Another week is gone and here are a couple of the articles for the week of 12 January 2008 that I came across. Hope you find them as interesting as I did:
TIDBITS
· Children of bipolar parents score higher on creativity tests than their peers, a Stanford University study finds. The connection between mental illness and artistic flair has been shown before: The incidence of psychosis, mood disorders and suicide may be two to three times higher in artists and writers than among people in less-creative professions.
· Does your food influence your mood? People's biochemical responses to food vary dramatically. Some people respond better to carbohydrates while others feel better when they eat more protein. You need to take your body's needs into perspective. Therefore, the only way to find out whether a particular diet treatment will work for you is to try it for a few weeks.
· Manage your food cravings by being proactive. Your body produces endorphins when you do aerobic exercise -- which means getting your heart rate up. Aerobic exercise produces endorphins, body chemicals that induce euphoric and pleasurable feelings. These are the same chemicals produced in response to eating fat/sweet foods. Choose exercise instead of chocolate.
· Trying to cut down on caffeine in the morning? Go for the espresso. Would you believe that 1/3 cup of espresso has about half the caffeine (70-80 milligrams) as a cup of filtered coffee (120-200 milligrams)? Espresso also has fewer calories than coffee when cream and sugar are added. But if you drank a whole cup of espresso versus a cup of coffee you would get double the amount of caffeine. So watch your portion size
Mind Mapping by Stephen Pierce
Business optimization specialist Stephen Pierce explains how to use Mind Mapping to quickly double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of information you retain from reading books.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvnbKEHOQIY&feature=related
Dan Dennett: Ants, terrorism, and the awesome power of memes
Here's one of those talks that can change your view of the world forever. Starting with the deceptively simple story of an ant, Dan Dennett unleashes a dazzling sequence of ideas, making a powerful case for the existence of "memes" -- a term coined by Richard Dawkins for mental concepts that are literally alive and capable of spreading from brain to brain. On the way, look out for:
+ a powerful one-sentence secret of happiness
+ a compelling insight into terrorists' motivation
+ a chilling view of Islam
And just when you think you know where the talk's heading, it dramatically shifts direction and questions some of western culture's fundamental assumptions.
This. Is. Unmissable.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/116
"Happy for No Reason," Marci Shimoff
"Happy for No Reason," author Marci Shimoff, was a guest on NBC's The Today Show on Thursday to talk about cracking the code on happiness. Watch it to see how she used muscle-testing with host Meredith Vierra to demonstrate the power of negative thoughts that plague so many people.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com or http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22590074#22590074
ARTICLES
BRAIN
Brain says to spine 'heal thyself': study by Marlowe Hood
PARIS (AFP) - Tiny nerves crisscrossing the spine can bypass crippling injuries recently written off as irreversible, scientists reported in a study published Monday.
Experiments conducted on mice at the University of California in Los Angeles showed for the first time that the central nervous system can rewire itself to create small neural pathways between the brain and the nerve cells that control movement.This startling discovery could one day open the way to new therapies for damaged spinal cords and perhaps address conditions stemming from stroke and multiple sclerosis, according to the study.
Normally, the brain relays messages that control walking or running via neural fibers called axons. When these long nerves are crushed or severed -- in a road crash or sports accident, for example -- these lines of communication are cut, resulting in reduced movement or paralysis.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080107/hl_afp/healthneurologyspineinjurydrugs
Sound Training Rewires Dyslexic Children's Brains For Reading by Nadine Gaab, Ph.D.
A very recently published brain-imaging study1 suggests that children with developmental dyslexia struggle with reading because their brains do not process fast-changing sounds properly. Moreover the study found that with the help of computerized sound training, the children with developmental dyslexia were able to literally rewire their brain. This resulted in more accurate sound processing and hence better language and reading.
A major problem for the estimated 5 to 17 percent of children with developmental dyslexia is that they often confuse letters and syllables when they read, which suggests that their internal association between letters and their corresponding sounds is weak. In the 1970’s it was proposed by Paula Tallal that this deficit is caused by an underlying problem with accurately perceiving and distinguishing different fast-changing sounds. In order to differentiate between the sounds of a word, the brain needs to perceive fast sound alterations at the millisecond (one thousandth of a second) time scale. Tiny differences in the time at which the vocal chords start vibrating make the difference between “ba” and “pa” for example. The vocal chords start vibrating just before your lips open for “ba,” and just after for “pa.” You can see this yourself if you hold your throat while repeating “ba, ba, ba” versus “pa, pa, pa.” (Make sure you’re alone or people will think you’re crazy!) You can feel that your vocal chords vibrate continuously as you say “ba”. However, as you say “pa” there is no vibration until you get to the vowel “a” part of the syllable. If a child cannot capture these subtle timing details, he or she will have problems distinguishing between speech sounds and, therefore, he or she may be more prone to confuse these syllables even before learning to read. With an imprecise internal sound map, it will be difficult for the child to establish a map of which letters go with which sounds, and this can lead to difficulty learning the phonetic basis for reading.http://www.brainconnection.com/content/264_1
Study: Rare gene change linked to autism By LINDA A. JOHNSON
A rare genetic variation dramatically raises the risk of developing autism, a large study showed, opening new research targets for better understanding the disorder and for treating it.
Research into the causes of autism has focused on genetic causes because so many families have multiple children with the disorder. Thus far, only about 10 percent of autism cases have a known genetic cause. Boston-area researchers estimate the gene glitch they've identified accounts for another 1 percent of cases.
They found a segment of a chromosome which has genes linked to brain development and various developmental disorders was either missing or duplicated far more often in autistic people. The defect was inherited in some cases, but more often the result of a random genetic accident.
He predicted children newly diagnosed with autism or other developmental disorders now will be tested for this defect on chromosome 16 and that studies of many more DNA samples may reveal other autism-related gene variations.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_he_me/autism_gene;_ylt=AlAMmxCrYCAy9911cshJPIla24cA
California autism cases continue to grow By ALICIA CHANG
LOS ANGELES - Autism cases in California continued to climb even after a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some people blame for the neurological disorder was removed from routine childhood shots, a new study found.
Researchers from the state Department of Public Health found the autism rate in children rose continuously during the 12-year study period from 1995 to 2007. The preservative thimerosal hasn't been used in childhood vaccines since 2001, but is used in some flu shots.
Doctors say the latest study adds to existing evidence refuting a link between thimerosal exposure and autism risk and should reassure parents that the disorder is not caused by vaccinations. If there was a risk, they said, autism rates should have dropped between 2004 and 2007.
The findings show "no evidence of mercury poisoning in autism" since there was no decline in autism rates even after the elimination of thimerosal, said Dr. Eric Fombonne, an autism researcher at Montreal Children's Hospital who had no role in the research.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080107/ap_on_he_me/autism_cases;_ylt=ArNRnwtTzICjLFFVG3THSp5a24cA
Brain Health: It's not all in your head By Elizabeth Simpson
It's not enough to have rock-solid abs and shapely pectorals on your wish list for the new year. Now you need to go for the cerebral burn and work out your brain, too.
During the past few years, there's been an avalanche of books, programs and electronic devices to help people who are worried about brain fitness - read: baby boomers - keep their edge.
So far, studies linking any specific brain calisthenics to long-term mental sharpness are still small and sketchy, but scientists agree on this: The "use it or lose it" principle applies to brain cells as well as muscles.
But Paul Aravich, an associate professor of anatomy at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, said being "brain fit" requires more than a diet of crossword puzzles and computer games. And it should be a life-long endeavor, rather than a cram session when you lose your keys for the first time.
It starts - sorry, couch potatoes - with the other kind of fitness, physical exercise. Pumping oxygen to the brain not only helps sharpen your mind in the short run but wards off heart disease and strokes that can dull thinking and memory in the long run.
Nutrition, too, is important, because good health is linked to sharp brains. Antioxidants protect against cell damage, and omega-3 fatty acids improve brain function. Focus on grains, fruits, vegetables, fish.
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/01/brain-health:-it%2526%2523039;s-not-all-your-head
Patients diagnosed with dementia survive for four years
PARIS (AFP) - Individuals with dementia live on average for around four more years after they are diagnosed with the disease, according to a study published in Saturday's British Medical Journal.
Women with dementia survived for another 4.6 years on average, whereas men lived for another 4.1 years.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080112/hl_afp/healthdiseasedementia
MUSIC
They’re Playing My Song. Time to Work Out. By STEVEN KURUTZ
For a slow pace, "Le Freak" by Chic or "Don't Phunk With My Heart," by the Black Eyes Peas. For a moderate pace, "Push It," by Salt-N-Pepa or "SOS," by Rihanna; and for a fast face, "Firestarter," by the Prodigy or "Mr. Brightside," by the Killers.
FITNESS magazines and Web sites love to ask readers about their favorite workout music while presenting their playlists or suggestions from celebrities. Self.com features the “ ’80s cardio playlist,” which includes the short-shorts video classic “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! On Fitnessmagazine.com, the singer Rihanna reveals her favorite workout songs — immodestly recommending four of her own for “when you have to pick up the pace on the treadmill.”
The playlist fixation has a scientific basis: Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue. But are certain songs more effective than others?
Generally speaking there is a science to choosing an effective exercise soundtrack, said Dr. Costas Karageorghis, an associate professor of sport psychology at Brunel University in England, who has studied the effects of music on physical performance for 20 years. Dr. Karageorghis created the Brunel Music Rating Inventory, a questionnaire that is used to rate the motivational qualities of music in the context of sport and exercise. For nearly a decade, he has been administering the questionnaire to panels representing different demographics, who listen to 90 seconds of a song and rate its motivational qualities for various physical activities.
One of the most important elements, Dr. Karageorghis found, is a song’s tempo, which should be between 120 and 140 beats-per-minute, or B.P.M. That pace coincides with the range of most commercial dance music, and many rock songs are near that range, which leads people to develop “an aesthetic appreciation for that tempo,” he said. It also roughly corresponds to the average person’s heart rate during a routine workout — say, 20 minutes on an elliptical trainer by a person who is more casual exerciser than fitness warrior.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/fashion/10fitness.html?th&emc=th
PSYCHOLOGY
Girls who feel unpopular may gain weight By CARLA K. JOHNSON
CHICAGO - Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school's social ladder may sway her future weight, a study of more than 4,000 girls finds. Those who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular. Researchers said the study showed how a girl's view of her social status has broader health consequences.
The girls in the study were still growing — their average age was 15 — and all of them gained some weight. However, those who rated themselves low in popularity were 69 percent more likely than other girls to increase their body mass index by two units, the equivalent of gaining about 11 excess pounds. (The body mass index, or BMI, is a calculation based on height and weight.)
Girls who put themselves on the higher rungs of popularity also gained some excess weight, but less — about 6 1/2 pounds.
Anxiety and depression predict events in heart patients By Anthony J. Brown
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research indicates that anxiety and depression are risk factors for major heart-related events among patients with stable coronary artery disease.
We found that both major depression and generalized anxiety disorder were more common in cardiac patients than in the general community. More importantly, both predicted about a doubling in risk for major cardiac events over two years," study chief Dr. Nancy Frasure-Smith, from the University of Montreal, told Reuters Health.
She added that her study differed from previous research in that it focused on patients with stable heart disease -- not on those who were hospitalized for a cardiac event such as heart attack.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080112/hl_nm/anxietypatients_dc;_ylt=AhXw41ghzic4mYgy05vAaLKKOrgF
HEALTH
Experts change advice on kids' allergies By CARLA K. JOHNSON
CHICAGO - Breast-feeding helps prevent babies' allergies, but there's no good evidence for avoiding certain foods during pregnancy, using soy formula or delaying introduction of solid foods beyond six months. That's the word from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is updating earlier suggestions that may have made some parents feel like they weren't doing enough to prevent food allergies, asthma and allergic rashes.
In August 2000, the doctors group advised mothers of infants with a family history of allergies to avoid cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts and tree nuts while breast-feeding.
That advice, along with a recommended schedule for introducing certain risky foods, left some moms and dads blaming themselves if their children went on to develop allergies.
"They say, 'I shouldn't have had milk in my coffee,'" said Dr. Scott Sicherer of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Jaffe Food Allergy Institute in New York. "I've been saying, 'We don't really have evidence that it causes a problem. Don't be on a guilt trip about it.'"
Sicherer helped write the new guidance report for pediatricians, published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics. Earlier advice about restricting certain foods from moms' and babies' diets has been tossed out and the only surefire advice remaining is to breast-feed.
Proteins found that AIDS virus preys on
WASHINGTON - The AIDS virus has to hijack human proteins to do its damage, but scientists until now have known only a few dozen of its targets. On Thursday, Harvard researchers unveiled a surprisingly longer list, an important first step in the hunt for new drugs.
HIV is on its face a simple virus, consisting of just nine genes. Yet it makes up for that bare-bones structure in a sinister and complex way — by literally taking over the cellular machinery of its victims so it can multiply and then destroy.
The proteins it exploits have been dubbed HIV dependency factors, and 36 had been discovered. The new research, published online Thursday by the journal Science, found 273 of these potential HIV targets.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080111/ap_on_he_me/hiv_proteins;_ylt=AjQpx6gJQ2OfENvuAW8cEcUR.3QA
Overwhelming evidence has shown that these things contribute to healthier and longer lives, but the new study actually quantified their combined impact, the British team said.
"These results may provide further support for the idea that even small differences in lifestyle may make a big difference to health in the population and encourage behavior change," the researchers wrote in the journal PLoS Medicine.
Between 1993 and 1997 the researchers questioned 20,000 healthy British men and women about their lifestyles. They also tested every participant's blood to measure vitamin C intake, an indicator of how much fruit and vegetables people ate.http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080108/hl_nm/longevity_lifestyle_dc
The Eyes Have It: Computer Vision Syndrome By Carolina Diaz-Bordon
You can’t see straight, your eyes feel as dry as paper and the whites are as red as a tomato, your neck aches, your back hurts… It’s not the flu and it’s not a horrible hangover. It’s the bothersome computer vision syndrome that affects nearly 9 out of 10 computer users daily.
Stay tuned for the good news, but first a little background about CVS:
Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is defined by the American Optometric Association as the complex of eye and vision problems related to near work, which are experienced during or related to computer use. We tend to blink less often when looking at a computer than when reading print or performing other tasks. This is the primary cause of CVS.
Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen can be harmful to anybody, regardless of age. The constant staring at the screen puts a tremendous amount of stress on the eyes because the computer forces your vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. Optometric Consultant of Long Island and Associate Professor of NYU, Dr. Eric Donnenfeld says, "The most common patients of computer vision syndrome are adults in their 30’s and 40’s. Females going through menopause are at the greatest risk because their hormonal shifts change the quality of tears and as a result their eyes dry out faster."
http://www.ediets.com/news/article.cfm?cmi=863807&cid=5&code=22399
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