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Viagra helps reduce heart disease risk

/ Courtesy of TwitterBy Kim Da-heeErectile dysfunction medication, such as Viagra, help reduce the risk of heart diseases, research shows.Researchers at the University of Manchester Center for Cardiac Research studied 6,000 patients with diabetes who had taken Viagra.Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction by relaxing muscle cells in the blood vessels supplying the penis.The relaxed muscle cells allow more blood to flow there, increasing the likelihood of an erection.Despite diabetes patients being prone to heart disease, the patients on the medication showed a lower risk of a heart attack or dying from heart failure than those who did not take the medication.Led by Professor Andrew Trafford, the team concluded that PDE5i, a key ingredient in Viagra, helped prevent damage to heart cells and relaxed the blood vessels. “Our studies have shown that drugs normally used to treat erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra, actually have a very pronounced effect in slowing the progression of heart failure as well as reducing the likelihood of fatal arrhythmias,” Trafford wrote i

Jun 20, 2016

Clearing clogged pathways in the body

/Korea Times photo by Jung Min-hoRenowned radiologist tells development of nonvascular stentsBy Jung Min-ho, Kim Eil-chulOne of the hardest things for radiologist Song Ho-young was seeing patients suffer from an esophageal stricture, a narrowing of the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach.Many of them suffer the condition as a complication of inoperable esophageal cancer, which made it difficult for them to swallow food. Thirty years ago, there was almost nothing Song could do for them.One day, however, he came up with the idea of placing a Celestin tube in the patients’ narrowed esophagus to alleviate their suffering. But developing the procedure proved to be challenging; the normal esophagus was only 2 centimeters in diameter, and it was difficult to fix the exact problematic area of the tube.“But that was the only thing I could do for them,” Song said in an interview. “Then I came across articles about endovascular stents in an international journal. I immediately flew to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas to meet the author, Dr. Kenneth C. W

Jun 19, 2016

Very hot drinks pose throat cancer risk: WHO

Drinking very hot beverages can cause cancer regardless of what the drink is, the World Health Organization says. /Courtesy of TwitterBy Lee Jin-aDrinking very hot beverages -- over 65 degrees Celsius -- can increase the esophagus cancer risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.Esophagus cancer is the eighth most common cancer.After analyzing more than 1,000 scientific studies, researchers classified very hot drinks as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” one level lower than the highest-risk group that includes cigarettes and dioxin.  “Smoking and alcohol drinking are major causes of esophageal cancer, particularly in many high-income countries,” said Christopher Wilde, the director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).“However, the majority of esophageal cancers occur in parts of Asia, South America and East Africa, where the regular drinking of very hot beverages is common and where the reasons for the high incidence of this cancer are not as well understood.”IARC also classified beverages -- lower than 65 degrees C

Jun 17, 2016

Very hot drinks pose throat cancer risk: WHO

Number of diabetics tops 2.5 mln in S. Korea

The number of diabetic patients in South Korea has surpassed 2.5 million, prompting the local diabetes therapeutic market to heat up, the authorities said Friday.According to the National Health Insurance, the number of South Koreans who received medical treatment for diabetes jumped to 2.52 million last year, up about 25 percent from 2010.Medical expenses soared 33 percent to 1.8 trillion won ($1.5 billion). It accounts for 3.2 percent of total costs covered by the national health care insurance.With the diet habits of South Koreans becoming "westernized," diabetes rates are growing. Other causes include overeating, drinking and stress, medical doctors say.Pharmaceutical firms here are stepping up efforts for the development of related treatment.Dong-A ST released a new diabetic drug, Suganon, in March.Samsung Bioepis said the efficacy and safety of SB9, a biosimilar of Sanofi's Lantus, has been confirmed in Phase 3 clinical trials.It is waiting for approval for the sales of SB9 from the European Medicines Agency.Bukwang Pharm is researching MLR-1023MLR-1023, a new treatment candida

Jun 17, 2016

Whole grains help you live longer: study

Eating more whole grains can help you live longer, a study finds. /Courtesy of Twitter By Lee Jin-aEating whole grains can cut the risk of dying from heart disease or cancer, a recent study found.  Harvard University researchers discovered that people who ate 16 grams of whole grains a day had a 7 percent drop in the risk of death from any cause, a 9 percent fall in the risk of cardiovascular disease and a 5 percent drop in the risk of cancer.People who ate 48 grams a day had a 20 percent reduced risk of premature death."The higher the whole grain intake, the lower the death rate, especially deaths from cardiovascular disease," said Qi Sun, an assistant professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Sun and researchers analyzed the findings of 12 published studies and health information from more than 786,000 participants. Over the study period from 1971 to 2010, almost 98,000 deaths were recorded, with 23,597 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 37,492 deaths from cancer."Based on the solid evidence from this meta-analysis and numerous previous studies that c

Jun 14, 2016

Whole grains help you live longer: study

Blood type B, AB less prone to stomach cancer

Researchers from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Gyeonggi Province say people who have blood types B or AB are less likely to get stomach cancer. / Courtesy of TwitterBy Kim Da-heePeople who have blood types B or AB are less likely to get stomach cancer, research revealed Friday.Researchers from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Gyeonggi Province monitored 997 people diagnosed with non-cardia gastric cancer and a control group of 1147 people from February, 2006 to May, 2014.Non-cardia gastric cancer is found in all areas of the stomach other than the top portion. The team analyzed 14 factors, including blood types, family history of the cancer, eating habits and the infection of H.pylori, which can cause the cancer.The researchers found that those with genotype BB had a 46 percent lower risk of the cancer. They also had 61 percent less risk of diffuse-type gastric cancer.Those who have genotype BO and AB had 27 percent less risk respectively. “The research result helped us to clarify that the occurrence rate of the cancer can vary due to blood ty

Jun 12, 2016

Blood type B, AB less prone to stomach cancer

Merging engineering with bone surgery

/Korea Times photo by Jung Min-hoBy Jung Min-ho, Kim Eil-chulThe bone is both a structural material and a living tissue. Thus, a deep knowledge of engineering of the human musculoskeletal system can be valuable in orthopedic surgery, which often involves attaching metal rods, pins, plates and screws onto the human body.Engineers are not allowed to treat patients with damaged bones directly because they don’t have the required medical expertise, but they can use their mechanical expertise to help surgeons come up with more effective and less invasive treatment methods.So it is little wonder that orthopedic surgeons increasingly seek cooperation with engineers to broaden their medical capabilities. Today, the field of orthopedic biomechanics is getting more attention than ever before.One of the world’s best, if not the best, orthopedic bioengineering lab is at the Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System and the University of California, Irvine. Lee Thay-Q is the founder and leader of Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory, which draws both talented engineers and surgeons

Jun 12, 2016

(332) History of saju studying

By Janet Shin Saju, or the Four Pillars of Destiny, is considered an archetypal way of fortunetelling in East Asia. Before we look into saju study, we need to understand other ways of reading one’s fortune, which are known as the five Oriental teachings.1. Myeong (命) is the study of our innate destiny, given from birth, which cannot be altered. It is regarded as an order from Heaven and humans must submit to its will as our lives should be harmonized with the cosmic order of nature. Saju is one of the major studies of Myeong.2. Bok (卜) has its origin in Zhou Yi, or I Ching, the Classic of Changes. It is known as an ancient text of divination. As the character Yi (易) implies, the changes of the Sun and the Moon, or lizard, whose colors and shapes are changing ― subject to time and situation, represent prognostication grounded in cleromancy. We can still find many people practicing it using yarrow sticks in some Asian countries nowadays. If you have visited shamans, you might have noticed them using coins or grains of rice to predict the future.3. Sang (相) (face and palm rea

Jun 9, 2016

Red ginseng boosts Alzheimer's memory: study

Health supplements made of red ginseng / Korea Times By Ko Dong-hwanA Korean study has shown that red ginseng dried in the sun or steamed can improve the memory of Alzheimer’s patients, opening a new path to treating dementia.A team from the Seoul Medical Center’s neurology department tested the plant’s potency on 14 patients, who ate 4.5 grams of red ginseng every day for 12 weeks.The team then administered a frontal assessment battery (FAB) test and an electroencephalography.The FAB examines the brain’s frontal lobe, a region linked to cognitive ability. If lobe is dysfunctional, it causes memory loss and disables logical thinking.The test result showed the patients’ average score of 9.07 out of 18 before the intake of red ginseng jumped to 10.5. The electroencephalography result also showed the patients emitted more active alpha waves, which are linked to memory and thinking. “The test analysis confirmed that red ginseng stimulates the frontal lobe by increasing alpha waves,” the team said in a statement.“Consistent intake

Jun 9, 2016

Red ginseng boosts Alzheimer's memory: study

Quick, strenuous workout a great fit for time-poor: study

Scientists say one minute of strenuous exercise is comparable in its physiological effects to 45 minutes of moderate exercise. / Courtesy of TwitterBy Kim Da-heeA minute of strenuous exercise is equal to 45 minutes of moderate exercise, research reveals.According to a study recently  published in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at McMaster University in Canada monitored 27 sedentary men to compare the effects of interval training and regular training.The researchers divided the men into three groups and assigned different tasks to each. The first group was told not to exercise for 12 weeks. The second was given regular training that consisted of a two-minute warm-up, spinning for 45 minutes at a moderate pace and a three-minute cool-down, three times a week. The third group did a 10-minute interval training session, comprising a two-minute warm-up, one-minute intense spinning, four-minute easy spinning and a three-minute cool-down, three times a week.  After 12 weeks, the researchers found that the fitness levels of the second and third groups were similar, although the se

Jun 8, 2016

Others

Others

Viagra helps reduce heart disease risk

Clearing clogged pathways in the body

Very hot drinks pose throat cancer risk: WHO

Number of diabetics tops 2.5 mln in S. Korea

Whole grains help you live longer: study

Blood type B, AB less prone to stomach cancer

Merging engineering with bone surgery

(332) History of saju studying

Red ginseng boosts Alzheimer's memory: study

Quick, strenuous workout a great fit for time-poor: study

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