Brain Differences Seen in Kids With Conduct Problems

THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The brains of children with conduct problems don't react in a normal way when they see images of other people in pain, a new study finds.

Conduct problems include antisocial behaviors such as cruelty to others, physical aggression and a lack of empathy (callousness).

In this study, U.K. researchers used functional MRI to scan the brains of children with conduct problems and a control group of normally behaved children as they viewed images of other people in pain.

The children with conduct problems showed reduced responses to others' pain, specifically in regions of the brain that play a role in empathy. Among the children with conduct problems, those who were the most callous had the lowest levels of activation in these brain areas, according to the study. It was published May 2 in the journal Current Biology.

This pattern of reduced brain activity in children with conduct problems may be a risk factor for becoming psychopaths when they're adults, said Essi Viding, of University College London, and colleagues. Psychopathy includes traits such as callousness, manipulation, sensation-seeking and antisocial behaviors.

The researchers noted, however, that not all children with conduct problems are the same, and many do not continue their antisocial behavior as they get older.

"Our findings indicate that children with conduct problems have an atypical brain response to seeing other people in pain," Viding said in a journal news release. "It is important to view these findings as an indicator of early vulnerability, rather than biological destiny. We know that children can be very responsive to interventions, and the challenge is to make those interventions even better, so that we can really help the children, their families and their wider social environment."

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Current Biology, news release, May 2, 2013

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Eating over maintenance..is it okay?

Hi! I'm a 21 yo female, 5'2", 108 lbs and I am attempting to maintain right now (even though I wouldn't mind losing more). Anyway, since I stopped dieting for a couple weeks now, I have been eating a lot of calories...way OVER MAINTENANCE averaging ~2200-2500 cals a day...some days even up to 3000 cals.

Yes, I know this is too much for a person my size and I am so scared that I will gain weight. My activity level is 6-8 hours a week.

Psychologically I can't accept myself eating this much every day but when i cut cals, I feel like ****. But gaining weight or fat will also feel like ****.

I'm honestly scared of how I'm eating right now and not sure if maintaining is the right mindset for me because I'm less strict with myself now than when my goal was to lose weight. 

I'm just kinda lost right now...how should I approach my situation?

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Lipsticks, Glosses Contain Toxic Metals: Report

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Lipsticks and lip glosses apparently give you more than colorful kissers, according to a new study by California scientists that contends the products contain lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other toxic metals.

The research team tested 32 different lip glosses and lipsticks commonly sold at drug and department stores. Some metals were detected at levels that could raise potential health concerns, the researchers said.

"Lipsticks and lip glosses often have levels of toxic metals which approach or exceed acceptable daily doses based on public health guidelines," said researcher Katharine Hammond, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

Hammond declined to name brands tested. "I would treat these results as applicable to all lipsticks," she said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, does list the lead content of many lipsticks by brand on its website.

In the new study, lead was found in 24 of the 32 products, but at a concentration usually lower than the acceptable daily intake levels.

"At an average level of use, it's not likely to be an issue," Hammond said. She added that she's concerned, however, about children playing with makeup, as no level of lead exposure is considered safe for them. Heavy adult users might consider cutting down, she added.

In the study, certain colors were not more likely than others to have the toxic metals, Hammond said. Nor were glosses more likely to have them than lipsticks, or vice versa.

The study was published online May 2 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The new report isn't the first to focus on toxins in lipsticks. In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 lip products and found that 61 percent contained lead, some with levels high enough to cause concern.

The current study went further than measuring the levels of lead and eight other metals. Researchers estimated risk based on the concentration of the metals detected and the users' potential daily intake -- average or high. They compared that information with existing public health guidelines about acceptable intake levels.

The researchers focused on lipstick and lip gloss, they said, because those who wear them absorb or eat them, bit by bit.

High use was defined as ingesting 87 milligrams of the product a day. That would involve repeated reapplying, Hammond said. Average use was about 24 milligrams a day.

When used at an average daily rate, the estimated intake of chromium from 10 products exceeded acceptable daily intake, the researchers found. Chromium has been linked to stomach tumors.

High use of the products, they found, also could result in overexposure to aluminum, cadmium and manganese. High manganese levels have been linked to nervous system problems.

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I find this workout video really hard but is it actually any good?

It's this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTT4W8ygJ7w

I was wondering what other people thought. I found it hard to finish but I'm so unhealthy at the moment. I was put on Zoloft/Sertraline and put on about a stone in a month, and can't seem to lose it, so trying to increase my activity levels and eat healthier more.

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At-Home Drug Errors Common for Kids With Cancer, Research Shows

Study author says parents need more support, better awareness

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- Children with cancer often have complex medication regimens -- sometimes as many as 20 drugs a day -- that they take at home, and mistakes are common, a new study finds.

Errors often occur when parents don't understand how to give the drugs, but mislabeled bottles and wrong prescriptions are also to blame, researchers say.

"Parents of children with cancer make many mistakes giving their children critical medicines, including chemotherapy at home," said lead researcher Dr. Kathleen Walsh, of the departments of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine in Worcester.

Injuries were often related to under-dosing pain medication, which was causing pain for the children, she said. "Sometimes parents wouldn't fill prescriptions, or give the proper dose," Walsh said.

"One thing that was surprising was the high rate of errors that go on," she added. "This high rate of errors calls us to remind doctors and parents that they need to be aware that home medication use is fraught with error, so they need to give the medicines exactly as they are told to do."

That's not to blame parents, Walsh noted. "Usually parents weren't aware they were making mistakes. They weren't aware that what they were doing could be dangerous or could decrease the effectiveness of the medications they were using," she said.

Parental "workarounds" to get kids to take medicines could make them less effective.

For example, one child wouldn't take a chemotherapy drug, so the parent sprinkled it on his dinner not realizing the drug doesn't work when taken with food, Walsh said.

"Another parent wasn't using a pill cutter, but using a knife to cut the medication and so the chemotherapy was crumbling and much of it was left on the table," she explained. "Parents didn't realize this was a mistake."

Walsh thinks parents need more support in how they use medications at home. "Parents need to understand you need to give medications exactly as prescribed and if you are going to change that in any way you need to tell the doctor," she said.

The report was published in the May print issue of Pediatrics.

Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, said that "when you are caught in the middle of the chaos and sadness of a sick child, it's not uncommon to see significant mistakes made when [parents are] giving medications to their children."

Many of the parents in the study were college educated, but no matter how well-educated the parents there are still many gaps in understanding how to administer chemotherapy at home, he said.

Lichtenfeld noted that these errors weren't always the parent's fault. "There were discrepancies between the labels on the drug and what the parents were supposed to do," he said. It's possible that the doctor changed the dose, but it was not reflected in the label from the pharmacy. This problem could be solved by better labeling, he added.

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being full is in my mind

so I am suffering from anorexia, now tyring to recover but admittingly still restricting! Im having breakfast, then nothing until dinner and over-exercising :(

My problem is this, I'm scared to gain weight and as much as I want to recover really am struggling to come to terms with weight gain ;(

When it coms to dinner time, I'm not hungry! like I think I get hunger pangs during the day, but the ED voice comes stronger and stronger as the afternoon draws closer to night and I start feeling full, full to the point as if I have JUST eaten!

can anyone shed some light?? is it cause I'm actually so hungry, I' feeling hunger not fullness? I sound crazy I know.  I just hate not being able to GUAGE MY OWN HUNGER at 25 freakin years old! this ED has taken over my life completely. help *cry*.  (P.s I do eat a large dinner regardless, then feel immense guilt)

I haven't weighed myself, but I am approx. 83-4 lbs, and 5'2"

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Me-Ality Finds the Perfect Jeans for Your Figure (Even Though It Looks Like an Airport Scanner)

Confession: I probably have about 20 pairs of jeans. Actually, take out the probably. I have 20 pairs of jeans. I know this because I counted last night. What I don't have? That one perfect pair. You know, the one that fits you just right; that's comfortably stretchy but never shrinks,  fades or stretches out too much. Most importantly, though, is that this perfect pair should make you look slim. Every day. Even on days you don't feel it. But now, there's a solution for that.

Needless to say, I was so excited when I heard about the Me-Ality Size-Matching Station at Bloomingdale's. How this airport scanner look-a-like works: You stand in the booth for 10 seconds while a machine measures your body. (Don't worry: You don't have to remove any clothes -- unless you're wearing a bulky outer jacket -- and no one is going to frisk you afterwards.) Once you've been measured, you get a barcode that you scan into a computer, and the result is the most amazing thing ever: a list of jeans -- brand, size and style included -- that fit you the best and that the store currently has in stock. It's even ranked in order of how perfect the fit should be. If you're looking for something specific, like skinny jeans, you can check a box and the computer will take away any denim that doesn't match. Brilliant, right?

When I scanned in my code, I got a list of 20 possible pairs. A couple of which--Paige and Joe's--I'd never tried before. A saleswoman helped me pull about 10 pairs from the list. Every pair fit. Like, every.single.pair. It kind of felt like magic. Of course, that didn't mean I liked them all (that would be magic), but it was still pretty great to be able to comfortably zip each one. After narrowing it down to two favorites, I ended up going with the number one-ranked pair on my list: Paige Skyline Skinny jeans. My coworker Anna, also ended up in a pair she'd never tried before: Adriano Goldschmied Stilt. Serious scores.

We hit up the Me-Ality at the Bloomingdale's 59th St. Flagship store in NYC, but the free service is also available at four other Bloomingdale's locations: Garden City, NY; Chevy Chase, MD; Costa Mesa, CA and Santa Monica, CA. Additionally, it's in 20 malls nationwide. (Check out me-ality.com/locations to find one near you.) And once you're measured, your stats are saved. Simply create a profile on me-ality.com and the program will help you find the right size for online purchases, too. The company's next project: bras. Which means finding the perfect one will no longer require letting a stranger measure your boobs. Don't know about you, but I'll happily get scanned for that any day.

--Sara Wells, Senior Editor

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