Impact of descent and stay at a Dead Sea resort (low altitude) on patients with systolic congestive heart failure and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
(17/27)
BACKGROUND: As the lowest natural site on earth (-415 meters), the Dead Sea is unique for its high pressure and oxygen tension in addition to the unparalleled combination of natural resources. Furthermore, its balneotherapeutic resorts have been reported to be beneficial for patients with various chronic diseases. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety, quality of life (QoL), exercise capacity, heart failure, and arrhythmia parameters in patients with systolic congestive heart failure (SCHF) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) following descent and stay at the Dead Sea. METHODS: The study group comprised patients with SCHF, New York Heart Association functional class II-III after ICD implantation. The following parameters were tested at sea level one week prior to the descent, during a 4 day stay at the Dead Sea, and one week after return: blood pressure, 02 saturation, ejection fraction (echocardiography), weight, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), arrhythmias, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and QoL assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire. RESULTS: We evaluated 19 patients, age 65.3 +/- 9.6 years, of whom 16 (84%) were males and 18 (95%) had ICD-cardiac resynchronization therapy. The trip to and from and the stay at the Dead Sea were uneventful and well tolerated. The QoL score improved by 11 points, and the 6 minute walk increased by 63 meters (P < 0.001). BNP levels increased slightly with no statistical significance. The HRV decreased (P = 0.018). There were no significant changes in blood pressure, weight, 02 saturation or ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: Descent to, ascent from, and stay at a Dead Sea resort are safe and might be beneficial in some aspects for patients with SCHF and an ICD. (+info)
Identification of Legionella rubrilucens isolated from a hot spring for foot-soaking in Niigata, Japan.
(18/27)
In May 2011, strain HYNE-20 (=JCM 17837) was isolated from a sample of hot spring water from a foot spa in Niigata, Japan, by a plating method using glycine vancomycin polymyxin B cycloheximide alpha-ketoglutarate (GVPCalpha) medium at 36 degrees C for 7 d. The 16S rDNA sequences (1,469bp) of this strain (accession number: AB638719) had high (99.7%) similarity to Legionella rubrilucens, and we identified that this strain was indeed Legionella rubrilucens. When this strain was cultured on buffered charcoal yeast extract alpha-ketoglutarate (BCYEalpha) agar at 36 degrees C for 7 d, it exhibited red autofluorescence under UV light (365 nm) . The dominant cellular fatty acids of the strain HYNE-20 were 16:1omega7c (29.9%) , and the guanine-plus-cytosine (G+C) content of DNA was 49.0 mol%. This is the first report that Legionella rubrilucens was isolated from a hot spring for foot soaking. (+info)
Sex work and its associations with alcohol and methamphetamine use among female bar and spa workers in the Philippines.
(19/27)
Recreational water-associated disease outbreaks result from exposure to infectious pathogens or chemical agents in treated recreational water venues (e.g., pools and hot tubs or spas) or untreated recreational water venues (e.g., lakes and oceans). For 2009-2010, the most recent years for which finalized data are available, public health officials from 28 states and Puerto Rico electronically reported 81 recreational water-associated disease outbreaks to CDC's Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance System (WBDOSS) via the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS). This report summarizes the characteristics of those outbreaks. Among the 57 outbreaks associated with treated recreational water, 24 (42%) were caused by Cryptosporidium. Among the 24 outbreaks associated with untreated recreational water, 11 (46%) were confirmed or suspected to have been caused by cyanobacterial toxins. In total, the 81 outbreaks resulted in at least 1,326 cases of illness and 62 hospitalizations; no deaths were reported. Laboratory and environmental data, in addition to epidemiologic data, can be used to direct and optimize the prevention and control of recreational water-associated disease outbreaks. (+info)
A prospective study of giardiasis and water supplies in Colorado.
(21/27)
A prospective study of 484 visitors to Vail and Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, was conducted to determine the risk of acquiring giardiasis. Of the 259 visitors to Vail, no cases of giardiasis were confirmed and only one of 12 water filtrates were positive for Giardia cysts. Of 225 visitors to Aspen/Snowmass two cases of giardiasis were confirmed and 12 of 20 water filtrates were positive for Giardia cysts. The regular occurrence of Giardia cysts in Aspen and Snowmass water was associated with lower rates of giardiasis acquisition than reported during outbreaks of waterborne giardiasis. (+info)
Strathpeffer Spa: Dr William Bruce and polymyalgia rheumatica.
(22/27)
The first description of polymyalgia rheumatica is attributed to Dr William Bruce working in Strathpeffer Spa, Scotland, in 1888. His career, the history of the spa, and the original article are briefly described. (+info)
Spas accepted part of health care in Czech Republic.
(23/27)
Although the days are gone when a spa holiday was offered as a reward to Communist Party leaders and factory workers who exceed their quotas, spas are still popular in the former Czechoslovakia. Government health care coverage relating to spas extends to fewer medical conditions and may not cover the expense of room and board, but more patients are footing the bill themselves, even though a 3-week stay costs more than the average monthly earnings. Officials predict spas will prosper under new private health insurance plans and expanding consumer spending power. (+info)
Mineral springs and miracles.
(24/27)
Development of hot springs in the Canadian Rockies was closely linked to their reputed medicinal value. In 1885, the federal government created a small reserve around the springs at Sulphur Mountain, an area later enlarged to become Banff National Park, in recognition of the "great sanitary and curative advantage to the public." (+info)