Could Turtle Gene Findings Aid Human Health?

WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have decoded the DNA of the western painted turtle in the hopes that a greater understanding of these reptiles could one day improve treatment for people who suffer a heart attack or stroke.

The researchers identified 19 genes in the turtles' brain and 23 in the heart that are activated in situations with low oxygen. These genes also occur in humans. The study authors said their findings might lead to treatments to repair tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation associated with cardiovascular emergencies.

"Turtles are nothing short of an enigma," senior study author Richard Wilson, director of Washington University's Genome Institute, said in a university news release. "They may be slowly evolving, but turtles have developed an array of enviable features. They resist growing old, can reproduce even at advanced ages and their bodies can freeze solid, thaw and survive without damaging delicate organs and tissues. We could learn a lot from them."

Turtles evolve very slowly -- at about one-third of the rate of human evolution -- found the team of researchers from several institutions, including Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis University and the University of California, Los Angeles. The body design of turtles has not changed much in 210 million years.

By examining the turtle's DNA, the researchers found that turtles are more closely related to birds than other reptiles, such as lizards and snakes. They are also able to withstand oxygen deprivation not by relying on new genes, but by activating gene networks found in humans and most other vertebrates and using those genes in new ways.

"This is a backdoor route for turtles to evolve," study co-author Patrick Minx, of the Genome Institute, said in the news release. "Rather than evolve new genes, they adapted existing genes for new uses."

Up to 50 percent of the 330 turtle species worldwide are considered threatened, however, primarily due to human consumption, the researchers said. Although claims have been made that eating turtles can help people live longer or cure cancer, these are unsubstantiated, the researchers added.

Changes in turtles' habitats have also played a role in their global decline.

"The challenge is to preserve the rich diversity of turtles that still exist on Earth as we continue to unravel their secrets for success," study first author H. Bradley Shaffer, of UCLA, said in the news release. "Turtles have a tremendous amount to tell us about evolution and human health, but time is running out."

The study was published online recently in the journal Genome Biology.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Washington University in St. Louis, news release, April 3, 2013

View the original article here

Baking after Eating Disorder - NEED HELP!

hi everyone :)

a few months ago i become slightly anorexic with my lowest bmi being 17. So it wasnt drastic but my parents still sent me to an inpatient clinic as there was things that happend in my past that i needed to sort out. I have been out for about 2 months. I am 174cm tall, almost 18 years old and i weigh currently 58kgs. Whenever i calculate my bmi it says i am a normal weight, but my parents and dietitian are insisting i get to a weight of atleast 60 kgs. I am currently not doing an sport which really doesnt help much. 

My huge problem is that I bake standard slab cakes to sell to my farm workers to earn more for the holiday coming up. I need the money and therefore can't stop baking. I tend to binge on the raw cake batter and the icing. I don't know how to stop myself and afterwards I absolutely feel sick to my stomach, does any one have any advice for me to stop this?

Thanks :) 

View the original article here

See Jon Hamm guest starring in Sesame Street

Jon Hamm has made a surprise appearance in a special edition of Sesame Street.

The Mad Men actor appears with Elmo, who is making a sculpture and goes on to tell the audience about the day's word, which is surprise, surprise "sculpture".

Sporting a beard, Jon Hamm shows examples of sculptures made of clay, marble and steel.

"Can we please show your sculpture now, Elmo, before I get a hernia?" he jokes, before Elmo shows the audience his masterpiece.

WATCH JON HAMM'S GUEST APPEARANCE BELOW

ROGER STERLING'S BEST MOMENTS

MAD MEN: SEASON SIX

Want GLAMOUR's celebrity news as soon as it happens on your phone? Download our FREE app 

« Back to more Celebrity News

View the original article here

Volunteering May Be Good for the Heart in More Ways Than One

Time spent helping others linked to lower blood pressure in older adults, study finds

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 14 (HealthDay News) -- Anyone who has ever been a volunteer knows that it feels good to help others, but researchers have found a less obvious benefit: volunteering can help reduce older adults' risk of high blood pressure.

The new study included more than 1,100 adults, aged 51 to 91, who were interviewed about their volunteering and had their blood pressure checked in 2006 and 2010. All of them had normal blood pressure at the time of the first interview.

The investigators found that participants who said during the first interview that they volunteered for at least 200 hours per year were 40 percent less likely to have high blood pressure four years later than those who did not volunteer.

It didn't matter what type of activity the volunteers performed. Only the amount of time spent helping others as a volunteer was associated with a reduced risk of high blood pressure, according to the study scheduled for publication in the journal Psychology and Aging.

The findings suggest that volunteering may be an effective medicine-free option to help prevent high blood pressure, which is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease -- the leading cause of death in the United States. High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects about 65 million Americans.

"Every day, we are learning more about how negative lifestyle factors like poor diet and lack of exercise increase hypertension risk," lead author Rodlescia Sneed, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, said in a university news release.

"Here, we wanted to determine if a positive lifestyle factor like volunteer work could actually reduce disease risk. And, the results give older adults an example of something that they can actively do to remain healthy and age successfully," Sneed explained.

"As people get older, social transitions like retirement, bereavement and the departure of children from the home often leave older adults with fewer natural opportunities for social interaction," Sneed noted. "Participating in volunteer activities may provide older adults with social connections that they might not have otherwise. There is strong evidence that having good social connections promotes healthy aging and reduces risk for a number of negative health outcomes."

While the study found an association between time spent volunteering and blood pressure levels, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

View the original article here

Man Arrested in Tainted Letter Case, Officials Report

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- A Mississippi man has been arrested in connection with the sending of letters suspected of being tainted with the deadly toxin ricin to President Obama and a Republican senator, federal agents said Wednesday night.

The FBI has identified the suspect as Paul Kevin Curtis of Corinth, Miss., according to the New York Times.

On Wednesday, officials reported that a preliminary, inconclusive test suggests the deadly toxin ricin was in a letter sent to President Obama on Tuesday, officials report.

The letter was intercepted at the White House mail screening facility, which is not located near the White House complex, USA Today reported Wednesday.

The preliminary test showed evidence of ricin, but the FBI said only a complete second test can confirm if the letter actually did contain the deadly poison, the Associated Press reported.

Ricin, which is found in the castor oil plant, can prove deadly if inhaled, one expert noted.

"Without a doubt, ricin is toxic," said Victoria Richards, a toxicologist and assistant professor of medical sciences at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

"If castor beans are eaten [about 20 for an adult] death can occur in six to eight days," Richards said. "When concentrated, ricin powder may be lethal in a much shorter timeframe. There is a process called oral inhalation, in which powders or aerosolized agents [depending on the particle size] can be deposited in the mouth and eventually swallowed."

If swallowed, "ricin will cause nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea and dehydration," Richards added. "Multiple organ damage also occurs, and eventually death."

At least three U.S. senators also reported receiving suspicious mail in recent days. A letter sent to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., tested positive for ricin in a preliminary test. On Wednesday morning, a suspicious letter was received by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and a suspicious package was received by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

"We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat," Levin said, USA Today reported.

The letter received by Wicker on Tuesday contained a "white granular substance" and was quarantined before the initial test indicated that the substance was ricin. The letter was intercepted at an off-site mail facility. The material has been sent to an accredited laboratory for further analysis.

The president was briefed on the suspicious letters on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning, said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, USA Today reported.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: Victoria Richards, Ph.D., assistant professor of medical sciences, Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn; USA Today

View the original article here

Ab/core

Anyone know of any good ab/core exercises that aren't sit ups or crunches? I've got this popping noise in my left hip that happens when I do sit ups. The only thing I know about are planks. 

TIA

View the original article here

Brain Changes Seen in Relatives of People With Alzheimer's

By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- If Alzheimer's disease runs in your family, you may be more likely to have brain changes associated with the disorder even before symptoms such as memory and thinking problems occur, according to new research.

An estimated 5.2 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, a number expected to increase dramatically as the baby boomer generation ages. The Alzheimer's Association predicts that the number of people aged 65 and older with the condition will reach 7.1 million by 2025.

To get a better handle on risk for Alzheimer's disease, researchers at Duke University looked at brain scans of more than 250 adults aged 55 to 89. Some had no signs of memory or thinking problems, while others did.

The researchers also analyzed genes and other markers in spinal fluid that are known to help predict Alzheimer's risk. A variation in the APOE gene was seen among those participants who were at greater risk for earlier onset of Alzheimer's.

Individuals who had a parent or sibling with Alzheimer's disease showed silent brain changes, the study found.

Specifically, close to 50 percent of healthy participants with a positive family history would have met the criteria for early Alzheimer's disease based on measurements of their cerebrospinal fluid, but just 20 percent of those without a family history would have fulfilled such criteria. The findings appear online April 17 in the journal PLoS ONE.

"In early-onset Alzheimer's disease, the genetics are much more clear-cut and we can test family members and know if they will develop Alzheimer's," said senior author Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry and medicine at Duke.

It is not as clear-cut, however, when it comes to later-onset Alzheimer's, Doraiswamy said. "The genetics are much more complex, and although we know these individuals are at a slightly greater risk, we don't know when they start developing silent brain changes," he said. "[The new study is] documenting very clearly that asymptomatic family members have twice the rate of silent brain changes and that these changes happen in certain pathways known to be related to Alzheimer's disease."

The findings may help advance research that seeks to prevent Alzheimer's disease by using drugs, he said, and it's not a reason to panic and start to think the worst if you have a family history of the disease. "The findings don't suggest you should worry any more or any less," he said.

Although the study found an association between having a family history of Alzheimer's and showing brain changes related to the disease, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

"Having a family history does not mean you will get Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's division at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. You may be at a higher risk for developing it, but it is not predestined, said Isaacson, who was not involved with the new study.

"Make brain-healthy choices now to help lower this risk," he suggested. "We know that if it is good for the heart it is good for the brain." Such choices include engaging in regular physical activity and eating a healthy low-fat diet.

"It's also important to keep your brain fit by doing something you enjoy -- whether crossword puzzles or learning a foreign language -- every day," Isaacson said.

"If you have a family history, get educated and informed about positive lifestyle choices and consider taking part in an Alzheimer's prevention trial," he said. "We can finally say 'Alzheimer's disease' and 'prevention' in the same sentence, and that is a great thing."

Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCES: P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., professor of psychiatry and medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; Richard Isaacson, M.D., director, Alzheimer's division, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; April 17, 2013, PLoS ONE

View the original article here