Medindia Health News

Hot Peppers-the Secret Behind Hillary Clinton's Stamina
Child Marriages on a Rise, US
Himachal Pradesh Launches New Programme to Combat Anaemia
Brain Dependence Makes Withdrawl Symptoms Hard on Alcohols
Betrayal Magnifies Post Traumatic Stress in Females Suffering Sexual Abuse
Female Bosses and Leadership Roles Loved by a Majority of Women
Scientists Predict Speedy Melting of Glaciers in the Coming Years
Indian Festival Washes Away Sins of 120 Million
Campaign to Take Breakfast Seriously
Cooking Oil Fueled Jet to Fly from New York to Amsterdam
Celebs Endorsements Encourage Kids to Eat More Junk Food
New Tool to Eliminate 30-day Hospital Readmissions in Heart Failure Patients Developed
Study Says Niacin Therapy Unhelpful, Occasionally Harmful
Nanopores Could Help Diagnose
Study Reveals Health Benefits of Sex
Russian Scientists Found Bacterial Life Under Antarctic Lake
Still Fukushima Suffers in Nuclear Disaster Shadow
China's Fastest Growing Wine Consumption Rate Slows Down
High Risk of Death for Children on Dialysis Who Have Anemia
Scientists Find Precise Way to Turn Off Genes
Brain can Encode Several Information Simultaneously
Common genetic abnormality predisposes one to Alzheimer's Disease
In Children With Bipolar Disorder, Family Intervention Improves Mood Symptoms
Onset of Menopause Associated With Higher Risk of Osteoporosis
Is Schizophrenia A Neurodevelopment Disorder?
Petition for Dye-free Version of Mac (and) Cheese from Kraft
Can We Focus on 1 Speaker in Noisy Crowds?
Keeping the Mind Active may Delay Alzheimer's Disease

Hot Peppers-the Secret Behind Hillary Clinton's Stamina

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Former US secretary Hillary Clinton reveals the secret of her stamina during hectic travel schedules- Hot peppers. BBC journalist and author Kim Ghattas, who has compiled the book 'The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power', had followed Clinton for 300,000 of the reported million miles that Clinton had logged while traveling round the world, Politico reports. Admitting her difficulty in keeping up with ...

Child Marriages on a Rise, US

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The United Nations Population Fund expects around 140 million child brides between 2011 and 2020. If current levels of child marriages hold, 14.2 million girls annually or 39,000 daily will marry too young. Furthermore, of the 140 million girls who will marry before the age of 18, 50 million will be under the age of 15. Despite the physical damage and the persistent discrimination to young girls, little progress has been made toward ending ...

Himachal Pradesh Launches New Programme to Combat Anaemia

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Himachal Pradesh introduces new programme to fight anaemia in school children. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh launched the Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Programme here, Principal Secretary (Health) Ali Raza Rizvi told IANS. He said 700,000 students from class VI to XII in all government schools would be administered Iron and Folic Acid Supplement doses to overcome anaemia. He said the programme would be started in Bilaspur district ...

Brain Dependence Makes Withdrawl Symptoms Hard on Alcohols

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Alcoholic's brain accepts heavy drinking by considering alcohol as an energy source, study suggests. However, the brain becomes dependent on that alcohol-derived energy source and makes alcohol withdrawal impossible to handle. After alcohol consumption, the liver begins quickly converting the ethanol alcohol into acetate, a chemical most commonly found in vinegar. The acetate then circulates throughout the body in blood. Ethanol consumption ...

Betrayal Magnifies Post Traumatic Stress in Females Suffering Sexual Abuse

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A study of 345 university students revealed that 233 of them had been a victim of sexual abuse, 46 percent of which experienced betrayal. In the final analysis, researchers found, those who experienced institutional betrayal suffered the most in four post-trauma measurement categories, including anxiety and dissociation. The study by the University of Oregon's doctoral student Carly Parnitzke Smith and Jennifer J. Freyd, professor of psychology, introduces a 10-item ...

Female Bosses and Leadership Roles Loved by a Majority of Women

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Survey shows that a large percentage of women and girls are inspired by female bosses and aspire leadership roles. The survey, which was carried out by YWCA "She Speaks" survey of 1650 women aged from 15 to 30 as a part of International Women's Day celebrations found that more than three in four girls and young women aspire to leadership roles, News.com.au reports. According to the survey, the most admired woman were mothers, followed by Australian Prime ...

Scientists Predict Speedy Melting of Glaciers in the Coming Years

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Global warming expected to cause Archipelago glaciers to melt faster than ever. Research by European-funded scientists has shown that 20 percent of the Canadian Arctic glaciers may have disappeared by the end of this century, which would amount to an additional sea level rise of 3.5cm The researchers developed a climate model for the island group of the north of Canada in which they simulated the shrinking and growing of glaciers in this area. The ...

Indian Festival Washes Away Sins of 120 Million

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120 million pilgrims washed away their sins by plunging in the holy waters during the world's largest religious festival. The two-month-long Kumbh Mela Hindu festival celebrated every 12 years at the conjunction of two sacred rivers on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Allahabad drew massive crowds of Hindu devotees, ascetics and foreign tourists. "Over 60 million people attended the festival in 2001 and this time we believe 120 million people ...

Campaign to Take Breakfast Seriously

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McDonalds India flagged off a pledge campaign inviting people to ensure a wholesome breakfast for their families. "We plan to celebrate the first ever 'National Breakfast Day' across Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa," said Smita Jatia, managing director (west and south) of Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd., that owns and runs the McDonalds restaurants in western and southern India. "Earlier, one had a mother or a grandmother who would make hot ...

Cooking Oil Fueled Jet to Fly from New York to Amsterdam

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An aircraft using French fries and chicken wings as fuel will fly from John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, New York to Amsterdam, Holland, say sources. The eco-friendly Boeing 777s, which is fueled by a blend of 25 percent cooking oil and 75 percent jet fuel, had completed 25 round trips between the two countries, which will be followed by 24 round trips every Thursday for the next six months, New York Post reports. The oil for the flight, ...

Celebs Endorsements Encourage Kids to Eat More Junk Food

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A study by the University of Liverpool linked celebrity endorsements of junk food to an increase in the number of children consuming it. It also found that children were prompted to eat more of the endorsed product when they saw the celebrity on TV in a different context. Celebrity endorsement is an effective method of creating value, recognition and credibility for a brand, and celebrities are frequently used in television advertising to induce children to try ...

New Tool to Eliminate 30-day Hospital Readmissions in Heart Failure Patients Developed

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Intermountain Medical Center researchers have developed IMRS-HF - an innovative tool designed to eliminate 30-day hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. IMRS-HF, was adapted from the Intermountain Risk Score (IMRS) that has been used at Intermountain Medical Center to predict mortality rates in trauma patients. Heart researchers discovered that by using the IMRS-HF, they could more accurately evaluate a patient's condition prior to discharge, ...

Study Says Niacin Therapy Unhelpful, Occasionally Harmful

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Niacin therapy failed to reduce heart attack and stroke risk and even proved harmful for some with heart disease, finds study. Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, has for years been widely prescribed to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and raise levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. The link between high levels of LDL cholesterol and heart disease is well-documented, and doctors work to mitigate that risk with diet and lifestyle changes as well as a variety ...

Nanopores Could Help Diagnose

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Nanopores that are heated selectively can help doctors diagnose diseases more effectively, say researchers. Though the findings may be years away from application in the clinic, they may one day improve doctors' ability to search the bloodstream quickly for indicators of disease-a longstanding goal of medical research. The team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Wheaton College, and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) ...

Study Reveals Health Benefits of Sex

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Healthy, fulfilling relationships can do wonders for your overall health, suggest experts. Benefits of sex range from keeping your heart healthy to helping you look younger, the Huffington Post reported. We already know that sex can be a decent cardio workout (one 30-minute session can burn 70 calories). Now, research indicates it may protect your heart in other ways. A study in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy found that people who had sex ...

Russian Scientists Found Bacterial Life Under Antarctic Lake

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From a buried Antarctic lake, Russian scientists claim to have discovered a new type of bacterial life in water. The researchers have been studying samples brought up from Vostok - the largest sub-glacial lake in Antarctica, the BBC reported. Last year, the team drilled through almost 4km (2.34 miles) of ice to reach the lake and retrieve samples. Vostok is thought to have been cut off from the surface for millions of years. This ...

Still Fukushima Suffers in Nuclear Disaster Shadow

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From a nuclear disaster that some warn could leave part of Japan a hollow shell for generations, Mikio Nihei's family is split by his need to work and their fear of radiation. A week after a towering tsunami smashed into the atomic power plant on the Fukushima coast, sparking meltdowns in some reactors, Nihei sent his family away from the clouds of radiation many believed were pouring forth. But Japan's fragile economy means Nihei feels unable to leave ...

China's Fastest Growing Wine Consumption Rate Slows Down

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China will retain its crown as the world's fastest growing wine consumption market although the rate is tipped to slow significantly after years of explosive expansion, according to a new study. Chinese wine consumption soared by 142.1 percent over the five years from 2007 to 2011, reaching a total of 159.25 million cases or 1.91 billion bottles, the leading wine and spirits trade fair organiser Vinexpo said on Friday. Demand has surged in the world's ...

High Risk of Death for Children on Dialysis Who Have Anemia

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According to a study, children on dialysis who have anemia and who require high doses of drugs to treat it have an increased risk of dying prematurely. The study is appearing in an upcoming issue of the iJournal of the American Society of Nephrology/i (JASN). The findings provide new insights that may help improve the health of children with kidney failure. Many patients on dialysis develop anemia, which can be treated with erythropoesis stimulating ...

Scientists Find Precise Way to Turn Off Genes

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At UC San Francisco, scientists have found a more precise way to turn off genes. A finding that will speed research discoveries and biotech advances and may eventually prove useful in reprogramming cells to regenerate organs and tissues. The strategy borrows from the molecular toolbox of bacteria, using a protein employed by microbes to fight off viruses, according to the researchers, who describe the technique in the current issue of iCell/i. Turning ...

Brain can Encode Several Information Simultaneously

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Researchers has revealed that a region of the brain known to play a key role in visual and spatial processing has a parallel function: sorting visual information into categories. The study took place at the University of Chicago. Primates are known to have a remarkable ability to place visual stimuli into familiar and meaningful categories, such as fruit or vegetables. They can also direct their spatial attention to different locations in a scene and make spatially-targeted ...

Common genetic abnormality predisposes one to Alzheimer's Disease

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A new study has shown that a common genetic abnormality predisposes one to Alzheimer's. Scientists at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a new genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease by screening people's DNA and then using an advanced type of scan to visualize their brains' connections. Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia in the elderly, erodes these connections, which we rely on to support thinking, ...

In Children With Bipolar Disorder, Family Intervention Improves Mood Symptoms

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A study found that children and adolescents with major depression or subthreshold forms of bipolar disorder responded better to a 12-session family-focused treatment than to a briefer educational treatment. These children had at least one first-degree relative with bipolar disorder. The study got published in the February 2013 issue of the iJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/i. A study led by David J. Miklowitz, Ph.D., ...

Onset of Menopause Associated With Higher Risk of Osteoporosis

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Chinese women mostly do not develop cardiovascular disease if they have their first menstrual cycle or enter menopause later than their peers. This is according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society''s iJournal of Clinical Endocrinology (and) Metabolism/i (iJCEM/i). The study also found earlier onset of menopause was associated with a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. The risk was significantly lower for women ...

Is Schizophrenia A Neurodevelopment Disorder?

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Several lines of evidence indicate that schizophrenia is a neurodevelopment disorder. For example, genes implicated in the heritable risk for schizophrenia are also implicated in the development of nerve cells and their connections. Numerous findings in brain imaging studies describe the changes in brain structure and function associated with schizophrenia as emerging early in the course of the disorder. Some early brain imaging studies even found little or no evidence ...

Petition for Dye-free Version of Mac (and) Cheese from Kraft

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An online petition has been signed by more than 60,000 people for Kraft which offers dye-free version of its mac (and) cheese product in the U.K. The petition questions the company's objective of offering dye free version in the UK. The U.S. version of the well-known convenience food contains two additives which have been done away with from its European counterpart due to stricter food safety rules. This has led Americans to wonder why they are not getting ...

Can We Focus on 1 Speaker in Noisy Crowds?

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Paying attention to just one speaker's voice can be challenging in the din of a crowded room. Research in the March 6 issue of the Cell Press journal iNeuron/i demonstrates how the brain hones in on one speaker to solve this "Cocktail Party Problem." Researchers discovered that brain waves are shaped so that the brain can selectively track the sound patterns from the speaker of interest and at the same time exclude competing sounds from other speakers. ...

Keeping the Mind Active may Delay Alzheimer's Disease

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"Use it or lose it." When it comes to protecting against Alzheimer's disease, the saying could apply especially to the brain. Previous studies have shown that keeping the mind active, exercising and social interactions may help delay the onset of dementia in Alzheimer's disease. Now, a new study led by Dennis Selkoe, MD, co-director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases in the BWH Department of Neurology, provides specific pre-clinical scientific evidence ...