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Sniffer Dogs Trained to Find Early Stage Lung Cancer

August 18, 2011 / Staff

Dogs are able to sniff out lung cancer in human patients with a high degree of accuracy.

The dogs could identify volatile organic compounds that are linked to the presence of cancer on people’s breath, according to the German study. Because those with lung cancer often have no symptoms and current methods used to detect the disease are unreliable, the findings are significant, the study authors explained.
In conducting the study, researchers recruited people with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or no health problems at all. The specially trained dogs successfully identified 71 out of 100 samples with lung cancer, as well as 372 out of 400 cancer-free samples.
The dogs were also able to distinguish between lung cancer and COPD as well as tobacco smoke. The researchers concluded there must be a reliable marker for lung cancer that is different from COPD and can be detected in the presence of tobacco smoke, food odors and drugs.

Man’s best friend earns his title again.

Research, Wellness

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Not All Obese People Need to Lose Weight

August 17, 2011 / Staff

Some people manage to carry extra weight yet maintain active lives with no risk factors associated with obesity.

Use this guide to measure the 5 stages of obesity.

Stage 0: No apparent obesity-related risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, cholesterol and/or glucose levels), no physical symptoms or limitations.

Stage 1: Subclinical risk factors such as borderline hypertension, mild physical symptoms such as shortness of breath with moderate exertion.

Stage 2: Presence of obesity-related chronic disease such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis with moderate limitations on activities of daily living.

Stage 3: Established end-stage organ damage such as heart attack or stroke with significant functional limitations.

Stage 4: Severe disabilities from obesity-related chronic diseases.

Read more to maintain your health at any weight.

Research, Wellness

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Exercise is Your Best Bet to Beat Alzheimer’s Disease

August 17, 2011 / Staff

Here are a few Alzheimer’s facts that might keep you motivated to exercise and stay fit.

An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s disease (2010).

This figure includes 5.1 million people aged 65and older and 200,000 individuals under age 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer’s.

One out of eight people age 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer’s disease.

Women, who on average live longer than men, are more likely than men to have Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is the most frequent cause of dementia, accounting for 70 percent of all cases of dementia in Americans aged 71 and older.

By 2030, all baby boomers will be at least 65 years old.

That year, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s is expected to reach 7.7 million, more than a 50 percent increase from the 5.1 million age 65 order older currently (2009) affected.

Learn more about the benefits of exercise for Alzheimer’s.

Research, Wellness

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Drug Name Confusion Causes Serious Mistakes

August 17, 2011 / Staff

Confusing or similar drug names can cause serious mix-ups.

The government has a system in place to try to keep drugs that look or sound alike from ending up on the market together. But the pharmaceutical industry has been pushing to kill the system.
There are nearly 800 pairs of drugs like Clindesse and Clindets that look or sound alike, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, or ISMP, a patient safety group that compiled a list of them. And the ISMP says all of these similarly named drugs are a big problem, because name mix-ups are responsible for about 25 percent of all medication errors.

While the government does have a system in place to avoid such mix-ups, the pharmaceutical companies are fighting against such safeguards as they are found to be cumbersome to the process of getting drugs to market.

Quality Control

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