(Press-News.org) The November issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings includes three articles with leading research, highlighted below.
Khat Chewing Increases Risk of Stroke and Death in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers found that people who chew khat and present with acute coronary syndrome had significantly higher rates of death, cardiogenic stroke, and stroke complications, despite having lower cardiovascular risk profiles.
"The leaves of khat, a leafy green shrub, are chewed habitually for euphoric and stimulating effects. The main ingredients, cathinone and cathine, are structurally related to amphetamine and ecstasy," says lead author Waleed Ali, M.D., from Hamad General Hospital in Doha, Qatar. An estimated 5 million to 10 million people worldwide chew khat, predominantly those living in the horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, according to an editorial written by Farrah Mateen, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and Gregory Cascino, M.D., from the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic. They further state that Khat is illegal in the United States, and is not currently an accepted form of medical treatment.
Dr. Ali says, "Patients of Eastern African and Yemeni origins should be evaluated and counseled about khat chewing, even when living in Western countries."
Are Energy Beverages Safe to Drink When Exercising?
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The resurgence of exercise has been accompanied by multiple supplements, sports drinks, and energy beverages that promise to enhance performance, muscle growth, and recovery. But the question remains: Are energy beverages safe?
"One can of an energy beverage during one session of exercise is safe for most healthy individuals," says John Higgins, M.D., lead author from The University of Texas Medical School in Houston. However, he states, "excess consumption and consumption with other caffeine-containing beverages or alcohol may lead to adverse effects and possibly death."
The United States is the world's largest consumer of energy beverages by volume, and consumption is primarily among people ages 11 to 35 years. The most common ingredient is caffeine, which ranges from 50 milligrams (mg) to 505 mg per 16-ounce serving.
Perspectives on Withdrawing Pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators at End of Life Vary Substantially
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers found that the majority of medical professionals and patients feel implantable cardiac device (ICD) therapy should be withdrawn based on the patient's right to refuse continued life-sustaining therapy at the end of life.
"Almost one-third of medical professionals surveyed considered withdrawal of a pacemaker in a pacemaker-dependent patient as physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, but only a very small percentage believed the same about an ICD," says Samuel Asirvatham, M.D., lead author and cardiologist, Mayo Clinic. The article noted that legal professionals tend to view all devices as similar and saw little difference between withdrawal of an ICD and withdrawal of a pacemaker.
"Education and discussion of managing devices at the end of life are important when making end-of-life decisions to better understand patients' perceptions and expectations," says Dr. Asirvatham.
INFORMATION:
A peer-reviewed journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings publishes original articles and reviews dealing with clinical and laboratory medicine, clinical research, basic science research and clinical epidemiology. Mayo Clinic Proceedings is published monthly by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research as part of its commitment to the medical education of physicians. The journal has been published for more than 80 years and has a circulation of 130,000 nationally and internationally. Articles are available online at www.mayoclinicproceedings.com.
About Mayo Clinic
For more than 100 years, millions of people from all walks of life have found answers at Mayo Clinic. These patients tell us they leave Mayo Clinic with peace of mind knowing they received care from the world's leading experts. Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. At Mayo Clinic, a team of specialists is assembled to take the time to listen, understand and care for patients' health issues and concerns. These teams draw from more than 3,700 physicians and scientists and 50,100 allied staff that work at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To best serve patients, Mayo Clinic works with many insurance companies, does not require a physician referral in most cases and is an in-network provider for millions of people. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your general health information.
Contact:
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Note to journalists: Please credit the journal or the American Chemical Society as publisher of this report.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2010 — For the first time in the United States, researchers are reporting in a peer-reviewed scientific journal today detection of Bisphenol A (BPA) in fresh and canned food as well as food wrapped in plastic packaging. The amounts in the limited sample, however, were almost 1,000 times lower than the "tolerable daily intake" levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Their report ...
A team of scientists from Japan and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have created a new mouse model that confirms that mutations of a protein called beta-synuclein promote neurodegeneration. The discovery creates a potential new target for developing treatments of diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The work is published in today's issue of Nature Communications. Lead author is Makoto Hashimoto of the Division of Chemistry and Metabolism, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, with colleagues including Eliezer Masliah, MD, professor ...
A Spontaneous Self-Reference Effect in Memory: Why Some Birthdays Are Harder to Remember Than Others (http://pss.sagepub.com/content/21/10/1525.abstract)
Selin Kesebir and Shigehiro Oishi
People may have a better memory for birthdays that are closer to their own: Volunteers recalling their friends' birthdays tended to remember birthdays that were closer to their own than birthdays that were farther away from their own birthday. In a separate experiment, after reading brief biographies of people they did not know, volunteers correctly remembered the birthdays of the ...
In an article published in November 3 edition of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Chad Boult, MD, MPH, MBA, professor of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, calls for key improvements to primary care in order to improve the health of the nation's most costly patients—older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Boult and his co-author, G. Darryl Wieland, PhD, MPH, research director of Geriatrics Services at Palmetto Health Richland Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina, evaluated studies of new primary care ...
WORCESTER, Mass. – A potentially life-threatening challenge characterized by pauses in breathing that can last for more than 20 seconds, apnea of prematurity (AOP) affects more than 50 percent of premature infants and is almost universal in the smallest of preemies. Caused in part by an underdeveloped central nervous system that can't adequately regulate breathing outside of the womb, especially during sleep, AOP is not yet fully understood by scientists and remains a grave concern among neonatologists and parents alike. New research published in the October issue of Pediatrics ...
A new material with a split personality -- part superconductor, part metal -- has been observed by a Princeton University-led research team. The discovery may have implications for the development of next-generation electronics that could transform the way information is stored and processed.
The new material -- a crystal called a topological superconductor -- has two electronic identities at once. At very low temperatures, the interior of the crystal behaves like a normal superconductor, able to conduct electricity with zero resistance. At the same time, the surface ...
NEW YORK (November 2, 2010) -- For patients with the most common form of hepatitis C being treated for the first time, the addition of an investigational hepatitis C–specific protease inhibitor called telaprevir to the current standard therapy markedly improved their sustained viral response (SVR or viral cure) rate.
The lead investigator reporting the results of the ADVANCE trial is Dr. Ira M. Jacobson, chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and the Vincent Astor Distinguished Professor ...
The following highlights summarize research papers that have been recently published in Geophysical Research Letters (GRL), Water Resources Research (WRR), and Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres (JGR-D).
1. Toxic levels of chemicals found kilometers from Gulf spill site
Oil contains compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which can be toxic. These compounds were released into the water during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which was larger than any previously studied release of oil. The impacts of the oil spill on marine life are not ...
Turns out the high school guidance counselor was right. Students who have high aspirations and put thought into their futures during their high school years tend to reach higher levels of educational attainment, according to a recent study.
And what's a significant factor in those goals and expectations taking shape in the first place? It matters if teens are involved in extracurricular activities -- whether it's football, fine arts or French club.
The research, by Sarah Beal and Lisa Crockett of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, surveyed hundreds of high school students ...
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed two strategies to ward off cattle fever ticks that are crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. These ticks transmit bovine babesiosis, commonly known as Texas cattle fever, a deadly disease of cattle that's caused by singled-celled organisms.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Kerrville, Texas, are developing and testing new interventions to eliminate cattle fever ticks within U.S. borders and mitigate the impact on the livestock industry. ARS is USDA's principal ...
