at risk of infection.

Since transmission of HIV by blood became known medical personnel are required to protect themselves from contact with blood by the use of Universal precautions.

Virus Transmission
* Mother to Child Transmission
The transmission of the virus from the mother to the child can occur in utero during pregnancy and intrapartum at childbirth. In the absence of treatment, the transmission rate between the mother and child is around 25 percent. However, where combination antiretroviral drug treatment and Cesarian section are available, this risk can be reduced to as low as one percent.
Breast feeding also presents a risk of infection for the baby.

* From Saliva, Tears & Urine
HIV has been found at low concentrations in the saliva, tears and urine of infected individuals, but there are no recorded cases of infection by these secretions and the potential risk of transmission is negligible.

HIV Treatment
There is currently no vaccine or cure for HIV or AIDS. The only known method of prevention is avoiding exposure to the virus. However, a course of antiretroviral treatment administered immediately after exposure, referred to as post-exposure prophylaxis, is believed to reduce the risk of infection if begun as quickly as possible. Current treatment for HIV infection consists of highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. This has been highly beneficial to many HIV-infected individuals since its introduction in 1996, when the protease inhibitor-based HAART initially became available. Current HAART options are combinations (or "cocktails") consisting of at least three drugs belonging to at least two types, or "classes," of antiretroviral agents. Typically, these classes are two nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NARTIs or NRTIs) plus either a protease inhibitor or a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). New classes of drugs such as Entry Inhibitors provide treatment options for patients who are infected with viruses already resistant to common therapies, although they are not widely available and not typically accessible in resource-limited settings. Because AIDS progression in children is more rapid and less predictable than in adults, particularly in young infants, more aggressive treatment is recommended for children than adults. In developed countries where HAART is available, doctors assess their patients thoroughly: measuring the viral load, how fast CD4 declines, and patient readiness. They then decide when to recommend starting treatment.

The Meaning Of AIDS

SYMPTOMS:
The symptoms of AIDS are primarily the result of conditions that do not normally develop in individuals with healthy immune systems. Most of these conditions are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites that are normally controlled by the elements of the immune system that HIV damages.

Opportunistic infections are common in people with AIDS. HIV affects nearly every organ system.

People with AIDS also have an increased risk of developing various cancers such as Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical cancer and cancers of the immune system known as lymphomas. Additionally, people with AIDS often have systemic symptoms of infection like fevers, sweats (particularly at night), swollen glands, chills, weakness, and weight loss. The specific opportunistic infections that AIDS patients develop depend in part on the prevalence of these infections in the geographic area in which the patient lives.

MAIN CAUSE :

Sexual Relation

The majority of HIV infections are acquired through unprotected sexual relations between partners, one of whom has HIV. The primary mode of HIV infection worldwide is through sexual contact between members of the opposite sex.

During a sexual act, only male or female condoms can reduce the chances of infection with HIV and other STDs and the chances of becoming pregnant. The best evidence to date indicates that typical condom use reduces the risk of heterosexual HIV transmission by approximately 80% over the long-term, though the benefit is likely to be higher if condoms are used correctly on every occasion.

Sexual transmission occurs with the contact between sexual secretions of one person with the rectal, genital or oral mucous membranes of another. Unprotected receptive sexual acts are riskier than unprotected insertive sexual acts, and the risk for transmitting HIV through unprotected anal intercourse is greater than the risk from vaginal intercourse or oral sex.

However, oral sex is not entirely safe, as HIV can be transmitted through both insertive and receptive oral sex. Sexual assault greatly increases the risk of HIV transmission as protection is rarely employed and physical trauma to the vagina frequently occurs, facilitating the transmission of HIV.

Exposure to blood-borne pathogens

This transmission route is particularly relevant to intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and recipients of blood transfusions and blood products. Sharing and reusing syringes contaminated with HIV-infected blood represents a major risk for infection with HIV.

Needle sharing is the cause of one third of all new HIV-infections in North America, China, and Eastern Europe. The risk of being infected with HIV from a single prick with a needle that has been used on an HIV-infected person is thought to be about 1 in 150. Post-exposure prophylaxis with anti-HIV drugs can further reduce this risk.

Perinatal transmission
The transmission of the virus from the mother to the child can occur in utero during the last weeks of pregnancy and at childbirth. In the absence of treatment, the transmission rate between a mother and her child during pregnancy, labor and delivery is 25%.

Misconceptions
A number of misconceptions have arisen surrounding HIV/AIDS. Three of the most common are that AIDS can spread through casual contact, that sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure AIDS, and that HIV can infect only homosexual men and drug users. Other misconceptions are that any act of anal intercourse between gay men can lead to AIDS infection, and that open discussion of homosexuality and HIV in schools will lead to increased rates of homosexuality and AIDS.

China Will Not Consider Changes To One-Child Policy For At Least 10 Years, Official Says

China's National Population and Family Planning Commission Minister Zhang Weiqing on Monday said the country would not change its one-child-per-family policy for at least 10 years, the Wall Street Journal reports (Chao, Wall Street Journal, 3/11). Speculation arose in recent weeks that officials were considering significantly changing the policy after Zhao Baige, a vice minister in the national family planning commission, was quoted as saying that China was studying how it could move away from the one-child policy. Zhang said that such changes would cause "serious problems," as well as strain economic and social growth in the country. "Given such a large population base, there would be major fluctuations in population growth if we abandoned the one-child rule now," Zhang said.

The policy limits most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children, the New York Times reports. According to the Times, critics of the policy say it has led to "numerous abuses," including forced abortions. The policy also is considered to have contributed to China's gender imbalance. China is currently the most populous country, with 1.3 billion people. The China Daily reported that the population is growing at 17 million people a year. Government officials have said that the one-child policy has prevented about 400 million births, although some independent scholars have placed the level at closer to 250 million (Yardley, New York Times, 3/11).

Zhang said the one-child limit is strictly enforced among only 35.9% of the population living in large cities. He added that the 52.9% of the population living in rural areas can have two children if their first child is a girl and that 11% of the population, mostly ethnic minorities, can have two or more children (York, Globe and Mail, 3/11). Zhang said that officials might consider a change in the policy "if there is need" after an anticipated "birth peak" over the next decade, when 200 million people in the country are expected to enter childbearing years.

According to the AP/Boston Herald, the total fertility rate in China is 1.8 children per couple, below the replacement level of 2.1 children per couple (AP/Boston Herald, 3/10).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

What Is Life Like For Teens With Allergies?

A study into teenagers with food allergies will investigate what life is like for them in an attempt to improve their quality of life and curb the number of allergy-related deaths.

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth have created a quality of life questionnaire which asks teenagers what it is like for them to live with a food allergy. They are inviting young people with food allergies to come forward to take part in the study.

A previous UK study which examined all deaths from food-related allergies between 1992-2001 suggested that 35 per cent of deaths occurred in youngsters aged from 10-19.

Children aged 10-14 years accounted for 10 per cent of food allergy deaths and those aged 15-19 accounted for 25 per cent.

Heather Mackenzie, from the University's School of Health Sciences and Social Work said: "Although deaths from food allergy are rare, teenagers are overrepresented in these figures. This indicates that they find food allergies the most difficult to deal with."

In order to develop a draft questionnaire she has interviewed youngsters and discovered that their attitudes to food allergies vary and that the severity of the condition doesn't always dictate the way they feel about it and the way they manage it. She said:

"Some teenagers have relatively mild food hypersensitivity but it has a drastic affect on their quality of life, and vice versa. Teenagers are especially vulnerable because they are learning to take responsibility for their food allergy, which is challenging in itself, whilst also trying to be a normal teenager. Those with serious allergies carry around pre-loaded injection kits containing adrenaline and some see it as a nuisance but it's vital that they understand that it can save their lives and that thousands of others are in the same boat."

The aim of the new study is to provide doctors and other healthcare professionals with a tool to assess teenagers' quality of life by finding out how they feel about their allergy. It will help doctors give them advice on how to manage their allergy and sources of further help.

Mackenzie says she wants more volunteers to complete the questionnaire in order to ensure that it accurately reflects teenagers' concerns. She wants to hear from teenagers who would like to help people to understand more about what living with a food allergy is like for them.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign, a national charity for people with potentially life-threatening allergies (www.anaphylaxis.org.uk), will be helping the study by sending questionnaires to some of its teenage members.

David Reading, director of the Anaphylaxis Campaign, said: "Food allergy can occasionally be serious, but we are convinced that teenagers who are affected can learn how to protect themselves. We would hope that this study will lead to a greater understanding of the problem that allergic teenagers face and better medical advice for them."

Young people aged 13-18 who would like to take part can go to www.port.ac.uk/foodallergysurvey or contact Heather Mackenzie on 023 9284 4441 or heather.mackenzie@port.ac.uk. They will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about how having food allergies affects their life and will be entered into a prize draw to win an iPod.

For more information visit the following link.

Food allergies affect approximately 2.3% of teenagers and approximately 1.4-1.8% of the UK adult population as a whole

The most common allergies are to peanuts and other nuts and they frequently severe but other foods which can be triggers include egg, milk, fish, shellfish, soya, sesame and wheat.

Any allergic reaction, including the most extreme form, anaphylactic shock, occurs because the body's immune system reacts inappropriately in response to the presence of a substance that it wrongly perceives as a threat.

From 1992 - 2002 the UK the youngest person to die from a fatal reaction to peanut was 13 years old and the median age was 21 years.

6 children aged between 10-14 years died in the years between 1992-2001 in the UK and 15 teenagers aged 15-19 years died (25%).

Doctors Should Ask About Cocaine Use When Younger Patients Present With Chest Pains

In a bid to improve management of patients who present with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms, the American Heart Association (AHA) has issued a scientific statement recommending doctors ask about cocaine use when they examine younger patients with chest pains and who have no obvious risk factors for heart disease.

The statement is published as a paper in an early online issue of Circulation, the journal of the AHA, and is authored by Dr James McCord, chair of the statement writing committee and cardiology director of the chest pain unit for the Henry Ford Medical System in Detroit, Michigan, and colleagues.

McCord explained that if doctors suspect a heart attack, then they should rule out cocaine use early on because cocaine exposure changes what is safe and what is not. The statement emphasizes in particular that:

• Clot-busters and beta-blockers are dangerous for patients who have been exposed to cocaine.


• Bare metal stents rather than drug-eluting stents should be used in long-term cocaine users.


• Most cocaine-associated chest pain is not a heart attack.


• Patients who have been exposed to cocaine should be placed under observation for 9 to 12 hours.

Assessment of cocaine use is particularly important for younger patients, said McCord. 37 per cent of all cocaine-related visits to emergency departments are by people aged between 35 and 44 years, he added.

Research shows that chest pain that is associated with cocaine use tends to appear within three hours of taking the drug, but the chemical residue stays in the body for a minimum of 18 hours and can continue to present problems, said McCord. Also, doctors have more difficulty diagnosing heart attacks using electrocardiographs of younger patients, he explained.

Cocaine-associated emergency department visits went up by 47 per cent between 1999 and 2002, said the authors, which means that the number of cocaine users that doctors are likely to come across as a result of such admissions will probably increase.

A common method for diagnosing and treating heart attacks is to take the patient into the catheterization lab (the "cath lab"), which has the equipment that allows the doctor to insert a thin tube or catheter into a heart artery and then use imaging techniques to see where the blockage might be, and then inflate a small balloon to open the the artery.

Where a cath lab is not available, a doctor may give a patient who appears to have had a heart attack a clot busting drug instead. However, if the patient is a recent cocaine user there is an added risk of bleeding into the brain because of the higher blood pressure induced by the cocaine. So this procedure should only be used if the doctor is absolutely certain the patient has indeed had a heart attack, said the authors.

Beta-blockers are used to reduce blood pressure without causing narrowing of the arteries. But in patients who have recently been using cocaine and who present with chest pain, beta-blockers may actually produce the opposite effect: they could increase blood pressure and make the arteries already narrowed by cocaine even narrower. This has been shown to have potential fatal consequences in studies using animals, said McCord.

Drug eluting or bare metal stents are used to restore blood flow to the heart where there is no arterial blockage. Studies have shown that long term cocaine users fitted with stents have a tendency to lapses in taking the regular medication needed to stop drug-eluting stents becoming blocked, and that is why the statement recommends such patients be fitted with bare metal ones only.

Cocaine can worsen the effects of a heart attack, said the authors, because it increases the heart's need for oxygen, elevating heart rate, blood pressure and contraction power at each beat. But at the same time the drug also constricts blood vessels and makes it harder for the heart to get the oxygen it needs. This increases risk of clotting and manifests as angina, which is felt as chest pain.

The statement draws attention to other conditions that can develop alongside chest pain and heart attacks with cocaine users, and it is important that these are also looked for as they can be crucial to the treatment that is followed. For instance, one condition that can accompany cocaine use is aortic dissection (a tear in a blood vessel that can be fatal), another is bleeding into the lung ("crack lung").

Other symptoms that patients who use cocaine also report having alongside chest pains are shortness of breath, palpitations, feelings of anxiety, nausea, dizziness and sweating profusely. These are very similar to heart attack.

Very Premature Children At Higher Risk For Increased Disability

Children born of very premature births can have levels of brain and motor impairment that increase as the term of gestation decreases in time. According to an article published in the March 8, 2008 issue of The Lancet, this means that preventing learning disabilities in these children is an important goal for future research.

A very preterm birth is defined as a gestation period less than 33 weeks, while a full term of gestation is generally considered to be 40 weeks. In Europe, between 1.1% and 1.6% of livebirths fit this very premature category. The number of children who survive very preterm birth has increased gradually because of advances in therapies and quality of care. However, this increasing survival rate has raised issues about increases in presentation of adverse developmental outcomes.

To learn more about this, Dr. Beatrice Larroque and Dr Pierre-Yves Ancel, of the INSERM Research Unit on Perinatal Health and Women's Health, Villejuif, France, and Universite Pierre et Marie-Curie-Paris, Paris, France, and colleagues did the EPIPAGE study, which examined 2,901 livebirths occurring between 24 and 32 complete weeks of gestation in nine regions of France. These children were compared to a reference 667 children from the same geographical regions born at 39-40 weeks of gestation. At five years of age, the children were examined medically and assessed for cognitive function using the Kaufman assessment battery for children (K-ABC), recording scores on the mental processing composite (MPC) scale. Medical healthcare history was also collected from the parents.

The children were categorized according to levels of disability. A severe disability was defined as one or more of the following: non-ambulatory cerebral palsy, MPC score less than 55, or severe visual or hearing deficiency. Moderate disability was defined as cerebral palsy allowing walking with aid or an MPC score of 55-69. Minor disability was classified as cerebral palsy involving walking without aid, MPC score of 70-84, or visual deficit.

Of the 2357 surviving children born very prematurely, 1817 (77%) had a medical assessment at the five year follow up point. Of the 664 in the reference group, 396 (60%) were also evaluated. In the very preterm group, 5% had severe disability, 9% moderate disability and 25% minor disability. In the reference group, 0.3%, 3%, and 8% of the children were in these categories respectively. Disability levels were highest in children born between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. Additionally, special healthcare resources were used more by very preterm children: 42% of children born between 24 and 28 weeks, 31% between 29-32 weeks needed these services; only 16% of the children between 39 and 40 weeks did.

The authors conclude with suggestions for further directions of research: "These results raise questions about health and provision of rehabilitation services, and the cost of these services to families and society. Further work is needed to identify the best and most effective early developmental interventions to improve the functional prognosis of motor disabilities. As they grow older, children with cognitive deficits will have difficulties at school and will need help or special education. No conclusive results about the enhancement of cognitive outcome in the long term have yet been established, and studies investigating such interventions are needed.

Dr Mary Jane Platt, Division of Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK, contributed an accompanying Comment in which she reiterates the need for care after a very preterm birth: "The EPIPAGE study reminds us that children born before 33 weeks need care and support that lasts far beyond discharge from the neonatal care unit."