A new research has suggested that antibiotics are not effective in treating cough due to the common cold in children.

The study found that when children with acute cough were treated with either antitussive medication or antibiotics, antibiotics alone showed a lower percentage of cough resolution.

"In our experience, antibiotics are often prescribed by the general practitioner to treat cough in children, many times to pacify parents," said lead study author Francesco de Blasio, MD, FCCP, Clinic Center Private Hospital, Naples, Italy.

"However, antibiotics show very little effectiveness at treating cough due to your average head cold," he revealed.

To understand how antibiotics were being used in a clinical pediatric setting, Dr. de Blasio and colleagues from the University of Bologna and Dompe SPA in Italy observed the treatment and outcomes of 305 children who required pediatric consultation due to acute cough from the common cold.

Of the children, 89 received antibiotics only, while 38 received a combination of antibiotics and antitussives; central (codeine and cloperastine) in 16 cases, and peripheral (levodropropizine) in 22 children. Forty-four and 79 children received only central or peripheral antitussives, respectively, without antibiotics; 55 children did not receive medication.

Observational results showed no difference in percentage of cough resolution between children treated with antitussive alone vs children receiving a combination of antibiotics and antitussives.

On the contrary, children treated with antibiotics only had a lower percentage of cough resolution than children treated with antitussive only. Furthermore, the use of the peripheral antitussive levodropropizine demonstrated a significant beneficial effect in terms of cough resolution compared with centrally acting antitussive drugs.

"Few drugs are effective as cough suppressants, and antibiotics are no more effective in relieving cough than the use of no medication. However, peripheral antitussives, such as levodropropizine, appear to be the best option at relieving cough," he said.

Although antibiotics may not be an effective therapy for cough, they can be useful in treating underlying infections that may produce cough, noted Dr. de Blasio.

But he warned that antibiotics should not be overuse indicating that repeated use of it, especially when they are ineffective, can lead to adverse allergic reactions or a resistance to the medications.

The study was presented at CHEST 2012, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Second-hand smoke, such as that found in smoke-filled rooms or cars, can impair breathing within 20 minutes, new research suggests.

Even after just a few minutes of exposure, people exposed to the smoke showed near immediate physiological changes that caused their airways to narrow, making it more difficult for the body to take in the oxygen it needs.

Lead reseacher Panagiotis Behrakis, of the University of Athens, said: 'Bars and cars are places where high concentrations of fine particles usually occur because of smoking.

'Non-smokers are then forced to inhale extreme amounts directly into their lungs.

'These results tell us that even a short exposure is indeed harmful for normal airways.'

Although exposure to second-hand smoke appears to be slightly less harmful than direct smoking, Dr. Behrakis believes second-hand smoking should be recognised as a global health issue.

He said: 'Second-hand smoking is the most widespread form of violence exerted on children and workers on a global level. The whole issue needs to be recognised as a global problem of human rights violation.'

The British Lung Foundation says around 300,000 GP visits a year result from the exposure of children to second-hand smoke.

In order to test the effects of short-term second-hand smoke exposure, Dr Behrakis and his colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health, exposed 15 healthy participants to air heavily concentrated with smoke particles within an exposure chamber - simulating a bar or moving car - for 20 minutes.

Results showed that short-term exposure to concentrated second-hand smoke significantly and immediately impacted participants' airways, making them narrow and reducing the body's oxygen intake.

The Greek study was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Commenting on the research, Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation said: 'This research suggests that just a short exposure to concentrated second-hand smoke, of the kind you might experience when travelling in a car in which someone has smoked, can be enough to cause your airways to narrow, making it more difficult for your body to take in the oxygen it needs.

'Findings such as these are of particular significance to children travelling in cars in which an adult has smoked, as their breathing is faster, their lungs and immune systems less developed, and the effects of narrowing likely to be greater on their smaller airways.'

This research is the latest in a series of studies into the short and long- term effects of passive smoke in confined spaces, which have united the medical community and charities such as the British Lung Foundation in calling for legislation to ban smoking in cars with children on board.

Dr Woods added: 'Legislation is scheduled to be discussed in the House of Commons next week, and we hope MPs take this opportunity to protect the health of our children - just as they helped protect the health of adults in the workplace with the smoking ban in 2007.'

Last month scientists at Northumbria University reported that non-smokers regularly exposed to second-hand smoke were at risk of damaging their memory. The study was the first of its kind first to explore the relationship between second-hand smoke and memory problems.

They compared a group of current smokers with two groups of non-smokers - those regularly exposed to second-hand smoke and those who were not.

Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke forgot almost 20 per cent more than the non-smokers who were not exposed.

With more than 600 dengue cases reported in Delhi so far, the residents in this Congress-ruled state are in a state of panic and seeking urgent medical advice to save themselves from the fast spreading vector-borne infection.

The death of legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra due to dengue combined with the report of the Deputy Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) falling victim to it has further left many Delhiites panicky.

AIIMS Deputy Director Vineet Choudhary is currently undergoing treatment. However, with a large number of fresh dengue case being reported every day, a typical blame-game between the state and local bodies has also begun with the two refusing to take responsibility for the situation.

When asked to comment on measures being taken, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit shifted the question to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. "Please ask the MCD," she replied.

Resident doctors in many government and private hospitals have reported a sharp rise in calls from patients suffering from suspected or confirmed dengue infection, seeking admission to the hospital.

Reacting to the situation, Delhi Health Minister AK Walia said, "I would request the residents of Delhi to take care and precaution. Don't let water stagnate and sprinkle diesel or kerosene on it if there is any. We have to get together and take these precautions."

As per reports, the number of dengue patients has doubled in the year 2012. On Monday, 33 new cases of the vector-borne infection were reported, taking the total number of those afflicted to 682.

Older people, who eat a carbohydrate rich diet are four times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, which is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, a new research has claimed.

The research from the Mayo Clinic in America has found that the risk is also higher with a diet high in sugar, while on the other hand, proteins and fats appeared to offer some protection as people who consumed plenty of them were less likely to suffer cognitive decline, the Daily Mail reported.

Not everyone suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) develops Alzheimer's disease, but many do, lead author Rosebud Roberts, a professor in the department of epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic, said.

The research tracked 1,230 people of ages between 70- 89 and asked them to provide data on what they ate last year.

Among that group, only 940 people who showed no traces of cognitive impairment were asked to return for follow-ups every 15 months.

By the study's fourth year, 200 of the 940 began to show mild cognitive impairment - trouble with memory, language, thinking and judgment.

"If we can stop people from developing MCI, we hope we can stop people from developing dementia. Once you hit the dementia stage, it's irreversible," Professor Roberts told USA Today.

"A high-carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism.

"Sugar fuels the brain, so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar - similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes," she added.

Having too little calcium in the diet increases women's risk of a hormone condition that can cause bone fractures and kidney stones, scientists suggest.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) affects around one in 800 people during their lifetime and is most common in post-menopausal women.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, the team suggest increasing calcium intake cuts the risk of the disease.

Adults need around 700mg of calcium a day.

Milk and other dairy foods, nuts and fish such as sardines and pilchards (where the bones are eaten) are some dietary sources of calcium.

Taking too much could cause stomach pains and diarrhoea.

PHPT is caused by overactive parathyroid glands secreting too much parathyroid hormone.

As well as bone and kidney problems, there have also been suggestions it is linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
Benefits v risks

The US team from Brigham and Women's Hospital looked at 58,300 women who were taking part in a much broader ongoing piece of research called the Nurses' Health Study.

All were aged between 39 and 66 in 1986, when the study began, and had no history of PHPT.

The women have completed food questionnaires to record how frequently they ate particular foods or supplements - including calcium - every four years, with the latest being completed in 2008.

Over that 22 year period, 277 cases of PHPT were confirmed.

The researchers divided all the women into five groups , depending on the calcium intake.

They accounted for factors such as age, body mass and ethnicity.

It was found those with the highest intake of dietary calcium had a 44% reduced risk of developing PHPT compared with the group with the lowest.

Writing in the journal, the team led by Dr Julie Paik, said: "Increased calcium intake, including both dietary and supplemental calcium, is independently associated with a reduced risk of developing primary hyperparathyroidism in women."