Social support during breast-feeding may help humans reproduce faster than non-human primates
By Joel Barnard
February 18, PopSci
For most of us, procuring a gallon of milk requires only a quick trip to the corner store. Breastfeeding mothers, on the other hand, need an estimated 30 percent more energy to keep a newborn nipper happy with fresh mama juice. Eating like a horse and lazing about are two ways to offset this extra energy demand, but another factor may contribute as well. According to a new study, support from family may play a key role in helping mothers conserve energy and therefore allow their bodies to prepare more quickly for another pregnancy.
The study, led by Barbara Piperata, assistant professor of anthropology at Ohio State University, examined the postpartum practices of new mothers in the Brazillian Amazon. In this culture, women observe resguardo, a period of 40 or 41 days after birth during which they are restricted from performing strenuous household tasks. “Humans out-produce other primates. So we are examining to what degree this is related to our cultural flexibility,” said Piperata.
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photo: Breastfeeding (By iStockPhoto)
December 30, mensmagicpill.com
One of the joys of watching the stock exchange is trying to guess what will happen and then trying to explain why you were wrong. It seems obvious that expensive drugs used for recreational purposes will be one of the first to feel the effects of the economic slowdown. You only have to look at the signs all around you.
The banks are failing, the housing bubble has burst with foreclosures everywhere, and unemployment is rising. These are signs of a recession. So if people are going to struggle to keep a roof over the heads and put food on the table, nonessential drugs will be the first sacrifice. Except that the latest sales numbers out of Eli Lilly show that, in the sale of cialis, gross revenue jumped by 20% in the last quarter as against the same quarter last year.
So, no matter what else may be going on in the world, there is one fundamental truth. Men will keep paying to treat problems of erectile dysfunction. Whatever else may be slowing down, the action is not slowing down in the bedroom. Perhaps the answer lies in male culture. There is still so much shame associated with erectile dysfunction.
Men whose performance is affected feel, somehow, they are no longer "proper" men. If possible, they hide the problem. If hiding is unlikely to be effective, it comes down to two choices. Honestly discussing the problem with their partner helps to keep the relationship going. Sacrificing the relationship allows the man to save face without having to admit the failure. Why should the expensive branded cialis still be so popular?
Well, there are two versions. The original version allows sexual activity for up to thirty-six hours. This gives almost complete flexibility allowing for sex whenever and wherever the urge comes. It's as close to a natural response as you can get with only one pill. The other version is the once-daily tablet.
This is a low dosage treatment that allows normal sexual responsiveness 24/7. The price for both versions is the same. It's left to the man to decide which version is most convenient. When looking around to buy cialis, the standard approach is to go visit with your local healthcare provider, get a prescription and head down to your local drugstore.
Except that traps you into buying this must-have drug at the prevailing retail price. Those of you who follow these things will know that the price for cialis has recently increased. Which is why you have come on to this site, where you can buy cialis at a rather less painful price without having to go get a prescription.
This keeps your performance going without it straining your budget in a recession.
image by its website
December 23, viagramedication.net
When it comes to sickness and disease, most of us have grown
used to accepting what life brings us. We are all equally at risk. Viruses and bacteria don't care. They attack the weak and the vulnerable or the just plain unlucky. But those born with a genetic or hereditary condition deserve our special sympathy.
This is always particularly unfair. They are born with a limited number of years to live or with a permanent disability. They never have the chance of an "ordinary" life. So it is with muscular dystrophy, an unfortunate condition where muscles waste away, limiting mobility, affecting balance and eventually removing the ability to walk.
People who have this condition tire rapidly, even when the activity level is actually very low. This rapid loss of energy has always been considered odd. We can all intuitively understand that people whose muscles are wasting away will get tired quickly, but not so tired after so little exercise. At first, scientists believed the cause of this fatigue to be overproduction of an enzyme called creatine kinase.
However, the most recent research suggests an alternative - that there is a loss of an enzyme called neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). This prompted the researchers to turn to an unlikely medication for treatment - viagra. As you know, viagra works by allowing the smooth muscles in arteries to dilate.
The research team has bred lab mice with muscular dystrophy (scientists are really clever in a macabre kind of way). They examined the blood vessels before and, after light exercise, found the vessels had constricted, reducing the flow of oxygenated blood. But when these mice were given viagra, they were able to exercise without tiring. Preliminary testing in human volunteers shows that they too lack nNOS.
The hope is that treatment with viagra as an already approved drug will allow people with muscular dystrophy to move around with getting so tired. However, the fact that this treatment works in mice is no guarantee that it will work in humans. The further difficulty is that if humans are able to exercise more, this may accelerate the breakdown in the muscle cell structure. There needs to be considerable testing before this treatment can be approved. But it does at least offer the chance that the lives of these people can be improved while we wait for gene splicing therapy to come along in the future. So thats an exciting reason to buy viagra online.
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December 22, zithromaxpills.com
A recent medical study held in Bangladesh investigated the effectiveness of traditional cholera treatments and possible alternatives. The problem of cholera is very complicated in third world countries where the water supplies can be the source of numerous bacteriological diseases.
Apart from the aspect of water supplies another problem, which contributes to the development of cholera epidemics in poor countries, is that traditional medication gradually loses its effectiveness with bacteria developing resistance to it.
In such situation finding a new drug for treating cholera is crucial. Having these goals the study compared Cipro (ciprofloxacin), which is commonly used in cases of severe cholera for over a decade, and a macrolide antibiotic. The study involved 195 men suffering from severe cholera, divided into two groups. The first group was given Cipro and the second - macrolides respectively. The results where impressive and gave base to an intense discussion about the effectiveness of medicine used for cholera treatment today as well as the possibility of using macrolide antibiotics in such cases. Cipro, which only a few years back was effective in a single dose against cholera, failed in ¾ of the patients in the study.
This can be explained by the fact that Vibrio cholerae - the bacteria causing cholera - was able to rapidly develop tolerance reaction to Cipro, rendering it ineffective with time. In contrast, macrolide antibiotic treatment has shown significant results with 73% of the patients being cured with a single dose.
Furthermore, the group treated with macrolides has had illness symptoms manifested only for 30 hours after taking the medicine in comparison to more than three days in case of Cipro. Although, the studies were held on men only, there's no reason to believe the results would be different in case of women. The results of this study have displayed the importance of developing new drugs which would be as effective as Cipro was a decade ago.
Macrolide antibiotics used in the study seem like a great alternative to the traditional medication. There are numerous generic variations to this class of drugs, like Zithromax, which are available all over the world. But still, the doctors argue that a single drug will not solve the problem of cholera, because it is primarily caused by poor sanitation and water supplies.
The bacteria may develop resistance to Zithromax with time too, like in case of Cipro, thus it can't be regarded as a constant solution to the problem. The radical changes concerning sanitation and water supplies, which Europe and America have undergone a century ago, should be taken in developing countries too, but that seems like a much more complex solution compared to medications.
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December 19, phentermineguidance.com
Forgive me but I'm something of a plain speaker and I'm writing
about an issue that can be dangerous to your health. Millions of people around the world are obese. Tens of millions are seriously overweight.
There is absolutely clear evidence that people who are overweight run the risks of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. The longer you are overweight, the higher the risk of early death. So why are you overweight?
The answer could not be more simple. You are overweight both because you eat too much sweet or fatty food, and because you refuse to exercise.
The remedy?
You have to eat smaller portions of more healthy food and exercise. This represents a major lifestyle change. It sounds so simple but most overweight people are food junkies. When you start, you find you're hooked on all the wrong kinds of food. Try changing the diet and your body develops withdrawal symptoms. For the first time in years, you feel hunger.
There's a remedy. You can buy phentermine online (where it's cheapest). As the longest running appetite suppressant on the market, it has proved itself as effective to keep the hunger pangs at bay. So, while you go through the withdrawal period and your stomach slowly contracts, growing more used to smaller amounts of food inside, you take phentermine.
This tricks your conscious mind into thinking you are full. All you have to do is to control the reflex action to snack. Like everything important in life, losing weight is all about having the motivation to keep going. Some join clubs or circles to get the emotional support they need. Others buy phentermine and wait out the pain of hunger.
Without the help and support of family, friends and colleagues, you will probably have relapses. There is no need to feel guilt. Just pick yourself up again and get back on the wagon. The weight will slowly come off - it will be faster if you exercise as well. I deliberately started off the article with a frightener. But the medical evidence is clear. An early death is waiting for most people who remain overweight. If this fear is not a good motivator for you, keep on with the phentermine as directed by your physician.
No matter how you do it, you should make actual weight reduction your highest priority in life. You owe it to your family if not to yourself.
image from its website
December 9, healthinsurance-guidance.com
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that an increasing number of people are now unable to afford medical insurance. Some 47 million people do not have medical insurance. When they begin to fall sick, there is nothing that can be done if money is short.
When it comes to a choice between food on the table and treatment, most people decide to eat. They hope they will get better. When health does not improve, there is no improvement in the choice to be made. If treatment remains unaffordable, they have to wait until their sickness worsens to the point it can be considered an emergency. At this point, people decide to go to the emergency room at their local hospital.
Federal law is very clear. Hospitals are under a positive legal obligation to treat everyone who walks in through the door. It does not matter whether the emergency is real, in the sense of a traffic accident inflicting unexpected injury, or to some extent manufactured, where the condition only becomes an emergency because of a deliberate delay. People must be given treatment.
The difficulty is that most of the uninsured cannot afford to pay their bills. The hospitals can and do issue invoices for the treatment given and drugs supplied. This is also a part of the law. People have a responsibility to pay for their treatment. But hospitals are realistic about their chances of collecting. Continued pursuit for payment usually results in bankruptcy and the creditors only get a few cents in the dollar. So, hospitals make a rational decision. They spread all the unpaid bills among all those who can pay.
In other words, whether you are paying out of your own pocket or you are relying on your own health insurance to pay for your treatment, a percentage of every hospital's bill is a provision against bad debts from the uninsured. The irony is that everyone who is insured is also insuring all the uninsured for their emergency room visits.
If you have been wondering why your own health insurance premiums have been going up so sharply of late, it's because there is a wave of uninsured people going to the emergency rooms around the country. The health insurers are having to pay more and this additional cost gets passed on in the premiums.
Is it going to get any better? No.
It's actually going to get worse. Ever more people are finding health insurance unaffordable. Even with sites like this which allow people to find the cheapest insurance around, many still find the premiums too much. That does not mean you should give up.
Using this site will get you offers. Then it's up to you to negotiate directly with the insurer or its agents to get the best actual premium for the cover. It's not worth the risk of being uninsured. If at all possible, get some cover.
image's site by healthinsurance-guidance.com
By Ryan Singel
November 10, Wired
Katrina Spears, a self-described internet medium, was running errands Sept. 30, the day the Dow plummeted 770 points.
"When I got home that day, I had messages from 30 clients," Spears says.
While it doesn't take a psychic to see that tough times lay ahead for the economy, online practitioners of the divination arts say they're seeing a marked sift in the questions posed by their clientele, with anxious consumers increasingly asking what's in store for them financially in the months ahead. Believers who normally seek psychics for advice on a cheating spouse are now asking whether a pink slip is in their future, and internet psychics across the board saw a spike in traffic in the days following the initial market crash.
The boom in superstition is a predicable response to troubling times, says Columbia Business School professor Gita Johar, who's studied the phenomenon. "If the future is uncertain, people turn to psychics," Johar says. Consumers tend to embrace the supernatural when confronted by stress, combined with uncertainty. "You have an illusion then that you can then control the outcome. People want the illusion of control."
Spears is one of many self-described psychics, empaths and mediums who make a living giving online readings by instant message or phone on sites such as LivePerson.com and AT&T's Keen.com. Spears performs readings by online chat for $2 to $3 a minute, and says that since September she's been talking almost exclusively with Americans who are concerned about their economic futures.
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image by wired.com
By Carly Crawford
July 4, News.com.au
HEALTH advocates want a mimimum price on alcohol after a major liquor chain started selling wine for just $2 a bottle.
Liquor giant Dan Murphy's promotion means its cleanskins are selling for 25 cents per standard drink.
Health campaigners say grog discounting has gone too far and insist a government-imposed price minimum should be considered.
The Australian Drug Foundation's alcohol director Geoff Munro said heavy drinkers consumed more as prices fell.
"It's not appropriate to treat alcohol as though it belongs in a $2 shop,'' Mr Munro said.
"It's now cheaper than water.''
"This indicates that goverments should explore introducing a minimum price for alcohol.''
Wine has a 13 per cent concentration on average, while alcopops - which have been hit with a controversial new tax - have concentrations of between five and nine per cent.
Mr Munro said cheap drinks encourged excess consumption.
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photo: $2 shop ... Wine is available at bargain basement prices. (News.com.au)
By Tara Parker-Pope
June 4, International Herald Tribune
What do brain surgeons know about cellphone safety that the rest of us don't?
Last week, three prominent neurosurgeons told the CNN interviewer Larry King that they did not hold cellphones next to their ears. "I think the safe practice," said Dr. Keith Black, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, "is to use an earpiece so you keep the microwave antenna away from your brain."
Dr. Vini Khurana, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University who is an outspoken critic of cellphones, said: "I use it on the speaker-phone mode. I do not hold it to my ear."
And CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital, said that like Black he used an earpiece.
Along with Senator Edward Kennedy's recent diagnosis of a glioma, a type of tumor that critics have long associated with cellphone use, the doctors' remarks have helped reignite a long-simmering debate about cellphones and cancer.
That supposed link has been largely dismissed by many experts, including the American Cancer Society. The theory that cellphones cause brain tumors "defies credulity," said Dr. Eugene Flamm, chairman of neurosurgery at Montefiore Medical Center.
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image by Stuart Bradford
Exercise during the teen years may protect girls from future breast cancer
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
May 14, ABC News
Get your daughters off the couch: New research shows exercise during the teen years — starting as young as age 12 — can help protect girls from breast cancer when they're grown. Middle-aged women have long been advised to get active to lower their risk of breast cancer after menopause.
What's new: That starting so young pays off, too.
"This really points to the benefit of sustained physical activity from adolescence through the adult years, to get the maximum benefit," said Dr. Graham Colditz of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the study's lead author.
Researchers tracked nearly 65,000 nurses ages 24 to 42 who enrolled in a major health study. They answered detailed questionnaires about their physical activity dating back to age 12. Within six years of enrolling, 550 were diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause. A quarter of all breast cancer is diagnosed at these younger ages, when it's typically more aggressive.
Women who were physically active as teens and young adults were 23 percent less likely to develop premenopausal breast cancer than women who grew up sedentary, researchers report Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The biggest impact was regular exercise from ages 12 to 22.
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photo: Teenage girls who exercise now may enjoy a lower risk of breast cancer later in life, new research suggests (Jamie Grill/Iconica/Getty Images)
Lack of sleep is the main one
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
May 13, Softpedia
Getting no sleep can be the main reason of one’s zombie-like behavior, meaning, for sleepwalking. "Sleepwalkers should keep a regular bedtime to avoid unwanted evening strolls," said Antonio Zadra of the Université de Montréal, lead researcher of a study published in the Annals of Neurology journal, a study that connected sleep loss and sleepwalking in predisposed individuals.
Sleepwalking or somnambulism is experienced by 4% of adults, and
its effects can range from mental confusion to bouts of amnesia and even physical injuries. "Sleepwalking is common in kids, but usually they outgrow it," Dr. Vishesh Kapur, director of the University of Washington Sleep Disorders Center at Harborview Medical Center told LiveScience.
40 suspected sleepwalkers, tested between August 2003 to March 2007, were initially analyzed for their baseline sleep patterns. In later tests, the subjects were kept awake for the entire evening and monitored. They were allowed to get their recovery sleep only the next morning, after 25 hours of staying awake.
The patients were monitored via video cameras during their recovery sleep. Their behavior varied from playing with the bed sheets to attempts at jumping over the bed rails. The complexity of the subjects' behavior was classified on a three-point scale. Baseline sleep was connected to 32 of sleepwalking behaviors in 50% of the patients. Recovery sleep induced sleepwalking in 90% of the subjects.
Sleepwalking is "a disorder of arousal, a kind of mixed state of being.
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The precise cause is not yet known
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
May 7, Softpedia
Currently, in many western countries, less than 1% of women breastfeed continuously for the first six months of the baby's life. In the UK, the category most prone to breastfeeding was found to be formed of well educated, professional women, older than 30 and mothers for the first time. The fear of ending up with saggy breasts (although recent researches have come to infirm this theory), commodity, lack of time and other factors have contributed to this low percentage.
With all that, studies have shown that colostrum, that yellowish
milk secreted after birth, is the first package of immune factors delivered to the infant's body. Breastfed babies are five times less likely to get gastroenteritis as compared to formula-fed ones, also two times less likely to catch a respiratory disease in their first seven years of life, as well as much less vulnerable to diabetes. Breastfeeding prevents children from turning overweight later in life. Research showed that children breastfed for 3-5 months had 35% lower chances of becoming overweight by the age of 6 than those who were not breastfed. In fact, the longer the breastfeeding period, the lower the chances of the child to become overweight later in life. It seems that the ingredients from the maternal milk improve the metabolism.
A new research published in the Archives of General Psychiatry shows that long-term, exclusive breastfeeding improves children’s cognitive development. The researchers from McGill University and the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, made a randomized trial of a breastfeeding promotion program with patients from 31 maternity hospitals and affiliated clinics in Belarus.
The program supporting and promoting breastfeeding was applied between June 1996 to December 1997. The trial involved 7,108 infants and mothers. 6,781 of the infants were interviewed and examined between 2002 and 2005, when the children had already reached an average age of 6.5 years.
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photo by Courier Journal
It steals their calcium
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
April 30, Softpedia
Junk food and cola are part of the standard diet for any cool kid. Nevertheless, it turns out that cola is compromising the strength of their bones, as revealed by a new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"There is enough evidence that high consumption of soda and carbonated
beverages is associated with somewhat lower bone mass in children, and that's a real concern and people should be aware of it," said Dr Lawrence Raisz, director of the University of Connecticut Centre for Osteoporosis.
The precise reason of this effect is not known, but a few theories have been emitted so far. Cola consumers may replace nutritious beverages (like calcium rich milk or calcium fortified juice) from their diet with cola, consuming less calcium and vitamin D. The caffeine in cola has also been connected to bone mass loss.
Another culprit could be the phosphoric acid in cola, because it takes calcium from the body while attempting to neutralize it and, in the case of an already calcium poor diet, it will come from the bones.
"Phosphate is in milk, but milk also contains calcium and vitamin D. In soft drinks, there is just phosphoric acid and no calcium. Extra overzealous drinking may lead to a phosphoric acid imbalance, and if there's not enough calcium, the body goes to the bones to restore the balance," said Dr Primal Kaur, director of the Osteoporosis Centre at Temple University Health Sciences Center in Philadelphia.
Low calcium amounts cause osteoporosis, when bones get thin and brittle. Over 50% of Americans, especially postmenopausal women, display a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.
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photo by Static Zooomr
High calories intake increases the chances of having a boy
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
April 24, Softpedia
There are couples give birth to so many babies they could literally form a football team, and all because of their desire of having a daughter. Others end up with a group of cheerleaders but a boy fails to make himself present. The answer is simpler than thought: a new study carried out at the Universities of Exeter and Oxford shows for the first time the connection between a child's gender and the mother's energy intake around the time of conception.
The 740 subjects were first-time pregnant British mothers in the UK,
unaware of the sex of their fetuses. All subjects were of average weight, health and lifestyle. They completed a questionnaire tracking down their dietary habits before and during the early period of pregnancy. The subjects were assigned into 3 groups, depending on the quantity of daily calories intake around the time when they got pregnant.
56% of the women in the high calories intake group delivered sons, compared to 45% in the lowest calories intake group. Mothers of sons also were more likely to have had a more varied diet, richer in nutrients, like potassium, calcium and vitamins C, E and B12. Women consuming breakfast cereals were also more likely to have sons.
The research comes at a time when industrialized countries have been experiencing a slight but steady decrease, of one per 1000 births annually, in the ratio of newborn boys for the past 40 years. Other studies had shown a decline in the average calories intake in developed countries. The 'obesity epidemic' too is connected to decreased physical activity and junk food consumption. Skipping breakfast, a very negative habit for one's health (proven, oppositely to what many think, to increase bodyweight) is widespread now in developed countries: in the USA, it has boomed from 14% of the adults to 25% in the period between 1965 to 1991.
"This research may help to explain why in developed countries, where many young women choose to have low calorie diets, the proportion of boys born is falling. Here we have evidence of a 'natural' mechanism that means that women appear to be already controlling the sex of their offspring by their diet," said lead author Dr Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter.
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It kills the skin cancer cells caused by UVB radiation
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
April 22, Softpedia
In the vivid debate on whether coffee is good or bad for our health, here comes a new study coffee supporters can always use as a pro argument: in the case of mice, caffeine works like a "sun screen", protecting their skin against the harmful ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and ultimately against skin cancer. In the study published in Cancer Research, the team of researchers also presents the mechanism behind this protection: caffeine activates a
process that removes skin cells with DNA affected by irradiation. When cells with defective DNA start multiplying, cancer sets in.
"The results of the present study provide a possible mechanism for earlier observations indicating that oral administration of caffeine inhibits ultraviolet light-induced skin cancer in mice," senior author Dr Allan H. Conney told Reuters Health.
The team delivered caffeine to the mice in their drinking water for 1 to 2 weeks before the animals were exposed to UVB, in doses comparable to humans drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee daily. Caffeine was also ointed, mixed with cream or gel, directly to the skin soon after UVB radiation exposure. In both cases, the alkaloid killed the skin cells with impaired DNA.
"We believe that these results will extrapolate to humans but clinical studies need to be done. [Previous] studies indicate that coffee or tea drinkers have a lower risk of non-melanoma skin cancer," said Conney.
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photo by BeanMeUpCoffee
By Will Dunham
April 8, Yahoo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teenagers with a bedroom television tend to have poorer diet and exercise habits and lower grades in school than those without one, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
While many studies have examined TV viewing habits of young people, researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health said little had been known about the consequences in particular for older adolescents of having a bedroom TV.
They questioned 781 adolescents, ages 15 to 18, in the Minneapolis area in 2003 and 2004. Of them, 62 percent reported having a television in their bedroom.
Not surprisingly, those with a bedroom TV were more apt to watch it a lot, clocking four to five more hours in front of a television per week, the researchers said. Twice as many of the teens with a bedroom TV were classified as heavy TV watchers -- at least five hours a day -- compared to those without one.
Girls with a bedroom television reported getting less vigorous exercise -- 1.8 hours per week compared to 2.5 hours for girls without a TV. They also ate fewer vegetables, drank more sweetened beverages and ate meals with their family less often, the researchers said.
Boys with a bedroom TV reported having a lower grade point average than boys without one, as well as eating less fruit and having fewer family meals, the researchers said.
"It really clearly points out that there's some merit to not allowing your child to have a TV in the bedroom," said Daheia Barr-Anderson, one of the researchers.
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photo: A family watches television in an undated photo. Teenagers with a bedroom television tend to have poorer diet and exercise habits and lower grades in school than those without one, U.S. researchers said on Monday (File/Reuters)
March 24, BBC News
Displaying cigarettes in shops could be banned under government plans being considered in a bid to reduce smoking and discourage children from starting.
Ministers are also considering tougher controls on vending machines in pubs and restaurants.
A public consultation due to start within months will call for the public's opinions on these issues.
Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said it was "vital" to teach children that "smoking is bad".
"If that means stripping out vending machines or removing cigarettes from behind the counter, I'm willing to do that," she said.
Ms Primarolo stressed: "Children who smoke are putting their lives at risk and are more likely to die of cancer than people who start smoking later."
The measures could effectively force the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products under the counter in convenience shops and supermarkets.
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photo: Teenager at shop counter. The plans are being considered to dissuade children from smoking (BBC News)
A warning signal for women attempting to conceive
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
March 19, Softpedia
Using a lubricant may improve sex ... and that's all. Fertility is wiped out. A new research published in the journal "Fertility and Sterility" shows that 80% of the lubricants seem to be sperm killers. Only one out of 5 vaginal lubricants did not significantly lower the motility of the sperms or the integrity of the sperm chromosomes.
About 30-50% of the sexually active couples employ vaginal
lubricants, but some researches had signaled a harmful effect of these chemicals on sperm quality. In this case, the main issue is what women can choose in order to solve the issue of vaginal dryness while attempting to conceive, as in many cases sexual issues go hand-in-hand, and vaginal dryness can be connected to fertility issues. Harming the sperms would be the cherry on the top of the cake.
The team led by Dr. Ashok Agarwal from the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, assessed the impact of four commercially available vaginal lubricants (FemGlide, Pre-Seed, Replens, and Astroglide) on sperm motility and that of three lubricants (Pre~Seed, K-Y Jelly, and FemGlide) on sperm chromosome integrity.
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photo by mypharmacy.co.uk
March 13, Channel News Asia
Hong Kong education and health officials on Wednesday ordered all primary schools and kindergartens to close for two weeks amid a flu outbreak.
In an announcement posted on its website, the Hong Kong Education Bureau said: "All kindergartens, kindergartens-cum-child care centres, primary schools and special schools will begin the Easter holiday from March 13 to March 28."
Health secretary York Chow said the move was a precautionary measure against the spread of influenza in schools, according to the Government Information Service (GIS).
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) received reports of outbreaks of flu-like illness affecting 23 schools involving a total of 184 people on Wednesday, GIS said.
A CHP spokesman said the illnesses could be caused by flu or other respiratory viruses.
GIS said laboratory tests on a seven-year-old boy who died after suffering respiratory and neurological symptoms showed positive results for influenza A (H1N1).
Initial tests on a three-year-old boy currently in a stable condition in hospital also showed positive results for the same strain.
Recent flu cases had caused anxiety and pressure among both parents and school management as to whether to allow children to attend schools, especially where there was an outbreak of the virus, Chow said.
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photo: Hong Kong school students wearing masks as a preventative measure against a recent flu outbreak (CNA)
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
March 12, Softpedia
Have you eaten your vegetables? If not, this may be bad news for your breasts. A new research published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," and carried out by a team at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Shanghai Cancer Institute in China, has found a connection between the consume of certain vegetables and a lowered risk for breast cancer.
"3,035 women diagnosed with breast cancer were identified through the Shanghai Cancer Registry. They were closely matched with 3,037 women randomly chosen from the
general population there. The women filled out questionnaires about their diet, including consumption of cruciferous vegetables like Chinese cabbage, bok choi and turnips. Americans typically eat more broccoli, kale and cauliflower in the cruciferous vegetable family," said corresponding author Dr. Jay Fowke, assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram.
"Cruciferous vegetables contain some compounds that may have a cancer-inhibitory effect. Here we were able to identify a group of women who seem to particularly benefit from a high intake of these vegetables," said Fowke.
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photo by leron-line.com
