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TROPONIN SENSITIVITY TEST

Toddler Gut Defenses

Can Be Strengthened

Hyundai Motor Group Joins Fight

Against Ebola in West Africa

Breakthrough findings

from recently-concluded

research proving that one of

the world’s most researched

probiotics known as

L-Protectus (L.reuteri) helps

strengthen gut defenses

of one to three year-old

children have been unveiled

at a Nestlé roundtable

discussion in Dubai, with

the participation of leading

local and international

experts in the fields of

clinical nutrition, pediatric

medicine and nutrition

research.

According to a recent study

published in the UAE by

Dr. Mohamad Miqdady,

Division Chief, Pediatric

Gastrointestinal Infections,

Hepatology and Nutrition

Division at Sheikh Khalifa

Medical City, children

between the ages of one

and three fall sick due to

infectious diseases 10 to 15

times a year, which is why

discovering new means to

strengthen their immune

system is crucial. Almost

one percent of children

will encounter these

gastrointestinal infections,

and more than once. The

study also showed that the

gut is the most important

line of defense in our body

since it houses 80 percent

of immunity cells, and

maintaining its health and

balance with good nutrition

is essential to preventing

gastrointestinal infections

and diarrhea.

“Toddlers have a tiny

stomach that is the size

Hyundai Motor Group

announced that it will donate

21 H-1-based ambulances to

the United Nations (UN) in

support of the Global Ebola

Response activities in West

Africa, particularly in Liberia.

The vehicles, equipped with

respirators, oxygen tanks

and other medical kits, will

be delivered to the Liberian

government through the UN to

support medical activities. Tom

of their fist,” explained

Dr. Wafaa Ayesh Director,

Clinical Nutrition

Department, Clinical

Support Services Sector,

Dubai Health Authority.

“This is why we must ensure

they get several small

meals a day containing the

right nutritionally dense

foods that help them grow

healthily. Milk is a very

important food at this

age, especially specialised

growing-up milk that is

designed to cater to their

growing needs.”

It is generally recognized

that as children turn one,

they learn from exploring

and touching everything

around them. While this

is necessary for healthy

growth, it exposes them to

germs and increases their

risk of getting sick.

“This randomized placebo-

controlled study has been

completed by 336 children

proving that L. Protectus

(L. reuteri) helps to reduce

gastrointestinal infections

in children when given on

a daily basis. Therefore, it

is important for parents to

know that choosing the right

nutrition for their children

from a very young age is

crucial to avoid them from

getting these infections,

and subsequently growing

up healthy,” concluded the

event’s key speaker Dr.

Kimmo Makinen, Senior

Scientist and a probiotic

expert at the Nestlé Research

Centre in Lausanne,

Switzerland.

between when a patient arrives

in the emergency room with

symptoms and they are diagnosed

with a heart attack.

New high sensitive tests – like

Abbott’s ARCHITECT STAT

High Sensitive Troponin-I (hsTnI)

test – can measure very low levels

of troponin, unlike conventional

tests that may not detect the lower

levels of the protein, particularly

in women. The sensitivity and

accuracy of the tests can lead to

faster diagnosis and initiation

of treatment, adding precious

minutes to the clock – from 6

to 12 hours to 2 to 4 hours -

potentially helping minimize

damage to the heart.

Lee, Vice President and Head

of Hyundai Africa and Middle

East Regional Headquarters,

commented: “We are proud

to be able to join in the vital

global fight against Ebola and

hope that our involvement can

help bring some support to the

UN and its dedicated team.”

The deadly Ebola virus, which

broke out in Guinea last year,

is currently spreading over

several West African countries

such as Liberia, Sierra Leone,

Nigeria, Mali and Senegal,

with some cases in the United

States and Spain. According

to the World Health

Organization (WHO), a total

of 7,645 deaths occurred out

of the 19,648 reported cases

(as of December 23, 2014).

An estimated 17 million people die of

cardiovascular diseases, particularly

heart attacks and strokes, every year1.

Additionally, prominent research

conducted by Gulf- RACE and

INTERHEART shows that patients

in the Arab world present with heart

attacks at a significantly younger age,

on average 10 to 12 years sooner,

compared to their Western counterparts.

Contributing factors include the high

incidence of diabetes, with Qatar, Kuwait

and Saudi Arabia accounting for three

out of ten countries with the highest

rates of the diseases globally.

Women are especially at risk, as it is

estimated that women are 16 percent

more likely to die from a heart attack

than men are. This is because women

are less likely to believe they’re having

a heart attack and, as a result, are more

likely to delay seeking treatment, often

with dire consequences. Women also

often have lower levels of troponin than

men - a protein that can indicate injury

to the heart muscle, and this contributes

to the under-diagnosis and under-

treatment of heart attacks in women.

The good news is that recent advances

in testing are helping decrease the time

Mar/Apr 2015