Health

London, October 05: Brain waves can have a direct influence on a person’s behaviour, say researchers after an experiment found that people can be made to move in slow motion by boosting one type of brain wave.

“At last we have some direct experimental proof that brain waves influence behaviour in humans, in this case how fast a movement is performed,” said Peter Brown of University College London (UCL).

There are many types of brain waves, distinguished by their frequency and location, Brown explained.

Sydney, October 05: An Australian veterinary student said Monday she has documented the country’s first known case of a bred-in-captivity turtle acquiring a highly infectious disease which could potentially spread to humans.

Debbie Bannan said the freshwater turtle had never been in the wild, but managed to acquire a mycobacteria, a pathogen capable of infecting animals and humans, which ultimately led to its death.

“How did it get mycobacterium? We don’t know that,” she told AFP. “How does it get to a turtle in a fish tank in a little kid’s room somewhere?”

Chicago, October 05: A new compound can quickly counteract the action of an emerging class of drugs, offering a way to reverse the drugs’ actions if a patient develops serious side effects, US researchers have said.

They designed the compound to work with a new blood-thinner being developed for heart patients undergoing angioplasty to clear out blocked arteries.

Such patients need to take blood thinners to prevent blood clots during surgery, but bleeding is a common side effect.

Washington, October 05: Premature births have become a concerning global problem, with nearly 13 million cases, nearly 10% of all newborns, and more than one million deaths reported each year.

Babies are born prematurely when delivered less than 37 weeks of the normal 40-week pregnancy, according to a report by the March of Dimes, a leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.

The report shows over four-fifths of all premi-births are reported in developing countries in Africa and Asia, with 4,047,000 pre-term births in Africa and 6,907,000 in Asia.

Washington, October 04: Children born to mothers who have smoked during pregnancy are at a greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms in the long run, a new study finds.

Previous studies had reported that smoking harms both mother and the newborn, leading to the birth of smaller babies at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome and heart defects.

According to the study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, children of smoking mothers are more prone to developing psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations.

Chandigarh, October 04: A 19-year-old engineering student from Canada who had come to visit his family in Punjab has tested positive for swine flu, health officials said here Sunday.

“This patient had come to visit his family in Ludhiana (in Punjab) and started exhibiting the symptoms of swine flu. We had collected his nasal and throat swab samples yesterday (Saturday) and his reports have come positive,” a Chandigarh health official said.

Mumbai, October 04: The case of Francis Gomes which, coincidentally, came to light a few days before World Mental Health Week (October 4 to 10), may not be an isolated one, say psychiatrists.

Gomes, who kept his three daughters and wife locked up in their Vasai apartment, may have been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Unfortunately, not the family, nor the neighbours or even members the NGO that rescued Gomes’ wife and daughters, were aware of this, a psychiatrist said, adding that she was “least surprised” by this sort of ignorance.

London, October 03: Most babies born in rich countries this century will eventually make it to their 100th birthday, new research says. Danish experts say that since the 20th century, people in developed countries are living about three decades longer than in the past. Surprisingly, the trend shows little sign of slowing down.

In an article published Friday in the medical journal Lancet, the researchers write that the process of aging may be “modifiable.”

Shimla, October 03:Two more patients in Himachal Pradesh have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1), taking the number of swine flu cases in the state to four, a health official said Saturday.

“Medical reports of two sisters in the age group of 18 to 20 of Kasauli have tested positive,” swine flu nodal officer Vinod Mehta told IANS.

He said the sisters had shown mild systems of the communicable disease.

Kasauli is about 25 kms from the district headquarters town of Solan.

New York, October 03: Are you at risk for dowager’s hump? Findings from a small study suggest you may want to try yoga to decrease this age-related curve of the upper spine.

Among a group of elderly study participants, those who did yoga for six months saw their upper spine curve lowered by about 5 percent compared to those who did no yoga, Dr. Gail Greendale, at the University of California at Los Angeles, and colleagues report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Austin, October 03: Texas gave birth to the modern oil industry, invented the handheld calculator and sent man to the moon. But can the Lone Star State cure cancer?

Texas is ready to try by investing $3 billion over the next decade in cancer research and prevention, which would make the state the gatekeeper of the second largest pot of cancer research dollars in the country, behind only the National Cancer Institute.

New York, October 03: Important news for seniors: A daily dose of vitamin D cuts your risk of falling substantially, researchers reported today.

But not just any dose will do. “It takes 700 to 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day and nothing less will work,” Dr. Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, who directs the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, noted in an email to Reuters Health.

Washington, October 03: Scientists have identified a gene which they claim causes infertility.

A team from Virginia Commonwealth University has found the role of the gene, Smad-3, in regulating molecular signals involved with ovarian follicle development, which may one day help shed light on the causes of fertility issues in humans.

Washington, October 03: Resolving a decade of debate, scientists claim to have distinguished two cell messengers one causing cell suicide, the other inflammation.

An international team, led by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, has identified the form of a molecular messenger called Fas ligand, which is responsible for killing cells during programmed cell death — also called apoptosis.

Washington, October 03: Paying attention to Mother Nature not only feels good, it also makes you a better person, says a new study.

The study has been published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

“Stopping to experience our natural surroundings can have social as well as personal benefits,” says Richard Ryan, coauthor and professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester.

Washington, October 03: The brain is a complex system made of billions of neurons (nerve cells) and thousands of connections that relate to every human feeling, including one of the strongest emotions, fear. Researchers have started using computer models of the brain to study the connections.

Most neurological fear studies have been rooted in fear-conditioning experiments. Now, University of Missouri (U-M) researchers are using computational models to study the brain’s connections.

Washington, October 03:The female hormone oestrogen seems to drive male aggression in mice with the help of certain nerve cells in the brain, a new study led by an Indian American has found.

The study, conducted by University of California San Francisco (UCSF), suggests a pivotal role for oestrogen — as well as the enzyme aromatase that is responsible for oestrogen synthesis — in male territorial behaviour.

Washington, October 03: Doing tai chi exercises regularly can help diabetics lower their blood glucose levels, says a new study.

Tai chi is an ancient martial art that combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow, gentle circular movements.

Adults diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, who took part in a tai chi programme two days a week, with three days of home practice for six months, cut down their fasting blood glucose levels, enhanced quality of life, including mental health, vitality and energy.

California, October 03: More than three quarters of energy drinks on sale and available to children contain illegal levels of caffeine, with some breaking the law by 30 per cent.

NSW Food Authority tests on 70 energy drinks revealed 77 per cent had dangerously high levels of caffeine.

Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald ordered the tests amid revelations that children had suffered serious side effects including dizziness, nausea and heart palpitations after consuming “shots” of a high-caffeine energy drink on the way to school.

London, October 03: Women are happier and more social than men, while young people are more likely to be distressed, a new survey shows.

The Mental Health Association NSW (MHA) online survey of 309 people also found that happiness is linked to spending time with friends or being a member of a club.

Those who were unsure if they enjoyed socialising – “fence sitters” – were more prone to mental ill-health, the results revealed.

Women reported feeling happier than men and had more active social lives.

Washington, October 02: Women who are overweight or obese when they get pregnant are more likely to give birth to children with congenital heart defects, according to a US government study released on Thursday.

The study, conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, concluded that women who were overweight or obese at the time they became pregnant were 18 percent more likely to give birth to babies with heart defects, while severely obese women had a 30 percent increased risk.

Washington, October 02: The optimal way to control swine flu, the H1N1 virus that has emerged as a current global threat, is to vaccinate children, says David Kimberlin, a medical expert.

The reason behind making children the highest priority comes from decades of experience with flu transmission, prevention strategies, infection monitoring and many other factors. Additionally, children younger than five are at higher risk of complications from influenza.

London, October 02: More than a quarter of over 77,000 people infected with HIV remain undiagnosed in Britain.

Almost a third (31 percent) are being diagnosed late with HIV, which implies their missing out on benefits associated with early diagnosis, including longer life expectancy.

Britain’s National Guidelines for HIV Testing, under publication, will encourage health professionals who work in areas other than HIV, to consider HIV testing as routine when making a diagnosis.

Taipei, October 02: A Taiwan company Thursday launched what it called the world’s first spray capable of destroying the swine flu virus.

VirusBom costs 350 Taiwan dollars ($10) and can be used 700 times, Money Marketing Communication representative said. It contains a chemical compound that can destroy many kinds of bacteria and viruses, including the H1N1 swine flu strain, company representative Heidi Wang said.

Washington, October 02: The fountain of youth may exist after all, as a study showed that scientists have discovered means to extend the lifespan of mice and primates.

The key to eternal — or at least prolonged – youth lies in genetic manipulation that mimics the health benefits of reducing calorie intake, suggesting that aging and age-related diseases can be treated.