Lower back pain cause of most disability

London: Lower back pain has emerged as the biggest cause of global disability in a study based on data of ill health and disability arising from all health conditions in 187 countries.

The prevalence and the overall impact of the condition increases with age, the study said.

'With ageing populations throughout the world, but especially in low and middle income countries, the number of people living with lower back pain will increase substantially over coming decades,' the authors cautioned.

The authors base their findings on data for the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study.

They looked at the prevalence, incidence, remission, duration, and risk of death associated with lower back pain in 117 published studies covering 47 countries and 16 of the 21 Global Disease world regions.

The researchers also surveys in five countries about the impact of acute and severe chronic lower back pain with and without leg pain; and data from national health surveys in many countries.

The authors then assessed the toll taken by low back pain in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs).

These are worked out, by combining the number of years of life lost as a result of early death, and the number of years lived with disability.

Out of all 291 conditions studied in the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study, lower back pain came top of the league table in terms of years lost to disability, and sixth in terms of disability adjusted life years.

It was ranked as the greatest contributor to disability in 12 of the 21 world regions, and the greatest contributor to overall burden in Western Europe and Australasia.

The study appeared in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Ladies! Have fruits for super heart

Washington: Reinforcing the importance of developing healthy eating habits early in life, researchers have found that women who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop heart diseases.

These women are less likely to have plaque build-up in their arteries 20 years later compared with those who consumed lower amounts of these foods in their adulthood, the study noted.

Buildup of plaque can lead to heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Surprisingly, the findings of the research showered that the same benefit did not hold true for men.

'These findings confirm the concept that plaque development is a life-long process, and that process can be slowed down with a healthy diet at a young age,' said Michael D. Miedema, a cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart Institute in the US.

For the study that included 2,508 participants, researchers evaluated the association between dietary intake of fruits and vegetables in young adults and the presence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) 20 years later.

The CAC scores, which were obtained using a CT scan, provided a direct estimate of the amount of plaque in the coronary arteries.

Women who consumed eight to nine servings of fruits and vegetable a day for a 2,000-calorie diet in their 20s were 40 percent less likely to have calcified plaque in their arteries in their 40s, the study said.

Ladies! Have fruits for super heart

Washington: Reinforcing the importance of developing healthy eating habits early in life, researchers have found that women who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables are less likely to develop heart diseases.

These women are less likely to have plaque build-up in their arteries 20 years later compared with those who consumed lower amounts of these foods in their adulthood, the study noted.

Buildup of plaque can lead to heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Surprisingly, the findings of the research showered that the same benefit did not hold true for men.

'These findings confirm the concept that plaque development is a life-long process, and that process can be slowed down with a healthy diet at a young age,' said Michael D. Miedema, a cardiologist at Minneapolis Heart Institute in the US.

For the study that included 2,508 participants, researchers evaluated the association between dietary intake of fruits and vegetables in young adults and the presence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) 20 years later.

The CAC scores, which were obtained using a CT scan, provided a direct estimate of the amount of plaque in the coronary arteries.

Women who consumed eight to nine servings of fruits and vegetable a day for a 2,000-calorie diet in their 20s were 40 percent less likely to have calcified plaque in their arteries in their 40s, the study said.

Lower back pain cause of most disability

London: Lower back pain has emerged as the biggest cause of global disability in a study based on data of ill health and disability arising from all health conditions in 187 countries.

The prevalence and the overall impact of the condition increases with age, the study said.

'With ageing populations throughout the world, but especially in low and middle income countries, the number of people living with lower back pain will increase substantially over coming decades,' the authors cautioned.

The authors base their findings on data for the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study.

They looked at the prevalence, incidence, remission, duration, and risk of death associated with lower back pain in 117 published studies covering 47 countries and 16 of the 21 Global Disease world regions.

The researchers also surveys in five countries about the impact of acute and severe chronic lower back pain with and without leg pain; and data from national health surveys in many countries.

The authors then assessed the toll taken by low back pain in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs).

These are worked out, by combining the number of years of life lost as a result of early death, and the number of years lived with disability.

Out of all 291 conditions studied in the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study, lower back pain came top of the league table in terms of years lost to disability, and sixth in terms of disability adjusted life years.

It was ranked as the greatest contributor to disability in 12 of the 21 world regions, and the greatest contributor to overall burden in Western Europe and Australasia.

The study appeared in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

ACCIDENTS

 12 killed in Tanzania road accident

Dar Es Salaam: A total of 12 women died after a pickup in which they were travelling was hit by a lorry from behind Friday night in Tanzania, police said.

The accident occurred at Hedaru along the Dar es Salaam-Arusha highway when the victims were on their way to a funeral of their relative who was killed by ongoing floods across the East Africa country.

The Kilimanjaro regional police commander Robert Boaz described the accident as the worst to have occurred in northern Tanzania' s Kilimanjaro region this year, Xinhua reported.

Joseph Mwakabonga, the Kilimanjaro regional traffic officer, said the accident occurred when a lorry travelling from Moshi to Dar es Salaam hit from behind the Toyota pickup that was ferrying the mourners.

14 killed in Brazil bus-truck collision

Rio de Janeiro: A head-on collision between a minibus and a dump truck left at least 14 dead and 19 injured in the Brazilian city of Manaus, officials said Saturday.

The dump truck, carrying a load of sand, lost control, entered the oncoming lane and collided with the minibus shortly before 8.30 p.m. Friday.

Among those killed were the two drivers, a woman who was six months pregnant, and a one-year-old boy.

Two of the injured are listed in serious condition and five were discharged from the hospital Friday night, according to the Manaus municipal government, which declared three days of mourning.

The truck was new and was to be used in a city road project.

Oil tanker overturns at Kozhikode killing one

Kozhikode: One person was killed when an oil tanker overturned at West Hill near Kozhikode. The accident took place at West Hill mini bypass near government guest house. The tanker overturned on an autorickshaw which was undergoing repair work from the roadside. The deceased have been identified as Ravidas, native of Chunkam. He was the driver of the auto. Since the gas from the tanker leaked, district administration have started evacuating people residing at a radius of 500 mtrs from the accident site. Vehicle traffic through mini bypass have been blocked.

The accident occurred by 3 pm at the sharp turn near govt. guest house. Tanker coming from Kannur lost control while taking a sharp turn and turned turtle on the autorickshaw. Two units of fire brigade have been deployed there to prevent the gas from catching fire. District collector C.A.Latha have summoned IOC officials from Chelary, Malappuram.

ACCIDENTS

 12 killed in Tanzania road accident

Dar Es Salaam: A total of 12 women died after a pickup in which they were travelling was hit by a lorry from behind Friday night in Tanzania, police said.

The accident occurred at Hedaru along the Dar es Salaam-Arusha highway when the victims were on their way to a funeral of their relative who was killed by ongoing floods across the East Africa country.

The Kilimanjaro regional police commander Robert Boaz described the accident as the worst to have occurred in northern Tanzania' s Kilimanjaro region this year, Xinhua reported.

Joseph Mwakabonga, the Kilimanjaro regional traffic officer, said the accident occurred when a lorry travelling from Moshi to Dar es Salaam hit from behind the Toyota pickup that was ferrying the mourners.

14 killed in Brazil bus-truck collision

Rio de Janeiro: A head-on collision between a minibus and a dump truck left at least 14 dead and 19 injured in the Brazilian city of Manaus, officials said Saturday.

The dump truck, carrying a load of sand, lost control, entered the oncoming lane and collided with the minibus shortly before 8.30 p.m. Friday.

Among those killed were the two drivers, a woman who was six months pregnant, and a one-year-old boy.

Two of the injured are listed in serious condition and five were discharged from the hospital Friday night, according to the Manaus municipal government, which declared three days of mourning.

The truck was new and was to be used in a city road project.

Oil tanker overturns at Kozhikode killing one

Kozhikode: One person was killed when an oil tanker overturned at West Hill near Kozhikode. The accident took place at West Hill mini bypass near government guest house. The tanker overturned on an autorickshaw which was undergoing repair work from the roadside. The deceased have been identified as Ravidas, native of Chunkam. He was the driver of the auto. Since the gas from the tanker leaked, district administration have started evacuating people residing at a radius of 500 mtrs from the accident site. Vehicle traffic through mini bypass have been blocked.

The accident occurred by 3 pm at the sharp turn near govt. guest house. Tanker coming from Kannur lost control while taking a sharp turn and turned turtle on the autorickshaw. Two units of fire brigade have been deployed there to prevent the gas from catching fire. District collector C.A.Latha have summoned IOC officials from Chelary, Malappuram.

Air search continues for missing Malaysian airliner

Canberra: The air search of the southern Indian Ocean for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 resumed Friday with nine military aircraft from six nations taking part. The military aircraft scheduled to fly were two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P3 Orions, a Republic of Korea P3 Orion, a Republic of Korea C130 Hercules, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion, a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76, a US Navy P8 Poseidon aircraft, and a Japanese coast guard jet and a P3 Orion, said a statement from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

One civil aircraft would act as a communications relay in the search area. The first aircraft to leave Perth for the search area was the Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft at about 9 a.m. South Korea's Hercules C130 departed at about 10 a.m. The RNZAF P3 Orion was scheduled to depart after 11 a.m., followed by the civil jet acting as communications relay.

The Japan Coast Guard jet was scheduled to depart about 1 p.m. The South Korean P3 Orion was scheduled to depart about 2 p.m and two RAAF P3 Orion aircraft were scheduled to depart between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The US Navy P8 Poseidon and the Japanese P3 Orion were scheduled to depart about 5 p.m. A total of five ships, four from China and one from Australia, have also been tasked to Friday's search.

Air search continues for missing Malaysian airliner

Canberra: The air search of the southern Indian Ocean for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 resumed Friday with nine military aircraft from six nations taking part. The military aircraft scheduled to fly were two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P3 Orions, a Republic of Korea P3 Orion, a Republic of Korea C130 Hercules, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion, a Chinese Ilyushin IL-76, a US Navy P8 Poseidon aircraft, and a Japanese coast guard jet and a P3 Orion, said a statement from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

One civil aircraft would act as a communications relay in the search area. The first aircraft to leave Perth for the search area was the Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft at about 9 a.m. South Korea's Hercules C130 departed at about 10 a.m. The RNZAF P3 Orion was scheduled to depart after 11 a.m., followed by the civil jet acting as communications relay.

The Japan Coast Guard jet was scheduled to depart about 1 p.m. The South Korean P3 Orion was scheduled to depart about 2 p.m and two RAAF P3 Orion aircraft were scheduled to depart between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The US Navy P8 Poseidon and the Japanese P3 Orion were scheduled to depart about 5 p.m. A total of five ships, four from China and one from Australia, have also been tasked to Friday's search.

Rahul to visit Kerala on April 4, Sonia on April 7

Thiruvananthapuram: Campaigning in Kerala is set to gather momentum with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, prime minister Manmohan Singh and A K Antony visiting the state in April first week. Rahul Gandhi will visit Kerala on April 4, while Sonia on April 7. The venue where they would address the ralluies is still undecided. A K Antony will campaign in almost all Lok Sabha constituencies from next week.

Rahul to visit Kerala on April 4, Sonia on April 7

Thiruvananthapuram: Campaigning in Kerala is set to gather momentum with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, prime minister Manmohan Singh and A K Antony visiting the state in April first week. Rahul Gandhi will visit Kerala on April 4, while Sonia on April 7. The venue where they would address the ralluies is still undecided. A K Antony will campaign in almost all Lok Sabha constituencies from next week.