John Neumann for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Two different studies by European and US researchers concluded that obese adults who are otherwise physically fit had no greater risk of dying prematurely than those with a normal body mass index (BMI), according to research partially funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and soft-drink maker Coca-Cola.

The findings show there is a subset of obese people who are metabolically healthy, with no symptoms of insulin resistance, diabetes and high cholesterol and who have a high level of fitness as measured by how well the heart and lungs perform, than other obese people, writes Kristen Hallam for Business Week.

This subset registers no detrimental health effects, and doctors should bear this in mind when considering what, if any, interventions are required, say the researchers.

The results reverse decades of public health messages, supported by research saying otherwise, that obesity can accelerate the development of heart disease, diabetes and cancer and shrink lifespans.

Three European researchers who weren´t involved in the two studies wrote in an editorial that accompanied the results in the European Heart Journal today.

“The prevailing wisdom holds that being slim must be generally good for you,” Stephan von Haehling, Oliver Hartmann and Stefan Anker wrote in the editorial. “Obesity may carry a benefit up to a certain degree, and it should be recognized that obesity is not necessarily associated with abnormal metabolic function.”

Amy Thompson, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation explains the studies should serve as reminders that carrying fat around the belly and how fat affects your fitness may be more important than the numbers on the scale.

“In the majority of cases, obesity is an undeniable risk factor for developing coronary heart disease,” Thompson said in a statement. “However, these studies remind us that it is not always your weight that´s important, but where you carry fat and also how it affects your health and fitness.”

More than 40,000 study participants were followed between 1979 and 2003, and completed a detailed questionnaire, including information on their medical and lifestyle history, along with a physical examination that included a treadmill test to assess cardio-respiratory fitness and measurements of height, weight, waist circumference, and their percentage of body fat. Blood pressure, cholesterol and fasting glucose levels were also measured.

Dr. Francisco Ortega (PhD) currently a research associate affiliated to the Department of Physical Activity and Sport, University of Granada (Spain), and at the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) headed the study. He and his colleagues found that 46 percent of the obese participants were metabolically healthy.

After adjusting for several confounding factors, including fitness, the metabolically healthy but obese people had a 38 percent lower risk of death from any cause than their metabolically unhealthy obese peers, while no significant difference was seen between the metabolically healthy but obese and the metabolically healthy, normal weight participants.

The risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer was reduced by between 30-50 percent for the metabolically healthy but obese people, and there were no significant differences observed between them and the metabolically healthy, normal weight participants.

A second study which analyzed data from 64,000 heart patients in Sweden provides new evidence supporting the ℠obesity paradox´, writes Jenny Hope for Daily Mail UK. The obesity paradox means fat patients with heart disease have ℠paradoxically´ better outcomes and survival than thinner patients. The greatest risk of dying was among the underweight and morbidly obese, who have the very highest levels of obesity.

William Zoghbi, president of the American College of Cardiology, responded that the results aren´t a complete surprise, because in real life, not all obese people have the same prognosis.

“This provides evidence that this is the case,” said Zoghbi. “Obesity is still a risk, but with gradation. Personally, I´d encourage fitness in all individuals, but it´s more important in a person who´s overweight or obese.”

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

The ability to detect changes in an elderly person´s gait could be important in preventing dangerous trips and falls that can severely impact their health and quality of life.

Using plastic optical fibers on the underlay of a carpet, researchers have developed just such an ability in what´s being called a ℠magic carpet´.

An interdisciplinary team from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom will present the results of their work at the country´s Photon 12 conference this week in Durham. Their presentation will focus on how the team utilized techniques similar to those found in hospital scanners to create two-dimensional visuals of footprints and walking habits of people who tread across the carpet´s surface.

According to Patricia Scully from The University of Manchester’s Photon Science Institute, the new rug could help immediately after a fall, but also in preventing them by spotting subtle changes in a person´s walking habits that might go unnoticed by family members or care-givers.

“The carpet can gather a wide range of information about a person’s condition; from biomechanical to chemical sensing of body fluids, enabling holistic sensing to provide an environment that detects and responds to changes in patient condition,” Scully said.

One of the benefits of the new technology is that it doesn´t require any intensive installations that could deter potential users from adopting it.

“The carpet can be retrofitted at low cost, to allow living space to adapt as the occupiers’ needs evolve — particularly relevant with an aging population and for those with long term disabilities — and incorporated non-intrusively into any living space or furniture surface such as a mattress or wall that a patient interacts with,” Scully added.

With an aging population in many Western nations, preventative care of the elderly will only grow in importance. Currently, between 30 and 40 percent of seniors living in the community fall each year, which accounts for 50 percent of hospital admissions in the over-65 set.

“Falls are a really important problem for our ageing society,” said University of Manchester professor Chris Todd, who also leads the Prevention of Falls Network Europe organization. “More than a third of older people fall each year, and in nursing and residential homes it is much more common than that.”

“Older people will benefit from exercises to improve balance and muscle strength in the legs,” the professor added. “So being able to identify changes in people’s walking patterns and gait in the natural environment, such as in a corridor in a nursing home, could really help us identity problems earlier on.”

“This is really exciting work at the forefront of research using technologies to prevent falls and represents an unique collaboration between scientists from different backgrounds working together to identity a smart solution to an important problem for our country and indeed all over the world,” he said.

Another British research group has shown that an intensive exercise program for at-risk seniors that includes strength training, balance and aerobic activities such as dance or tai chi, can help prevent falls.

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiencies can make people gain weight and also worsen lung function in smokers. And other research has shown that vitamin D intake can reduce the risk of respiratory infection in children. Now, researchers from Queen Mary University of London have found that the “sunshine” vitamin can also aid in a speedy recovery from tuberculosis (TB).

According to researchers involved in the new study, vitamin D could help the body fight off the infections of deadly tuberculosis, a disease that kills nearly 1.5 million people every year. In many cases, TB is untreatable, noted experts.

Vitamin D has been used to treat TB for decades before antibiotics became available, and many people would be sent to sanatoriums and health retreats where they could soak up the healing effects of the Sun, known as heliotherapy or phototherapy. And scientists are now showing why the vitamin D treatments of yore may have done some good in the treatment of TB.

In a collaboration with Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research, study leaders have shown that high doses of the “sunshine” vitamin D, given in addition to antibiotic treatment, appear to help patients recover from TB more quickly.

Published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), this is the first study to investigate the effect of vitamin D on the immune responses of patients receiving treatment for an infectious disease.

Findings of the study indicate that high doses of vitamin D can dampen down the body´s inflammatory response to infection, enabling the body to recover faster from infection, with less damage to the lungs. The researchers also believe, based on the aspects of their findings, that vitamin D supplementation may also lead to faster recovery times in a number of other diseases such as pneumonia.

“These findings are very significant. They indicate that vitamin D may have a role in accelerating resolution of inflammatory responses in tuberculosis patients,” said Dr. Adrian Martineau, senior lecturer in respiratory infection and immunity at Queen Mary´s Blizard Institute. “This is important, because sometimes these inflammatory responses can cause tissue damage leading to the development of cavities in the lung. If we can help these cavities to heal more quickly, then patients should be infectious for a shorter period of time, and they may also suffer less lung damage.”

This could have broad-reaching implications for the medical field, as antibiotic treatments may fail over time.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3.4 percent of all new TB cases are resistant to the two main drug treatments–known as multiple drug resistant tuberculosis. That figure rises to about 20 percent for people who have been infected multiple times in their lives. Estimates have gone as far to say that half of all cases in some countries were resistant to drug treatment.

Furthermore, there is also concern about extensively drug resistant TB, which is resistant to backup drugs as well. The WHO estimates that 9.4 percent of all drug-resistant TB is extensively drug resistant.

In Dr. Martineau´s study, he and his colleagues, from a number of different London-area hospitals and institutions, randomized 95 TB patients receiving standard antibiotic treatment into two groups. Group one, which included 44 patients, received additional high dose vitamin D over an eight week period. The remaining 51 received only a placebo with regular treatment.

Levels of the inflammatory markers in blood samples taken from the patients were analyzed by study coauthor Dr. Anna Coussens of the Medical Research Center to determine the effects vitamin D had on the first group´s immune response.

“We found that a large number of these inflammatory markers fell further and faster in patients receiving vitamin D,” said Coussens.

The analysis showed that recovery was nearly two weeks faster in the vitamin D group. Patients who completed the regimen cleared the infection in 23 days on average, while the placebo group took 36 days on average to clear the infection.

“This isn’t going to replace antibiotics, but it may be a useful extra weapon,” Martineau told James Gallagher of BBC News. “It looks promising, but we need slightly stronger evidence.” He noted that trials in more patients, as well as studies looking at the best dose and if different forms of vitamin D appears to work by calming inflammation during infection. Inflammatory response is an important part of the body´s response to infection.

During TB infection, inflammatory response breaks down some of the scaffolding in the lungs, allowing more infection-fighting white blood cells in to do their job. However, this also creates tiny cavities in the lungs in which TB bacteria can hide out and strike again at a later time.

“If we can help these cavities to heal more quickly, then patients should be infectious for a shorter period of time, and they may also suffer less lung damage,” Martineau said. “We are hoping to do more work to evaluate the effects of higher doses and different forms of vitamin D to see if they have a more dramatic effect.”

Martineau also thought there could be an even greater role in preventing TB. About 33 percent of people have low levels of TB bacteria in their lungs and often show no symptoms (known as latent TB). However, this would turn to full blown TB in about 10 percent of people.

Professor Peter Davies, secretary of the charity TB Alert, believes that giving vitamin D supplements could prevent latent TB from developing. “That would be a massive revolution if it was shown to work,” he told the British news network.

The findings of the study were “excellent,” Davies said, adding that vitamin D could play “an important role in treating tuberculosis.”

“Drug-resistant TB is an increasing concern world-wide and so new treatments to reduce the length of TB treatment would be very welcome,” said Professor Alison Grant, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Vitamin D supplements are often given to patients who are short of vitamin D and these low doses are generally very safe.”

“In this study the researchers were giving higher doses of vitamin D, and I think we would need larger studies to be confident that there were no negative effects of this higher dose,” she cautioned.

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Working can be a difficult task for many with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In fact, only 15 percent of those with the disorder have some form of paid work in the United States. Difficulties related to cognition, behavior, communication, and sensory processing are among the issues that keep many ASD sufferers from gainful employment.

But now, investigators report that task management and organizational features found in personal digital assistants (PDAs), particularly the Apple iPod Touch, may help people with ASD function in the workplace. Case studies published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation have demonstrated these PDAs as vocational supports for ASD sufferers.

Tony Gentry, PhD, of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, said: “Strategies that provide enlightened workplace supports are clearly needed in order to help people with ASD find useful work and perform successfully on the job. Adults with ASD often have valuable assets and strengths that are sought after in the workplace, such as logical and mathematical ability, exceptional computer skills, or photographic memory.”

Gentry led a 4-year randomized trial examining the use of the iPod Touch PDAs as job coaching aids in the workplace. Each individual in the study was given a vocational placement and paired with a job coach. Each iPod was programmed by an occupational therapist and included applications geared to each individual´s needs. The suites included task reminders and lists, video prompts, tools for self-management of behavior, and other supportive tools. Participants and job coaches were also trained by the therapist on how to use the iPod Touch as a vocational aid.

One participant in the study, Jeffrey, worked as a custodian at a fast-food restaurant. He had difficulties moving from task to task and had a hard time remembering multiple tasks involved in stocking and cleaning duties. When he became stressed, he would display “calming behaviors,” such as spinning around in circles and humming.

His occupational therapist set reminder alarms on the iPod Touch to cue Jeffrey to move from task to task without the need for repeated alerts from coworkers and bosses. Using the Notes application, step-by-step checklists were created for each of Jeffrey´s tasks ensuring that he could complete them properly.

Within a week of using the iPod Touch, Jeffrey was successfully responding to the reminder cues and checking his task notes. After a year, Jeffrey had continued to use the PDA on the job, and is now recognized as a reliable employee.

The iPod Touch didn´t just work for Jeffrey. Other ASD sufferers, including Grace, a 60-year-old woman who also has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, found that the PDAs were very useful.

For Grace, the PDA helps manage her commute on a specialized transportation bus. If the bus was late, she worried that it had missed her, and she would often leave her purse on the bench and step into the busy street to see if it was coming. Now, reminders alert her when to go to the bus stop and to call the transportation company if the bus is late.

A custom-made video shows Grace how to wait for the bus safely, and the steps to take if the bus doesn´t arrive. Her iPod Touch also helps her move from task to task and manage her daily duties at work, just as Jeffrey´s does for him. After six months of use, Grace´s manager reports that she works independently and ably.

Gentry said that a wide range of variables in personal characteristics, work settings, and duties make it difficult to make any generalizations from the cases involved. He did note, however, that they do demonstrate the versatility of PDAs as workplace supports for people with ASD.

“This is an exciting time for anyone in the fields of education, physical rehabilitation, and vocational support, where we are seeing a long-awaited merging of consumer products and assistive technologies for all,” he added. “Field-based research in real world environments is essential to help us determine how best to use these tools to help our clients live more rewarding lives.”

Michael Harper for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
The Internet is, generally speaking, a good thing. After all, this series of tubes provides us with a wealth of readily available information, an easy way to stay in touch with friends and relatives, innumerable opportunities for education and research, and, let´s not forget, pictures of cats.
Like anything else in this world, one can have too much of a good thing, which can lead to addiction. Just like any addiction, an Internet addiction is not only an unpleasant sight to see, it´s also believed to be genetic.
According to new research from the University of Bonn, Internet addiction is very real, and can be explained molecularly.
“It was shown that Internet addiction is not a figment of our imagination,” said lead author, Privatdozent Dr. Christian Montag from the Department for Differential and Biological Psychology at the University of Bonn.
“Researchers and therapists are increasingly closing in on it.”
The Bonn researchers have arrived at this conclusion after interviewing a total of 843 people over the past 4 years. These researchers asked the participants about their Internet habits; How often they logged on, if they craved logging on, etc.
After analyzing this data, the researchers found that 132 men and women in this group of 843 showed signs of “problematic behavior” concerning the way they handled the entirety of the Internet. For these 132 addicts, the Internet consumed their daily thoughts and felt as if their well-being would suffer as a result of not signing on.
The Boon Researchers, along with researchers from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim compared the genetic makeup of these Internet addicts with the makeup of what they considered to be healthy, control participants. This analysis showed that the 132 addicts were more likely to carry a specific genetic variation, one similar to those who are addicted to nicotine.
“What we already know about the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the brain is that a mutation on the related gene promotes addictive behavior,” said Dr. Montag in the statement.
“It seems that this connection is not only essential for nicotine addiction, but also for Internet addiction.”
This study also found that the fairer sex is more likely to be affected by this genetic mutation that manifests itself as an addiction to the Internet.
“Within the group of subjects exhibiting problematic Internet behavior this variant occurs more frequently, in particular, in women,” said Dr. Montag. This finding is different from many other studies which have found that it is, in fact, men who are more prone to becoming addicted to the Internet and it´s series of tubes.
As such, Dr. Montag says this study will have to be validated even further, but suggests sites like Facebook may be the reason his study showed that women were more likely to crave the warm glow of the Internet than men.
“The sex-specific genetic finding may result from a specific subgroup of Internet dependency, such as the use of social networks or such.”
To round out the study, Dr. Montag admits further studies complete with more participants should be conducted to further analyze the link between this genetic mutation and an addiction to the ℠net.
“But the current data already shows that there are clear indications for genetic causes of Internet addiction,” he said.
“If such connections are better understood, this will also result in important indications for better therapies.”

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online

In a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers found that injuries to children due to small batteries have increased in the last few years and ingestion can cause serious health issues.

In particular, the report stated that there is growing concern over the ingestion of batteries because they can become stuck in the esophagus and cause serious problems or even death. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff looked at data from 1997 to 2019 from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). They also looked at databases from 1995 to 2010, such as the Injury and Potential Injury Incident File, the Death Certificate Database (DTHS), and the In-Depth Investigation File (INDP). The results were published in the most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“There is growing attention to this hazard and an increase in the number of fatalities,” Scott Wolfson, director of communications for CPSC, told ABC News. “Today, more of these small batteries are being used in products such as remote controls, greeting cards, flashlights and CPSC is seeing children getting access to those batteries.”

The researchers found that, from 1997 to 2010, around 40,400 children under the age of 13 were sent to hospital emergency departments for treatment related to injuries from batteries. Almost 10 percent of the injured needed to be hospitalized for treatment. From 1995 to 2010, a total of fourteen fatal injuries were found for children between the ages of seven months to three years. My Healthy News Daily reported that children can suffer injuries from these small batteries like chemical burns, tears in the esophagus, and hemorrhaging.

As well, there was an increasing trend in battery-related injuries and there was a 2.5 time increase in cases from 1998 (1,900 case) to 2010 (4,800 cases). Battery type was reported for 69 percent of cases, and of those, button batteries were implicated in 58 percent. Eleven percent of injuries were from cylindrical batteries.

According to NPR, button-type batteries have been used in things like the TV remote, singing greeting cards, and children´s toys. The scientists also found that there were a few cases of misdiagnosis and delayed treatment, leading to death in some instances.

Based on their findings, the CPSC is encouraging the electronics industry and battery manufacturers to design warnings and industry standards to limit serious injuries and deaths due to button batteries. They also believe that public health experts and health-care providers can educate parents to leave button batteries and products that have button batteries in a place that is not accessible to children. Parents of children who ingest batteries need to pursue medical attention immediately as delays in diagnosis and treatment can possibly cause serious problems or death.

“That´s what´s so scary about these, you can get damage so quickly,” commented Alison Tothy, director of pediatric emergency medicine at the University of Chicago, in the ABC News article. “But how many parents bring their kids to the emergency department for a little belly pain, but 8, 12, 14 hours later they are still having belly pain and starting to vomit“¦and there is even more damage that has been done because battery has sat there for 24 hours.”

A study published in Pediatrics in May also reported similar results. Between 1990 and 2009, there was an increase in the number of children who had emergency department visits due to ingesting batteries. Over 65,000 emergency department visits involved kids age 18 and under.

“We live in a world designed by adults for the convenience of adults, and the safety of children is often not considered,” stated study author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children´s Hospital, in the ABC News article.

There is also legislation currently underway to address the possible risk of ingesting button cell batteries unintentionally. Legislators are proposing that child-resistant battery compartment closures be included in all consumer products that use button cell batteries, warnings be created on the dangers of ingesting button cell batteries, and child-resistant packing for batteries.

The authors noted that there were a few limitations in the report. One, the NEISS case narratives were brief and didn´t include detailed information unless there was a follow-up investigation. Two, the report didn´t include incidents that went untreated or cases that were treated in doctors´ officers or outpatient facilities.

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online

Scientists from Northwestern University recently studied the differences between preschoolers´ typical misbehavior and beginning signs of mental health issues. Researchers believe that the findings could be helpful for parents and professionals to understand the misbehavior of young children.

In the project, researchers created a questionnaire that helped differentiate between misbehavior and more alarming misbehavior. The findings of the questionnaire, recently published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, will help researchers identify and treat developing mental health problems. It will also help prevent children from suffering from chronic health problems as well as limit the mislabeling and overtreatment of children´s misbehavior.

“That’s an ‘aha!’ moment,” explained lead author Lauren Wakschlag, professor and vice chair in the department of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a prepared statement. “It gives a measurable indicator to tell us when tantrums are frequent enough that a child may be struggling. Perhaps for the first time, we have a tangible way to help parents, doctors and teachers know when the frequency and type of tantrums may be an indication of a deeper problem.”

The study also found that, while tantrums are common among preschoolers, they do not happen as frequently as people think. According to the researchers, less than 10 percent of young children have a tantrum on a daily basis. This pattern can be found with girls and boys, poor and non-poor children, as well as children of African-American, Hispanic, and white background.

Previously, the diagnosis of preschool behavior problems was only found through diagnostic tools for older children and teens that had severe to aggressive behavior. Recently, there has been increased emphasis on measures designed for preschool children. Researchers for this particular study developed the Multidimensional Assessment of Preschool Disruptive Behavior (MAP-DB), a new questionnaire that included questions on the frequency, quality, and severity of the temper tantrum behaviors and anger management skills.

The study included the responses of around 1,500 parents of preschoolers on their child´s behavior; the students were between the ages of three and five. In particular, the results from the responses allowed researchers to place students on a continuum of behavior from typical to atypical instead of target an extreme behavior. The researchers believe that a continuum will help mental health professionals to make interventions before serious problems develop; they see early childhood as an important period to determine any issues because serious problems can become more entrenched as children grow older. The continuum also allows mental health experts to understand whether a child is improving with the treatment.

“We have defined the small facets of temper tantrums as they are expressed in early childhood. This is key to our ability to tell the difference between a typical temper tantrum and one that is problematic,” continued Wakschlag in the statement.

With the study, the researchers were able to identify factors in typical and atypical tantrums. A typical tantrum happens when a child is frustrated or tired during daily routines like bedtime, meal time, or getting dressed. An atypical tantrum happens “out of the blue,” makes a child becomes exhausted, and is a sign of possible developing mental health problems.

The researchers stated that the criteria used in this study differentiates from commonly used Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which doesn´t look at age-specific makers.

“The definition of ‘often’ may vary substantially for younger and older children and depend on family stress levels and other mitigating factors,” remarked Wakschlag in the statement. “Since most preschool children tantrum, this vague criteria makes it exceptionally difficult for providers to determine when behavior is of clinical significance in early childhood.”

With the barometer, the researchers analyzed how the tantrum patterns were related to a spectrum of mental health problems and issues associated with daily functions. The team is also working with Northwestern neuroscientist Joel Voss in integrating brain-imaging techniques in the project to understand connection between early problem behaviors and certain patterns of brain reactivity. In moving forward, the scientists also want to replicate the findings with a second sample and an expanded questionnaire.

“There’s been a real danger of preschool children with normal misbehavior being mislabeled and over-treated with medication,” noted Wakschlag in the statement. “On the other hand, pediatricians are hampered by the lack of standardized methods for determining when misbehavior reflects deeper problems and so may miss behaviors that are concerning. This is why it’s so crucial to have tools that precisely identify when worry is warranted in this age group.”

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Electronic devices with self-illuminated backlit displays have been shown to cause melatonin levels to drop, making it much harder for persons who use such devices to read or study before bedtime to fall asleep. The findings come from a study by researchers at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, who explain that if you have stared at a luminous screen for a long enough period, chances are you will probably have a hard time falling asleep.

They find that using a lighted electronic gadget for just two hours before bedtime can cause sleep problems, especially in teenagers. Melatonin is a chemical that controls a person´s body clock, and researchers believe teens are more susceptible to sleeplessness when using these melatonin-robbing gadgets.

“Our study shows that a two-hour exposure to light from self-luminous electronic displays can suppress melatonin by about 22 percent,” said lead researcher Mariana Figueiro of RPI. “Stimulating the human circadian system to this level may affect sleep in those using the devices prior to bedtime.”

The small study–“Light Level And Duration Of Exposure Determine The Impact Of Self-Luminous Tablets On Melatonin Suppression”–is published in the journal Applied Ergonomics and funded by Sharp Laboratories.

The study included 13 subjects who read, watched videos and played video games on tablets with backlit displays for two hours before bedtime.

Study participants were divided into three groups. The first group viewed the tablets while wearing clear goggles fitted with 470-nm blue light from LEDs. This was a “true positive” condition because the blue light is known to be a strong stimulus for suppressing melatonin. Group 2 wore orange-tinted glasses, capable of filtering out the short-wavelength radiation that can suppress melatonin; this was the “dark control” condition. Group 3 wore no glasses.

Each tablet in the experiment was set to full brightness. In order to accurately record personal light exposures during the experiment, each subject wore a device known as a Dimesimeter close to the eye. This device, developed by LRC, continuously recorded circadian light and activity levels.

Actual melatonin suppression values after 60 minutes were very similar to those estimated using a predictive model of human circadian photo-transduction for one-hour light exposures.

“Based on these results, display manufacturers can use our model to determine how their products could affect circadian system regulation,” and possibly design more “circadian-friendly” electronic devices that could either increase or decrease circadian simulations depending on the time of day–reducing circadian stimulation in the evening for a better night’s sleep, and increasing in the morning to encourage alertness.

Past studies have shown that disturbances in our circadian rhythm may lead to brain cell changes, and cause sleep problems in aging. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that circadian rhythm is much more important to life than had previously been suspected.

In the current study, melatonin suppression that occurred after exposure to the luminous tablet screen was similar to what one would expect after exposure to normal sunlight, Figueiro explained. In other words, the screen light tricks the human´s body clock into thinking it is still daytime.

The team conducted their studies using a tablet computer, but believe any gadget with a backlit display could have a similar effect, including smartphones and e-readers, with the exception of the Kindle, which has no backlight.

“Technology developments have led to bigger and brighter televisions, computer screens, and cell phones,” Brittany Wood, researcher and study coauthor, told MedicalNewsToday. “To produce white light, these electronic devices must emit light at short wavelengths, which makes them potential sources for suppressing or delaying the onset of melatonin in the evening, reducing sleep duration and disrupting sleep. This is particularly worrisome in populations such as young adults and adolescents, who already tend to be night owls.”

The results of the study suggest avoiding backlit tablets and reaching for a paperback book instead. The black-and-white Amazon Kindle is another safe bet.

But researchers also believe the study could give manufacturers ideas to build gadgets for a host of conditions and illnesses linked to lack of sunlight exposure, such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and sleep disorders. Users could receive therapy while watching a movie, playing a game, or even writing and reading. This would be much more therapeutic than just sitting in front of a light box, which is a treatment option for SAD patients.

MedicalNewsToday reports in its article that in prehistoric times, man was used to going to bed at dusk because melatonin levels would shoot up as sunset occurred, making these ancient people tired. And in those times, especially before fire was discovered, it made sense to go to sleep at dusk, and melatonin played a significant role in that. But then fire was discovered, then candles, light bulbs, and then LED. Now we are exposed to light at all hours of the day and night, really messing up our biological clocks.

For the time being, since there is no way to escape the omnipresence of light in our technological world, perhaps the best thing to do is to grab a good paperback, and enjoy a few less hours of light at night before bedtime.

April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

What is it that makes a woman happy?  Is it diamonds and furs, chocolate and wine, or a good book? No, apparently it’s a gene.

A new study from the University of South Florida (USF), the National Institutes for Health (NIH), Columbia University and the New York Psychiatric Institute has found a gene that appears to make women happy, but it doesn’t work for men.

The research team said this might explain why women are often happier than men.

Reported in the online journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, the study finds that the low-expression form of the gene monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) is associated with higher self-reported happiness in women, but no such association was found in men.

“This is the first happiness gene for women,” said lead author Henian Chen, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, USF College of Public Health.

“I was surprised by the result, because low expression of MAOA has been related to some negative outcomes like alcoholism, aggressiveness and antisocial behavior,” said Chen, who directs the Biostatistics Core at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine´s Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. “It´s even called the warrior gene by some scientists, but, at least for women, our study points to a brighter side of this gene.”

Although women tend to experience higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders, they report greater overall life happiness than do men. The reasons for this are unclear, but Chen believes that the new findings might help explain the gender differences.

The MAOA gene regulates the activity of an enzyme that breaks down serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain. These are the same chemicals that are targets of antidepressant drugs. The low-expression version of this gene promotes higher levels of monoamine, which allows greater amounts of the neurotransmitters to stay in the brain and boost mood.

The research team analyzed data from a population-based sample of 345 people — 193 women and 152 men — participating in Children in the Community study, which is a longitudinal mental health study. The participants’ DNA was analyzed for the MAOA gene variation and a widely used and validated scale scored their self-reported happiness.

The team controlled for various factors, from age range to income levels to education and found that women who had the low-expression form of the gene were significantly happier than those without. Women with no copies of the low-expression version scored lower on the happiness scale than those with only one copy, and those with two copies scored even higher.

A substantial number of the men were found to have the low-expression version of MAOA. However, they reported no more happiness than those without.

The research team thinks that the gender gap in happiness may be explained in part by the hormone testosterone, which is found in much smaller amounts in women than in men. They suggest that testosterone may cancel out the positive effects of MAOA on happiness in men.

The potential benefit of MAOA in boys could wane as testosterone levels rise with puberty, Chen said. “Maybe men are happier before adolescence because their testosterone levels are lower.”

More study is needed to identify which specific genes influence resilience and subjective well-being, especially since studies of twins estimate genetic factors account for 35 to 50 percent of the variance of human happiness.

Happiness is not determined by a single gene, but it is likely that a set of genes, along with life experiences, shape our individual happiness levels.

“I think the time is right for more genetic studies that focus on well-being and happiness,” said Chen. “Certainly it could be argued that how well-being is enhanced deserves at least as much attention as how (mental) disorders arise; however, such knowledge remains limited.”

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
Researchers recently found that, for those who use marijuana in a persistent and dependent manner before 18 years of age, there will be lasting harm to the attention and memory of that individual.
The long-range study was conducted by scientists from Britain and the U.S., along with assistance of a cohort of over 1,000 New Zealanders in a 40-year period. These participants began to use cannabis when they were young children and used it consistently for years afterward. The researchers determined that there was an average drop of 8 points in IQ when IQ tests at age 13 and age 38 were compared. They also believe that quitting the habit didn´t reverse the loss.
“It’s such a special study that I’m fairly confident cannabis is safe for over-18 brains, but risky for under-18 brains,” Terrie Moffitt, a psychology and neuroscience professor at King´s College London´s Institute of Psychiatry, told Reuters.
The results, recently published online edition of PNAS, show how an important factor is the age at which the participants´ starting using marijuana and the brain´s development in relation to the drug use. Participants who didn´t start using marijuana until after they were adults with fully formed brains didn´t show the same mental decline as individuals who used marijuana early on. The researchers believe that, before age 18, a person’s brain is still developing and can have greater damage from drugs.
“Marijuana is not harmless, particularly for adolescents,” commented lead researcher Madeline Meier, a post-doctoral researcher at Duke University, in a prepared statement.
The study included psychological tests that examined memory, reasoning, processing speed, and visual processing. The participants who used marijuana as teens on a continuous basis tested lower on exams. As well, friends and family members were interviewed in the study and noted that persistent pot users had problems like losing focus and difficulty remembering to complete particular tasks.
“Many people today, especially young people, believe that marijuana is risk free, but this research tells us that this is not the case,” remarked Laurence Steinberg, a Temple University professor of psychology unaffiliated with the study, in a WebMD article.
In the group, approximately five percent were thought to be marijuana-dependent or categorized as using marijuana more than once a week before they turned 18. The researchers defined dependency as continuously using the drug even with health, family, or social issues at hand. As well, the researchers do not attribute the drop in IQ points due to other drug and alcohol use or less education. In general, higher IQ generally relates to more education, better health, and increased longevity.
“Somebody who loses 8 IQ points as an adolescent may be disadvantaged compared to their same-age peers for years to come,” explained Meier, who produced the results from the long-term Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, in the statement.
Furthermore, medical experts note that this is the first study to examine the IQ before and after the long-term use of marijuana.
“This strengthens the argument against adolescents using this drug,” noted Wayne Hall, researcher at the University of Queensland in Australia, in the WebMD article.
As well, researchers addressed how other animal studies with alcohol, cocaine, and nicotine have shown how similar harmful exposure to the brain can lead to long-term damage and more dependence.
“This study points to adolescence as a time of heightened vulnerability,” commented Steinberg in the statement. “The findings are pretty clear that it is not simply chronic use that causes deficits, but chronic use with adolescent onset.”
However, the scientists still do not know what the safe age is for marijuana use and how much pot dosage can lead to brain damage.
“The simple message is that substance use is not healthy for kids,” explained Avshalom Caspi, a researcher from Duke´s Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, in a statement. “That’s true for tobacco, alcohol, and apparently for cannabis.”
In closing, more research is needed to confirm the findings of the study.
“Although one should never by convinced by a single study, I take the findings very seriously,” concluded Dr. Robin Murray of Kings College in the WebMD article.

Michael Harper for redOrbit.com — Your Universe Online
It´s a debate which is sure to never really come to a close. In addition to the questions of health involved, there are also questions of ethics and religion. Combine these aspects with passionate arguments on either side, and what´s left is a debate which will rage on for years to come.
Last week, a study was released by the John Hopkins University which said the trend towards keeping baby boys intact is racking up a huge nationwide health care bill, adding an additional $4.4 billion each year.
Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have made a statement about their policy on circumcision: They say the snip carries some overall health benefits, but in the end, it´s a decision the parents should make with their doctor. According to the APP, the benefits of circumcision “are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision.”
“Scientific research shows clearer health benefits to the procedure than had previously been demonstrated,” said the AAP, which represents 60,000 pediatricians in Canada and the United States. The group also parroted the benefits outlined in the John Hopkins University study last week, saying there are significant health insurance savings to be had with circumcisions.
For many, circumcision is less about the potential health benefits or dangers and more of a religious practice. Both Muslims and Jews practice circumcision, and view it as a sacred oath.
Critics of this procedure, however, say it is painful for the little boys. Furthermore, these critics say the procedure is medically unnecessary and could lead to further complications in the boy´s future.
“Scientific research shows clearer health benefits to the procedure than had previously been demonstrated. According to a systematic and critical review of the scientific literature, the health benefits of circumcision include lower risks of acquiring HIV, genital herpes, human papillomavirus and syphilis. Circumcision also lowers the risk of penile cancer over a lifetime; reduces the risk of cervical cancer in sexual partners, and lowers the risk of urinary tract infections in the first year of life,” said the AAP.
The John Hopkins University study also found that the foreskin can be a hiding ground for all sorts of sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV and aids, HPV and even penile cancers. The study also found that as more parents decide to leave their boys intact, STDs will continue to increase. According to this study, the rate of American circumcisions is dropping rapidly, with nearly 55% of American parents opting to give their sons the snip. For comparison, nearly 80% of parents chose the procedure in the 1970s and 1980s.
“There are health benefits to infant male circumcision in guarding against illness and disease, and declining male circumcision rates come at a severe price, not just in human suffering, but in billions of health care dollars as well,” said Dr. Aaron Tobian, the senior investigator with John Hopkins.
While studies like these are suggesting that circumcision is a healthy choice for these boys, some are concerned that a sweeping statement about the procedure could be dangerous, especially in situations where the baby is not healthy enough to go under the knife.
“Although the evidence also is clear that infants experience pain, there are several safe and effective ways to reduce the pain. If the baby is born prematurely, has an illness at birth, or has congenital abnormalities or blood problems, he should not be circumcised immediately,” said the AAP.
The group also says this procedure is safest when performed on babies, rather than waiting till a boy is older to have his foreskin removed.
In the end, says Dr. Susan Bank, the chairwoman of the task force responsible for today´s AAP statement, the parents should make an informed decision with their doctor while the mother is still pregnant.
“It’s a good idea to have this conversation during pregnancy, and to learn whether your insurance will cover the procedure, so you have time to make the decision,” Blank said.

April Flowers for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

A divided U.S. Federal Court of Appeals invalidated a government mandate requiring tobacco companies to place graphic images on their products warning of the dangers of smoking. The majority opinion stated that the requirements were a violation of free speech.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, would have required nine written warnings such as “Cigarettes are addictive” and “Tobacco smoke causes harm to children” on the packages, along with alternating images of a corpse and smoke-infected lungs. Other images required would have been a man smoking through a tracheotomy hole, a diseased mouth, and smoke coming from a child being kissed by her mother.

These written and graphic warning labels were scheduled to begin appearing next month. They would have covered half the cigarette packaging sold at retail outlets and 20% of all cigarette advertizing.

Tobacco giant, R.J. Reynolds, along with others such as Lorillard, brought the suit, saying that the warning would be cost-prohibitive. They also asserted the graphic images would dominate the packaging and damage the promotion of their brands. The relevant legal question was whether the new labeling was purely factual and accurate in nature or was designed to discourage use of the product.

The tobacco companies won in federal court in March, but the government appealed. The 2-1 split U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has now upheld that ruling and the Food and Drug Administration was ordered to immediately revise its rules.

“The First Amendment requires the government not only to state a substantial interest justifying a regulation on commercial speech, but also to show that its regulation directly advances that goal,” wrote Judge Janice Rogers Brown. “FDA failed to present any data — much less the substantial evidence required under the federal law — showing that enacting their proposed graphic warnings will accomplish the agency’s stated objective of reducing smoking rates. The rule thus cannot pass muster” under past court precedent.

Judge Brown and Judge A. Raymond Randolph rejected the FDA’s claim that it had a governmental interest in “effectively communicating health information” regarding the negative effects of cigarettes.

“The government’s attempt to reformulate its interest as purely informational is unconvincing, as an interest in ‘effective’ communication is too vague to stand on its own,” said Brown. “Indeed, the government’s chosen buzzwords, which it reiterates through the rulemaking, prompt an obvious question: ‘effective’ in what sense?”

The majority opinion said the case raised “novel questions about the scope of the government’s authority to force the manufacturer of a product to go beyond making purely factual and accurate commercial disclosures and undermine its own economic interest […] by making every single pack of cigarettes in the country a mini billboard for the government’s anti-smoking message.”

Judge Brown and Judge Rudolph concluded that the FDA had not provided a shred of evidence that the images and warnings would directly advance its policy of reducing the number of smokers in America.

Judge Judith Rogers held the dissenting opinion, saying the rules do not violate commercial free speech.

“The government has an interest of paramount importance in effectively conveying information about the health risks of smoking to adolescent would-be smokers and other consumers,” said Rogers. “The tobacco companies’ decades of deception regarding these risks, especially the risk of addiction, buttress this interest.”

The U.S. Government is not the only one pushing such legislation. Many other countries have recently required similar packaging changes, and Australia went even one step farther by banning tobacco company logos on the cartons.

The FDA has not said if it will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, but many speculate that it is exactly the kind of case the Court would choose to accept. A separate federal appeals court in Cincinnati in March ruled the FDA mandate constitutional and such a split is a good indication that the Supreme Court Justices would intervene and offer a final constitutional assessment.

Several other lawsuits over the labels are pending in federal court, part a two-decade federal and state effort to force tobacco companies to limit their advertising and settle billions of dollars in state and private class-action claims over the health dangers of smoking.

Although the law in question would regulate the amount of nicotine and other substances in tobacco, and limit promotion of tobacco products and promotional merchandizing at public events, the free speech aspect was the only issue in this current case.

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Kicking the cigarette habit is extremely important in keeping yourself healthy, and a number of cessation methods can help you stop lighting up that next cancer stick. Although some concerns have arisen over the use of one popular method, the e-cigarette, new research suggests the concerns are unwarranted.

Researchers from the Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Athens, Greece have found that electronic cigarettes, electronic tubes that simulate the effect of smoking by producing nicotine vapor, do not pose any adverse effects on the heart. The findings add to the evidence of the health benefits involved in switching from tobacco to other smokeless alternatives.

The results of the study were presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual meeting in Munich on Saturday, August 25th.

“Electronic cigarettes are not a healthy habit, but they are a safer alternative to tobacco cigarettes,” Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos said at the conference. “Considering the extreme hazards associated with cigarette smoking, currently available data suggest that electronic cigarettes are far less harmful and substituting tobacco with electronic cigarettes may be beneficial to health.”

For the study, Farsalinos and colleagues examined heart function in 20 young smokers before and after smoking one tobacco cigarette against that of 22 e-cigarette users before and after using the device for seven minutes.

While the tobacco smokers suffered significant heart dysfunction, including raised blood pressure and heart rate, those using the e-cigarettes had only a slight elevation in pressure and no increased heart rate.

This was the first study in the world to take a look at the cardiac effects of e-cigarettes. Previous studies found that the electronic devices would have to be smoked daily for four to 12 months to achieve the levels of the carcinogen nitrosamines that are present in just one cigarette.

E-cigarettes are one of the few smoking cessation methods that provide users with a chemical need for nicotine and reproduce the psychological effect of holding and smoking a cigarette, according to the researchers.

Although nicotine is present in the devices´ vapor, it is absorbed by the blood at a far slower rate than tobacco smoke, accounting for lower levels of toxicity, said Farsalinos. No traces of nitrosamine were found in the e-cigarettes in the study, he said.

Farsalinos acknowledged that larger studies were needed to examine the possible long-term effects of e-cigarettes, while other doctors attending the conference were cautious about giving the smoking alternative a clean bill of health.

“Obviously, the e-cigarette has the advantage of not having the thousands of other chemicals, besides nicotine, that a real cigarette has,” Reuters cited Dr. Russell Luepker of the University of Minnesota as saying. “I don’t think it’s conclusive but there’s no doubt if you expose someone to fewer bioactive chemical compounds there is going to be less effect.”

About 2.5 million people in the U.S. use e-cigarettes, according to an estimate by the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has no stance against the testing and production of e-cigarettes, which were first produced in China in 2003.