Now get insulin from bubblegum.

Now get insulin from bubblegum
November 11 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Diabetics who take regular insulin jabs could soon ditch the needle for a bublegum. Researchers are developing a gum that allows the medicine to be taken orally and then absorbed into the bloodstream.
 

The reason why insulin and many other drugs cannot be swallowed is that they cannot survive the trip through the digestive system. They are destroyed by the acid bath in the stomach and the enzymes in the intestines.
But professor Tejal Desai of the University of California is designing devices that use tiny microscopic capsules to protect the drug and deliver it to the bloodstream, reports the Telegraph. They are so small they can dissolve in the saliva of the mouth and be swallowed without the patient noticing. AGENCIES

Synthetic booze for a high sans health risks.

GOODBYE TO HANGOVER
Synthetic booze for a high sans health risks
November 11 2009 | Times of India Bangalore.

 
London: A substance is being developed which will give the high of alcohol without the negative effects like a hangover or liver damage.
Controversial former UK government drugs tsar professor David Nutt is the man behind the unique creation. I am working on a prototype of a synthetic alcohol. We can make someone feel pleasantly inebriated then reverse it, the Sun quoted him as saying.
He added: We have a partial alternative tested on volunteers. The first ever synthetic alcohol could be available in three to five years. 

Nutt, who was sacked as chairman of the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs after saying ecstasy is safer than alcohol, believes the drink would cut down the number of alcohol related deaths.
He said: At the moment it is very hard to treat alcohol poisoning medics simply have to wait for booze to clear the system. With the new approach , they would have an antidote available immediately. 

We have worked out how alcohol affects the brain and can target these areas. We gave one volunteer a substance similar to Valium, which is a sedative. The feeling was similar to being drunk. We then reversed this, he added. ANI

Monday is the most popular sick day.

Monday is the most popular sick day: study
November 11 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

 
Monday is the most popular day for workers calling in sick, a new UK research has confirmed. The study, by consultant firm Mercer, found that more than a third of all sick leave is taken on the first day of the week. Whats more, the highest rate of absence by far occurs in January, the study added. And the most common reason for absence was musculo-skeletal problems. Following them were viral infections and stress-related illness, reports the BBC. The study found that 35% of all sick leave is taken on a Monday. However, the lowest sick leave rate was recorded on Fridays at just 3% of the total. The study found that 13 of the 20 most popular days for sickness absence occurred in January six of these between 2 and 9 January.

Videogame that boosts intelligence.

Videogame that boosts intelligence.

November 9 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

A new videogame developed by an online gaming site along with scientists from University of Michigan has been found to improve intelligence. Developed by Luminosity.com, the Dual N-Back training program improves intelligence and memory capacity by challenging users to simultaneously remember items that they see and hear. The researchers said that training on the Dual N-Back task resulted in gains in working memory and fluid intelligence that were significantly greater than those seen in the control group.

Obesity causes 100k cancer cases a year.

BLOW FOR US
Obesity causes 100k cancer cases a year
November 8 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

 
Washington: Obesity causes more than 100,000 incidents of cancer in the US every year, the American Institute for Cancer Research said in estimates published on Friday. 

The group, which funds research on the link between diet and the disease, said 49% of endrometrial cancers, which originate in the womb, and 35% of oesophageal cancers are linked to excess body fat. Its clearer than ever that obesitys impact is felt before, during and after cancer, it increases risk, makes treatment more difficult and shortens survival, said Laurence Kolonel of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. 

Scientists have long seen a link between obesity and certain types of cancer, but the study extrapolated from US cancer incidence data is among the first to conclude the link exists on such a scale. According to the government-backed Centers for Disease Control, 34% of American adults aged 20 and over are obese. AFP

Tea can boost heart, brain.

Tea can boost heart, brain:
November 8 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

 
Drinking eight cups of tea daily might sound a bit too much, but health experts say the intake can help fight heart disease, improve brain power and also boost longevity. Independent dietician Dr Carrie Ruxtons research on caffeine at Kings College saw her review 47 published studies to reach the conclusion that caffeinated drinks have positive effects on mental function, increasing alertness, feelings of well-being and short-term memory.

Yoga can reduce lower back pain.

Yoga can reduce lower back pain
November 7 2009 | Times of India Kolkata

Washington: Yoga may be more effective than standard treatment in reducing chronic low back pain in minority populations, according to a new study.
Individuals from low-income , minority backgrounds with chronic lower back pain (CLBP) may be more affected due to disparities in access to treatment.
Although many CLBP patients seek relief from complementary therapies such as yoga, use of these approaches are less common among minorities and individuals with lower incomes or less education. For the study, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center recruited adults with CLBP from two community health centres that serve racially diverse , low-income neighbourhoods of Boston. 

They were randomly assigned to either a standardized 12-week series of hatha yoga classes or standard treatment including doctors visits and medications.
As part of the trial, the researchers asked participants to report their average pain intensity for the previous week, how their function is limited due to back pain, and how much pain medication they are taking.
The yoga group participated in 12 weekly 75-minute classes that included postures, breathing techniques, and meditation.
Classes were taught by a team of registered yoga teachers and were limited to eight participants. Home practice for 30 minutes daily was strongly encouraged.
Participants were provided with an audio CD of the class, a handbook describing and depicting the exercises, a yoga mat, strap, and block. AGENCIES

Newborns cry in their mother tongue.

EARLY LESSONS
Newborns cry in their mother tongue
Infants Begin Picking Up Elements Of Their First Language In The Womb
November 7 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

 
Washington: From their very first days, newborns cries already bear the mark of the language their parents speak, reveals a new study. The findings suggest that infants begin picking up elements of what will be their first language in the womb, and certainly long before their first babble or coo. 

The dramatic finding of this study is that not only are human neonates capable of producing different cry melodies, but they prefer to produce those melody patterns that are typical for the ambient language they have heard during their fetal life, within the last trimester of gestation, said Kathleen Wermke from the University of Wurzburg in Germany. Contrary to orthodox interpretations , these data support the importance of human infants crying for seeding language development.
Human fetuses are able to memorize sounds from the external world by the last trimester of pregnancy, with a particular sensitivity to melody contour in both music and language, earlier studies showed. 

Newborns prefer their mothers voice over other voices and perceive the emotional content of messages conveyed via intonation contours in maternal speech. Their perceptual preference for the surrounding language and their ability to distinguish between different languages and pitch changes are based on melody, Science Daily reported.
Although prenatal exposure to native language was known to influence newborns perception, scientists had thought that the surrounding language affected sound production much later, the researchers said. It now appears that isnt so. Wermkes team recorded and analyzed the cries of 60 healthy newborns, 30 born into French-speaking families and 30 born into German-speaking families, when they were three to five days old. That analysis revealed clear differences in the shape of the newborns cry melodies, based on their mother tongue. IANS

Avoid coffee during night shifts.

Avoid coffee during night shifts:
November 6 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

Night-shift workers should avoid drinking coffee if they wish to improve their sleep, according to new research. A study led by Julie Carrier, a University of Montreal psychology professor has found the main byproduct of coffee, caffeine, interferes with sleep and this side-effect worsens as people age. The combined influence of age and caffeine makes the sleep of middle-aged subjects particularly vulnerable to the circadian waking signal.

Experimental vaccine cures pre-cancer vulvar growths.

Experimental vaccine cures pre-cancer vulvar growths
November 6 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

An experimental vaccine cured nearly half of women with pre-cancerous growths on their genitals, producing major improvement in nearly four out of five, researchers in the Netherlands reported. We hope to get results like this in women with cancer, but those tests are in the future, team leader Gemma Kenter of Leiden University said. The vaccine is different from the Mercks Gardasil vaccine and GlaxoSmithKlines rival Cervarix, which are available to prevent cervical cancer caused by common forms of the human papillomavirus, known as HPV.

Renting clothes may help cut CO emissions.

Renting clothes may help cut CO emissions
November 5 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

The British Governments waste watchdog has determined that large wardrobes of seldom-used clothes are no longer environmentally acceptable and people should instead rent outfits and accessories, thus helping to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. According to the Times, a report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has called for the transformation of a large part of the retail sector into a service industry specialising in renting goods, with each item used by many different people during its lifetime. WRAP has identified five categories of goods suitable for renting, namely, high-end clothing, glassware and tableware, tools and equipment for house and garden, vehicles, and telephone, audio and recreational equipment.

Antibiotics can cause birth defects.

CHOOSE WITH CARE
Antibiotics can cause birth defects
November 4 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

 
Chicago: Researchers studying antibiotics in pregnancy have found a surprising link between common drugs used to treat urinary infections with birth defects. Reassuringly , the most-used antibiotics in early pregnancy penicillins appear to be the safest. 

Bacterial infections can cause problems for the fetus if left unchecked, experts said, so pregnant women shouldnt avoid antibiotics entirely . Instead, women should discuss antibiotics choices with their doctors. The study is the first large analysis of antibiotic use in pregnancy. It found that mothers of babies with birth defects were more likely than mothers with healthy babies to report taking two types of antibiotics during pregnancy: sulfa drugs and urinary germicides called nitrofurantoins . 

It was the first time an association had been seen between urinary tract treatments and birth defects, said lead author Krista Crider, a geneticist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , which funded the research . Additional studies are going to need to be done to confirm these findings.
Used for many decades, the antibiotics in question predate the Food and Drug Administration and its requirements for rigorous safety testing. The FDA now grades all drugs for safety to the fetus based on available research , but rigorous studies are so lacking in many cases, that no antibiotics get the highest grade of A . 

Sulfa drugs are the oldest antibiotics and some animal studies have found harm during pregnancy. Nitrofurantoins previously have been viewed by doctors as safe to treat urinary tract infections during pregnancy. The study, appearing in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, may cause doctors to change the drugs they choose to treat pregnant women with infections. 

Susan Mehnert-Kay , a family practice doctor in Tulsa , Oklahoma, said the research is very interesting and would cause her to reconsider antibiotic choices in early pregnancy.
Birth defects linked to sulfa drugs included rare brain and heart problems, and shortened limbs. Those linked to nitrofurantoins included heart problems and cleft palate. The drugs seemed to double or triple the risk, depending on the defect. AP

2-year-old could die if she cries.

2-year-old could die if she cries:
November 4 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

A two-year-old girl in the UK endures a rare condition that could lead her to death if she burst into tears. Little Tianna Lewis McHugh suffers from an extreme form of the condition where simple crying could set off a seizure and block breathing as her skin turns white, her body stiffens and her heart stops beating. Parents Ceri Lewis and Andy McHugh revealed their daily struggle to keep Tianna from shedding those tears.

Obesity damages liver more than alcohol.

Cut the flab: obesity damages liver more than alcohol
November 2 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

London: Heres another reason why you should shed the flab excess weight can damage your liver more than alcohol , a leading doctor in UK has warned.
According to Christopher Hawkey, president of the British Society of Gastroenterology , obesity will overtake alcohol as the main cause of liver cirrhosis in the not too distant future . Obesity is the biggest health problem we face this century. It is almost certainly going to reverse the rise in life expectancy, so we start living shorter lives than before.
It will increase the risks of a number of cancers; hip and knee surgery requirement is going to be vast; and it is now projected to overtake alcohol as the biggest cause of liver cirrhosis within two decades, he said.
A poll of 1,959 people released on Sunday has found that while the majority understood that obesity could cause diabetes, high blood pressure and infertility, few understood its link to certain cancers or liver problems. 

 
New figures show a huge spike in the number of people under the age of 65 dying of liver disease while deaths linked to other problems, such as diabetes, cancers and stroke, have fallen for that age group.
The average age of death from liver disease is 59 compared to between 82 and 84 for heart disease and strokes. PTI

Mobile overuse may up tumour risk.

Mobile overuse may up tumour risk:
November 2 2009 | Times of India Bangalore
 

Though its not yet proved that cell phones cause brain cancer, a new study has claimed that long-term use of mobiles could up the risk of brain tumours. Researchers have based their findings on an analysis of the key 23 studies that have investigated the effects of the phone the study involved more than 12,000 patients who had developed brain tumours and 25,000 who hadnt . The study concluded mobile phone use of 10 years or longer was associated with an increased risk of tumours of up to 34 per cent, the Sunday Express reported.

Charcoal may help fight heart disease.

Charcoal may help fight heart disease, says study
November 2 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

New studies have found that charcoal can prove useful in dealing with the high rate of heart disease in patients with advanced kidney disease. It has been observed in the past that patients with advanced kidney disease have high rates of atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries and death from heart disease. The form of oral activated charcoal a product called AST-120 has previously been used by doctors in emergency treatment for certain types of poisoning. But now, recent studies presented before the American Society of Nephrology have shown that AST-120 can be helpful in treating kidney disease as well.

Kissing was devised to spread germs.

Kissing was devised to spread germs
It Passes A Bug Dangerous In Pregnancy To Women, Giving Them Time To Build Immunity 

November 1 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

It is an international symbol of love and romance. But the kiss may have evolved for reasons that are far more practicaland less alluring. British scientists believe it developed to spread germs.
 

They say that the uniquely human habit allows a bug that is dangerous in pregnancy to be passed from man to woman to give her time to build up immunity.
Cytomegalovirus, which lurks in saliva, normally causes no problems. But it can be extremely dangerous if caught while pregnant and can kill unborn babies or cause birth defects. These can include problems ranging from deafness to cerebral palsy.
Writing in the journal Medical Hypotheses , researcher Dr Colin Hendrie from the University of Leeds said: Female inoculation with a specific males cytomegalovirus is most efficiently achieved through mouth-to-mouth contact and saliva exchange, particularly where the flow of saliva is from the male to the typically shorter female.
Kissing the same person for about six months provides optimum protection , he added. During a relatively chaste first kiss, just a small amount of virus is passed to the woman, cutting her odds of becoming ill. As the relationships progresses and the kisses become more passionate, her immunity builds up.
By the time she becomes pregnant, the odds of her unborn baby becoming infected are much lower. Previously scientists have claimed that kissing acts as a form of evolutionary quality control , with saliva holding clues to fertility , health and genes.
But the psychologists from Leeds and the University of Central Lancashire said these things can be judged without getting quite so intimate. Dr Hendrie said: Information concerning body tone, smell, reproductive condition, disease state and, of course, personal physical and oral hygiene can all be gained solely from close physical proximity.
The small amount of additional information from kissing is an unlikely pressure for its development. AGENCIES

Oz woman dies after using iron lung for 60 years.

Oz woman dies after using iron lung for 60 years
November 1 2009 | Times of India Bangalore

An Australian who spent a record-breaking 60 years confined to an iron lung after contracting polio died on Saturday in a Melbourne nursing home, aged 83. June Middleton was paralysed when she entered the respiratory chamber in 1949, aged 23, and doctors gave her a slim chance of survival. Middletons was permitted limited weekly outings free of the lung with the use of a portable chest respirator, and an automated page turner meant she could still read while being confined.