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Deworming drugs could treat deadly C. difficile infection


September 20, 2016


Too little sleep, or too much, linked to risk of heart disease



In youngest suicide victims, ADD is more common than depression



Wearable device helps reduce low blood sugar episodes


A new “flash” blood sugar monitoring system cuts down on episodes of low blood sugar in people with type 1 diabetes, researchers say.

Low-blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can be dangerous in diabetics. Sometimes called an insulin reaction, or insulin shock, severe cases of hypoglycemia can lead to unconsciousness and seizures.

The new Freestyle Libre sensor, a small device that’s worn on the upper arm, automatically checks blood sugar every 15 minutes and stores the information. A separate reader device, when held close to the sensor, can display current glucose level, glucose readings over the past 8 hours, and whether glucose has been rising or falling. This can be repeated as often as desired.

Patients’ “marked increase in self-monitoring frequency” after they started using the Freestyle Libre device “resulted in an almost immediate reduction in hypoglycemia both during day- and night-time,” Dr. Jan Bolinder from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden told Reuters Health by email.

Dr. Bolinder and colleagues from 23 European hospitals compared the new glucose monitoring technology to conventional self-monitoring of blood glucose for prevention of hypoglycemia in 239 adults whose type 1 diabetes was already well controlled… Read More>>

Source: Reuters


E-cigarettes may have helped 18,000 people quit smoking in 2015


E-cigarettes may have helped about 18,000 people in England to give up smoking in 2015, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal today.

Researchers at the Health Behaviour Research Centre at UCL analysed data from the Smoking Toolkit study – which provides the latest information on smoking and in England – and data on the percentage of the smokers who set a quit date with Stop Smoking Services.

There was no evidence that e-cigarettes prompted more people to try and quit, but over this time period, as more people used e-cigarettes, more people successfully quit smoking.

It’s estimated that 2.8 million people in the UK use e-cigarettes.* And they are the most popular smoking cessation aid in the UK.

But the most effective way to quit smoking remains through prescription medication and professional support from free local Stop Smoking Services.

Although fewer people (450,000 a year) take up these services than those who use e-cigarettes, a smoker using a Stop Smoking Service is around three times more likely to quit than going cold turkey on their own.

Tobacco kills more than 100,000 people a year in the UK and is still the number one preventable cause of cancer.

Professor Robert West, Health Behaviour Research Centre at UCL, said: “England is sometimes singled out as being too positive in its attitude to e-cigarettes. These data suggest that our relatively liberal regulation of e-cigarettes is probably justified.”

Alison Cox, director of prevention at Cancer Research UK, said: “Giving up smoking can be really tough. It’s important to remember that getting support from Stop Smoking Services is still the most effective way to quit.

“E-cigarettes can play a role in helping people quit and the evidence so far shows e-cigarettes are much safer than tobacco. This study shows the positive impact they’ve had on helping people give up the deadly addiction… Read More>>

Source: Medical Xpress

September 14, 2016


New analysis explores the geographical origins of the flu



Neuroimaging study: Building blocks activate spatial ability in children better than board games


Research from Indiana University has found that structured block-building games improve spatial abilities in children to a greater degree than board games.

The study, which appears in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, measured the relative impact of two games—a structured block-building game and a word-spelling board game—on children’s spatial processing, including mental rotation, which involves visualizing what an object will look like after it is rotated.

The research lends new support to the idea that such block games might help children develop spatial skills needed in science- and math-oriented disciplines.

It is also the first study to use neuroimaging to explore the effects of block building on brain activity, said Sharlene Newman, a professor in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, who led the research.

“Block play changed ,” Newman said. “It changed the way the children were solving the mental rotation problems; we saw increased activation in regions that have been linked to spatial processing only in the building blocks group.”

The structured block-building game used for the study was called “Blocks Rock”; the board game was Scrabble.

The research builds upon previous studies that have shown that children who frequently participate in activities such as block play, puzzles and board games have higher spatial ability than those who participate more in activities such as drawing, riding bikes, or playing with trucks and sound-producing toys.

It is also demonstrates that training on one visuo-spatial task can transfer to other tasks. In this instance, training on the structured block-building game resulted in transfer to mental rotation performance… Read More>>

Source: Medical Xpress


Reward-related brain circuit is vital for sleep, researchers discover


Problems sleeping? You’re not alone; every year, around 40 million Americans experience insomnia, with some cases warranting drug treatment. But new research may pave the way to a more effective treatment option; in a mouse study, researchers found that a brain circuit involved in reward response is also crucial for sleep.

Senior author Luis de Lecea, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues publish their findings in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The brain’s reward system is made up of several structures – including the prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, and the ventral segmental area (VTA) – and it plays a role in desire, pleasure, and motivation.

The reward system is primarily activated by a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which is produced in response to rewarding stimuli – such as food or sex.

As the research team notes, it is perhaps unsurprising that the reward system is linked to the sleep-wake cycle; for example, when we are excited about the day ahead – an emotion fueled by the reward system – it can be difficult to sleep.

However, de Lecea says that no studies had pinpointed the exact brain region where this overlap occurs – until now.

Lead author Ada Eban-Rothschild, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, notes that amphetamines and other drugs that activate the reward system through dopamine secretion are known to disrupt sleep.

With this in mind, assessing whether dopamine is involved in the sleep-wake cycle seems an obvious area of research.

“But, in part due to existing technical limitations, earlier experimental literature has unearthed little evidence for the connection and, in fact, has suggested that this circuit probably wasn’t so important,” adds Eban-Rothschild… Read More>>

Source: Medical News Today

September 7, 2016


Gluten-free diet gains popularity, despite no rise in celiac disease


Though the prevalence of celiac disease in the United States has remained steady, more Americans are adopting a gluten-free diet. This is the finding of a new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition characterized by an intolerance to gluten – a protein naturally present in wheat, rye, and barley, and which acts as a “glue” in foods such as bread, cereal, and pasta.

When an individual with celiac disease consumes foods containing gluten, the body’s immune system attacks the small intestine, damaging finger-like projections called villi, which are important for absorption of nutrients from food.

Symptoms of celiac disease include bloating, chronic diarrhea,constipation, stomach pain, and nausea and vomiting.

The only way for people with celiac disease to avoid these symptoms is to adopt a gluten-free diet, but – as the new study affirms – it seems that even people without the condition are moving toward a preference for gluten-free foods.

The gluten-free diet has gained enormous popularity in recent years; according to market research company NPD, around26-30 percent of adults in the U.S. claim to be reducing their gluten intake or avoiding gluten completely, despite not being diagnosed with any form of gluten sensitivity.

This dietary shift has been attributed to studies that claim avoiding gluten can have significant benefits for the average person, such as weight loss and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. The gluten-free diet has even been touted by celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jenny McCarthy.

Some studies, however – such as one published in the journal Gastroenterology in 2013 – claim that a gluten-free diet has no health benefits for people without celiac disease… Read More>>

Source: Medical News Today


Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks to minimize deaths, say experts


Twins should be delivered at 37 weeks’ gestation to minimise stillbirths and newborn deaths, and there is no clear evidence to support routine delivery before 36 week’s gestation, finds a large international study in The BMJ today.

It is well known that the risk of stillbirth is higher in twin pregnancies than in singleton pregnancies. Uncomplicated twin pregnancies are often delivered early in an attempt to prevent stillbirth, but the optimal gestational age for delivery that minimises risks to newborns is not known.

Current recommendations vary on the timing of delivery, starting from 34 up to 37 weeks’ gestation in monochorionic twin pregnancies (twins that share the same placenta) and from 37 up to 39 weeks in dichorionic twin pregnancies (twins that have two individual placentas).

So an international team of researchers decided to examine the evidence behind these recommendations.

They analysed the results of 32 studies, published within the past 10 years, of women with uncomplicated twin pregnancies that reported rates of stillbirth and neonatal mortality (defined as death up to 28 days after delivery) at various gestational ages after 34 weeks.

Overall the studies included 35,171 twin pregnancies (29,685 dichorionic and 5,486 monochorionic). Study design and quality were taken into account to minimise bias.

The researchers looked specifically at the balance between the risk of stillbirths from expectant management (‘watchful waiting’) and the risk of neonatal death from delivery beyond 34 weeks.

They found that, in dichorionic pregnancies, the risk of stillbirths and neonatal death were balanced until 37 weeks’ gestation. However, delay in delivery by a week (to 38 weeks) led to an additional 8.8 deaths per 1,000 due to an increase in stillbirth.

In monochorionic pregnancies, the risk of stillbirth appears to be higher than neonatal death beyond 36 weeks’ gestation. But more data are needed to make a clear recommendation on best time to deliver monochorionic pregnancies.

Rates of neonatal morbidity (including respiratory distress syndrome, septicaemia, or neonatal seizures) and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit showed a consistent reduction with increasing gestational age in both monochorionic and dichorionic pregnancies.

Based on these estimates, the researchers suggest that, for women with dichorionic twin pregnancies, delivery should be considered at 37 weeks’ gestation “to prevent the significant increase in stillbirths associated with expectant management compared with the risk of neonatal deaths associated with early delivery.” …Read More>>

Source: Medical Xpress


Pregnant Woman in Singapore Infected with Zika as Cases Soar


The number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore surged past 100 late Wednesday, including the first pregnant woman to be infected by the disease which can cause deformities in babies.

The United States and Britain joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to the city-state, while a local health expert warned the infection rate would rise.

The Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement late Wednesday they had identified 24 new infections plus nine more detected as a result of testing previous cases, bringing the total to 115.

A pregnant woman was among those who tested positive for the virus.

“Her doctor is following up closely with her to monitor her health and the development of her baby,” the statement said.

“She will be referred to a maternal-foetal medicine specialist for counselling and advice.”

The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hardest-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash.

But in pregnant women it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads.

Brazil, where the disease has become an epidemic, has reported 1,835 cases of microcephaly, the World Health Organization says… Read More>>

Source: Medical Xpress

September 2, 2016


Parents’ Mental Health Linked to Violence in Kids


Kids who have a parent who has been diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk for attempting suicide or committing a violent offense, a new study of people in Denmark suggests. These kids are at even greater risk of these behaviors when both parents have the disorders, the study found.

The parents in the study had a wide spectrum of psychiatric problems, ranging from anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression to schizophrenia, substance abuse and suicide attempts.

Of all the psychiatric conditions among the parents in the study, the strongest associations were seen in mothers and fathers who had a history of abusing marijuana, antisocial personality disorder or a prior attempted suicide. Children whose parents fell into any of these three groups were at the greatest risk for suicidal behavior and violence as they got older, according to the findings, published today (Aug. 31) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry… Read More>>

Source: Live Science


3 Ways the Natural Parenting Movement Dehumanizes Women


The commander in the parenting wars is one big mother—Nature. Nothing synthetic is gentle enough for our precious bundles, the way our ancestors did everything is romanticized, and the earth mother reigns supreme.

“If you were on an island and you had no mother-in-laws, no psychologists, no doctors around, no experts, this is what you would naturally and instinctively do to give your baby the best investment,” said leading attachment parenting proponent Dr. William Sears in 2012. (When it comes to the natural parenting movement, attachment parenting is king…or perhaps queen is most fitting.)

With early roots in attachment theory, initially based on primate research and observations of cultures in the developing world, those who follow natural parenting make appeals to vaguely non-western traditions, whether or not these traditions are widely-practiced or proven beneficial. Much of what people think is “natural parenting” isn’t really what nature “intended” or what indigenous people did at all, rather it’s the romanticized version of natural.

Here are three (of many) ways so-called natural parenting disproportionately burdens and dehumanizes women.

1. Didn’t have a “natural” birth? You’re weak.

In the early 20th century laboring mothers were often given a combination of drugs that provided pain relief and induced amnesia, called “Twilight Birth.” The newborn was handed over to a mother with no memory of having delivered it. This method, then heralded as ushering in a “new era” of obstetrics, is now viewed as misogynistic and paternalistic. But the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction, with today’s expectations of women giving birth no less denigrating than a hundred years ago… Read More>>

Source: Forbes


Don’t Worry, Be Happy: Americans Want Happiness More Than Achievement



Herpes Strain Found in Nervous System: Surprising Discovery



Ebola Virus Persists in Semen Far Longer than Thought, Study Finds


August 31, 2016


Heroin Treatment Drug Naloxone ‘Saves Lives’ in WA Trial



Stem Cell Breakthrough Unlocks Mysteries Associated with Inherited Heart Condition



Researchers Finds Mechanism Affecting Alcohol Consumption


A Washington State University researcher has found a mechanism that strongly influences whether or not an animal is likely to drink a lot of alcohol.

“It takes them from drinking the equivalent of three to four units of alcohol in one to two hours, down to one to two,” said David Rossi, a WSU assistant professor of neuroscience.

Writing in the latest Journal of Neuroscience, Rossi and colleagues at the Oregon Health and Science University and the U.S. Veterans Administration Portland Health Care System said the mechanism offers a new target for drug therapies that can curb excessive drinking. It may be particularly effective among problem drinkers, half of whom are believed to have a genetically determined tendency to abuse alcohol.

The mechanism is found in the cerebellum, a part of the brain at the back of vertebrate skulls, in small neurons called granule cells. Sitting on the cells are proteins called GABAA receptors (pronounced “GABA A”) that act like traffic cops for electrical signals in the nervous system.

When activated, the GABAA receptor suppresses the firing of neurons, or brain circuits. Benzodiazepines, which enhance GABAA signaling, reduce this excitability, which is why they are used to treat epilepsy.

Alcohol can also enhance GABAA receptor signaling and reduce firing in the brain, which is why it reduces anxiety and social inhibitions. In the cerebellum, it can lead to swaying, stumbling and slurred speech… Read More>>

Source: Medical Xpress


Scientists Use Ultrasound to Jump-start a Man’s Brain After Coma


August 27, 2016


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