Health posts
- March 3, 2013
- 11:24 PM
- 184 views
Is Living in an Urban City a Risk Factor for Bulimia Nervosa?
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
The link between urban living and mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression has been known for quite some time (Sundquist et al., 2004). In one study, Sundquist et al found that individuals living in a densely populated area had a 68-77% higher risk of developing psychosis and 12-22% higher risk of developing depression.
The question then arises, do eating disorders follow a similar pattern? And if yes, what are some possible explanations? Certainly we know that both genetic and envi........ Read more »
VAN SON, G., VAN HOEKEN, D., BARTELDS, A., VAN FURTH, E., & HOEK, H. (2006) Urbanisation and the incidence of eating disorders. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(6), 562-563. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.021378
- March 3, 2013
- 05:48 AM
- 172 views
Windfarms, Wifi and Self-Fulfilling Myths
by Neuroskeptic in Neuroskeptic_Discover
Modern life is toxic. …allegedly. It’s not. But a lot of people think so. Driven by media and online coverage of the idea, many believe that things like wifi and cell-phone signals are making them ill. There’s no good evidence that such ‘electrosmog‘ causes health problems. From what we know of physics, it’s most unlikely [...]... Read more »
Witthöft M, & Rubin GJ. (2013) Are media warnings about the adverse health effects of modern life self-fulfilling? An experimental study on idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF). Journal of psychosomatic research, 74(3), 206-12. PMID: 23438710
- March 1, 2013
- 11:33 PM
- 187 views
CrossFit, Strength, Masters Athletes and Finger length ratios.
by AB Kirk in Stff Competition
Masters Athletes are markedly different than other athletes. Loss of muscle mass may begin as early as the Mid-20s. And the rate of loss increases once a person passes the...The post CrossFit, Strength, Masters Athletes and Finger length ratios. appeared first on WODMasters Stiff Competition.... Read more »
Giffin NA, Kennedy RM, Jones ME, & Barber CA. (2012) Varsity athletes have lower 2D:4D ratios than other university students. Journal of sports sciences, 30(2), 135-8. PMID: 22132823
Halil M, Gurel EI, Kuyumcu ME, Karaismailoglu S, Yesil Y, Ozturk ZA, Yavuz BB, Cankurtaran M, & Ariogul S. (2013) Digit (2D:4D) ratio is associated with muscle mass (MM) and strength (MS) in older adults: possible effect of in utero androgen exposure. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 56(2), 358-63. PMID: 23219021
- March 1, 2013
- 09:53 PM
- 193 views
RSPCA Australia Scientific Seminar 2013: Recap
by Cobb & Hecht in Do You Believe In Dog?
Hi Julie, what a week! Thanks for all that great information about The Sounds of Dogs, that was so interesting. I definitely recognise differences in the way my dogs bark. They have very different vocalisations for "strange person at the door", "someone familiar that I'm excited to see at the door" and "Oh my goodness, you just did something that we're not meant to do!" (that last one is ALWAYS Elke 'dobbing' on Caleb - she would have totally been the teacher's pet in a classroom envir........ Read more »
Hazel Susan J., Signal Tania D., & Taylor Nicola. (2011) Can Teaching Veterinary and Animal-Science Students about Animal Welfare Affect Their Attitude toward Animals and Human-Related Empathy?. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 38(1), 74-83. DOI: 10.3138/jvme.38.1.74
Yeates James W. (2010) Death is a Welfare Issue. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 23(3), 229-241. DOI: 10.1007/s10806-009-9199-9
- March 1, 2013
- 06:44 AM
- 153 views
The common ground
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
Today's post is all about common ground. I'm not necessarily making a plea for common ground to be found in any specific area or community, but rather how the concept of common ground runs through a few important discussions which I recently found interesting.A short while ago the BBC ran with the headline 'Five psychiatric disorders linked' built on the study findings reported by the Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium* (et al?) published in The Lancet. The authors ........ Read more »
Cross-Disorder Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. (2013) Identification of risk loci with shared effects on five major psychiatric disorders: a genome-wide analysis. The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62129-1
- February 27, 2013
- 11:55 PM
- 198 views
Does Intubation Prevent Aspiration of Stomach Contents?
by Rogue Medic in Rogue Medic
This is a study that looked at the rate of aspiration among patients intubated in the PH (PreHospital or EMS) setting and compared them to patients intubated in the ED = (Emergency Department) setting.
There is one huge difference between these settings – EMS was not authorized to use any form of chemically assisted intubation or RSI (Rapid Sequence Induction/Intubation). At the time of this study, the only drugs available to snow the patient would have been morphine, midazolam (Versed)........ Read more »
Ufberg, J., Bushra, J., Karras, D., Satz, W., & Kueppers, F. (2005) Aspiration of gastric contents: association with prehospital intubation. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(3), 379-382. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2005.02.005
- February 27, 2013
- 01:10 PM
- 178 views
Coming soon to a high street near you… horse meat burgers?
by Stuart Farrimond in Dr Stu's Science Blog
A Findus ‘100% beef’ lasagne made from 100% horsemeat now has a market value of over £50 ($75). A bargain. The woes of the processed meat industry may continue unabated. The exposé of recent weeks has been staggering: horsemeat and pork in ‘beef’ burgers, Non-Halal meat in ‘Halal’ meals and, staggeringly, 100% beef lasagne without … Continue reading »... Read more »
SafeFood. (2012) What's in that Bun?. Nutrition Takeout Series. info:/
Lee, C., Seong, P., Oh, W., Ko, M., Kim, K., & Jeong, J. (2007) Nutritional characteristics of horsemeat in comparison with those of beef and pork. Nutrition Research and Practice, 1(1), 70. DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2007.1.1.70
- February 26, 2013
- 10:35 AM
- 205 views
In relation to chelation and autism
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
OK, just to make sure we're straight on this matter:I am not endorsing chelation therapy for autism in this post.Carry on Private...I might have said it before but a few areas of the autism landscape have been, and still, are a bit of a sticking point when it comes to their discussion. Mention for example bowel issues and autism and, in at least some quarters, you can see the eyebrows raising and the eyes beginning their short rolling journey around the eye socket. This despite the fact that bow........ Read more »
Blaucok-Busch E, Amin OR, Dessoki HH, & Rabah T. (2012) Efficacy of DMSA Therapy in a Sample of Arab Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Maedica (Buchar), 7(3), 214-221. info:/
- February 26, 2013
- 03:40 AM
- 156 views
Why DEET Just Doesn’t Seem to Work
by Katja Keuchenius in United Academics
You still get bitten despite all that disgusting DEET you keep covering yourself with? You’re not alone. It turns out mosquitoes, like us, get used to smell after a few hours. And they like some individuals more than others.... Read more »
Stanczyk, N., Brookfield, J., Field, L., & Logan, J. (2013) Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Exhibit Decreased Repellency by DEET following Previous Exposure. PLoS ONE, 8(2). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054438
Ives AR, Paskewitz SM, Inter-L, Biology Interest Groups, & Entomology Class 201. (2005) Testing vitamin B as a home remedy against mosquitoes. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 21(2), 213-7. PMID: 16033124
Lefèvre T, Gouagna LC, Dabiré KR, Elguero E, Fontenille D, Renaud F, Costantini C, & Thomas F. (2010) Beer consumption increases human attractiveness to malaria mosquitoes. PloS one, 5(3). PMID: 20209056
- February 25, 2013
- 10:49 PM
- 207 views
"Organizational silos," and how they prevent effective zoonotic disease tracking
by Austin Bouck in Animal Science Review
It appears that the agencies that we rely on to track disease outbreaks need to start tracking disease, not just their own jurisdiction.
An article in Sociology of Health and Illness piqued my interest this last week that reveals the amount of segregation different government agencies have when dealing with zoonotic disease. The understanding of the goals and connections between livestock, wildlife, and human health among these agencies are often apathetic at best, and antagonistic at worst.......... Read more »
Jerolmack, C. (2012) Who’s worried about turkeys? How ‘organisational silos’ impede zoonotic disease surveillance. Sociology of Health . DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2012.01501.x
- February 24, 2013
- 06:34 PM
- 222 views
Of Mice and Men Again: New Genomic Study Helps Explain why Mouse Models of Acute Inflammation do not Work in Men
by Laika Spoetnik in Laika's Medliblog
A recent paper published in PNAS [1] caused quite a stir both inside and outside the scientific community. The study challenges the validity of using mouse models to test what works as a treatment in humans. At least this is what many online news sources seem to conclude: “drug testing may be a waste of time”[2], “we are not mice” [3, 4], or a bit more to the point: mouse models of inflammation are worthless [5, 6, 7].
But basically the current study looks only at one ........ Read more »
Seok, J., Warren, H., Cuenca, A., Mindrinos, M., Baker, H., Xu, W., Richards, D., McDonald-Smith, G., Gao, H., Hennessy, L.... (2013) Genomic responses in mouse models poorly mimic human inflammatory diseases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1222878110
Raven, K. (2012) Rodent models of sepsis found shockingly lacking. Nature Medicine, 18(7), 998-998. DOI: 10.1038/nm0712-998a
Nemzek JA, Hugunin KM, & Opp MR. (2008) Modeling sepsis in the laboratory: merging sound science with animal well-being. Comparative medicine, 58(2), 120-8. PMID: 18524169
Wiersinga WJ. (2011) Current insights in sepsis: from pathogenesis to new treatment targets. Current opinion in critical care, 17(5), 480-6. PMID: 21900767
Khamsi R. (2012) Execution of sepsis trials needs an overhaul, experts say. Nature medicine, 18(7), 998-9. PMID: 22772540
Hotchkiss RS, Coopersmith CM, McDunn JE, & Ferguson TA. (2009) The sepsis seesaw: tilting toward immunosuppression. Nature medicine, 15(5), 496-7. PMID: 19424209
van der Worp, H., Howells, D., Sena, E., Porritt, M., Rewell, S., O'Collins, V., & Macleod, M. (2010) Can Animal Models of Disease Reliably Inform Human Studies?. PLoS Medicine, 7(3). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000245
ter Riet, G., Korevaar, D., Leenaars, M., Sterk, P., Van Noorden, C., Bouter, L., Lutter, R., Elferink, R., & Hooft, L. (2012) Publication Bias in Laboratory Animal Research: A Survey on Magnitude, Drivers, Consequences and Potential Solutions. PLoS ONE, 7(9). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043404
- February 24, 2013
- 11:20 AM
- 220 views
NewsFLASH: A free ride for Salmonella
by Isabel Torres in Science in the clouds
Our guts are home to over a 100 trillion bacteria that help digestion, prevent inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) and protect us from invaders, such as harmful bacteria. To keep pathogens at bay without destroying ‘good’ bacteria, there is a subset of specialised cells in the gut epithelium that act as sentinels. These so called ‘M cells’ engulf and rapidly transport large particles from the gut lumen to the underlying lymphoid tissue, where they are recognised and sorted b........ Read more »
Tahoun Amin, Mahajan Simmi, Paxton Edith, Malterer Georg, Donaldson David S., Wang Dai, Tan Alwyn, Gillespie Trudi L., O’Shea Marie, & Roe Andrew J. (2012) Salmonella Transforms Follicle-Associated Epithelial Cells into M Cells to Promote Intestinal Invasion. Cell Host , 12(5), 645-656. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2012.10.009
- February 24, 2013
- 07:14 AM
- 223 views
Memantine and autism
by Paul Whiteley in Questioning Answers
As part of their review of autism research in 2012, the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (shortened to the very catchy SFARI) had an interesting blogpost on all things drug development with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in mind.It was an interesting entry insofar as they had categorised the various medicines potentially indicated for some of the symptoms of ASD according to the stage of drug development including some formulations that have previously been fodder for this blog........ Read more »
Chez MG, Burton Q, Dowling T, Chang M, Khanna P, & Kramer C. (2007) Memantine as adjunctive therapy in children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders: an observation of initial clinical response and maintenance tolerability. Journal of child neurology, 22(5), 574-9. PMID: 17690064
- February 24, 2013
- 06:55 AM
- 99 views
Mosquitoes and disease in the UK
by Ruth Stephen Whallett in Zellula Health
Those of you who have traveled to tropical climes may well viewed the mosquitoes there with some trepidation. After all, you've been recommended to take a course of anti-malarial drugs, or watch out for the signs of Dengue fever, and when you came back the passengers were doused in insecticide to kill any mossie passengers. There are, believe it or not, 33 species of mosquitoes in the British Isles. Given the potential increase in global warming, and the huge increase in international travel, co........ Read more »
Gould EA, Higgs S, Buckley A, & Gritsun TS. (2006) Potential arbovirus emergence and implications for the United Kingdom. Emerging infectious diseases, 12(4), 549-55. PMID: 16704800
Lindsay, S., Hole, D., Hutchinson, R., Richards, S., & Willis, S. (2010) Assessing the future threat from vivax malaria in the United Kingdom using two markedly different modelling approaches. Malaria Journal, 9(1), 70. DOI: 10.1186/1475-2875-9-70
MEDLOCK, J., SNOW, K., & LEACH, S. (2006) Possible ecology and epidemiology of medically important mosquito-borne arboviruses in Great Britain. Epidemiology and Infection, 135(03), 466. DOI: 10.1017/S0950268806007047
- February 23, 2013
- 09:43 AM
- 207 views
Short Sleepers Crave Paleo or Paleo Causes Short Sleep?
by Allison in Dormivigilia
Researches have found a link between type of diet vs sleep duration, begging the question of whether amount of sleep predisposes people to eat a certain way or does eating a certain way cause people to sleep a certain amount. In this post, I relate it to my own special diet (paleo) which appears to be associated with short sleep durations, of which does not describe me. Nevertheless, this could be a fruitful (not pun intended) area of research.... Read more »
Grandner, M., Jackson, N., Gerstner, J., & Knutson, K. (2013) Dietary nutrients associated with short and long sleep duration. Data from a nationally representative sample. Appetite, 71-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2013.01.004
- February 22, 2013
- 11:50 PM
- 174 views
The complicated science of a simple pleasure (omnomnomnom)
by Shelly Fan in Neurorexia
Karen K. Ryan and Randy J. Seeley. Food as a Hormone. Science 22 February 2013: 918-919. In an opinion piece in the February 22 issue of Science, KK Ryan and RJ Seeley argue for an alternative approach to look at diet and food – not in terms of nutritional epidemiology (“this is what healthy people [...]... Read more »
Ryan, K., & Seeley, R. (2013) Food as a Hormone. Science, 339(6122), 918-919. DOI: 10.1126/science.1234062
- February 22, 2013
- 04:22 PM
- 255 views
Repairing hearts using parthenogenetic stem cells
by beredim in Stem Cells Freak
In a study that just came out a team of researchers, led by Wolfram Zimmerman, from the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Germany has succesfully created cardiomyocytes and heart muscle tissue from parthenogenetic stem cells. The researchers believe that their findings have implications for creating new cell-based therapeutic approaches for treating heart failure.Full Story... Read more »
Didié, M., Christalla, P., Rubart, M., Muppala, V., Döker, S., Unsöld, B., El-Armouche, A., Rau, T., Eschenhagen, T., Schwoerer, A.... (2013) Parthenogenetic stem cells for tissue-engineered heart repair. Journal of Clinical Investigation. DOI: 10.1172/JCI66854
- February 22, 2013
- 12:57 PM
- 147 views
“Smart fork”: Useful feedback tool or dietary gimmick?
by pennydeck in Feedback Solutions for Obesity
Do you eat too quickly? Or eat too much? A novel tool, the HAPIfork, is designed to track eating habits, such as the number of forkfuls of food consumed and the speed of consumption. Sensors within the fork detect movement … Continue reading →... Read more »
Martin CK, Anton SD, Walden H, Arnett C, Greenway FL, & Williamson DA. (2007) Slower eating rate reduces the food intake of men, but not women: implications for behavioral weight control. Behaviour research and therapy, 45(10), 2349-59. PMID: 17517367
- February 21, 2013
- 07:50 PM
- 260 views
Adventures in Dentures: The Street Dentists, Barbers & Tattoo Artists of India
by Rebecca Kreston in BODY HORRORS
For those that aren’t familiar with the kaleidoscopic charms of India, one of the most fascinating aspects of the country is its massive street economy. You can find anything you want on the sidewalks of this country, whether it’s fried delicacies, tattoos, sex or on-the-quick dentistry. You just need to know where to look.... Read more »
Abraham, P. (2012) Viral Hepatitis in India. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, 32(2), 159-174. DOI: 10.1016/j.cll.2012.03.003
- February 21, 2013
- 06:37 PM
- 222 views
Birthing new neurons at night
by TheCellularScale in The Cellular Scale
By now it's well established that adults can grow new neurons.Growing Neurons (source)But how, when and why these neurons grow is currently under investigation. A 2008 paper attempts to answer the 'when' of neurogenesis. They labeled (PH3) cells in the mouse hippocampus (dentate gyrus to be specific), and counted how many cells were currently going through mitosis at different times of day. They found that during the dark phase, more cells were PH3-positive, indicating that more cells were ........ Read more »
Tamai S, Sanada K, & Fukada Y. (2008) Time-of-day-dependent enhancement of adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. PloS one, 3(12). PMID: 19048107
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