Self-Compassion Exercises Show Physical, Psychological Benefits

Taking some time to think kind thoughts about yourself and loved ones has psychological and physical benefits, according to a new U.K. study.

Investigators at the Universities of Exeter and Oxford discovered taking part in self-compassion exercises can ease the body’s threat response, lowering heart rate and bolstering the immune system.

“Previous research has found that self-compassion was related to higher levels of well-being and better mental health, but we didn’t know why,” said researcher Dr. Anke Karl.

“Our study is helping us understand the mechanism of how being kind to yourself when things go wrong could be beneficial in psychological treatments. By switching off our threat response, we boost our immune systems and give ourselves the best chance of healing.

The study appears in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.

Fake News Could be Injurious to Health

Along with the Hippocratic oath, the MBBS curriculum has a mantra: bar God, all must provide data. A good physician treats patients based on scientific principles derived from solid evidence. The physician’s personal experience may embellish or temper these principles, but should not be ‘contrary’ to them.

In India, the mantra of scientific data and evidence is often not the basis of beliefs. The attraction of alternative, unscientific treatment methods has been irresistible. Aided by social media, ‘cure-mongers’, ‘quacks’ and ‘diet gurus’ issue medical diktats. Some are confused, and others believe them.

One hoax relates to chronic diseases such as diabetes. The lure of a complete cure is greater than boring, often predictable medical advice. In addition, the effort needed to sustain lifestyle changes often pushes people to ‘miracle remedies’ that free them from lifelong restrictions.

Cerebral Palsy Patients' Lung Disease Death Risk 14 Times Higher

Adults with cerebral palsy in England are 14 times more likely to die from respiratory conditions, reveals a new study backed by Brunel University London.

The same group are also at three times higher risk of heart disease death than the general population, said the research.

It is the first time scientists can put a figure on the relative risk of death from different causes among people with cerebral palsy in England.

One in every 400 children in England has cerebral palsy, which affects muscle control and movement. It's mostly caused by brain injury before, during or after birth.

RNAs Play Key Role in Protein Aggregation and in Neurodegenerative Disease

New research reveals RNAs, which are crucial for cells to produce proteins, are also involved in protein aggregation, where proteins do not fold properly and 'clump' together into aggregates. If cells cannot clear these away, they become toxic and prevent cells working properly. This discovery, led by scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, reveals that RNAs act as a 'scaffold' to hold several proteins that stick to RNAs together, and that certain RNA molecules with distinct properties attract more proteins and encourage proteins to aggregate. They also investigated how an RNA called FMR1 is implicated in a neurodegenerative disease called Fragile X Tremor Syndrome, or FXTAS.

Many neurodegenerative diseases are linked to protein aggregation, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. We know that proteins can form toxic aggregates, but until now, the contribution of nucleic acid molecules such as RNA has been up for debate.

Toronto Partnership to Create Fast Diagnostic Tools to Assess Donated Lungs for Transplant

Plans to create and license diagnostic tools to help transplant surgeons rapidly and accurately assess the health of a lung before it is transplanted are the basis of two research and development agreements between SQI Diagnostics and Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN), in Canada.

There is a significant gap between the demand and availability of lungs for transplant. It’s estimated that one in five patients waiting for a lung transplant will die before a suitable organ becomes available. In addition, lungs are extremely susceptible to injury and have one of the lowest utilization rates, at about 20 percent, compared with other solid organs.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for techniques to accurately monitor the health of potentially suitable donor lungs to increase the odds of successful postoperative outcomes.

Being kind to yourself has mental and physical benefits

Taking time to think kind thoughts about yourself and loved ones has psychological and physical benefits, new research suggests.

A study by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford has found that taking part in self-compassion exercises calms the heart rate, switching off the body's threat response. Previous studies have shown that this threat response damages the immune system. Researchers believe the ability to switch off this response may lower the risk of disease.

In the study, published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science, 135 healthy University of Exeter students were divided into five groups, and members of each group heard a different set of audio instructions. The team took physical measurements of heart rate and sweat response, and asked participants to report how they were feeling. Questions included how safe they felt, how likely they were to be kind to themselves and how connected they felt to others.

Erectile Dysfunction Market Overview and Share Forecasted to 2026

The global erectile dysfunction market was valued at US$ 4,129.5 million in 2015 and is expected to witness a CAGR of 0.2% during the forecast period (2016 – 2024).

Erectile dysfunction is known as the medical condition of penis, a recurrent inability of a man to reach and/or to maintain a penile erection sufficient for/during sexual activities. It is most probably an age-related factor, progressive condition, affecting some level of disorder (mild, moderate or severe) in about 50% of men aged 40-70 years, and with the increase in the age, severity of erectile dysfunction also increase  with a ratio of about 5% at the age of 50 to 15% at 70 years.

Scientists Shine Light on Bacteria That Causes Food Poisoning

I have knock wood had food poisoning only once in my life. But I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

Thankfully, researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) identified how Bacillus cereus—one of the most common types of stomach bug—works and how to combat it.

“We found how this bacteria interacts with our immune system,” Anukriti Mathur, lead researcher and PhD student with the John Curtin School of Medical Research at ANU, said in a statement. “We have discovered how it sustains itself and also how we might treat the nastiness it causes.”

Third Of Congo Ebola Cases Are Children

Children account for a third of Ebola cases in an outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with hundreds orphaned or isolated, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Nearly 300 people have died from the highly contagious disease since August in the restive east around the city of Beni.

The UN children's agency UNICEF said the organization and its partners had identified more than 400 children who have been orphaned or isolated during the outbreak.

 "We are deeply concerned by the growing number of children confirmed to have contracted Ebola," said UNICEF's Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier, returning from Beni.

Coffee Compounds Could Fight Parkinson's And Dementia

Researchers have found a compound in coffee that may team up with caffeine to fight Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia—two progressive and currently incurable diseases associated with brain degeneration.

While caffeine has traditionally been credited as coffee’s special protective agent, coffee beans contain more than a thousand other compounds that are less well known.

The Rutgers study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests these two compounds combined may become a therapeutic option to slow brain degeneration.

Neighbourhood Affects The Healthiness Of Dietary Choices

A new study shows that living or moving to a neighbourhood with a higher socioeconomic status is clearly associated with better adherence to dietary recommendations. Researchers studied the connection between neighbourhoods' socioeconomic status and dietary choices from data covering over 16,000 Finnish adults.

Researchers from the University of Turku, Finland, studied how the neighbourhood's socioeconomic status affects people's adherence to national dietary recommendations. Dietary habits were reported with a short survey and, on the basis of the answers, the researchers formed an index which describes the correspondence between eating habits and national dietary recommendations.

The New Improved Mediterranean Diet

Thousands of Australians can take heart as new research from the University of South Australia shows a dairy-enhanced Mediterranean diet will significantly increase health outcomes for those at risk of cardiovascular disease – and it's even more effective than a low-fat diet.

Cardiovascular disease is the single leading cause of death in Australia, affecting 4.2 million Australians and killing one Australian every 12 minutes. Low-fat diets are often recommended as suitable food plans for those seeking to reduce their risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Similarly, the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has been shown to deliver significant health benefits.

Breast Cancer Awareness Promoted Through Interactive Pop-up

In line with its global theme "Time to end breast cancer", US skincare giant Estee Lauder has built a "pop-up university" in Shanghai to educate the public about the importance of good breast health.

The pop-up, which was set up in collaboration with Jing'an Kerry Center where it is located, offers breast cancer prevention tips through interactive installations and games. Admission to the pop-up is free.

Some 5,000 "students" have been enrolled in the week-long project, supported by experts from Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Center and Fudan University's Shanghai Cancer Center.

How Transplanting Pigs' Hearts Into Humans Could Save Our Bacon

A new paper details how genetically modified pig hearts transplanted into baboons could support life and function for up to 195 days. In this new breakthrough attempt, the team has replaced the baboon hearts with the pig hearts. The baboons who were receiving the hearts were given medications to stop the pig hearts within them from expanding and also medications to bring down their blood pressures to the levels seen commonly in pigs.

Front view of the pig donor heart (left) and the heart of a baboon from the study (right). He wrote, "Heart failure in the United States is expected to reach more than eight million by 2030, and many of these people will die while waiting for a donor organ". They could keep the baboons alive for an average of 57 days maximum with the pig hearts.

Turkish Man Wears A Head-cage To Quit Smoking Cigarettes

A Turkish man found a solid solution to keep his nicotine cravings at bay-- he locked his head in a cage, rooting to stop the cigarette from reaching his mouth.

Ibrahim Yücel, the 42 year old smoker lacks faith in his own willpower so he keeps the key of his face-cage with his family to avoid temptations. The Turkish man found his inspiration from another health campaign- safety helmet for motorbike riders that he thought of imbibing the same idea for his smoking habit.

The heavy smoker is known to be smoking two packets of cigerattes a day since he was 16 years of age as per media reports. But, thought of quitting after his father passed away of lung cancer for his family.

Vitamin C Reduces Harm To Infants’ Lungs Caused By Smoking During Pregnancy

According to a recent study, vitamin C may reduce the harm done to lungs in infants born to mothers who smoke during their pregnancy.

The study was published in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Cindy T. McEvoy and her co-authors reported that at three months of age, the infants whose mothers took 500 mg of vitamin C in addition to their prenatal vitamin had significantly better forced expiratory flows (FEFs). FEFs measure how fast air can be exhaled from the lung and are an important measure of lung function because they can detect airway obstruction.

The researchers also discovered an association between the infant FEFs and a genetic variant some of the mothers possessed that appeared to amplify the negative impact of nicotine on the babies before they were born. Other studies have linked this genetic factor, specifically for the a5 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, to increased risk of lung cancer and obstructive lung disease.

Researchers Explore New Way of Killing Malaria in The Liver

In the ongoing hunt for more effective weapons against malaria, international researchers said Thursday they are exploring a pathway that has until now been little studied—killing parasites in the liver, before the illness emerges.

"It's very difficult to work on the liver stage," said Elizabeth Winzeler, professor of pharmacology and drug discovery at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

"We have traditionally looked for medicines that will cure malaria," she told AFP.

For the latest research, published in the journal Science, scientists dissected hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes to remove parasites inside them.

Mom Battling Cancer Gives Birth To Twins, Finds Rare Bone Marrow Donor

A California mother who battled leukemia while pregnant found a rare, perfect match bone marrow donor just days before delivering twins.

Media outlets report 36-year-old Susie Rabaca of Los Angeles gave birth to healthy boy and girl twins Thursday after a trying pregnancy. Rabaca, already a mom to three children, was a few months pregnant when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive form of cancer.

Doctors told her she needed a perfect match bone marrow transplant. Rabaca's mixed heritage -- Latino and Caucasian -- made finding a match difficult. She told KTLA-TV that in a worldwide registry of 30 million donors, none were compatible.

Urgent Warning to Parents After Child Is Killed by Button Battery

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is raising the alarm on button batteries in households with children after a child swallowed one earlier this year and died.

“These batteries pose a very real risk to small children and babies,” said HSIB’s medical director, Dr. Kevin Stewart, according to the Daily Mail. “The consequences of swallowing a button battery can be truly devastating.”

The new warning comes after health investigators reviewed the case of a young child that died after swallowing a button battery, the type often found in remote controls and toys.

Rutgers Invests $12 M. For STI, HIV Testing

John Nelson, the principal investigator of the project, said that STI testing and prevention are often lacking in primary care for people living with HIV.

The Rutgers School of Nursing launched a $12.5 million initiative to improve sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing.

The initiative aims to improve testing for those at risk for common STIs, which can increase the risk of transmitting and acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a press release. The initiative will work with nine total health centers, located in Florida, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.