Health & Wellness
Have you just fallen madly in love? Thus began the announcement I posted on a bulletin board for psychology students on the Stony Brook campus of the State University of New York. I had come to believe that romantic love is a universal human feeling, produced by specific chemicals and networks in the brain. But exactly which ones? Determined to shed some light on this magic, I launched a multipart project in 1996 to collect scientific data on the chemistry and brain circuitry of romantic love.
One third of the U.S. population will develop diverticulosis by age sixty. These are small pockets that can form in the colon and if infected, can lead to a more serious condition called diverticulitis.
Doctor Sapna Syngal, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston says, "Diverticulitis is a real medical condition. It can be serious. It can lead to operations, surgery, colon perforations, even death in rare instances."
Doctor Syngal and her colleagues analyzed data from more than forty-seven thousand men. Data were compiled from questionnaires that monitored what the men ate and their medical condition every two years.
Researchers compared intake of popcorn, nuts and corn with the incidence of diverticulitis.
Doctor Syngal was surprised when the results showed, " there was no association with nut, popcorn or corn intake and the development of diverticulitis or diverticular bleeding."
Doctor Sapna Syngal, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston says, "Diverticulitis is a real medical condition. It can be serious. It can lead to operations, surgery, colon perforations, even death in rare instances."
Doctor Syngal and her colleagues analyzed data from more than forty-seven thousand men. Data were compiled from questionnaires that monitored what the men ate and their medical condition every two years.
Researchers compared intake of popcorn, nuts and corn with the incidence of diverticulitis.
Doctor Syngal was surprised when the results showed, " there was no association with nut, popcorn or corn intake and the development of diverticulitis or diverticular bleeding."
A new study reveals part of the magic behind a diet rich in antioxidants, showing how artichokes, blueberries and pecans can hold at bay the leading cause of age-related blindness in developed countries.
Researchers at Brigham Young University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University discovered a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to a disease called macular degeneration. They found antioxidants disrupt the link and extend the lifetime of irreplaceable photoreceptors and other retinal cells.
"The implication is that people at risk of macular degeneration could help prevent the disease by consuming antioxidants," said Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, a BYU chemist who earned a doctorate from Oxford and began work on this disease as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia.
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| ©Brigham Young University |
Researchers at Brigham Young University and Weill Medical College of Cornell University discovered a link between two processes in the retina that, in combination, contribute to a disease called macular degeneration. They found antioxidants disrupt the link and extend the lifetime of irreplaceable photoreceptors and other retinal cells.
"The implication is that people at risk of macular degeneration could help prevent the disease by consuming antioxidants," said Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, a BYU chemist who earned a doctorate from Oxford and began work on this disease as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia.
While debate continues over the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, a new study indicates traumatic events and PTSD symptoms may be followed in some cases by a size reduction in a part of the brain called the hippocampus.
Though most attention surrounding PTSD focuses on war veterans, the advance by Brigham Young University researchers involved a larger population at risk: abused children.
"The size reduction in the hippocampus seems to occur sometime after the initial exposure to stress or trauma in childhood, strengthening the argument that it has something to do with PTSD itself or the stress exposure," said Dawson Hedges, a BYU neuroscientist and an author on the study.
The study appears in the August issue of the neuroscience journal Hippocampus, providing further evidence of a neurological component for this mental disorder.
Though most attention surrounding PTSD focuses on war veterans, the advance by Brigham Young University researchers involved a larger population at risk: abused children.
"The size reduction in the hippocampus seems to occur sometime after the initial exposure to stress or trauma in childhood, strengthening the argument that it has something to do with PTSD itself or the stress exposure," said Dawson Hedges, a BYU neuroscientist and an author on the study.
The study appears in the August issue of the neuroscience journal Hippocampus, providing further evidence of a neurological component for this mental disorder.
Is sleep essential? Ask that question to a sleep-deprived new parent or a student who has just pulled an "all-nighter," and the answer will be a grouchy, "Of course!"
But to a sleep scientist, the question of what constitutes sleep is so complex that scientists are still trying to define the essential function of something we do every night. A study published this week in PLoS Biology by Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi addresses this pressing question.
The search for the core function of sleep can seem as elusive as the search for the mythological phoenix, says Cirelli, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.
Some scientists argue that sleep is merely a way to impose a quiet, immobile state (rest), and isn't important by itself in mammals and birds. This is the so-called "null hypothesis," and Cirelli and Tononi reject it.
"We don't understand the purpose of sleep, but it must be important because all animals do it," Cirelli says.
But to a sleep scientist, the question of what constitutes sleep is so complex that scientists are still trying to define the essential function of something we do every night. A study published this week in PLoS Biology by Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi addresses this pressing question.
The search for the core function of sleep can seem as elusive as the search for the mythological phoenix, says Cirelli, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison.
Some scientists argue that sleep is merely a way to impose a quiet, immobile state (rest), and isn't important by itself in mammals and birds. This is the so-called "null hypothesis," and Cirelli and Tononi reject it.
"We don't understand the purpose of sleep, but it must be important because all animals do it," Cirelli says.
The rubber hand illusion is more than a vaguely creepy parlor trick. It's a window into relationship between our mental and physical self-conception.
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WASHINGTON - Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Tuesday reported four new deaths in patients taking Byetta, even as the companies tried to shore up the safety profile of their popular diabetes medication.
According to recent research from Tel Hashomer, Israel, "The case reported refers to a patient who developed status epilepticus in the day of her third dose of hepatitis B vaccination and we review the literature on this subject. A 12 year-old girl, without a relevant previous history, taking no drugs, developed a seizure attack followed by unconsciousness, and eventually died after three days of her third dose of hepatitis B (HB) vaccination."
Three regulatory warnings of serious adverse events slowed the growth of use of atypical antipsychotic drugs among elderly patients with dementia, but they did not reduce the overall prescription rate of these drugs, found a research analysis of prescription drug claims data in Ontario.
The rate of use of these drugs actually increased 20% from the month prior to the first warning in September 2002 to the end of the study period in February 2007.
About 70% of people receiving antipsychotic drugs lived in nursing homes, and approximately 40% were aged 85 or older.
Three new atypical antipsychotic drugs approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and other related psychiatric conditions by Health Canada, however only one of them was approved for short term use to treat symptoms of aggression and psychosis in elderly patients with dementia. Between October 2002 and June 2005 Health Canada released three warning of increased risk of stroke or death in elderly patients with dementia taking these drugs.
The rate of use of these drugs actually increased 20% from the month prior to the first warning in September 2002 to the end of the study period in February 2007.
About 70% of people receiving antipsychotic drugs lived in nursing homes, and approximately 40% were aged 85 or older.
Three new atypical antipsychotic drugs approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and other related psychiatric conditions by Health Canada, however only one of them was approved for short term use to treat symptoms of aggression and psychosis in elderly patients with dementia. Between October 2002 and June 2005 Health Canada released three warning of increased risk of stroke or death in elderly patients with dementia taking these drugs.
Palau's public health director says dengue fever has reached epidemic levels, and a reduced budget may make it difficult to combat the debilitating and potentially deadly disease.
