Poor Quality Jobs Affect Mental Health of Employees

Having a job with poor working conditions can be just as stressful and bad for a person's mental health as being unemployed, according to new research published in Psychological Medicine
The recent study led by Peter Butterworth, associate professor, ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, England, used nationally representative data to analyze and compare the mental health of people having adverse psychosocial job conditions with those who were unemployed. The study was based on the data from the 2007 English Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. The sample size of the study was 2,603 individuals aged between 21 and 54 years. Poor psychosocial job quality is characterized by factors such as high job demands, low job control, poor job security, and least of all, low job esteem. Professor Butterworth pointed out that the study results support the theory that mental health benefits of work are confined to good quality jobs, while having a poor quality job is as good as being unemployed and involves the same risks of poor mental health. 
There appeared to be no difference in the rates of common mental conditions, such as anxiety and depression, between the unemployed and those who held low quality jobs. 
The results of this study tallied with the findings of an Australian study carried out previously. These results add to a growing body of analysis highlighting the need to address the psychosocial aspects of work environment as a part of an effort to reduce mental illness in the society. 
Good job conditions would increase job control, security, and esteem while reducing job demands. 
'The improvement of psychosocial work conditions, such as reducing job demands, and increasing job control, security, and esteem can flow on to improvements in employee's mental health and reduce the burden of illness on public health systems', said Prof. Butterworth. 

Reference:
1. http://www.cambridge.org/home/press_releases/
display/item7169406/?site_locale=en_CA 

 

Bored at Work? Start Daydreaming

While most people might scoff at daydreamers in the work place, researchers say that it can actually improve lateral thinking and problem solving skills.Wandering mind at the workplace or just staring into thin air can have its benefits in recharging the mind and helping it bounce back with unimaginable solutions. The brain simply becomes more creative when it is allowed to wander, a recent insight has revealed. 
Senior psychology lecturer Dr Sandi Mann said: ‘There is a stigma attached to boredom – parents are always worried about their kids being bored – but it gives your mind a chance to wander. Our work shows that daydreaming could be potentially beneficial in the workplace, as it allows lateral thinking that could assist with problem solving.’ 
The study showed that not allowing the brain any down time especially in a job which is mentally exhausting, can actually hamper productivity. So, just letting the mind wander can be refreshing and relaxing for the brain and a good way to find solutions to problems. 


 Source:MedIndia

Rising Mercury Emissions Posing Threat to Asians

Communities in developing countries especially in Asia are facing increasing health and environmental risks linked to exposure to mercury, according to a new study by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
 Parts of Africa, Asia and South America could see increasing emissions of mercury into the environment, due mainly to the use of the toxic element in small-scale gold mining, and through the burning of coal for electricity generation. 
The Global Mercury Assessment 2013 reports that emissions of the toxic metal from gold mining have doubled since 2005, in part due to new and better information, but also due to rising gold prices that are expected to lead to further increases. 
"Due to rapid industrialization, Asia is the largest regional emitter of mercury, and accounts for just under half of all global releases," said a statement issued by the UNEP. 
The UNEP study assesses for the first time at a global level releases of mercury into rivers and lakes. Much human exposure to mercury is through the consumption of contaminated fish, making aquatic environments the critical link to human health. 
In the past 100 years, man-made emissions have caused the amount of mercury in the top 100 meters of the world's oceans to double. Concentrations in deeper waters have increased by up to 25 percent. 
The study, which provides a comprehensive breakdown of mercury emissions by region and economic sectors, also highlights significant releases into the environment linked to contaminated sites and deforestation. 
The report says an estimated 260 tonnes of mercury - previously held in soil - are being released into rivers and lakes. 
"Mercury, which exists in various forms, remains a major global, regional and national challenge in terms of threats to human health and the environment," said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP executive director Achim Steiner. 
Greater exposure to mercury poses a direct threat to the health of some 10-15 million people who are directly involved in small-scale gold mining, mainly in Africa, Asia and South America. An estimated 3 million women and children work in the industry.
Source-IANS

 

Cannabis use and the increased risk of psychosis: The debate continues

The scientific community have long debated the causal relationship between cannabis use and the risk
factor for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. Both sides of this controversial subject are put
forward in two articles published today in F1000 Medicine Reports. To give rise to the debate, the
authors of each article were given the opportunity to read the opposing side’s article drafts and consider
their arguments when structuring their own article.In his article “Cannabis and psychosis: what causes what?”
David Castle of the University of Melbourne argues for a causal link between cannabis use and an
increased risk of psychotic symptoms. He does, however, concede that very few cases of schizophrenia
would be prevented by a global abolition of cannabis, an argument put forward by Suzanne Gage, Stan
Zammit and Matt Hickman of the Universities of Bristol and Cardiff in their article entitled “Stronger
evidence is needed before accepting that cannabis plays an important role in the aetiology of
schizophrenia in the population”Gage et al argue that whilst acute psychotic experiences can be linked to cannabis use, the nature of the
connection to schizophrenia inevitably remains much less certain. They argue that more robust evidence
is required to determine whether preventing cannabis use will have any substantial impact on
preventing psychotic disorders in the population, or within specific high-risk subgroups.
In their conclusions, both sides agree that cannabis is a public health concern and that the public should
be made fully aware of the risks associated with using the drug. Castle states that this particularly
applies to those who have a family history of schizophrenia or who have experienced
psychosis-like symptoms, as they may be at greater risk.
Source:F1000 Medicine Reports
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuB9O0shRGg

Active, Extrovert Life Can Make You Live Longer

A new study has found leading an active, extrovert life like that of a thrill seeker might lead to a life beyond 90s.A variation of a much-studied gene involved in transmission of dopamine, a key component of the brain's reward-and-learning system, was found to be far more frequent among the very old, News.com.au reported. 
Professor Robert Moyzis of the University of California, Irvine, said that the variant might not extend lifespan directly. 
Instead, it appears to predispose those who bear it to a more vigorous lifestyle. 
The human subjects in the study came from Laguna Woods, part of a group involved in the Leisure World Cohort Study that began in 1981. It included people who were 90 or older in 2003. 
Most have since passed away, Prof Moyzis said. 
But their genes, as well as cell lines, live on, perpetuated in laboratories so they will be available for research. 
In this study, genetic samples from 310 people 90 years old or older were checked for the gene variant, known as the DRD4 7R allele. 
Sixty-six percent more people possessed the variant in the 90-plus group when compared with a control group of nearly 3000, aged seven to 45. 
The discovery of the gene variant's association with longevity might inspire people to become more active as they age, potentially extending their lives - even if they don't harbor the variant themselves, Prof Moyzis said.

Source-ANI
 

Mushrooms Good for Diabetics, Says Expert

Mushrooms are good for people with diabetes as they contain little or no sugar, says an expert."Cultivated and wild species of mushrooms are consumed because of their nutritional value. They are rich in essential nutritional constituents and are good for people with diabetes as they have little or no sugar," said T.N. Lakhanpal from the department of bioscience at Himachal Pradesh University. 
Lakhanpal was among the delegates at the 100th Indian Science Congress, which ended here Sunday. 
According to the scientist, mushrooms, being almost fat-free, benefit the obese too. 
On the emerging importance of mushroom biology, Lakhanpal said: "The potential of mushrooms as neutraceuticals has emerged as an important aspect of mushroom biology in the last 20 years". 
"Also, all the mushrooms investigated so far have been found to have curative properties against cancer, HIV and other dreaded diseases," he said. 
Besides medicinal benefits, mushroom cultivation provides economic benefits, he said. 
"Mushroom cultivation is a cottage and commercial industry and is finding favour among the rural people."
Source-IANS
 

 

DNA to be Blamed for Obesity

Scientists have discovered that body-fat responses to a typical fast-food diet are determined by genetic factors.The study is the first of its kind to detail metabolic responses to a high-fat, high-sugar diet in a large and diverse mouse population under defined environmental conditions, modeling closely what is likely to occur in human populations. 
The researchers found that the amount of food consumed contributed only modestly to the degree of obesity. 
"Our research demonstrates that body-fat responses to high-fat, high-sugar diets have a very strong genetic component, and we have identified several genetic factors potentially regulating these responses," first author Dr. Brian Parks, a postdoctoral researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA said. 
"We found that obesity has similar genetic signatures in mice and humans, indicating the mice are a highly relevant model system to study obesity. Overall, our work has broad implications concerning the genetic nature of obesity and weight gain," he said. 
The dramatic increase in obesity over the past few decades has been tightly associated with an increase in obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. 
And while high-calorie diets containing high levels of fat and sugar, along with sedentary lifestyles, have been considered the most significant environmental factors contributing to this epidemic, the new UCLA research demonstrates that body-fat responses to food are strongly inherited and linked to our DNA. 
The researchers note that overconsumption of high-calorie, high-sugar food is an important factor contributing to the obesity epidemic but stress that food consumption is only one of many environmental factors that affect obesity. 
The findings are published in the online edition of the journal Cell Metabolism.
Source-ANI

Study sheds light on role played by junk DNA

A new study conducted by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is looking into the role played by the “junk DNA”, also called as the dark matter, which is present in each of our genes.
The new study reveals snippets of information contained in dark matter that can alter the way a gene is assembled. 
"These small sequences of genetic information tell the gene how to splice, either by enhancing the splicing process or inhibiting it. The research opens the door for studying the dark matter of genes. And it helps us further understand how mutations or polymorphisms affect the functions of any gene," said study senior author, Zefeng Wang, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology in the UNC School of Medicine and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. 
The study is described in a report published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 
The findings may be viewed in terms of the film industry's editorial process where snippets of celluloid are spliced, while others end up unused on the proverbial cutting room floor. 
Taken from a DNA point of view, not every piece of it in each human gene encodes for a functional protein; only about 10 percent does, in coding regions called "exons." The other 90 percent of the stuff that fills the intervening regions are longer stretches of dark matter known as "introns." 
But something mysterious happens to introns during the final processing of messenger RNA (mRNA), the genetic blueprint that's sent from the cell's nucleus to its protein factory. Only particular exons may be included within the final mRNA produced from that gene, whereas the introns are cut out and destroyed. 
It's therefore easier to understand why more scientific attention has been given to exons. "When people are looking at the genetics of a disease, most of the time they're looking for the change in the coding sequence," Wang said. "But 90 percent of the sequence is hidden in the gene's introns. So when you study gene variants or polymorphisms that cause human disease, you can only explain the part that's in the exon. Yet the majority remains unexplainable because they're in the introns." 
Following completion of the genome sequencing projects, subsequent DNA and RNA sequencing revealed the existence of more than one splice variant, or isoform, for 90 percent of human genes. During messenger RNA processing, most human genes are directed to be cut and pasted into different functional isoforms. 
In a process called alternative splicing, a single gene could code for multiple proteins with different biological functions. In this way, alternative splicing allows the human genome to direct the synthesis of many more proteins than would be expected from its 20,000 protein-coding genes. 
"And those different versions sometimes function differently or in opposite ways," Wang said. "This is a tightly regulated process, and a great number of human diseases are caused by the 'misregulation' of splicing in which the gene was not cut and pasted correctly." 
Wang's research colleagues identified "intronic splicing regulatory elements." These essentially recruit protein factors that can either enhance or inhibit the splicing process. 
Their discovery was accomplished by inserting an intron into a green fluorescent protein (GFP) "reporter" gene. These introns of the reporter gene carried random DNA sequences. When the reporter is screened and shows green it means that portion of the intron is spliced. 
"The default is dark," so any splicing enhancer or silencer can turn it green," Wang explains. "In this unbiased way we can recover hundreds of sequences of inhibited or enhanced splicing." 
The study collaborators put together a library of cells that contain the GFP reporter with the random sequence inserted. Thus, when researchers looking at the intron try to determine what a particular snippet of genetic information does and its effect on gene function, they can refer to the splicing regulatory library of enhancers or silencers. 
"So it turns out that the sequencing element in both exons and introns can regulate the splicing process", Wang says. "We call it the splicing code, which is the information that tells the cell to splice one way or the other. And now we can look at these variant DNA sequences in the intron to see if they really affect splicing, or change the coding pattern of the exon and, as a result, protein function." 
  Source:

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 

Marriage linked to better survival in middle age

Study highlights importance of social ties during midlife

Could marriage, and associated companionship, be one key to a longer life? According to new research, not having a permanent partner, or spouse, during midlife is linked to a higher risk of premature death during those midlife years. The work, by Dr. Ilene Siegler and colleagues from Duke University Medical Center in the US, is published online in Springer's journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

Survival through middle age to become elderly is expected; therefore understanding who does not survive to become elderly and why is important. Siegler and colleagues looked at the effect of marriage history and timing of marriage on premature death during midlife. They were also interested in testing the role of pre-marital personality and quantifying the role of health behaviors.

The researchers analyzed data for 4,802 individuals who took part in the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study (UNCAHS) - an ongoing study of individuals born in the 1940s. The authors were particularly interested in stability and change in patterns of marital and non-marital status during midlife, controlling for personality at college entry (average age 18), socioeconomic status and health risk behaviors.

They found that having a partner during middle age is protective against premature death: those who never married were more than twice as likely to die early than those who had been in a stable marriage throughout their adult life. Being single, or losing a partner without replacement, increased the risk of early death during middle age and reduced the likelihood that one would survive to be elderly. Even when personality and risky behaviors were taken into account, marital status continued to have a major impact on survival.

The authors conclude: "Our results suggest that attention to non-marital patterns of partnership is likely to become more important for these Baby Boomers. These patterns appear to provide different levels of emotional and functional social support, which has been shown to be related to mortality. Social ties during midlife are important to help us understand premature mortality."

Reference:

Siegler IC et al (2012). Consistency and timing of marital transitions and survival during midlife: the role of personality and health risk behaviors. Annals of Behavioral Medicine; DOI 10.1007/s12160-012-9457-3

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.

Virus caught in the act of infecting a cell

The detailed changes in the structure of a virus as it infects anE. coli bacterium have been observed for the first time, report researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) Medical School this week in Science Express.
To infect a cell, a virus must be able to first find a suitable cell and then eject its genetic material into its host. This robot-like process has been observed in a virus called T7 and visualized by Ian Molineux, professor of biology at The University of Texas at Austin, and his colleagues.
The researchers show that when searching for its prey, the virus briefly extends — like feelers — one or two of six ultra-thin fibers it normally keeps folded at the base of its head.
Once a suitable host has been located, the virus behaves a bit like a planetary rover, extending these fibers to walk randomly across the surface of the cell and find an optimal site for infection.
At the preferred infection site, the virus goes through a major change in structure in which it ejects some of its proteins through the bacterium's cell membrane, creating a path for the virus's genetic material to enter the host.
After the viral DNA has been ejected, the protein path collapses and the infected cell membrane reseals.

		The top images are tomograms of the virus in action. The illustrations show T7 using its fibers to “walk” across the cell surface and infect the cell. Click here for more information.

"Although many of these details are specific to T7," said Molineux, "the overall process completely changes our understanding of how a virus infects a cell."
For example, the researchers now know that most of the fibers are usually bound to the virus head rather than extended, as was previously thought. That those fibers are in a dynamic equilibrium between bound and extended states is also new.
Molineux said that the idea that phages "walk" over the cell surface was previously proposed, but their paper provides the first experimental evidence that this is the case.
This is also the first time that scientists have made actual images showing how the virus's tail extends into the host — the very action that allows it to infect a cell with its DNA.
"I first hypothesized that T7 made an extended tail more than 10 years ago," said Molineux, "but this is the first irrefutable experimental evidence for the idea and provides the first images of what it looks like."
The researchers used a combination of genetics and cryo-electron tomography to image the infection process. Cryo-electron tomography is a process similar to a CT scan, but it is scaled to study objects with a diameter a thousandth the thickness of a human hair.
Source:University of Texas

 

Immunotherapy Reduces Allergic Patients’ Sensitivity to Peanuts

Placing peanut protein under a patient’s tongue helps dampen allergic reactions

 Of all foods, peanuts are the most frequent cause of life-threatening and fatal allergic reactions. New research at National Jewish Health provides additional support for a strategy to reduce the severity of reactions to peanut— repeatedly consuming small amounts of the very food that causes those reactions in the first place, a practice called immunotherapy.The new research, published in the January 2013 issue of The Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, shows that 70 percent of peanut-allergic patients who consumed daily doses of peanut protein in liquid drops could safely consume 10 times as much peanut protein as they had before the therapy. One patient’s serious reaction, however, highlighted the care that must be taken to keep patients safe.“Immunotherapy continues to show promise for treating food allergies,” said lead author David Fleischer, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health. “But it is not yet ready for widespread use; there is a fine line between safely desensitizing patients and causing serious allergic reactions. We are still working to discover where that line is and how to select patients who would most likely benefit.”Immunotherapy, in the form of allergy shots, has been used for more than a century to reduce patients’ allergic reactions, mostly to pollen. Patients are injected with gradually increasing amounts of protein until they reach a “maintenance level,” which they continue for two to five years. The current trial delivers immunotherapy through drops containing peanut protein placed under the tongue.Somehow this small, but repeated exposure changes the way that the immune system ‘sees’ the protein—from mistakenly considering it a dangerous invader to accurately recognizing it as a harmless piece of the environment. Scientists do not understand exactly how this occurs. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in understanding and exploring new methods of immunotherapy for a variety of immune disorders.In the current trial, researchers reported interim results of a study that enrolled 40 teenage and adult patients with moderate, but not severe, reactions to peanuts. They divided them evenly into groups receiving either peanut protein or a placebo. The participants took the drops daily at home, coming into National Jewish Health and other academic medical centers for increased doses. Patients will continue immunotherapy for approximately three years.After 44 weeks, 70 percent of the participants receiving peanut immunotherapy increased the average amount of peanut protein they could safely consume from 3.5 milligrams to 496 milligrams. After 68 weeks, responders were desensitized further, safely consuming, on average, 996 milligrams of peanut protein. That level of desensitization could help protect against an accidental ingestion, which averages about 100 milligrams. One peanut contains on average about 250 milligrams of peanut protein.“We are hopeful that continued immunotherapy will help more patients become less sensitive to peanuts,” said Dr. Fleischer.Even at relatively low doses, participants frequently experienced some symptoms, most commonly itching in the mouth and throat. One patient developed very itchy red skin and more serious symptoms in the mouth after a daily dose at home. The patient required an antihistamine, an epinephrine injection and close observation at one of the research centers.“This is an experimental treatment, promising, but with potentially serious side effects,” said Dr. Fleischer. “Some physicians are treating their peanut-allergic patients with immunotherapy outside of carefully controlled and observed trials. I don’t think that approach is safe until we better understand how much protein to deliver, through what method, and to which patients.”The multicenter study was supported by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and conducted by the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) at clinical sites in Baltimore; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Denver, CO; Little Rock, Ark.; and New York City. CoFAR investigators David Fleischer, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver, and A. Wesley Burks, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, led the trial.National Jewish Health is known worldwide for treatment of patients with respiratory, cardiac, immune and related disorders, and for groundbreaking medical research. Founded in 1899 as a nonprofit hospital, National Jewish Health remains the only facility in the world dedicated exclusively to these disorders. U.S. News & World Report has ranked National Jewish Health the #1 respiratory hospital in the nation for 15 consecutive years.

Source:National Jewish Health

Superfoods may Cause Cancer

 and antioxidants can trigger cancer, says a scientist.James Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA, said that the cure for many cancers will remain elusive unless scientists rethink the role of antioxidants, which include vitamin pills and food such as blueberries and broccoli, the Daily Mail reported. 
It is widely believed that they boost health and fight cancer by mopping up oxygen molecules called free radicals. 
But Dr Watson argues that these may be key to preventing and treating cancer - and depleting the body of them may be counter-productive. 
Free radicals not only help keep diseased cells under control, they are also pivotal in making many cancer drugs, as well as radiotherapy, effective, he said. 
Writing in a journal published by the Royal Society, the 84-year-old Nobel laureate stated that antioxidants may have caused more cancers than they have prevented. 
"For as long as I have been focused on the curing of cancer, well-intentioned individuals have been consuming antioxidative nutritional supplements as cancer preventatives, if not actual therapies," he said. 
"In light of recent data strongly hinting that much of late-stage cancer's untreatability may arise from its possession of too many antioxidants, the time has come to seriously ask whether antioxidant use much more likely causes than prevents cancer," he added. 
He said a vast number of studies had found antioxidants including vitamins A, C and E and the mineral selenium, to have "no obvious effectiveness" in preventing stomach cancer or in lengthening life. 
Instead, they seem to slightly shorten the lives of those who take them, and vitamin E may be particularly dangerous. 
The American, who describes his theory as among his most important work since the DNA breakthrough with British colleague Francis Crick in 1953, said blueberries may taste good but give no protection against cancer. 
The study is published in the journal Open Biology.
Source-ANI

 

 

Blink to Reboot Your Brain

You must have heard the phrase ‘Blink and you’ll miss it’ numerous times. Now how about this, ‘Blink and reboot your brain’. After all even the brain needs a break, a little rest. 
Blinking keeps the eyes moist and helps to remove small particles and dust from the eyes.Humans need a good 8 to 9 hours of sleep or ‘shut-eye’ every night to stay healthy. We may seldom notice this, but on an average, our eyes blink 15 to 20 times per minute. A recent study shows that the human brain utilizes that tiny moment of shut-eye to relax a bit and recharge itself. Blinking reduces blood flow to regions associated with paying close attention to the surrounding environment. This study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, in which researchers from Japan's Osaka University evaluated the changes in brain activity that occur immediately following blinking. 
The researchers asked 20 healthy adult volunteers to watch clips of the "Mr Bean" TV show while scanning their brains using a functional MRI (fMRI) scan and recording their eye movements. 
When the participants blinked, the researchers detected a momentary stand-down or a power-down within the brain's areas involved with processing visual stimuli and areas that manage attention. The brain’s ‘idle’ setting steps up to fill the momentary lapse in attention; in this mode, thoughts wander freely into the past and the future. 
The researchers say that blinking tends to occur at natural breaks in attention, such as at the end of sentences when reading, pauses in speech, and moments in movies where there is less happening. 
Other studies conducted on blinking have shown that people have been found to blink less while telling a lie. However, it was found the liar will blink far more frequently than a truth-teller in the seconds after telling the lie. 
The researchers say that their results suggest that blinking actively helps to disengage our attention during a cognitive task; however this theory merits further research.  Source:Proceedings of the National Academies of Science
 

Breastfeeding Mothers Believe in Folk Remedies

Using cabbage leaves and tea bags to ease pain in breastfeeding are some of the popular traditional remedies among new mothers.Drinking beer to produce more milk, for instance, is a folk tradition that singer Mariah Carey followed. She was accused of endangering her twins with that practice. This particular tradition could be traced back to at least the late 1800s. 
Jonathan Schaffir, obstetrician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Centre, recently surveyed lactations specialists to see how often they pass along this folklore to breastfeeding mothers, the journal Breastfeeding Medicine reports. 
The online survey of 124 lactation consultants affiliated with US medical centers in 29 states found that 69 percent reported hearing of folk remedies, and 65 percent had recommended at least one of these methods, according to a Wexner statement. 
Respondents were asked to provide examples of advice they had heard of, as well as advice they routinely passed on to breastfeeding mothers. 
Advice was broken into five categories: recommendations to promote lactation, to initiate breastfeeding, to treat pain associated with breastfeeding, to assist with weaning, and about substances to avoid for the baby's sake. 
The survey found that certain folk remedies are widely discussed among experts, particularly herbal remedies to increase milk production and cabbage leaves to ease pain from breastfeeding. 
They suggest that recommending folk remedies that are outside of the medical mainstream is a common practice among lactation consultants who advise women about breastfeeding. 
"With the attention given to these remedies, this survey may spur future research to objectively measure whether such recommendations are actually safe and effective, rather than relying solely on anecdotal evidence," Schaffir said.

Source-IANS 

 

Ginseng Could Boost Sex Life

Taking tablets made from ginseng improved sexual performance in men with erectile dysfunction, states study.

 The South Korean study found men with erectile dysfunction improved their performance in the bedroom after taking the tablets for just a few weeks. Although some previous studies have suggested ginseng can help tackle impotence, many have been conducted in mice, Daily Mail reported. The latest research involved more than 100 men who had been diagnosed with erection problems. Impotence affects one in 10 men in Britain at some point in their lives. 
While herbal remedies like ginseng have been touted as alternative treatments, the evidence to support their use has been lacking. Ginseng's root contains several active substances, called either ginsenosides or panaxosides, that are thought to be responsible for the medicinal effects of the herb. 
Scientists at the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, recruited 119 men with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. The group was split into two, while half took four tablets a day containing extracts of Korean ginseng berry, the rest took identical dummy pills. 
After eight weeks, researchers measured improvements by using a recognised scale. 
The results, published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, showed a small but significant improvement in sexual function in the ginseng group compared to those on the dummy tablets. 
"Korean ginseng berry extract improved all domains of sexual function... It can be used as an alternative to medicine to improve sexual life in men," said the researchers in a report on their findings.

Source-IANS

 

Diet Drinks Could Lead to Depression

Drinking too much of diet soda and sweetened drinks is linked to a increased risk of depression, suggests research."Sweetened beverages, coffee and tea are commonly consumed worldwide and have important physical-and may have important mental-health consequences," study author Honglei Chen, MD, PhD, with the National Institutes of Health in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and a member of the American Academy of Neurology said. 
The study involved 263,925 people between the ages of 50 and 71 at enrollment. 
From 1995 to 1996, consumption of drinks such as soda, tea, fruit punch and coffee was evaluated. 
About 10 years later, researchers asked the participants whether they had been diagnosed with depression since the year 2000. A total of 11,311 depression diagnoses were made. 
People who drank more than four cans or cups per day of soda were 30 percent more likely to develop depression than those who drank no soda. 
Those who drank four cans of fruit punch per day were about 38 percent more likely to develop depression than those who did not drink sweetened drinks. 
People who drank four cups of coffee per day were about 10 percent less likely to develop depression than those who drank no coffee. 
The risk appeared to be greater for people who drank diet than regular soda, diet than regular fruit punches and for diet than regular iced tea. 
"Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks or replacing them with unsweetened coffee may naturally help lower your depression risk," Chen said.
Source-ANI
 

 

Why Are Children at Higher Risk for Negative Health Effects of Environmental Toxins?

 More than 85,000 synthetic chemicals are registered for commercial use with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and only about half of those produced in large quantities are tested for their potential toxic effects on humans. Children are particularly vulnerable to environmental toxins and a detailed look at how and why, and what can be done to protect children's health, is presented in a two-part article published inAlternative and Complementary Therapies from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The articles are available on the Alternative and Complementary Therapies website.

"The effects of environmental toxins on our children's health could turn out to be one of the largest public health crises that we will ever have to face," says Robert Rountree, MD, who practices family medicine in Boulder, CO, and is the author of the two-part Roundoc Rx article in Alternative and Complementary Therapies entitled "Environmental Toxins and Children's Health."

"Part of the reason for this is that it may take 10-20 years to realize fully the health consequences of toxic exposures that are occurring right now," Rountree says, citing similar examples such as exposure to cigarette smoke and to lead additives in gasoline or asbestos.

Exposure to environmental toxins may cause or exacerbate a variety of chronic health problems including respiratory, endocrine, reproductive, and neuropsychiatric disorders, and cancer. Unique risk factors for children include their small size, developmental status when exposure may occur, and the fact that young children crawl on the floor where dust and other particles may settle and they put things in their mouths.

Part 1 of Dr. Rountree's article, "Why Children Are at Risk," reviews common toxic exposures and related health problems. Part 2, "Reduce Exposure and Detoxify," offers suggestions for minimizing exposure, identifying unexpected sources, and learning about supportive foods and nutrients and sources of detoxifying foods and herbs.

About the Journal

Alternative and Complementary Therapies is a bimonthly journal that publishes original articles, reviews, and commentaries evaluating alternative therapies and how they can be integrated into clinical practice. Topics include botanical medicine, vitamins and supplements, nutrition and diet, mind-body medicine, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda, indigenous medicine systems, homeopathy, naturopathy, yoga and meditation, manual therapies, energy medicine, and spirituality and health. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Alternative and Complementary Therapies website.

About the PublisherMary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Medical Acupuncture, andJournal of Medicinal Food. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News(GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

Brown eyes appear more trustworthy than blue

People judge men's trustworthiness based on face shape, eye color

		Thin-plate spline visualizations of the way face shape correlates with eye color (a–f) and trustworthiness (g–i).

People view brown-eyed faces as more trustworthy than those with blue eyes, except if the blue eyes belong to a broad-faced man, according to research published January 9 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Karel Kleisner and colleagues from Charles University in the Czech Republic.
The study's results attempt to answer a larger question: What makes us think a person's face looks truTo test which of the two features were more important, the researchers tried a third test, presenting participants with photographs of male faces that were identical except for one difference: eye color. Here, they found that both eye colors were considered equally trustworthy. According to the study, "We concluded that although the brown-eyed faces were perceived as more trustworthy than the blue-eyed ones, it was not brown eye color per se that caused the stronger perception of trustworthiness but rather the facial features associated with brown eyes."
stworthy? The authors asked study participants to rate male and female faces for trustworthiness based on two features: eye color and face shape. A significant number of participants found brown-eyed faces more trustworthy than blue-eyed, whether the faces were male or female. More rounded male faces, with bigger mouths and larger chins, were perceived as more trustworthy than narrow ones, but the shape of a female face did not have much effect on how trustworthy it appeared to the respondents.
Source:Public Library of Science 

First image of insulin 'docking' could lead to better diabetes treatments

A landmark discovery about how insulin docks on cells could help in the development of improved types of insulin for treating both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
For the first time, researchers have captured the intricate way in which insulin uses the insulin receptor to bind to the surface of cells. This binding is necessary for the cells to take up sugar from the blood as energy.
The research team was led by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and used the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, Australia. The study was published today in the journal Nature.
For more than 20 years scientists have been trying to solve the mystery of how insulin binds to the insulin receptor. A research team led by Associate Professor Mike Lawrence, Professor Colin Ward and Dr John Menting have now found the answer.
Associate Professor Lawrence from the institute's Structural Biology division said the team was excited to reveal for the first time a three-dimensional view of insulin bound to its receptor. "Understanding how insulin interacts with the insulin receptor is fundamental to the development of novel insulins for the treatment of diabetes," Associate Professor Lawrence said. "Until now we have not been able to see how these molecules interact with cells. We can now exploit this knowledge to design new insulin medications with improved properties, which is very exciting."
The Australian Synchrotron's MX2 microcrystallography beamline was critical to the project's success. "If we did not have this fantastic facility in Australia and their staff available to help us, we would simply not have been able to complete this project," Associate Professor Lawrence said.
Associate Professor Lawrence assembled an international team of project collaborators, including researchers from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago, the University of York and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague. "Collaborations in this field are essential," he said. "No one laboratory has all the resources, expertise and experience to take on a project as difficult as this one."
"We have now found that the insulin hormone engages its receptor in a very unusual way," Associate Professor Lawrence said. "Both insulin and its receptor undergo rearrangement as they interact – a piece of insulin folds out and key pieces within the receptor move to engage the insulin hormone. You might call it a 'molecular handshake'."
Australia is facing an increasing epidemic of type 2 diabetes. There are now approximately one million Australians living with diabetes and around 100,000 new diagnoses each year.
"Insulin controls when and how glucose is used in the human body," Associate Professor Lawrence said. "The insulin receptor is a large protein on the surface of cells to which the hormone insulin binds. The generation of new types of insulin have been limited by our inability to see how insulin docks into its receptor in the body.
"Insulin is a key treatment for diabetics, but there are many ways that its properties could potentially be improved," Associate Professor Lawrence said. "This discovery could conceivably lead to new types of insulin that could be given in ways other than injection, or an insulin that has improved properties or longer activity so that it doesn't need to be taken as often. It may also have ramifications for diabetes treatment in developing nations, by creating insulin that is more stable and less likely to degrade when not kept cold, an angle being pursued by our collaborators. Our findings are a new platform for developing these kinds of medications."

Source:Nature

After decades of research, scientists unlock how insulin interacts with cells

The discovery of insulin nearly a century ago changed diabetes from a death sentence to a chronic disease.
Today a team that includes researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine announced a discovery that could lead to dramatic improvements in the lives of people managing diabetes.
After decades of speculation about exactly how insulin interacts with cells, the international group of scientists finally found a definitive answer: in an article published today in the journal Nature, the group describes how insulin binds to the cell to allow the cell to transform sugar into energy—and also how the insulin itself changes shape as a result of this connection.
"These findings carry profound implications for diabetes patients," said Case Western Reserve biochemistry professor and department chair Michael A. Weiss, MD, PhD, MBA, one of the leaders of the team. "This new information increases exponentially the chances that we can develop better treatments—in particular, oral medications instead of syringes, pens or pumps."
Weiss, also the Cowan-Blum Professor of Cancer Research at the School of Medicine, is renowned worldwide for his work on insulin. In 1991 he used nuclear magnetic resonance techniques to describe the structure of insulin; more recently he has developed a preliminary version of the hormone that does not need to be refrigerated, a critical breakthrough for those with diabetes in the developing world.
The results published today, however, represent among the most promising for Weiss and an entire generation of scientists devoted to enhancing care for those suffering from diabetes. They have sought to solve mystery of how the hormone bound to cells since 1969, when the late Dorothy Hodgkin and colleagues at the University of Oxford, first described insulin's structure.
"There's been a logjam in our understanding since then," Weiss said. "We hope that we've broken the logjam."
The magnitude of the challenge is, in part, evidenced by the diversity of the team required to overcome it. Weiss partnered with Associate Professor Mike Lawrence, of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, to lead the project. They, in turn, engaged scientists from the University of Chicago, the University of York in the United Kingdom, and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague in the Czech Republic.
The scientists recognized that cells absorb sugar from food as energy for the body, yet glucose can't penetrate a cell's membrane without help from insulin, a hormone secreted from endocrine cells in the pancreas. To absorb the sugar, most cells have insulin "receptors" that bind the hormone as it flows through the bloodstream.
The researchers tested structural models using molecular-genetic methods to insert probes that, in turn, are activated by ultra-violet light into the receptor. The procedure creates highly detailed, three-dimensional images—which provided critical answers for Weiss, Lawrence and their colleagues.
"Both insulin and its receptor undergo rearrangement as they interact," Lawrence said. "A piece of insulin folds out and key pieces within the receptor move to engage the insulin hormone. You might call it a 'molecular handshake.'"
Understanding the bonding mechanics offers possible advances in how diabetes is treated, now usually with daily, multiple insulin injections. The discovery, Weiss said, suggests that targeting small molecules "to the signaling clefts" of the receptor may allow for alternatives to injections, as well as fewer doses per day.
Diabetes patients develop high blood sugar from inadequate insulin production, imperfect cellular to insulin, or both. The disease can cause wide-ranging complications, from heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure to blindness and kidney problems.
Diabetes affects nearly 26 million—or more than 8 percent—of the U.S. population and rising, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Source:Case Western Reserve University

Unnecessary antimicrobial use increases risk of recurrent infectious diarrhea

The impact of antibiotic misuse has far-reaching consequences in healthcare, including reduced efficacy of the drugs, increased prevalence of drug-resistant organisms, and increased risk of deadly infections. A new study featured in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, found that many patients with Clostridium difficile infection (C. difficile) are prescribed unnecessary antibiotics, increasing their risk of recurrence of the deadly infection. The retrospective report shows that unnecessary antibiotics use is alarmingly common in this vulnerable patient population.
C. difficile is a bacteria that usually affects people with recent antibiotic use or hospitalization. The symptoms of C. difficile range from mild diarrhea to severe illness and death, and it is now one of the most common healthcare-associated infections. Patients with C. difficile often experience recurrent episodes of the infection, especially if they receive antibiotics again in the future.
Researchers at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center reviewed patient cases with new-onset C. difficile infection. In total, 57 percent (141) of patients with new-onset C. difficile infection received additional antimicrobials during or within 30 days after their initial C. difficile treatment, raising their risk of recurrence substantially. From this group, 77 percent received at least one dose of unnecessary antibiotic, and 26 percent of patients received unnecessary antibiotics exclusively. Common reasons noted for unnecessary antibiotic use included urinary tract infections and pneumonia (despite little-to-no evidence of either being present), inappropriate surgical prophylaxis, and asymptomatic bacteriuria.
"Our findings serve as a reminder to both doctors and patients to use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary, particularly in patients with a history of C. difficile," said lead researcher Megan K. Shaughnessy, MD. "Patients with C. difficile are at high-risk for recurrence, especially with additional antibiotic use. Because of this heightened risk, clinicians should be exercising increased caution with antimicrobial therapy."
The researchers advise that providers contemplating antimicrobial therapy should be more aware of the risk of recurrent C. difficile with antimicrobial use, patients' previous C. difficile history, and which clinical conditions require antimicrobial therapy.
Source:Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 

Menopause Can Lead To Temporary Memory Loss

"Women going through menopausal transition have long complained of cognitive difficulties such as keeping track of information and struggling with mental tasks that would have otherwise been routine," said Miriam Weber, Ph.D. a neuropsychologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and lead author of the study. "This study suggests that these problems not only exist but become most evident in women in the first year following their final menstrual period." 
The study followed 117 women, who were grouped into categories based on criteria established in 2011 by the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop +10, which consisted of an international consortium of researchers. 
Study participants took a variety of tests assessing their cognitive skills, reported on menopause-related symptoms such as hot-flashes, sleep disturbance, depression and anxiety, and gave a sample of blood to determine current levels of estradiol (an indicator of estrogen levels) and follicle stimulating hormone. Results were analyzed to determine if there were group differences in cognitive performance, and if these differences were due to menopausal symptoms. 
The study grouped participants into four stages: late reproductive, early and late menopausal transition, and early post menopause. The late reproductive period is defined as when women first begin to notice subtle changes in their menstrual periods, such as changes in flow amount or duration, but still have regular menstrual cycles. 
Women in the transitional stage experience greater fluctuation in menstrual cycles – from a difference of 7 days or more in the early phase of transition to 60 days or longer in the later phase. Hormone levels also begin to fluctuate significantly during this time. This transition period can last for several years. 
The researchers also evaluated women in early post menopause, defined as the first year after which a woman experienced her last menstrual period. 
The study participants were assessed with a comprehensive battery of tests to evaluate a variety of cognitive skills. These included tests of attention, verbal learning and memory, fine motor skills and dexterity, and "working memory" – or the ability to not only take in and store new information, but also manipulate it. 
These tests are similar to daily tasks such as staying focused on something for a period of time, learning a new telephone number, and making a mental list of groceries and then recalling specific items as required as one wanders the aisles of a grocery store. 
The researchers found that women in the early stage of post menopause performed worse on measures of verbal learning, verbal memory and fine motor skill than women in the late reproductive and late transition stages. 
The researchers also found that self-reported symptoms such as sleep difficulties, depression, and anxiety did not predict memory problems. Nor could these problems be associated with specific changes in hormone levels found in the blood. 
"These findings suggest that cognitive declines through the transition period are independent processes rather than a consequence of sleep disruption or depression," said Weber. "While absolute hormone levels could not be linked with cognitive function, it is possible that the fluctuations that occur during this time could play a role in the memory problems that many women experience." 
The process of learning new information, holding on to it, and employing it are functions associated with regions of the brain known as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. These parts of the brain are rich with estrogen receptors. 
"By identifying how these memory problems progress and when women are most vulnerable, we now understand the window of opportunity during which interventions – be those therapeutic or lifestyle changes – may be beneficial," said Weber. "But the most important thing that women need to be reassured of is that these problems, while frustrating, are normal and, in all likelihood, temporary." 
Source:URMC