Fakta, Fungsi dan Penyakit pada Esofagus

Esophagus: Facts, Functions & Diseases

by Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor   |   September 01, 2015 02:08am ET

The esophagus is a tube that connects the throat and the stomach. Credit: Nerthuz | Shutterstock View full size image

If the mouth is the gateway to the body, then the esophagus is a highway for food and drink to travel along to make it to the stomach. This body part has a very simple function, but can have many disorders.

Function

The esophagus is a tube that connects the throat (pharynx) and the stomach. It is about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long. The esophagus isn’t just a hollow tube that food slips down like a water slide, though. The esophagus is made of muscles that contract to move food to the stomach. This process is called peristalsis, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

At the top of the esophagus is a band of muscle called the upper esophageal sphincter. Another band of muscle, the lower esophageal sphincter is at the bottom of the tube, slightly above the stomach. When a person swallows, these sphincters relax so food can pass into the stomach. When not in use, they contract so food and stomach acid do not flow back up the esophagus.

Conditions and diseases

As a person ages, the sphincters weaken, making some people more prone to backflow of acid from the stomach, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD can cause severe damage to the esophagus, according to the National Library of Medicine.

“GERD is due to the reflux of acid contents of the stomach that get refluxed up into the esophagus," Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Live Science. "Acid is not meant to be in the esophagus so the symptoms of that may be a burning sensation in the chest, the pain can be so intense that it feels like a heart attack. It is always best to seek medical attention if you are having those symptoms.”

Some people are sensitive to certain foods that lower the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter and this allows the acid to wash up into the esophagus. Anxiety also increases the sensitivity of the esophagus so the sensation is more severe.

GERD can also cause esophagus ulcers. An ulcer is an open sore that, in this case, is located in the esophagus. Some symptoms are pain, nausea, heartburn and chest pain, according to the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition that may occur when the lining of the esophagus changes to be more like the lining of the intestine, according to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This condition can turn into a rare cancer called esophageal adenocarcinoma.​ There is no known cause of this disorder, but doctors have found that those with GERD are more likely to get Barrett’s.

According to the American Cancer Society, esophageal cancer typically has no symptoms until it is advanced. Symptoms include difficulty swallowing (also called dysphagia), chest pain and weight loss.

Esophagus spasms, also called "nutcracker esophagus," are unexplained muscle contractions of the esophagus that can be quite painful, according to the Mayo Clinic. One of the symptoms is severe, sudden chest pain and, if the spasms are frequent, they can prevent swallowing.

Another disorder that can prevent swallowing is motor neuron disease. Motor neuron diseases (MND) affecting millions of Americans, with over 100,000 diagnosed annually. Between 80 to 95 percent of people living with MND experience some loss of speech and swallowing before they die, according to a press release by Johns Hopkins. “The disease really is characterized by, and for the most part, normal mental function, normal sensation," said Dr. Nicholas Maragakis, co-medical director of The Johns Hopkins ALS Clinic. "Patients gradually get weaker, over time. Unlike stroke, it’s not a disease that happens overnight.”

Promoting good esophagus health

Ganjhu gave these tips for the best way to prevent reflux of food and acid into the esophagus and ways to help treat GERD:

• Eat small meals so that the food does not sit in the stomach and instead moves on to the small bowel to be further digested. 
• Try acid-blocking medications.
• Avoid or reduce consumption of foods and beverages that contain caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, spearmint and alcohol.
• Avoid all carbonated drinks.
• Cut down on fatty foods.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, although it may best to avoid acidic vegetables and fruits (such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, pineapple and tomatoes) if they bother you.
• Quit smoking. 
• Overweight people should try to diet and exercise to lose weight. A starting goal is to lose 5 to 10 percent of your present weight.
• People with GERD should avoid wearing tight clothing, particularly around the abdomen.
• If possible, GERD patients should avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Aleve).
• After meals, take a walk or stay upright.
• Avoid bedtime snacks. In general, do not eat for at least two hours before bedtime.
• When going to bed, try lying on the left side rather than the right side. The stomach is located higher than the esophagus while sleeping on the right side, which can put pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), increasing the risk for fluid backup.
• Sleep in a tilted position to help keep acid in the stomach at night. To do this, raise the bed at an angle using 4- to 6-inch (10 to 15 centimeters) blocks under the head of the bed. Use a wedge support to elevate the top half of your body. Extra pillows that only raise the head actually increase the risk for reflux.

related link: http://www.livescience.com/52045-esophagus.html

Kesehatan, Stomach: Facts, Functions & Diseases

Stomach: Facts, Functions & Diseases

by Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor   |   September 01, 2015 02:14am ET

The stomach can hold a bit more than a quart (1 liter) of food at once. Credit: Sebastian Kaulitzki | Dreamstimeephanie Pappas View full size image

After swallowing, food and drink make its way down the esophagus to the stomach. The stomach is the first stop in the digestive tract before food moves on to the small intestine.

Function

The stomach is a bean-shaped sack located behind the lower ribs. Once food hits the stomach, sphincters at the opening of the stomach and the exit into the small intestine close. The lining of the stomach then secretes hydrochloric acids and enzymes that break down the food so that it can continue on its journey through the digestive system, according to the Cleveland Clinic. As it secretes acid and enzymes, the stomach muscles contract in a process called peristalsis to mix the food with the acid and enzymes.

The acid also works to kill harmful microbes that may have made their way into the body along with food and drink. The acid could damage the stomach, so it secretes a sticky, neutralizing mucus that coats its walls and protects it from damage. The stomach also makes a substance that is necessary for the body to absorb vitamin B12, according to the Digestive Disease Center (DDC).



The stomach is the widest part of the digestive system. It not only digests food, it also stores it. According to the BBC, the stomach can hold a bit more than a quart (1 liter) of food at once. The design of the stomach allows a person to eat a large meal that can be digested slowly over time. It can take four to six hours or longer to digest a meal, according to the BBC. The higher the fat content of the food, the longer it takes for the food to digest.

Conditions and diseases

The stomach can have many different conditions and diseases that can cause pain, discomfort, digestion problems and even death.
One of the most common stomach problems is upset stomach or dyspepsia. “Dyspepsia is a term used to describe one or more symptoms, including a feeling of fullness during a meal, uncomfortable fullness after a meal, and burning or pain in the upper abdomen,” Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, clinical assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Live Science.

Upper abdominal pain, indigestion and heartburn affects around 25 percent of the population each year, according to the DDC. Treatment of upset stomach usually depends on the cause. The cause can be as benign as food intolerance or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or as serious as an ulcer or cancer.

GERD happens when acid contents in the stomach get refluxed up into the esophagus. Spicy foods, mint, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol or citrus foods increase inflammation or acidity in the stomach, which can trigger reflux. Foods that take longer to digest, like fatty foods, can make GERD symptoms worse. Stress and anxiety can also contribute to GERD, said Ganjhu.

Stomach ulcers are breaks in the lining of the stomach, caused by certain medications and too much acid in the stomach. These breaks are exposed to the acids in the stomach, causing pain. In most cases, ulcers can easily be treated with medication.

Stomach cancer is cancer that originates in the stomach. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), it mostly affects older people. Two-thirds of the people affected with stomach cancer are over age 65. In its advanced stages, some symptoms of stomach cancer are unexplained weight loss, vomiting, blood in the stool, jaundice or trouble swallowing. Around 10,720 people die from stomach cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

Stomach flu isn’t a flu at all. It is a stomach virus. Flus affect the respiratory system, not the digestive tract. According the Mayo Clinic, some common symptoms are watery, usually non-bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, nausea, muscle aches, headache and low-grade fever.

Promoting good stomach health

Ganjhu gives these tips for the best way to prevent digestive problems such as constipation and upset stomach:

• Eat small meals. 
• Avoid all carbonated drinks.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and cut down on fatty foods.
• Quit smoking.
• Lose weight.
• After meals, take a walk or stay upright.
• Avoid bedtime snacks.
• Avoid irritating foods.
• Drink at least eight glasses of water or other non-caffeinated liquid per day.
• Use acid-blocking medications, if needed.
• Load up on fiber to bulk your stools. Eat at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. 
• Exercise 30 to 40 minutes, three to five times a week to help with total gastrointestinal (GI) health. Walking, running, weight training/resistance training all help.
• Eat probiotics to keep the microbiome healthy if you have GI issues.
• Go to the bathroom when you have the urge. Don't wait.
• If you are having hard stools try over-the-counter stool softeners or try 1 tablespoon of mineral oil, olive oil or flax seed oil
  

related link: http://www.livescience.com/52046-stomach-facts-functions-diseases.html

Fakta Mengenai Kucing: Sorry, Cat Lovers: Felix Doesn't Need You

Sorry, Cat Lovers: Felix Doesn't Need You

by Tia Ghose, Senior Writer   |   September 04, 2015 04:27pm ET

Credit: ArTDi101 / Shutterstock.com View full size image

Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
Though the old joke is a stereotype of a feline's independent nature, that trope may have some scientific backing.
Cats do not form the childlike dependence on humans that dogs do, new research suggests.


That doesn't mean people's feline friends don't bond with them, said Daniel Mills, a veterinary behavioral medicine researcher at the University of Lincoln in England.
"This is not about whether cats love their owners," Mills told Live Science. Rather, it just means that Felis catus doesn't look to its human owners as a source of safety and security, he added.

Strange situation

The new results are based on a test called the "Strange Situation." In the test, which was developed for humans by psychologist Mary Ainsworth in the 1970s, researchers put a mother or primary caregiver and a baby in one room together and then asked the mother to leave as a stranger walked in to play. Ainsworth found that some tots would play joyfully while their caregiver was around, act fearful or distressed when the caregivers left, and then act happy when the mother figure returned. Those little ones were "securely attached," Ainsworth said, meaning they saw their mom as a "safe base" from which to explore the world. By contrast, some youngsters seemed indifferent to their moms' presence and absence, while others were tentative when approaching a returning mom, and still others showed a very erratic response.

Securely attached infants tend to do better in school, relationships and life in general than those with other forms of attachment, scientists have found.
A study published in 2013 in the journal PLOS ONE found that dogs similarly cling to their owners as a haven of safety when a threatening stranger is near. The researchers concluded that, just like human babies, these little fur babies could become securely attached to their caregivers. A small 2002 study suggested that cats could develop separation anxiety, but the findings weren't carefully verified.

Self-reliant creatures

To see whether cats showed a similar puplike attachment, Mills and his colleague Alice Potter, who now researches companion animals at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in England, put cats in the equivalent of the Strange Situation. In the new study, owners left the cats in a room and a stranger then entered and tried to engage the kitties in play. The researchers selected cats whose owners said they were particularly attached to them.

Overall, cats lived up to their fickle reputation; they had quite variable behavior.

"The idea of developing behavior tests in cats is much harder than people perhaps realize," Mills said. Researchers may "do a test and say, 'Oh, this is the cat's profile.' If you do the test on a cat a few weeks or a few hours later, it's different."

The felines also showed no clear signs of attachment, other than slightly more frequent meows when the owner left them with the stranger, the researchers reported Wednesday (Sept. 2) in the journal PLOS ONE.
However, those meows could have been signs of frustration, a conditioned response, as cats tend to meow more if their owners chat with them, Mills said. The results suggest that, unlike dogs, cats don't look to owners as a sort of security blanket.

Love among equals?

Ask any cat person, however, and they would swear that Mr. Whiskers does love them. They may be right, Mills said. The new findings simply mean cats don't see their human companions as parentlike figures. For instance, in the Strange Situation test, parents don't form a secure attachment to their babies because they don't see their children as a "safe base" — but it would be wildly inaccurate to say that parents don't love their kids. It may simply be that feline-human love is rooted in something other than dependence.
It's also possible that cats simply don't wear their emotions on their fur, so to speak, and that another test might better gauge their attachment to owners, Mills said.

Still, he thinks the findings do reflect a truth about cats' independence.
"If you think about it, why should cats depend on people for safety and security?" Mills said. "Cats are naturally very independent hunters."
By contrast, dogs hunt in packs, and so may naturally gravitate toward others when looking to meet their needs, he added

related link: http://www.livescience.com/52099-cats-more-independent-dogs.html
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Yang Perlu Diperhatikan Jika Terjadi Gempa Bumi

Credit: Anita Rahman

related link: http://www.livescience.com/44555-earthquake-survival-guide.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=most-popular

Artikel mengenai Usus Kecil: Small Intestine: Function, Length & Problems

Small Intestine: Function, Length & Problems

by Alina Bradford, Live Science Contributor   |   September 01, 2015 02:27am ET

The small intestine is about as big around as a middle finger, but it is about 22 feet (6.7 meters) long. Credit: Sebastian Kaulitzki | Shutterstock View full size image

There are two types of intestines: the small intestine, also called the small bowel, and the large intestine. The small intestine is a long, winding tube connected to the stomach. It handles most of the digestion process.

Size

The small intestine is only about as big around as a middle finger, according to the MUSC Digestive Disease Center. The large intestine is much wider than the small intestine, but it is also much shorter. The small intestine is the longest part of the digestive system. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the small intestine is 22 feet (6.7 meters) long, while the large intestine is only 6 feet (1.8 m) long.

Function

Food comes into the small intestine from the stomach. It starts out as semi-solid sludge, but bile from the liver an, enzymes from the pancreas, as well as water and mucous mix with the sludge in a process called peristalsis. The mixture is quite watery by the time it gets to the large intestine.



The small intestine is a muscular tube with three parts. The duodenum breaks down the food. The jejunum and the ileum absorb nutrients and send them into the bloodstream, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The inner lining of the small intestine is folded back and forth to increase surface area for better nutrient absorption. These folds create microscopic finger-like projections that are called villi. The small intestine does its job so well, over 95 percent of ingested carbohydrates and proteins are absorbed, according to the MUSC Digestive Disease Center.

Conditions and diseases

There are many ways the small intestine can become diseased or problematic. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), some disorders of the small intestine are bleeding, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, infections, intestinal cancer, intestinal obstruction and blockage, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, pain and bacterial overgrowth.
Cancer of the small intestine is very rare when compared to other cancers. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), only about 9,410 people per year in the United States are diagnosed with small intestine cancer, and about 1,260 people will die of small intestine cancer. The ACS also noted that 60 percent to 70 percent of small intestine cancers are carcinoid tumors, sarcomas or lymphomas.

Gluten-free diets have been touted as a great way to improve small intestine health. However, this is only true for a small number of people that have celiac disease, an immune disease that can cause damage to the small intestine after eating gluten. According to National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, around one in 141 have celiac disease.
Small bowel obstruction is the blockage of the small bowel by a mass, inflammation, a twisting of the bowel or surgical adhesion that traps a loop of bowel. “Most common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, increase abdominal girth or hardness and constipation. If you have any of those symptoms you should go to the hospital,” Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a clinical assistant professor of medicine and gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Medical, told Live Science.

Depending on the degree of the blockage, symptoms can be intermittent, subtle or even related to what we eat. “For example, if someone has a narrowing, or partial blockage, of the bowel, but has a fiber-rich diet, this could potentially worsen the partial blockage,” said Dr. Razvan Arsenescu, the division chief of Gastroenterology at the Morristown Medical Center.
Bacterial overgrowth is when excess bacteria grow in the small intestines and use nutrients the body needs. A bacterial overgrowth can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, liver problems and problems related to a deficiency in vitamins and minerals, according to the NLM.

Spastic colon, also called irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is more than just a colon problem. It is the spontaneous contractions or loss of movement of the muscles in the small and large intestines (which is also called the colon), according to the Mayo Clinic. People with IBS can experience abdominal bloating, cramping, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea.

How to promote good small intestine health

A healthy, balanced diet is one of the best ways to keep the small intestine healthy, experts say. Bowel stimulants can also be helpful. “Although a healthy, balanced diet can help ensure the bowel does not become obstructed, sometimes people need products that can stimulate their bowels muscles or regulate the fluids in bowel that can help them move,” said Arsenescu.


related link: http://www.livescience.com/52048-small-intestine.html

Artikel: How Old Are You Really? Genes Reveal 'Biological Age'

How Old Are You Really? Genes Reveal 'Biological Age'

by Sara G. Miller, Staff Writer   |   September 06, 2015 10:26pm ET

Credit: Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock.com View full size image

By reading a "signature" based on 150 of a person's genes, researchers can determine the individual's biological age, which may be different from his or her chronological age, according to a new study.

Moreover, a person's biological age is a better measure for determining a person's health than is chronological age, these researchers say. In the study,people's biological age was more closely tied to their risk of age-related diseases, such as dementia and osteoporosis, than was their chronological age.

"Most people accept that all 60-year olds are not the same," James Timmons, a professor of precision medicine at King's College in London and the lead author on the study, said in a statement. But a person's chronological age is still used to determine everything from the individual's insurance premiums to whether he or she needs certain medical procedures, he said.



In the new study, published today (Sept. 8) in the journal Genome Biology, the researchers analyzed genetic material from healthy 65-year-olds, looking for genes that indicated the participants were staying healthy as they aged.

The scientists found 150 genes that they used to calculate what they called a person's "healthy age gene score."

To verify that these scores did indeed track with people's health, the researchers tested out their method in a separate group of participants, who were all 70 years old. The scientists found that higher scores were indeed associated with better health, including better cognitive health.
In particular, they found that patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease had lower healthy age gene scores.

"This provides strong evidence that dementia in humans could be called a type of 'accelerated aging' or 'failure to activate the healthy aging program,'" Timmons said.

It unclear, however, whether the healthy age gene score could be used to predict whether a person will develop Alzheimer's disease, the researchers wrote in the study.

That's "the real Holy Grail," said Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer's Association, who was not involved in the study, "a blood test that tells you 10 years in advance if you're going to have Alzheimer's."

Still, the results of the study are valuable, Fargo told Live Science. The researchers were able to look at people who were all the same age, and determine who had healthy cognition and who didn't, he said. That means the test could help determine what genetic differences separate a 70-year old with Alzheimer's and a 70-year old without the disease, he said.

Further researcher into those 150 genes may also give clues about what causes Alzheimer's, Fargo said

related link: http://www.livescience.com/52105-biological-age-cognitive-health-genes.html
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Negara yang Cocok Untuk Pasangan Tua

The Best Countries for Older Adults

by Sara G. Miller, Staff Writer   |   September 09, 2015 12:15am ET

Credit: Ruslan Guzov | Shutterstock.com View full size image

A new report reveals how 96 countries rank for older people's wellbeing. The ranking, called the Global AgeWatch Index 2015, is based on four domains: older adults' income security, health status, capability (including their employment and educational status) and whether a country has an enabling environment (that promotes physical safety, civic freedoms and access to public transportation).
Here is the full ranking of the 96 countries included in the Global AgeWatch Index 2015:
1.           Switzerland


2.           Norway
3.           Sweden
4.           Germany
5.           Canada
6.           Netherlands
7.           Iceland
8.           Japan
9.           United States
10.      United Kingdom
11.      Denmark
12.      New Zealand
13.      Austria
14.      Finland
15.      Ireland
16.      France
17.      Australia
18.      Israel
19.      Luxembourg
20.      Panama
21.      Chile
22.      Czech Republic
23.      Estonia
24.      Belgium
25.      Spain
26.      Slovenia
27.      Uruguay
28.      Costa Rica
29.      Georgia
30.      Cyprus
31.      Argentina
32.      Poland
33.      Mexico
34.      Thailand
35.      Latvia
36.      Colombia
37.      Italy
38.      Portugal
39.      Hungary
40.      Slovakia
41.      Vietnam
42.      Mauritius
43.      Armenia
44.      Ecuador
45.      Romania
46.      Sri Lanka
47.      Malta
48.      Peru
49.      Bulgaria
50.      Philippines
51.      Kyrgyzstan
52.      China
53.      Albania
54.      El Salvador
55.      Bolivia
56.      Brazil
57.      Nicaragua
58.      Tajikistan
59.      Guatemala
60.      South Korea
61.      Croatia
62.      Dominican Republic
63.      Lithuania
64.      Belarus
65.      Russia
66.      Serbia
67.      Bangladesh
68.      Montenegro
69.      Paraguay
70.      Nepal
71.      India
72.      Mongolia
73.      Ukraine
74.      Indonesia
75.      Turkey
76.      Venezuela
77.      Moldova
78.      South Africa
79.      Greece
80.      Cambodia
81.      Ghana
82.      Honduras
83.      Lao PDR
84.      Morocco
85.      Jordan
86.      Nigeria
87.      Iraq
88.      Uganda
89.      Rwanda
90.      Zambia
91.      Tanzania
92.      Pakistan
93.      West Bank & Gaza
94.      Mozambique
95.      Malawi
96.      Afghanistan

taken from: http://www.livescience.com/52115-best-countries-older-people-   ranking.html