Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Those who go to bed extremely late at night and sleep for shorter periods of time are more likely to feel more consumed by worry, researchers from Binghamton University report in this month’s edition of the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research.

Binghamton Anxiety Clinic Director Meredith Coles, and her colleagues recruited 100 young adults to complete a battery of questionnaires and two computerized tasks designed to measure how much the students worry, contemplate or obsess about something, the three measures used to gauge repetitive negative thinking.

Those participants were also asked if they were more habitual morning or evening types, and if they preferred to maintain regular hours or to have a sleep-wake schedule that is more skewed towards later in the day. The study authors found that those who kept regular sleeping hours tended to be less overwhelmed with negative thoughts.

“Higher levels of repetitive negative thinking (RNT; a perseverative and abstract focus on negative aspects of one’s experience) are associated with reduced sleep duration,” Coles and graduate student Jacob Nota wrote in their study. “This information is already informing theory and clinical practice. However, we are not aware of any studies examining the relation between RNT and the timing of sleep.”

Their work revealed that “shorter sleep duration was cross-sectionally associated with more rumination and delayed sleep timing was associated with more obsessive-compulsive symptoms,” and that “individuals who endorsed a preference for later sleep and activity times also reported more RNT.” The findings, the study authors reported, “suggest that RNT may be uniquely related to both sleep duration and timing.”

According to the researchers, people are said to practice repetitive negative thinking when they have troublesome pessimistic thoughts which tend to repeat in their heads. These individuals feel as though they cannot control these thoughts, tend to be excessively concerned about the future and delve too much into the past.

These types of thoughts are said to be typical of patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder, the researchers said. Previous research has linked sleep problems with such repetitive negative thoughts, especially in cases where someone does not get enough shut eye, and Nota and Coles set out to replicate these studies.

“Making sure that sleep is obtained during the right time of day may be an inexpensive and easily disseminable intervention for individuals who are bothered by intrusive thoughts,” Nota said in a statement. The research also suggests that sleep disruption may be linked to the development of repetitive negative thinking.

The study authors suggest that people who are at risk of developing a disorder characterized by these types of intrusive thoughts could benefit from making sure that they are getting enough slumber every night. The research is one part of a line research examining the link between mental health and sleep behavior.

“If further findings support the relation between sleep timing and repetitive negative thinking, this could one day lead to a new avenue for treatment of individuals with internalizing disorders,” Coles said. “Studying the relation between reductions in sleep duration and psychopathology has already demonstrated that focusing on sleep in the clinic also leads to reductions in symptoms of psychopathology.”

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Eric Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
New research published recently in Genomics in Medicine has found that that many parents would be interested in having genomic sequencing for their newborn babies.
This is the first study of its kind and initial results indicate that there would be a lot of interest among new parents if and when such newborn genomic testing becomes available. Parents’ interest in the testing was the same across all demographic backgrounds.
The study was led by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Although there are existing standard newborn genetic screening procedures already available, the next-generation of whole-exome and genome sequencing is being developed. Such testing could offer a valuable range of health information for newborns but would clearly need parental consent.
Robert C. Green, MD, MPH, a geneticist and researcher at BWH and Harvard Medical School and senior author of the study, said, “Several other studies have measured parents’ interest in newborn genomic screening, but none focused on new parents in the first 48 hours. Since this is when genomic testing would be of the greatest value, it is especially important to study parents’ attitudes immediately post-partum.”
514 parents at BHW’s “well baby” nursery took part in the survey. The participating parents were given information about genomic testing and its implications for the baby’s health before completing the questionnaire.
Of the parents who took part, 82.7 percent expressed some interest in genomic testing; 36 percent reported that they were “somewhat” interested; 28 percent were “very” interested; while 18 percent said they were “extremely” interested. The age of the parents, their, gender, race, ethnicity, level of education, family history of genetic disease, had no noticeable impact on their level of interest and neither did the fact that the infant was a first-born child.
However, where parents were experiencing problems with the health of their baby, interest in genomic testing was found to be lower.
The researchers describe the existing “state-mandated newborn genetic screening” (NBS) program as one of the most established and successful public health programs in the world. The study is the first to actually investigate whether asking parents about their interest in newborn genomic testing would cause them to reject NBS screening. The researchers were concerned about the potential impact on NBS but their fears proved unfounded. Over 500 parents were surveyed but, according to the research team, none of them questioned or rejected NBS.
“If even one parent had rejected it, that would have been a problem,” said Susan Waisbren, PhD, lead author of the study and a psychologist and researcher in the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s and Harvard Medical School.
All the parents were surveyed separately and the results showed that most of the couples, around 75 percent, had similar levels of interest in newborn genomic testing which, the team believes, indicates that both parents should be involved in any decisions and discussions about newborn genomic testing.
“Parents’ strong interest in genomic screening for their newborns, as demonstrated by this study, underscores the importance of further research exploring the public health impacts of actually providing this testing,” said Green, “particularly as it continues to become less expensive and more widely available.”
This research was funded by Brigham and Women’s Biomedical Research Institute seed funding, the Galactosemia Foundation (S.E.W.), the National PKU Alliance (S.E.W.), and National Institutes of Health grants HD077671, HG006500, HG005092, and HG006615.
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John Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The vast majority of Americans who try vegetarianism find that their love of delicious food is stronger than their love of animals and go back to eating meat, according to a survey from the animal advocacy group the Humane Research Council. Craving meat is the main reason why people turn their backs on a vegetable diet, while some said they did it out of love and solidarity with their partners.
The survey of over 11,000 adults with varied diets found that 88 percent have never tried vegetarianism or veganism and that only two percent of Americans are currently vegetarian. While 5 out of 6 people in that two percent will go back to eating meat, 37 percent of ex-vegetarians are apparently feeling guilty and want to stop eating meat again in the future.
The New York Daily News asked a few NY vegans why they found they had to quit, and temptation was the running theme.
“I was a vegetarian until this one time I drank whiskey and ate a piece of bacon at 4 a.m.,” Chelsea Qualls, 24, who had avoided meat for five years until that point, told Daily news reporter Jeanette Settembre. “I took a bite of my friend’s pizza, which happened to have bacon, and then the next morning we went to brunch, and I ordered more bacon because it was delicious.”
As actor and comedian Andrew Kimmer, 31, told Settembre: “I did it for love…” after his wife was told that she had to eat meat for medical reasons. He jokes that, “It’s always the woman’s fault,” but admits that he always found it hard to resist antipasti at his local Italian restaurant.
Many vegetarians say that although they can avoid thinking about the taste of meat, the smell of it is more difficult to ignore. Yet while bacon and steak may give off the most tantalizing aromas, it appears that chicken is high on the list of meats that vegetarians long for.
Katie Busch, 27, said: “I really missed Chicken fingers, probably because I went vegetarian at age 10, so I’d never had most ‘adult’ meats. I went back because meat was delicious … and at that point I realized I’m going to hell for other reasons — may as well give up the ghost and embrace the dark side.”
Chicken, as it happens, is one of the least ethical things a person can eat when it comes to avoiding animal cruelty. “Chicken is the most common type of meat consumed by former vegetarians/vegans,” the researchers say, but “reducing and eliminating chicken consumption will have the greatest impact on the number of farmed animals’ lives saved.”
Whatever the reasons for people’s rejection of their resolution to shun meat, it seems that they take effect pretty quickly – 53 percent of people go back to meat within a year and more than 30 percent within three months.
The Humane Research Council described the findings offering “some potentially disappointing but illuminating conclusions that could inform advocacy and outreach strategies.” They identified some reasons why vegetarians might fail, such as “transitioning to the diet too quickly, not being involved socially with other veg folks, and not being able to address certain food cravings.”
As Huffington Post’s Meredith Melnick points out, it is worth bearing in mind that not all vegetarians necessarily intend to stick with it forever, and the theory that every little thing helps is popular in the age of part-time vegetarians and “Meatless Mondays.” The Meatless Mondays movement started in association with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health because even “one day a week is good for you, great for your nation’s health, and fantastic for the planet.” It is now active in 36 countries.
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May we suggest – Michael Symon’s Carnivore: 120 Recipes for Meat Lovers – Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and meat lover Michael Symon—of Food Network’s Iron Chef America and ABC’s The Chew—shares his wealth of knowledge and more than 100 killer recipes for steaks, chops, wings, and lesser-known cuts.

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
A spinal cord injury can be devastating and life-changing – currently with little hope for full recovery.
However, new research from a large team of North American scientists has shown promise for a compound known as intracellular sigma peptide (ISP), according to a report in the journal Nature.
Study researchers found that ISP helped lab rats with spinal cord injuries regain the ability to control urination, move or both. They added that the results could be a sign the compound could be used in the future for treating humans with similar injuries.
“This recovery is unprecedented,” study author Jerry Silver, a professor of neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said in a recent statement. “Each of the 21 animals got something back in terms of function.”
“For any spinal cord-injured patient today, it would be considered extraordinary to regain even one of these functions, especially bladder function,” Silver added. “ISP additionally has treatment potential for diseases where the body produces destructive scarring such as heart attack, peripheral nerve injury and multiple sclerosis (MS).”
When an animal suffers an injury to the central nervous system (CNS), molecules called proteoglycans collect in scar tissues at the trauma location and in the perineuronal net. In normal tissue, proteoglycans are essential factors in the connections among cells and play a major role in sustaining the framework of the nervous system.
However, after an injury, proteoglycans are extremely abundant in scar tissue and the dense nets around synapses throughout the CNS. The result is a powerful barrier keeping regeneration from taking place. Proteoglycans at these injury sites create a sticky mass, entangling and limiting the cut nerve fiber tips from forming proper connections that transmit integral signals via electrical impulses.
In the study, researchers engineered the ISP peptide to block the neuron’s proteoglycan receptor on/off switch. They also added a shuttle known as trans-activator of transcription (TAT) to send ISP throughout the CNS and through cell membranes. This allowed ISP to be delivered systemically – as opposed to with a direct injection to the spinal cord.
“Our treatment strategy was designed to be easily translatable,” said study author Bradley Lang, a graduate student in the Silver lab at Case Western. “Our goal is to progress this treatment forward for use as a therapeutic following spinal cord injury.”
The researchers used 26 severely paralyzed rats, all of which received injections every day for seven weeks. The study team tracked the rates of ability to walk, to balance and to control urination and saw 21 of the 26 animals regain one or more of the functions well after injections began.
“We don’t know why a particular animal regained a specific function,” Silver said. “That is one of the big remaining questions.”
Despite lingering questions, the researchers said they were optimistic that ISP could one day be used to treat humans with injuries to the CNS.
“We’re very excited at the possibility that millions of people could, one day, regain movements lost during spinal cord injuries,” Silver told the AFP news agency.
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Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

New research from Canadian scientists has broken down the effect that obesity can have on the human body into the simplest of terms – it can cut your life short by as many as 8 years.

Published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, the study also found that being obese can rob a person of as many as 19 healthy years of life due to metabolic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“Our computer modeling study shows that obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke) and diabetes that will, on average, dramatically reduce an individual’s life expectancy and the healthy life-years free from living with these chronic illnesses compared with people of normal weight,” said study author Dr. Steven Grover, a professor of medicine at McGill University.

Grover and his colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from the years 2003 to 2010 to generate their computer model. Including data from nearly 4,000 people, the model estimated the annual risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease for adults with various body sizes.

The model showed that people who were quite obese could lose as much as 8 years of life, moderately obese adults could lose as much as 6 years, and those who were just overweight could lose as much as three years. Furthermore, quality life-years lost to poor health were two to four times greater for overweight and obese people as opposed to those who had a good body weight, described as having a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 25. The study also found that age was a crucial factor and the worst results were seen in those who had gained weight at a very young age.

“The pattern is clear – the more an individual weighs and the younger their age, the greater the effect on their health,” Grover said. “In terms of life-expectancy, we feel being overweight is as bad as cigarette smoking.”

He added that future research will likely involve finding results that can be applied on a person-by-person basis.

“What may be interesting for patients are the ’what if?’ questions. What if they lose 10 to 15 pounds? Or, what if they are more active? How will this change the numbers?” Grover told Julie Robert of McGill University Health Center in a statement.

The study team is now running a three year study in neighborhood pharmacies across the United States to determine if engaging patients with this data and then providing them with a web-based e-health program will assist them in achieving healthier lifestyles, including better diets and regular exercise.

“These clinically meaningful models are useful for patients, and their healthcare professionals, to better appreciate the issues and the benefits of a healthier lifestyle, which we know is difficult for many of us to adopt and maintain,” Grover added.

In commentary linked to the Lancet study, Edward Gregg, a chief of epidemiology and statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said meaningful data and measurements were essential for patient care and education.

“Some aspects of the clinical use of such estimates warrant further examination, and the ability of composite measures to differentiate the effect of small differences in thresholds of obesity levels is unclear…This… might place a higher premium on decision-making methods that can simultaneously take a lifecourse perspective, incorporate interventions, and consider individual differences so that clinicians and public health leaders alike can effectively tackle the next phases of the obesity and diabetes epidemics,” Gregg wrote.

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John Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
A new study has identified the devastating impact of depression on the lives of millions of Americans, detailing just how much of their time is dominated by the affliction and how much it affects their lives. And yet, the researchers reveal that very few sufferers ever seek professional help for the condition.
A similar study also looked at the demographic differences in those who experience depression, and found that while people in middle age are most likely to be depressed in general, females are more likely to encounter problems at any age. Researchers also found that the community a person lives can significantly affect how they are able to cope with depression.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in 13 Americans experienced depression between 2009 and 2012. Yet, LA Times reporter Karen Kaplan writes that only 35 percent of people with severe depression and 20 percent of those with moderate depression said they had sought professional help from mental health workers such as psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses or clinical social workers. This is worrying, the report authors say, given that therapy combined with medication is “the most effective treatment for depression, especially for severe depression.”
The researchers looked at a nationally representative group of American adults and teenagers who participated in the government’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and found that women aged 40 to 59 have the highest rate of depression (12.3 percent) of any age and gender group. Gender distinctions applied in all other age groups too, where women always had higher rates of depression than men.
LiveScience reporter Bahar Gholipour looked at the report and explains that among people aged 12 and older, 9.5 percent of females and 5.6 percent of males had moderate or severe depression during a two-week period, based on the questions asked.
Meanwhile, the area in which someone lives is also a significant factor in how they experience depression, with residents in the communities with the poorest mental health reportedly spending 8.3 days a month in a negative frame of mind, compared to just half a day in better-off areas. African Americans (9.7 percent) and Latinos (9.4 percent) had higher rates of moderate and severe depression than whites (6.9 percent); however the variation can be accounted for by poverty rather than any inherent racial predilection.
That study was led by Stephan Goetz, professor of agricultural economics and regional economics at Penn State. Goetz is also director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.
The higher levels of depression among people living in less advantaged areas may be explained by long commute times, lack of neighborhood and community support and substance abuse, as well as the poverty itself.
Goetz told Penn State’s Matt Swayne that, “People who live in the suburbs are closer to jobs and all of the amenities that a big city can provide, but they’re also far enough away from the stress of the inner city. It may be that you don’t want to be too close to people, but you don’t want to be too far away either.”
“The more supported you are by the community, the happier you are, and the better you are able to cope with troubles,” he added.
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Provided by Linda Brooks, Radiological Society of North America
A major new study being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has found that digital breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3-D mammography, has the potential to significantly increase the cancer detection rate in mammography screening of women with dense breasts.
Breasts are considered dense if they have a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue but not much fatty tissue. Research has shown that dense breasts are more likely to develop cancer, a problem compounded by the fact that cancer in dense breasts can be difficult to detect on mammograms.
Other imaging modalities like ultrasound and MRI are often used to help find cancers that can’t be seen on mammograms, but both modalities have higher rates of false-positive findings, which are suspicious findings that turn out not to be cancer. This higher false-positive rate often results in more tests and unnecessary biopsies, making MRI and ultrasound expensive to implement in high-volume screening programs, according to study lead author Per Skaane, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Radiology at Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Norway.
Dr. Skaane and colleagues have been studying tomosynthesis as a promising breast cancer screening option that addresses some of the limitations of mammography by providing 3-D views of the breast.
“Tomosynthesis could be regarded as an improvement of mammography and would be much easier than MRI or ultrasound to implement in organized screening programs,” Dr. Skaane said. “So the intention of our study was to see if tomosynthesis really would significantly increase the cancer detection rate in a population-based mammography screening program.”
The researchers compared cancer detection using full-field digital mammography (FFDM) versus FFDM plus digital breast tomosynthesis in 25,547 women between the ages of 50 and 69. Breast density was classified based on the American College of Radiology’s Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). The BI-RADS breast density scale runs from 1 to 4, with 1 being the least dense and 4 being the most dense.
There were 257 malignancies detected on FFDM and a combination of FFDM and tomosynthesis in the study group, including 105 in the density 2 group and 110 in density 3. Of the 257 cancers, 211, or 82 percent were detected with FFDM plus tomosynthesis, a significant improvement over the 163, or 63 percent, detected with FFDM alone.
FFDM plus tomosynthesis pinpointed 80 percent of the 132 cancer cases in women with dense breasts, compared to only 59 percent for FFDM alone.
“Our findings are extremely promising, showing an overall relative increase in the cancer detection rate of about 30 percent,” Dr. Skaane said. “Stratifying the results on invasive cancers only, the relative increase in cancer detection was about 40 percent.”
Tomosynthesis not only improved the cancer detection rate in women with dense breasts, it also helped increase detection for women in the “fatty breast” BI-RADS categories. The addition of tomosynthesis to FFDM improved the cancer detection rate from 68 percent to 84 percent in women with BI-RADS density 1 or 2 breasts.
“Our results show that implementation of tomosynthesis might indicate a new era in breast cancer screening,” Dr. Skaane said.
> Continue reading…
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Provided by Rachel Cagan, American College of Cardiology

Study questions current international guidelines for resuscitation

For patients in cardiac arrest, administering epinephrine helps to restart the heart but may increase the overall likelihood of death or debilitating brain damage, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The study offers new data in an ongoing debate over the risks and benefits of using epinephrine to treat cardiac arrest, an often-fatal condition in which the heart stops beating. Epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, is a hormone that stimulates the heart and promotes the flow of blood. Current international guidelines recommend administering 1 milligram of epinephrine every 3-5 minutes during resuscitation.

“The role of epinephrine is more and more questionable in cardiac arrest,” said the study’s lead author Florence Dumas, M.D., Ph.D., of the Parisian Cardiovascular Research Center in France. “We need to constantly assess our procedures and protocols to make sure that the use of epinephrine is effective and done at the correct time.”

She added that this study underscores the need for caution when using epinephrine. Administering epinephrine to patients in cardiac arrest has been shown to improve the chance of restarting the heart, known as return of spontaneous circulation or ROSC. But the new study adds to mounting evidence suggesting the drug harms patients’ chances of surviving past the post-resuscitation period with brain function intact.

Dumas and colleagues analyzed hospital records for more than 1,500 people admitted to a large Parisian hospital over a 12-year period. Patients included in the analysis had suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, been resuscitated and achieved ROSC. Nearly three-quarters of the patients had received at least one dose of epinephrine.

The primary outcome measured was discharge from the hospital with normal or only moderately compromised brain functioning. Sixty-three percent of patients who did not receive epinephrine achieved this outcome, compared to only 19 percent of those who received epinephrine.

Patients receiving higher doses of epinephrine fared worse than those with lower doses. As compared to patients who received no epinephrine, those receiving 1-milligram doses were 52 percent more likely to have a bad outcome and those receiving 5-milligram or larger doses were 77 percent more likely to have a bad outcome.

Timing also appears to be an important factor. Patients receiving epinephrine in the later stages of resuscitation were more likely to die than those who got their first epinephrine dose shortly after collapsing. The adverse effects of epinephrine appeared to be unaffected by the use of post-resuscitation medical treatments, such as techniques to cool the body to reduce tissue damage or interventions to restore the flow of blood through blocked arteries.

The patients who had not received epinephrine typically had other characteristics that improved their outlook. For example, patients in this group were generally younger and more likely to have been near a witness when they collapsed. However, the research team employed a variety of robust statistical methods to account for these differences.

Dumas said the results do not necessarily indicate an immediate need to change the guidelines, however. “It’s very difficult, because epinephrine at a low dose seems to have a good impact in the first few minutes, but appears more harmful if used later,” said Dumas. “It would be dangerous to completely incriminate this drug, because it may well be helpful for certain patients under certain circumstances. This is one more study that points strongly to the need to study epinephrine further in animals and in randomized trials.”

In addition to further research on epinephrine, Dumas said the study reinforces the need to continue investigating other drugs and drug combinations that might offer safer alternatives to epinephrine during cardiac arrest.

Each year, more than 420,000 cardiac arrests occur in the United States. Its immediate cause is typically an abnormality in the heart’s rhythm, which can result from numerous risk factors including coronary artery disease, heart attack, an enlarged heart or other heart conditions. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation are the primary treatments.

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Rayshell Clapper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Every winter, many people suffer from symptoms that begin in autumn and last through spring. Those who experience these symptoms deal with issues as severe as depression, sleep problems, libido, appetite, mood, and activity levels according to BBC News. For the past few decades, we have called this Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. SAD is not just feeling blue, it is also a combination of physical and mental health issues that impede the sufferer’s life.
SAD has long been studied because of its yearly impact on those who suffer from the disorder. In an international study led by the University of Georgia, researchers found a strong link between SAD and a vitamin D deficiency. The study reviewed 100 leading articles that found a connection between vitamin D levels and seasonal depression.
First of all, vitamin D levels fluctuate in the body with the different seasons. In the summer, when most people experience more exposure to the sunlight, vitamin D levels are higher and moods are happier and more positive. The winter is typically the season where people hibernate in their homes more because of the cold, mostly because the sun is not up as much; therefore, people receive lower levels of vitamin D and some even experience serious symptoms.
Furthermore, the study explains “Vitamin D is also involved in the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine within the brain, both chemicals linked to depression.” Each of these support the findings that SAD and vitamin D levels have a relationship.
The National Institute of Medicine supports the recommendation that people receive a recommended daily allowance of 600-4000 International Units (IU) per a day. An article by Sarah Klein of the Huffington Post explains that 80-90 percent of daily vitamin D intake comes from the sun, but if the sun is not high in the sky as long in winter, then people cannot receive as much vitamin D. Plus, the winter weather often blocks the sun as well. This leads to vitamin D deficiencies, which contribute to physical and mental health issues.
To help people better understand how a vitamin D deficiency feels, Klein identified seven symptoms:
1. Achy bones
2. Depression
3. Aged 50 or older
4. Being overweight or obese
5. Having darker skin pigmentation
6. Head sweats more than usual
7. Gut issues
Any of these could mean that a person has low vitamin D levels, but a combination should definitely inspire you to talk with your doctor and have your vitamin D levels checked. Vitamin D deficiency could possibly contribute to heart health issues, circulation problems, headaches and migraines, and even bone health. On top of that, the University of Georgia study reveals that a vitamin D deficiency also contributes to mental health issues, particularly in the form of suffering from depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Let’s compare the seven symptoms listed above for a vitamin D deficiency to the symptoms of SAD as identified by MedlinePlus:
1. Sad, anxious or “empty” feelings
2. Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
3. Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
4. Irritability, restlessness
5. Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
6. Fatigue and decreased energy
7. Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
8. Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
9. Changes in weight
10. Thoughts of death or suicide
When looking at these ten, we can definitely see the relationship between SAD and a vitamin D deficiency. The latter is not the only cause of SAD and certainly is not the only issue with a relationship to it, but it certainly may help those who suffer from SAD approach and treat their symptoms.
Suffering from SAD certainly differs from having the winter blues as the BBC article identifies. Where the winter blues contribute to difficulty sleeping, SAD leads people to feeling permanently tired and not wanting to get out of bed. Those who just have the winter blues may feel down, but those with SAD deal with feelings of intense depression including having suicidal thoughts. Seeing the difference really brings home how important the University of Georgia study findings on vitamin D are to helping people improve their health – both mental and physical.
Findings of the study are published in the Medical Hypotheses journal.
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Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The influenza virus circulating throughout the US this year has mutated, and as a result, the currently-available vaccine is less effective in combating the illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an advisory to doctors issued on Wednesday.
According to Maggie Fox of NBC News, the majority of cases this year are being caused by the H3N2 strain, which is one of the influenza types the current vaccine is designed to protect against. However, health care officials said that this H3N2 strain has mutated so that less than half of the cases match the version included in the flu shot.
Specifically, the CDC reported that influenza viral characterization data has indicated that 48 percent of the H3N2 viruses collected and analyzed from October 1 through November 22 were “antigenically ‘like’ the 2014-2015 influenza A (H3N2) vaccine component,” and that 52 percent had “drifted” or mutated from the vaccine virus.
“In past seasons during which predominant circulating influenza viruses have been antigenically drifted, decreased vaccine effectiveness has been observed,” the agency said, noting that vaccination has still been found to “provide some protection against drifted viruses.” Getting vaccinated could still “reduce the likelihood of severe outcomes such as hospitalization and death” and “will offer protection against circulating influenza strains that have not undergone significant antigenic drift from the vaccine viruses (such as influenza A (H1N1) and B viruses),” the CDC added.
However, as a result of the drifted influenza A (H3N2) viruses, the health advisory suggested the use of neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral medications alongside flu shots to help treat and prevent the illness. Specifically, they mentioned the prescription antiviral medications oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), as their use has previously been linked with reducing the risk of severe influenza-related health problems.
The CDC said that these antivirals should be used as soon after the onset of flu-like symptoms as possible. Officials with the disease-prevention center noted that clinical trials and observational data have linked early antiviral treatment to a shortened duration of fever and other symptoms, a reduced chance of pneumonia or other complications in both children and adults, and a decreased risk of death in hospitalized influenza patients.
“The flu is bad, and you want to do anything you can to prevent getting it and to prevent giving it to other people. The vaccine isn’t perfect, but it’s the best protection we have for prevention,” New York City-based pediatrician Dr. Lisa Thebner told CNN.com’s Debra Goldschmidt. When asked if people should be concerned, the doctor added that they “should always be concerned about the flu.”
While Goldschmidt said that the latest flu outbreak data from the CDC indicates that flu activity in the US is currently low, the agency said it had “increased slightly” in most parts of the country as of November 22. A total of 12,337 people were hospitalized with flu-related illness and 149 children died during the 2012-2013 flu season. Ninety percent of those children had not been vaccinated, according to the CNN.com reporter.
In January of this year, Lawrence LeBlond reported on the 2013-2014 flu season. During that time, H1N1 was the dominant strain. He also reported that H3N2 was the dominant strain during the 2012-2013 flu season.
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Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The ability of HIV to cause AIDS is weakening, and the virus is becoming less deadly and less infectious as it adapts to our immune systems, according to new research published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The study, which was led by scientists at the University of Oxford, indicates the virus is becoming “watered down” and is taking longer for HIV infection to cause AIDS. In addition, the changes in the pathogen could not only help efforts to contain the pandemic, but could one day cause it to evolve to an “almost harmless” state.
In addition, the research revealed that people infected by HIV are likely to progress to AIDS more slowly due to the widespread availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the university explained in a statement. When combined, both factors could go a long way to the ultimate goal of controlling and eventually eradicating the HIV epidemic, the study authors noted.
As part of the study, which also involved scientists from South Africa, Canada, Japan and the US, the authors recruited more than 2,000 women with chronic HIV infection from two of the countries that have been affected the worst by the spread of the disease: Botswana, which has long had an HIV problem, and South Africa, where the disease arrived over a decade later.
The first part of the study examined whether the interaction between the body’s natural immune response and HIV leads to the virus becoming less virulent. This part of the investigation focused on human leukocyte antigens (HLA), proteins in our blood that enable the immune system to tell the difference between natural proteins and those of pathogens. Specifically, they looked at a gene for a particular HLA protein called HLA-B*57.
The researchers explained that infected patients with HLA-B*57 are known to benefit from a “protective effect” to HIV, meaning that they tend to progress more slowly than usual to AIDS. Their investigation revealed that in Botswana, HIV had evolved to adapt to HLA-B*57 more than in South Africa, and that patients no longer benefitted from the protective effect of the gene, but that adaptation “significantly reduced” the virus’ ability to self-replicate.
“It is quite striking. You can see the ability to replicate is 10 percent lower in Botswana than South Africa and that’s quite exciting,” Professor Philip Goulder told BBC News. “We are observing evolution happening in front of us and it is surprising how quickly the process is happening. The virus is slowing down in its ability to cause disease and that will help contribute to elimination.”
In the second part of the study, Goulder and his colleagues probed the impact of ART on HIV virulence. They created a mathematical model which suggested that the way treatment is provided to those with more virulent HIV is accelerating the evolution of HIV viruses with a weaker ability to replicate. The paper demonstrated that these drugs would primarily target the most dangerous forms of the virus, thus encouraging the weaker ones to thrive.
“This research highlights the fact that HIV adaptation to the most effective immune responses we can make against it comes at a significant cost to its ability to replicate,” Goulder said. “Anything we can do to increase the pressure on HIV in this way may allow scientists to reduce the destructive power of HIV over time.”
“The widespread use of ART is an important step towards the control of HIV. This research is a good example of how further research into HIV and drug resistance can help scientists to eliminate HIV,” added Dr. Mike Turner, Head of Infection and Immunobiology at the Wellcome Trust, which helped fund the study.
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Eric Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Understanding just what happens in the brain when cannabis users get “high” is an essential part of the fight against drug dependency. A study by scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center study has now provided insights into that process.

The latest research from Vanderbilt found that “replenishing the supply of a molecule that normally activates cannabinoid receptors in the brain could relieve mood and anxiety disorders and enable some people to quit using marijuana.”

When users take cannabis, they are “turned on” by the active ingredient in marijuana. But, in addition, certain “cannabinoid receptors” – called endocannabinoids – are activated by compounds in the brain. These include anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). 2-AG is the most abundant of these endocannabinoids.

Sachin Patel, M.D., Ph.D., and his Vanderbilt colleagues carried out the research, which was published on Nov. 26 in the online edition of the journal Cell Reports.

In the first part of the study the team developed a genetically modified mouse which had “impaired ability to produce 2-AG in the brain.” They discovered that those mice showed anxiety-like behaviors. Female mice also exhibited behavior patterns which were suggestive of depression.

In the next stage of the experiment, an enzyme that normally breaks down 2-AG was blocked and the supply of the endocannabinoid was restored to normal levels. The anxiety and depressive behaviors were reversed.

Though some previous clinical studies have discovered reduced peripheral 2-AG levels in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder and women with major depression, no firm causal link has been established. Further research is now needed to confirm that people who are anxious and depressed have low levels of 2-AG.

Though these latest findings suggest a close association between 2-AG signaling and affective pathology, the researchers point out that “a causal relationship between endogenous 2-AG signaling and the physiological expression of anxiety and depressive behaviors has not been demonstrated.” The team also stressed that this approach has not been tested in humans. Nevertheless, they believe that this method of “normalizing” 2-AG deficiency could eventually lead to a viable therapeutic option for treating mood and anxiety disorders.

Patel, who is the paper’s senior author and professor of Psychiatry and of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics at Vanderbilt, explains that, as “relief of tension and anxiety is the most common reason cited for chronic marijuana use,” restoring depleted levels of 2-AG could be a way to help habitual marijuana users kick the habit.

It is known that chronic use of marijuana down-regulates cannabinoid receptors, and, as a result, increases anxiety. This in turn can result in a kind of vicious cycle process where marijuana use increases relentlessly.

In previous research, Patel and his colleagues found cannabinoid receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala mouse brains. The amygdala plays an important part in regulating anxiety. They also have found that chemically modified inhibitors of the COX-2 enzyme they developed “relieve anxiety behaviors in mice by activating natural “endocannabinoids.” These inhibitors did not cause the gastrointestinal side effects often associated with current COX-2 inhibitors.

COX-2 inhibitors, aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) target the Cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes which produce pro-inflammatory prostaglandins to relieve pain and inflammation. It has also been known for several years that COX-2 inhibition activates endocannabinoids.

The Vanderbilt team hopes this research could lead to clinical trials of potential new drugs in the next few years.

The current study was led by first authors Brian Shonesy, Ph.D., research fellow in the lab of Roger Colbran, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and Rebecca Bluett, a graduate student in Patel’s lab.

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April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
The common cold, caused by rhinovirus, is a nuisance to everyone. For people with asthma or COPD, a severe lung disorder, the common cold can cause serious flare-ups of their conditions. A new study led by the Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research at the MedUni Vienna demonstrates a new method for filtering out this risk group using a blood test. The findings were published in a recent issue of EBioMedicine.
Katarzyna Niespodziana from the Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research says that many severe asthma attacks are triggered by rhinoviruses. The combination of the cold virus and chronic pulmonary conditions can cause life threatening exacerbations, and possibly worsen the underlying disease.
In collaboration with Imperial College in London, the research team was able to develop a blood test that will identify a diagnostic marker that can be used to identify the risk group for asthma attacks caused by the rhinovirus. To test the efficacy of their method, the researchers infected a group of healthy subjects and asthma patients in the UK with the rhinovirus under controlled conditions.
Using recombinant virus antigens that were developed at the MedUni Vienna, the antibody tests revealed that the asthmatics who experienced attacks expressed significantly higher antibodies to the structure protein VP1 than any of the other subjects. VP1 is found in all of the 150 known strains of rhinovirus. “We are therefore able to show that this protein is suitable as a diagnostic marker and also as a tool for categorizing disease-triggering strains,” explains the MedUni Vienna researcher.
Prior to this study, it was possible to detect the presence of the rhinovirus using a PCR test. It was not possible, however, to determine whether the rhinovirus strain involved would make the patient ill or lead to an attack. The new study’s identification of the rise in VP1 antibodies allows scientists to identify individuals who need particular protection against colds.
The researchers also hope that their findings will advance the search for a vaccine against colds. Developing such a vaccine is challenging because the particular strain of rhinovirus causing the attack must be identified first.
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Provided by Dr. Haiping Tan, University of Adelaide

The latest research from the University of Adelaide challenges current thinking on whether many people with tooth loss really need dentures.

The findings have major implications for public dental health resources and costs for patients.

Studies conducted by the University’s Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH) in the School of Dentistry have found that people with tooth loss do not have their quality of life interfered with provided they still have a certain number and type of teeth left.

In dentistry terms, these patients are considered to have “shortened dental arches”, enabling them to maintain functional use of many teeth. The researchers say there is a cutting off point at which tooth loss interferes with quality of life, but patients only need dentures when they reach that cutting off point.

The study, based on data of more than 2700 people, is to be published in a future issue of the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. The researchers say as many as 434,000 Australians who currently would be considered for dentures at some stage in their lives may not really need them.

“For years it has been taken for granted that if people experience tooth loss, they will need dentures, bridges, implants or other corrective processes to replace the missing teeth,” says lead author Dr. Haiping Tan.

“What we’ve found is that it really depends on the position of the teeth that have been lost, as well as the number. Most people have 28 adult teeth, plus the four wisdom teeth, but it is possible to have significantly less teeth as long as people have them in the right positions and in the right numbers.

“It’s about getting the right balance of biting and cutting teeth at the front of the mouth with enough of the chewing teeth at the back – that can make a real difference to people’s dental function,” she says.

Study co-author Professor Marco Peres, also from the University’s School of Dentistry, says the findings are significant both for patients and the dental health system.

“For the public health sector, this work raises the question of how to allocate resources, especially if many people are currently receiving dentures or other corrective procedures when they may not need to do so,” Professor Peres says.

“These resources could instead be allocated to the prevention of further tooth loss, diagnostic services and follow up for the patient, rather than prosthetic procedures,” he says.

This research has been supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

> Continue reading…

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John Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Scientists have developed a new drug which could help to reduce or even reverse the harmful effects of binge drinking on the brain, particularly in teenagers. There is also optimism that the drug could be used in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Successful testing on rats has shown that the treatment is effective in combatting the loss of function, brain cell loss and inflammation that comes from heavy drinking, which is particularly dangerous for teenagers whose brains are still developing. Symptoms include decreased memory capabilities and impeded navigational skills.

The drug utilizes a compound developed by the team of European scientists named ethane-beta-sultam, a taurine ‘pro-drug’ which is highly effective because it enters the blood stream easily before it is processed by the body into its active form. Normally, getting drugs to the brain can be difficult because of the ‘blood-brain barrier’ – the natural defense mechanism that protects the brain.

The project received European Union (EU) funding and involved eleven scientists from universities in Louvain in Belgium, Florence in Italy and Huddersfield and London in the UK. The results are revealed in an article published by the Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

“One of things that alcohol does is to destroy some of the brain cells which are important for navigation and orientation,” said Huddersfield University’s Professor Mike Page. “But a combination of alcohol and our compound could overcome this damage.” He explained that the brain protects itself using ‘glial cells’ – which are increased when exposed to alcohol in binge drinking.

Professor Page said that the findings were the result of a ten year collaboration and that the project would continue, possibly including research to find a compound that performs even better than ethane-beta-sultam. Such compounds could be used to treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia in the long-term.

The research raises questions regarding the advisability and morality of treating a problem like binge drinking with drugs. Professor Page says that, “…if you accept that alcohol abuse is going to continue, then it might be sensible for society to try and treat it in some way.” However the NHS – the National Health Service in the UK – points out that the drug only focuses on the brain while binge drinking affects many other parts of the body.

The website of the NHS says that, “The study only focused on the potential protective effects of the drug on the brain. Excessive alcohol consumption can also damage the liver. But the drug was not designed to work in this way and this was not looked at as part of the study.”

The NHS also points out that testing on rats is not necessarily evidence that the method will work on humans, and that trials on humans could be unethical. Moreover, they caution that optimism for the treatment of other neurological disorders could be premature as such elements were not part of these tests.

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Eric Hopton for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Violence against women has many manifestations. As Zoë Mullan, writing in the latest issue of The Lancet, points out, “gender-based violence is a pervasive global issue and takes many forms – some insidious; all devastating.”
In Mullan’s article, she highlights a worrying trend in which increasing incidences of such violence is accompanied by a decrease in the funds available to tackle the problem.
This is an issue that normally only hits the headlines when the world’s media latch on to sensational cases. One such incident occurred two years ago when a 23-year-old medical student was raped and beaten by six men as she traveled on a bus in India. The woman’s injuries were so severe she died shortly after. Then, earlier this year, two teenage girls were gang-raped and hanged when they used a field near to their homes as a toilet. This horrific case also took place in India.
The world’s press turned its spotlight on India and its perceived “rape problem.” But this is not just an Indian problem. Mullan points to various studies which demonstrate clearly that violence against women is rife in many parts of the world.
One Lancet study found that “an estimated 7% of women globally have been sexually assaulted by a person who was not their partner.” This paper found that research into all forms of gender-based violence is “highly skewed towards that from studies from high-income countries” and that the resulting evaluations tended to concentrate on responses to violence, including women-centered, advocacy, and home-visitation programs as well as programs aimed at changing the behavior of the perpetrators. There is some evidence that these interventions can be effective in reducing the risk of further violence.
However, in low-income and middle-income countries, research tended to focus on violence prevention. Again, there is “promising evidence” that programs such as group training for both women and men which involve discussion about gender relationships, the acceptability of violence, greater communication and shared decision making among family members, can lead to reductions in the level of violence. In spite of these promising findings, there is no doubt that much more investment is needed for both greater research and intervention.
Another study, which concentrated on the Asia Pacific region, discovered that, in some areas, the prevalence of non-partner single perpetrator rape may be incredibly high, reaching 27% in some parts of rural Bangladesh. This research covered the incidence of male perpetration of rape of non-partner women and of men, as well as the reasons for rape and associated factors across nine sites in six countries: Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka.
While these statistics on non-partner violence and rape are truly alarming, most violence against women is perpetrated by partners. Some estimates suggest that as many as 30% of women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner. A study by UNICEF found that around 125 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. In some communities in countries like Egypt, Djibouti, Guinea, and Somalia UNICEF found that the number of women subjected to FGM can be as high as 90%.
Mullan also points to the problem of sexual violence being used as a weapon of war in ongoing conflicts.
Recent research, published in The Lancet Global Health, also establishes a link between HIV and intimate partner violence. This is a double-edged sword for many women – forced sex can increase the risk of HIV transmission, while, if a woman discloses that she is HIV positive, this can in turn lead to further partner violence. Contributory risk factors include social norms giving men power over women, having multiple sex partners, as well as alcohol and substance misuse.
Mullan’s message is clear. Violence against women is a complex and major global issue. It is an abuse of basic human rights. It is also a serious health issue associated with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and it can cause disability, mental health problems and unwanted pregnancies.
This year, November 25 was the International Day to End Violence Against Women which was intended to mark the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Welcome though that might be, it is nowhere near enough to make major inroads into the global problem. More research is desperately needed to provide evidence for what really works at the community level. More than 80% of existing evidence comes from more affluent, high-income communities, and two-thirds concentrated on intimate partner violence only.
The United Nations has its “UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women” but donor commitments to the fund have been falling and, according to UN Director-General Ban Ki-Moon, those commitments have decreased by 60% in recent years, even though demand for grants from the fund has doubled. Tackling this global blight will need a lot more funding, initially for further research to evaluate effective strategies, and the first step is raising awareness of the enormity of the problem.
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Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Despite warnings otherwise, many parents still put their babies at risk by using unsafe bedding
Based on research surrounding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the American Academy of Pediatrics released guidelines in 1992 recommending that parents put newborns to sleep on their back and subsequently the rate of SIDS has fallen by 50 percent.

In a safe sleep environment, the baby's sleep area has no bumpers, pillows, blankets or toys. Room sharing -- keeping baby's sleep area in the same room where caregivers sleep -- reduces the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death. Mothers who bring the infant into bed to breastfeed should make sure to put him or her back in a separate sleep area in the room, such as a safety-approved crib, bassinet, or portable play area, when the infant is finished. Credit: Courtesy of the National Institutes of Health

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Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
Japanese scientists have discovered high levels of carcinogenic substances in a popular brand of e-cigarettes, leading officials in that country to launch an investigation into the health risks of the devices and re-igniting the debate over their safety.
According to the AFP news agency, research commissioned by Japan’s Health Ministry discovered that the vapor produced by several types of e-cigarette liquid included toxic, cancer-causing agents such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. In fact, formaldehyde, which is used in building materials and embalming fluids, was found in higher levels than carcinogens found in the smoke of traditional cigarettes, one official told the news agency.
“In one brand of e-cigarette the team found more than 10 times the level of carcinogens contained in one regular cigarette,” researcher Naoki Kunugita, who led a team from the National Institute of Public Health that analyzed several cartridges of e-cigarette fluid using a machine that “inhaled” 10 sets of 15 puffs, told the AFP.
Kunugita added that the amount of formaldehyde detected varied through the course of analysis, and that higher amounts of the harmful substances appeared to be produced “when the… wire (which vaporizes the liquid) gets overheated.” One brand, the name of which was not revealed, showed a more than 10-fold level of formaldehyde on nine out of every 10 sets, and another showed similar levels on several tests but was not as consistently high.
He went on to tell the AFP that the results of the study demonstrate that e-cigarettes are not the harmless smoking alternative that many believe them to be. “We need to be aware that some makers are selling such products for dual use (with tobacco) or as a gateway for young people” to start smoking tobacco cigarettes, Kunugita warned.
The unnamed brand of e-cigarette found to be the worst offender produced 1,600 micrograms of formaldehyde per 15 puffs, according to Asian News International (ANI). However, officials with the Health Ministry also acknowledged that the presence of elevated formaldehyde levels found in one brand was not definitive proof that using e-cigarettes would increase a person’s risk of developing cancer, the Delhi-based news agency added.
“The most important finding is that the vapor contained recognized carcinogens,” Hiroyuki Noda, of the health ministry’s tobacco-free initiative, told Justin McCurry of The Guardian. “Our panel of experts will now look into what possible effects those substances could have on the health of e-cigarette users.”
“The study is the latest blow to the e-cig industry lauded by some as an alternative to tobacco to help smokers quit because to help smokers quit because the vapors reduce the craving for nicotine,” said UPI reporter Amy R. Connolly. “In August, the World Health Organization called for a ban on e-cigarettes indoors in public places and sales to minors because of possible health risks.”
However, vaping advocates said that the findings did not prove that using e-cigarettes is a health hazard. In a post published to the e-cigarette research website and quoted by The Guardian, Greek cardiologist Konstantinos Farsalinos said that the device tested by Kunugita’s team was “a single extreme case out of the many products he tested,” adding that the high formaldehyde reading could have been caused by a faulty device.
“Obviously, we have to realize that focusing the discussion on one of the tens of carcinogens present in tobacco cigarette smoke is misleading,” Farsalinos said. “Even if e-cigarettes contained similar, or higher, levels of formaldehyde, they do not contain the majority of other toxic and carcinogenic substances present in cigarette smoke. Overall, any residual risk from e-cigarette use is orders of magnitude lower than smoking.”
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