Three 'types' of human gut bacteria found

The human digestive track, host to an ecosystem teaming with trillions of living bacteria, comes in three variations as distinct as blood groups, according to a new study. These so-called 'enterotypes' are found in populations worldwide and exist independent of race, country of origin, diet, age or state of health, the study's author report.The findings have major implications for detecting and predicting the risk of diseases ranging from intestinal cancers to diabetes to Crohn's disease, a painful inflammation of the bowels, they write.

They also show that certain strains of bacteria - varying in concentration across the three intestinal types - boost the likelihood of obesity, a discovery that could help explain why some people struggle more than others to shed excess weight."The more efficiently the bacteria extract energy from food, the greater the chance that the person has a high BMI," or body-mass index, says co-author Professor Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich, of France's National Agronomy Research Institute."Looking at the genes of the microbiota tells us with much greater precision than looking at the genes of the individual if someone is obese or not," he says. BMI measures deviation from optimal levels of body fat.

Basis for personalised medicine

The study, published in Nature, could also help scientists tailor treatments for certain diseases to the intestinal profile of the patient." The three gut types explain why the uptake of medicines and nutrients vary from person to person," says Jeroen Raes, a researcher at VIB-Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a co-author of the study."This knowledge could form the basis of personalised medicine with treatments and doses determined on the basis of gut type," he says.Some 100 trillion bacteria - up to 1000 different species - live inside our intestines, where they play a crucial role in converting food into energy and protected us from pathogens.

In exchange, our digestive track provides these single-celled guests with food and shelter.This symbiosis is a crucial element of human health, but when disrupted can lead to disorders with consequences ranging from poor digestion to death."Certain species of bacteria can become overly abundant, while others can disappear. It can happen at any point in one's life," says Ehrlich.

Researchers can now aim to design treatments that seek to stimulate "good" bacteria, or inhibit the growth of those that do us harm, in order to re-establish a balance, he says. "We can even imagine one day 'transplanting' the microbiota of a healthy individual into that of a patient suffering from a serious disease," he says.

Forests, tundra or tropical jungles

The three types - called bacteroides, prevotella and ruminococcus - are named for the bacteria that dominate the intestines in each case."Ecosystems have a tendency to evolve toward a stable equilibrium, with certain species becoming dominant while others occupy niches."This also appears to apply to our intestines," says Raes, comparing the microbiota in the human gut to forests, tundra or tropical jungles.
It is still unclear whether a person can switch from one group to another over the course of a lifetime, the researchers say.

The study found that vitamin production also varied sharply among the three gut types.
People in the bacteroides group were better able to generate vitamin C, B2 and B5, while those in the prevotella group showed higher levels of B1 and folic acid.The researchers cautioned that the results, while robust, were based on samples from several hundred people, and that further research is needed to determine if there are additional types of bacterial ecosystems in the gut.

Lower IQ in children linked to banned insecticide

A common household insecticide still having consequences 10 years later

CBC News

Exposure in the womb to a common household insecticide is linked to deficits in IQ and working memory when the child reaches seven years old, a U.S. study has found. Until banned for indoor residential use in the U.S. in 2001, chlorpyrifos was one of the most widely used insecticides for home use. Canada phased it out at around the same time for households but continues to allow it to fight mosquitoes in controlled environments.Researchers from the Columbia Centre for Children's Environmental Health in New York report evidence of a link between prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos and lower scores on two different scales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children at age seven. Virginia Rach, deputy director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, says the banned insecticide could still have implications for school performance. Courtsey of Columbia University.

On average, children who had exposures in the upper 25 per cent of the exposure distribution will score, on average, 5.3 points lower on the test of working memory, and 2.7 points lower on full-scale IQ, as compared to children in the lowest levels of exposure. "Working memory problems may interfere with reading comprehension, learning and academic achievement, even if general intelligence remains in the normal range," said Virginia Rauh, lead author of the study.

The evidence suggests there is no threshold below which exposures are completely safe. Since the ban, exposure to chlorpyrifos has measurably declined.The Columbia researchers had previously reported that, prior to the ban, chlorpyrifos was detected in 100 per cent of personal and indoor air samples, and 70 per cent of umbilical cord blood collected from babies. They also reported that the amount of chlorpyrifos in babies' blood was associated with neurodevelopmental problems at age three.
This is the first study to evaluate the neurotoxicity of prenatal chlorpyrifos at seven years of age.

The study was published online in Environmental Health Perspectives. Two other studies have also found early cognitive and behavioural effects associated with prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos.

'Wikileaks' soldier Bradley Manning moved to new prison

The US soldier accused of leaking a trove of secret government documents later published by the Wikileaks website is to be moved to a military prison in Kansas, officials have said. Pte First Class Bradley Manning has been held pending court martial at a Marine Corps base in Virginia.
His transfer comes amid international concern over his treatment. His supporters say he has been confined to a cell for 23 hours a day and forced regularly to undress.

Last week, UN special rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez said US officials had blocked his requests for unmonitored visits to Pte Manning, in part aimed at determining whether he had been mistreated. Ray McGovern, a member of the Bradley Manning Support Network's Advisory Board, said this was "unprecedented". "What it is, pure and simple, is an intimidation technique, lest any of Bradley Manning's colleagues, any of the other people in the armed forces, be tempted to do what Bradley Manning did, and that was to expose war crimes," he told the BBC World Service.

'Best interest'

At a press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, defence department general counsel Jeh Johnson said Pte Manning would be moved imminently to a pre-trial jail at Fort Leavenworth, in the Mid-western US state of Kansas. Mr Johnson and other military officials said the Fort Leavenworth jail - which was opened in January - was better equipped to handle long-term pre-trial stays than the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia. Among other things, the Fort Leavenworth jail has better mental health support and, should officials permit it, better exercise facilities and more opportunities for interaction with other detainees, officials said. "We have assessed this is in Pte Manning's best interest to move him at this juncture in the case," Mr Johnson said. "All things considered, we concluded that going forward this is the best facility for him."

Mr Johnson said the transfer should not be interpreted as a criticism of Pte Manning's treatment at Quantico, though he acknowledged senior defence officials had been involved in the process.
Resignation
Pte Manning's civilian lawyer David Coombs has said the soldier has been under 24-hour surveillance and has been forced to relinquish his clothing before bedding down for the night, then forced to stand naked at roll call. Defence department general counsel Jeh Johnson: "Fort Leavenworth is the most appropriate facility for Private Manning" Officials have repeatedly denied Pte Manning has been mistreated, although last month a top US state department official, spokesman PJ Crowley, resigned after saying the military's treatment of the Wikileaks suspect was "ridiculous and counterproductive". Pte Manning, an intelligence analyst who joined the US Army in 2007, is suspected of leaking 720,000 diplomatic and military documents, including a database of military records from the Iraq war, Afghan war records, classified diplomatic cables and other materials.

In the past year, Wikileaks has published troves of documents it titled the Iraq War Logs and the Afghan War Diary, and reams of secret US state department cables spanning five decades.Pte Manning has been charged with using unauthorised software on government computers to download classified information and to make intelligence available to "the enemy", and other counts related to leaking intelligence and theft of public records.

He is currently undergoing a mental health evaluation aimed at determining his competence to stand trial, officials have said.

New heart attack jab even more effective than statins

A simple injection given to patients up to 12 hours after a heart attack or stroke could reduce their devastating effects by more than half, a new study claims. Around 200,000 people in Britain die from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, every year
British-based scientists have produced an antibody that reduces by more than 60 per cent the physical scarring of the heart and brain after an attack.
The "milestone achievement" could also be used to stop the body attacking organ transplants.

Professor Wilhelm Schwaeble, who carried out the work at Leicester University, said that it could potentially be the "biggest breakthrough ever" in the treatment of two of the biggest killers in Britain.
Heart attacks and strokes are caused by blood flow being blocked by a clot or a bleed, starving parts of the body further down stream of oxygen. But most of the permanent damage is caused later – when circulation is eventually restored – and a "default of nature" which means the body's own defences attack the oxygen starved cells.

This effect, which kicks in around nine to 12 hours after the attack or stroke, causes massive inflammation and more than 80 per cent of the permanent damage. It is this that often leads to death and massive reduction in the quality of life of stroke and heart attack survivors. Now the researchers at the University of Leicester have come up with an injection which they claim effectively stops the body attacking the oxygen starved cells.

This allows them to start to oxygenate normally and the permanent damage is reduced significantly.
The research has been tested on mice and more advanced mammals and has also been shown to work on human blood in the laboratory.

Human trials are expected to begin within two years. "This is potentially the biggest breakthrough in the treatment of heart attacks and strokes ever," said Prof Wilhelm, an immunologist. "We could not believe what we saw and nor could the cardiologists. What is amazing is that the drug can be given so long after the attack. "Even the slowest ambulance journey in the world is going to get you to hospital within nine hours."

Prof Schwaeble said that the treatment could have even more of an effect than statins, the cholesterol lowering drugs taken by more than two million Britons. Around 200,000 people in Britain die from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, every year. The team first uncovered a key molecule in the process responsible for the immune attack.
After identifying the enzyme – called Mannan Binding Lectin-Associated Serine Protease-2 (MASP-2) – they then developed a antibody to knock it out. The protein – code-named OMS646 – is so effective only two injections in the first week are needed to completely neutralise MASP-2 while the heart heals itself. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
It is anticipated that the first clinical trial will be conducted in the Leicester Biomedical Research Unit, at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.
Most deaths from heart disease are caused by a heart attack. Around 62,000 men and 39,000 women in England suffer a heart attack each year. Stroke causes more than 49,000 deaths in the UK each year. Around 57,000 men and 68,000 women in England suffer a stroke every year. It is estimated nearly 1.2 million people living in the UK have had a stroke - roughly evenly split between men and women

Gene linked to premature births

A gene linked to premature births has been discovered, scientists in the US and Finland have said.
The researchers hope their study, published in PLoS Genetics, could eventually lead to a test for women at risk of a pre-term birth. In the UK, one in 10 babies is born before the 37th week of pregnancy, with potential problems for their health.The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said it would help to identify a percentage of those at risk.The international team of researchers looked to human evolution in their hunt for genes linked to premature births.In comparison to other primates and mammals, humans have relatively large heads and narrow birth canals.

Acceleration
The researchers, at Vanderbilt University, Washington University and the University of Helsinki, believed there must have been an evolutionary pressure to "adapt and shift the time of birth" to produce a smaller baby.

Risks for premature babies

Respiratory distress syndrome
Hypothermia
Low blood glucose
Jaundice
Infection
Retinopathy of prematurity
Necritising enterocolitis
Death

They looked for DNA which showed evidence of "accelerated evolution" - genes which have mutated more in humans than in other primates. They identified 150 genes. The next step was to look for an association with premature births, so the researchers compared those 150 genes in 328 Finnish mothers, some of whom had premature births.A strong association to pre-term births was found in variants of the FSHR - or follicle stimulating hormone receptor - gene.

Follicle stimulating hormone acts on receptors in the ovaries to encourage follicle (a sphere of cells containing an egg) development and production of the hormone oestrogen.
'Greatest risk'
Professor Louis Muglia, from the department of paediatrics at Vanderbilt University, said: "Ideally we'd like to predict which women are at greatest risk for having pre-term birth and be able to prevent it. That would really have an impact on infant mortality and the long-term complications of being born prematurely." Professor Ronald Lamont, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: "I think it's fantastic, it's a good group of well respected people doing this research."

He said the risk of premature birth was likely to be a mix of genetic and environmental factors."In the future we will be able to identify a percentage of people at risk. It won't be the be all and end all, but it will contribute to our knowledge."
In a separate study, a team at Washington State University believe they have identified why eggs are produced which result in miscarriage and birth defects.The research published in Current Biology examines the relationship between eggs and the correct number of chromosomes.

Symptoms of Diabetes

Development of diabetes symptoms


In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to develop rapidly over a couple of weeks, and are more severe. In type 2 diabetes, symptoms develop slowly and are usually milder.
Common symptoms of both types of diabetes are:
•Increased thirst

•Passing water frequently, especially at night

•Tiredness and fatigue

•Loss of weight

•Genital itching or recurrent thrush

In type 1 diabetes, less common symptoms are:
•Cramps

•Constipation

•Blurred vision

•Recurrent skin infections

In type 2 diabetes, symptoms may go unnoticed for years - only when complications of diabetes, such as foot ulceration or blurred vision, occur is diabetes diagnosed. Remember, all the symptoms may not be present. Whenever any of these symptoms arise, it's important to be tested for diabetes.
Diagnosing diabetes

Diabetes may be detected in a routine urine test where excess glucose is present.
A blood test that measures the level of glucose in the blood will confirm whether or not the underlying cause is diabetes.

Over the counter teeth whitening

Vaccine trial for people with Pancreatic cancer in UK

Doctors say that more than a 1000 patients at 53 hospitals around the UK are taking part in a vaccine trial against pancreatic cancer. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is coordinating a trial of a therapeutic cancer vaccine.

Unlike most vaccines which aim to prevent disease, the jab is aimed at treating those already diagnosed with the condition.

Survival rates for pancreatic cancer have barely improved in the past 40 years with patients typically having six months to live after diagnosis.

The aim is to prime the immune system to attack cancer cells. It will be more than a year before the results of the trial are known. Prof John Neoptolemos, Head of School of Cancer Studies at the University of Liverpool.

Manuka honey 'could help fight superbugs'

By Michelle Roberts-Health reporter, BBC News

A combination of topical honey applied to the skin plus antibiotics may beat superbugs
Manuka honey could be used to combat some of the most hard-to-treat infections that are resistant to powerful antibiotics, scientists say.Lab experiments show it can clear bacteria found in festering wounds and contaminated hospital surfaces.
It works by breaking down the defences bacteria use against antibiotics, making it useful in treating superbug infections such as MRSA.The results were presented at a Society for General Microbiology meeting.Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff found a variety of honey from bees foraging on manuka trees in New Zealand proved effective.
Fighting resistance

A specially filtered version of this honey, with impurities removed, is already used in modern licensed wound-care products around the world.“We have been using medical grade honey, not the stuff you buy in shops” Lead researcher Professor Rose Cooper

Indeed, people have known for centuries about honey's antiseptic powers.

The researchers wanted to gain a better understanding of this honey's bacteria-fighting properties and to see if it might help tackle some of the most stubborn infections encountered in our hospitals.
Professor Cooper's work with two common types of bacteria - streptococci and pseudomonads - revealed that manuka honey can deter the attachment of bacteria to tissue, which is an essential step in the initiation of acute infections. Stopping attachment also blocks the formation of biofilms, which can protect bacteria from antibiotics and allow them to cause persistent infections.
Medical grade honey
The latest lab work showed that the honey can make MRSA more sensitive to antibiotics such as oxacillin - effectively reversing antibiotic resistance. Professor Cooper said: "This indicates that existing antibiotics may be more effective against drug-resistant infections if used in combination with manuka honey."What we need to do now is look at more combinations with antibiotics and do some clinical work in patients.

"It could be applied topically to wounds and used in combination with antibiotics to treat resistant infections."
But she warned people not to try the same at home with honey bought from the supermarket. "Not only is it messy, it wouldn't be advisable. We have been using medical grade honey, not the stuff you buy in shops."

Big History- A TED talk

Vaccines and genital warts

The NHS vaccine does not guard against the genital wart virus

The NHS vaccinates teenage girls against cervical cancer with the Cervarix vaccine. It offers good protection, but does not also protect against genital warts.In this week's Scrubbing Up, two sexual health experts argue that if the vaccine used was changed to Gardasil, teenagers would also get protection from genital warts.

Genital warts are just a cosmetic nuisance, right?
You try telling that to somebody who has just discovered a load of unpleasant 'mini-cauliflowers' in the genital area. In our long careers as sexual health consultants we can safely say that the patients who discover genital warts are some of the most distressed and upset patients we have ever met. At 135,000 new and recurrent cases per year, it is the commonest sexually transmitted infection dealt with in our clinics.

Imagine our delight then when in 2007 it was announced that there was a vaccine available for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - the virus responsible for genital warts and the government was considering a national vaccination programme. "It is sad that a golden opportunity to eradicate the commonest sexually transmitted infection in the UK, has been ignored.”

By Dr Colm O'Mahony and Dr Steve Taylor
Sexual Health Experts

Saving money?

Unfortunately, there were two vaccines, one which did not cover the genital warts virus at all - Cervarix - and a second vaccine - Gardasil - which covered the viruses that cause cervical cancer, HPV 16 and 18, but also types six and 11 which cause almost 100% of all genital warts in the UK. We naively thought at the time this was no contest, genital warts cost millions of pounds, as not only do types six and 11 cause warts but they also cause thousands of cervical smears to be classified as abnormal resulting in thousands of visits to GPs, gynaecology departments and sexual health clinics for wart treatments.

The Joint Vaccination Committee recommended HPV vaccination and said that if the vaccines were the same price, Gardasil should be chosen but if Cervarix was considerably cheaper then it might be the option.

The reduction in cervical cancers wouldn't be seen until 2025 whereas in a year of the vaccine programme with Gardasil we would have started to see a reduction in genital warts and started saving millions of pounds not to mention reduction in workload and distressed patients. "In private we have all purchased Gardasil for our own children and advised colleagues to do the same.”
Dr Colm O'Mahony and Dr Steve Taylor

It's extraordinary that we are the only developed country in the world, apart from Holland, to have chosen Cervarix for the national programme. The Republic of Ireland did the maths and chose Gardasil.
Australia, which was first country out of the blocks, had a vaccination programme for young women between the ages of 12-26 and within the year of their Gardasil vaccine programme finishing, were already seeing a 47% reduction in genital wart presentation in young women with a corresponding 17% reduction in young men from herd immunity.

A recent Australian study calculated that the only 'danger to Australia in the future would be unvaccinated backpackers' - Brits.We, as consultants in sexual health, have been told to say nothing publicly that would damage the current vaccine programme as the Cervarix vaccine has already been purchased. We have had to be circumspect in public but in private we have all purchased Gardasil for our own children and advised colleagues to do the same.

'Horse has bolted'

It is sad that a golden opportunity to eradicate the commonest sexually transmitted infection in the UK, has been ignored. This decision will be regretted for many years to come. A small chink of light is the fact that the contract is up for renewal this year. However, this will only now involve 13-year-olds as the horse has already bolted, with all 13 to 18-year-old girls already vaccinated with Cervarix.

Common sense and economics dictate that the decision to change and use Gardasil needs to be made sooner rather than later.There are those that say 'So what, genital warts are a punishment for promiscuous behaviour' - that is callous and unfair - even skin contact is enough to transmit HPV; condoms do not prevent transmission or acquisition of HPV so even young women who try to be careful are at risk from this virus.
In our clinics we can only apologise to any young women we see who has had her full three doses of Cervarix and yet presents in great distress with genital warts. This was a bad decision, let's hope the new government will make a re-assessment, taking all the economic and social factors into consideration and reverse this decision.

Neither author has any financial interest in either Cervarix or Gardasil

WHO warns drugs misuse weakens fight against diseases

MANILA — The World Health Organization (WHO) said the misuse and irrational use of antibiotics has undermined the global fight against tuberculosis and malaria, warning of a possible return to the days before the drugs were developed. An estimated 440,000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis were reported last year in nearly 60 countries across the globe, Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director for Western Pacific area, said in a statement.

"At the same time, other age-old diseases are on the rise with the possibility of no cure," Shin said, calling on WHO's 193 member-states to commit resources and adopt policies to fight the growing problem of drug resistance."Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern not only because it kills, but because it increases health costs and threatens patient care."

The WHO used World Heath Day on Thursday to launch its "Combat Drug Resistance! No action today, no cure tomorrow" policy. Apart from tuberculosis, which it said should have been contained decades ago, the WHO said the fight against malaria was being hampered by the emergence of a strain resistant to the frontline drug, artemisinin. Similarly, treatment for gonorrhea was threatened by growing resistance to the last-line treatment, and the WHO said hospital-acquired superbugs, resistant to major antibiotics, were becoming increasing frequent.In 2001, the WHO developed a global strategy to check antimicrobial resistance, but it said the measures had not been widely implemented.
"While action is needed, commitment, implementation and accountability have lagged behind," the WHO said.

Gene clue to how cancer spreads

By Helen Briggs Health reporter, BBC News
A genetic change that makes lung cancer more likely to spread around the body has been pinpointed by US scientists.The research, published in the journal Nature, could ultimately lead to new medicines to fight secondary tumours.The discovery was made in mice but has been confirmed in human tumour samples.

The researchers found the genetic change while studying mice that are genetically programmed to develop lung tumours.They found reduced activity of the gene - NKX2-1 - in samples from human lung tumours, and found this was associated with higher death rates.Lead author of the paper, Monte Winslow, of the David H Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, said understanding the role of the gene may help scientists develop new drugs.

"The sad reality is that if you could tell a patient whether their cancer has turned down this gene, you would know they will have a worse outcome, but it wouldn't change their treatment," he said. The gene codes for a protein that switches other genes on and off. Cancerous cells which have the gene switched off tend to be more aggressive and more likely to break off from the lungs and spread around the body.Nell Barrie, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK said: "Lung cancer is a huge problem worldwide, and understanding why some lung cancers are more likely to spread is vital for developing better, more personalised treatments.

"Research like this is helping to unravel the genetic 'signatures' of different cancers, and will spark ideas for new ways to tackle the disease."

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world

In the UK, it is the second most-frequently occurring cancer, accounting for one in seven new cases.

Nine out of 10 cases are caused by the effects of tobacco smoking

Treatment may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Source: BBC Health

Melting in Arctic could Change Weather in Europe

New research suggests changes in the Arctic Ocean could affect the climate of coastal Europe."Large regional changes could be in store if the ocean circulation changes," said Laura de Stern of the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.De Stern is the lead author of a major international study on the northern seas released Tuesday.

One of the report's findings is that the Arctic Ocean holds a vast pool of relatively fresh water. Much of it comes from rivers such as Canada's Mackenzie and Russia's Lena.That pool — now larger than 7,500 cubic kilometres — is contained in the Canada Basin off the coast of the Northwest Territories and Yukon by a pattern of wind circulation called the Beaufort Gyre.

Natural phenomenon

But the gyre changes in strength. When it weakens, the fresher water it has kept concentrated in the Arctic is released to filter into the North Atlantic."This is a natural phenomenon," said contributor Mike Steele of the University of Washington."[The gyre] tends to collect it in some years and in other years the gyre will shrink and then it'll sort of release the fresh water."
Recent data suggests that climate change may be increasing the amount of fresh water pouring into the Arctic Ocean.A study by Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute released in March found the upper layers of the northern ocean may already be 20 per cent less salty than they were in the 1990s.

The data points to increasingly larger and fresher releases of water from the Arctic Ocean into the North Atlantic."These Arctic outflow surges can significantly change the densities of marine surface waters in the extreme North Atlantic," said de Stern. "What happens next is hard to predict."
Ocean currents could be affected

Ocean currents, which are driven by differences in temperature and salinity between different pools of sea water, could be affected.Ultimately, one of those currents, a giant undersea conveyor belt that moves warm water from the southern Atlantic north to Greenland and the coasts of Scandinavia and Great Britain, could be weakened.
The report suggests the climate of those countries could cool substantially as a result.Steele warns that those concerns have yet to be backed up by data."It may have influence on the global ocean conveyor belt," he said. "Right now there's kind of a controversy about the importance of this fresh water coming out of the Arctic Ocean."
Scientists hope to get some of the answers later this year when they observe the latest fresh water release.
The question of whether climate change could have an impact on ocean currents has been asked before. Research has so far suggested those currents remain stable.But most climate models predict the currents will weaken by 20 per cent by the end of the century.

Chemical found which 'makes bone marrow repair skin'

The chemical which summons stem cells from bone marrow to the site of a wound has been discovered by scientists in the UK and Japan.The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identified the distress signal - HMGB1.

The authors believe it can be used to put "a megaphone in the system" to improve the treatment of injuries such as burns and leg ulcers.Bone marrow was thought to play a role in repairing damaged skin, but the exact process was unknown.Scientists at Osaka University and King's College London gave mice bone marrow cells that glow green - which can be tracked while moving round the body.They then wounded the mice and some were given skin grafts.
Megaphone medicine
In mice without grafts, very few stem cells travelled to the wound. Those with grafts had many stem cells travelling to the wound.Professor John McGrath, from King's College London, says grafted skin tissue has no blood vessels and therefore no oxygen. He says this environment leads to the release of HMGB1 - or what he called a 'Save Our Skin signal' - which results in stem cells moving to the wound.

He said: "It could have a very big impact on regenerative medicine for treating people with rare genetic illnesses and more common problems such as burns and ulcers."It could potentially revolutionise the management of wound healing."
He envisaged treatments in which a drug similar to HMGB1 would be injected near to a wound.
He said: "It would be like putting a megaphone in the system" bringing stem cells to the injury.
Researchers in Osaka are developing a drug to mimic HMGB1. They hope to begin animal testing by the end of the year and human clinical trials shortly afterwards.

Phil Stephens, professor of Cell Biology at Cardiff University, said: "I think it has potentially big clinical implications, but the key is potential if you can control it. You can't just chuck it on, you need the right amounts at the right time."
"Identifying the mechanism is a really important first step."

The health benefits of saffron

Cancer suppressor

Crocin, Safranal and Picrocrocin from saffron may be involved in anti-cancer activity by inhibiting the growth of human cancer cells.

Anti-Depressant
Saffron tea has been used to treat depression. Ingesting large amounts of the tea and spice has been reported to cause feelings of happiness and joy.

Heart health

Saffron has traditionally been used to improve blood circulation and cure bruises in Chinese medicine. The active ingredient Crocetin may also lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides in the body and help in the treatment of atherosclerosis and arthritis.

Antioxidant Action
Safranal, a constituent of saffron, is a good antioxidant and free radical scavenger.

Eye care

Studies show that saffron improves vision and is an effectual weapon to prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the commonest cause of blindness in the elderly.

20 year study indicates that screening for Prostate Cancer ineffective

Prostate cancer screening does not save lives, according to a 20-year study, published in the British Medical Journal.One in four newly diagnosed cancers in UK men is prostate cancer.
Last year, the body which regulates screening in the UK advised against routine screening.
The UK National Screening Committee said this study provided further evidence that the harms outweigh the benefits.

Prostate cancer kills 10,000 people in the UK every year.While there is no screening programme, men over 50 may still request a test.

Screening

This latest study was carried out in Norrkoping in Sweden. It followed 9,026 men who were in their 50s or 60s in 1987. "The potential harms significantly outweigh the benefits of screening” Dr Anne Mackie

UK National Screening Committee

Nearly 1,500 men were randomly chosen to be screened every three years between 1987 and 1996. The first two tests were performed by digital rectal examination and then by prostate specific antigen testing.
The report concludes: "After 20 years of follow-up, the rate of death from prostate cancer did not differ significantly between men in the screening group and those in the control group." The favoured method of screening is the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.
However, around 15% of men with normal PSA levels will have prostate cancer and two-thirds of men with high levels of PSA do not in fact have prostate cancer. One study has suggested that to prevent one death from prostate cancer you would have to screen 1,410 men and treat 48 of them.

Dr Anne Mackie, programmes director of the UK National Screening Committee, said: "This evidence provides further support for the recommendation the Committee made in November not to screen for prostate cancer at this time. "At the moment the potential harms significantly outweigh the benefits of screening. We will re-assess the evidence for prostate cancer screening against our criteria again in three years, or earlier if new evidence warrants it."

Dr Sarah Cant, head of policy and campaigns for The Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "Whilst this research suggests that screening men for prostate cancer doesn't reduce the number of men dying from the disease, this was a relatively small study and not all the screening rounds used the PSA test, which is the most effective test we have at the moment to indicate prostate problems that might be cancer.

"We know from another larger study that screening using the PSA test can reduce mortality rates.
"However, this previous trial showed that screening can lead to many men undergoing unnecessary treatment for a harmless prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Charity therefore doesn't believe there is enough evidence yet to support a screening programme."

Bacteria common in Packaged Alphalfa and Mung Sprouts

For many, the sprout is the epitome of a healthy food: rich with vitamins, minerals, proteins, not to mention crunchy, tasty and green. But research by CBC's investigative team (I-Team) that included an analysis by a University of British Columbia expert has found high levels of bacteria in packaged sprouts, enough to make consumers turn green.Sprouts, including mung beans and alfalfa sprouts, have become a common food item in grocery stores, salad bars and Asian dishes across Canada.

'It was horrible, and I ended up getting really, really sick throughout the night.'

—Peggy LaLuneFor Peggy LaLune, who made a stirfry for her family last summer, the only difference between hers and the one she served her son was that his did not contain sprouts.Within a few hours, LaLune was doubled over with cramps and stomach pains."It was horrible, and I ended up getting really, really sick throughout the night," she said."I couldn't venture very far from the washroom, and at one point it was so bad that I thought I was going to have to yell to my son to come and get me and take me to the hospital."

According to Health Canada, most sprouts, including alfalfa sprouts, can only be eaten raw. This means they are not exposed to temperatures high enough to kill any possible bacteria.
Fecal contamination

The I-Team asked Kevin Allen, a microbiology professor at the University of British Columbia, to test 44 packages of sprouts from across the country."What we were looking at was whether the produce is dirtier than it should be [and] in some of the cases, we certainly saw this," he said.There was no salmonella but Allen found 93 per cent tested positive for bacteria, and in some cases, high levels of enterococci bacteria, which is an indicator of fecal contamination."They [bacteria found] come from our intestinal tract and we don't want the contents of our intestinal tract on our food," he said.

If ingested, the bacteria aren't generally harmful to healthy people, but for those with weakened immune systems, it could reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics and allow for the spread of disease.Sprouts are particularly susceptible to contaminants because they are grown in moist, warm environments, which are ideal for the rapid growth of bacteria, Allen said, adding that washing them before consuming them likely wouldn't help.

Seeds may become contaminated by animal manure in the field or during storage, and poor hygienic practices in the production of sprouts have also caused some outbreaks of food-borne illness in the past, according to Health Canada."Personally, I don't consume sprouts and I would not feed them to my children, either," Allen said.
But it wasn't just the packages of sprouts that contained the unwelcome, extra contents.
Allen also tested 106 samples of bagged veggies and found 79 per cent of the herbs and 50 per cent of the spinach had similar bacterial contamination.
Thoroughly cooking those products is the best way to kill the bacteria.

Water clean up at Tokyo Reactors is Urgent

Water clear-up 'urgent' at reactor

By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News

At this stage, the announcement by Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) that it will decommission four hobbled nuclear reactors at Fukushima, Japan, is little more than a formality. Their fates were more or less sealed when the company took a decision - a few days into the crisis - to pump seawater into the reactor vessels as a measure to cool them down.The salt water is extremely corrosive to the materials used inside - even without core damage, the vessels would have been written off. Technicians are still working around the clock to cool and stabilise the reactors. This remains the priority for now.

For workers on-site, the high levels of radiation found in waters in the basement of the reactor 2 building - at doses of 1,000 millisieverts per hour - continue to be the major hazard.By way of comparison, the annual maximum dose allowed for nuclear workers is 20 millisieverts.A one-off dose of 1,000 millisieverts would cause radiation sickness such as nausea and decreased white blood cell count, as well as an increased risk of cancer in the long term.

Leak idea

So, according to Tony Roulstone, from Cambridge University's department of engineering, the substantial quantities of contaminated water will have to be pumped away and "immobilised" - perhaps by locking it up in concrete, which would then be stored.But he said workers urgently needed to contain a possible water leak in building 2. Radioactive-contaminated water has almost completely filled a tunnel system leading from the Unit 2 building.The cause is unknown, but Mr Roulstone said it could be coming from the reactor's "torus" - an extension of the reactor's containment vessel where steam from the relief valves is allowed to condense.

"The indications are that either the torus or the pipes connecting it to the dry well containment around the reactor vessel have been breached," Mr Roulstone told BBC News. "It seems the pressure from steam being relieved from the reactor was above its design pressure and that at some stage either that or a hydrogen explosion ruptured the torus or one of the connecting pipes.""Now there seems to be water leaking out and causing these high levels of radioactivity."If engineers cannot identify the precise source of the leak and seal it off, they will have to build a steel or concrete "surrounder" to catch the contaminated water. The water would then be piped away to another site for immobilisation.

Professor Laurence Williams, from the University of Central Lancashire, said contaminated water could also be passed through an ion exchange resin, which would reduce the radioactivity levels of the water.

Long-term outlook
According to unconfirmed press reports, Japanese experts are considering whether to drape the reactor buildings with a fabric to "reduce radiation". This might refer to radioactivity from rods in the spent fuel ponds located at the top of the reactor buildings and to water in the turbine halls. Coverings could also simply be a measure to shield the interiors of the buildings from the weather.

Reactor 1: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas explosion. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor

Reactor 2: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage suspected. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor and adjoining tunnel

Reactor 3: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage possible. Spent fuel pond partly refilled with water after running low. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor

Reactor 4: Reactor shut down prior to quake. Fires and explosion in spent fuel pond; water level partly restored

Reactors 5 & 6: Reactors shut down. Temperature of spent fuel pools now lowered after rising high

Plutonium: Found at five locations in soil - levels said to represent no danger to human health

In the longer term, the nuclear fuel will have to be transported away from the reactor sites and to dry stores elsewhere. If the nuclear incident at Three Mile Island in the US is any guide, de-fuelling and cleaning up the reactors could take 4-5 years. A press report about the use of a sarcophagus - such as that used to enclose the doomed Chernobyl reactor - was wide of the mark, said Mr Roulstone.Some of the nuclear fuel at the Fukushima plant will be intact, but some could be damaged, and this will need to be treated in a different way to the rest. "They will have to think about how they will store that damaged fuel in containers. It will have to be stored for quite a long time," said Mr Roulstone, who spent several years working with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and in industry.
Robots with remote cameras could be deployed to determine the state of the fuel rods.
Mr Roulstone explained: "In the reactor at Three Mile Island, quite a lot of the fuel cladding was melted. Instead of being in the form of ordered vertical rods, it had collected into a mass halfway down the vessel of molten zirconium and uranium fuel. "They had to break that apart and take it away. That scenario is one end of the spectrum, but Three Mile Island showed they could do it."At the other end of the spectrum, the fuel rods may simply have overheated and cracked, allowing fission products such as radioactive iodine and caesium out. But they will not have melted and will therefore be in roughly the same form as they were while the reactor was working.

Mr Roulstone said this latter scenario was compatible with the fission products measured so far, but said this could not be known until inspections were carried out. After the fuel is taken away, workers will need to embark on the process of decontaminating the reactor vessels and the containment facilities.

Infographic- How to sell your house

Source: Mint.com



Provided by Mint.com

Earth Hour Last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30

Earth Hour comes on the last Saturday of March, so for 2011 this means March 26, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.- Please join in!


It was designed to inspire people around the world to conserve energy, but it has often been used as an excuse for an end-of-winter party in climates where winter means snow, ice, weather fatigue and going out like a raging lion or a gentle lamb.
This year, 131 countries and territories are registered to take part in Earth Hour, the most ever.
"It is only through the collective action of business, organizations, individuals, communities and governments that we will be able to affect change on the scale required to address the environmental challenges we face," said Andy Ridley, co-founder and executive director of Earth Hour.

It started five years ago in Sydney, Australia, the brainchild of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). More than two million people participated, resulting in a 10 per cent reduction in demand on Sydney's electrical grid.
It's gone global now, with nearly a billion people expected to take part this Saturday from Australia to Beijing's Forbidden City to the Leaning Tower of Pisa to the great sprawl that is Canada. Yes, the lights will go out on Niagara Falls in Canada and the U.S. The goal is to cut electricity consumption by five per cent for an hour. Sounds great, and makes people feel good, but Bob McDonald of CBC Radio's Quirks says what Earth Hour achieves really is a drop in the bucket.
“According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there needs to be a 50 per cent to 80 per cent reduction in emissions to turn the current warming trend around," McDonald wrote. "That's a long way from a big party held one Saturday night a year.”
Last year, 126 countries participated in Earth Hour, with an estimated 80 to 90 million joining in as the lights went out on landmarks such as Mount Rushmore and the Empire State Building.Results were mixed in Canada last year. Toronto saved 900 megawatt-hours, which meant 8.7 per cent when measured against a typical March Saturday night. The worst result in the world, however, came from Calgary where power consumption actually went up 3.6 per cent during Earth Hour because temperatures had dropped 12 degrees Celsius from the previous Saturday.
This year, the Earth Hour motto from WWF is “Go beyond the hour.”


Easy ways to reduce your energy consumption
Unplug unused appliances, which draw some power even when turned off.
Drive less: a 10 per cent reduction in car use saves about 600 kilograms in C02 emissions a year.
If every Canadian swapped one incandescent bulb for a fluorescent one, Canada would save 1.6 billion kWh and 345,000 tonnes of C02.

Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010

Most of us understand what it is like to have an emotional connection with a cherished possession. How about that ratty rabbit you’ve owned since you were three? The sentimental value attached to this stuffed pet makes even the thought of parting with it painful. But imagine you felt as strongly about every single item in your room, including the magazines from two decades ago and the clothes that no longer fit. Hoarders form intense attachments to even their most trivial possessions—everything seems worth keeping.

In the riveting new read Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, Randy O. Frost, a Smith College psychologist, and Gail Steketee, dean of the Boston University School of Social Work, reveal the world of hoarding disorders. The homes of hardcore hoarders, who represent up to 5 percent of the population, are more trash dumps than living spaces. It is only possible to navigate their interiors using “goat paths,” narrow trails that wind through the mounds of books, old food, clothes, trinkets and containers.

Frost and Steketee explore why hoarders find their compulsive behaviors so pleasurable (hoarding may activate the same reward centers in the brain as addictive drugs such as cocaine do), where the compulsion to hoard originates (at least one study suggests the impulses are imprinted in our genes), and how hoarders live.

To illustrate this pathology, the authors describe several case studies. Meet Pamela, a filmmaker who kept more than 200 cats, until her neighbors and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals intervened. And Daniel, a 50-year-old man who scavenged so many objects from the streets of Manhattan cockroaches stained the walls of his apartment brown with their dung.

The authors argue that hoarders see potential and value in objects most of us do not. In fact, hoarders have exceptional powers of observation and attention to detail that far surpass the average Joe. They notice every hue on the cover of a magazine, every crack in a vase. “When I am trying to decide what to keep, this outdated coupon seems as important as my grandmother’s picture,” says Irene, a librarian whose disorder led to divorce.

Stuff also demonstrates that hoarding disorders can be treated. Over a period of 18 months the authors worked with Irene to change the thoughts and behaviors responsible for the disarray of her home. They helped Irene create an efficient filing system for all her belongings and taught her to remove or hide objects before she could develop superfluous attachments. Eventually Irene and her family began to live in a home that was virtually clutter-free—a kind of freedom they had not known for years.

Gulf spill's effects 'may not be seen for a decade'

By Jason Palmer Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Washington DC

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill "devastated" life on and near the seafloor, a marine scientist has said.
Studies using a submersible found a layer, as much as 10cm thick in places, of dead animals and oil, said Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia.Knocking these animals out of the food chain will, in time, affect species relevant to fisheries.She disputed an assessment by BP's compensation fund that the Gulf of Mexico will recover by the end of 2012.Millions of barrels of oil spewed into the sea after a BP deepwater well ruptured in April 2010.

Assessments of the clean-up effort have focused on the surface oil, but much oil remains at depth

Professor Joye told the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Washington that it may be a decade before the full effects on the Gulf are apparent.She said they concluded the layers had been deposited between June and September 2010 after it was discovered that no sign of sealife from samples taken in May remained.Professor Joye and her colleagues used the Alvin submersible to explore the bottom-most layer of the water around the well head, known as the benthos."The impact on the benthos was devastating," she told BBC News.

"Filter-feeding organisms, invertebrate worms, corals, sea fans - all of those were substantially impacted - and by impacted, I mean essentially killed. "Another critical point is that detrital feeders like sea cucumbers, brittle stars that wander around the bottom, I didn't see a living (sea cucumber) around on any of the wellhead dives. They're typically everywhere, and we saw none."Organisms on the seafloor stimulate the activity of micro-organisms and oxygenate the sediments, two tasks at the bottom of the aquatic food chain that will inevitably have longer-term effects on species nearer the surface - including the ones we eat.

Professor Joye noted that after the Exxon Valdez spill, it took several years before it became clear that the herring industry had been destroyed.As such, she disagrees with the assessment in February, by the administrator of BP's $20bn (£12bn) compensation fund, that the Gulf of Mexico will have recovered from the spill by the end of 2012.

"The Gulf is resilient," she said.

"I do believe that it will recover from this insult, but I don't think it's going to recover fully by 2012.

"I think it's going to be 2012 before we begin to really see the fisheries implications and repercussions from this."

Will religion become extinct?

Religion may become extinct in nine nations, study says
By Jason Palmer

Science and technology reporter, BBC News, Dallas

In the UK, Wales has the highest proportion of religiously "non-affiliated" The study found a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation.

The team's mathematical model attempts to account for the interplay between the number of religious respondents and the social motives behind being one.The result, reported at the American Physical Society meeting in Dallas, US, indicates that religion will all but die out altogether in those countries.
The team took census data stretching back as far as a century from countries in which the census queried religious affiliation: Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.
Nonlinear dynamics is invoked to explain a wide range of physical phenomena in which a number of factors play a part.One of the team, Daniel Abrams of Northwestern University, put forth a similar model in 2003 to put a numerical basis behind the decline of lesser-spoken world languages.At its heart is the competition between speakers of different languages, and the "utility" of speaking one instead of another."The idea is pretty simple," said Richard Wiener of the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, and the University of Arizona."It posits that social groups that have more members are going to be more attractive to join, and it posits that social groups have a social status or utility.
"For example in languages, there can be greater utility or status in speaking Spanish instead of [the dying language] Quechuan in Peru, and similarly there's some kind of status or utility in being a member of a religion or not."Some of the census data the team used date from the 19th century Dr Wiener continued: "In a large number of modern secular democracies, there's been a trend that folk are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion; in the Netherlands the number was 40%, and the highest we saw was in the Czech Republic, where the number was 60%."

The team then applied their nonlinear dynamics model, adjusting parameters for the relative social and utilitarian merits of membership of the "non-religious" category.They found, in a study published online, that those parameters were similar across all the countries studied, suggesting that similar behaviour drives the mathematics in all of them.And in all the countries, the indications were that religion was headed toward extinction.

However, Dr Wiener told the conference that the team was working to update the model with a "network structure" more representative of the one at work in the world."Obviously we don't really believe this is the network structure of a modern society, where each person is influenced equally by all the other people in society," he said.

However, he told BBC News that he thought it was "a suggestive result".

"It's interesting that a fairly simple model captures the data, and if those simple ideas are correct, it suggests where this might be going."Obviously much more complicated things are going on with any one individual, but maybe a lot of that averages out."

Eat your Veggies- Proven to ward off cancer

Cancer fighting foods


Your mother may have been on to something all those years she forced you to eat Brussels sprouts. The much-maligned vegetable, as well as broccoli, cabbage and soy beans, forms the basis for a new kind of diet that may actually prevent cancer and other age-related diseases by impacting how your genes behave.

Research out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham serves as the foundation for the "epigenetic diet." Experts believe the diet can ward off illness by suppressing changes in how genes express themselves that, over time, can cause disease.

Environmental factors, such as what food we eat, are known to affect the epigenome, the cellular material outside the genome that dictates how genes express themselves. While it cannot change a person's DNA, the epigenome can cause genes to express themselves wholly, or only in part, or not at all.

Now, researchers at the UAB have discovered that compounds in certain foods can prevent cancer and other diseases by suppressing those changes in gene expression that lead to illness.

"Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and she was right," said study co-author Trygve Tollefsbol, a biology professor at the UAB. "But now we better understand why she was right -- compounds in many of these foods suppress gene aberrations that over time cause fatal diseases."

For their study, researchers first identified disease-fighting compounds in vegetables in their lab at the UAB's biology department.

They then compiled international studies on dietary compounds that fight disease and compared them with their own research. The results overwhelmingly showed "that many of the dietary compounds that we consume have epigenetic effects that can prevent cancer," Tollefsbol said.

The findings were published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics.

The research led the UAB team to coin the term "epigenetic diet," which includes foods known to inhibit those pesky gene aberrations. In addition to broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and soy beans, the diet includes:

• cauliflower

• kale

• fava beans

• grapes

• green tea

• turmeric

Researchers say the diet can be easily adopted because the foods don't have to be consumed in unreasonable quantities for their compounds to be effective. For example, three cups of green tea per day provides enough polyphenols, which research in mice has shown suppresses the gene that triggers breast cancer. One cup of broccoli per day also provides enough sulforaphane, which studies show reduces the risk of many types of cancer.

It's no secret that a diet high in vegetables, fruit and legumes has a plethora of health benefits, from lower blood pressure and cholesterol to a reduced risk of infections. The epigenetics diet shows that, just as environmental factors such as pollution, smoking, or a poor diet can have a negative impact on how genes express themselves, eating certain healthy foods can have the opposite effect.

"Our review article has drawn everything together from global studies," Tollefsbol said. "And the common theme is that compounds in the epigenetics diet foods can, at the very least, help us lead healthier lives and help our bodies prevent potentially debilitating diseases like breast cancer and Alzheimer's."

New study links masturbation and prostate cancer

by John Casey

Given the bind that many prominent American men have thrust themselves into — think Tiger Woods, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer, et al. — it seems it really is possible to have too much of a good thing. And your prostate gland appears to agree.

According to a new research out of the UK, men who have frequent sex in their twenties and thirties were at a greater risk of developing prostate cancer later in life. What's even more unusual is that researchers showed that young men who masturbated frequently, as opposed to those who have sex frequently with a partner, were at an even greater risk of developing prostate cancer.

The study was led by Dr. Polyxeni Dimitropoulou of the University of Cambridge. She and her colleagues used questionnaires to examine the sexual histories of more than 400 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60, together with more than 400 control subjects.
The men were asked a battery of questions about the sex in their lives, including age of first sexual activity, frequency of masturbation and intercourse, numbers of sexual partners and history of sexually transmitted diseases.
"We were keen to look at the links between sexual activity and younger men as a lot of prostate cancer studies focus on older men as the disease is more prevalent in men over 50," Dimitropoulou said.

Frequent Sex and Hormone Levels

Since prostate cancer is known to be associated with male hormone levels, the researchers used frequency of sex as a proxy. They theorized that a man who had lots of sex when young would have had higher hormone levels driving the urge. Thus, highly sexed men — men who had sex more than 20 times a month, according to the study — should be more prone to prostate cancer.

"Overall we found a significant association between prostate cancer and sexual activity in a man's twenties and between masturbation and prostate cancer in the twenties and thirties," said Dimitropoulou. "However there was no significant association between sexual activity and prostate cancer in a man's forties."

When they crunched the data further, the researchers found that men with prostate cancer later in life had been in the "highest frequency groups in each decade when it came to sexual activity" including both intercourse and masturbation. This was most pronounced in men who "were also more likely to masturbate frequently than men in the control group, with the greatest difference in the twenties and thirties," according to the researchers.

STDs And Cancer Risk

Another interesting link discovered by the researchers is a possible connection between sexually transmitted diseases and raised prostate cancer risk. Although this finding is somewhat controversial, Dimitropoulou said the men in her study who had had STDs earlier in life had a higher incidence of prostate cancer when older.

An interesting recent study by Lorelei Mucci, PhD, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health also showed that men who had been infected with the trichomonas vaginalis parasite, a little-known STD, tended to develop a more aggressive prostate cancer form of the cancer.
Mucci and her colleagues looked at more than 650 men with prostate cancer. They took blood samples from these men to determine whether they had ever been infected by the parasite. Though men who had been infected had no higher risk of developing prostate cancer, those who had been infected developed a more aggressive form of the disease.

Protective Ejaculation

One of the more puzzling aspects of Dimitropoulou's study is the fact that the trends she identified appear to reverse when men have frequent sex in their forties and fifties."A possible explanation for the protective effect that men in their fifties appear to receive from overall sexual activity, and particularly masturbation, is that the release of accumulated toxins during sexual activity reduces the risk of developing cancer in the prostate area," she said. "This theory has, however, not been firmly established and further research is necessary."

Llama antibodies might help treat C. difficile

A unique antibody from a llama could prove to be a key weapon against C. difficile, a nasty infection that is a growing problem in many hospitals throughout North America.Clostridium difficile is a common cause of infectious diarrhea in nursing homes and hospitals and usually occurs in patients who have been taking regular antibiotics for an infection.The antibiotics decrease the normal beneficial bacteria in the gut and allow C. difficile bacteria, which are resistant to most antibiotics, to grow uncontrollably.New research from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council in Ottawa suggests that simple antibodies from the llama can interfere with the disease-causing toxins from the infection.
U of C professor Dr. Kenneth Ng said that discovery moves them a step closer to understanding how to neutralize the toxins and create novel treatments for the disease.Ng estimates that between one and three per cent of patients who enter hospital become infected with the bacteria.

Cholesterol drugs may reduce clots

Drugs which can regulate levels of cholesterol in the blood may also reduce the risk of dangerous clots, say scientists.Blood clots can result in stroke or heart attack.Researchers, writing in the journal Blood, reduced the size and stability of blood clots in mice and said the discovery could lead to new drugs.The British Heart Foundation said it was an exciting discovery which could result in more effective treatments.Around 32,000 people in the UK die after developing a blood clot.
The team at the University of Reading was investigating how clots form and say they were surprised to find that protein, LXR, was involved.LXR is already known to control levels of cholesterol and drug companies have been targeting it for new treatments. The researchers found that drugs which affect LXR reduced the size and stability of growing clots in experiments on mice.Professor Jon Gibbins, from the University of Reading, said: "It's really quite exciting really, it could be quite an important discovery.""While blood clotting is essential to prevent bleeding, inappropriate clotting within the circulation, known as thrombosis, is the trigger for heart attacks and strokes - which kill more people in the UK each year than any other disease.
"This study paves the way for new and more effective medicines to prevent thrombosis."
Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Both anti-clotting and cholesterol lowering drugs are vital in reducing the chance of a heart attack or stroke in high-risk patients, but are not always effective and don't suit all patients because of the risk of side-effects.
"This exciting discovery shows that drugs which lower cholesterol through targeting LXR protein can also reduce harmful blood clotting - potentially opening up paths towards new, more effective treatments."

How to survive a Bear Attack

How to avoid loose skin when losing weight

Considering you don't have an excessive amount of loose skin already it is possible to lose weight and keep your skin firm in the process. The idea is to keep your body well hydrated day in and day out. NEVER EVER let yourself become dehydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and NEVER EVER totally eliminate your carbohydrate intake. From my experience most people who have lost weight too fast by eliminating their carbohydrates ended up with a lot of excess skin afterwards. The whole idea is to lose the weight to get healthier and of course to look better with your clothes ON and with your clothes OFF.


Here are some tips:

1. Follow a well rounded balanced diet such as my insulin response diet located at http://www.tbfinc.com.

2. Follow a full body exercise routine alternating with a split routine every 4 weeks. For example, full body routine 4 weeks, split routine 4 weeks, full body routine 4 weeks, and so on.

3. Considering you don't have stomach ulcers and you are not on blood thinners you should also take ONE TEASPOON of cold artic cod liver oil ONCE PER DAY with your evening meal.

4. Take 1000-1500mg of lecithin per day. Lecithin has been known to increase the elasticity of the skin.

5. Anything you can do to increase circulation will also help. Skin brushing techniques are very good. Do a search on the internet for skin brushing to get all the info you need. Deep massages are also good.

6. Most importantly if you are more than 75 pounds overweight DO NOT try to lose weight too fast. The more you weigh the easier it will be to lose weight on this program so ease into it slowly so you only lose about 3 pounds per week. Doing this will prevent the sagging skin. If you lose weight too fast you will end up with loose skin 90% of the time.

7. Some of my clients have done weekly body wraps with great success but it can get messy. You can do this as an option but it's really not necessary.

As an option you can also take a supplement called collagen.

As I stated above one key to increasing the elasticity of your skin is to keep your body well hydrated. Yes, drinking water will do this. The average person needs at least ½ an ounce of water per pound of body weight. Possibly more depending on the type of exercise you do on a daily basis. The reason why so many people end up with loose skin after losing weight is because they go on low carbohydrate diets that will in turn dehydrate the body. If you lose weight and are dehydrated in the process you will see the scale weight go down but unfortunately most of the weight being lost is nothing more than water weight. If you are losing 2-3 pounds per week you are doing great. If you are losing 4-6 pounds you are pushing the limit. Any more than 6 pounds per week and you are sure to end up with loose skin after losing the weight because chances are you are restricting too many carbohydrates from your diet. Cutting out refined flours/breads and sugars will yield the best results.

Also, instead of getting on the scale every week to measure your progress go more by how your clothes are fitting. I always tell my clients to try on the tightest pair of pants they have and then follow my program for 4 weeks and then try them on again. After 4 weeks those tight fitting pants will be a thing of the past.

Follow all the above and you will see satisfactory results.

Wisdom of Yoda

Diane’s Von Furzenberg’s 10 Rules to Live by (from Elle Magazine)

• Trust yourself. “The secret to feeling attractive, and to being attractive, is the confidence that comes from knowing who you are and what you believe in.”

• Accept the passage of time. “The older you get, the more you should learn to love life and appreciate the beauty that comes with age.”

• Document your days. “Carry a camera and create an inspiring visual diary of your life.”

• Your suitcase symbolizes your life. “The best way to know a woman is to open her luggage. If she knows how to pack well, it means she understands , and cherishes, how to live a simplified life.”

• Fashionable friends. “Choose fashions that make you happy. I hope the clothes I design will become my clients’ best friends. That way, when they open their closets, they will always encounter someone special.”

• Dress your personality. “Always choose styles that also accentuate your personality. Don’t use fashion to try and project a different persona. Authenticity is key.”

• Use your feminine power. “My mother taught me that being a woman is a privilege because the world revolves around us! It is a precious gift, and its power should be used in a subtle and respectful way.”

• Your handbag is your guide. “Before leaving home, check your agenda and organize your bag according to what you have to do that day. Keeping everything in order makes life easier.”

• Indulge yourself. “If you are like me, and don’t want to resort to Botox, book regular massages. I’m sure it helps to keep everything firm and in it’s place!”

• Lead a balanced life. “The best regimen is to keep moving! Never stop working, travelling and seeking adventure. Drink plenty of water, limit alcohol and sugar and get to your yoga class!”

Learning a Word

Dale Carnegie's Insights

Dale Carnegie’s insights

Drugs for heartbeat problem may cut dementia risk

A heart trace or ECG can show up the problem. Treating stroke survivors for a heartbeat problem called atrial fibrillation (AF) might prevent many patients from going on to develop dementia, UK experts believe.
Research into nearly 50,000 patients' records found that AF after a stroke more than doubles the risk of dementia.Doctors say we should now investigate whether more vigorous treatment with drugs to control AF might delay or even prevent dementia.

The work appears in Neurology journal.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance and affects up to 500,000 people in the UK.
Although not usually life-threatening in itself, it does increase the risk of stroke. "These results may help us identify potential treatments that could help delay or even prevent the onset of dementia”
Lead researcher Dr Phyo Kyaw

Blood-thinning drugs and medication to slow the irregular heartbeat are often prescribed to reduce stroke risk.Now experts at the University of East Anglia in the UK believe tighter management of AF might also offer some protection against dementia.They looked at research where people with and without AF were followed up to see how many went on to develop dementia.By analysing 15 separate studies they found that stroke survivors with AF were 2.4 times more likely to develop dementia than stroke survivors who did not have the heart condition. About a quarter of patients with stroke and atrial fibrillation were found to have developed dementia during follow-up. Lead researcher Dr Phyo Kyaw said: "These results may help us identify potential treatments that could help delay or even prevent the onset of dementia. Options could include more rigorous management of cardiovascular risk factors or of AF, particularly in stroke patients."

Rebecca Wood of Alzheimer's Research UK said: "While this paper shows there is a link between atrial fibrillation and dementia, we don't yet know if treating atrial fibrillation will prevent or delay the onset of dementia.

"More research will give us the answers we urgently need."

Are we equals?

Eminem's Prosocial Stand (Rough Language)

Take a Stand- I am not afraid.
No matter what anyone says this man is one amazing poet even if you do not care for his language.

How to use Experts

Foods to increase Dopamine and Norepinephrine

10 Foods That Help To Increase Dopamine And Norepinephrine Naturally!

Apples: A compound found in apples called "quercetin' is an antioxidant that studies have shown may not only help in the prevention of cancer but may also play an important role in the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders. There may be something to that old saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away . . ."

Banana: A banana is a good source of tyrosine. Tyrosine is the amino acid neurons turn into norepinephrine and dopamine. Norepinephrine and dopamine are excitatory neurotransmitters that are important in motivation, alertness, concentration and memory.

Beets: Betaine, an amino acid naturally present in certain vegetables, particularly beetroot (beets), is an antidepressant of the first order. Betaine acts as a stimulant for the production of SAM-e (S-adenoslmethionine). The body cannot do without SAM-e, which it produces. SAM-e is directly related to the production of certain hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is responsible for feelings of well-being and pleasure.

Chicken: Chicken, like eggs, contains complete protein that increases levels of the excitatory neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine. Chicken is also a good source of coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10), which increases the energy generating potential of neurons.

Cheese: Cheese is a well known protein food . . . Protein provides amino acids, which help produce dopamine and norepinephrine.
Cottage Cheese: One of the “must eat” foods on every expert’s list, cottage cheese is recommended as a substitute for other soft cheeses and dairy products. Cottage cheese provides the protein that can help boost mood and energy levels, without some of the fat of hard cheeses.

Eggs: Research from the University of California, Berkeley suggests that people who suffer from depression have low amount of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in their brains. One natural antidepressant is to increase dopamine by eating protein-rich foods. such as eggs for this purpose, because they are versatile and appeal to some people who choose not to eat meat.

Fish: Omega-3 fatty acids are found in seafood, especially mackerel, salmon, striped bass, rainbow trout, halibut, tuna, and sardines. These fatty acids may have many jobs in the body, including a possible role in the production of neurotransmitters. Fish have easily digestible protein, many trace nutrients, high quality essential fatty acids, low cholesterol levels and low saturated fat levels.
French scientists have shown that rats deficient in omega-3 fatty acids had more receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin and a corresponding decrease in dopamine in the frontal cortex.

Watermelon: Watermelon juice is fat free and loaded with vitamins A, B6, and C! Vitamin B6 is used by the body to manufacture neurotransmitters such as serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. Vitamin C also enhances the immune system while protecting the body from free radicals.

Wheat Germ: Wheat Germ is a good source of Phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid found in the brain and blood plasma that can convert in the body to tyrosine, which in turn is used to synthesize dopamine.

A healthly, balanced diet is rich in whole “natural” and unprocessed foods. It is especially high in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, seeds and nuts. Fruits are vegetables are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants that protect the body cells from damaging. They also help raise serotonin levels in the brain.

Beans and legumes are rich in protein and are healthful boosters of both dopamine and norepinephrine. Also, Protein Meat, Milk, Eggs, Cheese, fish and other seafood are very healthy, high-protein, dopamine-and-norepinephrine-booster food.

Body movement and Physical Attraction

Louis G. Tassinary, a Texas A&M professor, and Kerri Johnson, a colleague from NYU, collaborated a few years ago to study the science of physical attraction, and though the findings could be considered elderly in Internet years, they stand strong.


Johnson found that body MOVEMENT plays as significant a role in attractiveness as body shape/symmetry.

"When encountering another human, the first judgment an individual makes concerns the other individual's gender," Johnson said. "The body's shape, specifically the waist-to-hip ratio, has been related to gender identification and to perceived attractiveness, but part of the way we make such judgments is by determining whether the observed individual is behaving in ways consistent with our culture's definitions of beauty and of masculinity/femininity. And part of those cultural definitions involves movement."

Maybe if you look real close you can catch some of his swagger.
Johnson's and Tassinary's study involved more than 700 people who took part in five studies measuring levels of attraction. Three of the five included depictions of people walking, and that's where the ratings starting rising.Women shown walking with a "hip sway" -- an innately feminine trait -- were considered 50 percent hotter to the participants, while the perceived attractiveness of men shown strutting with "swagger" -- a stereotypically masculine move -- more than doubled.

"The current findings bolster our understanding of how and why the body is perceived attractive," Johnson continued. "Body cues bring about the basic social perception of sex and gender, and the compatibility of those basic precepts affects perceived attractiveness."

Cancer rise and sperm quality fall 'due to chemicals'

Sperm quality significantly deteriorated and testicular cancers increased over recent years, a Finnish study says.The study in the International Journal of Andrology looked at men born between 1979 and 1987.The University of Turku research suggests environmental reasons, particularly exposure to industrial chemicals, may be behind both trends.

A UK expert said chemicals may affect the development of male babies.Finnish men were studied as they have previously been shown to have some of the highest sperm counts in the world.But scientists were never sure if this was because of their genetics or because they were exposed to fewer harmful chemicals.
'Danger chemicals'

The researchers looked at three groups of men who reached the age 19 between 1998 and 2006.
Men who were born in the late 1980s had lower sperm counts than those who were born in the beginning of the decade. Total sperm counts were 227m for men born in 1979-81, 202m for those born in 1982-83 and 165m for men born in 1987, respectively. In addition, the researchers observed that there was a higher incidence of testicular cancer in men born around 1980 compared with men born around 1950.

"Scientists have been concerned for some time about the possibility that younger men may be producing less sperm than their fathers and grandfathers did at the same age” Dr Allan Pacey, University of Sheffield

Writing in the journal, the researchers led by Professor Jorma Toppari, said: "These simultaneous and rapidly occurring adverse trends suggest that the underlying causes are environmental and, as such, preventable."Our findings further necessitate the efforts to identify reasons for the adverse trends in reproductive health to make preventive measures possible."Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: "Scientists have been concerned for some time about the possibility that younger men may be producing less sperm than their fathers and grandfathers did at the same age."
But he said methods used to measure sperm have changed significantly over time and have not always been reliable.

Dr Pacey said this study used "very robust laboratory methods".

"The fact that sperm counts have dropped so quickly, and mirrors the increase in the incidence of testicular cancer in Finland, suggests that the effect is probably environmental." He added: "The best working theory we have to explain why sperm counts may be declining is that chemicals from food or the environment are affecting the development of testicles of boys in the womb or in their early years of life.
"However, the effect on their sperm production only becomes apparent when they pass through puberty and eventually try to become fathers. "This inter-generational effect makes it difficult to study but it is clear that more research is needed to identify dangerous chemicals so that we can try remove them from the environment and protect future generations."

The Wisdom of Cultural Elders

Wisdom of Elders

You are Stained Glass

You are like Stained Glass


“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”


~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Ocean – the Five Basic Personality Traits all People Share

The acronym OCEAN stands for the 5 basic personality traits. After all the years of psychological research and in distilling down all the attributes the most robust of the concepts for understanding people’s personalities are: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion/ Introversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism.


The Big Five factors and their constituent traits can be summarized as follows:

• Openness - (inventive / curious vs. cautious / conservative) indicates appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, novel ideas and variety of experiences.

• Conscientiousness - (efficient / organized vs. easy-going / careless). A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for high achievement with a preference for planned rather than spontaneous behaviour.

• Extraversion - (outgoing / energetic vs. shy / withdrawn). Energy, positive emotions, urgency and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others.

• Agreeableness - (friendly / compassionate vs. competitive / outspoken). A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative than suspicious and antagonistic toward others.

• Neuroticism - (sensitive / nervous vs. secure /confident). A tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression or vulnerability.

When scored for individual feedback, these traits are usually presented as percentile scores. For example, an Extroversion rating in the 5th percentile indicates an exceptional need for solitude and quiet. Although these trait clusters are statistical aggregates, exceptions may exist on individual personality profiles. On average, people who register high in Openness intellectually curious, open to emotion, interested in art, and willing to try new things. A particular individual, however, may have a high overall Openness score and be interested in learning and exploring new cultures but have no great interest in art or poetry. Situational influences also exist, as even extroverts may occasionally need time away from people.

If you are curious about where you stand on these dimensions you can take a test online at: http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

There you will get test results of your own like the ones below that will show you were you stand on the dimensions and what that might mean.

I'm a O90-C46-E59-A87-N22 Big Five!!