December 17, 2009

Gum disease linked to diabetes risk
United Press International 12-17-09
NEW YORK, Dec 17, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- More than 90 percent of those with gum disease may be at risk for diabetes, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at New York University Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing researchers suggest people with gum -- periodontal -- disease should be screened for diabetes, possibly while at the dental office.
The study was based on data from 2,923 adult participants enrolled in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted to assess U.S. adult and child health and nutritional status.
Dr. Shiela Strauss of NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing and colleagues, using American Diabetes Association guidelines, found 93 percent of subjects with periodontal disease were at high risk for diabetes.
High blood pressure and having a first-degree relative with diabetes were reported in a significantly greater number of subjects with periodontal disease than in subjects without the disease.
Three in five of those with gum disease reported a dental visit in the past two years, half in the past year and one-third in the past six months, the study says.
"In light of these findings, the dental visit could be a useful opportunity to conduct an initial diabetes screening," Straus says in a statement.

China Focus: China succeeds in developing herbal medication to treat A/H1N1 flu
Xinhua News Agency  12-17-09
BEIJING, Dec 17, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Chinese medical specialists announced Thursday they had developed a Chinese herbal medication to treat the A/H1N1 flu.
Seven months of scientific and clinical studies showed the remedy, called "Jin Hua Qing Gan Fang," was effective in treating A/H1N1 flu patients, said Wang Chen, president of Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital.
"It can shorten patients' fever period and improve their respiratory systems. Doctors have found no negative effects on patients who were treated in this way," he said.
"It is also very cheap, only about a quarter of the cost of Tamiflu," he said at a press conference held by the Beijing Municipal Government.
Tamiflu, a product of Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding, was recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment of the A/H1N1 flu.
"The municipal government has gathered the most outstanding medical experts in the Chinese capital to develop the new medication," Zhao Jing, director of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said at the press conference.
Over the past seven months, more than 120 medical specialists, led by academicians Wang Yongyan and Li Lianda from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, had participated in the research, she said.
The municipal government earmarked 10 million yuan (1.47 million U.S. dollars) for the project, she said.
"Medical experts proved the effectiveness of Jin Hua in treating A/H1N1 flu from both the basic scientific studies and clinical studies," she said.
The basic scientific studies lasted for almost five months and were conducted by experts from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Beijing University of Technology.
"In vivo and in vitro, experiments on mice and rabbits show Jin Hua can bring down a fever and resist the A/H1N1 flu virus," said Huang Luqi, vice president of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
Thursday's Beijing Daily hailed the new herbal medication as the "world's first traditional Chinese medicine to treat the A/H1N1 flu".
Citing medical officials, the paper said "Jin Hua" was picked from among more than 100 classic anti-flu prescriptions based on traditional Chinese herbal medicine.
"Science workers proved its effectiveness through medical experiments on more than 4,000 mice and clinical studies on 410 patients with slight A/H1N1 flu syndrome," it said.
The "Jin Hua" prescription had been adopted in many local traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, it said.
Zhao Jing said 11 hospitals nationwide, including Chaoyang Hospital and Ditan Hospital in Beijing, had conducted clinical studies on "Jin Hua" and gave positive assessments.
"We are applying for patents for 'Jin Hua' both at home and abroad," she said.
"We are further developing the medicine and trying to present it to the whole country and world as soon as possible, thus offering an alternative to treat the A/H1N1 flu," she said.
The Chinese mainland has reported almost 108,000 A/H1N1 flu cases, including 442 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Cris Tunon, senior program management officer at the WHO Representative Office in China, said Thursday the "WHO welcomes the clinical results," as the traditional Chinese medicine offered a low-cost treatment of A/H1N1 flu.

Research on arrhythmia described by R. Sethi and colleagues
NewsRx.com 12-17-09
"Since excessive amounts of catecholamines are known to produce arrhythmias and increase the plasma level of aminochrome, an oxidation product of catecholamines, we tested the hypothesis that antioxidants may reduce the formation of aminochrome and prevent the catecholamine-induced arrhythmias. For this purpose, Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated orally, with vitamin A or vitamin C for 21 days, and their effects on ventricular arrhythmias induced by a bolus dose or cumulative doses of intravenous epinephrine were examined," scientists writing in the journal Cardiovascular Toxicology report (see also Arrhythmia).
"Electrocardiogram recording of these animals revealed that pretreatment with either of these vitamins increased the time of onset and decreased the duration of the epinephrine-induced ventricular arrhythmias. Ventricular fibrillations due to high doses of epinephrine were also prevented by the antioxidant pretreatment. Although pretreatment with either vitamin A or vitamin C did not affect the basal malondialdehyde level in control animals, the increase in malondialdehyde level caused by epinephrine administration was significantly reduced by these agents. The elevated level of plasma aminochrome due to epinephrine was also decreased by vitamins A and C treatments," wrote R. Sethi and colleagues.
The researchers concluded: "The results indicate that antioxidant may prevent catecholamine-induced arrhythmias by reducing the formation of aminochrome and thus may provide a new strategy for the management of stress-related heart disease."
Sethi and colleagues published their study in Cardiovascular Toxicology (Antiarrhythmic Effects of Some Antioxidant Vitamins in Rats Injected with Epinephrine. Cardiovascular Toxicology, 2009;9(4):177-184).
This article was prepared by Drug Law Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Drug Law Weekly via NewsRx.com.

Genetic contribution to obesity smaller than thought: Study
Foodnavigator-usa.com, 16-Dec-2009
The contribution of genetics to the development of obesity is smaller than previously thought, says new research that puts the spotlight firmly back on lifestyle and diet.
Obesity is a complex condition, but the food industry and its products have been targeted as a major culprit by many. The new research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, indicates that genes for body mass index may be responsible for less than one per cent of obesity.
European researchers, led by Ruth Loos from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK, performed a genetic survey of over 20,000 people participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk cohort.
In an accompanying editorial, Claude Bouchard from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said the new findings extend previously understanding on the role of genetics in obesity.
“The obesity epidemic we are facing today unfolded over the past few decades and can clearly not be explained by changes in the frequency of risk alleles,” wrote Bouchard. “It is more likely due to a changing social and physical environment that encourages consumption and discourages expenditure of energy, behaviors that are poorly compatible with the genome that we have inherited.”
Bouchard goes on to say that a key unanswered question is “whether it will ever be possible to take advantage of the advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of obesity to identify the individuals at risk of becoming obese before they gain a large amount of body weight and adiposity”.
Study details
Loos and her co-workers genotyped 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 20,431 people aged between 39 and 79 and their “obesity risk” was calculated. The results showed that the variations had an effect on body mass index (BMI) of only between 0.058 and 0.329 kg/m2, and between 0.094 and 0.866 kg for weight.
While the genetic influences were found to have a cumulative effect, the researchers discovered that “their predictive value for obesity risk is limited”.
“All SNPs combined explained 0.9 per cent of BMI variation,” they wrote.
Independent comment
In the editorial, Bouchard added that the “gains that we are making in our understanding of the genetic architecture of obesity should lead to new and exciting research on the biology and behavior of energy balance regulation.
“There is no better place to start than to identify the true gene associated with each significant SNP instead of being satisfied with the closest positional gene,” he added.
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition January 2010, Volume 91, Pages 184-190
“Cumulative effects and predictive value of common obesity-susceptibility variants identified by genome-wide association studies” Authors: Li S, Zhao JH, Luan J, et al..

Big Pharma paid $500,000 to Chicago psychiatrists who used children as guinea pigs

E. Huff, NaturalNews.com  December 18, 2009

(NaturalNews) A federal lawsuit has been filed against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for its role in paying Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein nearly $500,000 over the course of a decade to conduct research and to promote its anti-psychotic drug, Seroquel. Reinstein is being accused of wrongfully preying on thousands of mentally-ill patients in order to rake in profits for AstraZeneca.

Reinstein has a long history of working with AstraZeneca, receiving regular payments for speeches he would make across the country promoting the drug. AstraZeneca was also paying a for-profit research company, Uptown Research Institute, who in turn was paying Reinstein consulting fees for his services.

Cited in the lawsuit was the fact that Reinstein would continually prescribe roughly double the amount of drugs other psychiatrists would prescribe for the same conditions. When patients would report their pain and suffering due to the tremendous side effects of such drugs and their abnormally high dosages, Reinstein would largely ignore their concerns.

Other accusations include illegitimately prescribing Seroquel for various other conditions, including losing weight, despite the fact that studies show the drug actually causes weight gain. Reinstein was found to have made numerous false claims about Seroquel in promotional material, claims that would result in the destruction of people's lives and health.

When all was said and done, more than 1,000 patients a year received Seroquel prescriptions from Reinstein at a cost of $7.6 million to taxpayers. It is unknown how many billions of dollars AstraZeneca has made from the widespread efforts of Reinstein in promoting the drug nationwide for all those years.

Despite all of his wrongdoings, Reinstein is not even a defendant in the case. AstraZeneca, the perpetrator which funded Reinstein, is the defendant in the lawsuit. While both Reinstein and AstraZeneca appear guilty of unethical and illegal behavior, AstraZeneca is rightfully bearing the brunt as it knowingly continued to fund Reinstein and rake in the profits of his misconduct.

The case brings up an important issue that plagues the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical money trail is never transparent, leading to questionable study results and improper marketing tactics. There is no accountability in the drug sector and this entire segment of the economy seems to be driven by deception and greed. Until people begin to demand restitution, the corruption will continue.

Human Protein Helps Prevent Infection by H1N1 Influenza and Other Viruses

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2009) — Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have identified a naturally occurring human protein that helps prevent infection by H1N1 influenza and other viruses, including West Nile and dengue virus.
A research team led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Stephen J. Elledge and his colleague, Abraham Brass, discovered that human cells respond to infection by the H1N1 influenza virus by ramping up production of proteins that have unexpectedly powerful antiviral effects. In cultured human cells, those proteins, whose functions were previously unknown, block the replication of H1N1 influenza virus, West Nile virus, and dengue virus.
The unexpected discovery could lead to the development of more effective antiviral drugs, including prophylactic drugs that could be used to slow influenza transmission.
The finding, reported December 17, 2009, in an early online article in the journal Cell, is the result of a collaborative effort by researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Yale Medical School, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK.
As with other viruses, the influenza virus has only a few genes of its own, and must commandeer proteins produced by its host cell to complete its life cycle. The current study began when Elledge and his colleagues set out to identify the host proteins that the H1N1 virus needs to enter cells and replicate inside them.
To sift quickly through thousands of proteins, Elledge and his colleagues set up large arrays of cultured human cells, and then used a robotic device to deliver small strands of interfering RNA (siRNA) to each well in the array. Each siRNA strand was designed to block the expression of an individual gene, and thus the production of the corresponding protein. For each such gene/protein "knockdown," the automated devices recorded the effect on H1N1 activity by measuring any change in the presence of viral protein on the surface on infected cells.
Using this high-speed screening method, the researchers soon identified more than 120 genes whose expression is required for H1N1 to infect cells. "But in the process of figuring that out, we found this other class of genes that actually have the opposite effect, so that if you get rid of them, influenza replicates much better," said Elledge, an HHMI investigator at Harvard Medical School.
The virus-fighting genes in question code for three members of the Interferon-Inducible Transmembrane (IFITM) protein family: IFITM1, IFITM2 and IFITM3. First described in 1984, IFITMs were known to be produced at low levels in most cells, and at higher levels in cells exposed to immune-stimulating interferon proteins. But their functions had never been understood.
Elledge and his colleagues began to suspect that they were natural antiviral proteins after the disruption of IFITM3 produced startling increases in H1N1 replication. "The virus replicated five to ten times better when IFITM3 wasn't there," said Elledge. "The viral protein level was higher and it would replicate faster. IFITM3 really stood out in this regard."
Elledge and his colleagues, who included HHMI investigator Erol Fikrig at Yale School of Medicine, found the same results for IFITM3 in other cell types, including human and mouse lung cells, and with different H1N1 strains. Then, instead of knocking down IFITM3 production in cells, they increased it -- and found that it completely blocked H1N1 replication.
"This work shows the power of comprehensive screens to identify cellular proteins that are involved in viral replication," said HHMI investigator Robert A. Lamb, a virologist at Northwestern University who was not involved in the study reported in Cell.
The gene for IFITM3 lies on chromosome 11, next to similar genes for IFITM1 and IFITM2. Although IFITM3 had the strongest and most consistent effects in tests, all three proteins, when overproduced, could block H1N1 and every other tested strain of the "Influenza A" virus type.
To the researchers' surprise, increased production of these proteins also blocked the replication of completely different viruses, including strains of West Nile virus and dengue virus.
The IFITMs were not effective against every virus tested; moreover, Elledge and his colleagues aren't sure precisely what these proteins evolved to do. "They have different levels of activity on their own, so they might be more specific for different types of viruses," Elledge said.
Either way, Elledge is convinced that the IFITMs represent a major part of the body's innate immune response to viruses. He and his colleagues found that most of the protective effects of interferons -- which normally trigger an immune response in the presence of a pathogen and are also used therapeutically to boost the immune system -- are lost when IFITM3 is absent from H1N1-infected cells.
How do IFITM3 and its cousins block viruses? The researchers aren't yet sure, but the first clue is that the proteins sit partly outside a cell's membrane. Based on tests conducted so far, Elledge suspects that the IFITMs cause molecules brought in through the cell membrane -- such as viruses -- to be routed to a disposal area where they are swiftly degraded and rendered harmless.
"That may be why the virus can't get away from these IFITMs -- because they affect a fundamental part of its life cycle," said Elledge.
Such traffic-rerouting might also have a negative impact on normal cell signaling and, Elledge notes, that might explain why IFITMs aren't produced in high amounts all the time. "Making too much of these proteins might not be good for people in the long run, but we don't really know yet," he added.
If it turns out to be safe to expose cells to higher than normal levels of IFITMs for days or weeks at a time, the proteins might become the basis of a broad-spectrum antiviral therapy. "It's possible that you could deliver it directly to the surface of cells, and have protective effects during flu season, for example," Elledge said. IFITMs should have more specific effects than interferon, thus plausibly making them more benign, he added. Interferon-based drugs are used for treatment of cancer and other diseases, but boost many immune-related proteins and cause flu-like symptoms, among other side effects.
Elledge also sees the potential for boosting IFITM levels in animal populations, to control viruses such as influenza that can infect both animals and humans. Manipulating IFITM levels could help, too, in the production of vaccines. The H1N1 vaccine, for example, is based on a weakened form of the virus, and arrived too late to stop the recent epidemic because the virus couldn't be made to grow quickly enough. "If we could just get rid of this gene in virus-producing cells, the virus should grow much faster," Elledge said.
Finally, Elledge noted that in the recent H1N1 epidemic, some infections proved lethal in people who had otherwise seemed healthy. Genetic or other changes that affect IFITM levels could explain some of this increased viral vulnerability, he said: "I think it will be important to figure out how people vary in their abundance of these proteins."
"This work illustrates the important interplay between the cell innate immune response and virus replication," said Lamb. "If IFITM won the war there would not be any influenza virus replication. If influenza didn't induce an innate immune response, influenza would win the war and then the cell (organism) would die."

New Research Proves Western Medicine Remains Clueless about Alzheimer's Disease

David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  December 18, 2009

(NaturalNews) Research is emerging that casts serious doubt on the major hypothesis as to the cause of Alzheimer's disease, raising questions as to whether scientists really understand the disease at all.

The most effective drug currently in use for the treatment of Alzheimer's is not any of the complex drugs developed or used in the United States or in Western Europe, which slow cognitive decline for only about six to nine months. That honor goes to a Russian antihistamine named dimebolin, which reverses the symptoms of Alzheimer's for a full year. Although not currently approved for U.S. use by the FDA, dimebolin is shaking up the Alzheimer's research world.

In a study conducted by researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Vienna, dimebolin was found to drastically improve symptoms at the same time that it led to a drastic increase in the levels of the beta amyloid protein in brain cells, both in cell-based experiments and in the brains of mice. Yet beta amyloids are the very molecules that most Western researchers have, until recently, believed to be the cause of the disease, by forming sticky plaques in the brain that interfere with neural functioning.

"I would say that conventional wisdom in the field ... is that an amyloid benefit would mean amyloid-lowering," researcher Sam Gandy said. "Certainly, up until now, no one has been looking (intentionally) to treat Alzheimer's by raising amyloid levels. [So] it was startling to observe that a compound with an apparently beneficial clinical effect on cognition caused acute elevation of amyloid beta levels in three out of three systems, in two labs."

The pharmaceutical industry has been pouring massive amounts of time and money into drugs capable of lowering amyloid levels directly – efforts that it now seems may do more harm than good. In light of recent findings, some researchers are now suggesting that amyloid plaques might actually function as a toxic waste dump of sorts, sequestering dangerous compounds to defend the brain from further damage. If so, eliminating them might drastically accelerate the progress of dementia.

SF mayor backs radiation labels for cell phones
San Francisco Chronicle, Dec 15 2009
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Mayor Gavin Newsom is endorsing a proposal that would make San Francisco the first city in the country to require radiation labels for cell phones.
The legislation would require cell phone retailers to post radiation levels next to each phone in a font at least as large as the price.
The retailers also would have to inform customers about what the radiation levels mean.
Scientists do not agree on whether radiation from cell phones poses any health hazard.
The federal government has established limits for safe exposure. The Federal Communications Commission says all phones legally sold in the U.S. are safe.
Newsom spokesman Joe Arellano says a bill to enact the rules likely will go before the Board of Supervisors within the next few months.

Christmas Cholesterol Epiphany: 'Myrrh' May Have Cholesterol-Lowering Properties

ScienceDaily (Dec. 17, 2009) — Laboratory experiments suggest that the resin of certain trees of the Middle East, known commonly as the "myrrh" of the Christmas story, may have cholesterol-lowering properties. Research published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health discusses the hypocholesterolemic effects of myrrh and other plant products.
Myrrh is a rust-coloured resin obtained from several species of Commiphora and Balsamodendron tree, native to the Middle East and Ethiopia. It is perhaps best known as one of the gifts of the Magi offered to the infant Jesus, along with gold and frankincense. At the time, myrrh was revered as an embalming ointment and is also an ingredient in incense.
Nadia Saleh Al-Amoudi of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, at the King Abd Al-Aziz University, in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, explains that myrrh is known to have medicinal properties, including antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
Al-Amoudi also points out that myrrh has been used in a wide range of traditional remedies over the centuries as a mouthwash, for treating sore threats, bronchial congestion, as well as an antiseptic astringent, for soothing cuts and burns, and for various other less well-convincing purposes, such as calming emotions.
"Of all nutrients, fat is implicated most often as a contributing factor to disease," explains Al-Amoudi. Excess fat in the diet contributes to obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and atherosclerosis. So the change that most people should make in their diets is to limit their intake of total fat and so cholesterol, especially as hypercholesterolemia leads to deposits on the inside of arteries, she says. However, certain herbal remedies are thought to help reduce cholesterol levels.
Al-Amoudi has now investigated the potential of myrrh together with other plant materials to see whether they have any demonstrable hypocholesterolemic effect. Esparto grass leaves, halfa, fenugreek seed powder, myrrh resin (from Commiphara myrrh) and various blends of each were tested on laboratory rodents with high cholesterol. She fed the animals various combinations of the plants as part of their normal daily diet and measured blood concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein), together with TG (triglycerides). She also recorded HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
The concentrations of LDL (known colloquially as "bad cholesterol"), VLDL, and TG all decreased on this diet, while the HDL levels, so-called "good cholesterol" fell.

Leafy veggies, coloured fruits boost vision

Times of India 18 December 2009
Carotenoids, found in green leafy vegetables and colored fruits, boost visual performance and may prevent age-related eye diseases, says a new study.

The study has been published in the Journal of Food Science , published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

To reach the conclusion, authors from the University of Georgia compiled the results of multiple studies on the effects of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin on visual performance. These carotenoids play an important role in human vision, including a positive impact on the retina.

After reviewing the various studies, the authors concluded that macular pigments, such as lutein and zeaxanthin do have an effect on visual performance. Lutein and zeaxanthin can reduce disability and discomfort from glare, enhance contrast, and reduce photostress recovery times. They can also reduce glare from light absorption and increase the visual range.

Lead author Dr. Billy R. Hammond Jr. noted that the research of the effects of lutein and zeazanthin are important because “it is clear that they could potentially improve vision through biological means. For example, a study conducted in 2008 suggests that the pigments protect the retina and lens and perhaps even help prevent age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataract.”

Anaesthesia can give you ‘sexual hallucinations’

Times of India  17 December 2009
A researcher from Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) has raised concerns over the increasing number of patients complaining "sexual hallucinations" while under the influence of sedating drugs.

Professor Barry Baker said it was common for patients to experience an erotic dream while under the influence of anaesthesia.

However, it could lead to complaints of sexual assault among those patients who were unable to differentiate the dream from reality.

"There have been some studies which have shown that up to 50 per cent of people who are sedated, or lightly anaesthetised, will have a sexual dream," The Australian quoted Baker as saying.

"If one person thinks they are anaesthetised it’s a dream, if another person thinks they are wide awake and it’s really happening then it’s a hallucination," he added.

Baker said the increase could be linked to a rising use of sedation, as patients are deliberately asking for it before undergoing routine but otherwise uncomfortable or embarrassing medical procedures.

He said the increase in complaints was not - so far - linked to actual sexual assaults on patients.

"As far as I know there is no epidemic of sexual assault, far from it," Baker said.

"This is a sexual event that somebody believes happened to them in hospital and its not just about surgery, it can happen in the emergency ward or intensive care or anywhere a patient is sedated.

"It’s a big issue for anaesthetists but they are not the most common people that are accused (and) if you go back over time the greatest number of people accused of some impropriety are dentists," he added.

Baker raised his concerns in a paper published in ANZCA’s quarterly publication , the ANZCA Bulletin .

Feeling old and blue? Green tea may help
Last Updated: 2009-12-18 9:00:21 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly men and women who sip on several cups of green tea a day may be less likely to have the blues, hint findings of a study from Japan.
Dr. Kaijun Niu, at Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering in Sendai, and colleagues found men and women aged 70 and older who drank four or more, versus one or fewer, cups of green tea daily were 44 percent less likely to have symptoms of depression.
Several prior studies have linked green tea consumption to reduced levels of psychological distress. This led Niu and colleagues to look at associations between drinking green tea and symptoms of depression in 1,058 relatively healthy elderly individuals.
About 34 percent of the men and 39 percent of the women had symptoms of depression, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. These symptoms were severe in about 20 percent of the men and in about 24 percent of the women.
Overall, 488 participants said they drank four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed two to three cups daily and the remaining 286 reported having one or fewer cups daily.
According to the investigators, the apparent protective effect of greater green tea consumption on symptoms of depression did not fade after they factored in social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems, use of antidepressant medications, smoking, and physical activity.
By contrast, there was no association between consumption of black or oolong tea, or coffee, and lower symptoms of depression.
A green tea component, the amino acid theanine, which is thought to have a tranquilizing effect on the brain, may explain the "potentially beneficial effect" shown in the current study, Niu noted in an email to Reuters Health.
However, further studies are necessary to confirm whether greater green tea intake actually has antidepressant effects. Therefore, Niu shied away from recommending greater green tea intake to minimize depression among the elderly.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2009

Antioxidants decrease colorectal polyp recurrence
Life Extensions, December 16, 2009
At a presentation at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference held in Houston December 6-9, 2009 Luigina Bonelli, MD reported that a combination of antioxidants consumed daily over a 5 year period reduced the risk of recurring colorectal adenomas (polyps) in subjects who had already had one or more adenomas removed during colonoscopy. While most adenomas never become cancerous, detection and removal of polyps is one of the most effective means to prevent the development of colorectal cancer.
The study enrolled 411 participants aged 25 to 75 who did not have cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. Subjects were randomized to receive a daily placebo or a supplement containing 6000 international units vitamin A, 180 milligrams vitamin C, 30 milligrams vitamin E, 200 micrograms selenium and 30 milligrams zinc. Colonoscopy was repeated one, three and five years after the beginning of the study, and according to current guidelines thereafter over follow-up.
Of 311 participants for whom follow-up information was available in June of this year, adenomas recurred in 98 and 2 subjects had invasive cancer. The risk of adenoma recurrence was 41 percent lower for those who received the antioxidant supplement than those who received a placebo. Among those in whom advanced adenomas were originally detected, there was a 10 times lower risk of advanced adenoma recurrence compared with the placebo group.
"Our study is the first intervention trial specifically designed to evaluate the efficacy of the selenium-based antioxidant compound on the risk of developing metachronous adenomas," noted Dr Bonelli, who is the head of the unit of secondary prevention and screening at Italy’s National Institute for Cancer Research. "It is noteworthy that the benefit observed after the conclusion of the trial persisted through 13 years of follow up."
An investigation of genetic alterations that could account for the study’s findings is currently underway.
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_12.htm#Antioxidants-decrease-colorectal-polyp-recurrence

New Study Reveals Pistachios Have Anti-Inflammatory Properties
PR Newswire  12-16-09
FRESNO, Calif., Dec 16, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- New research published online, December 10, 2009 indicates that bioactive compounds in pistachios, and molecules present in pistachios, have anti-inflammatory properties.
Pistachio oil decreases levels of an inflammatory marker known as "Ifit-2" (INF-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 2). Inflammation is a complex biological response to harmful stimuli, pathogens, damaged cells or irritants, and it underlies functional changes associated with many chronic diseases, such as obesity and cancer.
"These findings are very important in that they provide new insights about the protective effects that pistachios have on cardiovascular disease," notes Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State. "The finding that pistachios decrease inflammation, a newly discovered risk factor, for cardiovascular disease as well as other diseases is further support for the key nutrition message about including pistachios in a healthy diet for chronic disease risk reduction."
The study, published this month in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, also found that pistachio oil significantly affects genes involved in immune response, defense response to bacteria and gene silencing.
The Western Pistachio Association has long known that, when incorporated into a daily diet, pistachios have a beneficial effect on lipid and lipoprotein profiles. Nuts are nutrient dense--providing protein, fiber, micronutrients, plant sterols, gamma-tocopherol and other phytochemical compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic compounds. They contain only 1.5 g of saturated fat, and are naturally cholesterol free. As a result, pistachios can be included in diets recommended to help decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Until now, little has been known about pistachios and pistachio oils' anti-inflammatory properties," said Dr. Constance Geiger, nutrition expert for the Western Pistachio Association (WPA) and its nutrition education Web site TheGreenNut.org. "This new research both supports and strengthens pistachios' standing as a food that offers important health benefits, especially for helping to reduce the risk of heart disease."
A mouse macrophage cell line--a line of large white blood cells that ingest foreign particles and infectious microorganisms--was treated with pistachio oil, and numerous DNA experiments were performed to evaluate gene expression.
Researchers found that pistachio oil significantly affected genes involved in immune response, defense response to bacteria, and gene silencing. In particular, Ifit-2 was the marker (or genetic indicator) most dramatically reduced--thus, determined to be sensitive to pistachio and bioactive molecules present in pistachios.
The research article referenced in this press release is titled, "Effect of pistachio oil on gene expression in IFN-induced protein with tetratricopeptide repeats 2: A biomarker of inflammatory response." It is coauthored by Jun Zhang, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Jerry T. Thompson, and John P. Vanden Heuvel.
Pistachios Facts
Pistachios are a naturally cholesterol-free snack that contains just 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 13 grams of fat, the majority of which comes from monounsaturated fat. A one-ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts, which is more nuts per serving than any other snack nut. One serving of pistachios has as much potassium (300mg, 8%) as an orange (250mg, 7%), making it a nutritious snack choice or ingredient to incorporate into daily diets.
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=9140&Section=Nutrition

Antidepressants may have risks after menopause
Last Updated: 2009-12-16 16:00:27 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older women who take an antidepressant seem to have a small but noteworthy increased risk of stroke and death compared to older women not on an antidepressant medication, a new study shows.
But given that depression itself is a well-established risk factor for early death, heart disease and other ills, the study's author told Reuters Health, women who need to take these medications shouldn't see the new findings as a reason to quit.
"Women should not stop taking the medications based on this one study," Dr. Jordan W. Smoller of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said in an interview. "What our study does is give patients and doctors a little bit more information about the risk-benefit calculation for older women."
Antidepressant use in the US has more than quintupled since the early 1990s, Smoller and his colleagues note in their report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
So-called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac and Zoloft are now the first-line treatment for most patients, having replaced older medications called tricyclic antidepressants that may harm the heart.
But little is known about how SSRIs affect heart health, especially in postmenopausal women, who are at increased risk for both heart disease and depression.
To investigate, Smoller and his team looked at 136,293 women participating in the Women's Health Initiative, an ongoing investigation of women's health after menopause. None of the women were taking antidepressants at the study's outset.
During follow-up, which lasted about six years, 5,496 of the study participants started taking antidepressants. While there was no association between antidepressant use and heart disease, the researchers did find that women taking SSRIs had a 45 percent increase in risk of stroke and a 32 percent increase in risk of dying from any cause during follow up, compared with nonusers. Use of older tricyclic antidepressants wasn't linked to stroke, but it did increase by 67 percent the risk of death during follow up.
It's important to remember, Smoller said, that these numbers represent "relative risk." The actual risk of stroke or death for women taking the medications was higher than for women who weren't using them, but it was still quite small.
For example, he explained, during a given year 0.8 percent of the women not using antidepressants would die, compared to 1.2 percent to 1.4 percent of the women taking the medications. And while 0.3 percent of women who weren't taking SSRIs would have had a stroke in a typical year, 0.42 percent of women using SSRIs would suffer a stroke annually.
Another limitation to the findings, Smoller added, is that the effect observed with antidepressants could have been related to the fact that women who used the medications had other risk factors that couldn't be completely accounted for -- like being depressed.
The increased risk of death and stroke associated with depression itself, he added, is similar to that seen with the antidepressants used in the study.
No matter what, the researcher said, the relationship between antidepressants and death must be investigated further. "More than 10 percent of Americans are taking antidepressants," he said. "It's an important category of medication for us to understand better."
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, December 14/28, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/16/eline/links/20091216elin007.html

U.S. study: 1 in 5 lost health insurance in past year
Last Updated: 2009-12-16 13:33:16 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population -- or almost 60 million people -- went without health insurance at some point since January 2008, according to government estimates released on Wednesday.
The analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes as Democratic senators wrestle to pass their version of health reform legislation before the end of the year to help make good on President Barack Obama's top domestic goal of overhauling the nation's $2.5 trillion healthcare system.
Much of the focus so far has been on how to expand access to health insurance in a nation where coverage is closely tied to employment but 10 percent of the work force in unemployed. More than 45 million people are uninsured.
While the CDC's findings largely backed that figure, they also found 58.4 million lacked coverage at some point in the year prior to the survey, while 31.9 million -- or nearly 11 percent -- did not have insurance for more than a year.
Two-thirds of those who did not have coverage for at least part of the time were unemployed working-age adults. Those most likely to lack health coverage were Hispanics, men and young adults ages 18 to 24, the CDC found.
The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics analyzed data on 32,694 people who responded from January through June 2009 as part of an ongoing survey.
At a time when much of the debate on the Senate bill has focused on its inclusion of a government-run "public option" insurance plan, the CDC found 20 percent of children and adults age 64 or younger are already covered by government health programs. Democrats plan to strip the public option before the full Senate votes.
The Medicaid program helps cover many of the poor, including children. Youth can also get care under the Children Health Insurance Program, which was extended by lawmakers earlier this year. Younger people with disabilities could also be covered under Medicare, which covers those age 65 or older.
One bright spot in the report: more children received health coverage, largely through the government.
The number of children enrolled in government health insurance programs also rose from 34.2 percent in 2008 to 37.4 percent in the first half of 2009, according to the study.
Overall, 8.2 percent of children still lack health care coverage, it found.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/16/eline/links/20091216elin009.html

Sea of science deepens for fish heart benefits

Nutraingredients.com, 16-Dec-2009

Moderate consumption of oily fish may reduce the risk of developing dysfunction in the heart muscle by 50 per cent, says a new study.
A study with almost 500 people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were found to have reduced risks of developing left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) if they consumed moderate amounts of fish, according to findings published in theJournal of Food Science.
“We revealed a dose-response association between fish consumption and the likelihood of developing left ventricular systolic dysfunction after an ACS,” wrote the researchers from the University of Athens.
“In particular, fish consumption of 1 to 2 times per week was independently associated with a considerable reduction of the odds of developing LVSD.”
The heart health benefits of consuming oily fish, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain, are well-documented, being first reported in the early 1970s by Jorn Dyerberg and his co-workers in The Lancet and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. To date, the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been linked to improvements in blood lipid levels, a reduced tendency of thrombosis, blood pressure and heart rate improvements, and improved vascular function.
Omega-3 fatty acids, most notably DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), have been linked to a wide-range of health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and certain cancers, good development of a baby during pregnancy, joint health, and improved behaviour and mood.
“Intervention studies have shown that an average daily intake of 0.9 g omega-3 fatty acids, which resembles an intake of 40 to 60 g fish, has no impact on classical coronary heart disease risk factors,” wrote the Athens-based researchers.
“It could be speculated that in our study, the beneficial effect of a mixed type fish intake was observed when the average intake was approximately 20 g per day,” they added.
Study details
The researchers recruited 934 people with ACS and followed them for three years. During the course of the study, 437 people developed LVSD, they said.
Dietary habits were assessed using a food-frequency questionnaire, with the results showing that moderate fish consumption, defined as , was associated with 53 per cent reduction in the risk of developing LVSD compared to no/rare consumption of fish.
In addition, moderate fish consumption was associated with a lower inhibition of the nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme which produces nitric oxide – a potent vasodilator that relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow.
“Moderate fish consumption seems to offer significant protection against the development of systolic dysfunction in post ACS patients, merely attributed to its beneficial effect on oxidation process and endothelial function,” concluded the researchers.
Source: Journal of Food Science "Moderate Fish Consumption is Associated with Lower Likelihood of Developing Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients" Authors: C.-M. Kastorini, C. Chrysohoou, P. Aggelopoulos, D. Panagiotakos, C. Pitsavos, C. Stefanadis
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Sea-of-science-deepens-for-fish-heart-benefits

New research: long-term physical activity slows aging on the cellular level
S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  December 17, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Telomeres, regions of DNA which protect the ends of chromosomes from destruction, have made big news in 2009. In fact, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded this year to researchers who investigated the nature of telomeres. Why all the interest? It appears telomeres hold the key to why we age because when a cell becomes old and dies, it's due to the shortening of chromosomal telomeres. So, if you could keep the length of telomeres from changing, that might literally halt aging. And now comes research showing there is a natural way to impact telomeres and produce an anti-aging effect -- long-term physical activity.

According to research just reported in the journal Circulation, intensive exercise can prevent a shortening of telomeres. That, the scientists found, results in a protective effect against aging on a cellular level and could be especially important in keeping the cardiovascular system healthy. So, while you can slather on expensive creams and opt for plastic surgery, if you want to actually slow down aging, your best bet is to get moving and exercise regularly. 

A research team from Saarland University in Homburg, Germany, measured the length of telomeres in blood samples from a group of 32 professional runners with an average age of 20 who were on the German National Team of Track and Field. The young men regularly trained by running about 73 kilometers (km) -- a little over 45 miles -- each week. The scientists also measured the length of telomeres from the blood of middle-aged athletes(average age 51) who had participated in continuous endurance exercise since their youth and who ran about 80 km, or almost 50 miles, per week. These findings were then compared to the telomere lengths found in a group of healthy non-smokers, matched for age with the athletes, who didn't exercise regularly.

The results? The scientists discovered that long-term exercise training activated an enzyme known as telomerase which reduces telomere shortening in human leukocytes (white blood cells). Telomere loss was found to be far lower in the older, master athletes who had been exercising for decades. Bottom line: the rate of telomere loss that is assumed to be normal as we grow older and that leads to the physical signs of aging can, in fact, be dramatically slowed through long term, vigorous exercise.

"This is direct evidence of an anti-aging effect of physical exercise. Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system, reflecting this molecular principle," Ulrich Laufs, M.D., the study's lead author and professor of clinical and experimental medicine in the department of internal medicine at Saarland University, said in a statement to the media. "The most significant finding of this study is that physical exercise of the professional athletes leads to activation of the important enzyme telomerase and stabilizes the telomere."

What's more, previous animal studies by Dr. Laufs and colleagues have shown that exercise exerts effects on proteins that not only stabilize telomeres but also protect cells from deterioration and programmed cell death. "Our data improves the molecular understanding of the protective effects of exercise on the vessel wall and underlines the potency of physical training in reducing the impact of age-related disease," Dr. Laufs concluded. 
http://www.naturalnews.com/027755_telomeres_anti-aging.html

Cement Factories Release Huge Quantities of Toxic Mercury Into the Air
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  December 17, 2009 

(NaturalNews) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is targeting cement plants in California as a major source of mercury and other toxic emissions.

The agency has issued new proposed regulations for Portland cement kilns that it says would reduce the cement industry's mercury emissions by between 81 and 93 percent. Because a total of 90 percent of all airborne mercury emissions in California come from these kilns, the rule would have a significant and immediate impact on air quality in the state.

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is particularly dangerous to children and pregnant women.

"This regulation will help all Californians breathe easier, particularly the dozens of California communities neighboring cement kilns," said Riverside high school student and American Lung Association representative Otana Jakpor, testifying before the EPA on the proposed rule. "It will reduce hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic chemicals that harm young people. And it will do so with technology that already exists. ... As a young person who lives in an area with some of the worst air pollution in the country, I feel especially passionate about this."

The toxic emissions in the cement industry come primarily from the burning of coal, petroleum coke or even industrial waste to produce the energy that powers the manufacturing process.

"We think of California as not having coal-fired power plants, but we really do," said Miriam Rotkin-Ellman of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "We have these cement kilns that basically operate as small coal-fired power plants, and some of them aren't so small."

Mercury and other toxic substances are also emitted from the raw materials that go into cement, and are produced as byproducts.

California is the country's largest cement producer. The EPA estimates that the proposed rule could save hundreds of lives every year.

The agency will accept public comments about the rule through Sept. 4.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027753_cement_mercury.html

Journalists exaggerate claims of pharmaceuticals, misreport risks
E. Huff, NaturalNews.com  December 16, 2009 

(NaturalNwes) Doctors and researchers are beginning to question the outlandish claims being made by the media in response to alleged breakthroughs in cancer research. In an editorial published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), several doctors expressed concern that news pieces fail to accurately reflect the truth concerning drugs and scientific studies.

Drs. Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin from the Center for Medicine and the Media at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in New Hampshire, along with Dr. Barnett Kramer from JNCI, examined media claims about a new anti-cancer drug called olaparib that was reported on in the acclaimed New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Though the study was uncontrolled and preliminary, some sources were claiming it as the most important cancer breakthrough in ten years.

Another report exaggerated study findings concerning alcohol and cancer risk. In response to a study that showed a two-percent increase in breast cancer risk from drinking one alcoholic beverage a day versus not drinking at all, one media source produced a headline that said, "A drink a day raises a women's risk of cancer", with no mention of the important details in the article. Perhaps a simple oversight, the coverage failed to accurately assess the truth and may have needlessly scared readers concerning alcohol consumption.

Coverage concerning pharmaceutical drugs is often the most inaccurate. Aside from the fact that many drug studies are corrupted from the start because of who is bankrolling them, negative findings are often omitted from the results while miniscule benefits are highlighted as breakthroughs. The intensity and rate of severe negative side effects from pharmaceutical drugs is routinely left out of mainstream reports concerning drug study results. 

Some of the most common drugs for which exaggerated and inaccurate claims are made include antidepressant medications, statin drugs, and vaccines. Not only are they typically ineffective at performing the task for which they are prescribed, they are highly dangerous and come with significant side effects.

Since many medical journals themselves omit important study details, it is no wonder that coverage problems are occurring. Editorialists at JNCI are encouraging editors of medical journals and journalists to utilize a tip sheet they created that will assist in gathering accurate, thorough information concerning study findings. It offers assistance in knowing what questions to ask, interpreting data and statistics, and indicating the existence of study flaws and limitations in reports. They hope that improvements in the way journalists research information will lead to more accurate reporting.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027749_journalism_pharmas.html

Ancient herbal mint remedy is effective, safe pain reliever, new study finds
Sherry Baker, NaturalNews.com  December 16, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Brazilian mint, known to botanists by its Latin name Hyptis crenata, has long been used by traditional healers in Brazil to treat pain and discomfort from a variety of ailments, including stomach aches, fevers, flu and headaches. In fact, researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom say that the mint has been handed down as a prescription for pain relief for thousands of years. And a new study just presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Medicinal and Nutraceutical Plants held in New Delhi, India, concludes the ancient herbal therapy is, in fact, an effective, natural treatment for pain. The research is slated for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal Acta Horticulturae.

A team of Newcastle University scientists, led by Graciela Rocha, carried out a survey in Brazil to find out specifically how the herbal medicine is typically prepared and how much should be consumed as a treatment. They learned that traditional healers use the mint in a decoction, meaning the dried leaves are boiled in water for 30 minutes and then allowed to cool before being consumed as a tea.

Rocha, who is originally from Brazil, noted in a statement to the press that she remembers being given the tea as a treatment for various childhood illnesses. "The taste isn't what most people here in the UK would recognize as a mint," she stated. "In fact it tastes more like sage which is another member of the mint family."

When the researchers tested the herbal tea in laboratory experiments with mice, they found it was just as effective at relieving pain as the pain reliever drug known as as indomethacin in the US and indometacin in the UK. Marketed under many brand names including Indocin, Indocid and Indochron E-R, indomethacin is a highly potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication used to reduce fever, pain, stiffness, and swelling. Unlike the natural herbal mint pain reliever, indomethacin is associated with a host of serious side effects including stomach upset, gastric irritation and the risk of heart attack.

Now the Newcastle University scientists are readying clinical trials to test the effectiveness of Brazilian mint as a pain reliever in people. "Since humans first walked the earth we have looked to plants to provide a cure for our ailments -- in fact it is estimated more than 50,000 plants are used worldwide for medicinal purposes. Besides traditional use, more than half of all prescription drugs are based on a molecule that occurs naturally in a plant," Rocha said in the press statement. "What we have done is to take a plant that is widely used to safely treat pain and scientifically proven that it works as well as some synthetic drugs. Now the next step is to find out how and why the plant works."

Author's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which they were acquired.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027748_mint_pain.html

Small Community Cancer Cure Crushed by Big Pharma, Part I
Paul Fassa, NaturalNews.com  December 16, 2009 

(NaturalNews) A small Canadian community's success with curing cancer naturally was recently crushed, forcing its provider into exile in Europe. Rick Thompson had discovered a cure for himself and then had shared it at no cost with others in the small rural town of Maccan, Nova Scotia.

Rick offered results without side effects, and the Maccan residents took advantage. The results were amazing with even cancer patients. There are always problems promoting alternative cures. But here was an additional obstacle. The cure was hemp oil with the illegal substance THC.

Rick`s Reasons

Rick Thompson experienced a head injury at work in 1997. Afterward he was afflicted with post concussion syndrome. He was put on pharmaceuticals, which created dysfunctional side effects. He heard about the medical benefits of marijuana. So Rick purchased a bag and begansmoking daily.

Eventually, both the post concussion syndrome and the pharmaceutical drug fog vanished completely. Rick's doctor discouraged him from smoking. So Rick decided on growing his own hemp and extracting the oil with THC. He reduced a pound of plants by slow boiling in a solution to get a small tube of thick THC concentrated oil.

Soon after he began, Rick was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. After one of the three cancers was removed surgically, it came back. So he decided to try the THC laden hemp oil topically. Within days, all three skin cancers were completely healed. Rick deduced that THC hemp oil curedcancer, but smoking marijuana would not.

Helping Others

So Rick began sharing the hemp oil within his community for free. Everyone experienced remarkable improvement by taking a drop orally twice daily or applying it topically. Rick Dwyer, the manager of the local Royal American Legion branch was very impressed. His father's terminal lung cancer was cured in weeks after the medicos had sent him home to die.

Quickly the word was out locally about Thompson`s THC hemp oil. Several others were cured without side effects from a variety of serious ailments, including cancer.

Then both Ricks decided there should be town meetings in the Legion hall about the THC hemp oil, and that they would see what to do about spreading the word. They wanted the world to know about this natural cure.

The Consequence of Helping

The publicity from a curious Canadian media raised enough of a stir for the Legion to close the Maccan branch and fire Rick Dwyer as the local manager. Then the locals became concerned about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RMPC) clamping down on Rick Thompson`s life saving operation.

So Rick Thompson went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to acquire legal exemption for using his oil as medical marijuana. He took 14 dozen sworn affidavits from those he had helped in Maccan. But they were disregarded and his request was turned down. Nine months later he appealed to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

This time, Rick had ten cured citizens and six doctors present to testify. Their testimonies were not even allowed. His appeal was rejected, and his little local operation of supplying free cannabis cures was threatened. Slowly it dawned on him that it wasn't just the legal system that prevented natural cannabis cures.

Rick Thompson realized that the cancer industry is focused on treating, not curing, for high profits. Monopoly medicine and Big Pharma's concern for maintaining a massive cash flow have been the prime motive for keeping all natural cures down.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027756_cancer_cure_Big_Pharma.html

Cannabis spray helps cancer pain
Cancer patients who used a cannabis mouthspray had their level of pain reduced by 30%, a study has shown.
BBC News, December 16, 2009  
The cannabis-based spray, like a mouth freshener, was used on 177 patients by researchers from Edinburgh University.
They found it reduced pain levels by 30% in a group of cancer patients, all in the Edinburgh area, who had not been helped by morphine or other medicines.
The spray was developed so that it did not affect the mental state of patients in the way that using cannabis would.
The researchers said their findings, reported in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, did not justify smoking cannabis as this could increase the risk of cancer.
Site of pain
They said the spray worked by activating molecules in the body called cannabinoid receptors which can stop nerve signals being sent to the brain from the site of pain.
Professor Marie Fallon, of the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre at Edinburgh University, said: "These early results are very promising and demonstrate that cannabis-based medicines may deliver effective treatment for people with severe pain.
"Prescription of these drugs can be very useful in combating debilitating pain, but it is important to understand the difference between their medical and recreational use."
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8411788.stm

Music and the Arts Fight Depression, Promote Health
ScienceDaily (Dec. 16, 2009) — If you paint, dance or play a musical instrument -- or just enjoy going to the theatre or to concerts -- it's likely that you feel healthier and are less depressed than people who don't, a survey of nearly 50,000 individuals from all socio-economic backgrounds from a county in mid-Norway shows.
The findings are drawn from the latest round of studies conducted for the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, or HUNT, which used questionnaires, interviews, clinical examinations and the collection of blood and urine samples to assemble detailed health profiles of 48,289 participants.
"There is a positive relationship between cultural participation and self-perceived health for both women and men, "says Professor Jostein Holmen, a HUNT researcher who presented the findings, which have not yet been published, at a Norwegian health conference in Stjørdal in late November. "For men, there is also a positive relationship between cultural participation and depression, in that there is less depression among men who participate in cultural activities, although this is not true for women."
But what surprised the medical researcher was that these findings held true no matter the individual's socio-economic status -- whether truck driver or bank president, participating in some way in the arts, theatre or music, as player or participant, had a positive effect on that individual's sense of health and well-being.
The new findings were controlled for socioeconomic status, chronic illness, social capital, smoking and alcohol. However, Holmen also reported that the same sense of well-being in people who participate in cultural activities that seemed to protect them from depression did not appear to have the same beneficial effect on anxiety.
Holmen cautioned that the association between health and cultural activities is not strong enough to enable him to say that culture actually makes people healthy. Nevertheless, the researcher says the findings ought to challenge politicians to think differently about health. Steinar Krokstad, HUNT's director and an associate professor at NTNU, agreed.
"We in the health services do not always have control over the most effective preventive tools given the range of today's illnesses. We need to increasingly focus on opportunities rather than on risk," Krokstad said.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215160651.htm

Int J Biol Sci 2009; 5:706-726
Research Paper
A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health
Joël Spiroux de Vendômois1, François Roullier1, Dominique Cellier1,2, Gilles-Eric Séralini1,3 ?
1. CRIIGEN, 40 rue Monceau, 75008 Paris, France
2. University of Rouen LITIS EA 4108, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
3. University of Caen, Institute of Biology, Risk Pole CNRS, EA 2608, 14032 Caen, France
We present for the first time a comparative analysis of blood and organ system data from trials with rats fed three main commercialized genetically modified (GM) maize (NK 603, MON 810, MON 863), which are present in food and feed in the world. NK 603 has been modified to be tolerant to the broad spectrum herbicide Roundup and thus contains residues of this formulation. MON 810 and MON 863 are engineered to synthesize two different Bt toxins used as insecticides. Approximately 60 different biochemical parameters were classified per organ and measured in serum and urine after 5 and 14 weeks of feeding. GM maize-fed rats were compared first to their respective isogenic or parental non-GM equivalent control groups. This was followed by comparison to six reference groups, which had consumed various other non-GM maize varieties. We applied nonparametric methods, including multiple pairwise comparisons with a False Discovery Rate approach. Principal Component Analysis allowed the investigation of scattering of different factors (sex, weeks of feeding, diet, dose and group). Our analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize consumption, which were sex- and often dose-dependent. Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded.
4. Discussion
If a “sign of toxicity” may only provoke a reaction, pathology or a poisoning, a so-called “toxic effect” is without doubt deleterious on a short or a long term. Clearly, the statistically significant effects observed here for all three GM maize varieties investigated are signs of toxicity rather than proofs of toxicity, and this is essentially for three reasons. Firstly, the feeding trials in each case have been conducted only once, and with only one mammalian species. The experiments clearly need to be repeated preferably with more than one species of animal. Secondly, the length of feeding was at most only three months, and thus only relatively acute and medium-term effects can be observed if any similar to what can be derived in a process such as carcinogenesis [19, 20] or after endocrine disruption in adults [21]. Proof of toxicity is hard to decide on the basis of these conditions. Longer-term (up to 2 years) feeding experiments are clearly justified and indeed necessary. This requirement is supported by the fact that cancer, nervous and immune system diseases, and even reproductive disorders for examples can become apparent only after one or two years of a given intervention treatment under investigation, but they will not be evident in all cases after three months of administration when first signs of toxicity may be observed [22, 23]. In addition, large effects (e.g. 40% increase in triglycerides) in all likelihood will be missed with the protocol of the current studies, since they are limited by the number of animals used in each feeding group and by the nature of the parameters studied. Thirdly, the statistical power of the tests conducted is low (30%) because the experimental design of Monsanto (see Materials and Methods). However, it is important to note that these short-term (3-month) rat feeding trials are the only tests conducted on the basis of which regulators determine whether these GM crop/food varieties are as safe to eat as conventional types. Given that these GM crops are potentially eaten by billions of people and animals world-wide, it is important to discuss whether the experimental design, the statistical analyses and interpretations originally undertaken are appropriate and sufficient.
Any differences observed in comparison with the isogenic variety, has to be taken into account as a potential physiological disruption. This is particularly valid since any statistically differences that are observed are highly unlikely to be arising from population variation as in the case of humans due to the genetic homogeneity of the rat strain used in these studies. Moreover, the standardized conditions of rat maintenance employed, which are stated to be in accordance with OECD standards [24, 25], make the diet the only factor of variation in the protocol. Thus, the GM maize component of the test diet is the major factor of difference if one directly compares treated rats and controls. This is indicated by stars in the Tables expressing the total characteristics of GM-linked physio-pathological profiles. The other results that are encompassed by frames in the Tables highlight that effects from the GM maize are over and above those observed for any of the six different diets; for instance, over that observed with a diet richer in salt or sugar over the 3-month feeding period. These additional “control” diets could have been avoided with an experimental design that truly focused on the general question of GM toxicity.
The first observation that we were able to make was that there is a good general concordance between our data and the results of Monsanto as presented in their original confidential reports, in particular on the proportion of statistically significant observations. However, the methodology we employed revealed different effects, which completely changed the interpretation of the experimental results. For instance, the sex differences are fully taken into account in our study, which contrasts with the first published comments of these data [18, 26, 27]. We evaluated and took note of differences in the reaction of male and female rats to the GM maize test diets based on accepted and now classical knowledge of endocrinology [28], embryology [29, 30], physiology [31, 32], enzymology or hepatology [33] demonstrating sex-specific physio-pathological effects. Indeed, our present results fully confirmed the sex-specific distribution of effects on kidney and liver parameters for all rats in all three studies analyzed here. An identical effect in both sexes would have been exceptional, like with strong or acute toxicity. This is obviously not the case here. In addition, we considered equally important effects that were neither time nor dose related, even if we detailed these when observed in the results. The proof for a linear dose dependency, as requested by Doull and coll. [4] to determine the significance of effects, is impossible with only two feeding points with no prior standardization. Furthermore, a metabolic reaction either physiological or pathological is not necessarily linear in its response [34, 35]. Again, this does not invalidate a description of effects appearing at the higher GM feed doses.
Even if the significant differences are around 5% of all comparisons for each GM corn, we believe that they either constitute a very good possibility to represent signs of toxicity, or at the very least should be considered as sufficiently strong evidence to justify a repeat of the experiments incorporating longer feeding times, for several reasons. Firstly, the arguments of Hammond and coll. [18, 26, 27] from Monsanto and Doull and co-workers [4] cannot demonstrate that the statistically significant GM-feed linked differences are not physiologically relevant [2]. Secondly, very few GM-feed effects appear only at the low dose or after the shortest (5 week) feeding period; 8.6% for NK 603, 6.6% for MON 810, 14.7% for MON 863 (Tables 1, 2, and ref. [5]). Thirdly, the marked sex difference effects observed for the GM maize feeding groups, in several instances, are found for physiological markers in all rats. Therefore, there is little probability that these effects were a random, chance occurrence. Fourthly, our stringent statistical tools allowed differentiation of GM-feed impacts from differences arising from variation in the composition of other reference diet. This is the first time that such an analysis has been conducted. Fifthly, there is a lack of cancer, hormonal or hepatic functional marker measurements (for example, oncogene expression, sex steroid hormone levels, cytochrome P450 levels), that could have provided explanatory insight into the results. The lack of availability of this type of data may be of benefit to those that doubt the current observations provide evidence of potential signs of toxicity. Sixthly, the physiological and biochemical parameters found to be disrupted in these feeding studies frequently provide a coherent, GM-specific picture of events, which corresponds and is in support of the generally admitted concept held by industry and regulators that GM crops and food should be considered on a case by case basis. Seventhly, several double-framed outcomes encompass all dietary effects only after the 3 month period of feeding. Last but not least, the most marked and most numerous effects are on organs involved in detoxification like the kidney and liver, usually reached after a diet-linked toxicity.
For instance in the NK 603 study statistically significant strong urine ionic disturbances and kidney markers imply renal leakage. This includes creatinine (increased urinary clearance), together with its diminution in the blood, and the decrease in urea nitrogen. Blood creatinine reduction has in some cases been found to be associated with muscle problems. It is therefore perhaps of note that the heart, as a very representative muscle organ was affected in the GM feeding groups. The possibility of renal porosity as evidenced by these data may be due to the presence of residues of Roundup herbicide, that are present in GM crop varieties such as the NK 603 maize investigated here. We have previously demonstrated that glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup are highly toxic at very low concentrations to human embryonic kidney cells [36], inducing a decrease in viability, noticeably via inhibition of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase.
The deficiency in kidney function we highlight to be present in male rats is different between animals fed NK 603 and MON 863. The latter is characterized by an increase in plasma creatinine levels and retention of ions, which were associated with a chronic interstitial nephropathy, as originally admitted in the Monsanto MON 863 report and by Hammond and coll. [18]. However, this disturbance in kidney function was dismissed in their conclusions because the strain of rat used in the feeding studies is apparently sensitive to this type of pathology, especially during aging, which was not the case here. However, this reasoning was admitted by various regulatory authorities (EFSA, CGB in France). These arguments again appear flawed as the rats were still relatively young, 5 months by the end of the experimental period and therefore below the age when they might be expected to spontaneously develop kidney diseases. More importantly, these kidney effects are clearly MON 863-specific since they are not observed with all three GM maize varieties and the control groups, and therefore could not have arisen from an inherent genetic predisposition of the strain of rat used, which in addition was the same in all cases. Overall, no kidney parameters in male animals are disrupted in the MON 810 feeding group, even though sensitivity to toxics appears in general to be greater in this sex [37, 38]. An additional contributory factor to this disturbance in kidney function could arise from either novel unintended toxic effect caused by the inherent mutagenic effect of the GM technology, or possibly due to the new mutant forms of Bt toxin produced by MON 863, which is completely different from that engineered into MON 810. However, MON 810-fed females have a slight kidney weight enhancement, which may correspond with a mild hyperplasia usually seen in association with immune inflammatory processes. A re-evaluation of the histological slides from these animals would be of interest to test this hypothesis. Furthermore, analysis of some pertinent markers of kidney function such as arterial tension or angiotensin levels are lacking from these studies. This type of investigation including controls where animals are fed a normal diet spiked with the corresponding purified Bt toxin, would allow a more rational and precise interpretation of the results.
In the case of the MON 863 feeding trials, which have previously been discussed [5] and are at the center of a debate [2,4], new results have been obtained by the re-evaluation of the data with more powerful statistical methods as we present here. In female rats, there is a risk of becoming pre-occupied with the reactions already ascribed to the GM feeding group since several parameters indicate increases in circulating glucose and triglyceride levels, with liver function parameters disrupted together with a slight increase in total body weight [5]. This physiological state is indicative of a pre-diabetic profile. We demonstrate here that in female animals triglycerides profile, creatinine or urine chloride excretion are differentially and specifically altered over time in comparison to control groups, depending on the GMO dose. All these disruptions and differences taken together could be interpreted as clear signs of toxicity.
The effects found after only 5 weeks of feeding or at lower 11% feed dose, cannot be neglected simply on the basis that they are less frequently observed. Compensation or recuperation could occur after tissues are harmed, as possibly observed in the case of mice fed a diet containing Roundup Ready GM soy [39]. Peak inflammatory processes may occur in damaged tissues, followed by a regeneration phase as observed after bacteria/viral infection or a chemical toxic insult [40,41]. For instance, urine potassium decreases in male rats over time in the GM MON 863 group at the 11% feed dose, which was not observed in all but one of the controls. This effect is specifically time-dependent and thus does not appear to be artefactual. This type of punctual regeneration may be part of a carcinogenic process, and clearly even if total recovery occurs, this should not be taken as a sign that the GM feed is safe.
5. Conclusions
Patho-physiological profiles are unique for each GM crop/food, underlining the necessity for a case-by-case evaluation of their safety, as is largely admitted and agreed by regulators. It is not possible to make comments concerning any general, similar subchronic toxic effect for all GM foods. However, in the three GM maize varieties that formed the basis of this investigation, new side effects linked to the consumption of these cereals were revealed, which were sex- and often dose-dependent. Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM type. In addition, some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted. As there normally exists sex differences in liver and kidney metabolism, the highly statistically significant disturbances in the function of these organs, seen between male and female rats, cannot be dismissed as biologically insignificant as has been proposed by others [4]. We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity. This can be due to the new pesticides (herbicide or insecticide) present specifically in each type of GM maize, although unintended metabolic effects due to the mutagenic properties of the GM transformation process cannot be excluded [42]. All three GM maize varieties contain a distinctly different pesticide residue associated with their particular GM event (glyphosate and AMPA in NK 603, modified Cry1Ab in MON 810, modified Cry3Bb1 in MON 863). These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown. Furthermore, any side effect linked to the GM event will be unique in each case as the site of transgene insertion and the spectrum of genome wide mutations will differ between the three modified maize types. In conclusion, our data presented here strongly recommend that additional long-term (up to 2 years) animal feeding studies be performed in at least three species, preferably also multi-generational, to provide true scientifically valid data on the acute and chronic toxic effects of GM crops, feed and foods. Our analysis highlights that the kidneys and liver as particularly important on which to focus such research as there was a clear negative impact on the function of these organs in rats consuming GM maize varieties for just 90 days.
http://www.biolsci.org/v05p0706.htm

Delay aging, delay Alzheimer’s
Life Extensions, December 14, 2009
An article published in the December 11, 2009 issue of the journal Cell suggests that what keeps us young will also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The disease has a number of risk factors, however, age is the one that has the greatest impact.
Andrew Dillin, PhD of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and his colleagues discovered that reducing insulin/insulin growth factor (IGF) signaling, which is a pathway through which aging has been delayed in laboratory animals, results in protection from the signs of Alzheimer’s disease in mice modified to carry human genes for the disease.
In the brains of the animals in which insulin/IGF signaling was reduced, the amyloid plaques that characterize Alzheimer’s disease were still present, yet the plaques were more tightly packed than what is usually seen in the disease. "We expected to see less plaque in the protected mice," Dr Dillin remarked. "Instead we saw the same number of plaques, but there was a qualitative difference in how they looked. They were condensed so that they took up less area in the brain."
The insulin/insulin growth factor pathway controls two transcription factors, FOXO and HSF-1. Increasing these transcription factors could be a drug target for Alzheimer’s disease prevention. "This highly conserved pathway plays a crucial role in the regulation of lifespan and youthfulness across many species, including worms, flies, and mice and is linked to extreme longevity in humans," lead author Ehud Cohen, PhD explained.
"The reporting of this work is a celebration for the entire field of aging researchers,” he affirmed, “as it validates the long-held hypothesis that genetic and pharmacologic changes to create a healthy lifespan, or 'healthspan,' can greatly reduce the onset of some of the most devastating diseases that afflict mankind.“
http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2009_12.htm#Delay-aging-delay-Alzheimers

Milk thistle may limit liver damage from chemo
Last Updated: 2009-12-14 10:00:57 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An herb used since ancient times to treat liver ailments may help reduce the liver damage caused by some cancer drugs, a study published Monday suggests.
In a study of 50 children undergoing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), researchers found that an herb called milk thistle appeared to reduce treatment-related liver inflammation.
The study, published online in the journal Cancer, is the first clinical trial to test the herb in children undergoing chemotherapy, and the investigators caution that more research is still needed.
However, the findings are "promising" -- particularly since there is currently no way to help protect the liver from chemotherapy-induced damage, said senior researcher Dr. Kara M. Kelly, a pediatric oncologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
Liver inflammation is common among children undergoing chemotherapy for ALL, Kelly told Reuters Health -- with about two-thirds developing liver toxicity at some point during treatment.
Traditionally, doctors have dealt with the side effect by lowering patients' chemotherapy doses -- which, in turn, can lower the chances of seeing a complete remission. Kelly said that more recently, there has been a movement toward "accepting" the liver toxicity and sticking with the chemo regimen. But it's not clear what the long-range consequences of that might be.
"So we still need an alternative option," Kelly said.
That is where milk thistle comes in. The plant's flowers and seeds have been used for more than 2,000 years to treat disorders of the liver and gallbladder. In recent years, lab research has found that the active substance in milk thistle -- an antioxidant called silybin
-- might help prevent body tissue damage by blocking toxins from breaching cell walls.
Several clinical trials have investigated milk thistle as a way to prevent or treat liver damage in people with hepatitis, an inflammation that can be caused by an infection, and in those with cirrhosis, a buildup of scar tissue in the liver often linked to alcoholism. The results of those studies have been mixed.
For the current study, Kelly and her colleagues randomly assigned 50 children with ALL to take either milk thistle capsules or placebo (inactive) capsules for one month while undergoing their "maintenance" round of chemotherapy.
Going into the study, all of the children had signs of liver inflammation from their previous round of treatment.
After one month, however, children taking milk thistle had lower levels of two liver enzymes than those in the placebo group -- a sign of lesser liver inflammation.
Children on milk thistle were also somewhat less likely to need their chemotherapy dose lowered at any point; 61 percent needed a dose adjustment, versus 72 percent of children taking the placebo. That difference, however, was not statistically significant, which means it could have been due to chance.
Kelly said that more research is needed to look at the longer-term effects of milk thistle on the liver, and to see whether it does in fact reduce the need to lower chemotherapy doses.
She added that the herb should also be studied for preventing liver damage from other chemotherapy regimens for other cancers.
But while milk thistle is available over the counter, Kelly cautioned chemotherapy patients against using it on their own. Anyone receiving cancer treatment, she said, should "absolutely" talk with his or her doctor before starting any supplements.
SOURCE: Cancer, online December 14, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/14/eline/links/20091214elin003.html

More evidence coffee, tea could prevent diabetes
Last Updated: 2009-12-14 16:00:49 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Coffee, tea, or decaf-no matter what your choice, drinking any of these beverages may reduce your risk of diabetes, according to a new analysis of 18 studies including hundreds of thousands of people.
A 2005 research review concluded that people who drank the most coffee were one-third less likely to develop diabetes than those who drank the least, Dr. Rachel Huxley of The University of Sydney, Australia, and colleagues note. In the years since then, they add, the amount of research on coffee and diabetes risk "has more than doubled," while other studies have suggested that tea and decaf coffee may also be preventive.
To update the evidence, Huxley and her team analyzed 18 studies on coffee, decaf, and tea and the risk of type 2 diabetes published between 1966 and 2009, including just shy of 458,000 people in all.
Type 2 diabetes, which is often tied to obesity, affects about 8 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
For every additional cup of coffee a person consumed each day, the study's authors found, a person's risk of diabetes was reduced by 7 percent. In the six studies that looked at decaf coffee, the researchers found, people who consumed more than three or four cups a day were at 36 percent lower risk of diabetes. And in seven studies that examined tea drinking and diabetes risk, people who drank more than three or four cups daily were at 18 percent lower diabetes risk.
The current analysis could have overestimated the effect of these beverages on diabetes risk due to statistical issues with the smaller studies, Huxley and her colleagues note. It's also not possible to say from the current evidence that heavy coffee drinkers (and tea and decaf drinkers) don't have other characteristics that might protect them against developing diabetes, they add, such as eating a healthier diet.
The fact that the effects were seen with decaf as well as coffee and tea suggest that if the effects are real, they aren't just due to caffeine, but may be related to other substances found in these beverages, the researchers say, for example magnesium, lignans (estrogen-like chemicals found in plants), or chlorogenic acids, which are antioxidants that slow the release of sugar into the blood after a meal.
Clinical trials are needed to investigate whether these beverages do indeed help prevent diabetes, the researchers say. If the benefits turn out to be real, they add, health care providers might begin advising patients at risk for diabetes not only to exercise and lose weight, but to drink more tea and coffee, too.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, December 14/28, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/14/eline/links/20091214elin005.html

Active lifestyle aids kidneys, colon cancer survivors
Last Updated: 2009-12-14 16:01:09 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - You may know this already, but here's more proof: Leading a physically active life yields multiple health dividends, according to four studies published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
One study suggests that physical activity may help keep the kidneys of older adults in tip top shape, while another hints that a combination of a healthy waist size, not smoking, and aerobic fitness protects against heart disease and premature death.
A third study provides some of the first evidence that colon cancer patients who are physical active lower their odds of having their cancer recur. While being physical active is known to help prevent the development of colon cancer, few studies have determined its effect on colon cancer survivors.
The fourth paper suggests that people who cut back on time spent watching television are apt to take part in more active heart-healthy pursuits.
In a commentary published with the research, Dr. Janet E. Fulton, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and co-authors say, "Each of these four studies makes a unique and valuable contribution to the evidence relating physical activity to health and provides additional data showing that physical activity is important for many facets of health."
"Taken together, these studies show that a relatively small investment in a physically active lifestyle yields a large return on health," they conclude.
TURN OFF THE TV
The study by Dr. Jennifer J. Otten, of Stanford University, Palo Alto, California and colleagues at the University of Vermont, Burlington hints that sometimes all it takes are small behavior changes. They found, among 36 overweight and obese adults, that those who reduced their weekly TV time by half burned more calories than those who made no changes to their TV time.
At the outset, the study participants reported watching at least 3 hours of TV daily. Twenty used an electronic lock-out device that shut off the TV after they had reached a weekly limit of 50 percent of their previously measured TV viewing time, while the remaining 16 participants, serving as the "control" group, made no changes. All of them wore armbands that measured physical activity. None of them were told to change their eating habits or lifestyle.
Otten's team found that those with the lock-out systems burned nearly 120 more calories per day during the 3-week study period. "One hundred twenty calories a day may not sound very big. But, day after day for a year, this would amount to a little over 12 pounds," Otten noted in an email to Reuters Health.
By comparison, the control group burned 95 fewer calories each day during the study period than during the observation period.
"Because the intervention was short (3 weeks) we were not expecting to see weight loss per se and we did not see a statistically significant amount, but it appeared to be going in the right direction," Otten added.
Reducing TV time, she and colleagues conclude, should be explored as a means to preventing obesity in adults. "The average US adult watches almost 5 hours of TV per day," Otten noted. "When you consider that watching TV is equivalent to sleep in terms of calorie burn, that's a lot of time spent sedentary!" she wrote.
BE ACTIVE AFTER COLON CANCER
In the colon cancer study, Boston-based researchers led by Dr. Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that leading an active life after cancer diagnosis is also important.
In their paper, they report on 661 men diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 1986 and 2004. During long-term follow up, 258 men died -- 88 from colorectal cancer.
Men who were physically active after diagnosis of colorectal cancer, the study team found, experienced a significantly decreased risk of dying from colorectal cancer or any cause during follow up.
The more physically active, the greater the protection. Men with the highest activity levels (equal to brisk walking about 12.3 hours per week), relative to those with the lowest, had a 53 percent lower rate of death from colorectal cancer and a 41 percent lower rate of death overall during the study.
In their commentary, Fulton and co-authors say these four studies add to an "ever-growing body of scientific evidence to support a physically active lifestyle as important for health."
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, December 14/28, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/14/eline/links/20091214elin007.html

Roasting peanuts boosts antioxidant levels

Foodnavigator-usa.com, 09-Dec-2009

Raising the roast color intensity of peanuts boosts the antioxidant capacities of the peanuts, peanut flour and peanut skins, according to research at United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
Scientists at ARS Market Quality and Handling Research Unit, Raleigh, North Carolina, studied changes in antioxidant levels of roasted peanuts and their blanched skins across an industrially relevant range of roast treatments. Peanuts were incrementally roasted at 362 deg F from zero to 77 minutes before examining the water- and oil-soluble antioxidant activity levels of the roasted samples.
Oil-soluble antioxidant
“Dark-roasting consistently increased water- and oil-soluble antioxidant capacities for both commercially available peanut flours and blanched peanuts,”according to a report on the ARS website. “Peanut skins, currently considered a waste product of industrial peanut processing, had remarkably high antioxidant capacities across all roast conditions,” it added.
The increase in antioxidant levels after roasting were attributed to greater concentrations of phenolic compounds and browning reaction products. Browning occurs during thousands of complex chemical reactions in which proteins and sugars interact to create brown pigmentation. These reactions, known as Maillard browning, are thought to contribute to the characteristic flavor of roasted peanuts.
The scientists also measured vitamin E in the roasted peanuts. “Vitamin E degradation was most rapid in oil from lightly roasted peanuts; however, oil from darker roasted peanuts had better vitamin E retention than that of lightly roasted or even raw peanuts,” said the report. “This preservation of vitamin E could be due to the increased concentration of oil-soluble Maillard reaction products, which seem to protect vitamin E from oxidation,” it continued.
Flavor extracts
Although darker roasted peanuts are inappropriate for some uses, they can be used to prepare darker roasted peanut flours and flavor extracts.
The authors said the report expands the fundamental knowledge of roasting as it relates to the antioxidant capacity of peanuts and peanut ingredients.
The study was conducted by food technologist Jack P. Davis and his colleagues in the ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the USDA. It was first published in the journal Food Chemistry and a report appears on the USDA website.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Roasting-peanuts-boosts-antioxidant-levels

Study says alcoholic energy drinks pose 'serious risks'

Foodnavigator-usa.com, 14-Dec-2009

A new study in Behavioral Neuroscience has warned that there are“serious risks” associated with mixing caffeine and alcohol.
Adding caffeine to alcohol is increasingly popular, and several major brewers have launched caffeinated alcoholic drinks to meet growing demand. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has picked up on this trend, and last month, it ordered 30 beverage companies to provide information demonstrating that their caffeinated alcoholic drinks are safe.
Research on laboratory rats, published in the American Psychological Associationjournal Behavioral Neuroscience, now adds to concerns about combining alcohol and caffeine.
Behavioural study
Scientists gave groups of young adult mice various doses, both separately and together, of caffeine and of ethanol (pure alcohol) at levels known to induce intoxication.
Placing the mice in cage, they then observed their ability to learn to avoid hazards, their general locomotion, and anxiety, measured by the time spent in the open areas.
Caffeine made mice more alert but did not reverse the learning problems caused by alcohol, including a curtailed ability to learn from lights and sounds to avoid things that could hurt them.
Study conclusions
“People who have consumed only alcohol, who feel tired and intoxicated, may be more likely to acknowledge that they are drunk,” said co-author Thomas Gould, PhD, of Temple University.
“Conversely, people who have consumed both alcohol and caffeine may feel awake and competent enough to handle potentially harmful situations.”
This mistaken belief could heighten the risk of reduced competency translating into accidents and injury.
“The bottom line is that, despite the appeal of being able to stay up all night and drink, all evidence points to serious risks associated with caffeine-alcohol combinations,” said Gould.
Source: Behavioral Neuroscience Vol. 123, No. 6. “Effects of Ethanol and Caffeine on Behavior in C57BL/6 Mice in the Plus-Maze Discriminative Avoidance Task,”Authors: D Gulick and T. J. Gould
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Study-says-alcoholic-energy-drinks-pose-serious-risks

Anti-depressants 'up stroke risk'
BBC Health, December 15, 2009
Post menopausal women who take anti-depressants face a small - but statistically significant - increased risk of a stroke, research suggests.
The US study was based on 136,293 women aged 50 to 79, who were followed for an average of six years.
Anti-depressant users were 45% more likely to have a stroke than women not taking the drugs.
The data, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, is taken from the Women's Health Initiative Study.
When overall death rates were examined, those on anti-depressants were found to have a 32% higher risk of death from all causes during the study than non-users.
The researchers stressed that the overall risk of a stroke was relatively small. Even for women on anti-depressants, it was less than one in 200 chance in any given year.
“ You have to weigh the benefits that you get from these anti-depressants against the small increase in risk that we found in this study ” 
Dr Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller Albert Einstein College of Medicine
However, they said that because so many women were taking anti-depressants the effect would be significant across the entire population.
It is not clear whether taking anti-depressants is solely responsible for the increased risk of a stroke.
Depression itself is known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular problems.
The researchers tried to take this into account in their analysis of the data - but could not rule out the possibility that it influenced the final results.
The study found no difference in stroke risk between the two major classes of anti-depressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic anti-depressants (TCAs).
However, the SSRIs did appear to convey a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke caused by a bleed in the brain.
Lead researcher Dr Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, stressed that treatment for depression was important, and that women should not stop taking prescribed medication without first consulting their doctor.
She said: "You have to weigh the benefits that you get from these antidepressants against the small increase in risk that we found in this study."
Known links
The researchers said follow-up studies were needed before any firm conclusions could be drawn.
Dr Jordan Smoller, of Harvard Medical School, who also worked on the study, said: "We need to study this association more to determine exactly what it signifies."
Joanne Murphy, for The Stroke Association stressed the study showed that overall risk for women taking anti-depressants was relatively small.
She said "We are already aware of links between depression and the risk of stroke and we are currently funding further studies to look into this.
"Everyone can help reduce their risk of stroke by making lifestyle changes, such as reducing their blood pressure, giving up smoking, reducing alcohol intake, improving their diet and getting plenty of exercise."
Ellen Mason, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Severe depression can be debilitating and even fatal, so it is important to weigh up any small increase in the risk of stroke with the benefits of treating depression."
Bridget O'Connell, from the mental health charity Mind, said antidepressants produced a range of side effects that affected people in different ways.
She said: "Many people can experience huge benefits from taking antidepressants and it's important they work with their GP to identify both the plus points and the drawbacks, and weigh up what treatment is best for them."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/8408783.stm

Cancer researchers announce breakthroughs in natural prostate cancer prevention and treatment

S. L. Baker, NaturalNews.com  December 15, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. So when its members (comprised of cancer researchers, oncologists and other health care professionals) meet for a national conference, research about the latest advancements in fighting cancer is announced and discussed. That's what happened at the recent AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held in Houston. And three of the most hopeful new studies about preventing and treating prostate cancer all had something in common -- they involved totally natural therapies.

For starters, German scientists presented research showing that hops could play a role in preventing prostate cancer. Hops, the flowering clusters of the plant known to botanists as Humulus lupulus, are not only used as a flavoring agent in beer and other beverages, but they have long been used as a traditional herbal medicine. Previous studies have found that a specific phytochemical called xanthohumol in hops binds to estrogen receptors and may prevent breast cancer. Because testosterone receptors act similarly to estrogen receptors, scientists have theorized the natural hops compound might also bind to testosterone receptors and fight prostate cancer.

So, in order to study the impact of xanthohumol on prostate cancer, a research team headed by Clarissa Gerhauser, Ph.D., the group leader of cancer chemoprevention in the Division of Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, worked with hormone-dependent prostate cancer cells in the lab. First they stimulated the cells with testosterone. This created a huge excess of prostate specific antigen (PSA), which is associated with prostate cancer in men. 

But when prostate cancer cells were treated with testosterone and xanthohumol, the hops phyotchemical inhibited the secretion of PSA and blocked other hormone-dependent actions that spur cancer growth. In fact, molecular testing showed that xanthohumol directly binds to the male hormone receptor structure. 

"We hope that one day we can demonstrate that xanthohumol prevents prostate cancer development, first in animal models and then in humans, but we are just at the beginning," Dr. Gerhauser said in a statement to the media.
Anti-cancer properties of coffee
Another natural substance also was in the spotlight at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference -- coffee. In the first study of its kind, Harvard scientists found a strong association between drinking coffee and a lowered risk of the most aggressive and deadly forms of prostate cancer. 

"Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer. It was plausible that there may be an association between coffee and prostate cancer," Kathryn M. Wilson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, said in a press statement. 

Dr. Wilson and her research team documented the regular and decaffeinated coffee intake of nearly 50,000 men every four years from 1986 to 2006; 4,975 of these men were diagnosed with prostate cancer over that period. The scientists found that men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than men who were not coffee drinkers. 

Caffeine is not the explanation for this association, Dr. Wilson emphasized. Instead, the researchers noted that coffee contains many biologically active natural compounds, including antioxidants and minerals, that could explain the lowered risk of the most serious forms of prostate cancer in coffee drinkers.
Exercise prevents prostate cancer
For men already diagnosed with prostate cancer, there was also hopeful news revealed at the AACR meeting. Researchers found that as little as 15 minutes of exercise daily reduced overall mortality rates in patients with prostate cancer.

"We saw benefits at very attainable levels of activity," said Stacey A. Kenfield, Sc.D., epidemiology research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study, in a media statement. "The results suggest that men with prostate cancer should do some physical activity for their overall health." 

The research team documented the physical activity levels of 2,686 prostate cancer patients without metastases who were enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Men who engaged in three or more hours of moderate to intense exercise (the equivalent of jogging, biking, swimming or playing tennis) for about a half an hour per week lowered their risk of overall mortality by 35 percent.

Men who walked four or more hours a week had a 23 percent lower risk of death from all causes compared to men who walked less than 20 minutes per week. And men who walked 90 or more minutes at a normal to brisk pace had a 51 percent lower risk of death from any cause than men who walked less than 90 minutes at a slower, easier pace. What's more, the research revealed that five or more hours of vigorous physical activity a week significantly reduced the risk of a man dying specifically from prostate cancer. 

"This is the first large population study to examine exercise in relation to mortality in prostate cancer survivors," Dr. Kenfield said in a press statement. She added that while researchers haven't figured out the exact molecular effects exercise has on prostate cancer, they do know exercise has a favorable impact on hormones hypothesized to stimulate prostate cancer -- and exercise boosts immune function and reduces inflammation, too. 

"How these factors may work together to affect prostate cancer biologically is still being studied," she concluded. "For now, our data indicate that for prostate cancer survivors, a moderate amount of regular exercise may improve overall survival, while five or more hours per week of vigorous exercise may decrease the death rate due to prostate cancer." 
http://www.naturalnews.com/027743_prostate_cancer_alternative_medicine.html

When you eat can promote weight loss and fight diabetes, researchers find
Sherry Baker, NaturalNews.com  December 15, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Researchers have long noted that shift workers -- folks like nurses, security personnel and others on the night shift -- are extremely prone to developing metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetic condition marked by insulin resistance, weight gain around the middle and high cholesterol levels. But why? Do they tend to simply eat too many snacks as they try to stay alert at night or is it related to disruption of the circadian clock, the body's internal master clock in the brain that's set by light exposure? Turns out, according to new research by scientists at the Salk Institute, there's probably another crucial factor: not only is what you eat important to health but when you eat appears to be crucial to weight control and healthy metabolism.

In experiments with mice, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered there's a daily waxing and waning of thousands of genesin the liver, the organ that's the body's metabolic clearinghouse. And this revving up and slowing down is primarily controlled not just by food intake and not by the body's circadian clock, as was previously assumed.

"If feeding time determines the activity of a large number of genes completely independent of the circadian clock, when you eat and fast each day will have a huge impact on your metabolism," said the study's leader Satchidananda (Satchin) Panda, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Salk Institute's Regulatory Biology Laboratory, in a press statement.

The Salk researchers' findings, which are set for publication in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could explain why shift workers are at an unusually high risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high cholesterol levels and obesity. "We believe that it is not shift work per se that wreaks havoc with the body's metabolism but changing shifts and weekends, when workers switch back to a regular day-night cycle," Dr. Panda explained.

The new research involved putting mice on a strict feeding schedule. They could eat during an 8 hour period but they had to fast for the next 16 hours. The result? The scientists found that genes that encode enzymes the body needs to break down sugars soar immediately after a meal, while the activity of genes which encode enzymes needed to break down fat increases the most during fasting. Bottom line: a clearly defined daily feeding schedule causes healthy regulation of the enzymes needed for metabolism and optimizes burning of sugar and fat.

"The liver oscillator in particular helps the organism to adapt to a daily pattern of food availability by temporally tuning the activity of thousands of genes regulating metabolism and physiology," Dr. Panda said in the statement to the press. "This regulation is very important, since the absence of a robust circadian clock predisposes the organism to various metabolic dysfunctions and diseases."

In fact, the more defined fasting and feeding periods are, the more robust the regulation. Dr. Panda has tried the scheduled eating himself. He quit eating between 8 pm and 8 am and reported he feels great eating this way. "I even lost weight, although I eat whatever I want during the day," he noted.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027735_diabetes_weight_loss.html

Spirulina and Chlorella Aid Heavy Metal Detox
Elizabeth Walling, NaturalNews.com  December 15, 2009 

(NaturalNews) From aluminum in deodorant to mercury in dental fillings, metal toxicity comes at us from every angle these days. The presence of these heavy metals (and others such as arsenic, cadmium and lead) has increased as industrialization and its waste products spread. We can work to avoid these substances as much as possible, but some exposure will still occur at times. Since even small amounts of heavy metals in the body can cause negative side effects like fatigue, headaches, digestive problems and skin conditions, it's important to use natural methods to cleanse your body of these toxins.

Why Spirulina and Chlorella Are Effective for Heavy Metal Detox

The answer to natural heavy metal detoxification is as simple as a single-celled organism. Spirulina and chlorella are two separate micro-algae organisms which have existed on earth since the dawn of time. Both were revered as powerful superfoods in many traditional societies, and today are more relevant than ever for achieving overall health and well-being.

Spirulina has been shown as an effective chelating agent for removing toxins such as mercury, and radioactive substances from the body. It has also been used to remove cadmium and lead from waste water.

While some detoxifying supplements simply release toxins from cells and tissues, chlorella is particularly adept at binding to toxic metals and ushering them out of the entire system. Chlorella contains proteins and peptides which are designed to bind to these substances and carry them out of the body. The chlorophyll in chlorella also aids heavy metal detoxification.

Other Amazing Health Benefits

Just as important as their ability to detox heavy metals, both spirulina and chlorella exhibit strong healing and regenerating capabilities. They are filled with beneficial vitamins, minerals, proteins and fats which work together in a synergistic way to provide energy and vitality.

Appropriate Dosage

Spirulina and chlorella can be used in very high doses for heavy metal detox. Because they are so effective at binding toxins and purging them from the body, they can actually reduce some of the common side effects associated with detoxification. A typical dosage of spirulina or chlorella for heavy metal detox is about 20 - 30 grams per day. They can be used together if desired. You may want to start with as little as 500mg daily and work up as needed to allow your body to adjust. After completing detox, you can taper down to a maintenance dosage of 3 - 6 grams per day.

It's important to find a manufacturer of spirulina or chlorella who takes the proper steps to ensure a clean and digestible product free from fillers and additives. A little research can reveal which manufacturers are the most reputable.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027740_spirulina_chlorella.html

Ethanol-Powered Vehicles Generate More Ozone Than Gas-Powered Ones
ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2009) — Ethanol -- often promoted as a clean-burning, renewable fuel that could help wean the nation from oil -- would likely worsen health problems caused by ozone, compared with gasoline, especially in winter, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers.
Ozone production from both gasoline and E85, a blend of gasoline and ethanol that is 85 percent ethanol, is greater in warm sunny weather than during the cold weather and short days of winter, because heat and sunlight contribute to ozone formation. But E85 produces different byproducts of combustion than gasoline and generates substantially more aldehydes, which are precursors to ozone.
"What we found is that at the warmer temperatures, with E85, there is a slight increase in ozone compared to what gasoline would produce," said Diana Ginnebaugh, a doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering, who worked on the study. She will present the results of the study on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. "But even a slight increase is a concern, especially in a place like Los Angeles, because you already have episodes of high ozone that you have to be concerned about, so you don't want any increase."
But it was at colder temperatures, below freezing, that it appeared the health impacts of E85 would be felt most strongly.
"We found a pretty substantial increase in ozone production from E85 at cold temperatures, relative to gasoline when emissions and atmospheric chemistry alone were considered," Ginnebaugh said. Although ozone is generally lower under cold-temperature winter conditions, "If you switched to E85, suddenly you could have a place like Denver exceeding ozone health-effects limits and then they would have a health concern that they don't have now."
The problem with cold weather emissions arises because the catalytic converters used on vehicles have to warm up before they reach full efficiency. So until they get warm, a larger proportion of pollutants escapes from the tailpipe into the air.
There are other pollutants that would increase in the atmosphere from burning E85 instead of gasoline, some of which are irritants to eyes, throats and lungs, and can also damage crops, but the aldehydes are the biggest contributors to ozone production, as well as being carcinogenic.
Ginnebaugh worked with Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering, using vehicle emissions data from some earlier studies and applying it to the Los Angeles area to model the likely output of pollutants from vehicles.
Because E85 is only now beginning to be used in mass-produced vehicles, the researchers projected for the year 2020, when more "flex fuel" vehicles, which can run on E85, will likely be in use. They estimated that vehicle emissions would be about 60 percent less than today, because automotive technology will likely continue to become cleaner over time. They investigated two scenarios, one that had all the vehicles running on E85 and another in which the vehicles all ran on gasoline.
Running a widely used, complex model involving over 13,000 chemical reactions, they did repeated simulations at different ambient temperatures for the two scenarios, each time simulating a 48-hour period. They used the average ozone concentrations during each of those periods for comparison.
They found that at warm temperatures, from freezing up to 41 degrees Celsius (give F conversion), in bright sunlight, E85 raised the concentration of ozone in the air by up to 7 parts per billion more than produced by gasoline. At cold temperatures, from freezing down to minus 37 degrees Celsius, they found E85 raised ozone concentrations by up to 39 parts per billion more than gasoline.
"What we are saying with these results is that you see an increase," Ginnebaugh said. "We are not saying that this is the exact magnitude you are going to get in a given urban area, because it is really going to vary from city to city depending on a lot of other factors such as the amount of natural vegetation, traffic levels, and local weather patterns."
Ginnebaugh said the results of the study represent a preliminary analysis of the impact of E85. More data from studies of the emissions of flex fuel vehicles at various temperatures would help refine the estimates, she said.
Paul Livingstone contributed to the study while he was a postdoctoral researcher in civil and environmental engineering. He now works for the California Air Resources Board.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214101408.htm

Radiation from CT scans may raise cancer risks

REUTERS  DECEMBER 14, 2009

Findings published in the Archives of Internal Medicine add to mounting evidence that Americans are overexposed to radiation from diagnostic tests, especially from a specialized kind of X-ray called a computed tomography, or CT, scan.

CHICAGO — Radiation from CT scans done in 2007 will cause 29,000 cancers and kill nearly 15,000 Americans, researchers said Monday.
The findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, add to mounting evidence that Americans are overexposed to radiation from diagnostic tests, especially from a specialized kind of X-ray called a computed tomography, or CT, scan.
"What we learned is there is a significant amount of radiation with these CT scans, more than what we thought, and there is a significant number of cancers," said Dr. Rita Redberg, editor of the Archives of Internal Medicine, where the studies were published.
"It's estimated that just from the CT scans done in one year, just in 2007, there will be 15,000 excess deaths," Redberg said in a telephone interview.
"We're doing millions of CT scans every year and the numbers are increasing. That is a lot of excess deaths."
CT scans give doctors a view inside the body, often eliminating the need for exploratory surgery. But CT scans involve much higher radiation dose than conventional X-rays. A chest CT scan exposes the patient to more than 100 times the radiation dose of a chest X-ray.
About 70 million CT scans were done on Americans in 2007, up from 3 million in 1980. Amy Berrington de Gonzalez of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues developed a computer model to estimate the impact of so many scans.
They estimated the scans done in 2007 will cause 29,000 cancers. A third of the projected cancers will occur in people who were ages 35 to 54 when they got their CT, two-thirds will occur in women and 15 per cent will arise from scans done in children or teens.
The researchers estimated there will be an extra 2,000 excess breast cancers just from CT scans done in 2007.
UNNEEDED TESTS
Redberg, who wrote a commentary on the studies, said U.S. doctors' enthusiasm for the tests has led to an explosion in their use that is putting patients at risk.
"While certainly some of the scans are incredibly important and life saving, it is also certain that some of them were not necessary," Redberg said.
In a separate study, Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues analyzed data from 1,119 patients undergoing the 11 most common types of diagnostic CT scans at four institutions in 2008.
They found radiation dosage varied widely between different types of CT studies, from a median or midpoint of 2 millisieverts for a routine head CT scan to 31 millisieverts for a scan of the abdomen and pelvis, which often involves taking multiple images of the same organ.
By comparison, the average American is exposed to about 3 millisieverts of radiation a year from ground radon or flying in an airplane — a level not considered a risk to health.
The researchers said efforts need to be taken to minimize CT radiation exposure, including reducing the number of unnecessary tests, cutting the dose per study, and standardizing the doses across facilities.
Imaging equipment makers such as GE health care, Siemens, Philips and Toshiba Medical Systems are working to develop low-dose CT scanners.
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Radiation%20from%20scans%20raise%20cancer%20risks/2340299/story.html

Arctic summer ice may be gone in five years, Al Gore warns

London Times, December 14, 2009

The Arctic polar ice cap could disappear entirely in the summer months in as little as five years, Al Gore, the former American Vice-President, said today.
Mr Gore was the star draw at a Copenhagen summit side event during which Scandinavian scientists delivered a grim update on the state of the Greenland ice sheet and its potential to contribute to rising sea levels over the coming century.
Mr Gore won both the Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar for his 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, the extended film version of a climate change slideshow that he had been delivering for years and which helped to galvanise a worldwide campaign to tackle global warming.
He was back at it today and among the slides was one showing projections of sea ice volume at the North Pole that he said he had just received from Wieslaw Maslowski of the US Naval Postgraduate School in California.
"These figures are fresh," Mr Gore said, pointing to the slide. "This is the volume metric measure of the ice and some of the models suggest to Dr Maslowski that there is a 75 per cent chance that the entire north polar icea cap, during the summer months, could be completely ice-free within five to seven years."
With no land underpinning it, the Arctic ice cap always varies greatly between summer and winter but most previous projections suggest that it will be about 30 years before it is ice-free in the summer.
Dr Maslowski's projections used computer modelling based on ice data captured by nuclear-powered US Navy submarines that travel under the ice cap and satellite imagery from space.
A group of Cambridge University scientists predicted last month that ice-free summers were 20 years away but that ships would be able to sail over open water to the North Pole as soon as 2020. That group used ice thickness measurements collected by Royal Navy submariners.
Earlier, the meeting had heard a presentation from Dorthe Dahl-Jensen of the Centre for Ice and Climate at the University of Copenhagen, who suggested that previous projections and predictions from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had proved too conservative.
Dr Dahl-Jensen presented a report on the Greenland ice sheet, the vast body of ice that covers about 1.7 million sq km (656,000 sq miles), or 80 per cent of the territory of Greenland. With an average depth of more than 2,000 metres the sheet contains almost 3 million cubic kilometres of ice, about an eighth the size of the Antarctic but enough to raise global sea levels by 7.5m if it were to melt entirely.
The last IPCC assessment was released in 2007, so most of the research it was based on had been finished a couple of years earlier. But Dr Dahl-Jensen said that recent measurements, including ice flows measured at 15km per year, suggested that the threat could be much worse than previously realised.
She said that between 2008 and 2008 the Greenland sheet was melting at the rate of about 160 billion tonnes a year, contributing about 0.5 mm a year to global sea rises. That amount would be enough to provide every person on Earth with 64 litres of freshwater every day of the year.
And although Dr Dahl-Jensen said that it was too early to predict a trend, in the past two years the melt had been calculated at 260 billion tonnes a year, which implied a contribution of almost 1mm a year to global sea levels.
She said that the IPCC's average forecast was for global sea levels to rise by 0.35m over the next century, but the most recent data suggest that a one-metre rise was entirely possible, of which 20 per cent would come from the Greenland ice sheet.
"We have woken giants," Dr Dahl-Jensen said. "The ice sheets are melting and the have the potential to change sea levels in the future."
Complicating the issue for the scientists are the effect of what are known as "positive feedback" mechanisms, which can accelerate the warming process.
The most important is that open water absorbs about 80 per cent of solar radiation whereas snow and ice reflect back about the same proportion. This means that melting becomes a vicious circle.
Another complicating factor is "black carbon", unfiltered pollution which colours snow or ice and also absorbs heat from the sun, creating localised melting. The experts say that black carbon could be responsible for 12 per cent of the melting in the Arctic.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6956272.ece

Growing Evidence That Cell Phones Create Tumors

KTVU Radio, December 14, 2009
LAFAYETTE, Calif. -- Lafayette Real Estate Broker Alan Marks, 57, had a grand mal seizure last year after 20-years of intense cell phone use.
At the time, he estimated a cell phone up to his head for at least 10,000 hours over those 20 years.
One prominent doctor went on record that Marks' cell phone use likely caused his golf ball-sized, malignant brain tumor, called an oligodendro glioma, which is adjacent to where he held his cell phone.
Surgeons removed as much cancer as they could, but now give him 5, maybe 8 years to live. “It's painful,” said Ellie Marks, Alan's wife. “It's horribly painful, yet I want people to know that this is for real.”
About 90 percent of people in the Bay Area press cell phones regularly to their heads. Some scientists say evidence of long term harm from such intense use is growing.
“We discovered that cell phone radiation does damage DNA,” said Prof. Henry Lee, a Univ. of Washington researcher.
Berkeley researcher Lloyd Morgan says telecommunications industry studies are biased and flawed. Other studies suggest a cell phone cancer epidemic.
“There is going to be hundreds of millions of people potentially getting brain tumors caused by cell phones across this planet,” said Morgan.
The FDA and the American Cancer Society disagree, saying there's no clear proof of significant risk.
Still, consumers are becoming cautious.
“These (cell phones) are relatively new,” said Larry Blackwell of Alameda. “We don't know for sure, and there's probably a monetary incentive not to find out.”
The Cetecom laboratory in Milpitas tests cell phone safety in specially shielded rooms using a standardized plastic head -- nicknamed Sam -- and a special liquid that simulates brain tissue.
Production cell phones are then set to full power and put up to Sam's ear, which is a probe measures the heating energy.
“The FCC currently requires only the monitoring of the heating effect,” said Heiko Strehlow, a Cetecom engineer.
Strehlow says there are at least two other effects -- on the human nervous system and a carcinogenic effect of radiation -- that are not tested.
“Whenever I know I'm having a long phone conversation I for example use a headset,” said Strehlow.
Even though he has a tumor, Marks still uses his cell phone, also with a headset.
“It's shocking to me that with all the good studies that are out there, there are good studies there are high quality studies, that the united states government is not warning its citizens,” said Ellie Marks.
European health officials now warn children to avoid using cell phones. And what promises to be the best study yet, World Health Organization’s study, is expected in December.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/21966323/detail.html

Facing combat ups depression risk in US troops
Last Updated: 2009-12-11 15:00:24 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Perhaps it's not surprising, but in the Air Force, combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan increases the risk of depression, according to a new study.
Timothy S. Wells of the US Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, studied more than 40,000 members of the Air Force who had been free of symptoms of depression and had not taken medication for anxiety, stress, or depression before deployment. The subjects were in the Air Force from some or all of 2000 to 2006.
Those who experienced combat had the highest rate of new diagnoses of depression - about 6 percent for men and about 16 percent for women. That compared with about 4% of men and about 8 percent of women who were not deployed, and about 2 percent of men and 5 percent of women who did not face combat.
Some of the differences in the group that was not deployed could be explained by the fact that only those who meet all of the Air Force's health requirements are eligible for deployment, Wells told Reuters Health by email. In other words, "It is likely that the nondeployed group had other risk factors, such as other mental health disorders and health conditions that placed them at increased risk of depression in comparison to those who deployed, but were not exposed to combat."
In their report in the American Journal of Public Health, the investigators note that male combat specialists had a lower risk for depression than men in health care or other supportive positions, suggesting that "military hardiness" may help lower risk.
"Individuals who are expected to be exposed to combat may receive training that alters their risk for depression compared to non-combat exposed personnel," Wells said.
Male and female personnel with pre-existing PTSD were more likely to develop depressive symptoms, reflecting a well-known link between the two conditions.
Other risk factors for depression included younger age, smoking, alcohol dependence, and service in the Army branch of the services. Furthermore, women who were married, divorced, non-Hispanic white, on active duty, or served in the US Navy/Coast Guard faced an increased risk for depression.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, online November 12, 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/11/eline/links/20091211elin003.html

Physical activity linked to school girls' grades
Last Updated: 2009-12-11 11:01:30 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Girls who spend more time in vigorous physical activity may do better in school, even if they are not particularly fit, study findings hint.
Dr. Lydia Kwak, at Karolinska Institute in Huddinge, Sweden, and colleagues examined associations between light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in 232 students (52 percent girls) who were 16 years old on average and attending ninth grade in a Swedish school.
They tallied students' grades in language, science, math, history, and other school subjects, Kwak's team explains in the Journal of Pediatrics.
They assessed students' overall physical activity by having each wear an accelerometer - a physical activity meter similar to a pedometer - for 4 consecutive days that included at least one weekend day. The researchers determined students' overall fitness from timed stationery bicycle tests.
On average, Kwak noted, the girls spent 69 minutes and the boys spent 81 minutes a day in moderate activities such as hiking, skateboarding, or rollerblading, and vigorous activity such as soccer, running, tennis, and basketball.
The link between vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in girls was evident after the investigators allowed for numerous social and family factors potentially associated with academic achievement, and also for girls' individual measures of fitness.
However, in boys, who were consistently more physically active overall, only fitness appeared linked with academic achievement.
While these findings hint at an association between vigorous physical activity and academic achievement in girls, they don't say anything about cause and effect, Kwak told Reuters Health by email.
The question, she said: "Is it vigorous physical activity that influences academic achievement or academic achievement that influences vigorous physical activity?"
Answering that will require more studies, said Kwak.
SOURCE: The Journal of Pediatrics, December 2009.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/12/11/eline/links/20091211elin023.html

How the Autistic Brain Distinguishes Oneself from Others
ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2009) — Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that the brains of individuals with autism are less active when engaged in self-reflective thought. The study published in the journal Brain provides new evidence for the neural correlates of self-awareness and a new window into understanding social difficulties in autism spectrum conditions.
In the new study, Michael Lombardo, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues from the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge used functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) imaging to measure brain activity of 66 male volunteers, half of whom have a diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition.
Lombardo asked the volunteers to make judgments either about their own thoughts, opinions, preferences, or physical characteristics, or about someone else's, in this case the Queen. By scanning the volunteers' brains as they responded to these questions, the researchers were able to visualise differences in brain activity between those with and without autism.
They were particularly interested in part of the brain called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC), known to be active when people think about themselves. "This area is like a self-relevance detector, since it typically responds most to information that is self-relevant," Lombardo says.
Lombardo found this area of the brain was indeed more active when typical volunteers were asked questions about themselves compared to when they were thinking about the Queen. However, in autism this brain region responded equally, irrespective of whether they were thinking about themselves or the Queen.
According to Lombardo: "This new study shows that within the autistic brain, regions that typically prefer self-relevant information make no distinction between thinking about the self or another person. This is strong evidence that in the autistic brain, processing information about the self is atypical."
Autism has long been considered a condition of extreme egocentrism. The word 'autism' comes from the Greek word 'autos', meaning 'self'. However, recent research shows that individuals with autism are also impaired in thinking about themselves. Lombardo's study helps explain this paradox: "On the surface these two observations seem like opposites, but they may converge on a common neurobiological explanation that the autistic brain responds less to information that is self-relevant," Lombardo says.
The new evidence about the autistic brain will help researchers better understand the social difficulties of individuals with autism.
Lombardo added: "Navigating social interactions with others requires keeping track of the relationship between oneself and others. In some social situations it is important to notice that 'I am similar to you', while in other situations it might be important to notice that 'I am different to you'. The atypical way the autistic brain treats self-relevant information as equivalent to information about others could derail a child's social development, particularly in understanding how they relate to the social world around them."
Michael V. Lombardo, Bhismadev Chakrabarti, Edward T. Bullmore, Susan A. Sadek, Greg Pasco, Sally J. Wheelwright, John Suckling, MRC AIMS Consortium, Simon Baron-Cohen. Atypical neural self-representation in autism. Brain, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091213214104.htm

Scientists Identify Natural Anti-Cancer Defenses

ScienceDaily (Dec. 13, 2009) — Canadian researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that prevents cancer. In the December 11 edition of the journal Molecular Cell, scientists from the Université de Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke explain how they found that the SOCS1 molecule prevents the cancer-causing activity of cytokines, hormones that are culprits in cancer-prone chronic inflammation diseases such as Crohns, in smokers and people exposed to asbestos.
"Excessive cytokine activity promotes cancer," says Dr. Gerardo Ferbeyre, senior author and a Université de Montréal biochemistry professor. "Discovery of these mechanisms will enable scientists to design a cancer-prevention strategy for people with chronic inflammatory diseases and lead to better understanding of the human body's natural defenses against cancer."
The research team didn't anticipate that SOCS1 would turn out to be linked to p53, the master regulator of natural anticancer defenses. "We were surprised to realize that SOCS1 was directly linked to p53," says first author and Université de Montréal student, Viviane Calabrese.
"Our team showed that SOCS1 is a direct regulator of the p53 gene and that in its absence the p53 pathway is significantly disabled," says Dr. Ferbeyre, noting the p53 gene is frequently lost in human cancer patients as it is SOCS1.
The new research suggests that the effects of SOCS1 loss in patients might also disable the p53 tumor suppression pathway. The research team also showed that the reintroduction of SOCS1 into tumor cells locked them into a permanent dormant state known as cell senescence preventing them from multiplying wildly as is typical of cancer cells. "With this study, we provide new hope of finding a treatment to activate natural anticancer defenses in people at risk of suffering from cancer prompted by chronic inflammation," concludes Dr. Ferbeyre.
Professor Ferbeyre's research is supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and by the Fonds de la recherche en Santé du Québec.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091211131514.htm

Alcohol Consumption Increases Risk of Breast Cancer Recurrence, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 13, 2009) — Moderate to heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages (at least three to four drinks per week) is associated with a 1.3-fold increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. Women who are post-menopausal or overweight may be most susceptible to the effects of alcohol on recurrence. Drinking less than three drinks per week was not associated with an increased risk.
Marilyn L. Kwan, Ph.D., staff scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif., presented detailed results of this study at the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 9-13, 2009.
Based on these findings, Kwan suggested, "women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should consider limiting their consumption of alcohol to less than three drinks per week, especially women who are postmenopausal and overweight or obese."
Previous research has shown that consumption of alcohol is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, but there are limited studies to date about alcohol's role in patient prognosis and survival among those already diagnosed with breast cancer. Kwan and colleagues examined the effects of alcohol on cancer recurrence and mortality in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study.
LACE is a prospective cohort study of 1,897 early-stage breast cancer survivors diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer between 1997 and 2000. The researchers recruited participants from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Cancer Registry.
Information on wine, beer and liquor consumption was documented via questionnaire. Each year, participants also filled out information on health outcomes, including recurrence of breast cancer, which was then verified by their medical records.
After eight years of follow-up, Kwan and colleagues found 349 breast cancer recurrences and 332 deaths. Among drinkers (50 percent of the study population), wine was the most popular choice of alcohol (90 percent), followed by liquor (43 percent) then beer (36 percent). Increased risk of cancer recurrence was most predominant among those who consumed two or more glasses of wine per day.
The increased risk of recurrence appeared to be greater among participants who were postmenopausal and overweight or obese, and was present regardless of type of alcohol. Alcohol consumption was not associated with overall mortality.
"Considering the few studies that have addressed alcohol and its influence on breast cancer prognosis, and that the increased risk of recurrence was observed in only some subgroups, our results should be confirmed in other prospective studies. Yet, these results can help women make a more informed decision about lifestyle choices after a diagnosis of breast cancer," said Kwan.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091210125540.htm

Studying Hair of Ancient Peruvians Answers Questions About Stress
ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2009) — Recent studies show that one in three people suffer from stress and the number is on the rise. But stress isn't a new problem.
While the physiological state wasn't properly named until the 1930s, new research from The University of Western Ontario proves stress has plagued humans for hundreds, and perhaps thousands of years.
The first study of its kind, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, detected the stress hormone cortisol in the hair of ancient Peruvians, who lived between 550 and 1532 A.D.
When an individual is stressed -- due to real or perceived threats -- cortisol is released into nearly every part of the body, including blood, saliva, urine and hair.
Emily Webb, a PhD candidate at Western in Archaeological Science and the study's lead author, says the findings are important because it will allow us to better understand how ancient people behaved and felt during their time on Earth but more importantly, to better understand stress and how it affects us today.
"By studying the lives of people using traditional archeological methods like surveying and excavation and combining that with new research techniques like sampling ancient hair specimens, we can get a good picture of what life was like and how our ancestors may have responded to life-changing experiences like illness and disease," explains Webb.
Analysis of cortisol levels in ancient hair allows researchers to assess stress during a short, but critical, period of an individual's life. For this pilot study, the Western researchers selected hair samples from 10 individuals from five different archaeological sites in Peru, and analyzed them in segments to determine cortisol levels.
While many of the individuals studied showed high stress levels right before death, Webb noted that a majority also experienced multiple episodes of stress throughout their final years of their life, again proving that much like today, stress was very much apart of ancient Peruvian's daily lives.
Contributing to the Western research were members of the Faculty of Social Science and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry including Webb, Steven Thomson (Department of Physiology and Pharmacology), Andrew Nelson (Department of Anthropology), Christine White (Department of Anthropology, Canada Research Chair in Bioarchaeology and Isotopic Anthropology), Dr. Gideon Koren (Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medicine, Paediatrics, Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology), Dr. Michael Rieder (Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medicine, Pediatrics, Lawson Research Institute, Robarts Research Institute, CIHR-GSK Chair in Paediatric Clinical Pharmacology) and Dr. Stan Van Uum (Department of Medicine and Lawson Research Institute).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091209114150.htm

Higher Risk for Heart Disease and Diabetes Associated With Androgen Deprivation Therapy

ScienceDaily (Dec. 12, 2009) — Men of all ages treated for prostate cancer with androgen deprivation therapy, specifically with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRH), have an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a new study published online December 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Previous studies indicate that older men who take androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer are at an increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but the relationship between the two among men of all ages is unclear.
Nancy L. Keating, M.D., MPH, of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted an observational study of almost 38,000 men of all ages who were diagnosed with local or regional prostate cancer in the Veterans Healthcare Administration from January 2001 through December 2004, with follow-up through December 2005.
Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess whether androgen deprivation therapy with GnRH agonists, oral antiandrogens (drugs that block the action of hormones), the combination of the two, or orchiectomy (removal of the testicles) were associated with diabetes, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or stroke, after adjustment for patient and tumor characteristics.
Treatment with GnRH agonists was associated with statistically significant increased risks of incident diabetes (for GnRH agonist therapy, 159.4 events per 1,000 person-years versus 87.5 events for no androgen deprivation therapy).
"Additional research is needed to understand the effects of GnRH agonists for clinical settings where benefits have not yet been established, to identify populations of men at highest risk of complications associated with GnRH agonists, and to investigate strategies to prevent treatment-related morbidity," the authors write. "Nevertheless, patients and physicians considering initiation of GnRH agonist treatment for local or regional prostate cancer should factor the potential increased risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease as they make treatment decisions."
In an accompanying editorial, Peter Albertsen, M.D., University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, said this study adds to the growing body of literature on androgen deprivation therapy. The researchers gave a glimpse into the extent of therapy side effects for contemporary patients, including men younger than 55 and older than 75 years, according to Albertsen.
"With the growing number of men wrestling with rising PSA [prostate-specific antigen] values after treatment, we should organize appropriate trials and reflect carefully about the anticipated benefits and harm before initiating ADT treatment," the editorialist writes.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091207164842.htm

Fatty Food Can Weaken the Immune System

ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2009) — Fresh evidence that fatty food is bad for our health has come to light: mice fed a lard-based diet over a long period got worse at fighting bacteria in the blood, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy.
The mice fed the lard-based diet derived 60 per cent of their total calories from fat. They were compared with mice fed a low-fat diet, where no more than ten per cent of their calories came from fat. As expected, the mice on the high-fat diet got fatter. A more surprising result was that their immune system was less active. The white blood cells got worse at dealing with bacteria in the blood, which could have contributed to many dying of sepsis.
"Obesity is usually associated with inflammation that does not result from an infection, which simply means that the immune defences are activated unnecessarily," says doctoral student Louise Strandberg who wrote the thesis. "Ironically, the mice on the high-fat diet seem to have a less active immune system when they really need it."
Fat people are also at a greater risk of acquiring infection, for example in connection with an operation. In mice, the thesis shows that it is fatty food rather than obesity in itself which affects the ability to fight off sepsis caused by bacteria.
Strandberg has also investigated different variants of three genes that are important for the immune system and noted that several of the gene variants that strengthen immunity also result in less obesity.
"So there are all kinds of links between the immune system on the one hand and obesity and diet on the other," says Strandberg.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091208132526.htm

160,000 U.S. Children Had Cosmetic Surgery in 2008
David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com  December 13, 2009 

(NaturalNews) More than 160,000 U.S. children underwent cosmetic surgery in 2008, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

In 2008, cosmetic interventions such as breast augmentation, liposuction, Botox injections, hair removal, birthmark removal or "Asian eye surgery" were performed in 160,283 U.S. residents under the age of 19. Due to the economic recession, this actually represented a drop from the 2007 figure of 205,119, but was still higher than the 2006 figure of 145,094.

Experts say that cosmetic surgery has become more societally acceptable, fueled in part by celebrities and reality shows embracing it as a normal practice. In addition, modern parents are more willing than ever to consider the procedure for their kids.

"Boomer parents may themselves even be undergoing cosmetic surgery and may feel for our children that it's not such a stretch," said cosmetic surgeon Donn Chatham, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

While many cosmetic surgeries in children are considered medical in nature, such as the repair of a cleft palate or cleft lip, others fall into more of a gray area -- such as the construction of an ear for an otherwise healthy child who was born without one. Other procedures, such as liposuction or breast surgery, are billed as "necessary" to increase children's self confidence or self esteem.

"One of the challenges is that there is not a lot of evidence that it improves psychosocial well-being," said Alice Dreger of Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. "The goal is admirable, right? Better lives. The question is: Does it work and is it necessary?"

Among the more controversial cosmetic procedures is blepharoplasty, also known as "Asian eye surgery," in which people of Asian descent undergo surgery to widen their eyes and add the eyelid crease normally found only in people of European descent.

Blepharoplasty was performed on 369 children in 2008.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027728_cosmetic_surgery_children.html

Western diet triggers genes that cause the body to store more fat
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews.com  December 13, 2009 

(NaturalNews) New research published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has found that the "Western" diet, typically high in sugar and fat, may be responsible for activating genes that signal the body to become fatter. According to scientists, the body's response to high amounts of energy-dense food is to activate the kappa opioid receptor which triggers increased fat storage.

Researchers arrived at this conclusion by conducting an experiment on two groups of mice. One group had its kappa opioid receptors genetically deactivated while the other remained intact. Both groups were fed diets high in fat and sugar for 16 weeks. At the end of 16 weeks, the group with the deactivated receptor remained lean while the control group gained significant weight.

Besides limiting their bodies' ability to store energy-dense food in their fat stores, the mice whose receptors had been deactivated were noted to also have a limited ability to assimilate and store nutrients from the foods they ingested.

Traci Ann Czyzyk-Morgan, one of the study's researchers, indicated that the findings prove the hypothesis long held by many in the scientificcommunity that the kappa opioid receptor may be responsible for causing widespread obesity in Western countries. She and others continue to encourage people to avoid diets high in fat and sugar.

Now that they better understand the process by which fatty, sugary foods turn to fat, those in the medical community are seeking other options as well, including therapeutic ways of deactivating the receptors in order to help curb obesity.
Comments by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
After reading this, the first question in the minds of many people is probably, "How do I deactivate my kappa opioid receptor?"

But this is a loaded question, and it represents a very unhealthy approach to personal health. For starters, there's no such thing as a standalone "opioid receptor organ" that can be turned off like a light switch. Opioid receptors are distributed throughout the nervous system, and they have their own important function such as regulating the body's response to stress.

It's a dangerous pursuit to try to modify or disable essential functions of the human body in an effort to cause automatic weight loss. What most patients really want is some magic switch that will cause them to lose weight without them having to change their terrible diets. "Turn off my opioid receptors," they say, "and I can eat all the cake and hamburgers I want!"

I say rather than trying to disable opioid receptors in people, we should all be asking why the decision-making centers of consumers' brains have already been disabled when it comes to their diets. In order to fight obesity today, what our world needs is more brain function, not less. And that comes from eating brain-enhancing foods such as organic, fresh vegetables (or the fresh juice made from them).

The best way to lose weight is to make smart food choices at every meal, then combine that effort with regular physical exercise.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027723_western_diet_body_fat.html

Fructose may promote metabolic syndrome
E. Huff, NaturalNews.com  December 13, 2009 

(NaturalNews) A research team from the University of Washington (UW) recently published a study in Physiology & Behavior revealing that moderate consumption of fructose- and high fructose corn syrup-sweetened beverages leads to significant alterations of lipid metabolization in the liver. Conducted on rats, the study also noted marked increases in both cholesterol and triglyceride levels in rats that fed on fructose-sweetened beverages.

Fructose is a monosaccharide sugar that is found in various fruits. It is a simple sugar that is often promoted as being a healthy "fruit" sugar, however the reality is that fructose is just one component of the complex sugar composition that occurs naturally in fruit. Most granulated fructose available today, called crystalline fructose, is derived from fructose-enriched corn syrup.

Similarly, high fructose corn syrup is a fructose-enriched form of highly-processed corn syrup that is commonly found in soda, ketchup, candy, dressings, and many other processed foods. The biggest concern about fructose is the fact that, unlike sucrose, it passes undigested through the small intestine where it enters the portal vein and heads directly to the liver. 

In the context of the UW study, rats whose water had been sweetened with some form of fructose experienced substantial increases in the liver enzyme alanine aminotransferase, an enzyme that typically indicates the onset of liver damage or disease. Since fructose is not regulated by insulinand does not serve the body by producing energy, it can place a large burden on the liver while contributing to obesity.

Metabolic syndrome, also called "Syndrome X", is a condition related directly to the effects of fructose on the body. Obesity, improper insulin metabolism, and hypertension are all characteristics of this disease that typically result in the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. All such symptoms were observed in the rats during the study.

Researchers note that they intentionally studied realistic, moderate intakes of fructose by the rats that paralleled the average human intake of fructose-sweetened beverages and foods. It didn't take much fructose to have a significant impact on the health of the rats, adding more proof that fructose and high fructose corn syrup are directly implicated in the development of diabetes and obesity.

Researchers also looked at natural stevia extract in their study and no demonstrable negative effects were observed. Stevia is a safe, natural extract that contains no sugar and is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar per volume. It has a glycemic index of zero and is safe for diabetics.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027722_metabolic_syndrome_fructose.html

Environmental Estrogen: Understand the Problems and Solutions
Kim Evans, NaturalNews.com  December 13, 2009 

(NaturalNews) Environmental estrogens are a real problem these days and if you're not familiar with them, you should be. Environmental estrogens are synthetic substances that when absorbed into the body, function similarly to estrogen. They're found just about everywhere and actually, they are difficult to avoid. They're in plastics and easily leach into plastic-wrapped foods. They're in pesticides, detergents, preservatives, carpets, and even in the air. As hormone disruptors, they cause some serious problems. Environmental estrogens are connected to everything from PMS tocancer and reproductive problems in animals - even generations after exposure. In fact, environmental estrogens have been found to change ourgenes and give our bodies the instructions to produce cancer.

In light of their pervasiveness and the obvious problems they create, the question becomes: How do we get environmental estrogens out of our bodies? Deep detoxification, including liver and colon cleansing, can be a large part of the answer as these methods remove considerable stores of environmental garbage from the body. But another part of the answer lies in the foods you're consuming.

Cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower, contain key compounds that help detoxify us, and specifically, they speed environmental estrogens out of our bodies. These compounds actually signal our genes to increase the production of detoxification enzymes - which jumpstarts our body's detoxification processes. And of course, the more environmental estrogens and toxins your body can detoxify for you, the healthier you'll be all around.

These foods also contain special compounds that change a dangerous cancer-causing form of estrogen into a benign, protective form of estrogen. In a society where most are heavy on estrogen, this is critical.

Cruciferous vegetables are so effective that many studies have found greatly reduced cancer risks by consuming them. One study showed that people eating these foods regularly have about half the risk of creating some cancers - when compared to others eating non-cruciferous vegetables. To get the benefits, these vegetables should be raw or only lightly cooked and it's best to consume four or more servings each week as part of a 21st century maintenance program.

An easy way to consume cabbage regularly is to use it as your "lettuce" in salads. Homemade sauerkraut is another delicious way to enjoy cabbage. It's great on lentils, salads, or by the spoonful.

Another key is to simply avoid as much excess estrogen as possible. To do so, you'll also want to avoid consuming non-organic meat or animal products, as these animals are given hormones to speed their time to market. It's also important to enjoy organic, whole foods as often as possible. By eating organic, you'll limit the quantities of pesticides that directly enter your body. Because whole foods are detoxifying and fiber-rich, you'll also be helping your body remove that which it doesn't need.
http://www.naturalnews.com/027729_estrogen_plastics.html

Retired optician 'cures own blindness with marigolds'

A retired optician believes he is the first person in Britain to recover from a degenerative eye condition – after taking a food supplement containing marigolds.

The Telegraph, UK, 11 Dec 2009

Harry Marsland feared he would lose his sight completely after developing dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – a condition responsible for half of all cases of blindness in this country.
AMD had claimed the sight in his right eye and the 73-year-old’s vision had become so bad that he could not get around without the help of his wife. He was even considering learning Braille, fearing that his left eye would follow the same fate.

However, after trying various treatments to no avail, Mr Marsland finally decided to experiment taking a vitamin supplement containing extracts from the orange flowers.
Within months of taking the taking the capsules, which are not available on the NHS, he regained vision in his left eye.

Mr Marsland, from Oundle, Northants, said: “I now know, professionally, that I have recovered almost completely from the effects of the dry AMD in my left eye. I am the first person to have such good fortune.
“I have recovered 95 per cent of the sight in my left eye which is miraculous, considering that at one point I was literally blind in the dark."

The improvement in his sight has allowed Mr Marsland to drive a car again and enjoy reading without the aid of a magnifying glass. He lost vision in his right eye in 2001 to wet AMD, a more severe form of the condition, and since then also began suffering problems with his left eye.

Mr Marsland had tried an experimental laser treatment – photo dynamic therapy – and various vitamin preparations – including Visionace, Vita-Lux plus, I. Caps and PreserVision, without success.
But in 2007, his ophthalmologist handed him a leaflet he had picked up at a conference, extolling the benefits of a supplement containing marigolds – called Macushield.

He decided to try it, spending £150 on a year’s supply and was shocked by its effectiveness.
Mr Marsland said he believes it could offer hope to millions of AMD sufferers.
He added: “I decided to this off my own back. I treated myself, which is the very thing you’re not supposed to do in any profession.

“As a retired professional, I feel a responsibility to get this message across to as many people as possible.”
Macushield contains lutein, found in spinach, and zeaxanthin, the yellow pigment found in corn – both of which are used in other treatments. It also contains meso-zeaxanthin, derived from marigolds, which was a nutrient Mr Marsland had not tried before.

Dry age-related macular degeneration happens when light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down and sufferers experience a gradual loss of central vision and a fading of colours. It is the most common cause of blindness in the over-60s.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6782415/Retired-optician-cures-own-blindness-with-marigolds.html

Bayer Admits GMO Contamination is Out of Control

Greenpeace International, Dec 8, 2009 
EXTRACT: Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are irreversibly contaminated.
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$2 million US dollar verdict against Bayer confirms company's liability for an uncontrollable technology 

Greenpeace welcomes the United States federal jury ruling on 4 December 2009 that Bayer CropScience LP must pay $2 million US dollars to two Missouri farmers after their rice crop was contaminated with an experimental variety of rice that the company was testing in 2006.

This verdict confirms that the responsibility for the consequences of GE (genetic engineering) contamination rests with the company that releases GE crops.

Bayer has admitted it has been unable to control the spread of its genetically-engineered organisms despite 'the best practices [to stop contamination]'(1). It shows that all outdoors field trials or commercial growing of GE crops must be stopped before our crops are irreversibly contaminated.

A report prepared for Greenpeace International concluded that the total costs incurred throughout the world as a result of the contamination are estimated to range from $741 million to $1.285 billion US dollars.(2) The verdict indicates that Bayer is liable for what could turn out to be a large proportion of these costs, as it awards damages in the first two of more than 1,000 currently pending lawsuits. The decision must be used to support all claims for losses incurred by other US farmers whose crops have suffered from GE contamination.

(1) Bayers Defense lawyer, Mark Ferguson as reported in Harris, A. 2009.
Bayer Blamed at Trial for Crops 'Contaminated' by Modified Rice. Bloomberg News 4th November 2009, available at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aT...
 
(2) E.N. Blue (2007) Risky Business. Economic and regulatory impacts from the unintended release of genetically engineered rice varieties into the rice merchandising system of the US. Report prepared for Greenpeace International, available online at http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press....

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_19777.cfm

Spice Compounds May Stem Tumor Growth

Lab study suggests possible action against breast cancer

HealthDay,  December 11, 2009
FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Compounds derived from two spices -- pepper and turmeric -- could help prevent breast cancer by limiting the growth of stem cells that promote tumor growth, a new study shows.
When curcumin (from turmeric) and piperine (from black peppers) were applied to breast cells in the laboratory, the number of stem cells decreased, but there was no change in normal cells, say researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The study appears online in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
"If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the number of cells with potential to form tumors," the study's lead author, Dr. Madhuri Kakarala, a clinical lecturer in internal medicine at Michigan's medical school and a research investigator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, said in a university news release.
The researchers indicated that the finding that curcumin and piperine are effective against stem cells but not toxic to normal breast tissue has important implications for women.
"Women at high risk of breast cancer right now can choose to take the drugs tamoxifen or raloxifene for prevention, but most women won't take these drugs because there is too much toxicity," Kakarala said. "The concept that dietary compounds can help is attractive, and curcumin and piperine appear to have very low toxicity."
Previous studies have looked at the two dietary compounds as potential cancer treatments, but this was the first to suggest that they mayprevent cancer by targeting stem cells.
The finding came with a warning, however. The compounds were tested only in a laboratory and not in people, and the researchers cautioned against anyone adding curcumin or piperine supplements to their 
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/12/11/spice-compounds-may-stem-tumor-growth.html

Copenhagen climate talks suspended in Africa-led protest

Times of India,  14 December 2009,

COPENHAGEN: The main sessions of UN climate talks in Copenhagen were suspended on Monday in a protest led by African nations and the developing countries accusing rich countries of trying to wreck the existing UN Kyoto Protocol. 

"This is a walk-out over process and form, not a walkout over substance, and that's regrettable," Australian Climate Change Minister Penny Wong said of the action. 

The countries were angry that the conference was weakening in support for the Kyoto Protocol, the core emissions-curbing treaty, they said. 

"They have walked out, I am advised, of the working groups," one Western minister told AFP on condition of anonymity. 

The minister added: "This is salvageable. It depends if people want to be constructive." 

The move was unleashed by African countries, which had the support of the G77 group of developing countries, they said. 

They refused to continue negotiations unless talks on a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol were given priority over broader discussions on a "long-term vision" for cooperative action on climate change. 

The Kyoto Protocol ties the rich countries -- but not developing countries -- that have ratified it to binding emissions curbs. 

It does not include the United States, which says the Protocol is unfair as the binding targets do not apply to developing giants that are already huge emitters of greenhouse gases. 

"Africa has pulled the emergency cord to avoid a train crash at the end of the week," said Jeremy Hobbs, executive director of Oxfam International, referring to a summit on Friday due to be attended by about 120 heads of state or government. 

"Poor countries want to see an outcome which guarantees sharp emissions reductions yet rich countries are trying to delay discussions on the only mechanism we have to deliver this -- the Kyoto Protocol." 

The minister added that the G77, for the same reason, was also blocking an agreement, made yesterday, to have core problems at the climate talks addressed informally at ministerial level in five pools, each chaired jointly by a developing and developed country.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Copenhagen-climate-talks-suspended-in-Africa-led-protest/articleshow/5336625.cms

Vitamin E can help fight cancer

Times of India 13 December 2009

Scientists from University of Strathclyde have devised a novel way to harness natural vitamin E extract that would kill tumours within 10 days. 

Using a new delivery system, the research team could mobilise an extract from Vitamin E, known ton have anti-cancer properties, to attack cancerous cells. 

In the study conducted over skin cancer, the researchers found that tumours started to shrink within 24 hours and almost vanished in ten days. 

They believe the tumours might have been completely destroyed if the tests had continued for longer. 

When the tumours regrew, they did so at a far slower rate than previously. 

"We could see that it was very promising. Of course, this is just the first experiment done but it is very exciting," the Scotsman quoted Dr Christine Dufes, a lecturer at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, as saying. 

Previous studies have found that the extract – tocotrienol, from palm oil, one of the developing world''s most widely-grown products – has tumour-fighting properties. 

In the new study, team developed a formulation of tocotrienol that could be specifically delivered to tumours intravenously. 

They encapsulated it in a compound called transferrin, a protein that transports iron through the blood. The treatment was then tested on mice. 

The researchers found that the formulation led to tumours shrink within one day of treatment. 

And the cancers had nearly disappeared within ten days – the length of time the researchers were allowed to carry out their experiments under strict trial rules. 

"We demonstrated that the intravenous administration of tocotrienol, entrapped in a tumour-targeted delivery system, leads to a fast tumour regression without visible secondary effects on healthy tissues,” said Dufès. 

The research has been published in the Journal of Controlled Release.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Vitamin-E-can-help-fight-cancer/articleshow/5332963.cms

Body clock disturbances linked to heart disease

Times of India, 14 December 2009

A new study has found that cardiovascular disease is connected to disturbances in the body’s 24-hour clock, technically called circadian clock. 

A team on Japanese researchers conducted a study on mice to reach the conclusion. 

To start with, scientists were already aware of genes that are essential elements for the circadian clock. Like, mice lacking a pair of molecules known as cryptochromes have an abnormal circadian rhythm. 

But, the Kyoto University study made progress in observing that the mice were vulnerable to high blood pressure. It was because of abnormally high levels of a hormone called ldosterone that prompts water retention in the kidneys. 

The researchers showed that the circadian clock directly controls a gene, similar to what is found in humans, that plays a key role in production of the hormone. 

The experts insisted that the study supplemented the reason why shift workers, long-distance flight crews and people with sleep disorders have a heightened risk of heart problems. 

Lead researcher Professor Hitoshi Okamura believes the study can be useful in finding new ways to treat hypertension. Also, Professor Bryan Williams, an expert in hypertension at the University of Leicester, feels the study is “fascinating”. 

"We know that there is a strong correlation between time of day and cardiovascular events, which often coincide with the early morning surge in blood pressure,’ the BBC quoted him as saying. 

He added: "So this does provide some insights into the mechanism that might underpin blood pressure deregulation in some people." 

The study appears online in the journal Nature Medicine .
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Body-clock-disturbances-linked-to-heart-disease-/articleshow/5335816.cms

Delayed ageing could protect from Alzheimer's

Times of India, 14 December 2009

Delaying ageing could protect from symptoms linked to Alzheimer's disease. 

The study found that by reducing Insulin Growth Factor (IGF) signalling, activity in brain mechanisms could be boosted to protect against Alzheimer's. 

The mice, genetically modified to develop Alzheimer's disease, had less inflammation in the brain when this signalling was reduced. Inflammation is a condition that occurs when body tissues react to an injury or damaged part. 

"This interesting study identifies new avenues for drug development that target this process associated with ageing," Susanne Sorensen, who heads research division of Alzheimer's Society, said in a statement. 

"Dementia research is desperately underfunded and without investment new treatments will not become available. One million people will develop dementia in the next 10 years. We must act now," she concludes. 

These findings were published in Cell .

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Delayed-ageing-could-protect-from-Alzheimers-/articleshow/5335847.cms

Modern life causing brain overload

Times of India  14 December 2009

With increasing exposure to media in modern times, an average person is every day exposed to information enough to overload a laptop, reveals a new study from University of San Diego, California. 

According to the researchers, with email, the internet, television and other media, people are inundated with around 100,000 words a day – equivalent to 23 words per second. 

They believe that the information overload may have detrimental effects on the brain. 

They claim that the strain of processing so much data means we are becoming disconnected from other people and developing shorter attention spans. 

The study showed that people are bombarded with 34 gigabytes of information a day. “I think one thing is clear: our attention is being chopped into shorter intervals and that is probably not good for thinking deeper thoughts,” the Telegraph quoted Roger Bohn, co-author of the study called How Much Information, as telling Sunday Times . 

“Never before in human history have our brains had to process as much information as they do today,” said Edward Hallowell, a New York psychiatrist and author specialising in attention deficit disorder. 

"We have a generation of people who I call computer suckers because they are spending so much time in front of a computer screen or on their mobile phone or BlackBerry. 

“They are so busy processing information from all directions they are losing the tendency to think and to feel. "Much of what they are exposed to is superficial. People are sacrificing depth and feeling and becoming cut off and disconnected from other people,” Hallowell added. 

Experts believe that the information overload could prompt our brains to evolve in a new way. “One of the things we have learnt over the past 20 years is that the brain does have a capacity to grow and increase in size depending on how it is used,” said Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at the universities of Oxford and Warwick.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Modern-life-causing-brain-overload-/articleshow/5335335.cms

Sex is good for your health

Times of India,  14 December 2009

If you thought the only benefit of sex was, well, pleasure, here’s some news for you. Making love is good for adults. And making love regularly is even better! Not only does it help you sleep well, relieve stress and burn calories, there are several other reasons why you need to have sex more often. 

IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH 
A recent study says that men who have sex more than twice a week, had lesser risk of getting a heart attack than men who had sex less than once a month. 

REDUCES STRESS 
Stressed out with work or family problems? Don’t let it affect your performance in the bedroom. Not only will having sex improve your mood, but a study has proved that folks who indulge in regular bedroom activities can handle stress better and are happier people generally. 

RELIEVES PAIN 
If you’re using your headache as an excuse not to make love, stop doing it. Just when you’re about to have an orgasm, the level of the hormone - oxytocin, increases by five times. The release of endorphins reduces aches and pains. 

PROMOTES LONGEVITY 
When one has an orgasm, a hormone called Dehydroepiandrosterone is released, which improves your immunity and keeps the skin healthy. Men who have at least two orgasms a week live longer than men who have sex just once every few weeks. 

INCREASES BLOOD CIRCULATION 
Because your heart rate increases while having sex, fresh blood is supplied to your organs and cells. While used blood is removed, you also discard things from your body that cause you to feel tired. 

YOU SLEEP BETTER 
Notice that just after you make love, you get a much relaxed sleep thereafter. A good night’s sleep will make you healthy overall. 

IMPROVES OVERALL FITNESS 
If you find going to the gym mundane or working out at home a task, here’s another way to help you lose the flab and keep in shape. Regular sex will do wonders for your waistline. Half an hour of love making burns more than 80 calories! Hope these reasons are 
motivating enough. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Sex-is-good-for-your-health/articleshow/5323462.cms

High-flow oxygen can ease headaches

Times of India   12 December 2009

Fifteen minutes of treatment with high flow oxygen significantly eased cluster headaches, according to a new study. 

Cluster headache attacks, characterised by bouts of excruciating pain usually near the eye or temple, typically last for 15 minutes to three hours if untreated and have a frequency of up to eight attacks a day on alternate days. 

High flow oxygen is given at a rate of six to seven litres per minute for 10 to 20 minutes at the start of a cluster headache. 

Attacks usually occur in bouts, or clusters, lasting for weeks or months, separated by remissions lasting months or years, according to the study. 

The current treatment for acute attacks of cluster headache is injection with the drug sumatriptan, but frequent dosing is not recommended because of adverse effects. 

Another treatment option is the inhalation of high-dose, high-flow oxygen, but its use may be limited because of the lack of a good quality controlled trial. 

Anna S. Cohen, of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and colleagues conducted a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of high-flow oxygen for the treatment of acute attacks of cluster headache. 

The study included 109 adults (aged 18-70 years). Patients treated four cluster headache episodes alternately with high-flow oxygen (inhaled oxygen at 100 percent, or 12 litres per minute, delivered by face mask, for 15 minutes at the start of an attack) or placebo (high-flow air). 

Patients were recruited and followed up between 2002 and 2007. The final analysis included 57 patients with episodic cluster headache and 19 with chronic cluster headache. 

The researchers found that 78 percent of the patients who received oxygen reported being pain-free or to have adequate relief within 15 minutes of treatment, compared to 20 percent of patients who received air. 

For other outcomes, such as being pain-free at 30 minutes or a reduction in pain up to 60 minutes, treatment with oxygen was superior to air. There were no serious adverse events related to the treatments, says a National Hospital release. 

"To our knowledge, this is the first adequately powered trial of high-flow oxygen compared with placebo, and it confirms clinical experience and current guidelines that inhaled oxygen can be used as an acute attack therapy for episodic and chronic cluster headache," the authors write. 

The study appeared in the Wednesday issue of JAMA .

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/High-flow-oxygen-can-ease-headaches/articleshow/5321495.cms

Retaining ovaries linked to longevity

Times of India  13 December 2009

Thousands of women and pet dogs undergo a hysterectomy and have their ovaries removed along with their uterus. Now, research looking at longevity may challenge almost decades of standard operating procedures used in women and in pets. 

The team led by David J. Waters, executive director of the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, studied more than 29,000 women who underwent a hysterectomy for benign uterine disease. 

Waters' work is the first investigation to look for a link between retaining ovaries and reaching exceptional longevity in mammals. 

The findings showed that the upside of ovary removal - protection against ovarian, uterine and breast cancer - was outweighed by increased mortality from other causes. 

As a result, longevity was cut short in women who lost their ovaries before the age of 50 compared with those who kept their ovaries for at least 50 years. 

"For the last 35 years, most doctors have been routinely advising women undergoing hysterectomy to have their ovaries removed to prevent ovarian cancer," Waters said. "We believe that such an automatic recommendation is no longer warranted." 

Research shows that the same is also true of female dogs. The study, exploring the factors that favour successful aging in pet dogs, was conducted by a team also led by Waters. 

They collected and analysed lifetime medical histories, ages and causes of death for 119 canine "centenarians" - exceptionally long-lived Rottweiler dogs living in the US and Canada that survived for 13 years, which is 30 percent longer than average Rottweilers. 

"A female survival advantage in humans is well-documented - women outnumber men by 4:1 among those who reach 100," said Waters, also a professor in veterinary clinical sciences. 

"Like women, female dogs in our study had a distinct survival advantage over males. But taking away ovaries during the first four years of life completely erased the female survival advantage." 

The research was published in Aging Cell .

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Retaining-ovaries-linked-to-longevity/articleshow/5323138.cms

Fit boys make smarter, successful adults

Times of India, 9 December 2009

Here’s another reason to care about your health: A new study has shown that teenage boys with better cardiovascular health make smarter and successful adults. 

The study, conducted by Nancy Pedersen of the University of Southern California and colleagues in Sweden, showed that better cardiovascular health among teenage boys correlates to higher scores on a range of intelligence tests – and more education and income later in life. 

"During early adolescence and adulthood, the central nervous system displays considerable plasticity. Yet, the effect of exercise on cognition remains poorly understood," Pedersen said. 

Pedersen, lead author Maria Aberg of the University of Gothenburg and their colleagues looked at data for all 1.2 million Swedish men born between 1950 and 1976 who enlisted for mandatory military service at the age of 18. 

In every measure of cognitive functioning they analyzed – from verbal ability to logical performance to geometric perception to mechanical skills – average test scores increased according to aerobic fitness. 

However, scores on intelligence tests did not increase along with muscle strength, the researchers found. 

"Positive associations with intelligence scores were restricted to cardiovascular fitness, not muscular strength, supporting the notion that aerobic exercise improved cognition through the circulatory system influencing brain plasticity," Pedersen said. 

The results of the study also showed the importance of getting healthier between the ages of 15 and 18 while the brain is still changing. 

Boys who improved their cardiovascular health between ages 15 to 18 exhibited significantly greater intelligence scores than those who became less healthy over the same time period. 

Over a longer term, boys who were most fit at the age of 18 were more likely to go to college than their less fit counterparts. 

The study appears in the current issue of PNAS Early Edition .

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Fit-boys-make-smarter-successful-adults/articleshow/5314417.cms