Happiness Rules: Canada's Youth Don't Live For $$$

New Canada 2020 Study by Studentawards Inc. Shows Risk-Averse Students Value Relationships More Than Money

TORONTO, July 27 /CNW/ - Today, Studentawards Inc., a Toronto-based company with a member base of over 500,000 Canadian students, released the results of their Canada 2020 survey. The survey of 2,500 high school and post-secondary school respondents reveals a major theme: this group will be more content with owning a home, having a decent job and being part of a loving family and network of friends, rather than leading, innovating or starting their own businesses. They are risk averse and even travelling and seeing new places is low on their list of priorities.

The Canada 2020 survey asked high school, college and university students about their current (2010) and future (2020) beliefs on social issues, employment, technology, media, as well as their values and life priorities, in an effort to ascertain a snapshot of the future and provide insight into the thinking and intentions of Canada's youth.

Many survey findings are surprising, and show that Canadian students are very traditional and thoughtful about their needs for the future. They show a seeming love-hate relationship with media and technology and that while the environment is an issue, it's not a top priority for them.

"The survey results show the group to be idealistic and optimistic and confident in their abilities to accomplish goals, but the majority of students are not entrepreneurs and don't believe they will be millionaires," says Suzanne Tyson, President, Studentawards Inc. "We found these students are looking for happiness in life, not financial riches, because they place low importance on values such as collaboration, innovation and leadership, and high importance on compassion, integrity and optimism."

The respondents believe their top priorities will remain unchanged between today and the year 2020, as spending time with family and friends, getting more education, leading a healthy lifestyle, having a career/job and living in a safe and secure environment top both lists. Whereas their parents had more of an appetite for risk, this generation is looking for happiness and they do not feel they have to conquer the world.

Additional findings include:

• Top Personal Values: Passion, Determination, Integrity, Optimism and Compassion

• 7 in 10 students are optimistic and believe they will create their own destiny.

• This cohort's lowest set of priorities include taking care of the environment, having money and material things and trying as many new things as possible.

• Only half of the respondents welcome change in all of its forms.

• Only 1 in 4 would consider becoming an entrepreneur; and 6 in 10 think that they will never start their own business.

• 6 in 10 agree that their set of values and beliefs are very different from their parents' generation.

• Over half believe that their home is their castle.

• And, two-thirds believe that their home is where their friends are.

This research was conducted using an online survey with the Studentawards Inc. online community between June 15 and July 10, 2010, with 2,500 respondents including 1000 High School student and 1500 Post Secondary students in Canada. The results have been weighted by gender. The results are accurate at the 95% confidence level or 19 times out of 20.

For more information, other study themes, statistics from this survey and interview requests, please contact Robert Landsmann, Account Director, Fantail Communications Inc. rob@fantailinc.com or 416-363-4805.

About Studentawards Inc.

Studentawards Inc. is Canada's leading conduit to the thinking and intentions of students nationwide. Based in Toronto, the company operates www.studentawards.com, www.boursetudes.com  and www.uthinkonline.com, has over 13 years experience developing long term relationships with students, their parents and educators. The community is over 500,000 in number and is highly responsive to the innovative, digitally-driven marketing, scholarship and grants programs and the market intelligence studies Studentawards develops for their clients. Clients include RBC, Bell, Tim Hortons, Apple, Wendy's, Scotiabank and World Wildlife Fund.

For further information: visit www.studentawardsinc.com or call 416-322-3210

Revascularization in elderly seniors may help survival rates after heart attack
http://www.physorg.com/news200046750.html
August 3, 2010

Revascularization procedures in very elderly patients after heart attacks may be responsible for improved survival rates after one year, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

The use of invasive procedures such as revascularization in the ageing population is increasing, although there is little data on the impact of these trends.

This study, led by a research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) in collaboration with Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal (HSCM), Université de Montréal (UdeM) and the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, set out to understand the trends in use of invasive cardiac procedures and medication prescriptions over a decade. It involved 29 750 people aged 80 years and over and is one of only a few studies reporting long-term mortality trends in people in this age group suffering from acute myocardial infarction.

"We found that the rate of one-year mortality after a heart attack decreased from 48.4% in 1996 to 30% at the end of the study in 2006," says Maude Pagé, first author of the study and a resident at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM). Rates of all cardiac procedures increased, with a 22.7% increase in percutaneous coronary intervention (angioplasty) performed at 30 days and a 12.9% increase in early angioplasty. The use of recommended medications has increased, and may also contribute to the improved survival rates.

"Our data show that in parallel to the increase in procedure use, the characteristic profile of very elderly patients who suffered acute myocardial infarction has changed over time, with increasing prevalence of female sex, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, malignancy, chronic renal failure and hypertension," writes Dr. Louise Pilote, senior author of the study and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the MUHC with coauthors.

"This probably reflects the advances in the management of these conditions which previously used to induce fatal complications at younger ages in patients," adds Dr. Pilote who is also a researcher in epidemiology and professor of Medicine at McGill University. The authors point out that high-risk patients and those in long-term care facilities are reaching hospital sooner which may be affecting the patient profile.

With an ageing population and limited healthcare resources, it is crucial to determine whether these significant changes in practice are cost-effective.

In a related commentary, Dr. Mark Katlic, Geisinger Health System, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, writes that the data in the study indicates the more frequent use of invasive procedures in patients previously thought to be too old. There is no age in isolation that contraindicates surgery, although ageism exists. "There is great physiologic variability in the older group and the published results of surgery in the elderly do not support prejudice based on age. Many groups have shown that excellent results are attainable with compulsive attention to detail."

Fortis Hospitals India Does Asia's First Custom Fit Knee Replacement Surgery

BANGALORE, India, Aug. 4 /CNW/ - Combining latest technology, medical breakthroughs and personalized patient care, Fortis Hospitals Bangalore today announced Asia's first 'Custom Fit Knee Replacement Surgery' performed on a series of patients. Dr. Sanjay Pai, Chief Orthopedic Surgeon along with his team performed this revolutionary surgery for the first time in the Asian Continent by precisely matching the size and placement of the implant specific to the patients' knee size. This procedure ensures lesser pain, less tissue damage, faster mobilization and longer lasting implant solution.

Dr. Sanjay Pai, Chief Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon Fortis Hospitals explains, "This new 'custom fit knee replacement surgery' enables the surgeon to offer better patient benefit through a higher precision knee replacement surgery leading to a better mobility as early as two weeks. With appropriate planning and more accuracy in surgical process it also reduces the operative time, infection rate and makes the life span of the implants better. Our Joint Replacement Centre through its world class expertise has become one of the leading centres in the Asian Continent. We have created rehabilitation and infection control protocols which provide faster recovery to our patients".

Recreating patient's knee with predefined customized implant which fits the knee just right!

This procedure works on the principle that no two patients' knees are similar. With this technology the patient's knee is digitally recreated with the MRI/CT scan which are virtually transmitted to the development centre of the technology partner based in the US to create a 3D image mapping of the knee structure. Based on this 3D model the customized template for the knee is created which is then sent back to the hospital for the final procedure. This technology ensures far greater accuracy and reduces the operation time by almost 40 % and also results in less loss of bone & tissues. Even the patient name, gender and the site data are etched on each unit to confirm identification during the surgery thus making it truly personalized.

Faster Recoveries That Get Patients Back To Life Faster!

Right from diagnosis, Fortis Custom Fit Knee Replacement procedure aims to get patients back on their feet faster. It takes about 4 week duration to get the custom fit instrumentation, the incision is just about 4 inches which itself minimizes the pain, infection, blood loss, and tissue damage are also reduced to a great extent. And specialized post-operative recovery procedure ensures that the patient achieves early and full mobility within days after his/her surgery.

Mr. Vishal Bali, Chief Executive Officer, Fortis Hospitals said, "Fortis Hospitals has led in patient focused specialty care over the last two decades in India. We are glad to be Asia's first adapter of the custom fit technology in knee replacement which will revolutionize patient care. Our affordable costs of this technology will not only benefit the Indian patients but also benefit patients across the globe."

For further information: Media Contact: Priyam Bortamuli, Fortis Media Relations Centre, Mobile - +91984555-8559, Email: priyam.bortamuli@fortishospitals.in

Seven hours the magic number for sleep: study
http://www.physorg.com/news199887575.html
August 1, 2010 by Karin Zeitvogel

People who sleep more or fewer than seven hours a day, including naps, are increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, a study published Sunday shows.

Sleeping fewer than five hours a day, including naps, more than doubles the risk of being diagnosed with angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke, the study conducted by researchers at West Virginia University's (WVU) faculty of medicine and published in the journal "Sleep" says. And sleeping more than seven hours also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, it says.

Study participants who said they slept nine hours or longer a day were one-and-a-half times more likely than seven-hour sleepers to develop cardiovascular disease, the study found.

The most at-risk group was adults under 60 years of age who slept five hours or fewer a night. They increased their risk of developing cardiovascular disease more than threefold compared to people who sleep seven hours.

Women who skimped on sleep, getting five hours or fewer a day, including naps, were more than two-and-a-half times as likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Short sleep duration was associated with angina, while both sleeping too little and sleeping too much were associated with heart attack and stroke, the study says.

A separate study, also published in "Sleep", showed that an occasional long lie-in can be beneficial for those who can't avoid getting too little sleep.

In that study, David Dinges, who heads the sleep and chronobiology unit at the University of Pennsylvania school of medicine, found that 142 adults whose sleep was severely restricted for five days -- as it is for many people during the work week -- had slower reaction times and more trouble focusing.

But after a night of recovery sleep, the sleep-deprived study participants' alertness improved significantly, and the greatest improvements were seen in those who were allowed to spend 10 hours in bed after a week with just four hours' sleep a night.

"An additional hour or two of sleep in the morning after a period of chronic partial sleep loss has genuine benefits for continued recovery of behavioral alertness," Dinges said.

More foods hinder than help sleep
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/27/AR2010_pf.html
By Jennifer LaRue Huget | Thursday, July 29, 2010; VA11

A number of my apparently sleep-deprived friends and colleagues, upon learning I planned to write about foods that might help people sleep better, have told me they're eager to see what I come up with.

I so hate to disappoint them.

But it turns out science has yet to find a magical food that can send us right to slumberland.

"The bad news for people trying to talk about food and sleep is that . . . generally it's hard to find foods that help with sleep," says Michael Grandner, a sleep researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology.

"The easier question," Grandner says, "is what are the things to avoid?"

Though you might expect caffeine to top that list, Grandner's most recent research, published February in the journal Sleep Medicine, found otherwise. Tracking the diets and sleep habits of 459 women enrolled in the federal government's 15-year Women's Health Initiative, he found that fat was the main nutrient (out of dozens tracked) associated with getting less sleep. "The more fat you ate, the less you slept," he says.

Women who ate the most fat slept for shorter times and took more naps, a sign that they didn't get enough restful sleep at night. (He believes his findings apply to the broader population, not just older women.)

If eating fat keeps you from sleeping, so does being fat. "People who are obese sleep less and report that the sleep they get is not as good," Grandner wrote in an e-mail. "Some of this may be due to high rates of undiagnosed sleep apnea in these people, but it seems that obesity itself is related to less sleep. This may have to do with the fact that the hormones that control our feelings of hunger and being full get disrupted when sleep is disrupted."

Of course, caffeine is among the substances (along with spicy foods) we should avoid late in the day if we want to sleep well. "Caffeine can still have an effect on sleep 12 hours later," Grandner said in a phone interview, "enough that it's keeping alertness levels so high that we're unable to shut it off."

Also on the don't-drink list: alcohol. Although a nightcap might help you fall asleep, Christine Gerbstadt, a medical doctor, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, says: "Alcohol does disrupt the sleep cycle. It delays the onset of and shortens REM sleep, which is the restful sleep" you need every night.

Both red and white wine contain melatonin, Gerbstadt says, but that hormone's sleep-inducing properties are offset by the alcohol's interference with REM sleep. Still, She says, you might benefit from eating red grapes with the skin on to get a little boost of melatonin.

So what about downing a glass of warm milk or munching on a tryptophan-filled turkey leg to help induce Z's? Gerbstadt says some foods could theoretically work by mimicking powerful and potentially dangerous drugs such as benzodiazepine that boost the action of the brain chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the central nervous system.

GABA, explains Grandner, is "the universal volume-turner-downer." The substance enhances a person's ability to fall asleep by reducing anxiety and other busy-brain conditions.

As it happens, milk contains a benzodiazepine-like substance, which could account for its legendary soporific effect. But, Grandner told me, "I haven't found much [in the way of] controlled studies that found foods that had enough GABA to influence sleep."

Milk, herbal tea and other comforting remedies help "not by making you sleepy, but by making you more relaxed," he wrote. ". . . When it comes to calming foods, there are a number that may have calming effects, but honestly the evidence suggests that it is mostly placebo."

As for tryptophan, a substance that promotes sleep, Gerbstadt and Grandner say turkey doesn't contain enough to knock you out.

"The tired or sleepy feeling after a large meal probably has more to do with the amount of food consumed, especially carbohydrates, than anything in the food itself," Grandner wrote. "The studies that demonstrated the sedating effects of tryptophan needed at least one and up to 15 grams of tryptophan to show an effect. You would need to eat over a full pound of meat -- there are almost equal amounts in turkey, chicken and beef -- to get just one gram of tryptophan."

I have to admit I feel a bit disillusioned by all these busted myths. But maybe we shouldn't count on food to solve our problems for us, anyway. Sleep on that.

Get safe in your homes - and bolt it down!
http://www.southasianfocus.ca/community/article/91179
Wednesday August 4 2010 | By SUNIL RAO

Do you bolt your safe down to the floor of your house?
No?

Do so, is the advice to those who have jewelry and other valuables lying around their houses (and, if in the first place you don't even have a proper safe in the house - well, what're you thinking, man?).

It isn't enough to just have a safe, which a thief can pick up and cart away, advises Constable Tony Vella of Toronto Police. No, you need to bolt it securely down to the ground, or to the wall, he told Focus.

It's no secret that South Asian communities have traditionally been partial to gold jewelry, so much so that gangs south of our border have in cases targeted South Asian homes for their jewelry content.

Mercifully, Vella adds, there has to date been no known parallel in the GTA - but let's keep it that way. And the quicker we take precautions to guard our valuables, the easier we will all breathe.

So get a safe - and bolt it down in a discreet area where it isn't easily seen.

"If someone breaks into your house, they don't want to spend a lot of time there, so their mentality typically is to pick up what they can easily and get out of there as soon as they can," points out Vella. And on this point, the idea is to make it hard for them.

The next thing Vella advises might be hard for our communities to follow: "Also, don't talk about the jewelry you have. Don't brag!"

Easier said than done, in a social strata that instead says, if you have it, flaunt itâ?¦ or at least show you're better than those cheapo Mehtas across the road!

But seriously, Vella also has some other suggestions to help you take care of your valuables:

- Maintain a log book of your jewelry. "Note down the make, model and serial number of your watch. Keep a description of your jewelry. Take a picture. These are the details that can help police officers track down and recover your jewelry."

Vella notes such details can be recorded on the police database. Then if they do a gang bust and run through their database the items they recover, the stolen items come up at once on their computer screens.

"It also helps the officer prosecute the person(s) stealing the jewelry."

- Renting a bank safety vault might be the next best idea.

"Particularly if you don't use your jewelry very often, storing it in a safety deposit locker might work," says Vella.

But do take all necessary precautions when ferrying it to and from the bank.

And perhaps most importantly, don't keep putting off taking it back to the bank vault, or continue to keep it lying around your house, once you're done attending Mrs Singh's daughter's wedding reception.

- Keep it all as discreet as you can.

Which can be a challenge, given our South Asian make-up - flaunting it is in our DNA. Nevertheless, do try.

- And consider getting the jewelry insured.

Canadian Nutrition Calculator

Use the handy food calculator below to put together your favourite meal combinations and view each meal's nutrition information

http://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/menu/nutrition-calculator.html