Importance of Vitamin D for Smokers

In addition to bone health, the latest research reveals the benefits of vitamin D which is great for health, including preventing cancer. In a recent study revealed the benefits of this vitamin in protecting the lungs, especially for those who smoke. In his study, Nancy E. Lange, MD, MPH, of the Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital studied 626 Caucasian men over a period of 20 years. The study assessed three time periods are completely different between 1984 and 2003. Pulmonary function of each participant was measured using a spirometer. The results showed that participants who had no vitamin D, the average forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 12ml lower than those who get enough vitamin D gets (decreased only 6.5 ml). Forced expiratory in one second or so-called FEV1 is the volume of air can be expelled from the lungs at the first second of maximal terinflasi maximum exhalation. "Our results indicate that vitamin D may modify the damaging effects of smoking on lung function. This effect might be due to vitamin D has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidants," said Lange. This study has several limitations, including the observational information. Vitamin D levels are also likely to vary from time to time. Another limitation of this study involved only older men. "If these findings can be replicated in other studies, will provide many benefits to public health," he said. Therefore, in the near future he plans to examine the benefits of vitamin D is there for the lung to the dangers of air pollution. Alexander C. White MS, MD, chairman of the committee of the American Thoracic Society Tobacco Action, said, or not enough vitamin D levels in a person, should not overshadow the health risks and dangers associated with smoking. Those who smoke should be aware of the consequences of health problems that may be obtained. The study is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Widespread use of Traditional Medicine

Interest of people to consume herbal medicine and traditional medicine continues to rise. In general, they assume a more natural medicinal plants and thus more secure. In Indonesia alone, according to the Health Research Association in 2010 made the Ministry of Health showed that 59.12 percent of the population never eating herbs and 95 percent of those admitted to the health benefits of traditional ingredients. Types of medicinal plants of the most widely cultivated himself to be a herb such as ginger (50.36 percent), kencur (48 percent), ginger (39 percent), meniran (13 percent), and the pace (11 percent). The Government continues to encourage the use of herbs. One of them by Law No.36 of 2009 which states that the traditional health care services included in 17 different health measures are required to be prepared. According Abidinsyah Siregar, director of community development of traditional health care, alternative and complementary, in the year 2011 there are 40 hospitals in Indonesia that integrate traditional or complementary health care. "Hospitals that are programmed there had been 44, but pretty much the initiative of private hospitals include traditional pengobotan. Maybe it's been more than 100 hospitals," he told a media event education Healthy Life with Herbal held by PT.Deltomed in Jakarta, Thursday (12/7). Although Indonesia has berlimbah medicinal plant raw materials, but herbal medicine through research and innovation remains a big challenge. Indeed, we already recognize the benefits of the overall 9000 35 000 medicinal plants medicinal plants in the country, but we have standardized herbal new 38 new species and six fitofarmaka that we have. Fitofarmaka is a group that has been proven to be effective after a clinical trial. "Nonconventional medicine will continue to be encouraged to be studied, tested, and studied so it has scientific basis," he said. Safety testing of herbal in the herbal industry is very important because not all herbs safe. "Before the crop is marketed through preclinical drug should thus be referred to as a standardized herbal medicine," said dr.Abrijanto, business development manager PT.Deltomed. Community is expected to be careful in choosing a traditional medicine, especially if do not have a registration number does not include descriptions BPOM and drugs in the Indonesian language. "Every herb imported into Indonesia must have written in Indonesian," he said. The use of traditional medicine is expected to replace the use of conventional medicine that is currently 95 percent of raw materials are imported.

First in the World, Dengue Fever Vaccine

The scientists finally succeeded in creating the first dengue fever vaccine in the world. Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-made vaccine is claimed to be able to protect against three types of viruses that cause dengue fever. Efficacy or the efficacy of this vaccine in a while it was still awaiting the results of clinical trials in Thailand. If it is positive, then this could be a milestone in the development of dengue vaccine that has been awaited for 70 years. In addition there are other pharmaceutical companies Sanofi is also developing a vaccine, Sanofi product is more advanced but a few years. This new vaccine is predicted to be widely circulated in 2014. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease Aedes aegypti. This disease has the symptoms of pain in the joints of bones and have killed three million people around the world. Dengue fever itself caused by four types of virus, and when infected with one virus type does not give immunity to the three other types of virus. Children are most susceptible to death from this disease. Although Sanofi vaccine is claimed to provide protection to the four types of virus, but a study conducted in Thailand showed only three types of virus protection. According to Sanofi it is still analyzing why the vaccine was only able to provide protection against three types of virus. "We must return to the initial data to find the cause, and still waiting for the present phase III study was conducted in Thailand," said Pascal Barollier, a spokesman for Sanofi. Phase IIb study in Thailand involving 4002 children aged 4-11 years. The study was conducted during the dengue epidemic. Sanofi Pasteur himself was said to have invested 423 million U.S. dollars to build a new plant in France in order to develop a three-dose vaccine. According to the plan, Sanofi will publish new research results in scientific journals in September and presented his findings at a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicin