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Unicef calls the Philippines the “global epicenter” of live-streamed child pornography


December 14, 2016


It’s all in the eyes: Women and men really do see things differently



Optimism and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study


Growing evidence has linked positive psychological attributes like optimism to a lower risk of poor health outcomes, especially cardiovascular disease. It has been demonstrated in randomized trials that optimism can be learned. If associations between optimism and broader health outcomes are established, it may lead to novel interventions that improve public health and longevity. In the present study, we evaluated the association between optimism and cause-specific mortality in women after considering the role of potential confounding (sociodemographic characteristics, depression) and intermediary (health behaviors, health conditions) variables. We used prospective data from the Nurses’ Health Study (n = 70,021). Dispositional optimism was measured in 2004; all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates were assessed from 2006 to 2012. Using Cox proportional hazard models, we found that a higher degree of optimism was associated with a lower mortality risk. After adjustment for sociodemographic confounders, compared with women in the lowest quartile of optimism, women in the highest quartile had a hazard ratio of 0.71 (95% confidence interval: 0.66, 0.76) for all-cause mortality. Adding health behaviors, health conditions, and depression attenuated but did not eliminate the associations (hazard ratio = 0.91, 95% confidence interval: 0.85, 0.97). Associations were maintained for various causes of death, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection. Given that optimism was associated with numerous causes of mortality, it may provide a valuable target for new research on strategies to improve health… Read More>>

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology

December 13, 2016


Vaping linked to host of new health risks



US surgeon general says vaping among young people is a ‘major public health concern’



Failed Alzheimer’s trial does not kill leading theory of disease


December 7, 2016


Brain blocks new memory formation on waking to safeguard consolidation of existing memories



Scientists have identified an antibody that neutralises 98% of HIV strains



Blood-brain barrier on a chip sheds new light on ‘silent killer’



Stopping and Starting the Pill


This article discusses the recommendations for starting and stopping combined hormonal contraception, the use of bridging contraception and other relevant clinical considerations.

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December 5, 2016


How Drug-Resistant Bacteria Travel from the Farm to Your Table


November 30, 2016


Low social status ‘can damage immune system’



Don’t sleep on it: going to bed mad makes it worse


A good night’s sleep may reinforce negative memories in the brain, researchers said on Tuesday, lending scientific credence to the time-worn caution against going to bed angry.

lipping into slumber while holding on to a freshly-formed bad memory engraves it in the , making it harder to shake off later, a team from China and the United States reported in the journal Nature Communications.

“This study suggests that there is certain merit in this age-old advice: ‘Do not go to bed angry’,” study co-author Yunzhe Liu, who conducted the research at Beijing Normal University, told AFP.

“We would suggest to first resolve (the) argument before… bed.”

Liu and colleagues used 73 male college students to test the impact of sleep on memory.

The participants were trained over two days to associate specific images with .

Later, they were made to look at the pictures again and instructed either to recall the negative associations, or to fight against it and not let the memory enter their mind.

The test was done twice—once after the participants had had a night of sleep, and once only half-an-hour after a training session.

All the while, scientists scanned the participants’ brain activity.

Participants found it much harder to suppress memories after sleep, the team found.

And the scans revealed the souvenirs were likely being stored in a part of the brain with longer-term connections.

Sleeping is known to affect how newly-acquired information is stored and processed in the brain, moving from short- to longer-term networks.

Memories of negative or often last longer than those of positive or neutral experiences, said the research team… Read More>>

Source: Medical Xpress


Talks with families tied to fewer hospitalizations from nursing homes



Bagged salads may encourage Salmonella growth


Crushed leaves in bagged lettuces at the supermarket may leak juice that fosters the right environment for Salmonella growth, according to a new study from the UK.

Salad juices increased the growth of Salmonella bacteria by 110 percent over normal levels, researchers found.

“Salad leaves pose a particular infection risk because they are usually minimally processed after harvesting and consumed raw,” said senior study author Primrose Freestone, a clinical microbiology lecturer at the University of Leicester.

Researchers are paying more attention to salad produce contamination after 100 people in the United States contracted Salmonella infections from bean sprouts in 2014. Salmonella causes 1.4 million cases of foodborne illness and 400 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Our project does not indicate any increased risk for eating leafy salads, but it does provide a better understanding of the factors contributing to food poisoning risks,” Freestone told Reuters Health by email. “It also highlights the need for continued good practice in salad leaf production and preparation.”

Freestone and colleagues measured growth of Salmonella enterica, the strain commonly found in foodborne outbreaks in recent years. They crushed several salad leaf types – such as spinach, red chard and red romaine lettuce – to obtain leaf juice.

During a five-day refrigeration period, which is typical storage time for bagged salad, 100 Salmonella bacteria multiplied to more than 100,000. Salad leaf juice also enhanced the bacteria’s ability to attach to the sides of the plastic bags and containers, as well as to the leaves themselves.

“Most concerning was that we found exposure to the juices released from the salad leaves appeared to enhance the Salmonella’s capacity to establish an infection in the consumer,” Freestone said. “Salad leaves are an important part of a healthy diet but have been associated in recent years with a growing risk of food poisoning.”

Leafy salads carry a 3 percent risk for food poisoning due to pathogens such as Salmonella, the study authors write in the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The European Food Safety Authority has classified leafy green salads as one of the top sources of foodborne infections, with salmonellosis accounting for more than 30 percent of outbreaks.

“Consumers seem to be more preoccupied with nutritional facts, but they should not forget that foodborne pathogens can be deadly,” said Kimon Karatzas, an assistant professor of food microbiology at the University of Reading in the UK who was not involved with the study. “Avoiding fresh produce is not a solution, but if possible, consumers should buy fresh uncut produce over chopped.” …Read More>>

Source: Reuters


Back to basics phonics test to be rolled out in Australian schools



Doctors face prosecution over genital cosmetic surgery in London clinics



TV ads may spur snacking in kids as young as two


Mindless snacking in front of the television set may start long before children know how to work the remote control, a U.S. study suggests.

In an experiment with 60 kids aged 2 to 5 years, researchers focused on how advertising influences what’s known as eating in the absence of hunger.

They gave all the children a healthy snack to make sure they had a full belly, and then sat the kids down to watch a TV program with ads for Bugles corn chips or for a department store.

All of the kids had Bugles corn chips and one other snack in front of them while they watched the show. Children who saw ads for the corn chips ate 127 calories on average, compared to just 97 calories for kids who didn’t see Bugles on the screen, researchers report in Pediatrics.

“This is the first study to show that exposure to food ads cues immediate eating among younger children – even after they had a filling snack,” said lead study author Jennifer Emond of Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

“Young children average up to three hours of TV viewing a day,” Emond added by email. “If kids are exposed to food ads during that time, they may unconsciously overconsume snacks which can lead to extra weight gain.”

More than one third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends against any screen time for children younger than 18 months and suggests no more than an hour a day for kids aged 2 to 5 in part to encourage language development, support healthy sleep habits and limit sedentary activity that can set preschoolers on a path toward obesity… Read More>>

Source: Reuters

November 23, 2016


Palliative care linked to better, if not longer, life



Phase out for antibacterial soaps gains speed


Australian manufacturers are falling into line with the US Food and Drug Administration’s ban of antibacterial washes, despite there being no change to TGA regulations in Australia.

Four local manufacturers – Aldi, Woolworths, Colgate-Palmolive and Reckitt Benckiser – have confirmed that they will eliminate the chemicals that have been outlawed in the US within 12 months, according to ABC News. Another, Johnson & Johnson, is also exploring options to reformulate Gamophen medicated soap, an acne treatment that contains the chemical triclosan.

In September, the FDA ruled that antiseptic wash products containing any of 19 active ingredients, including triclosan and triclocarban, could no longer be marketed in the US.

US manufacturers have one year to comply with the new FDA rule but many have already begun removing the chemicals from their products. Hospital use of antibacterial products is not affected by the ruling.

The use of these antibacterial ingredients is legal in Australia, but the TGA is currently reviewing whether any action is needed.

Infectious disease experts have praised the FDA’s decision, arguing that antibacterial soaps increase antibiotic resistance, disrupt hormones and may cause cancer in mice.

“I’m really surprised that the US has done this, because there must have been a lot of pressure from commercial entities,” said microbiologist Professor Liz Harry from UTS.

“I think this is fantastic. I applaud it.” Professor Harry called for a similar ban to be enforced by the TGA… Read More>>

Source: Medical Republic


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