Childhood obesity linked to liver disease

More than half a million children could be at risk of liver disease due to obesity, is the warning from government expert Professor Martin Lombard, the Department of Health’s national clinical director. Government estimates indicate that around 500,000 of children below the age of 15 are suffering from “non alcoholic liver disease”. This is a condition where fat builds up in the liver cells causing inflammation and swelling and in some cases, it can lead to potentially fatal cirrhosis of the liver.

Excessive alcohol intake is commonly associated with the disease but Sarah Matthews, from the British Liver Trust, believes that, “Even though alcohol is regarded as the key cause of liver disease in the UK, weight-related liver damage is set to become a huge public health problem where, if the projections hold true, obesity could overtake alcohol as the biggest single driver of cirrhosis in the future.”

Recent Government figures highlight that 30% of children between the ages of 2 and 15 years old are classified as overweight or clinically obese. This figure is expected to double by 2050. Professor Lombard believes there is a danger of the next generation dying young and states, “We know that with childhood obesity on the rise we can expect more children to be at risk of fatty liver disease in the near future.”

The Chief Medical Officer of England, Professor Dame Sally Davies, says that children and their parents need to be aware of the health risks of obesity with fat being stored around vital internal organs and not just on the body surface. However, she says that young people who are overweight and obese can combat fatty liver disease by making simple changes to their lifestyle.
She adds: “There is good evidence that gradual weight loss through healthy eating and regular exercise can reduce ill health, such as diabetes and the amount of fat in a liver.”

There is no treatment for the disease but the condition is reversible through weight loss and improvements in diet. Weight loss for adults however can be helped by medication, such as Xenical and Alli which act as fat absorbers blocking out a third of fat in food eaten in a patient’s diet, leading to steady weight loss. However, it should be stressed that a person must be prepared to adopt a healthier diet and exercise in conjunction with the medication for it to be truly effective and sustainable.

Google+ Spam Campaign Promoting Viagra

In what loss to be the first major cyber criminal drug campaign exploiting the Google+ brand, spammers are sending out fake Google+ invitations that in reality point to online pharmacies selling illegal generic versions of Viagra. The messages look similar to the real emails that users may receive from friends who are already members of Google+.

However, clicking on the links will not take you to the new social network, but instead take you to a Canadian Pharmacy website promoting illegal Viagra, Cialis and Levitra online. In the case of the site shown below, they even have a special July 4th promotion – just in case you were hoping for additional fireworks on the night.

The spammers are no doubt hoping that the email will be too hard to resist for many people eager to see Google’s new social network, although just how many users will be tempted to buy illegal drugs online is unknown.

Condom sales in Georgia on the Rise

Data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia has highlighted a 29% increase in the total amount of investment in the import of condoms from $350,000 to $450,000 in 2010 from the same period in 2009.

Viagra, the erectile dysfunction treatment drug, has also seen an increase in sales. GPC, a pharmaceutical company in Georgia, says that it sells on average 200 packets of Viagra a month. However, the company that produces Viagra, Pfizer, will be facing competition from the Georgian company GM Pharmaceuticals who have recently started to produce a generic version of Viagra, simply called ‘Sildenafil’. Sildenafil Citrate is the active ingredient in Viagra.

The Sexologist Gia Beorishvili says that the number of his male patients is permanently increasing although, he still believes that the prevailaing Georgian mentality is to avoid trips to the sexologist in order to seek help with their sex life. However, compared to 10-15 ago the use of Sildenafil Citrate is much greater, presumably as more people become better educated about the treatments available for erectile dysfunction.

Beorishvili adds, “The experience showed that Viagra is a very efficient medicine. That’s why I regularly prescribe Viagra or other substitute medicines for treatment of my patients who have the need for it.”

350 jobs to be saved at Pfizer research centre in Kent

Pfizer who are one of the largest drugs companies in the world has decided  to keep 350 staff at research and development facility in Sandwich, Kent, which invented the best selling drug Viagra. – But 1,500 workers will still get the axe.

It had originally caused outrage from the government when it announced plans to close its research and development facility. But the multinational has said it will retain part of the operation, while closing the rest of the site by the end of 2012.

The company said it hopes that new investors will be attracted to join them at the site now that it has pledged to maintain a presence there. Pfizer said the positions will support the development of products in its mid and late-stage pipeline.

Dr Ruth McKernan, of Pfizer, said: “We are hopeful that by retaining this core group, Pfizer will be the first of many companies to locate on the site. “We remain focused on securing new owners and investment into Discovery Park.”

Dr Annette Doherty, who will take over from Dr McKernan as the new site director at Sandwich, said: "Pfizer's retained pharmaceutical sciences operations at Sandwich will maintain a nucleus of industry leading talent, skills and capabilities in science and technology at the site. "It will be a key part of my role as site director to support the hard work that is being done to find new uses for the site, and continue to support colleagues through the transition as we proceed with our phased exit of the site."

Fake Cialis seized in Toronto, Canada.

Cialis is a Male Impotence treatment that contains the active ingredient tadalafil. The counterfeit produce contained the ingredient sildenafil instead, which is the active ingredient in Viagra. Sildenafil can pose health risks to certain people who would be unaware they were taking a drug Similar to Viagra. Both Cialis and Viagra are prescription drugs strictly for male impotence. It is illegal to sell or have on your person any prescription medication without a prescription. 

 Health Canada has advised that the fake Cialis in this case can be identified by close examination of the blister packs which contain the medication. Genuine Cialis blister packs in Canada will have a coloured oval which changes colour from copper to green if the package is moved up and down on the front of the pack, while counterfeit Cialis does not. The fake packs also list the ingredient ‘tadalafil’ in four different languages, instead of the usual two. In addition, the lot number 05668 is present on the counterfeit packs. 

Counterfeit medication is a multi-million pound illegal industry and despite the health risks associated with taking illegal prescription drugs, many people are tempted by the cost. 

In a press release, Health Canada advised:” In order to minimize health risks, Canadians should not take any prescription drug that has not been prescribed to them by a health care practitioner.” 

For further information about Cialis Online please follow the highlighted link

Was Wayne Rooney’s hair transplant worth the bother?

Evidence suggests that a higher number of young males than ever are requesting follicular unit extraction (FUE), a technique in which a small round punch is used to extract units of hair follicles from an area of dense hair growth to an area of thinning hair. Each unit contains between one and four hairs.

According to truck driver Paul Hawkins, 41 from Grays, Essex – it is worth it. The married father of three underwent a similar procedure to Rooney’s and even remortgaged his house to pay for the three separate operations he underwent, which cost Mr Hawkins £6,000 for each. However, he does warn that Rooney’s probable current elation at his full head of hair, may be replaced by disappointment in the coming weeks.

“The difference straight after the procedure is very noticeable – you can see the little hairs sticking out. But within a couple of weeks they all fall out and you don’t see any more for four months. The hair actually dies and re-grows like baby hair. It takes a year, sometimes 18 months, before it’s fully matured and you see the hair you’ll end up with. It’s such a slow process but definitely worth it in the end.”

Paul started losing his hair at the early age of 17 and had lost half of his hair by the time of his late teens. “One morning I was watching TV and Shaun Williamson, who played Barry in EastEnders, was talking about his own hair transplant. I was really impressed and decided to use the same expert as him – Dr Farjo.” He further added “I had to have it done in three separate procedures. I had the second two years later. And next week I am having the final one. It’s fantastic that someone like Rooney has come out and said he’s had it done”.

Dr Bessam Farjo, the Medical Director at the Institute of Trichologists, has noted a large increase regarding enquires about FUE, from parent’s of boys as young as 16 years old. However, he has warned against having the procedure at such a young age. 

I prefer to operate on someone who is 30 or over and I’d certainly avoid anybody who’s 25 or younger. There are two main reasons. The first is the younger you are, the higher your expectations – you don’t have the maturity to look into the future and think you need to look good when you’re 40 and 50.

The second is that younger men with a strong family history of hair loss are likely to lose a lot more hair, which makes their hair loss much more unpredictable. With younger guys we encourage them to concentrate first on controlling their hair loss by using medication. Low level light therapy may slow down hair loss. There’s also Regaine, an over the counter lotion or foam, which you apply to balding areas.”

Obesity epidemic: Child aged six suffers stroke

A six year old and an eight old suffered strokes that are thought to have resulted from their weight are two extreme examples highlighting the obesity crisis in under-16 year old’s. Recent figures released by 66 of Britain’s 168 acute hospital trusts under the Freedom of Information Act, show show that more than 5,500 children under the age of 16 were diagnosed or treated for obesity in hospitals in the past five years.

These figures can be further broken down by age with 500 children under five being diagnosed with clinical obesity, including 40 children under one, 49 one year old’s and 85 two year old’s.
These depressing facts show the continuing struggle Britain faces against obesity. The rising number of clinically obese babies and toddlers often leads to them suffering from weight related diseases such as diabetes and breathing difficulties, which would normally not appear until later in life.

It is reported that a chief cause of the problem are the parents who have no idea what to feed their babies. Sometimes they attempt to wean their babies while they are too young but inappropriate foods are also major issue. Doctors have seen babies fed crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. In some cases parents have been found to be giving their infants puréed chips with milk, or mashing up takeaway food.

Dr Ken Ong, clinical lead for childhood obesity at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, said: “The one and two year-old’s we see are massively obese but it is only the very extreme who are coming to hospital clinics. There will be many more who are in the community or are not being recognized at all. The popular hope is that it is just baby fat and they will grow out of it, but our studies show that it is more likely to continue being obese and even become more obese.”