Loud music can cause lung collapse blasting music can be hard on the ears and the neighbors, and now researchers say it can also pack enough punch to collapse a lung.

Reporting in the medical journal Thorax, they describe the cases of four young men who suffered a lung collapse -- technically called pneumothorax --that appeared to be triggered by loud music. Three of the men were at a concert or club when the pneumothorax occurred, while the fourth was in his car, which was outfitted with a 1,000-watt bass box because he "liked to listen to loud music." A pneumothorax occurs when a small rupture in one of the lungs allows air to leak into the space between the lungs and the chest wall, causing the lung to collapse...more click on heading

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An intravenous infusion of a solution of sodium bicarbonate -- better known as baking soda -- reduces respiratory distress and excessive acidity of body fluids in children with a life-threatening asthma flare-up, according to a report from the Netherlands.
High blood acidity, or acidosis, causes the heart to contract less strongly, reduces the effectiveness of beta-agonist bronchodilators used to treat asthma, and may stimulate rapid, shallow breathing, Dr. Corinne M. P. Buysse and her colleagues point out in the medical journal Chest.

They explain that treatment with sodium bicarbonate has been shown to relieve bronchial spasm and restore the response to bronchodilators. However, doctors have avoided the use of intravenous sodium bicarbonate for fear of increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the blood...more click on heading

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Pakistan, China, India and Indonesia are home to two-in-three of the world's tuberculosis (TB) cases and the countries are expanding coverage of its TB programme at record-breaking speed. In its shadow, drug resistance is also upping the pace. Is there something fundamentally awry with the response to TB in Asia? Some Asian experts think more of the same is sufficient – but has the time come to re-think the way TB is tackled?

Amid recent concerns about the possible emergence of drug resistant TB in India, a member of the government's committee on TB control outlined the national strategy for addressing the problem: "Unfortunately research scientists are yet to come up with medicine for XDR-TB. Therefore it is time to focus on DOTS and restrict the new form of TB," said Dr Rajendra Prasad...more click on heading

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In a study of more than 50,000 pregnancies in the United States, the odds of having fraternal twins (twins formed from two eggs), increased as maternal body mass index (BMI) rose.

"The influence of maternal weight as a factor for twinning will continue to grow in importance as the percentage of obese women in the US continues to rise," the researchers state. The increasing use of fertility drugs is thought to be the main reason for a recent rise in twin births in developed countries...more click on heading

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New research indicates that high and abnormally low blood pressures can have a detrimental effect on one's thinking ability or However, the association seems to be influenced by age, educational level, and use of blood pressure drugs.

The findings are based on a study of 847 subjects who completed tests of cognitive function up to seven times over 11 years, Dr. Shari R. Waldstein of the University of Maryland in Baltimore and colleagues report in the medical journal Hypertension.

High systolic blood pressures, the "upper" number on a standard reading, were linked to cognitive decline in older subjects...more click on heading

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The lessons on migraine headaches leave some people wanting to learn more. Medicines for treating migraine pain or preventing migraine attacks are improving all the time. But a series of small studies has opened new debate on whether migraine may be more than just a painful experience, at least for some patients.

Migraine, some researchers say, is triggering ischemic mini-strokes (small blood blockages in the brain) for certain sufferers. This, doctors suggest, means migraine may add up to a chronic progressive disease, each attack pointing toward an eventual critical mass...more click on heading

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Dietary supplements of folate and vitamin B12 can reduce the risk of hip fracture in elderly patients following a stroke, according to a new Japanese study.

The risk of hip fracture is significantly higher in stroke patients than in other individuals of the same age, and is thought to be associated with increased blood levels of a substance called homocysteine, Dr. Yoshihiro Sato and others note in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association. Because folate and mecobalamin (vitamin B12) reduce homocysteine levels, the team thought that supplements of these nutrients could reduce fracture risk. Sato, at Mitate Hospital in Tagawa, and colleagues studied 628 patients aged 65 years or more who had residual paralysis on one side of the body a year or more after having a stroke. The participants were randomly assigned to take folate and mecobalamin daily, or inactive placebos...more click on heading

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Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer and cancer death in the United States. More than 145,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with colorectal cancer and more than 56,000 will die of the disease, according to the society's Colorectal Cancer Facts and Figures.

They released the report Tuesday to mark the beginning of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

"Prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer represents a remarkable opportunity to reduce the burden of cancer in the United States," Dr. Stephen F. Sener, national volunteer president of the American Cancer Society, said in a prepared statement...more click on heading

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Teenagers who use mobile phones for many hours a day - talking and sending messages or missed calls - may develop psychological disorders, says a study that advices "a reasonable use" for positive effects.

Francisca Lopez Torrecillas, a lecturer at the department of personality and psychological assessment and treatment of the University of Granada, surveyed several 18 to 25-year-olds from the city of Granada in Spain, said the health portal News Medical...more click on heading

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A new, minimally invasive technology that 'cooks' tumors using a tiny needle may be an effective first-line treatment for people with early-stage liver cancer who don't quality for surgery, according to two studies on the procedure, called radiofrequency (RF) ablation.

Liver cancer patients usually have a poor prognosis, experts say, and surgery to remove the cancerous part of the liver is often considered the best -- and only -- hope for patients. Unfortunately, most patients won't qualify for surgery and liver transplant is viable option for only a minority of candidates...more click on heading

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Elderly people who consume caffeinated beverages regularly could be doing their heart a good turn. New research suggests that the higher the caffeine intake, the stronger the protection.

John Kassotis and other researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Centre and Brooklyn College in the US used data from the first federal National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study...more click on heading

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A diuretic commonly prescribed to people with congestive heart failure can cause life-threatening complications if those patients are also on another drug that's often used to treat the condition, Canadian researchers report.

The diuretic, spironolactone, can cause levels of potassium to rise to dangerous levels -- a condition called hyperkalemia -- in patients who take angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. "After the publication of a major heart study that promoted the use of spironolactone, its prescribing rose" in Canada, explained lead researcher Dr. David Juurlink, a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Toronto...more click on heading

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Many recent studies have found that the amount of vitamins in most vitamin pills is way too much and may actually increase rates of cancer and heart disease. After all if there is no way that you can get these larger amounts naturally in food, that should be a warning to you.

This study tried small amounts of vitamins and found that they helped men a little but now women, because women eat better diets. The point is that you do not need large amounts of vitamins but only the amounts you might get if you ate your veggies...more click on heading

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After the holidays and after many comfortable winter evenings, many people notice they have put on weight, particularly on their hips, thighs and buttocks.

But one or two kg of additional weight should not cause panic, said Isabelle Keller of the German Society for Nutrition in Bonn...more click on heading

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If you are cooking with garlic, crush the pods first for health benefits, says a study. Garlic's health benefits and medicinal properties are well known. It has long been considered a herbal "wonder drug" with a reputation in folklore for preventing everything from the common cold and flu to the plague...more click on heading

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