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Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR)

An artificial disc is a device that is implanted into the spine to replace a degenerative disc, whose regular function is to carry weight and allow motion. A disc is the soft cushioning structure between the individual bones of the spine, (called vertebra).

Artificial discs are usually made of metal and plastic-like (biopolymer) materials, or a combination of the two. These materials have been used in the body for many years.

The reasons for choosing to replace a disc may vary for each condition. Generally, if the pain caused by the affected disc has not been reduced enough with non-surgical treatments, such as medication, injections, or physical therapy, a doctor may suggest disc replacement.

Currently, Artificial Disc Replacement is considered experimental and is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most of the research that has been conducted on artificial discs has been carried out in Europe. Total disc replacements have been used in Europe since the late 1980s.

In addition to the potential complications associated with undergoing surgery and general anesthesia, the complications associated with artificial disc replacement may include breakage of the metal plate, dislocation of the implant, and infection. To help minimize complications associated with the implant itself, proper selection of patients and size of implant is very important.

Finally, like joint replacement surgery, artificial implants may fail over time due to wear of the materials and loosening of the implants. Therefore, long term studies that track the life span of the implants are needed.

To read more about ADR visit the following links:

http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1671.html http://www.dhmc.org/ortho/Spine/ArtificialDiscReplacement.html

To see the first advanced ADR surgery in INDIA, click the below link: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/First-advanced-artificial-disc-replacement-surgery-done-in-city/228525/

Keywords: Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR), Spine, FDA, Disc Replacements

10,000 Health Workers Stop Polio in Somalia

Geneva (Switzerland), March'08: Somalia is again polio-free, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced today, calling it a 'Historic Achievement' in public health. Somalia has not reported a case since March 25, 2007, a major landmark in the intensified eradication effort launched last year to wipe out the disease in the remaining few strongholds.

Against a backdrop of widespread conflict, large population movements and a dearth of functioning government infrastructure, transmission of poliovirus in the country has been successfully stopped.

This landmark victory is a result of the efforts of more than 10,000 Somali volunteers and health workers who repeatedly vaccinated more than 1.8 million children under the age of five by visiting every household in every settlement multiple times, across a country ranked one of the most dangerous places on earth.

The use of innovative approaches tailored to conflict areas was pivotal in stopping polio in the country. These included increased community involvement and the effective use of monovalent vaccines to immunize children in insecure areas with several doses, within a short period of time.

"This truly historic achievement shows that polio can be eradicated everywhere, even in the most challenging and difficult settings," said Dr Hussein A Gezairy, Regional Director for the World Health Organization's Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.

§ Polio, which can cause lifelong paralysis, has been stopped nearly everywhere in the world following a 20-year concerted international effort. Only four polio-endemic countries remain.

§ Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan – and the eradication of polio globally now depends primarily on stopping the disease in these countries. Consistent financial commitment continues to be crucial to completing polio eradication.

§ The global effort currently faces a shortage of 525 million American dollars for 2008-2009, funding urgently needed to fight the disease in the remaining endemic areas and protect children in high-risk polio-free areas.

Keywords: Somalia, Polio, Geneva, Global Polio Eradication Initiative

Apples, apple juice may help keep Colon Cancer at Bay

Listening to your mother and ‘eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away’ seems to be a really good idea, for a new study has found that apple pectin and apple juice extracts have anticarcinogenic effects on the colon.

German researchers led by Dr. Dieter Schrenk found that Apples and Apple Juice enhance biological mechanisms that produce Anticarcinogenic compounds during the Fermentation process. The researchers believe that the presence of apple pectin and apple juice extracts increase the presence of the compound butyrate which is believed to be a Chemopreventative metabolite that might prevent the occurrence of Colorectal Cancer.

Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid that, the research states, “not only serves as a major nutrient for the colon epithelia but is also thought to play an important role in the protective effect of natural fiber against colorectal cancer.”

Dr Schrenk and his colleagues conducted laboratory tests in which they found that by the increased production of butyrate via the addition of apple components, Histone Deacetlyases (HDAC) were inhibited. With slowed production of HDAC, there would be significantly less growth of Precancerous and Tumour Cells.

The researchers therefore noted: “Apples are a major source of natural fiber and of low molecular weight plan polyphenols in the Western diet. Pectin-rich apple products can thus be expected to exert anticarginogenic effects in the colon.”

So don’t forget ‘an apple a day keep doctor away’.

Keywords: Apples, Health, Wellness, Histone Deacetlyases

Retired 'Winning Smoking Fight' survey says!

Reaching retirement presents a golden opportunity to finally kick the smoking habit, research suggests. The Peninsula Medical School, in Devon, followed 1,712 smokers over Six years to measure their success in giving up.

The success rate among those who had recently retired was 42.5%, but among those still in work it was 29.3%. Researchers said retirement may make it easier to make other major lifestyle changes, but workers thinking of quitting should still attempt to do so.

Other research released by the Peninsula Medical School, in Exeter, to coincide with No Smoking Day suggested smokers are generally unhappier than non-smokers.

Both studies were carried out by Dr Iain Lang, he said:

"Retirement is one of the great transitions in life, which is why a greater proportion of people may find it easier to make significant changes elsewhere in their lives at this time. We are excited at the possibility that what we have seen with smoking may also apply to other aspects of lifestyle, like eating more healthily and doing more exercise."

Dr Lang said highlighted some of the important notes for smokers:

> Smoking is also an extremely expensive habit - and the Budget could mean
it gets even more expensive.

> People may feel like they're getting pleasure when they smoke a cigarette
but in fact smokers are likely to be less happy overall.

> Smoking doesn't make you happy - in fact, it's associated with poorer
overall quality of life.

> If lung age is normal, there is an incentive to stop before it is too
late.

> If lung age is abnormal then this is a clear message that the lungs are
undergoing accelerated deterioration that would be slowed if the smoker
stopped.

Organizers say they expect more than two million people to attempt to give
up smoking.

Keywords: smoking is unhealthy, life after retirement

Want to LIVE longer? Stay fit..!

Walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week is enough for older obese people to achieve moderate physical fitness that can help them live longer, a new study shows. The study conducted by Steven N Blair at University of South Carolina included 2,603 people in their 60s and older.

All the participants received detailed health examinations, including fitness test, measurements of their body mass index (BMI), waist size and body fat prior to the study, the online edition of the health magazine WebMD reported.

Twenty percent of the participants who performed worst on the treadmill test were considered least fit. Those who could not spend more than 7-8 minutes on the treadmill fell in this category. For women it was five minutes.

Better fitness was associated with less likelihood of diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Though, being overweight and obese was not a sole indicator of death risk. Among people who were fit, the survival rates were similar for normal weight, overweight, and obese people, the researchers said.

"People definitely don't need an excuse to gain weight but we have found that heavier and older people do not appear to be as sick," Blair said.

Staying fit is more important than losing fat, the report said.

Public health messages aimed at keeping older people healthy should focus more on physical activity including walking or engaging in similar activities and less on weight loss.

Pollution may affect Kids' IQ

Kids who live in neighborhoods with heavy traffic pollution have lower IQs and score worse on other tests of intelligence and memory than children who breathe cleaner air, a new study shows.

The effect of pollution on intelligence was similar to that seen in children whose mothers smoked 10 cigarettes a day while pregnant, or in kids who have been exposed to lead, Dr Shakira Franco Suglia of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

While the effect of pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory health has been studied extensively, less is known about how breathing dirty air might affect the brain, Suglia and her team wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

To investigate, she and her colleagues looked at 202 Boston children 8 to 11 years old who were participating in a study of maternal smoking. The researchers related several measures of cognitive function to the children's estimated exposure to black carbon, a component of the particulate matter emitted in automobile and truck exhaust, particularly by diesel vehicles.

The more heavily exposed children were to black carbon, the lower were their scores on several intelligence tests.

She also pointed out that exposure to traffic pollution has been associated with a number of other harmful effects and that, short of moving away from heavy traffic areas, there's not much people can do to limit it. She and her colleagues suggest that traffic pollution may exert harmful effects by causing inflammation and oxidative damage to the brain.