Health

Swapping your daily cup of caffeine with short bouts of intense exercise can help you perform better at your work place, it has been revealed.

According to the Daily Beast, a guy called Gregory Ferenstein replaced his regular trips to the barista with short bursts of intense exercise, News.com.au reported.

Ferenstein wrote in a post that whenever he needs a “pick-me-up”, he finds a quiet corner and perform some form of body-weight exercise that jolts his heart up to at last 70 per cent of the maximal beats per minute.

Scientists have said that they have proof that descendants of the H2N2 avian influenza A virus that killed millions worldwide in the 1950s still pose a threat to human health, particularly to those under 50.

The study included 22 H2N2 avian viruses collected from domestic poultry and wild aquatic birds between 1961 and 2008, making it the most comprehensive analysis yet of avian H2N2 viruses.

Researchers reported the viruses could infect human respiratory cells.

A new study has found that exercising can actually help people suffering from dementia boost their cognitive skills.

For research purposes, Cochrane Collaboration conducted a methodical review of 8 exercise trials involving over 300 dementia patients, the BBC reported.

The findings showed that although physical activity failed to lift patients’ moods, it did help them carry out daily activities like rising from a chair.

Researchers have identified a protein that causes loss of function in immune cells combating HIV.

The scientists claimed that the protein, Sprouty-2, is a promising target for future HIV drug development, since disabling it could help restore the cells’ ability to combat the virus that causes AIDS.

Jonathan Schneck, who led the study, said that a large part of the reason we lose wars against viruses that cause chronic infection is that immune cells called T cells get turned off.

A new study has suggested that mixing energy drinks with alcohol is riskier than just drinking alcohol alone.

Lead author of the study Megan Patrick from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research said hey found that college students tended to drink more heavily and become more intoxicated on days they used both energy drinks and alcohol, compared to days they only used alcohol.

A new study has revealed that vitamin D decreases pain in women with type 2 diabetes and depression.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with depression and pain, but few studies have looked at how pain may affect the treatment of depression in patients with type 2 diabetes and no studies have evaluated the role of vitamin D supplementation on this association.

Researchers in this study tested the efficacy of weekly vitamin D2 supplementation for six months on depression in women with type 2 diabetes. Depression significantly improved following supplementation.

A new research has revealed that aerobics may be beneficial for brain health and cognition, as certain hormones, which are increased during exercise, may help improve memory.

Hormones called growth factors are thought to mediate the relationship between exercise and brain health. The hippocampus, a region of the brain crucial for learning and memory, is thought to be uniquely affected by these hormones.

In the war against superbugs, researchers have discovered a protein that can kill bacteria and can serve as a powerful antibiotic in the future.

The isolation of this protein, produced by a virus that attacks bacteria, is a major step toward developing a substitute for conventional antibiotics.

Bacteriophages, often referred to as “phages,” are viruses that infect and replicate in bacteria. Because they coevolved with bacteria, they are optimized to kill them. As proof of their endurance, phages are the most common life form on earth, outnumbering bacteria 10 to one

Hong Kong has confirmed the city’s first human case of H7N9 bird flu. According to China Daily, Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said that an Indonesian man was hospitalized in critical condition after he came in contact with poultry on his way to Shenzhen.

Wing-man added that all the family members of the 36-year-old patient have been sent to the hospital for check up and among them four people are already showing signs of the disease. (ANI)

Men can’t multitask and women have better memory because their brains are wired differently, a new study led by an Indian-origin scientist has found.

The research found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women, which explains why males excel at certain tasks and females at others.

Now help is only a phone call away for people with speech and hearing disabilities in the eastern part of the country with the launch of a toll-free helpline Tuesday, the first in this region.

Ushering the International Day of People with Disability, Bengal Speech and Hearing Aid Pvt. Ltd. (BSHPL), the largest chain of clinics for hearing and speech disability patients in this part of the country, kicked-off the venture here.

A new research has revealed that aerobics may be beneficial for brain health and cognition, as certain hormones, which are increased during exercise, may help improve memory.

Hormones called growth factors are thought to mediate the relationship between exercise and brain health. The hippocampus, a region of the brain crucial for learning and memory, is thought to be uniquely affected by these hormones.

A new research has suggested that a diet low in vitamin D causes damage to the brain.

In addition to being essential for maintaining bone health, newer evidence shows that vitamin D serves important roles in other organs and tissue, including the brain.

The UK study led by University of Kentucky researchers showed that middle-aged rats that were fed a diet low in vitamin D for several months developed free radical damage to the brain, and many different brain proteins were damaged as identified by redox proteomics.

The New Nordic diet, which consists of seasonal berries, cold-climate vegetables, wild meat and fat-rich fish has been hailed by both foodies and health experts.

According to Sydney-based dietitian Geraldine Georgeou, the easiest way to reap benefits of the Nordic diet is by replacing wheat with rye as it is packed with slow-digesting fibre and prevents sharp rises in blood sugar that create food cravings, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Switching to rapeseed oil, which is an integral part of the diet, is beneficial as it is low in saturated fat and rich in omega-3 fats.

Researchers have explained why parasites carrying the deadliest form of malaria only infect humans, asserting that the interaction between a parasite protein, called RH5, and a receptor, called basigin, is essentially required for the invasion of red blood cells.

The malaria parasite species responsible for severe illness and death, Plasmodium falciparum, only infects humans, but is closely related to several species that infect chimpanzees and gorillas.

Researchers have discovered a promising new approach to treating colorectal cancer by disarming the gene that drives self-renewal in stem cells that are the root cause of disease, resistance to treatment and relapse.

“This is the first step toward clinically applying the principles of cancer stem cell biology to control cancer growth and advance the development of durable cures,” principal investigator Dr. John Dick from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre said.

The deficiency of asparagine synthetase, which is found in meat, eggs and dairy products, caused by rare genetic disorder affects development of the brain.

Since Asparagine is naturally produced by the body, it was considered non-essential until now.

However, researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that the amino acid is essential for normal brain development.

A generally active life, even without regular exercise sessions, was tied to better heart health and greater longevity in a study of older Swedes.

Based on nearly 3,900 men and women over age 60 in Stockholm, the study adds to evidence suggesting that just sitting around may be actively harmful, researchers say.

“We have known for 60 years that physical activity is important for the heart,” said lead author Elin Ekblom-Bak, of the Åstrand Laboratory of Work Physiology of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm.

Researchers have discovered a promising new treatment that can help people suffering from spinal cord injuries walk better.

Study author Randy D. Trumbower, with Emory University in Atlanta, said that about 59 percent of all spinal injuries are incomplete, leaving pathways that could allow the spinal cord to change in a way that allows people to walk again.

The research involved 19 people with spine injuries between levels C2 and T12, no joint shortening, some controlled ankle, knee, and hip movements, and the ability to walk at least one step without human assistance.

A new study has found that exercising just once a week makes a person between three and seven times more likely to be considered a ” healthy ager “.

For research purposes, scientists questioned 3,500 people, with an average age of 64, every two years about the regularity and intensity of their physical activity and also performed a host of cognitive tests.

The findings of the eight-year research showed that regular exercise boosts mental health and prevents serious disease and disability, the Daily Express reported.

A new study has revealed that children are more likely to have weight problems if their fathers are overweight at conception.

The research by University of NSW Professor Margaret Morris suggested that men planning to start a family need to shed those extra pounds three months before the conception date if they want to avoid fathering fat children, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The study, which was conducted in rats, found that even grandsons of fat granddads fed a junk food diet were much fatter than the grandsons of lean grandfathers who were fed the same junk food diet.

Researchers have found that occupational therapy using the principles of sensory integration (OT-SI) provide better outcomes on parent-identified goals than standard care.

OT-SI therapy for autism is based on the premise that difficulty interpreting sensory information affects the ability to participate fully in everyday activities including eating, dressing, learning and play activities. Typical sensations are often perceived as distracting or distressing for children with Autism.

An expert has claimed that unexplained coughs and chest infections should be taken seriously as they could be a sign of lung cancer.

According to cancer Australia CEO Professor Helen Zorbas, anyone with a cough that has lasted for three weeks or more should see a doctor, News.com.au reported.

Other signs include a changed cough, coughing up blood or a chest infection that won’t go away. (ANI)

Researchers have found that restoring the normal, helpful bacteria of the gut and intestines may treat patients suffering from recurrent Clostridium difficile infections.

According to scientists at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and physicians at Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, transplanting fecal matter of healthy donors into patients with recurrent C. difficile infection (RCDI) appears to restore normal bacterial composition and resolve infection.

A new study has revealed that memories can be passed down to later generations through genetic switches that allow offspring to inherit the experience of their ancestors.

The results of the animal study, which suggested that a traumatic event could affect the DNA in sperm and alter the brains and behaviour of subsequent generations, were important for phobia and anxiety research.