Archive for September, 2009

Testosterone Influences Women’s Career Moves

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Higher testosterone levels may make some women more likely to choose high-risk financial careers, a U.S. study suggests.

“In general, women are more risk-averse than men when it comes to making important financial decisions, which in turn can affect their career choices,” Paola Sapienza, an associate professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, said in a news release. “For example, in our sample set, 36 percent of female MBA students chose high-risk financial careers such as investment banking or trading, compared to 57 percent of male students. We wanted to explore whether these gender differences are related to testosterone, which men have, on average, in higher concentrations than women.”

For this study, Sapienza and colleagues measured testosterone levels in saliva samples collected from about 500 MBA students at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The students also took part in an experiment to determine the link between testosterone levels and risk aversion.

Higher levels of testosterone were associated with a greater taste for risk in women, but not in men. But in women and men with similar levels of testosterone, there was no gender difference in risk aversion.

The researchers also found that the link between risk aversion and testosterone predicted post-graduation career choices. Those with high levels of testosterone and low risk aversion were more likely to go into high-risk financial careers.

“This is the first study showing that gender differences in financial risk aversion have a biological basis, and that differences in testosterone levels between individuals can affect important aspects of economic behavior and career decisions,” study co-author Dario Maestripieri, a professor in comparative human development at the University of Chicago, said in the news release. “That the effects of testosterone on risk aversion are strongest for individuals with low or intermediate levels of this hormone is similar to what has been shown for the effects of testosterone on spatial cognition.”

It’s Back to Basics to Save a Life

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Medics and doctors are used to participating in a flurry of activity when trying to save a person who’s had a cardiac arrest — inserting IVs, placing a breathing tube, performing defibrillation to restart the heart.

But studies now show that none of those advanced techniques saves lives as well as ordinary cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. And what’s more, those studies have also found that a truncated version of CPR that tosses out mouth-to-mouth in favor of simple and sustained chest compressions increases survival rates dramatically.

“It’s been shown to work, while these other things have not been shown to improve survival,” said Dr. Alex Garza, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. “They were just things we thought would be good.”

“The important thing now is to step back, do chest compressions and proceed methodically,” he said.

Both the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association have endorsed chest compressions as an acceptable alternative for people who witness a cardiac arrest but aren’t trained in CPR.

By simplifying the process, they hope to get more bystanders to step in and perform chest compressions on the ailing person until help arrives. The American Heart Association estimates that fewer than a third of those who suffer cardiac arrest in a public place receive any form of CPR.

Bystanders simply are “worried about making an error, and they forget a lot of the steps,” said Dr. Marc Eckstein, associate professor of emergency medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and medical director of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “Mouth-to-mouth is complex, and many people are reluctant to perform it. Performing compression only, the results are comparable to full CPR — and you can teach someone to do it in a matter of minutes.”

The compressions need to be applied in the center of the chest at a rate of about 100 a minute — ironically, about the same rhythm as the Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive.” One study has found that performing chest compressions while listening to that song improved the CPR technique of physicians and medical students.

“Laypersons with no formal training in CPR, when they’re presented with someone in cardiac arrest, can do a pretty decent job with chest compressions,” Garza said.

Garza and Eckstein go further than the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, however, saying that even trained rescuers should focus on uninterrupted chest compressions rather than trying to juggle compressions with mouth-to-mouth or other treatments.

It takes many repeated chest compressions to increase pressure enough to begin driving blood into heart tissue, Garza said. “By the time you got to your 15th chest compression, you’d just gotten to where you were doing some good, and then you’d stop to perform mouth-to-mouth, and it went back to zero,” he said.

Both doctors have studied what happens when paramedics change their cardiac protocols to focus more on chest compressions, Garza in Kansas City and Eckstein in Los Angeles. They both found that survival rates improved when paramedics delayed intubating patients, administering medications or performing defibrillation in favor of consistent compressions.

Chest compression CPR is more valuable than defibrillation because rescuers often arrive too late for effective defibrillation, which needs to occur within five minutes of cardiac arrest, Garza said.

“The problem is, most paramedics don’t arrive in the first five minutes,” he said. By the time rescuers arrive, the body’s tissues are starved for oxygen and the heart cells are depleted of energy. “If you attempt a defibrillation at that time, it’s less likely to be successful,” Garza said. “They’re more likely to flat-line.”

Airports and casinos boast excellent heart attack survival rates “because there’s always a defibrillator within a five-minute walk,” Garza said. Security guards are trained in the use of defibrillators, and both types of facilities have excellent closed-circuit monitoring.

If defibrillation isn’t available, it’s best for bystanders to start providing chest compressions, the experts say. That way, the stores of oxygen still in the blood will continue to circulate and feed the body’s tissues, keeping the person’s body and brain alive.

“When the heart stops, it’s not a problem of not having oxygen in the blood,” Eckstein said. “It’s a pump problem. You have to circulate that oxygen.”

Going Back to School With Asthma Takes Extra Work

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

There are a number of ways that parents of children with asthma can prepare for flu season and the new school year, says the American Lung Association.

“Good hygiene is the best and first line of defense against any type of cold or flu. This includes frequent handwashing and covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing,” Dr. Norman H. Edelman, the association’s chief medical officer, said in an association news release.

The lung association also strongly recommends that all children, especially those with asthma, get a flu shot. But only one-third of children with asthma get a seasonal flu vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Vaccination against seasonal influenza needs to be a higher priority in this country. Influenza is a serious disease with deadly consequences. Parents need to know that the best way to protect their kids against seasonal influenza is to ensure their child is vaccinated each and every year,” Edelman said.

The potential severity of the H1N1 swine flu this fall is uncertain, and parents of children with asthma should watch for advice from public health officials and organizations like the CDC, the news release noted.

“If a child has a fever or other flu-like symptoms, they should stay home. Children should not return to school for at least 24 hours after their fever or signs of fever are no longer present,” Edelman said.

In preparation for the new school year, parents of children with asthma should complete the following check list:

-Contact your child’s doctor to schedule an asthma check-up appointment.
-Get shots. Parents and children should be vaccinated against seasonal flu.
-Make sure your child has a written asthma action plan that details the symptoms, medications, physical limitations, and instructions on what to do if prescribed medications don’t improve an asthma attack.
-Know the asthma emergency plan at your child’s school and find out about the school’s history of dealing with asthma episodes. Find out if the school allows students to carry and independently use their asthma medication.

Top ED Causes That Can Be Treated With Levitra

Monday, September 7th, 2009

Erection is not just the product of the sole effort of the penis. There are several body parts working together to produce that famous erection. Thus, when one part of the body is not working well due to a medical condition then it might lead to an erection problem. Men who have erectile dysfunction problems as characterized by their failure to achieve an erection or to maintain one rely on erectile dysfunction drugs like Levitra to treat the symptoms. Levitra has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. It is available by prescription in various dosages, 2.5 mg being the smallest dosage and Levitra 20 mg being the highest dosage, you can research 10mg and also where to buy levitra in the menu section. Levitra works by increasing the flow of blood to the genitals to help the penis achieve and keep an erection until the completion of the sexual act. The penis returns to its normal size after the sexual act but this does not mean he can no longer achieve another erection during the period when Levitra is still effective. There are several reasons why men suffer from the symptoms of erectile dysfunction. Levitra is able to help men achieve an erection even if they are suffering from the following health conditions and factors which may have triggered the erectile dysfunction in the first place.

Diabetes and Neurological Impotence

Diabetes can damage nerves and blood vessels and can cause impotence. Fifty percent of those who have diabetes suffer from erectile dysfunction. Nervous system disorders as well as spinal cord injuries can also damage nerves leading to impotence. Those who have these conditions and are suffering from the symptoms of erectile dysfunction can benefit from Levitra.

Medications

While there is no study as to which medicines can actually result to erectile dysfunction, most elderly men or even younger ones who take a lot of medications suffer from impotence. It is important to report your condition to your doctor so he can determine if the symptoms of erectile dysfunction in your case is a result of any of the medicines you are taking or something else. It is important to give your doctor a complete list of all the medications you are taking so he can diagnose your case properly. Reports show that 25% of erectile dysfunction cases are somehow caused if not related to the drugs the patients are taking in.

Hypertension, Atherosclerosis
Disease in the arteries as well as high blood pressure are the common causes of erectile dysfunction, The arteries play an important role in supplying blood to the penis so once the arteries are damaged it can lead to erection problems.

These are only some of the conditions and factors that can cause erectile dysfunction. However, it does not mean the end of the world for you because erectile dysfunction caused by these conditions can be treated with Levitra. It is important that you check with your doctor to ask how long does levitra last and to determine the real cause of your symptoms and if Levitra will work for you.