Health & WellnessS


Wine

Mounting evidence shows red wine antioxidant kills cancer


University of Rochester Medical Center
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:01 UTC
Rochester researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell's core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The study is published in the March edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

The study also showed that when the pancreatic cancer cells were doubly assaulted -- pre-treated with the antioxidant, resveratrol, and irradiated -- the combination induced a type of cell death called apoptosis, an important goal of cancer therapy.

The research has many implications for patients, said lead author Paul Okunieff, M.D., chief of Radiation Oncology at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
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People

The Conflict of Reward in Depression


Elsevier
Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:58 UTC
In Love and Death, Woody Allen wrote: "To love is to suffer...To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer." The paradoxical merging of happiness and suffering can be a feature of depression. Biological Psychiatry, on April 1st, is publishing a new study of regional brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging, which may help further our understanding of how happiness and suffering are related in depression.
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Eye 1

Seeing may be believing -- but is it the same as looking?


Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:34 UTC
If you see something, it's because you're looking at it, right? A recently published study examined this question and established that while people do tend to notice objects within their gaze, it is the assumptions they make about their environment that affects their perceptions. This study gives insight into how the brain and the eye work together to interpret everyday observations.

The study "If I saw it, it probably wasn't far from where I was looking," reflects the work of a group of researchers led by E.M. Brenner, PhD of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The article recently appeared in the Journal of Vision, published by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
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Bulb

Too much information? Study shows how ignorance can be influential


University of Southern California
Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:28 UTC
In the current issue of The RAND Journal of Economics, USC researchers provide a challenge to the classic economic model of information manipulation, in which knowing more than anybody else is the key to influence.

Instead, economists Isabelle Brocas and Juan D. Carrillo present a situation - commonly observed in real life - in which all parties have access to the same information, but one party still manages to control public opinion.

For example, a pharmaceutical company such as Merck may be obliged to make public the findings of all studies related to a new drug. Preliminary trials may indicate no short-term side effects, and the company may elect not to perform follow-up trials before releasing the drug on the market.
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Bulb

A link between antidepressants and type 2 diabetes


University of Alberta
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:18 UTC
While analyzing data from Saskatchewan health databases, Lauren Brown, researcher with the U of A's School of Public Health, found people with a history of depression had a 30 per cent increased risk of type 2 Diabetes.

Brown then studied the medical history of 2,400 people who were diagnosed with depression and were taking antidepressants to determine whether there was a clear correlation between that disease and type 2 Diabetes.
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People

Running Words Together: The science behind cross-linguistic psychology


Association for Psychological Science
Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:14 UTC
While communication may be recognized as a universal phenomenon, differences between languages -- ranging from word-order to semantics -- undoubtedly remain as they help to define culture and develop language. Yet, little is understood about similarities and differences in languages around the world and how they affect communication. Recently, however, two studies have emerged that aid in our understanding of cross-linguistic distinctions in language usage.
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No Entry

Fear that freezes the blood in your veins


University of Bonn
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:42 UTC
"The blood froze in my veins" or "My blood curdled" - these common figures of speech can be taken literally, according to the latest studies. Indeed, more literally than some of us would like. For it turns out that intense fear and panic attacks can really make our blood clot and increase the risk of thrombosis or heart attack.

Earlier studies showed that stress and anxiety can influence coagulation. However, they were based almost entirely on questionnaire surveys of healthy subjects. In contrast, the Bonn-based research team around Franziska Geiser (from the Clinic and Policlinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy) and Ursula Harbrecht (from the Institute of Experimental Haematology and Transfusion Medicine) have been the first to conduct a very careful examination of coagulation in patients with anxiety disorders.
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Roses

Why a lack of sleep makes women grumpier than men

Daniel Martin
Daily Mail
Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:49 UTC
If your wife or a woman colleague snarls at you this morning, lack of sleep may be to blame.

Females need far more sleep than men and suffer more mentally and physically if forced to go without it, research suggests.

Lack of sleep can also put them at higher risk of heart disease, depression and psychological problems.
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Magnify

Protein map of human spit created

Julie Steenhuysen
Reuters
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:37 UTC
Chicago - U.S. researchers have identified all 1,116 unique proteins found in human saliva glands, a discovery they said on Tuesday could usher in a wave of convenient, spit-based diagnostic tests that could be done without the need for a single drop of blood.
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Health

Anger problems 'left untreated'


BBC News
Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:20 UTC
People who cannot control their anger have nowhere to turn leading to family breakdown, sickness and mental health problems, a charity has warned. The Mental Health Foundation says anger is often dealt with only after someone has committed an aggressive crime.
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