Health & WellnessS


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Children's TV 'is linked to cancer, autism, dementia'


Scotsman
Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:29 UTC
It has long been blamed for creating a nation of couch potatoes. But a new report today claims that Britain's love affair with television is causing far more damage - both physically and psychologically - than previously thought.

The findings have been compiled by Dr Aric Sigman, a psychologist who has previously written about the effects of television on the viewer. His report, analysing 35 different scientific studies carried out into television and its effect on the viewer, has identified 15 negative effects he claims can be blamed on watching television.
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No Entry

Medical Therapy For Restless Legs Syndrome May Trigger Compulsive Gambling


Neurology / Neuroscience News
Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:08 UTC
Compulsive gambling with extreme losses -- in two cases, greater than $100,000 -- by people without a prior history of gambling problems has been linked to a class of drugs commonly used to treat the neurological disorder restless legs syndrome (RLS). A new Mayo Clinic study is the first to describe this compulsive gambling in RLS patients who are being treated with medications that stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain. The Mayo Clinic report appeared in the Jan. 23 issue of "Neurology".
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Bulb

Stem cells used to boost breasts


BBC
Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:06 UTC
Silicon implants
© BBCSilicon implants can be problematical
Scientists in Japan claim to be able to increase the size of a woman's breasts using fat and stem cells.

The technique uses fat from the stomach or thigh which is then enriched with stem cells before being injected.

It is hoped the method could prove a more natural-looking alternative to artificial implants filled with salt water or silicone.

But plastic surgeons working in Britain have greeted news of the technique with "extreme caution."
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USA

CDC tracks peanut butter contamination

Mike Stobbe
Associated Press
Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:14 UTC
Atlanta - Government scientists struggled Thursday to pinpoint the source of the first U.S. salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the kid favorite packed into millions of lunchboxes every day.

Nearly 300 people in 39 states have fallen ill since August, and federal health investigators said they strongly suspect Peter Pan peanut butter and certain batches of Wal-Mart's Great Value house brand - both manufactured by ConAgra Foods Inc.
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Key

Breast milk may fuel babies' future social ambition


Xinhuanet
Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:27 UTC
Breast-fed babies are more likely to have high-octane social ambition than those who are bottle-fed, a research published in UK suggested Wednesday.
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Coffee

Sister of tragic 'size zero' model found dead

Martin Beckford
Telegraph
Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:15 UTC
A model has died of suspected malnutrition just months after the death of her elder sister prompted an international debate on underweight "size zero" models.

Eliana Ramos, 18, who worked for a prestigious Argentine modelling agency, was found dead in her bedroom. Six months ago her sister Luisel suffered a fatal heart attack during a catwalk show, having reportedly eaten nothing but lettuce leaves for three months.

Eliana is also said to have had a heart attack, and local media in Uruguay, south America, linked her death to anorexia. A source involved in the investigation into the teenager's death said: "The primary diagnosis is death due to symptoms of malnutrition."
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Clock

Researchers Publish First Working Model That Explains How Biological Clocks Work

Kim Carlyle
Medical News Today
Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:34 UTC
Science has known for decades that biological clocks govern the behavior of everything from humans to lowly bread mold. These ticking timekeepers hold the key to many diseases, annoy passengers on intercontinental flights and can mean life or death for small creatures trying to survive in nature.

Despite the importance of biological clocks, their mechanisms have remained unclear. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Georgia has produced the first working model that explains how biological clocks work.
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Better Earth

Breastfeeding 'aids class status'


BBC News
Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:24 UTC
Babies who are breastfed are more likely to move up the social ladder as adults, a study has suggested.

The University of Bristol team looked at 1,400 babies born from 1937-1939 and followed their progress for 60 years.

Those who were breastfed were 41% more likely to move up in class than those who were bottle-fed.

Experts said the Archives of Disease in Childhood study supported the idea that breastfeeding led to better long-term outcomes for children.
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Question

Implants era: Inner ear implant may bring balance back

Aria Pearson
New Scientist
Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:16 UTC
People who have lost their sense of balance could one day be fitted with an inner ear implant modelled on the body's own balance organs, say researchers.

Current designs are successful in animals, but two new studies promise a smaller, more accurate device, with a longer battery life - the crucial prerequisites for use in humans.

The sense of balance is controlled by the vestibular portion of the inner ear. It keeps track of the motion and position of the head using three fluid-filled hoops, called semicircular canals. These sit at perpendicular angles to each other. When the head rotates quickly in a certain direction, the fluid in the corresponding hoop pushes against a membrane, bending hair cells that trigger a nerve. The nerve sends the information to the brain which tells the eyes to adjust.
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Heart

Afternoon naps may boost heart health

Roxanne Khamsi
New Scientist
Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:03 UTC
The next health trend might come out of nursery school instead of the gym: A study of nearly 24,000 people found that those who regularly took midday naps were nearly 40% less likely to die from heart disease than non-nappers.

Researchers suggest that siestas might protect the heart by lowering levels of stress hormones.

Dimitrios Trichopoulos at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, US, and colleagues recruited about 24,000 volunteers between the ages of 20 and 86, in Greece, who had no history of heart disease, stroke or cancer. The researchers collected information about the participants' napping habits and followed them for six years, on average.
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