Researchers have claimed to have gathered evidence of specific molecular changes in the body following a period of mindfulness meditation.
The study investigated the effects of a day of intensive mindfulness practice in a group of experienced meditators, compared to a group of untrained control subjects who engaged in quiet non-meditative activities.
Researchers have cast doubt on vitamin D’s ability to offer us protection against diseases like cancer, diabetes and dementia.
According to French researchers, low vitamin D levels don’t cause ill health.
Recent evidence has come to light that shows that it may play a part in preventing non-bone-related diseases like Parkinson’s, dementia, cancers and inflammatory diseases.
A new research has revealed that regular long-term wild blueberry diets may help improve or prevent pathologies associated with the metabolic syndrome, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Wild blueberries are a rich source of phytochemicals called polyphenols, which have been reported by a growing number of studies to exert a wide array of protective health benefits and the study by researchers at the University of Maine adds to this growing body of evidence.
The festive season can be fun but also bring a lot of stress and sleeplessness. Don`t skip breakfast and drink as much water as possible to sleep well.
You may start worrying about finding the perfect gift for your loved ones or over too many Christmas party invitations, and such thoughts can have a negative impact on one`s sleep pattern.
Sleep expert Nerina Ramlakhan has shared advice on getting a good sleep this festive season, ensuring you wake up refreshed and energised when the big day arrives, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
Researchers have shown that corn oil significantly lowers cholesterol with more favorable changes in total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-C than extra virgin olive oil.
The scientists were led by lead researcher, Dr. Kevin C Maki , PhD, of Biofortis, the clinical research arm of Merieux NutriSciences.
Among the 54 healthy men and women in the feeding study, consumption of foods made with corn oil resulted in significantly lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol than the same foods made with extra virgin olive oil.
Researchers have discovered that the skin is capable of communicating with the liver.
They said that the discovery may help their understanding of how skin diseases can affect the rest of the body.
Professor Susanne Mandrup and her research group in collaboration with Nils Faergeman’s research group at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark was actually studying something completely different when they made the groundbreaking discovery.
A US plastic surgeon has linked smoking cannabis to gynecomastia, commonly known as “man boobs”.
According to Dr. Anthony Youn, previous animal studies have found that the active ingredient in cannabis can cause “a decrease in testosterone levels, a reduction of testicular size, and abnormalities in the form and function of sperm”, the Independent reported.
However, Youn has admitted that the effect of the drug on hormone levels in humans is not clear, as tests have been limited due to its illegal status.
A new study has revealed that while the human brain is in a resting state, patterns of neuronal activity which are associated to specific memories may spontaneously reappear and such recurrences contribute to the stabilization of memory contents.
A team of researchers headed by Nikolai Axmacher performed a memory test on a series of persons while monitoring their brain activity by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The experimental setup comprised several resting states including a nap inside a neuroimaging scanner.
In a rare case, a 13-year-old girl underwent successful surgery at a hospital here to extricate a huge cancerous abdominal tumour, an official said Friday.
The patient, identified as RS, was detected with a massive 1.50 kg tumour when she recently had her first menses, Niranjan Chavan of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at Sion’s Lokmanya Tilak Memorial Hospital, said.
“She was in great pain when she was admitted Nov 27. We conducted various tests to detect the massive malignant ovarian tumour in her abdomen, protruding four inches above the navel,” Chavan told IANS.
Scientists have found that avian influenza virus H7N9, which killed several dozen people in China earlier this year, has not yet acquired the changes needed to infect humans easily.
In contrast to some initial studies that had suggested that H7N9 poses an imminent risk of a global pandemic, the new research from the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), found, based on analyses of virus samples from the Chinese outbreak, that H7N9 is still mainly adapted for infecting birds, not humans.
Researchers have identified a biomarker for a cellular switch that accurately predicts which prostate cancer patients are likely to have their cancer recur or spread.
The Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of Alberta in have been investigating a protein called CD151 that facilitates the migration of cancer cells.
A new study has revealed that singing in a choir can be beneficial for the mind.
An online survey of 375 people, which was carried on solo singers, choir singers and team sports players, found that all three activities yielded high levels of psychological well-being, but choristers were benefited the most, the Daily Express reported.
The poll found that choral singers also regarded their choirs as more coherent or “meaningful” than the sports players viewed their teams.
Moms-to-be, please note! Smoking while pregnant may cause severe damage to cells in the placenta and significantly impair its function, a new study has warned.
Researchers from the University of Otago, New Zealand, analysed 236 placenta samples donated by women in the Otago Placenta Study (OPuS) after delivery.
Of these women, 52 smoked throughout their pregnancy, 34 gave up smoking four weeks before delivery or earlier, and the remaining 150 were non-smokers.
Scientists have found the first evidence that the nerves in the stomach act as a circadian clock, limiting food intake to specific times of the day.
The discovery, by University of Adelaide researchers, could lead to new information about how the gut signals to our brains about when we’re full, and when to keep eating.
In the University’s Nerve-Gut Research Laboratory, Dr Stephen Kentish investigated how the nerves in the stomach respond to stretch, which occurs as a consequence of food intake, at three-hourly intervals across one day.
Researchers have claimed that babies dying from Sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS) have brain stem abnormalities regardless of whether they were exposed to risks like suffocation or co-sleeping.
The researchers analysed the brain stems of 71 infants who had died suddenly and unexpectedly over 11 years.
The study found that all the babies who died had abnormalities of four neurochemicals in the brain stem, located at the skull’s base and connects the brain to the spinal cord.
Scientists have said that a new male contraceptive could be on the horizon after they identified a novel way to block the transport of sperm during ejaculation.
The study enable the scientists to find that complete male infertility could be achieved by blocking two proteins found on the smooth muscle cells that trigger the transport of sperm.
The researchers demonstrated that the absence of two proteins in mouse models, a1A-adrenoceptor and P2X1-purinoceptor, which mediate sperm transport, caused infertility, without effects on long-term sexual behavior or function.
A new analysis has revealed that number of people afflicted with dementia worldwide would treble by 2050.
According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, 44 million people suffer from the disease, but that figure would increase to 135 million by 2050, the BBC reported.
Alzheimer’s Disease International expects increasing life expectancies to increase Dementia cases in poor and middle-income countries, particularly in South East Asia and Africa.
People who injected amphetamines were more at risk of contracting HIV or other blood-borne viruses, a new study has revealed that.
The study by the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) in co-operation with the Asia-Pacific Drugs and Development Issues Committee found users of amphetamine-type stimulants faced multiple HIV risks, News.com.au reported.
The report said that use appears higher among groups vulnerable to HIV such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and young people. (ANI)
A new research has showed that poor sleep quality is strongly associated with mood disturbance and lower quality of life among people with extreme obesity.
Results show that 74.8 percent of participants were poor sleepers, and their mean self-reported sleep duration was only six hours and 20 minutes.
Fifty-two percent of study subjects were anxious, and 43 percent were depressed. After controlling for age, sex, hypertension, diabetes, and obstructive sleep apnea, sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were significantly associated with mood disturbance and quality of life impairment.
A new study by Indian origin researcher has revealed that the synthesis of the most active component of grape seed extract, B2G2, encourages the cell death known as apoptosis in prostate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
Asthma hampers dating, sexual pleasure and careers of people afflicted with the disease, a new study has claimed.
According to Asthma Australia report on the study, about 33 percent of dads suffering from uncontrolled asthma avoid running around with their kids.
More than 1000 people with poor asthma control took part in the study.
More than 10 percent mothers said that they avoided playtime with their kids and 16 per cent of parents said that they found it difficult to carry their kid, News.com.au reported.
A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has suggested that people who are more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life show changes in their brains from childhood.
The gene, called SORL1, is one of a number of genes linked to an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of the illness.
SORL1 carries the gene code for the sortilin-like receptor, which is involved in recycling some molecules in the brain before they develop into beta-amyloid a toxic Alzheimer protein.
A new study suggests that exposure to air pollution could increase the risk for autism among people who carry a genetic disposition for the neurodevelopmental disorder.
Hong Kong today confirmed its first human case of the deadly H7N9 bird flu, according to a report, in the latest sign of the virus spreading beyond mainland China.
A 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper with a history of travelling to the mainland city of Shenzhen and coming into contact with live poultry has been infected and is in critical condition, Health Secretary Ko Wing-man said, according to the broadcaster RTHK.
Researchers have suggested that Amlodipine, a 4 pence-a-day cheap blood pressure capsule, could potentially help in beating vascular dementia that results from problems with the blood supply to the brain.
To test their hypothesis, scientists at the Queen’s University Belfast will be holding a two-year 2.25 million-pound trial of the drug on almost 600 dementia patients, the Daily Express reported.
Previous smaller-scale studies have reported that blood pressure drugs help lower the risk of dementia, but the new study will specifically test the effects of Amlodipine.