Kids Obesity might be linked to Ear Infection
According to a Korean study, children’s weight problems might be a result of a chronic fluid infection on the middle ear called Chronic OME or Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion. This type of ear infection alters the taste bud of children causing them to have more food cravings that could further lead to obesity. Excessive use of internet and visiting top online Malayan casino and other casino and gaming sites are also indirectly related to weight gain.
The research was conducted by the members of Kyung Hee University in Seoul, South Korea which involved two equal groups of children- one group with 42 members has Chronic OME while the other group with the same number does not have this illness. The result shows that the group with Chronic OME has a higher body mass index (BMI) and the front part of their tongue has a reduced sensitivity to taste resulting to an increased feeling in the sweet and salty part.
Dr. Jeffrey P. Simons from Pittsburgh‘s Children’s Hospital noted that this preliminary study is somewhat possible since Chronic OME affects the nerve that supplies taste to the front two thirds of the tongue. He said that when there is inflammation on this part, the nerves increase its taste threshold and sensitivity making the sweet and salty taste buds more active than the bitter and sour and could result to a higher intake of sugar laden foods which greatly contributes to obesity.
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Chronic OME according to Dr. Simon does not have the basic signs of severe swelling and bulging of eardrum and is usually determine if the patient has symptom of decreased hearing or bunged feeling in the ear.
However Carolyn Landis, an associate professor of Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, noted that the possibility might be contradictory. Obesity, according to her, might be the culprit of ear infections since people who are excessively overweight have a substantial fat stuffing in their ear that could likely attract ear infection.
Nicotine Causes High Blood Pressure
A new research has found that nicotine seems to be the responsible factor of causing high blood pressure in diabetic smokers. Having high blood pressure can lead to kidney failure, heart attack, nerve damage, and stroke.
This comes as an alert to all the diabetics that currently smoke. It has been said in the past that diabetic smokers are more vulnerable to blood pressure changes; however this is the first time that they are able to spot the chemical that affects them. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in each cigarette, and in this case nicotine is the main cause.
Researchers took blood samples and exposed them to nicotine which raised the hemoglobin level. It was observed that the higher the amount of nicotine, the higher the level of hemoglobin. They used the same amount of nicotine that would be found in the blood of a smoker who smokes one to two packs a day.
Peter Galier, MD, from UCLA Medical Center, advised that he agrees with the results of this study. He always had the impression that the main cause of high blood sugar was nicotine, and it makes sense what this study has finally found.
It was stated that other studies have found that smokers tend to be resistant to insulin which means that insulin hormone is not working that way it’s supposed to be. This pushes their blood glucose level to rise more than normal. This is tied to another finding that says that smoking persuades cortisol, a stress hormone, to rise and when there is too much cortisol there might be resistance to insulin.
Researchers expressed that this should encourage all doctors to persuade their patients to quit smoking. However they do not recommend diabetic smokers to quit with the patch since these also contain nicotine which will still affect their blood sugar levels.
Asthma Associated With Acetaminophen During Pregnancy
A new study performed by the Medical Research Institute in New Zealand, suggests that taking acetaminophen while pregnant might increase the risk of developing asthma for the baby.
Richard Beasley, MD, advised that these findings ought not to alarm pregnant women since acetaminophen remains to be a safe recommendation. He stated that there is surely an association between the two but it has not been confirmed if it is a matter of cause and effect.
Acetaminophen would still be the preferred medication to fight fever in pregnant women; however this study should reinforce the idea of not taking any unnecessary medications while pregnant.
Researchers analyzed previous data which supported the association between acetaminophen and asthma. They focused on six previous studies for this research. In general, it was found that there was a raised risk of 21 percent in women who had taken acetaminophen. It was not known how much of the painkiller the women took.
Previous studies have found varying information in regards to the risk of asthma. It was mentioned that a study performed in Spain found a link between asthma and the painkiller but it was only found in women who did not suffer from asthma. Another study performed in the US found that the use of the painkiller did not increase of developing asthma.
Beasley advised it’s not possible to explain the association, however one theory states that painkiller might contain products that can increase inflammation or the risk of it. If this happens it could affect the airways which could lead to asthma.
Victoria Persky, MD, Professor at UIC advised that this study reinforces the previous information that states there is an increased of developing asthma if acetaminophen is taken during pregnancy. She had done her own research in the past finding that babies born to women who had taken the painkiller had a higher risk of experience wheezing in their first year of life. Persky advised that more research is needed before making any changes to the recommendations that pregnant women are given.
