The Telangana Science Journal, September 2000
Contents:
Child Care Centers
Unclean New Yorkers
Steer Clear Of Laetrile
Diet To Stave Off Cancer
Healthy Eating Leads
to Healthy Living
Exercise Fights Depression
Vacation
High Cholesterol
(Hypercholesterolemia)
Saucy Red Beans With Rice
Child Care Centers
Sampling Streptococcus pneumoniae ("strep" bacteria) from day care attendees,
Dr. Ron Dagan of Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and colleagues
found that antibiotic treatment rapidly induced resistant-antibiotic traits
among these bacteria in the noses and throats of children in the day care
environment. According to Dr. Dagana child care centers act as microenvironments
that facilitate and promote selection, spread and transmission of antibiotic-resistant
respiratory tract organisms in the community and should be seen as major
targets for intervention.
Unclean New Yorkers
A new survey of public restroom habits in five U.S. cities finds New York
commuters are least likely to clean their hands after using the john.
Four years ago, the the American Society for Microbiology sponsored a study
to see how often people take time for soap and water in restrooms. Researchers
stood around, endlessly combing their hair or putting on makeup, while
watching what people did. They found that about one-third of Americans
skipped washing. So the society sponsored a ``clean hands campaign'' to
educate folks about the importance of hand washing in stopping the spread
of colds, diarrhea and other infectious diseases. This month, they
did the survey again to find that not much has changed or it became worse--Four
years ago, 60 percent of folks using the rest rooms at Grand Central and
Penn stations washed up afterward. This time, it was just 49 percent.
Besides the New York train stations, the observers peeked at bathroom
habits at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the Navy Pier in Chicago,
a Braves game in Atlanta and a casino in New Orleans to find that overall,
67 percent of people washed with soap and water and then dried their hands,
the cleanest people were in Chicago (I am glad!), where 83 percent washed,
followed by 80 percent in San Francisco and 64 percent in New Orleans and
Atlanta, women were generally more likely than men to wash, the dirtiest
guys of all were at the Atlanta ball game-just one-third stopped to wash.
In a random telephone survey conducted at the same time, 95 percent of
Americans claimed they wash their hands after using public restrooms!
Steer Clear Of Laetrile
Buyer beware. That's a message the Food and Drug Administration is
trying to send Internet users
regarding a so-called cancer cure being marketed online. The
"cure" is a substance called laetrile, which is made from apricot seeds.
It was outlawed in the United States 20 years ago, after a National Cancer
Institute study determined that not only did laetrile not fight cancer,
it actually could cause cyanide poisoning, The Associated Press reports.
The new FDA warnings come after a Florida judge's ruling that temporarily
halts laetrile sales online by World Without Cancer, Inc., Health World
International, Inc. and Health Genesis Corp., the AP says.
Similar court cases occurred earlier this year in New York and Ohio.
The FDA warns that laetrile may be sold under the names "amygdalin" or
"vitamin B17."
Diet To Stave Off Cancer
The American Institute for Cancer Research launched a major consumer-education
campaign:
-Americans eat 148 more calories a day today than they did 20 years
ago, contributing to the nation's obesity problem. Learn what a proper
portion size is by spending one day measuring certain foods. Fill a measuring
cup with cereal and remember how much room it takes up in your breakfast
bowl. A cup of pasta the size of your fist could save 300 calories over
a 3-cup plate. If you're used to eating 3 cups, eat a little less each
day to inch down to proper serving sizes.
-Make sure at least two-thirds of your plate is filled with fruits,
vegetables, grains and beans and don't feel obligated to eat the expensive
meat.
-Look for trade-offs. Opt for a regular-size burger instead of the
quarter-pound version and save 160 calories right there.
-Sneak in servings of fruits and vegetables. Buy pre-washed, precut
carrots and other vegetables at grocery store salad bars - throw them in
a stir fry or bring them to work as snacks. Slice a banana onto cereal.
Ask for extra tomatoes and greens on a deli sandwich. Instead of a cookie,
keep a bowl of berries on hand.
Healthy Eating Leads
to Healthy Living
Strokes, America's third leading cause of death, afflict men and women
equally but are more likely to be fatal in women. Researchers report
in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association that women who
eat lots of whole-grain foods can significantly reduce their risk of strokes.
Those who ate the most whole grains were 30 percent to 40 percent less
likely to have an ischemic stroke. The findings are based on data
on 75,521 American participants in Harvard University's Nurses Health Study.
Exercise Fights Depression
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center tested exercise against Zoloft
and found exercise seemed to do a better job of keeping symptoms from coming
back after the depression lifted. The October issue of the Journal
Psychosomatic Medicine reports that a modest exercise program is an effective,
robust treatment for patients with major depression. The patients
in this study had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The severity
of their symptoms was generally mild to moderate to severe. The exercise
primarily consisted of brisk walking, stationary bike riding, or jogging
for 30 minutes, plus a 10-minute warmup and 5-minute cooldown, 3 times
a week.
Vacation
Researchers at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh
analyzed data from a nine-year study of more than 12,000 men at high risk
for coronary heart disease. Those with regular annual vacations had
a lower risk of death during the study period relative to those skipping
their vacations. Their results held even when the researchers took the
study participants’ socioeconomic status (SES) into account. Vacations
may protect health by reducing stress, a known risk factor for many diseases.
Vacations were more protective against death from coronary heart disease
known to be influenced by stress. The researchers report their findings
in the September/October issue of the Journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
Saucy Red Beans With Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped zucchini
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
2 cups cooked unsalted rice
Preparation:
Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add celery and onion. Cook,
covered, over medium-low heat until tender, stirring occasionally. Add
zucchini, garlic powder, oregano and thyme. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, kidney beans and red pepper. Simmer,
uncovered, for 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serve over 1/2-cup
portions of rice. Exchanges: Bread 2 1/2; Vegetables 1 1/2.
Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories, 264; Protein, 10 grams;
Carbohydrates, 54 grams; Total Fat, 1 gram (3 percent of calories from
fat); Cholesterol, 0 milligrams; Fiber, 9 grams; Sodium, 563 grams.
"Help Yourself Cookbook," Arthritis Foundation
Sreenivasrao Vepachedu, September 30, 2000
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