Monday, April 27, 2009

Night-time urination 'raises mortality risk'

Do you get up frequently to pee at night? Well, it's high time that you consult a doctor, for a new study has revealed that night-time
urination raises a person's mortality risk. Researchers have carried out the study and found that people suffering from nocturia, the need to urinate at least twice during the night, may have a significantly increased risk for mortality, the 'The Journal of Urology' reported. To reach the conclusion, the researchers conducted a comprehensive geriatric assessment of 788 residents 70 years old or older to determine incidence of nocturia. Using data from national health system, they assessed differences in survival stratified by presence or absence of nocturia over three years. They then adjusted the models to control for age, sex, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, history of coronary heart disease, nephropathy, alcohol consumption, and use of tranquilisers, hypnotics or diuretics. The study showed that there was a significantly increased mortality rate in elderly patients living in a Japanese assisted-living facility who suffered from nocturia relative to other residents. The findings are presented at the annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association. "Nighttime urination is not necessarily just a matter of getting older. Patients should talk to their doctor about what may be causing this. There may be a very serious yet treatable condition involved," Anthony Smith, the Spokesman for the American Urological Association, was quoted by the media as saying.

Water, Water Everywhere But Not a Drop to Drink

Currently, 1.1 billion people don't have access to clean drinking water -- that's one out of every six people on the planet. Today, to commemorate World Water Day, we're featuring three videos on the home page that highlight the urgency and importance of providing clean water and sanitation to every single global citizen.
This video, from YouTube nonprofit partner
charity:water, conveys the urgent need to build wells in the Central African Republic by juxtaposing powerful images with Beck's "Time Bomb": Like charity:water, GOOD Magazine is also leveraging pop culture to spur citizens to take action. They've created a three-video series, rooted in familiar water-oriented scenes from iconic films and television, to demonstrate that life without clean water can be a very frightening prospect: And if you're looking for straight facts without the fluff, this brief documentary from the International Red Cross provides specific information about how chronic water and sanitation challenges are affecting Zambia. You can help solve the global water crisis by contributing to these worthy organizations -- and by sharing their messages with your friends.