• A study has found that smokers are four times more likely to suffer blindness or poor vision in old age than those who have never smoked. This is due to advanced macular degeneration. Those who quit smoking when developing the first signs of macular degeneration might be able to ward off further vision loss.      - Referenced from the Reader's Digest (January 1998).

• A new medicine derived from snake venom called Ramipril, belonging to a class of drugs known as ACE inhibitors may be used to help high-risk coronary heart disease patients. Researchers at Leeds University in England after conducting a four-year trial found that the effects of the drug were almost instantaneous with only few side effects.     - Referenced from the Reader's Digest (January 1998).

• LONG-ACTING b2-AGONISTS. WHAT IS THEIR ROLE IN THE TREATMENT OF ASTHMA?

An exact definition for asthma cannot be found. This is so, as features common to all diagnosed asthmatics have not yet been identified (Bush and Georgitis, 1997). However, definitions of asthma have evolved with the increase in understanding of this syndrome. Recently, The World Health Organisation (WHO) and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Combined Working Group (1995, cited by Ruffin and Southcott, 1997) has defined asthma as :  - By Janith Wickramaratna (June 1998).




• MECHANISMS OF MYOCARDIAL STUNNING AND ITS CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Myocardial stunning or postischemic dysfunction is a contractile dysfunction that persists after reperfusion following a severe but brief ischemic insult. This is despite the absence of irreversible damage and restoration of adequate blood flow (Braunwald and Kloner, 1982; Bolli, 1990; Braunwald, 1991; Fine and Yellon, 1993; Gao et al., 1995). Metabolic analysis show the slow recovery of ATP concentrations while histologic analysis show normal histologic appearance of the stunned myocardium (Braunwald and Kloner, 1982; Kloner, 1993). Since no permanent damage has occurred to the myocardial cells this contractile dysfunction will gradually recover with time (refer figure 1) (Braunwald and Kloner, 1982; Kloner, 1993). However, full recovery may take hours to days or even weeks (Braunwald and Kloner, 1982; Gao et al., 1995). - By Janith Wickramaratna (June 1998).

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