The facts is that team of researchers have found that smarter people are apparently a bit more symmetrical in terms of the shape of their body than less-intelligent individuals. The team observed that body symmetry is measured by looking at those parts of the body that come in pairs, right and left — such as fingers, toes, hands and feet — and then measuring and comparing the width and length of each side.
To arrive at their conclusion, the researchers examined 14 previous studies that in total explored the possible body-brain connection among nearly 1,900 people.
They noted that past efforts have pointed towards intelligence as being a key indicator of future health, mortality and perhaps even overall fitness; a critical ingredient in boosting the chances for reproductive success and overall survivability.
It was this evidence of a connection between fitness and brains that sparked the notion among the team that body symmetry might correlate with intelligence.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Earphones can cause Deafness.
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High volume at which they hear music via earphone could cause deafness.
How it works
To understand how high volume affects your hearing, you need to understand how sound travels. We listen when sound travels down the ear canal and causes the eardrum to vibrate, which in turn causes three small bones in the middle ear to vibrate and amplify the sound.
The third middle ear bone vibrates against the snail shaped cochlea of the inner ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid and is lined with frequency-sensitive hair cells that convert vibrations into electrical signals going to the brain. The cells that respond to high frequency sounds are located in the outer cochlea while those for the low frequencies are located in the inner parts of the cochlea.
How it works
To understand how high volume affects your hearing, you need to understand how sound travels. We listen when sound travels down the ear canal and causes the eardrum to vibrate, which in turn causes three small bones in the middle ear to vibrate and amplify the sound.
The third middle ear bone vibrates against the snail shaped cochlea of the inner ear. The cochlea is filled with fluid and is lined with frequency-sensitive hair cells that convert vibrations into electrical signals going to the brain. The cells that respond to high frequency sounds are located in the outer cochlea while those for the low frequencies are located in the inner parts of the cochlea.
Gas bubbles to treat Cancer.
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Researchers have found a novel technique of destroying cancer cells in the body by injecting exploding gas bubbles into the blood stream.
The research team from Leeds University developed the technique that uses microscopic gas bubbles to carry chemotherapy drugs to tumours, where the drugs can target the cancer cells.
Each of the tiny bubbles, which are less than a tenth of the width of a human hair, can be specifically targeted towards cancer cells so that they clump around the tumour.
The research team from Leeds University developed the technique that uses microscopic gas bubbles to carry chemotherapy drugs to tumours, where the drugs can target the cancer cells.
Each of the tiny bubbles, which are less than a tenth of the width of a human hair, can be specifically targeted towards cancer cells so that they clump around the tumour.
Wine for Better Eye Vision.
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(IANS) Resveratrol, an ingredient found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and some plants, stops uncontrolled blood vessel growth in the eye, says a study led by an Indian-American.
'Resveratrol has been identified as an anti-aging compound. Given our interest in age-related eye diseases, we wanted to find out whether there was any link,' said retina specialist Rajendra S. Apte, senior study investigator.
Apte, formerly from Mumbai University and now with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, added: 'There were reports on resveratrol's effects on blood vessels in other parts of the body, but there was no evidence that it had any effect within the eye.'
'Resveratrol has been identified as an anti-aging compound. Given our interest in age-related eye diseases, we wanted to find out whether there was any link,' said retina specialist Rajendra S. Apte, senior study investigator.
Apte, formerly from Mumbai University and now with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, added: 'There were reports on resveratrol's effects on blood vessels in other parts of the body, but there was no evidence that it had any effect within the eye.'
Cell Phone Towers Not a Cancer Risk for Kids
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Mobile phone base station towers boost cell reception, not childhood cancer risk, a British study has shown.
Children whose mothers lived near a high-output cell phone antenna mast while pregnant were no more likely to develop childhood cancer than those who lived farther away, found Paul Elliott of Imperial College London and colleagues. The researchers reported their findings online in the British Medical Journal.
"The risks are dwarfed by the well known dangers of distraction while using mobile phones, especially when driving-even when using hands-free equipment," he wrote in the editorial.
But because of the high levels of public concern, Elliott's group conducted a study looking at all 1,397 cases of central nervous system cancer, leukemia, and non- Hodgkin's lymphomas in children up to age 4 years in the U.K. national cancer registry from 1999 to 2001.
Children whose mothers lived near a high-output cell phone antenna mast while pregnant were no more likely to develop childhood cancer than those who lived farther away, found Paul Elliott of Imperial College London and colleagues. The researchers reported their findings online in the British Medical Journal.
"The risks are dwarfed by the well known dangers of distraction while using mobile phones, especially when driving-even when using hands-free equipment," he wrote in the editorial.
But because of the high levels of public concern, Elliott's group conducted a study looking at all 1,397 cases of central nervous system cancer, leukemia, and non- Hodgkin's lymphomas in children up to age 4 years in the U.K. national cancer registry from 1999 to 2001.
Alcohol, drugs can stimulate artistic creativity
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The idea that alcohol and drugs can stimulate writers, musicians and others to create great works of art is a "dangerous myth" because they can actually stifle creativity, says a psychiatrist.
Iain Smith, consultant in addiction psychiatry at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow, said that while many artists and writers were known for their use of intoxicating substances, most produced their greatest work when they were sober."
Smith said: "The reason that this myth is so powerful is the allure of the substances and the fact that many artists need drugs to cope with their emotions. Artists are, in general, emotional people, and the use of these substances to deal with their emotions is more likely to happen."
Iain Smith, consultant in addiction psychiatry at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow, said that while many artists and writers were known for their use of intoxicating substances, most produced their greatest work when they were sober."
Smith said: "The reason that this myth is so powerful is the allure of the substances and the fact that many artists need drugs to cope with their emotions. Artists are, in general, emotional people, and the use of these substances to deal with their emotions is more likely to happen."
Former 'Biggest Loser' Says Show Gave Her Eating Disorder.
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A former contestant on the hit weight loss show "The Biggest Loser" is claiming that the show's unhealthy practices led her to develop a life-threatening eating disorder.
Kai Hibbard, 31, was one of the final four contestants on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" in 2006, when the show was in its third season. While Hibbard appeared to be a poster child for the show, losing 118 pounds in just 12 weeks, she now says that she nearly died.
"I had no idea I had a problem," Hibbard told ABCNews.com. "When you spend four months surrounded by people who are all doing this to themselves, even if intellectually it seems wrong, you don't realize. You just think if they're doing it, I'm doing it."
Kai Hibbard, 31, was one of the final four contestants on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" in 2006, when the show was in its third season. While Hibbard appeared to be a poster child for the show, losing 118 pounds in just 12 weeks, she now says that she nearly died.
"I had no idea I had a problem," Hibbard told ABCNews.com. "When you spend four months surrounded by people who are all doing this to themselves, even if intellectually it seems wrong, you don't realize. You just think if they're doing it, I'm doing it."
Only 1 in 18 Americams Consume Salt in Healthy Amounts
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Most U.S. adults should eat less than a teaspoon of salt each day, but a new government report says just 1 in 18 meet that goal.
"This is not good news," said Janelle Peralez Gunn of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead author of a new study released Thursday.
Health officials currently say no adult should eat more than a teaspoon of salt each day. They go on to advise that 70 percent of adults - including people with high blood pressure, all African-Americans and everyone over 40 - should actually limit their salt intake to a more restrictive two-thirds of a teaspoon.
Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is major cause of heart disease and stroke. Salt - or sodium chloride - is the main source of sodium for most people.
"This is not good news," said Janelle Peralez Gunn of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead author of a new study released Thursday.
Health officials currently say no adult should eat more than a teaspoon of salt each day. They go on to advise that 70 percent of adults - including people with high blood pressure, all African-Americans and everyone over 40 - should actually limit their salt intake to a more restrictive two-thirds of a teaspoon.
Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is major cause of heart disease and stroke. Salt - or sodium chloride - is the main source of sodium for most people.
US fight backs against Anthrax.
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Dimitrios Bouzianas, molecular endocrinologist, AHEPA University Hospital in Macedonia, Greece, notes that several existing antibiotics are available to combat an anthrax infection.
However, the emergence of artificially engineered B. anthracis strains, resistant to multiple antibiotics (including the front-line agents ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and ß-lactam antibiotics) has prompted researchers to pursue additional therapeutic options.
Such alternatives include small molecules and antibodies against toxins that the lethal bacteria secrete.
Today's drug arsenal has another weakness: no medications available to fight the dangerous toxin that can circulate in a person's blood when antibiotic treatment begins after the disease has taken hold.
However, the emergence of artificially engineered B. anthracis strains, resistant to multiple antibiotics (including the front-line agents ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, and ß-lactam antibiotics) has prompted researchers to pursue additional therapeutic options.
Such alternatives include small molecules and antibodies against toxins that the lethal bacteria secrete.
Today's drug arsenal has another weakness: no medications available to fight the dangerous toxin that can circulate in a person's blood when antibiotic treatment begins after the disease has taken hold.
No link to child cancer from phone masts, finds study
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Pregnant women who live close to mobile phone masts do not need to move house, scientists said today, following the publication of a study which found no link to early childhood cancers.
There has been public concern over the possibility that living near phone masts could raise the cancer risk of small children and clusters of cases around masts have been reported. But a study published in the British Medical Journal – the first to examine possible links between phone masts and childhood cancer across Britain – found no cause for concern.
Researchers from Imperial College London identified 1,397 children under five who were diagnosed with leukaemia or a tumour of the brain or central nervous system between 1999 and 2001. They compared each child with four children of the same gender who were born on the same day but had not developed cancer.
There has been public concern over the possibility that living near phone masts could raise the cancer risk of small children and clusters of cases around masts have been reported. But a study published in the British Medical Journal – the first to examine possible links between phone masts and childhood cancer across Britain – found no cause for concern.
Researchers from Imperial College London identified 1,397 children under five who were diagnosed with leukaemia or a tumour of the brain or central nervous system between 1999 and 2001. They compared each child with four children of the same gender who were born on the same day but had not developed cancer.
Better Vision May Be In Your Own Eyes
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More than 1.2 million Americans suffer cornea damage from injuries and more than 40,000 people a year undergo cornea transplants to repair otherwise irreversible eyesight damage, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
A New study suggests that many who suffer corneal damage by chemical burn may successfully restore their sight with transplants from their own eye stem cells.
A New study suggests that many who suffer corneal damage by chemical burn may successfully restore their sight with transplants from their own eye stem cells.
iPods, MP3 players 'can damage hearing'
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Scientists in Europe have shown that listening to music on headphones for an hour can have a temporary impact on people's hearing because of the damage caused to the hair cells in the outer ear.
Participants in the study had their hearing tested and were then asked to listen to pop or rock music for six one hour long sessions using two different types of headphones and at varying, preset volumes, The Daily Telegraph reported. After each session, the scientists measured the responses of the 21 men and women aged between 19 and 28 to a very short sound and then two sounds of different frequencies to see how clearly participants could hear the tones.
Participants in the study had their hearing tested and were then asked to listen to pop or rock music for six one hour long sessions using two different types of headphones and at varying, preset volumes, The Daily Telegraph reported. After each session, the scientists measured the responses of the 21 men and women aged between 19 and 28 to a very short sound and then two sounds of different frequencies to see how clearly participants could hear the tones.
Kids Think Food Tastes Better From Cartooned Packages.
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Researchers from Yale University announced the results of a small study which confirmed that, to children at least, food that's marketed with cartoons tastes better.
Forty children from the New Haven, Conn., area were asked to do a taste test of gummy fruit snacks, graham crackers and baby carrots. One bite came from food in a plain package with a simple label, and one bite came from a similar package that also had a Dora the Explorer, Shrek or a Scooby Doo sticker on the front.
Both packages had the same brand of snack, but the children consistently said that the food from packages with cartoons tasted better, according to a study published today in the journal Pediatrics.
Forty children from the New Haven, Conn., area were asked to do a taste test of gummy fruit snacks, graham crackers and baby carrots. One bite came from food in a plain package with a simple label, and one bite came from a similar package that also had a Dora the Explorer, Shrek or a Scooby Doo sticker on the front.
Both packages had the same brand of snack, but the children consistently said that the food from packages with cartoons tasted better, according to a study published today in the journal Pediatrics.
Drink beer, stay healthy!
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According to the study, commissioned by The Beer Academy, the drink is a rich source of vitamins, fibre, minerals and antioxidants and has relatively low calorific value as compared to other alcoholic beverages.
"Beer contains vitamins which can help you to maintain a well-balanced healthy diet, fibre to keep you regular, readily absorbed antioxidants and minerals such as silicon which may help to lower your risk of osteoporosis," a spokeswoman was quoted by the 'Daily Mail' as saying.
A survey found that while 68 per cent of people consider beer to be Britain's national drink, some 10 per cent wrongly believe that it contains fat, and 13 per cent believe the beverage is made from chemicals and not barley and hops.
"Beer contains vitamins which can help you to maintain a well-balanced healthy diet, fibre to keep you regular, readily absorbed antioxidants and minerals such as silicon which may help to lower your risk of osteoporosis," a spokeswoman was quoted by the 'Daily Mail' as saying.
A survey found that while 68 per cent of people consider beer to be Britain's national drink, some 10 per cent wrongly believe that it contains fat, and 13 per cent believe the beverage is made from chemicals and not barley and hops.
Humans could regrow body parts.
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An international team, led by the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, has found that the p21 gene could block the healing power still enjoyed by some creatures like amphibians, but lost through evolution to all other animals. By turning off p21, the process can be miraculously switched back on.
In their research, the scientists found that mice lacking the p21 gene gain the ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissue.
Unlike typical mammals, which heal wounds by forming a scar, these animals begin by forming a blastema, a structure associated with rapid cell growth.
In their research, the scientists found that mice lacking the p21 gene gain the ability to regenerate lost or damaged tissue.
Unlike typical mammals, which heal wounds by forming a scar, these animals begin by forming a blastema, a structure associated with rapid cell growth.
Britain hospitals recruiting robots for their work routines.
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A fleet of robots is being trained at the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Stirlingshire, ahead of its opening in August. They will transport clinical waste and dirty linen, deliver food and dispense drugs.
Forth Valley, of the National Health Service, will be the first British hospital to use these robots, whose colleagues are already employed in hospitals in the US, France and Japan.
A dedicated network of corridors has been constructed beneath the hospital for the robots to move about. Their human colleagues can call them when needed using a hand-held personal digital assistant system. The robots will then make their way to a lift, collect or deliver and return to the lift.
Forth Valley, of the National Health Service, will be the first British hospital to use these robots, whose colleagues are already employed in hospitals in the US, France and Japan.
A dedicated network of corridors has been constructed beneath the hospital for the robots to move about. Their human colleagues can call them when needed using a hand-held personal digital assistant system. The robots will then make their way to a lift, collect or deliver and return to the lift.
Tea and coffee can prove good against fighting Heart Diseases.
Enjoy a cup of Coffee or Tea every Morning and Evening ? This might be good for you as it might help to fight against Heart Diseases, a 13-year-long study from the Netherlands has found.
Those who drank more than six cups of tea a day cut their risk of heart disease by a third, the study of 40,000 people found.
Consuming between two to four coffees a day was also linked to a reduced risk.
While the protective effect ceased with more than four cups of coffee a day, even those who drank this much were no more likely to die of any cause, including stroke and cancer, than those who abstained.
Those who drank more than six cups of tea a day cut their risk of heart disease by a third, the study of 40,000 people found.
Consuming between two to four coffees a day was also linked to a reduced risk.
While the protective effect ceased with more than four cups of coffee a day, even those who drank this much were no more likely to die of any cause, including stroke and cancer, than those who abstained.
New York Plans to Raise Cigarette Tax
Cigarette taxes in New York would jump by $1.60 a pack under a tentative deal reached between Gov. David A. Paterson and legislative leaders, which would give New York the nation’s highest state cigarette taxes.
The proposal, which officials said Mr. Paterson would include in an emergency budget bill due for a vote on Monday, would also raise wholesale taxes on other tobacco products like chewing tobacco, bringing the tax on those products closer in line with those of cigarettes.
In New York City, which levies steep taxes of its own on tobacco products, a pack of cigarettes would come with a tax of $5.85, making it the nation’s first city to break $5, antismoking advocates said. That would bring the overall cost of a pack of premium cigarettes above $10 in many stores in the city.
The proposal, which officials said Mr. Paterson would include in an emergency budget bill due for a vote on Monday, would also raise wholesale taxes on other tobacco products like chewing tobacco, bringing the tax on those products closer in line with those of cigarettes.
In New York City, which levies steep taxes of its own on tobacco products, a pack of cigarettes would come with a tax of $5.85, making it the nation’s first city to break $5, antismoking advocates said. That would bring the overall cost of a pack of premium cigarettes above $10 in many stores in the city.
Plans for largest biomedical research facility in Europe unveiled.
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Plans for Europe's largest biomedical research facility, which will study everything from stem cells to influenza when it opens in 2015, were announced yesterday by Nobel laureate Sir Paul Nurse.
The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) is being funded to the tune of £600m by a range of government and charitable organisations including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and University College London. Around 1,250 scientists will work at the new complex on a 1.4 hectare (3.5 acre) site behind the iconic St Pancras railway station in central London.
Biologists, clinical scientists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists will work alongside each other at the new facility. "UKCMRI aims to break down the traditional barriers between different research teams and different disciplines," said Nurse, who chairs the scientific planning committee for the new lab. "UKCMRI will provide the critical mass, support and unique environment to tackle difficult research questions."
The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) is being funded to the tune of £600m by a range of government and charitable organisations including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and University College London. Around 1,250 scientists will work at the new complex on a 1.4 hectare (3.5 acre) site behind the iconic St Pancras railway station in central London.
Biologists, clinical scientists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists will work alongside each other at the new facility. "UKCMRI aims to break down the traditional barriers between different research teams and different disciplines," said Nurse, who chairs the scientific planning committee for the new lab. "UKCMRI will provide the critical mass, support and unique environment to tackle difficult research questions."
Dirty cars pose health risk: Study
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Dirty cars can pose serious threat to your health in warmer weather, reveals a new study.
The findings revealed that motorists are at danger from germs like Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus "each time they enter their car".
Bugs linked with food poisoning, vomiting and skin infections were all discovered inside a "random" car when it was subjected to a range of tests.
During the study, scientists analysed swabs taken from the car used by a couple and their two children and found Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus bacteria inside, including on the steering wheel, gear-stick and door handles.
The findings revealed that motorists are at danger from germs like Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus "each time they enter their car".
Bugs linked with food poisoning, vomiting and skin infections were all discovered inside a "random" car when it was subjected to a range of tests.
During the study, scientists analysed swabs taken from the car used by a couple and their two children and found Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus bacteria inside, including on the steering wheel, gear-stick and door handles.
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