Find all of our “July, 2008” entries here.
Our July, 2008 Archives
Omega-3, the Antioxidant
Omega-3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids and include eicopentanoic acid (EPA), doxosahesaneoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA). The body has to convert ALA to EPA and DHA in a very inefficient manner. Only about 4% is converted that is eaten. So, EPA and DHA are the most important omega-3s studied and used in treatment. ALA does have its own individual benefits aside from conversion to EPA and DHA.
A study was recently released on the antioxidant capability of the omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids belong to a class called the polyunsaturated fats (PUFA). PUFAs normally oxidize fairly quickly and act as free radicals (the opposite of an antioxidant) directly dependent on their degree of saturation.
British Parents to Get ‘Fat Reports’ from School: Obesity as a World-Wide Problem
The problem of pediatric obesity is a world-wide one. In Britain, statistics show that one in 10 children aged four and five are obese and a further 13% are classified as overweight. The percentage of 10 – 11 year olds classified as obese jumped to 17.5 percent, while a further 14.2 percent were classified as overweight.
California Director of Pharmacy 2035LX
This job is no longer active. Please view our other listings here.
Arizona RN Case Manager 2036LX
RN Case Manager needed for 120 bed regional hospital in western Arizona. This hospital has an average daily census of 30. Must be an RN licensed or licensable in Arizona. Must have Case Management experience. There are no RN degree requirements. This is an outstanding location with many recreational opportunities.
CA Risk Managment/Pt. Safety Coord 610E
Southern California acute care hospital seeks a Risk Manager and Patient Safety Coordinator. The RM plans, organizes and coordinates all aspects of the Clinical Risk Management program within the facility and communicates with the Corporate Patient Safety Department. This person bears overall responsibility for developing and maintaining a comprehensive risk management and patient safety program including clinical risk identification, risk evaluation and coordination of corrective action implementation related to identified risk issues.
Texas Dir of Quality Mgmt and Compliance 2037LX
This job is no longer active. Please view our other listings here.
RedScrubs’ Weekly Wrap-up, 7-25-2008
Well, the mighty Jalepeno Pepper became an unwitting celebrity amongst bloggers this week as the latest suspect in a string of salmonella outbreaks across the U.S. Medicare and the U.S. health care system also continue to be the rage (sometimes quite literally) among a large number of the blogs I read this week.
I like to dig deep, however, and find those really good posts that others may have missed while perusing only the most topical headlines of the last several days. That said, I think you’ll enjoy this week’s Scrubby Award winners in the RedScrubs Weekly Wrap Up.
- Dr. Incognito
P.S. If you have a blog submission for the upcoming week please submit it here.
Lower LDLs with Fish Oil and Red Yeast
The objective of this recent study was to compare the lipid-lowering effects of lifestyle changes, red yeast rice and fish oil with a standard statin drug. The trial was randomized and contained 74 hypercholesterolemic clients. Participants were randomly assigned to an alternate treatment group (lifestyle changes, fish oil and red yeast rice) or to a statin group.
Body weight and BMI decreased in the alternate treatment group (ATG). Weight loss was 5% in the ATG group relative to .4% in the statin group. In the ATG, all lipid values except for HDL decreased, similar to the statin group. There was a statistically significant drop in the LDL fraction of the lipid values in the ATG cohort.
Accumulation of Plant Sterols in Human Stenotic Aortic Valves
Plant sterols are known to decrease cholesterol and LDL when consumed in sufficient quantities. Since one is not likely to get this quantity from food alone, food companies have begun fortifying foods with plant sterols in an effort at lowering risk for heart disease in those who consume such fortified foods.
However, a recent study just published in the Journal of Lipid Research brings up a question as to whether this fortification is, in the long run, a good thing. Since the pathogenesis of aortic valve stenosis (AS) is characterized by an accumulation of LDL-derived cholesterol in the diseased valves and LDL particles also contain plant sterols, a study was designed to see what the relationship was between the plant sterols and aortic valve lesions.
