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Sunday, March 18, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Moderate drinking associated with lower risk of stroke in women
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Public release date: 15-Mar-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: R. Curtis Ellison, M.D.
ellison@bu.edu
617-638-8080
Boston University Medical Center
Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been consistently associated with lower risk of heart disease, but data for stroke are less certain, especially among women.
A total of 83,578 female participants of the Nurses' Health Study who were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline were followed-up from 1980 to 2006. Data on self-reported alcohol consumption were assessed at baseline and updated approximately every 4 years, whereas stroke and potential confounder data were updated at baseline and biennially. Strokes were classified according to the National Survey of Stroke criteria . The authors found that the risk of total stroke is significantly lower among light-to-moderate consumers of alcohol than among subjects reporting no alcohol intake. In comparison with non-drinkers, the estimated risk was 17-21% lower for women averaging up to 15 grams of alcohol per day (one drink/day by US definitions of approximately 14 grams of alcohol, or two UK units of 8g). For consumers of larger amounts of alcohol, the risk of stroke increased at levels of consumption above 38g.
Data on the pattern of drinking (regularly, binge, etc.) were not reported. Among these predominantly light drinkers, there were no differences between effects on the risk of the most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke (due to atherosclerotic obstruction of a artery or an embolic clot) or the less-common hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into the brain).
The results, with full adjustment for other factors that may affect risk, suggest a "J-shaped" curve for total stroke, with reductions in risk for light-to-moderate drinking and possibly an increase with greater amounts. In this study, the point at which the risk of women having a stroke exceeding that of non-drinkers was about 38 grams of alcohol per day (about 3 typical "drinks"). The frequency of use of hormones, multivitamins, physical activity, high cholesterol, and family history of myocardial infarction were very similar across categories of alcohol intake, suggesting that the women who consumed varying amounts of alcohol were generally similar in these characteristics to non-drinkers. The findings of lower BMI, increased smoking, greater HDL-cholesterol ( good cholesterol), and lower risk of diabetes with increasing alcohol consumption were expected, and further suggest that the assessments of alcohol were reasonably accurate.
The study supports many previous reports from observational epidemiologic studies that have shown a reduction in risk of the ischemic type of stroke from moderate alcohol intake. Some, but not all previous studies, show an increase in hemorrhagic stroke for any amounts of alcohol, but that was not seen in this study, possibly because there were few heavy drinkers in this group of nurses.
###
Reference: Jimenez M, Chiuve SE, Glynn RJ, Stampfer MJ, Camargo Jr CA, Willett WC, Manson JE, Rexrode KM. Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women. Stroke 2012, pre-publication.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 15-Mar-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: R. Curtis Ellison, M.D.
ellison@bu.edu
617-638-8080
Boston University Medical Center
Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been consistently associated with lower risk of heart disease, but data for stroke are less certain, especially among women.
A total of 83,578 female participants of the Nurses' Health Study who were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline were followed-up from 1980 to 2006. Data on self-reported alcohol consumption were assessed at baseline and updated approximately every 4 years, whereas stroke and potential confounder data were updated at baseline and biennially. Strokes were classified according to the National Survey of Stroke criteria . The authors found that the risk of total stroke is significantly lower among light-to-moderate consumers of alcohol than among subjects reporting no alcohol intake. In comparison with non-drinkers, the estimated risk was 17-21% lower for women averaging up to 15 grams of alcohol per day (one drink/day by US definitions of approximately 14 grams of alcohol, or two UK units of 8g). For consumers of larger amounts of alcohol, the risk of stroke increased at levels of consumption above 38g.
Data on the pattern of drinking (regularly, binge, etc.) were not reported. Among these predominantly light drinkers, there were no differences between effects on the risk of the most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke (due to atherosclerotic obstruction of a artery or an embolic clot) or the less-common hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into the brain).
The results, with full adjustment for other factors that may affect risk, suggest a "J-shaped" curve for total stroke, with reductions in risk for light-to-moderate drinking and possibly an increase with greater amounts. In this study, the point at which the risk of women having a stroke exceeding that of non-drinkers was about 38 grams of alcohol per day (about 3 typical "drinks"). The frequency of use of hormones, multivitamins, physical activity, high cholesterol, and family history of myocardial infarction were very similar across categories of alcohol intake, suggesting that the women who consumed varying amounts of alcohol were generally similar in these characteristics to non-drinkers. The findings of lower BMI, increased smoking, greater HDL-cholesterol ( good cholesterol), and lower risk of diabetes with increasing alcohol consumption were expected, and further suggest that the assessments of alcohol were reasonably accurate.
The study supports many previous reports from observational epidemiologic studies that have shown a reduction in risk of the ischemic type of stroke from moderate alcohol intake. Some, but not all previous studies, show an increase in hemorrhagic stroke for any amounts of alcohol, but that was not seen in this study, possibly because there were few heavy drinkers in this group of nurses.
###
Reference: Jimenez M, Chiuve SE, Glynn RJ, Stampfer MJ, Camargo Jr CA, Willett WC, Manson JE, Rexrode KM. Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Women. Stroke 2012, pre-publication.
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-03/bumc-mda031512.php
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
PHOTOS: Selena & Vanessa Ride Scooters in Bikinis!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
rachelgurulong - International Business
International Business
Market-defining since it was first introduced, International Business 8e by Charles W. L. Hill, continues to set the standard for international business textbooks. In writing the book, Charles Hill draws on his experience in teaching, writing, and global consulting to create the most thorough, up-to-date, and thought-provoking text on the market. Because many issues in international business are complex, the text explores the pros and cons of economic theories,
Read more ...
Source: http://rachelgurulong.livejournal.com/9739420.html
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012
How to Make a More Tornado-Resistant Home
Tornadoes this year have ravaged Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing at least 39 people and injuring hundreds more. The stories are incredible: In one horrific incident on Tuesday, a 36-year-old Indiana woman who huddled in her basement with her two children had both of her legs severed by collapsing steel beams. She survived, and her children?whom she had wrapped in a heavy blanket?escaped serious injury.
Given this awesome power, the question is not how to "tornado-proof" a house, but rather how to increase its resistance to damage. According to the engineers we contacted, such as Randy Shackelford, a licensed structural engineer with Simpson Strong-Tie, a company that makes high-strength metal connectors, that much is possible.
The key thing to understand is that a house is prone to its parts being ripped off and pried apart. The nails that fasten the parts end up becoming nothing more than flimsy hinges. To make the home?s parts perform like a monolithic structure?and resist those massive prying forces?you have to either build it so it performs like a single-piece or you have to retrofit it. That?s creating the "continuous load path" that Shackelford refers to.
This dramatic example raises a fundamental question that is surprisingly difficult to answer: Can a home be built to withstand a tornado?
The answer is yes?if the home were constructed like a bomb-proof bunker, with thick walls, a reinforced concrete roof, and a super-strong internal support system to prevent structural collapse. Window and door openings would require fortification with impact-resistant shutters that could be swung shut and locked at a moment?s notice.
None of this is practical for the average home, which is built out of ordinary construction lumber, plywood, and particle board. Even a well-built house with walls of brick or stone is vulnerable to a tornado?s wrath. But wood-frame structures are particularly at risk: Siding and roofing blow off or are pulled away by suction; subassemblies of rafters and wall studs with plywood attached are peeled away; sheets of plywood turn into sails, multiplying the already intense force of the wind; long pieces of lumber exert tremendous leverage.
In short, a tornado turns a wood-frame house into a gigantic, wind-driven pry bar. Once the departing structural elements have left a hole in the structure, the wind enters and dismantles the home like a bomb. After watching several online videos showing homes being decimated by tornadoes, I would guess that they generate tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds of force.
Doing Better
Given this awesome power, the question is not how to "tornado-proof" a house, but rather how to increase its resistance to damage. According to the engineers we contacted, such as Randy Shackelford, a licensed structural engineer with Simpson Strong-Tie, a company that makes high-strength metal connectors, that much is possible.
"Studies of tornadoes [that occurred in 2011] revealed weaknesses in the load path of homes built to the minimum standards of the International Residential Code, which is the most widely used building code in the United States," Shackelford says. "To resist high winds, whether they?re from tornadoes or hurricanes, homes must be built with what is called a ?continuous load path,? a series of reinforced connections that tie every element together from roof to foundation, like a chain. Important connections would include rafters to top plates, top plates to studs, studs to bottom plates and bottom plates to foundation."
But in fact, Shackelford says, stronger construction really isn?t sufficient. "For the ultimate safety from the strongest tornadoes, homeowners should consider a safe room," he says. "These are built to resist the highest winds that are anticipated. They provide life safety in the strongest storms."
The Importance of Load Path
The key thing to understand is that a house is prone to its parts being ripped off and pried apart. The nails that fasten the parts end up becoming nothing more than flimsy hinges. To make the home?s parts perform like a monolithic structure?and resist those massive prying forces?you have to either build it so it performs like a single-piece or you have to retrofit it. That?s creating the "continuous load path" that Shackelford refers to.
You do this with steel connectors that bridge the house?s framing components (rafters to top plate, for example). Each connector is made from a thick piece of steel and fastened with multiple nails, screws, or even bolts. In the event of damaging high winds, the home?s parts are not easily torn loose because the forces are not concentrated but distributed from one wood framing member to another by means of the steel connectors and their nails, screws, and bolts.
I don?t mean to suggest that retrofitting a house for high-wind resistance is easy. It?s not. Building materials, insulation, plumbing and wiring block access to the framing. And other components can be extremely vulnerable. If your garage door blows in, all the work put into fortifying the structure won?t do much good. Fortunately, there are vertical door braces that can be installed after the house is built, which we covered during last year's tornado season.
Once the individual members of a home?s framing have been fastened together, either in a massive retrofit remodeling job or in new construction, you still can?t treat a tornado as a casual event. When sheltering at home, your best bet is to follow FEMA's guidelines.
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Dachau survivor and liberator meet 6 decades later
In this Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 photo, Dachau survivor Ernie Gross, left, and Dachau liberator Don Greenbaum pose for a photograph in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In this Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 photo, Dachau survivor Ernie Gross, left, and Dachau liberator Don Greenbaum pose for a photograph in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? The way Ernie Gross and Don Greenbaum laugh and tell jokes with the ease of old friends, it's easy to assume the dapper octogenarians have known each other forever.
In reality, they only met a few months ago. Their familiarity doesn't come from shared memories of a childhood playground or a high school dance but a far darker place: Both men were at the Dachau concentration camp on the day its 30,000 prisoners were liberated by American soldiers in 1945.
Greenbaum, 87, and Gross, 83, don't think they met that day in Dachau but nevertheless share a bond. They met after Gross, who lives in Philadelphia, saw a mention in a local newspaper last November about Greenbaum, a Philadelphia native now living in suburban Bala Cynwyd.
"Ernie wanted to thank me for saving his life, quote unquote, even though there were 50,000 other men there with me," Greenbaum said, with a hint of unease, during an interview at Gross' home. "And we sat and had lunch together and discussed what happened 66 years ago."
Gross, then all of 85 pounds (39 kilograms) after nearly a year of sickness, abuse and constant hunger, had no doubt April 29, 1945, was his last day on earth. Greenbaum, a soldier with Gen. George Patton's Third Army 283rd Field Artillery Battalion, arrived that day at Dachau expecting to seize ammunition, clothing and food that was kept for the Nazis' notorious SS forces.
They were both wrong, it turned out.
The men, who talk about their experiences at local synagogues and schools, now are working together to find other Dachau survivors and liberators in the area to share their stories. They acknowledge that recounting the horrors of the Holocaust isn't easy but believe it's their duty.
"As we got near Dachau, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) outside the camp, there was an odor we couldn't identify," Greenbaum said. "When we arrived, I saw the boxcars. They were full of bodies."
History would come to call it the Dachau death train: some 40 cattle cars holding more than 2,000 men and women evacuated from another camp ? and left to die on the train ? in the final weeks of World War II.
"We had at that time never heard the expression 'concentration camp,' we never heard of a death camp," Greenbaum said. "None of us had any idea."
Gross, a Romanian Jew, was 15 when he and his family were taken from their home, deported to a ghetto in Hungary and eventually packed on a standing-room-only boxcar to the Auschwitz death camp in southern Poland in 1942. At the urging of a man next to him as they waited in line to be processed, he lied and told the SS officer he was 17.
Any younger and he'd be deemed incapable of hard labor and, he was told, immediately killed.
"The same guy who told me to lie said to me, 'Do you see that smoke in the sky where the sun cannot get through? This is going to be your parents in about two hours," he recalled. "My parents and younger brother and younger sister ... that's the last time I saw them." Of his two older brothers also sent to labor camps, one ? his favorite ? also died.
In a state of starvation, and after months of daily beatings and backbreaking work, then-16-year-old Gross was shoved onto another boxcar, this time headed to Dachau, near Munich, Germany. It was supposed to arrive a day before the liberation, on April 28, but American bombings delayed the train.
When he arrived the next day, barely able to walk, Gross knew he would soon be murdered: hanged, shot, gassed, he didn't know. He was so close to death that he didn't care.
"We were standing in this long line and we already knew where we were going," he said. "I was close enough that I could see the crematorium and, all of a sudden, I see the German soldiers throwing down their guns and running away."
The first contingent of Americans had arrived.
"If they would have come an hour later, I would not be here to tell this story," Gross said in accented English underscoring his eastern European roots. "They took me right away, they knew I am falling apart, and they put me in a sanitarium to recuperate."
Greenbaum said his company arrived shortly after the first wave of American troops and spent only a couple of hours at Dachau before moving on to their next mission. The SS at Dachau were captured, killed or in hiding by the time he arrived.
"We met a priest there who took us through the camp. He showed us what was there; the prisoners were walking skeletons," he said. "We called the troops behind us to notify them about what we had come across and to bring food and clothing and blankets and the whole bit. Then we left. We had to keep going."
After the war, both men went on with their lives and tried to leave their wartime nightmares behind.
Gross came to the U.S. and settled in Philadelphia, where he started out slicing lox in a delicatessen and ended up owning three delis of his own, married and had three boys. His first wife, who died 19 years after they wed, was from Czechoslovakia and also spent time in a concentration camp. The couple never discussed those times ? not even where they were imprisoned during the Holocaust ? and his children only know his story by hearing him speak at public events.
"I never told my wife about myself, I never told my sons. I wasn't up to it," he said. "After so many years, I decided I better start speaking to people to know who I am and where I come from."
After his second wife died about 15 years ago, Gross said "something in me was healing and I was able to overcome it."
"When you are bitter, it takes energy," he said. Constantly smiling and a consummate joke-teller, he says he tries to make one person laugh every day. Usually, he succeeds.
Greenbaum, whose military career also includes the Battle of the Bulge and a Purple Heart medal for being wounded in combat, returned home, married and also never discussed the war until he saw a Holocaust denier on television 20 years ago.
"That motivated me to speak because I saw what happened," he said. "This fellow's on TV saying it never happened. I was there and I saw it. Ernie and I, we both were there ... we know."
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