Health & WellnessS


Ambulance

US: Mystery Heart Ailment Strikes New Moms

John McKenzie
ABC News
Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:19 UTC
Pregnant Women, New Mothers Should Watch for Signs of Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

Tanya Ginther, 26, had given birth to her second child just two months earlier, so she thought it was only natural to feel tired, and out of breath.

But packing the car one day in the garage attached to her Bismarck, North Dakota home, Tanya collapsed. Her heart had stopped without warning - a cardiac arrest.

In a police recording of his 911 call, her husband, Mike Ginther, can be heard pleading with his wife to hang on.
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Health

US prepares to block influx of GM food


New Scientist
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:51 UTC
After a decade of exporting its genetically modified crops all over the world, the US is preparing to block foreign GM foods from entering the country - if they are deemed to threaten its agriculture, environment or citizens' health, that is.


Comment: If the USDA controls the flow of food, they can better control the masses.


The warning was given to the US Department of Agriculture, which polices agricultural imports, by its own auditor, the Office of Inspector General (OIG): "Unless international developments in transgenic plants and animals are closely monitored, USDA could be unaware of potential threats that particular new transgenic plants or animals might pose to the nation's food supply."

The OIG expects the number of GM crops and traits, and the number of countries producing them, to double by 2015, raising the risks of imports of GM crops unknown to the USDA.
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Magnify

Chromosome 15 Region Linked with Common Form of Epilepsy

Dr. Philippa Brice
PHG Foundation
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:52 UTC
Epilepsy is a neurological condition where individuals are affected by recurrent seizures that correlate with periods of abnormal brain activity. There are various known causes of epilepsy, such as brain damage or a brain tumour, and these are termed symptomatic epilepsy; however, the majority of cases are termed idiopathic epilepsy, having no known root cause. The idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE) account for up to a third of all epilepsies, and epidemiological evidence has suggested that they involve complex genetic contributions (see previous news). Now a new paper in the journal Nature Genetics reports an association between microdeletions in a region on chromosome 15 and IGE.

Previous research has suggested that the 15q13-q14 region of chromosome 15 may be involved in epilepsy; susceptibility loci for common IGE syndromes have been mapped to the region, and deletions have been associated with various neuropsychiatric conditions, including epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia. The authors of this new study tested the 15q13.3 region in two independent groups of individuals with IGE and matched controls. The research project was part of EPICURE, an international collaborative research project to study the genomics and neurobiology of epilepsy, with a view to developing novel therapeutic interventions.
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Family

Autistic traits 'spread widely'


BBC News
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:28 UTC
Autistic boy
© BBCAutism is more often diagnosed in boys
Many children have mild autistic "symptoms" without ever having enough problems to attract specialist attention, say UK researchers.

The Institute of Child Health team says diagnosed children have severe versions of character traits probably shared by millions of others.

The 8,000 child study found even these mild traits could impair development.

Boys - who make up the bulk of autism diagnoses - were most likely to be affected, the US journal study found.

Scientists have understood for some time that the "autistic spectrum" covers a wide range of children with differing levels of problems, from relatively mild cases to severely disabling problems.

Comment: According to the above article the diagnosed children have severe versions of autism. Such cases, or so it seems, represent only the tip of the iceberg. What is usually overlooked, and this article seems to bring it to our attention, is that probably millions of others share the autistic impairments in a much milder form. This widespread of autistic traits may lead to increase of antisocial behaviours in adulthood. We can only speculate what the real impact of the widespread of autistic impairments on the society is and what is their cause, but the aluminum and mercury included in the vaccines seem to have a causal relationship as described here.

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Cow Skull

US: More deaths linked to salmonella outbreak

Lynne Terry
The Oregonian
Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:20 UTC
11 deaths; 500 sick; 200 products recalled

Health agencies around the country have reported more deaths linked to the nationwide salmonella outbreak as more products are recalled and the list of people sickened grows longer.

So far, 11 people with salmonella have died: four in Ohio, three in Minnesota, two in Virginia and one each in Idaho and North Carolina.

Some of them were elderly and had other health issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it cannot confirm that salmonella poisoning was the cause of any of the deaths.

But health authorities have confirmed nearly 500 cases of illness in 43 states and Canada related to the outbreak. The CDC tally stands at 491 today but that doesn't include the two latest cases confirmed in Oregon alone.

Comment: Information Links:

FDA Peanut Butter Recall Page

FDA Product Recall Search Page

Centers for Disease Control Outbreak Page

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Health

Natural Oils Can Be Hydrogenated Without Making Unhealthy Trans Fats


Science Daily
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:10 UTC
To prolong the shelf life of foods, manufacturers often add hydrogen to natural oils, a process called hydrogenation. But hydrogenation also results in the production of trans fats, which have adverse health effects such as raising bad cholesterol and increasing the risk for coronary heart disorders.

Trans fats are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies and snacks. Health authorities worldwide recommend that people reduce their consumption of trans fats.

Now UC Riverside chemists have designed a catalyst - a substance that accelerates a chemical reaction - that allows hydrogenated oils to be made while minimizing the production of trans fats.

In their experiments, the researchers, led by Francisco Zaera, a professor of chemistry, used platinum, a common catalyst for these processes. By controlling the shape of the platinum particles, the Zaera group was able to make the catalyst more selective.
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Arrow Up

Magnesium Sulphate Protects Babies Against Cerebral Palsy, Review Shows


ScienceDaily
Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:11 UTC
Giving pregnant mothers magnesium sulphate when they are at risk of very preterm birth can help protect their babies from cerebral palsy, according to an international review of research involving the University of Adelaide.

The findings of this review - published January 21 on the international research website The Cochrane Library - could help decrease the incidence of this disabling condition, which affects one in 500 newborn babies overall and one in 10 very premature babies (less than 28 weeks gestation).

Magnesium sulphate therapy involves giving doses of magnesium sulphate to pregnant women via injection.
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Magnify

Autistic hacker said to be likely to develop "psychotic disorder"

Lisa Jo Rudy
autism.about.com
Sat, 24 Jan 2009 23:06 UTC
I am intrigued by the case of Gary McKinnon, the Brit who has admitted to extensively hacking the American governmental and military security systems. Today, the Inquirer described a unique proceeding that could have real and significant implications for adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome or other autism spectrum disorders:
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Heart - Black

Flashback 'It's abuse and a life of hell'

Julie Bindel
The Guardian
Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:45 UTC
As a world expert on prostitution, Roger Matthews has met women in the trade who have been stabbed, raped and beaten. He tells Julie Bindel why they must be given help to leave the sex industry for good
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Arrow Up

Lower Your Blood Pressure With Vitamin C


Mercola.com
Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:17 UTC
Vit C
© A.D.A.M.
A study has linked high blood levels of vitamin C with lower blood pressure in young women.

The study involved almost 250 women. They entered the trial when they were 8 to 11 years old, and over a 10-year period, their plasma levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and blood pressure were monitored. Both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings, were found to be inversely associated with ascorbic acid levels.

Previous research had already linked high plasma levels of vitamin C with lower blood pressure among middle-age and older adults.

Sources:

* Reuters December 30, 2008
* Nutrition Journal December 17, 2008; 7:35
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