Category: Health

{{A Spanish doctor claims to have found the first case of ‘WhatAppitis’ – and warned users of the app it could harm their health.}}

The unnamed patient complained of pain in both wrists one morning.

After investigating the case, doctors found it was caused by six hours of replying to WhatsApp messages.

The case, described by the doctor in the Lancet, said the 34 year old patient, who was 27 weeks pregnant, was suffering sudden pain in both wrists after waking up in the morning.

Inés Fernandez-Guerrero, of Granada’s General University hospital, wrote that the patient ‘had no history of trauma and had not engaged in any excessive physical activity in previous days’.

After talking to the patient, the cause became clear.

‘The patient was on duty on Dec 24 (Christmas Eve), and the following day, she responded to messages that had been sent to her on her smartphone via WhatsApp instant messaging service.

‘She held her mobile phone, that weighed 130 g, for at least 6 h.

The patient was given painkilling drugs and banned fro using her phone – although the patient admitted she did text friends on New Year’s Eve.

the doctors also warned the injury was just the latest in a string of hi-tech problems.

‘A so-called Nintendinitis was first described in 1990,1 and since then several injuries associated with video games and new technologies have been reported.

‘Initially reported in children, such cases are now seen in adults.

‘Tenosynovitis caused by texting with mobile phones could well be an emerging disease.

‘Physicians need to be mindful of these new disorders.’

{Spanish doctors claim they have found the first case of ‘whatsappitis’ caused by repeated use of the messaging app.}

{DailyMail}

{{Are you a truck driver or shift worker planning to catch up on some sleep this weekend?}}

Cramming in extra hours of shut-eye may not make up for those lost pulling all-nighters, new research indicates.

The damage may already be done — brain damage, that is, said neuroscientist Sigrid Veasey from the University of Pennsylvania.

Alzheimer’s & Sleep

The widely held idea that you can pay back a sizeable “sleep debt” with long naps later on seems to be a myth, she said in a study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Long-term sleep deprivation saps the brain of power even after days of recovery sleep, Veasey said. And that could be a sign of lasting brain injury.

Veasey and her colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania medical school wanted to find out, so, they put laboratory mice on a wonky sleep schedule that mirrors that of shift workers.

They let them snooze, then woke them up for short periods and for long ones.

Then the scientists looked at their brains — more specifically, at a bundle of nerve cells they say is associated with alertness and cognitive function, the locus coeruleus.

They found damage and lots of it.

“The mice lose 25% of these neurons,” Veasey said.

This is how the scientists think it happened.

When the mice lost a little sleep, nerve cells reacted by making more of a protein, called sirtuin type 3, to energize and protect them.

But when losing sleep became a habit, that reaction shut down. After just a few days of “shift work” sleep, the cells start dying off at an accelerated pace.

The discovery that long-term sleep loss can result in a loss of brain cells is a first, Veasey said.

“No one really thought that the brain could be irreversibly injured from sleep loss,” she said. That has now changed.

More work needs to be done on humans, she said. And her group is planning to study deceased shift workers to see if they have the same kind of nerve damage.

They hope their research will result in medicines that will help people working odd hours cope with the consequences of irregular sleep.

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{{Imbuto Foundation, through its “Family Package Project”, last Friday held an Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRH&R) Day at Rubavu Stadium (Rubavu district).}}

The event was organized under the theme “Rubyiruko! Kugira Ubumenyi ku buzima bw’Imyororokere ni uburenganzira bwanyu”.

The target is the population of the whole district. Various artists such as Knowless, Kamishi, Urban Boys, Mani Martin, Tom Close, Fireman took part in the campaign.
This ASRH & R Day aims at ensuring that beneficiaries understand their roles, responsibilities and rights, and all stakeholders understand and implement results-oriented interventions.

In order to reach these goals, Imbuto Foundation focused on the following objectives on ASRH Day:

-Empower all youth with knowledge on ASRH & R services, unwanted and early pregnancies;

-Raise awareness on access to youth friendly ASRH & R services available at the nearest health centre;

3-Advocate for youth-friendly services within health facilities;

4- encourage parents, authorities and communities to provide a supportive environment to the youth on these issues.

Key messages were delivered by the Guest of Honour Honourable Minister of Health Agnes Binagwaho; as well as the UNICEF country representative Noala Skinner; Director General of Imbuto Foundation Radegonde Ndejuru; and the Mayor of Rubavu District Hassan Bahame.

In their speeches, Noala Skinner and Minister Binagwaho urged the youth to use the youth-friendly centres and get the right information about their health, while Radegonde Ndejuru reminded parents that they are the first responsible for communicating with their children about those important issues.

These messages were echoed by the testimony of Furaha, a young woman of 25 years old who was abused and consequently got pregnant at 13 years old.

Her foster family rejected her. She therefore urged the audience to take advantage of the youth-friendly centres, as she didn’t have the chance to have a safe space, to turn to for advice and comfort.

A group performed a sketch where they portrayed a young girl who was seeking for advice from her father; after being dismissed by him, she turned to a neighbour who tried to abuse her.

This showed how important it is for the youth to get information on ASRH & R and the responsibility that parents have in informing their children. Approximately 3000 people attended, mainly young people aged 10 – 24 years. More than 600 got tested.

{{Tooth decay is the process that results in a cavity (dental caries). It occurs when bacteria in your mouth make acids that eat away at a tooth. If not treated, tooth decay can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss.}}

You can easily prevent tooth decay by brushing and flossing your teeth regularly, seeing your dentist for teeth cleaning and checkups, and avoiding foods that are high in sugar.

The combination of bacteria and food causes tooth decay. A clear, sticky substance called plaque that contains bacteria is always forming on your teeth and gums. As the bacteria feed on the sugars in the food you eat, they make acids.

The acids attack the teeth for 20 minutes or more after eating. Over a period of time, these acids destroy tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay.

Tooth decay usually does not cause symptoms until you have a cavity or an infected tooth. When this occurs, a toothache is the most common symptom.

Treatment for tooth decay depends on how bad it is. You may be able to reverse slight tooth decay by using fluoride. To fix cavities caused by mild tooth decay, your dentist will fill the cavities with another substance (fillings).

For more severe tooth decay, you may need a crown or root canal. In extreme cases, your dentist may have to remove the tooth.

{compiled by IGIHE}

{{Warmer temperatures are causing malaria to spread to higher altitudes, a study suggests.}}

Researchers have found that people living in the highlands of Africa and South America are at an increased risk of catching the mosquito-borne disease during hotter years.

They believe that temperature rises in the future could result in millions of additional cases in some areas.

The research is published in the journal Science.

Prof Mercedes Pascual, from the University of Michigan in the US, who carried out the research, said: “The impact in terms of increasing the risk of exposure to disease is very large.”

{{Vulnerable to disease}}

Areas at higher altitudes have traditionally provided a haven from this devastating disease.

Both the malaria parasite and the mosquito that carries it struggle to cope with the cooler air.

Prof Pascual said: “The risk of the disease decreases with altitude and this is why historically people have settled in these higher regions.”

But the scientists say the disease is entering new regions that had previously been malaria-free.

To investigate, scientists looked at densely populated areas in the highlands of Colombia and Ethiopia, where there are detailed records of both temperature and malaria cases from the 1990s to 2005.

They found that in warmer years, malaria shifted higher into the mountains, while in cooler years it was limited to lower elevations.

“This expansion could in a sense account for a substantial part of the increase of cases we have already observed in these areas,” said Prof Pascual.

The team believes that rising temperatures could cause a further spread.

In Ethiopia, where nearly half of the population live at an altitude of between 1,600m (5,250ft) and 2,400m, the scientists believe there could be many more cases.

“We have estimated that, based on the distribution of malaria with altitude, a 1C rise in temperature could lead to an additional three million cases in under-15-year-olds per year,” said Prof Pascual.

The team believes that because people living in areas that have never been exposed to malaria are particularly vulnerable to the disease, attempts to stop the spread should be focused on areas at the edge of the spread. The disease is easier to control there than at lower altitudes where it has already established.

According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization, there were about 207 million cases of malaria in 2012 and an estimated 627,000 deaths. Most deaths occur among children living in Africa.

{agencies}