Mineral Water can prevent memory loss in Alzheimer’s

A litre of mineral water a day can prevent cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients, according to the latest study by the British Researchers.

Consuming a litre of silicon rich mineral water daily significantly reduced the levels of neurotoxin aluminium in the body. According to the earlier research, the presence of aluminium linked to the plaques and tangles (two kinds of microscopic damage) in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Indoor Tanning leads to non-melanoma skin cancer

It is well known that indoor tanning will lead to the most deadly form of skin cancer - melanoma. The researchers have now found out that indoor tanning will also increase the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer, especially to those who start using them before the age of 25.

When you hate broccoli

When you find vegetables more bitter then it is better 

When you find vegetables like sprouts and broccoli unbearably bitter then you are better at fighting off infection due to a chemical in your nose.

According to the researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, people who hate food like broccoli, sprouts have more receptors that pick up the flavour of these food and work as an early warning system about bacterial invaders.

The receptors, involved in activating the body’s natural defences against common infections were thought to be located only on the tongue. But it is now known to be in the linings of the nasal and sinus cavities also.

About one third of the population does not have the specific version of the bitter taste receptor gene known as TAS2R38 that activates and immune response.

According to Noam Cohen, University of Pennsylvania, the ability to taste does not protect against all infections. During the study, researchers grew cells in lab foods, forming structure that resembled the multi-layered lining of the nose and sinus in order to test how bitter receptors affect the initial stages of the infection process.

The chemicals produced by common bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa activated the TAS2R38 bitter receptor, and caused the air like cilia that line the sinuses to start sweeping away microbial intruders. The activation also resulted in the release into the sinuses of nitric oxide which kills bacteria. 

Echinacea – Herbal medicine to prevent cold

Herbal Medicine Echinacea to prevent severe cold

Research published in the journal “Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine” throws light about “Echinacea”, an herbal medicine which can prevent severe cold.

In one of the largest clinical studies conducted, researchers have found out that Echinacea can prevent colds, mainly in those who are prone to it.

About 750 patients who participated in this clinical research took three doses of common remedy daily for four months which resulted in the reduced number of colds and duration of illness by an average of 26 per cent.

According to the researchers, the treatment cuts the number of recurrent colds suffered by patients by 60 per cent. Particularly for patients with weak immune system and those who have a history of several bouts.

Earlier studies suggested that Echinacea soothed symptoms and cut cold short, however, there was only limited evidence that it could prevent illness from taking hold.

A latest study by the Cardiff University’s Common Cold Centre suggest that Echinaforce, a common form of herb extract can not only reduce the risk of colds but also the amount of paracetamol the patient consume while ill.  

Source of Echinacea

Echinacea is extracted from the Eastern Purple Coneflower found in North America. The Eastern Purple Coneflower has long been used as herbal remedy for the common cold. 

How Echinacea works

Echinacea fights viruses and boosts immune systems. It fights viruses which causes 95 per cent of cold and flu.

Patients mixed 25 drops of Echinaforce with water and held it in their mouths for about 10 seconds before swallowing it for three times a day over a four months period. This resulted in the total number of days reduced to 672 from 850, which according to the researchers is “highly significant”. 

Sensor in Bra to detect breast cancer early

An un-noticeable device in a bra can help identify breast cancer early. A company in US has disclosed their plans to come up with an ultra modern device that can be worn inside the bra to help detect breast cancer.

The company’s belief is that their device will detect tumors early and reduce the rate of false positives and negatives helping women to seek treatment as soon as possible following a diagnosis.

The sensor is placed inside the bra and will measure any changes in cell temperature caused by the blood vessel growth associated with tumors as they develop.  

The sensor contains software that uses pattern recognition, chronology and artificial intelligence to look for changes in breast tissue that might indicate a tumor was present. The size of the breast tumors and how far the cancer has spread are crucial elements in determining the prognosis of women diagnosed with breast cancer.  

Advanced technology like 3D mammography and thermography are commonly used methods to diagnoses, most of the times, it is considered un-trustworthy.  Concerns like patients discomfort, exposure to radiation and false positives and negatives has spurred the creation of numerous other screening methods. 

Women will be stressed on bad news

Bad news will stress women

If you love your woman and do not want to stress her then avoid giving her bad news. Quite impossible but a new study have proved that negative news or information will affect women more than men and they even remember the details better.

The Canadian researchers showed men and woman reports from newspapers which consisted of accidents and murders took a greater toll on the female psyche. The reason being, according to the researchers, women are more empathetic and have evolved to look out for and think about the situations that might threaten them and their children.

An experiment was conducted where in about 56 men and women were provided with selection of stories from newspapers. Some of the participants were judged to be emotionally neutral. The reports included information related to film premier, an opening of a new bridge and some harrowing stories. The saliva of participants was checked for changes in levels of stress hormone cortisol.

The negative news not only increased the stress levels in women, it made them more reactive affecting their physiological response. They were able to remember more details of the negative stories. However, this phenomenon was not witnessed in male participants.

France Marine, a researcher in University of Montreal stated that women’s body may be primed to be alert to danger. The women’s stress system is wired up to ensure not only their own survival but the one of their offspring as well. 

NACA - Antioxidant that can prevent and cure cataracts

NACA - a new antioxidant to cure and prevent eye disorders  

The scientists have developed a new antioxidant that not only prevents but also cures cataracts, macular degeneration and other eye disorders.

Dr. Nuran Ercal with other researchers, at the Missouri University of Science and Technology are examining the eye drops prepared with the antioxidant Nacetylcysteine amide (NACA) to treat the above mentioned eye conditions.

According to Ercal, NACA is an improvement over another experimental treatment – antioxidant Nacetylcysteine (NAC), because is passes more easily across cell membranes allowing to be used in lower doses.

NACA characteristic is an improvement of NAC achieved by neutralizing the carboxylic group of NAC which makes the NACA pas cellular membranes easily.

The new drug can be administered at a lower dose and has a greater therapeutic index. It also lowers the risk of side effects associated with NAC.

NACA is an excellent source of Glutathione which is the cells main antioxidant power which diminishes during degenerative eye disorders.

About 30 million people in the US alone suffer from vision loss due to age related eye disorders. This figure will double in the coming decades, stated Ercal.

Eye drops prepared by NACA will drastically reduce the costs and will be an excellent alternative to expensive surgeries. It will also improve the quality of life to those who are afflicted.

The research team lead by Ercal has been testing NACA on HIV related problems, lead poisoning and other toxicities for about 10 years. Since 4 years they have been testing on eye disorders.  

Further testing on NACA solution will help understand appropriate dosage and frequency and other side effects. 

Don’t be near annoying people

Don't be around annoying people, they might slow down your brain 

When people annoy you, you tend to get angry and try to move away. Have you ever wondered why? Scientists from University of South California who were researching on this have found out that being in the company of annoying people will slows the rate which the mind processes movement.

Basically, you like someone or not can affect your brain in processing their actions.  Watching someone move causes a ‘mirroring’ effect where parts of our brain responsible for movement are activated by watching them moving.

When you are around those whom you don’t like and see their movement, you might think that the person is moving slower than they actually are.

In other words, race or physical similarity can influence brain process and you tend to have more empathy for those who look more like you.

Research was conducted among the Jewish men who were split into two groups. Half of them were presented as neo-Nazis, the intention was to making them disliked, and the other half were presented as likable and open-minded.

When the men viewed someone they disliked, the right ventral pre-motor cortex had a different pattern of activity when compared to those to the likable ones. The differences were spotted when the annoying person was present. 

Your smartphones to alert doctors

Patients with chronic medical conditions like depression and diabetes may not be attended by doctors until they are in crisis and are in the emergency room.

The good news is that, when the patients withdraw, their smartphones might reach out for them. Thanks to the application which tracks how often the patients send text messages, make a call or even move around and where they go. Any change in their habits which suggests that they have become withdrawn, the application immediately alerts the doctors or the caretaker. Many hospitals and medical centres are testing this technology. Thanks to the financial help from medical chains like US Military and Insurance companies.

Most of the technology which may come handy for the application to perform like global positioning systems and accelerometers used in tracking location and movement are already there in the smartphones.

Research conducted on 15 patients with chronic gastrointestinal trouble showed that the patients clearly changed their communication and movement patterns before the onset of severe symptoms.

This technology measures social behaviours at a scale and depth of a patient which he or she didn’t had before. However, the software is still being tested for its effectiveness.

According to some researchers and medical experts, the software will not only find out the worsening conditions of the patients, but also find out behaviour changes. For examples, patients who have stopped taking medications or may require a dosage change.

Adam I Kaplin, a professor of psychology and neurology at John Hopkins was of concern that such systems might send wrong alerts or the patients may think that they are overly monitored.

The people behind this technology who are aware of the privacy concerns note that the patients must be consented and should make sure that information goes to health professionals and designation family members only.

Tomato Reduces Stroke – New Research

Tomato reduces stroke by 50 per cent

A recent research published in the journal “Neurology”, has claimed that consumption of tomato and tomato based food which are rich in anti-oxidant lycopene can reduce the risk of stroke to 50 per cent.

According to the researchers from Finland, people who consumed food with highest amount of lycopene were 55 per cent less likely to get stroke than those who consumed or had lowest amounts of lycopene in their blood.   

About 1031 men in an age group of 46 and 65 were involved in the study. Lycopene levels were tested in their blood at the beginning of the study and were followed for an average of 12 years. During the study, about 67 men suffered stroke.

Out of 258 men who had lowest levels of lycopene, 25 suffered stroke and among 259 men who had highest levels of lycopene, 11 of them suffered stroke. Ultimately the result was, those with the highest levels of lycopene were 59 per cent less likely to suffer from stroke when compared with those who had lowest levels of lycopene.