Medindia Health News

Quirky Byproduct of Learning from Reward
Anti-dandruff Foods - Slide Show
Sexual Maturity in Girls Influenced by 'Imprinted' Genes
Both Autism and Intellectual Disability Linked to Same Mutated Gene
Umami and Hunger
Fight Against AIDS Epidemic Upheld by Australian Injecting Room
Postoperative Pneumonia Prevention Program in Surgical Ward Examined by Study
London Pheromone Party Needs You to Sniff Out
Bill Gates Identifies Health and Agriculture Key to Africa's Development
Abuse and Neglect in Early Childhood Linked to Physical and Mental Health Problems
Monitoring Pulse After Stroke Could Help Prevent a Second Stroke
Ebola-Like Symptoms in a Man in Nigeria Creates Fear
Continuous Antibiotics Unnecessary for Children With Prenatal Abnormality
Radiological Signs of Gastric Lap Band Slippage Identified
Women Taking Too Much Calcium Create Health Risk, Says Study
Skin Protected With Natural Products from Plants During Radiotherapy
Worrying About Height Could Cause Depression in Men
Tips to Overcome Menopause Bloating
High-Tech Patch Checks Heart Rate
Orgasm Not Confined to Sexual Event: Study
Half the World's Population is Host to a Newly Discovered Gut Virus
Men With Wide Face are Better Negotiators: Study
Rising Death Toll Among Drug Users in Russian-Annexed Crimea

Quirky Byproduct of Learning from Reward

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Behavior modification through learning from rewarding choices may be just a touch of self-delusion, suggests a new study in emNeuron/em. The research by Brown University brain scientists links a fundamental problem in neuroscience called "credit assignment" - how the brain reinforces learning only in the exact circuits that caused the rewarding choice - to an oft-observed quirk of behavior called "choice bias" - we value the rewards we choose more than equivalent ...

Anti-dandruff Foods - Slide Show

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Poor nutrition can be a contributing factor to the development of dandruff. Adding foods rich in key nutrients like zinc and vitamin B6 to the diet can help control dandruff symptoms

Sexual Maturity in Girls Influenced by 'Imprinted' Genes

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The age at which girls hit sexual maturity is influenced by which parent their genes are inherited from, says a new study. The study adds that the activity of these 'imprinted' genes differs depending on from which parent the gene is inherited. Some genes are only effective when inherited from the mother, others are only active when inherited from the father. Researchers noted that both types of imprinted genes were identified as ...

Both Autism and Intellectual Disability Linked to Same Mutated Gene

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Coexistence of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability raised doubts about both disorders sharing similar genetic causes. Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal iCell Reports/i have now linked mutations in a particular gene to the two disorders in humans. By revealing these genetic changes and their potential impact on common brain processes, researchers may uncover treatment approaches that could benefit a variety of patients. In a study ...

Umami and Hunger

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Our sense of taste has evolved over time to detect key components in food which are important for our healthy development and those which we need to avoid. The pleasure and benefit we get from food is determined by a complex combination of factors such as aroma, texture, temperature, environment and food culture. Most people are well aware of the four basic tastes: sweet, a href="http:www.medindia.net/news/does-salty-foods-taste-good-120533-1.htm" target="_blank" ...

Fight Against AIDS Epidemic Upheld by Australian Injecting Room

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A service meant to not just save live but also prevent HIV epidemic among drug users is nestled right between the bars and strip clubs in Sydney's Kings Cross. Behind a nondescript shopfront is the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre -- the only place in the southern hemisphere where users can inject heroin and other drugs under the care of registered nurses. Those who use the injecting room -- typically people who have taken drugs for more ...

Postoperative Pneumonia Prevention Program in Surgical Ward Examined by Study

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Postoperative pneumonia prevention program for patients in surgery can lower the cases of the condition and also reduce increased cost of care and complications. Pneumonia is a common infection that accounts for about 15 percent of all hospital-acquired infections and as much as 3.4 percent of complications among surgical patients. The study outlines the results (2008-2012) for a postoperative pneumonia prevention program for patients who were not on ...

London Pheromone Party Needs You to Sniff Out

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Dozens of people in London mill about, sniffing from plastic bags. But there are no drugs inside -- just slightly smelly T-shirts. These adventurous single men and women are at a "pheromone party", an alternative dating trend based on the idea that smell plays a key role in the choice of a sexual partner. Each of them has agreed to wear the same cotton T-shirt for three nights in a row, with no deodorant or perfume, and to bring it to the party. The ...

Bill Gates Identifies Health and Agriculture Key to Africa's Development

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US software billionare Bill Gates said Thursday that health and agriculture development are key if African countries are to overcome poverty and grow. He received an honorary degree in Ethiopia. "By getting things right in these two areas, the gains can be exceptional," Gates said, calling health and agriculture "enabling factors for all the other things that need to be done." But Gates warned that progress could be undone by instability, pointing to ...

Abuse and Neglect in Early Childhood Linked to Physical and Mental Health Problems

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Facing abuse or neglect early in life puts kids at a higher risk of developing both emotional and physical health problems. In a new study, scientists have found that maltreatment affects the way genes are activated, which has implications for children's long-term development. Previous studies focused on how a particular child's individual characteristics and genetics interacted with that child's experiences in an effort to understand how health problems emerge. In the new ...

Monitoring Pulse After Stroke Could Help Prevent a Second Stroke

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Regular monitoring of pulse following a stroke could be an effective way to detect irregular heartbeat, which is the major cause of having a second stroke. The study is published in the July 23, 2014, online issue of emNeurology/em (Regd) , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Screening pulse is the method of choice for checking for irregular heartbeat for people over age 65 who have never had a stroke. Our study shows it may be a safe, effective, ...

Ebola-Like Symptoms in a Man in Nigeria Creates Fear

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Ebola-like symptoms was seen in a Liberian man, who was hospitalized in Lagos, but the presence of Ebola virus is not yet confirmed, Nigerian officials said Thursday. The 40-year-old Monrovia resident arrived in Nigeria's mega-city on Sunday and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday suffering from severe vomiting and diarrhoea, said Yewande Adesina, the special adviser on health for the Lagos state government. The patient was "detained for possible Ebola ...

Continuous Antibiotics Unnecessary for Children With Prenatal Abnormality

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Up to 5 percent of prenatal ultrasounds are able to uncover antenatal hydronephrosis, or enlarged kidneys, the most commonly detected prenatal abnormality in the United States. Many children with this abnormality are treated continually with preventive antibiotics for the first few years of life with the hopes of preventing the condition's associated urinary tract infections. Until recently, however, little evidence existed as to the benefits of this treatment, ...

Radiological Signs of Gastric Lap Band Slippage Identified

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Two previously undescribed radiological signs of potentially life-threatening slippage of laproscopically adjustable gastric bands have been identified by researchers in Ohio and Rhode Island. Adding widespread knowledge of the new signs-inferior displacement of the superolateral band margin by more than 2.4 cm from the diaphragm and the presence of an air-fluid-level above the band on a frontal radiograph - to radiologists' knowledge base will aid them in diagnosing ...

Women Taking Too Much Calcium Create Health Risk, Says Study

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Too much calcium can put women at risk for kidney stones, among other health problems, say researchers from the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Women close to menopause are commonly told to take supplements containing calcium and vitamin D to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, to which they are particularly prone. "I would recommend that women determine how much calcium they typically get through their food sources before ...

Skin Protected With Natural Products from Plants During Radiotherapy

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Exposing a patient with tumor directly to ionizing radiation such as gamma rays or X-rays is the procedure for radiotherapy for cancer. The radiation damages the cancer cells irreparably. Unfortunately, such radiation is also harmful to healthy tissue, particularly the skin over the site of the tumor, which is then at risk of hair loss, dermatological problems and even skin cancer. As such finding ways to protect the overlying skin are keenly sought. Writing in ...

Worrying About Height Could Cause Depression in Men

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Men who are either too short or too tall are so much concerned about their height that it could even lead to depression, found in a new study. Valery Krupnik from the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton, California, and Mariya Cherkasova of the University of British Columbia analysed the records of 196 men who were diagnosed with depression at a mental health clinic for active duty workforce, and found that men who were shorter or taller than the average faced higher ...

Tips to Overcome Menopause Bloating

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Natural supplements and simple lifestyle changes can help one conquer bloating during menopause, say health experts. Menopause bloating can be among the most uncomfortable menopause symptoms. Most women are familiar with the bloating that can occur in the days leading up to their menstrual periods, but bloating during menopause can occur throughout the month as the levels of hormones fluctuate. This can leave women feeling uncomfortable and crampy as they ...

High-Tech Patch Checks Heart Rate

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A high-tech adhesive patch that can monitor a patient's vital signs has been invented by Sensium Healthcare, a leading developer of wireless healthcare devices. Bearing resemblance to a bandage and weighing just half an ounce, the SensiumVitals patch monitors heart rate, respiration and temperature. When the patch is fixed to a patient's chest, it takes reading every two minutes and forwards the data wirelessly to a nurse's station as well ...

Orgasm Not Confined to Sexual Event: Study

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Orgasm is no more just a sexual event as an increasing number of women are reporting experiences of exercise-induced orgasms called "coregasms", claims a recent study. The co-author of the study, Debby Herbenick, said that the findings are interesting as they suggest that orgasm was not necessarily a sexual event because most women reporting EIO said that they were not fantasizing sexually or thinking about anyone they were attracted to during their experiences, ...

Half the World's Population is Host to a Newly Discovered Gut Virus

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A gut virus previously undetected by scientists, has been found to be present in more than half the world's population, found in a new study led by researchers at San Diego State University. The virus, named crAssphage, infects one of the most common types of gut bacteria, iBacteroidetes/i. This phylum of bacteria is thought to be connected with obesity, diabetes and other gut-related diseases. The research appears today in iNature Communications/i.Robert ...

Men With Wide Face are Better Negotiators: Study

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Men with a wider face are found to be better at negotiating for themselves, but not at comprising and collaborating, in a new study. The study found that having a wider face helps men when they negotiate for themselves but hurts them when they would negotiate in a situation that requires compromise. Additionally, men who were more attractive were better collaborators compared to less attractive men. The paper described four negotiation simulations set ...

Rising Death Toll Among Drug Users in Russian-Annexed Crimea

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Increase in death toll is seen among intravenous drug users after Russia's annexation of Crimea, due to lack of access to vital therapy, specialists said at the world AIDS forum on Thursday. Michel Kazatchkine, former head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and now the UN's AIDS envoy for eastern Europe, told AFP he was "very concerned" and had heard of "20 documented deaths, possibly more." Under Ukrainian rule, Crimea provided intravenous ...