Thursday, 8 November 2007

ADHD




///////////////Treating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With a Stimulant Transdermal Patch: The Clinical Art Arnold, L.E., et al. - Stimulant medications (amphetamine and methylphenidate) are the best-documented treatments for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but their short pharmacokinetic and behavioral half-lives have historically produced irksome time-course effects. New drug-delivery systems designed to eliminate the need for frequent dosing include the methylphenidate transdermal system, in which the matrix acts as both the drug reservoir and the skin adhesive [more...]
Pediatrics, 11/05/07










////////////////////////////////////Ontogeny of Bilirubin-Binding Capacity and the Effect of Clinical Status in Premature Infants Born at Less Than 1300 Grams Bender, G.J., et al. - Bilirubin is toxic to the brain and enters the brain in unbound form. Serum unconjugated, unbound bilirubin may be a good predictor of bilirubin encephalopathy...Conclusion: In very preterm, very low birth weight infants, bilirubin-binding capacity is directly proportional to gestational age. Bilirubin-binding capacity is lower and unbound bilirubin higher in unstable than in stable neonates. These data may be useful in guiding the management of hyperbilirubinemia in very low birth weight infants [more...]
Pediatrics, 11/05/07








///////////////// Remember, remember, the 5th of November The Gunpowder Treason and plot; I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason Should ever be forgot. -- Traditional rhyme for Guy Fawkes Night




DTR






///////////////////A Sniff of Your SweetieDo you sleep in your boyfriend's pajamas? Many people smell their partners' clothing for comfort.
By:Debbi Gardiner
If you've ever intentionally smelled a partner's clothing for comfort, you've got a lot of company. Preserving, smelling and wearing the clothes of a sexual partner while separated is common, and it's probably normal behavior, suggests a University of Pittsburgh study.
Researchers who surveyed undergraduate students in long-term relationships found over half of men and nearly 90 percent of women had deliberately smelled their partner's shirt or blouse. A majority of women also report sleeping in or next to their partner's clothing.












////////////////////////////Chapter V: The Yoga of Renunciation of ActionV.10. BRAHMANYAADHAAYA KARMAANI SANGAM TYAKTWAA KAROTI YAH;LIPYATE NA SA PAAPENA PADMAPATRAM IVAAMBHASAA.(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)He who performs actions, offering them to Brahmanand abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin as alotus leaf by water.V.11. KAAYENA MANASAA BUDDHYAA KEVALAIR INDRIYAIR API;YOGINAH KARMA KURVANTI SANGAM TYAKTWAATMASHUDDHAYE.Yogis, having abandoned attachment, performactions only by the body, mind, intellect and alsoby the senses, for the purification of the self.








/////////////////////7 Tips for Eating Healthy on a BudgetWritten on October 29, 2007 – 4:56 pm by Russ Turley
I was re-listening to Podcast #2 and Jeff said something that got me thinking. He said something to the effect of, “It’s expensive to eat healthy”. The more I thought about it, the more it bugged me. One should be able to buy good food that’s not processed, or at least minimally processed, that can be a part of a healthy diet while not forcing you into the poor house.
I did a search on the Google and came up with my top 7 list of tips for eating healthy on a budget.
#7 - Buy the less expensive generic or store brands. The store brands are often the same as the major label brands.
#6 - Eggs and beans are great alternatives to meat.
#5 - Don’t eat out. Preparing your own meals is always cheaper and almost definitely healthier.
#4 - Buy lean meats in bulk, then divide up and freeze. Costco and Sams Club are your friends when making large meat purchases.
#3 - Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. Old wives are always right.
#2 - Buy your produce at the farmer’s market instead of the grocery store. At the local farmer’s market I can buy a 5 pound bag of oranges for $1. At the grocery store they’re $1.29 a pound.
#1 - Don’t buy sodas and other sugary drinks. Drink water. Water is almost free and the money saving benefits of drinking water are totally eclipsed by the health benefits.








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Onions 'cut heart disease risk'

Onions are a good source of quercetinEating a meal rich in compounds called flavonoids reduces some early signs of heart disease, research shows.
An Institute of Food Research team focused on one of the compounds, quercetin, which is found in tea, onions, apples and red wine.
The Atherosclerosis study examined the effect of the compounds produced after quercetin is broken down by the body.
They were shown to help prevent the chronic inflammation which can lead to thickening of the arteries.
The effect is more subtle than laboratory experiments using the parent compound
Dr Paul KroonInstitute of Food Research
Previous research has shown quercetin is metabolised very quickly by the intestine and liver and is not actually found in human blood.
So instead the researchers concentrated on the compounds that enter the bloodstream after quercetin is ingested, absorbed and metabolised.
The compounds were used - in concentrations similar to those that would be produced following digestion - to treat cells taken from the lining of the blood vessels.
Lower dose, bigger impact
Lead researcher Dr Paul Kroon said: "We tested compounds that are actually found in the blood, rather than the flavonoid in food before it is eaten, as only these compounds will actually come into contact with human tissues and have an effect on arterial health.
"The effect is more subtle than laboratory experiments using the parent compound.
"But the metabolites still have an effect on the cells lining the blood vessels."
The research found that, in the case of one inflammatory process, a lower dose of the compounds - achievable by eating 100g to 200g of onions - actually had a bigger impact.
Bridget Aisbitt, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said: "Inflammation is an important process in the furring up of arteries that can lead to heart disease and stroke and this study gives us clues as to why a diet rich in fruit and vegetables appears to reduce the risk of these conditions.
"In the UK we are only consuming about two portions of fruit and vegetables per day on average, so this study underlines the importance of getting your five a day to stay healthy throughout life."










//////////////////////onions=flavinoids






///////////////There is a long and interesting article about the case for legal, medical assisting dying in CANADAathttp://winnipegsun.com/News/Canada/2007/11/04/4629290-sun.htmlIt starts..............." The day will come. It may be 50 years from today or it could be next month but the day will arrive when you are sitting in a doctor's office or lying in a hospital bed, when you'll hear the words, "There's little we can do for you. We will try to control your pain as much as possible."You are dying."You may already be picturing your last days and hours -- at home, in your own bed, surrounded by your loved ones, free of pain, ready to go.............................."








/////////////////'The Australian' newspaper reported on 2 Nov 07 :-Activist's suicide reignites debateBy Andrew FraserTHE euthanasia debate has been reignited with the suicide of a Queensland woman who eight years ago pleaded publicly for the right to kill herself.In 1999, June Burns, who suffered from multiple sclerosis and bladder cancer, was the subject of a television advertisement in which she said she would take her life once the pain from the two diseases became unbearable.Ms Burns, who died at the age of 67, had some remission from the pain in the intervening years but last weekend took the lethal drug Nembutal, which she had stored at her home in Warwick, in southern Queensland, since the late 1990s.Her death was revealed yesterday by euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke, who said Ms Burns had only ever wanted to have the choice of killing herself if the pain became too great.But Right to Life groups immediately disputed this, saying that the eight years between when she wanted to kill herself and when she actually did showed that people in pain who had voiced suicidal thoughts often changed their minds.The television advertisement was shown only once, and it came a year after the federal Government had overturned a Northern Territory parliamentary vote to legalise euthanasia.In the advertisement, Ms Burns claimed that "soon I will be in such pain and distress that my life won't be worth living"."If I was a dog, by now the RSPCA would be on to my husband for cruelty and would have me put down straight away."I don't want to have to kill myself, but if nobody can help me, I'm going to have to."Dr Nitschke said Ms Burns became known as "the woman who changed her mind" when she didn't commit suicide after the advertisement appeared."The ad said she wanted the choice but a lot of people assumed she wanted to kill herself straight away," Dr Nitschke said yesterday."She made the ad because she was upset at the way the federal Government had overturned the Northern Territory laws. It was about that time that she obtained the Nembutal."But she was comforted by the fact that she had the choice of having a peaceful death if she wanted to, and in the end she made that decision."This has happened in other cases - that when people have the option and they've actually got the drugs in the cupboard, then they do feel better because it's a weight off their mind."Right to Life Australia co-ordinator Graham Preston said Ms Burns's case showed why euthanasia should not be legalised. "The doctors gave her two years. Well, the doctors got it wrong."There are cases when people can feel really bad and, if it's available, then they'll take it. Had euthanasia been legal back in March 1999, it is quite possible that Mrs Burns may have had her life ended then."It is very sad that Mrs Burns has taken her own life now but it could have been even more tragic if euthanasia had been legal eight years ago."Ms Burns's husband, Bob Burns, issued a statement in which he said that since Ms Burns's father had died of cancer in 1977 she had maintained a strong belief that the individual should be able to make his or her own decision about ending life peacefully in circumstances where a terminal illness leads to a painful and undignified death despite palliative care."Despite having multiple sclerosis and two battles with cancer over the past 10 years June fought on courageously, knowing that when the end was in sight she could make her own decision and end her life peacefully and with dignity."June made that decision last Friday and is now at peace."








///////////////////////////////OUT GOES THE SUNSHINE,IN COMES THE RAIN








/////////////////Watch it, Tom! Japan experts find fearless Jerries
Thu Nov 8, 2007 12:55am EST

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By Tan Ee Lyn
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Fear may be linked to the sense of smell, and can be switched off simply by shutting down certain receptors in the brain, Japanese scientists have found.
In an experiment with mice, the researchers identified and removed certain receptors on the olfactory bulb of their brains -- and the result was a batch of fearless rodents.
To prove their point, the scientists showed pictures of a brown mouse within an inch of a cat, sniffing up its ear, kissing it and playing with its predator's collar.
"They detect the smell of predators ... like a cat and urine of a fox or snow leopard, but they don't display any fear. They even show very strong curiosity but they can't tell the smell is a sign of danger," said Hitoshi Sakano at the University of Tokyo's department of biophysics and biochemistry.
"So these mice are very happy with cats. They play with cats. But before taking the picture, we had to feed the cat," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Experts have long thought that fear in animals may be prompted by their keen sense of smell.
But this is the first time scientists have discovered that smell detection and how that translates to fear take place in different parts of the olfactory bulb.
"How do our brains interpret the odorous information? What we found is that in the mammalian system, there are two circuits, one is innate and one is associative learning for detecting smells," Sakano said.
//////////////////Anti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards, or mistrust of, intellectuals and intellectual pursuits. This may be expressed in various ways, such as attacks on the merits of science, education, or literature.

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast contrasts a scholar with a prize-fighter. His caricature encapsulates the popular view that sees reading and study as being in opposition to sport and athletic pursuits.
Anti-intellectuals often perceive themselves as champions of the ordinary people and egalitarianism against elitism, especially academic elitism. These critics argue that highly educated people form an isolated social group that tends to dominate political discourse and higher education (academia).
Anti-intellectualism can also be used as a term to criticize an educational system if it seems to place minimal emphasis on academic and intellectual accomplishment, or if a government has a tendency to formulate policies without consulting academic and scholarly study
/////////////////////








////////////////////PERSONALITY PLUS








/////////////////////Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity Improves Outcomes Without Developmental Disability
Caffeine (methylxanthine) therapy for apnea of prematurity increases the likelihood that very preterm infants will survive without developmental disability, the New England Journal of Medicine reports.
Researchers examined outcomes among nearly 1900 newborns, weighing 500 to 1250 g at birth, who were randomized to receive caffeine therapy or placebo. Treatment was initiated within the first 10 days of life and continued until about 35 weeks after the mother's last menstrual period.
The primary outcome — a composite of death, cerebral palsy, cognitive delay, hearing loss, and bilateral blindness at 18 to 21 months of age — occurred significantly less frequently with caffeine than with placebo (40% vs. 46%). The caffeine group also had a significant reduction in cerebral palsy and a near-significant reduction in cognitive delay.
The authors say their results "provide strong evidence that the overall benefits of methylxanthine therapy as used in this trial outweigh any potential risks up to 2 years after very preterm birth."
NEJM article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription)
NEJM editorial (Subscription required)








///////////////////////////QUANTUM PHYSICS TUTORIAL=http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/~umallik/adventure/quantumwave.html





////////////////////////Australian scientists decode whale sounds
By Tessa Dunlop Wed Nov 7, 9:05 PM ET
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian scientists studying humpback whales sounds say they have begun to decode the whale's mysterious communication system, identifying male pick-up lines and motherly warnings.
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Wops, thwops, grumbles and squeaks are part of the extensive whale repertoire recorded by scientists from the University of Queensland working on the Humpback Whale Acoustic Research Collaboration (HARC) project.
Recording whale sounds over a three-year period, scientists discovered at least 34 different types of whale calls, with data published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
"I was expecting to find maybe 10 different social vocalizations, but in actual fact found 34. It's just such a wide, varied repertoire," University of Queensland researcher Rebecca Dunlop told Reuters.
The researchers studied migrating east humpback whales, as they traveled up and down Australia's east coast, and recorded 660 sounds from 61 different groups.
Researchers attached audio transmitters to buoys near the whales and monitored the whale interaction from the shore.
Many of the whale sounds could overlap in meaning, said Dunlop, but some had clear meanings.
A purr by males appeared to signify the male was trying his luck to mate a desirable female. High frequency cries and screams were associated with disagreements, when males jostled to escort females during migration, she said.
A wop sound was common when mothers were together with their young. "The wop was probably one of the most common sounds I heard, probably signifying a mum calf contact call," said Dunlop.
Dunlop stopped short of defining the whale communication as a language, but said there were clear similarities with human interaction.
"Its quite fascinating that they're obviously marine mammals, they've been separated from terrestrial mammals for a long, long, long time, but yet still seem to be following the same basic communication system," she said.
Dunlop hopes further research on the subject will help reveal the effect of boats and man-induced sonar on migrating whales.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)









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