Compression-only CPR found effective

Chest compressions alone are as effective in rescuing victims of heart attacks as conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation that combines compressions with forced breathing, researchers said Wednesday.

Studies in Washington and Sweden confirm the growing idea that the breathing component of CPR is necessary only for children and those who have suffered drowning or who have respiratory problems. Recent guidelines based on these and earlier studies may overcome some of the fears of bystanders who are reluctant to initiate CPR because of the danger of infectious diseases.

"These studies reinforce the message that the American Heart Assn. has been promoting since 2008," said Dr. Michael Sayre, a professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus and a spokesman for the heart association. "When you encounter a person who has collapsed suddenly, the best thing to do is to call 911 and then push hard and fast on their chest. It's simple, and something anyone can do even if they don't have any training."

Williams Hematology, Eighth Edition

The landmark hematology reference -- now in full color

Edition after edition, Williams Hematology has guided generations of clinicians, biomedical researchers, and trainees in many disciplines through the origins, pathophysiological mechanisms, and management of benign and malignant disorders of blood cells and coagulation proteins. The book begins with the evaluation of the patient and progresses to the molecular and cellular underpinnings of normal and pathological hematology. Subsequent sections present disorders of the erythrocyte, granulocytes and monocytes, lymphocytes and plasma cells, malignant myeloid and lymphoid diseases, hemostasis and thrombosis, and transfusion medicine.

Featuring a brand-new full-color presentation, the Eighth Edition of Williams Hematology is extensively revised to reflect the latest views of experts in the field. Two new chapters examine the importance of genomics in hematology and cell therapy for tissue replacement, whereas other chapters have been revised to incorporate the newest clinical approaches to the leukemias and lymphomas, and the application of targeted therapy in the treatment of hematologic disorders.

'People become immune to coffee boost', experts believe

Using coffee for a pick-me-up may be pointless if you drink it all the time, researchers believe.

Experts say they have discovered that people who drink a lot of caffeine develop a tolerance to its stimulatory effects.

While caffeine can give people a buzz, raising alertness, the effect only works in those unused to the drink, they tell Neuropsychopharmacology journal.

They base their assumptions on the results of an experiment that they carried out on 379 volunteers.

Cold turkey

To put coffee to the test, the scientists from the UK and Germany asked all of the trial participants to abstain from the beverage for 16 hours.

Blood group diets - a new way to fitness

After hitting the gym, doing yoga and jogging, people are now trying blood group-based diets as experts say the secret to a fit body may be hidden in the blood type.

These diets are popular in the West and they are finding a foothold in India where some fitness experts are recommending them.

Explaining how such diets work, Ekta Tandon, Delhi-based nutritionist and dietician at dailydiet.in, says a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and foods as they are digested.

"Lectins, a diverse and abundant protein found in food, may be incompatible with your blood group and adverse side effects may occur. So I would recommend that one can follow a blood group diet along with the normal food in order to give all the nutrients to the body," Tandon told IANS.

World's Smallest, Lightest Telemedicine Microscope

Researchers at The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) have developed a tiny telemedicine microscope for imaging blood samples or other fluids, testing water quality or other public health need in resource-limited settings.

From the press release:

Slightly wider than a US quarter and weighing just 46 grams, the lensless microscope is a self-

Beware If your girlfriend loves chocolate

Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.

Many believe chocolate has the power to lift mood, and the US team say this may be true, although scientific proof for this is lacking.

But they say they cannot rule out that chocolate may be a cause rather than the cure for being depressed.

New Studies Eat Into Diet Math

How many calories must a dieter cut to lose a pound?

The answer most dietitians have long provided is 3,500. But recent studies indicate that calories can't be converted into weight through a simple formula.

The result is that the 3,500-calorie rule of thumb gets things very wrong over the long term, and has led health analysts astray. Much bigger dietary changes are needed to gain or shed pounds than the formula suggests.

Consider the chocolate-chip-cookie fan who adds one 60-calorie cookie to his daily diet. By the old math, that cookie would add up to six pounds in a year, 60 pounds in a decade and hundreds of pounds in a lifetime.

But new research—based on studies of volunteers whose calorie consumption is observed in laboratory settings, rather than often-unreliable food diaries—suggests that the body's self-regulatory mechanisms tamp down the effects of changes in diet or behavior.