Thursday, July 31, 2008
After a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places was introduced in Scotland in March 2006, there was a 17 percent reduction in hospital admissions for acute coronary syndrome, says a new study that provides further proof that smoke-free laws provide health benefits.
Researchers found the number of admissions in the 10 months after the ban was 2,684, compared with 3,235 in the 10 months before the ban. Nonsmokers accounted for 67 percent of the decrease. There was a 14 percent reduction in admissions among smokers, a 19 percent reduction among former smokers, and a 21 percent reduction among people who'd never smoked.
The study also found that people who'd never smoked reported a decrease in their weekly amount of exposure to secondhand smoke.
While admissions for acute coronary syndrome decreased 17 percent in the 10 month's after the Scottish ban, there was a 4 percent reduction in England (which has no such legislation) during that same period. In the decade preceding the ban, Scotland had a mean annual decrease of 3 percent.
Previous studies have suggested that banning smoking in public places reduced hospital admissions for acute coronary syndrome, but it wasn't clear whether the reduction involved nonsmokers, smokers or both.
The new study was published in the July 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Earlier this month, an International Agency for Cancer Research report said smoke-free policies are extremely effective at reducing smoking rates, exposure to secondhand smoke, and smoking-related heart disease.
Another study, published in the journal Circulation, found the number of acute coronary events dropped significantly among adults in Rome after Italy banned smoking in public places in 2005.
Researchers found the number of admissions in the 10 months after the ban was 2,684, compared with 3,235 in the 10 months before the ban. Nonsmokers accounted for 67 percent of the decrease. There was a 14 percent reduction in admissions among smokers, a 19 percent reduction among former smokers, and a 21 percent reduction among people who'd never smoked.
The study also found that people who'd never smoked reported a decrease in their weekly amount of exposure to secondhand smoke.
While admissions for acute coronary syndrome decreased 17 percent in the 10 month's after the Scottish ban, there was a 4 percent reduction in England (which has no such legislation) during that same period. In the decade preceding the ban, Scotland had a mean annual decrease of 3 percent.
Previous studies have suggested that banning smoking in public places reduced hospital admissions for acute coronary syndrome, but it wasn't clear whether the reduction involved nonsmokers, smokers or both.
The new study was published in the July 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Earlier this month, an International Agency for Cancer Research report said smoke-free policies are extremely effective at reducing smoking rates, exposure to secondhand smoke, and smoking-related heart disease.
Another study, published in the journal Circulation, found the number of acute coronary events dropped significantly among adults in Rome after Italy banned smoking in public places in 2005.
posted by Livemedinfo
@ 12:59 AM
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Dental caries is an infectious disease that results in tooth decay and cavities if left untreated. It is one of the most common diseases around the world. With funding from USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), a team of scientists in New York examined a group of compounds, called polyphenols, in grapes that could potentially fight the onset of tooth decay.
Streptococcus mutans, one of the primary microbial agents involved with tooth decay and cavity formation, produces a biofilm that covers the teeth. In creating the biofilm, it creates an acidic environment that breaks down the mineral structure of the tooth, producing points of weakness where the onset of disease can occur.
Hyun Koo and colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station at Cornell University focused their analyses on red wine grapes and wine-derived byproducts due to their rich and diverse content of polyphenols and availability of the products for research. Previous studies show that polyphenolic compounds in the extracts of grape, apple, cranberry and cocoa act as a natural biological agent against S. mutans' ability to cause the disease.
Their work examined the chemical composition of polyphenolic compounds obtained from whole grape and pomace, a slightly fermented grape mash consisting primarily of skins and seeds. The phenolic compounds from the different wine grape varieties were tested against S. mutans to determine the most effective disruptive agent.
The scientists determined that all wine grape varieties contained high levels of polyphenolic extracts. The extracts, however, did not kill S. mutans. Instead, the extracts were effective at disrupting the bacteria's ability to form the acidic biofilms that cause dental caries. The phenolic extracts obtained from the pomace were slightly more effective than the whole grape in inhibiting acidic bacterial biofilm production.
Streptococcus mutans, one of the primary microbial agents involved with tooth decay and cavity formation, produces a biofilm that covers the teeth. In creating the biofilm, it creates an acidic environment that breaks down the mineral structure of the tooth, producing points of weakness where the onset of disease can occur.
Hyun Koo and colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station at Cornell University focused their analyses on red wine grapes and wine-derived byproducts due to their rich and diverse content of polyphenols and availability of the products for research. Previous studies show that polyphenolic compounds in the extracts of grape, apple, cranberry and cocoa act as a natural biological agent against S. mutans' ability to cause the disease.
Their work examined the chemical composition of polyphenolic compounds obtained from whole grape and pomace, a slightly fermented grape mash consisting primarily of skins and seeds. The phenolic compounds from the different wine grape varieties were tested against S. mutans to determine the most effective disruptive agent.
The scientists determined that all wine grape varieties contained high levels of polyphenolic extracts. The extracts, however, did not kill S. mutans. Instead, the extracts were effective at disrupting the bacteria's ability to form the acidic biofilms that cause dental caries. The phenolic extracts obtained from the pomace were slightly more effective than the whole grape in inhibiting acidic bacterial biofilm production.
posted by Livemedinfo
@ 11:15 PM
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