Despite being the cause of many serious health problems, high blood pressure seems to have great benefits when it comes to migraines, as new research showed.Dr. Eling Tronvik of the Norwegian National Headache Center at Trondheim University Hospital in Norway and his colleagues found that high blood pressure seems to reduce the chances of migraine, besides decreasing the quantum of chronic pain in other parts of the body.It was long believed that migraines and other types of headaches are more common among people with high blood pressure, but studies conducted in the 1990s did not support this belief.“This is a paradox. Several earlier studies have linked increasing blood pressure to a decrease in chronic pain in general, and this study suggests that the same is true for migraines,� Dr. Tronvik told WebMD.The study’s data included information on blood pressure, use of blood pressure medications and headache frequency for 51,353 adults living in Norway in the 1980s and 1990s.The biggest benefit was found in people with the highest pulse pressure, a measurement of the difference between the diastolic and systolic pressure at the moment the heart beats. They had up to 50 percent fewer headaches.People with high systolic pressure also appeared to do better.Things looked differently for people who took medicine to control their blood pressure, even though these drugs are often given to migraine sufferers.“Higher pulse was linked to up a 50 percent reduction in the amount of headache and migraine for both men and women. The finding was not as strong, however, for people who were taking blood pressure medication, which are sometimes used to treat migraines,� Dr. Tronvik said.How is that possible? Dr. Tronvik explained that high systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure are related to stiff arteries, which affect something called baroreflex arch.“Both animal and human studies suggest that stimulation of the baroreflex arch can inhibit pain transmission. So changes in blood pressure may affect headache and migraine.�However, Dr. Tronvik said, no matter how well high blood pressure prevents headaches, people should not abandon their hypertension medications. “High blood pressure is a huge problem in this country, and far too few people are controlling it as they should.�

The findings of the study were published in Tuesday’s issue of Neurology.

Although advances in health care have contributed to the longevity of baby boomers, there will be serious problems in three years when the first of the nation’s 78 million boomers begin reaching the age of 65. According to a report released today by the Institute of Medicine our health care system is “woefully unprepared� to address the needs of aging boomers.

The situation will get worse with time, according to the study’s authors. “By 2030, one in every five Americans will be 65 or older,� said committee chair John W. Rowe, professor of health policy at Columbia University. “We face an impending crisis as the growing number of older patients outpaces the number of health care providers with the knowledge and skills to care for them. “ The problem is compounded by the fact that many of the physicians and nurses who practice today are baby boomers themselves and will be in the position of needing care rather than providing it.

Today’s report recommends that all health care providers be trained in geriatric medicine and that training programs be made available to the millions of family members, friends and others who care for older individuals.  The report’s authors contend that Medicare, Medicaid and other health plans should pay higher rates to boost recruitment and retention of geriatric specialists and care aides.

It has long been known that a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat is good for the heart. Now, this theory is reinforced by new research, according to which a similar diet – the DASH diet - reduces blood pressure and decreases a woman’s risk for heart attack and stroke.The DASH diet, also known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, highlights the benefits of eating foods low in cholesterol and sodium by emphasizing on fruits and vegetables and minimizing red meat and fat. This kind of diet keeps blood pressure in normal limits, lowers cholesterol, helps lose weight sensibly and eat healthier, according to other research.Known for its huge benefits, the DASH Diet is recommended by the USDA’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Heart Association and the U.S. High Blood Pressure Guidelines.Researchers from Simmons College, Boston, followed 88,517 healthy women, ages 34 to 59, who adhered to the DASH diet for almost 25 years.
 
Seven times during the follow up period (1980-2004), the women reported the types of foods they had eaten regularly over the previous year. Based on eight food and nutrient components, the researchers calculated a DASH score for each woman. The women who ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts and legumes and stayed close to the recommended amounts of low-fat dairy foods scored the highest. The women who had an increased consumption of red and processed meats, sweetened beverages and sodium scored the lowest.The study found that closely following a DASH diet resulted in a 24 percent reduction in heart disease risk and 18 percent lower risk of stroke when compared to those with the lowest DASH scores. The authors pointed out that the women with the highest DASH scores also appeared to live overall healthier lifestyles. They were non-smokers, more likely to exercise, and tended to consume high amounts of fiber ad omega-3 fatty acids than the other study participants.“Our study provides, to our knowledge, the strongest evidence to date on the long-term benefits of the DASH diet in the primary prevention of CVD among healthy subjects,� writes Teresa T. Fung, ScD. Of Simmons College, Boston, the study’s lead author.Although the study only followed women, Fung added, men would probably get similar benefits from the approach.She also encourages people who don’t have high blood pressure or other health problems to follow this kind of diet in order to reduce their risk of developing heart disease. “This is a diet that is worth following for just about anybody. Although it’s famous for being able to reduce blood pressure, I don’t think people should wait until they get high blood pressure to get onto this diet,� Fung said, as quoted by the Boston Globe.Dr. Laura Svetkey, director of Duke University’s hypertension center welcomed the study saying it provides the best evidence yet of important long-term benefits from a low blood pressure diet.“It’s nice to see research that really is aimed at helping people with prevention in a very practical way,� she said, adding that the DASH diet is available free on the National Institutes of Health Web site.

The study, funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, appeared in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers who studied the dining habits of almost 89,000 women over a period of 24 years have concluded that those who routinely consumed a diet as close as possible to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet were at significantly less risk for coronary heart disease and stroke than the women in the study who deviated the most from the DASH dietary guidelines.

The Nurses’ Health Study followed 88,517 female nurses, whose ages ranged from 34 to 59 at the beginning of the study in 1980.  None of them had diabetes or cardiovascular disease at the inception of the study.  They reported their typical dietary fare seven times over the course of the 24-year study, with each report reflecting their dietary habits from each previous year.

Researchers then analyzed their diets and assigned them a DASH score according to their intake of eight food and nutritional factors.  The higher the DASH score, the better the diet.  A high score meant a diet that included plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains and consumption of low-fat dairy products in quantities close to the recommended dietary guidelines.  Consumption of processed and red meats, sodium, and sweetened beverages led to lower scores.

In previous studies high DASH scores have been proven to lower both systolic and diastolic (top and bottom numbers, respectively) blood pressure readings, even in patients with high blood pressure.  The DASH diet is also linked to a reduction in low-density lipoproteins (the bad LDL) cholesterol.  Both these factors lead to a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease.

During the course of the study, 2,317 nurses had strokes, 2,129 suffered non-fatal heart attacks, and 976 succumbed to coronary heart disease.  To isolate the influence of the DASH diets, study participants were placed in five groups according to DASH score.  The one-fifth of nurses with the highest scores were 24% less likely to experience coronary heart disease and were 18% less prone to have strokes than the nurses who scored in the bottom one-fifth.

Blood samples revealed that the nurses in the higher DASH score groups had the lowest levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), two compounds that signal inflammation associated with heart disease.

Teresa T. Fung, ScD, Simmons College, Boston, and her research colleagues suggest further studies using different population demographics to determine the heart-healthy benefits of the DASH diet in other people and to compare the DASH diet to the healthful benefits of other diets considered healthy, such as the Mediterranean diet.

The National Institutes of Health provided funding grants for this study.

In the heart of South Oxfordshire stands a vast silver doughnut-shaped building.

The futuristic construction is home to a huge scientific contraption that will, quite literally, shine a light on the tiny particles that make up the world.

As well as furthering our understanding of nature, it will help develop new materials, drugs and electronics - and even make our food taste better.

This new research facility, Diamond Light Source, represents the UK’s largest scientific investment for 30 years.

Covering the area of five football pitches, the facility has cost about £300m - funded by the government and the Wellcome Trust - and is on-track to open in just six months’ time. At its heart is a synchrotron - a particle accelerator that uses electrons to generate powerful “synchrotron” light that enables scientists to look inside matter at the molecular and atomic scale.

“If you have a beam of electrons travelling close to the speed of light and if you apply a magnetic field, they bend, and in the process of doing so they throw off synchrotron light,” says Diamond’s technical director, Richard Walker.

Zooming about

To get the electrons up to this speed, they are first fired out of a piece of equipment called an electron gun. They zoom down a linear accelerator in a thin, hollow, vacuumed tube before entering a ring called the booster synchrotron.

Here, they pick up speed until they have an energy of 3 GeV (gigaelectronvolts) - at this point, they are moving so fast they could travel around the world 7.5 times in one second.

Then, they are released into a larger ring that measures 562.6m in circumference and is packed with huge magnets.

The electrons hurtle around and around, essentially stored - but all the while losing energy in the form of light which is channelled off into “beamlines” where it can pass through samples of material to be studied. “The light is special because it covers a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum - from microwaves to X-rays,” adds Professor Walker.

“With this, you can probe the structure of matter to the molecular and atomic level, by measuring the reflection, diffraction, absorption, etc of the light.

“And in this business of generating synchrotron light, it is all about the brightness. Brightness allows you to do the most cutting-edge research, looking at smaller and more dilute samples.”

He says the light produced by the Diamond synchrotron is 100 billion times brighter than light produced from a conventional X-ray tube.

Booking a slot

The Diamond synchrotron will be replacing the Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS) in Daresbury, Cheshire. The SRS was the world’s first dedicated synchrotron but is due to close at the end of 2008.

Many countries have their own synchrotrons, and new ones are being built in France, the US and China.

This month, the Diamond synchrotron reached the milestone of emitting its first beam of light. When it opens in January 2007, it will be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, apart from down-time for repairs and maintenance. Scientists who want to use the facility will need to apply to book a slot to work on one of the machine’s initial seven beamlines (this number could increase to more than 40 in the coming years).

It will probably cost £3,000-£10,000 for a time-slot on the machine, and it is thought a combination of academic and industrial teams will use the facility.

Diamond’s beamlines will be employed in many different areas of science.

One, for example, will be used to probe the atomic structure of magnetic materials; another will show what happens to materials in “extreme conditions”, such as very high pressures and temperatures; and another will help the study of complex molecular structures like viruses, proteins.

The team behind Diamond says the research will lead to breakthroughs in the fields of biotechnology, medicine, environment and materials science.

Professor Trevor Rayment, a physical chemist from Birmingham University and chair of the user forum at Diamond, says he is very excited about the new facility.

In fact, a year ago he moved from Cambridge University to Birmingham University just so he could be closer to Diamond to carry out his own research on understanding corrosion.

“I think Diamond will impact on the whole of the UK’s science and technology base - from oil rigs through to things as important as chocolate: chocolate tastes as good as it does because of its micro-structure, and one of the beamlines will be able to analyse the formation of chocolate in situ.

“I’m really looking forward to doing experiments here. Having this quality of facility in the UK is going to be great.”

A 1,768-km (1,100-mile) pipeline carrying oil from the Caspian Sea to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan has been formally opened.The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline links Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Oil is then shipped to Western markets.

The US-backed project was conceived 10 years ago to diversify the West’s oil sources and bypass Russia.

Oil began flowing in June. At full capacity the pipeline will carry a million barrels of crude oil a day.

A second pipeline carrying Caspian gas along the same route is expected to start working by the end of the year.

Strategic project

The presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia and ministers from a number of countries attended the official opening ceremony in Ceyhan.

The pipeline has been heavily backed by Washington from the very start.

The US is keen to challenge Russia’s dominance of energy supply routes and to promote the Caspian as a secure additional source of fuel channelled via America’s regional allies, says the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Ceyhan.

For Ankara too this is a strategic project as much as an economic one, she adds.

Ankara is currently negotiating to host several other international gas and oil pipelines, hoping to become a major transit and terminal country for fuel.