Wonder vitamin A

Health benefits of Vitamin A.....

Wonder According to a recent study, Vitamin A has a greater role to play in the human body than you can think of. It is very essential nutrient that one should derive from food.

Scientists have found that Vitamin A may play a more direct role than was previously known in certain physiological functions including sperm cell formation and the development of the central nervous system.

Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) investigators came to the conclusion after mapping the structure and function of the so-called “orphan” nuclear receptor TR4.

The research has actually summarized what has long been known in the medical field. The further blocks of Vitamin A like the retinoic and retinal acids play a very essential role in the physiological functions of the human body.

“Recent evidence has shown that orphan nuclear receptors are required for many essential physiological functions in the human body, and can be used to help discover drug targets for human diseases”, said VARI Research Scientist Edward Zhou, Ph. D. It can even help in the treatment of diabetes. On a long term basis, it can even help in the development of the embryo in a pregnant woman.

Vitamin A is a very essential nutrient in the human body and it should be taken in good amounts.

Analysis........

The economic consequences of disaster :Japan

The toll in human misery wrought by the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan test the imagination of economists but the effects on Japan's gross domestic product and wealth are a different matter.

For want of a strategy

U.S. President Barack Obama needs cogent, well-argued strategy is needed for national security. For want of that strategy, the wars in all forms that confront us cannot be won.

Trade deficit jumps, destroys nearly 3 million jobs a year..

The U.S. Commerce Department reported the deficit on international trade in goods and services was $46.3 billion in January, up from $40.2 billion in December and $27 billion in mid 2009, when the recovery began.

A U.S. health insurance survey indicates...9 million lost healthcare in last 2 years

The Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey indicates 43 million adults age 65 and under who reported they or their spouse lost a job in the past two years had difficulty finding affordable healthcare.

Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, says only 25 percent who lost employer health insurance were able to find another source of health insurance coverage. Fourteen percent continued their job-based coverage through COBRA.

Purchasing individual health insurance was not a viable option for most who lost their jobs -- 71 percent of adults who tried to buy individual coverage in the past three years either found it difficult or impossible to find a plan that fit their needs; found it difficult or impossible to find a plan they could afford; or were turned down or charged a higher price for coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

"The silver lining is that the Affordable Care Act has already begun to bring relief to families and once the new law is fully implemented, we can be confident that no future recession will have the power to strip so many Americans of their health security," Davis says in a statement.

An estimated 52 million U.S. adults were uninsured at some point during 2010, up from 38 million in 2001.

U.S. home construction drops sharply

Housing starts in the U.S. declined more than forecast in February, marking the slowest pace since April 2009. New home construction fell 22.5 percent to a 479,000 annual rate, according to Commerce Department figures released today in Washington. Building permits, a proxy for future construction, fell 8.2 percent to a 517,000 annual pace. The producer-price index climbed 1.6 percent last month, the most since June 2009, Labor Department figures showed.

Builders broke ground on fewer homes in February than a month earlier, and the trend is not likely to improve anytime soon.

Construction of single-family and multi-family homes fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 479,000 in February, the lowest level since April 2009, the Commerce Department reported. That’s down 22.5 percent from January, the largest monthly plunge since 1984.

Meanwhile, fewer builders pulled permits in February, suggesting that construction is unlikely to pick up soon. Building permits were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 517,000, the lowest level since the government began tracking the numbers in 1960.

The results suggest that builders lack the incentive to break ground given the stiff competition they face from the excess supply of existing homes — particularly the deeply discounted foreclosures that are flooding the national housing market.

“Until the market works through the overhang, there’s no need to ramp up production,” said Michael Larson, an analyst at Weiss Research. “The February numbers underscore the fact that new-home builders are at a steep competitive disadvantage.”

This week, a survey by the National Association of Home Builders showed that builder confidence edged up this month. But the group also said that the excess supply of foreclosures, appraisals that are coming in below construction costs, and tough lending standards for buyers and builders continue to hamper the new-homes market.

“There are just too many uncertainties out there for most builders and buyers to comfortably move forward with a new-home project at this time,

Interventional cardiologists created an alternative to open heart surgery

Open Heart Surgery now alternative way

Interventional cardiologists created an alternative to open heart surgery by developing a mitral valve clip. To alleviate mitral valve regurgitation--a condition where the heart's mitral valve does not close properly, allowing blood to leak back into the heart--cardiologists insert a catheter into the patient's groin that travels up into the mitral valve. The clip is fed through this catheter, where it finally grasps and tightens the valves' leaflets--effectively preventing blood from leaking. The clip remains in place while the catheter is removed, the entire procedure taking approximately two hours and recovery a few weeks. The procedure is good for those with weaker hearts, when traditional surgery is more dangerous.

Herndon was one of the first patients in the United States to have the mitral clip procedure. First, interventional cardiologists inserted a catheter into her groin up into the mitral valve. Next, a clip was fed through. The clip grasped and tightened the valves' leaflets, preventing blood from leaking.

"By pulling them together and approximating them, it reduces the leakiness," Dr. Hanzel said.

The clip stays and keeps blood from leaking, and the catheter is removed. The procedure takes two hours, the same as for open-heart surgery. The difference is in the recovery -- down from months to just weeks.

"Patients typically say they feel better," Dr. Hanzel said. "They can breathe better. They can do more without having to stop and rest."

Herndon's mitral regurgitation was reduced from severe to trivial, and she's back looking for bargains again. "I always did love to go shopping," Herdon said.

The mitral clip procedure is good for patients who have a weak heart and may not make it through traditional surgery. The procedure is being investigated in clinical trials in 38 hospitals across the country.

Interventional cardiologists created an alternative to open heart surgery

Tobacco Display Ban in UK

Global Health Watch......
UK government will legislate to ban the promotion and display of tobacco in stores in England.

Britain's Department of Health announced a ban on displaying cigarettes in stores around the country on Thursday, the nation's annual "no smoking day." The action relegates cigarettes to a product kept below the counter.

The new law will be introduced gradually, according to a statement from the health agency. It says that in large stores and supermarkets, the visible display of cigarettes, cigars and tobacco products will be illegal from April 2012, while in smaller stores it goes into force in 2015, "except for temporary displays in certain limited circumstances."

The ban is part of a government package of laws implemented in recent years that already prohibits tobacco advertising and smoking in public places. The laws also promote National Health aids to help people quit smoking and impose consistent price increases on tobacco products.

British health officials are also considering legislation to impose plain packaging of cigarette packets as a further disincentive, particularly to young people, for those who may fall for the allure of tobacco.

"Nearly all adult smokers started smoking before they turned 18 and every year, over 300,000 children under 16 try smoking," said Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies.

"Smoking is undeniably one of the biggest and most stubborn challenges in public health. Over eight million people in England still smoke and it causes more than 80,000 deaths each year," said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in his statement on the new law.

The government aims to reduce the adult smoking population from 21.2% to 18.5% or less and 15% to 12% or less among 15-year-olds by the end of 2015.

Mixed reactions greeted the ban as independent retailers complained it would burden them with the cost of refitting their stores and reduce their already narrow profit margins.

Song can make your life,heart and your mind healty