Children are hurt by chaos at home

(PhysOrg.com) -- Historically, U.S. children have experienced chaos for decades due to the nation's high rates of migration, poverty, and maternal and child mortality. But today, chaos in children's lives is largely on the family level, said a Cornell sociologist in a statewide videoconference, June 17.

"Children are affected by the divorce and remarriage of their parents, higher rates of maternal employment and the fast pace of modern life," said Dan Lichter, professor of policy analysis and management and director of the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center. Many of the modern factors that contribute to chaos -- such as divorce or children born out of wedlock -- disproportionately impact lower-income and minority children, he said.

Almost 600 community professionals at 13 sites across New York took part in the live videoconference that focused on how chaotic environments impact the health of children.

The conference, co-sponsored by the College of Human Ecology, melded research from psychology, demography and sociology for a diverse audience that included representatives from schools, health-care organizations, the court system and the foster care system.

These disproportionate effects on low-income and minority children contribute to the cycle of poverty in our nation, said Gary Evans, professor of design and environmental analysis and human development, also a speaker at the conference. His research shows that chaos -- specifically crowding, excessive noise, less structured and predictable household routines, as well as geographic instability -- is linked closely to economic status, with poorer families experiencing more chaos.

For example, he said, lower-income families are five times more likely to experience divorce and six times more likely to have unpredictable work schedules.

In addition, lower-income communities are on average 10-15 decibels louder -- or twice as loud -- as middle-class communities. Evans' research has shown that children living in noisy communities are more likely to suffer from deficits in reading.

"There's a convergence of these different issues that creates problems for children living in poverty," Evans said. "Children need to learn they can have an impact on their environment. In chaos, that's difficult to learn because they lose the sense of control over their environment."

Elaine Wethington, associate professor of human development, identified several red flags that indicate children are experiencing too much chaos in their lives: -- a lack of routine in parents' schedules; -- a lack of routine in the child's eating and sleeping schedule; -- time spent unsupervised; and -- a lack of cheerfulness or energy.

"We need local solutions that involve schools and parents," Wethington told the audience.

The videoconference was designed to help communicate to policy-makers and practitioners some of the scholarly research on chaos and children's development from the First Biennial Bronfebrenner Conference on the Ecology of Human Development, held in Ithaca in October 2007. Its proceedings are in press at the American Psychological Association.

The video broadcast and downloadable research briefs are available at http://www.parenting.cit.cornell.edu/events.html. Follow the link to archived webcasts.

Other co-sponsors of the videoconference include the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center, the Parenting in Context project and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Provided by Cornell University

No Need For Gene Screens In Breast Cancer Families, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (July 25, 2008) — Research reported today should provide relief to women who are worried after a relative's breast cancer diagnosis. The study shows that a family history of breast cancer does not give a useful indication of the likelihood that a woman will develop it herself at an early age.

An increased risk of breast cancer for relatives of breast cancer patients has been demonstrated in many studies. As physicians and the general population have become more aware of this increased risk, the demand for referring healthy women with a family history of breast cancer for intensive screening or genetic testing has risen. Geertruida H. de Bock led a team from Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands who investigated whether the increased risk was significant enough to accurately predict breast cancer.

According to de Bock, "Due to the low prevalence of early breast cancer in the population, the predictive value of a family history of breast cancer was 13% before the age of 70, 11% before the age of 50, and 1% before the age of 30." These numbers are much lower than most women would probably expect. As the authors explain, "Applying family history related criteria results in the screening of many women who will not develop breast cancer at an early age."

Given the psychological harm that screening visits can cause, more stringent criteria should be applied to early screening. The researchers recommend that these results be used to "reassure a large number of women regarding their personal breast cancer risk."

Removing Ovaries During Hysterectomy: Effects Remain Unknown

ScienceDaily (July 20, 2008) — During hysterectomy operations, surgeons often remove a woman's ovaries as well as her uterus. Cochrane Researchers now say there is no evidence that removing the ovaries provides any additional benefit and warn surgeons to consider the procedure carefully.

"Until more reliable research is available, removal of the ovaries at the time of hysterectomy should be approached with caution," says lead researcher, Dr. Leonardo Orozco of the OBGYN Women's Hospital San José in Costa Rica.

Of those women who undergo hysterectomies aged 40 or above, around half also have their ovaries removed. This amounts to more than 300,000 women a year in the US alone. The reason most commonly given for carrying out an oophorectomy at the same time is that it prevents ovarian cancer. However the ovaries produce not only estrogen, but also important hormones such as androgens that may have important clinical effects which have yet to be identified.

The researchers say there is little evidence to support the idea that removing the ovaries during a hysterectomy provides an overall health benefit. They identified only one controlled trial, involving 362 women. This compared hysterectomies with oophorectomies to hysterectomies without oophorectomies. Although this trial showed a very slight positive effect on psychological well-being when oophorectomies were performed, the team say much more data is required before any conclusions can be drawn.

"There could be a real benefit or harm associated with oophorectomy, but it has not been identified, more research of higher methodological quality is needed." says Dr. Orozco.

Red yeast rice, fish oil fight high cholesterol

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A regimen of supplements and lifestyle coaching is just as effective as statin medication for reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol, and more effective in helping people lose weight, new research shows.

People with high cholesterol who took red yeast rice and fish oil daily and received counseling on diet, exercise and relaxation techniques showed the same 40 percent drop in LDL cholesterol seen among people taking 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily, Dr. David J. Becker of the University of Pennsylvania Health System's Chestnut Hill Hospital and colleagues found. And they pared off an average of 10 pounds over 12 weeks, compared to less than a pound for patients taking the statin.

Becker has run a lifestyle program for people at risk of heart disease for 13 years. "People had a uniform desire to get off statins, and when they did their cholesterol was only going down maybe 5 percent at most," he told Reuters Health. The cardiologist decided to launch the current study after seeing many patients have success in lowering their cholesterol with red yeast rice and fish oil.

With a grant from the state of Pennsylvania, Becker and his team randomly assigned 74 patients to receive 40 milligrams of simvastatin (Zocor) daily along with printed information on lifestyle changes, or to three capsules of fish oil twice daily and 600 milligrams of red yeast rice daily along with the 12-week lifestyle program.

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Prozac Nation No More?

In a new book, psychiatrist James Gordon explains why he believes there's a more effective and drug-free way to treat depression and anxiety.

By Anne Underwood | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jul 8, 2008 | Updated: 8:56 a.m. ET Jul 8, 2008

Do we really need Prozac? James Gordon, founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, D.C., says there's a better way to treat depression—through diet, exercise and meditation. Roll your eyes all you like. He's used the approach for 35 years with a wide range of patients, from runaway children and middle-class adults in Washington, D.C., to victims of war in Bosnia, Kosovo, Israel and the Gaza Strip. This week, Gordon is heading to flood-stricken Iowa to see if he can be of assistance there. About 10 percent of American women and 4 percent of men now take antidepressants (according to a 2004 CDC report). Gordon's new book, "Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression," outlines a treatment program he believes can be an alternative to medication. NEWSWEEK's Anne Underwood spoke to Gordon about his recommendations and how he's implemented them around the world.

Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: So many people have been helped by Prozac and other antidepressant medications. Why do you say these drugs should only be used as a last resort?
James Gordon: Depression is not the end stage of a disease process but a wakeup call to examine our lives. There are better ways to do that than taking drugs, which have side effects and don't address the underlying message that depression is bringing—that our lives are out of balance and significant change is necessary. Instead they tell us, "You have a biochemical disorder, here's a drug."

But people with depression do have imbalances in levels of neurotransmitters.
Some people do, I wouldn't deny that. What I'm saying is that there are many ways to address those changes that do less harm and may be more productive in the long run because they give people the sense of control that comes from helping themselves.

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Laugh Your Way To Wellness With Yoga Trend

ScienceDaily (May 6, 2008) — “Ho ho, ha ha ha,” students in a fitness class at the University of Michigan Health System chant repeatedly while clapping their hands and walking around the room.

They’re just getting warmed up; in the next half-hour, they will stretch their muscles and work on breathing exercises. They’ll also laugh for most of the 30 minutes, from self-conscious giggles to uninhibited belly laughs. All in the name of fitness.

This is a “laughter yoga” course, part of a growing trend in parts of the United States, India and other countries. The students are re-learning something children already know instinctively: that laughter makes you feel better.

“Kids laugh about 400 times a day, and adults only about 15,” notes Barb Fisher, a certified laughter yoga leader and the instructor of this class offered by the U-M Health System’s MFit health promotion division. “Laughter is a gift that has been given to us to make us feel better.”

Fisher teaches her students that not only is it fun to laugh, but that laughter yoga (also known as hasya yoga) can provide many health benefits:

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Chinese Ants Show Promise For Fighting Arthritis, Other Diseases

ScienceDaily (Apr. 28, 2008) — Ants may be an unwelcome intruder at picnics, but they could soon be a welcome guest in your medicine cabinet. Chemists in China report identification of substances in a certain species of ants that show promise for fighting arthritis, hepatitis, and other diseases.

For centuries, ants have been used as a health food or drink ingredient in China to treat a wide range of health conditions, including arthritis and hepatitis. Researchers suspect that these health effects are due to anti-inflammatory and pain-killing substances in the ants. However, the exact chemicals responsible for its alleged medicinal effects are largely unknown.

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Gene That Regulates And Blocks Ovulation Discovered

ScienceDaily (July 17, 2008) — A group of Canadian and European researchers have unlocked the mystery of a gene with the potential to both regulate and block ovulation. The new study is a collaboration between the Université de Montréal in Canada and the Institut de génetique et biologie moléculaire et cellulaire of the Université de Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France.

"Our findings demonstrate that the Lrh1 gene is essential in regulating ovulation," said Bruce D. Murphy, director the Animal Research Centre at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and an adjunct professor of and obstetrics and gynaecology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal. "Until this point, the role of Lrh1 in female fertility was unclear, but we have found the gene regulates multiple mechanisms of ovulation and may affect fertilization."

To reach their conclusions, the research team developed a new type of genetically modified mouse whose Lrh1 gene was selectively blocked in the ovary. They found that deletion of the Lrh1 gene effectively stopped ovulation. "This discovery means we can envision new contraceptives that selectively stop ovulation," said Dr. Murphy. "If created, these new contraceptives would be more effective and produce less side-effects than current steroid-based forms of birth control."

What's more, the findings could lead to the development of pharmaceuticals that activate the Lrh1 gene, which may prove critical in giving infertile couples hope in producing children. "This is an important development, since 15 percent of couples are infertile," said Dr. Murphy. "The widespread role of this gene in the ovary indicates that it may be targeted to stimulate ovulation and, eventually, conception."

The research was supported by the CIHR in Canada; CNRS, INSERM and the Serono Foundation in Europe.

Going Green with Feminine Hygiene

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By: Jennifer Newell
Published: Thursday, 29 May 2008

As the world becomes more aware of environmental concerns, many people have found ways to incorporate "green" alternatives into their daily lives. Women can play a special role in these recycling and conserving times if they consider products that they use monthly during menstruation. There are numerous products now on the market that serve as reasonable, if not preferable, alternatives to traditional ones.

While these alternative products, such as organic pads and tampons, cloth pads, and reusable menstrual cups, are not for everyone, those who have switched to these eco-friendly options are typically pleased with the results. In addition, many of the products do cost less than mainstream brands, and the reusable products can save a great deal of money for female consumers in the long run.

Disposable Products

Several brands have recently entered the market, which offer safe and chlorine-free pads and tampons for those seeking to continue using the types of products to which they've become accustomed. The benefit to using the newer products is that they are chemical free and 100% all natural, organic cotton.

Natracare is the most common brand name that manufactures and sells tampons and pads that are disposable but free from chemicals. The line of products was developed as a response to health and environmental concerns about the use of rayon, dioxin pollution caused by chlorine bleaching, and the extensive use of pesticide sprays on most cotton. Dioxin has also been connected to cancer and other health concerns, so reducing dioxin exposure was a major factor in the creation of the tampons, and certified organic cotton was the answer.

Other brands that cater to the eco-friendly consumer include Organic Essentials and Seventh Generation, both of which use certified organic cotton and are free of dioxin and bleach. Stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's carry some of the natural products, but they can also be ordered online at Amazon or private companies that specialize in "green" products.

Reusable Tampons

It does not seem like the most obvious item to reuse, but it can be done with the right material. Sea sponge tampons are actually extracted from the ocean floor and are about as natural as one can get. There is no applicator, only the sponge that is rinsed every few hours and reinserted. At the end of the menstrual cycle, it should be cleaned and air dried, and proper care will allow the tampon to be reused for approximately six months.

There are several companies that manufacture sea sponges for this purpose, like Sea Pearls and Jade and Pearl. Considering that a woman typically uses 11,000 tampons - a widely accepted estimate - in her menstruating years, being able to buy two sponges for $10 or $12 and use them for an entire year makes great economic and environmental sense.

Reusable Pads

Years ago, it was common for women to use cloth diapers for babies, and in light of the trend of becoming environmentally conscious, many parents are switching back. The same can be said for women and menstrual pads. Considering the massive amount of waste from disposable pads, reusable cloth products are becoming more popular with women. The cloths can be washed and reused, and while the liners and liner holders are not exactly cheap, quite a bit of money is saved in time due to the recycling of all products involved.

There are numerous brands available, including GladRags and LunaPads that are made in different sizes, colors, and styles and can be accessorized with carrying cases and soaking containers. What many women like about the reusable cloths is their softness and comfort, as all are made from cotton - mostly organic cotton - and free from chemicals and other materials found in disposable pads. Some brands, like Sorella Luna Organic pads are all-in-one products that do not require that a separate liner and holder be purchased.

Basically, after use, pads are kept in a water-filled container to soak, which helps prevent stains, until the cloths can be washed. Some people allow them to dry, then soak in cold water prior to washing, but stains may not come out as easily. Even so, the process is easy and prevents the waste and discomfort that most women find with store-bought disposable pads.

Menstrual Cups

The last category of natural alternatives to traditional menstrual products is the cup. They are small, bell-shaped cups inserted into the vagina to catch the menstrual flow. Though there are disposable cups, the most popular eco-friendly type is the reusable kind because they last up to ten years. Most are made of rubber or silicone.

The Keeper is a common brand that is made of natural gum rubber, but for women with latex allergies, the DivaCup is preferred, as it is made of silicone. Both products can be worn for 6 to 12 hours at a time, depending on flow, then emptied, cleaned, and reinserted. They also come in two sizes - one for those who have birthed children, and one for those who have not. Women seem to like the convenience of one product, which comes with a cloth carrying bag, and the absence of any need for back-up pad protection.

Global Warming May Be to Blame For Increase in Kidney Stones

By: Drucilla Dyess
Published: Wednesday, 16 July 2008

An increasingly warmer U.S. climate may lead to more people suffering from kidney stones. Because dehydration is one of the risk factors for kidney-stone disease, and hotter temperatures cause more fluid loss, kidney stones are projected to become more likely, according to researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

After analyzing the frequency of kidney stones in the U.S. and studying expected nationwide average annual temperature increases, Tom Brikowski, Ph.D. and colleagues predict that by 2050, warmer temperatures will cause an extra 1.6 million to 2.2 million kidney-stone cases This increase represents up to a 30 percent growth in some areas.

Global warming may expand the higher-risk region of the Southern U.S. known as the "kidney-stone belt" into neighboring states. The states currently included are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. An increase in the number of kidney stone related health issues in the upper Midwest is also possible with the Chicago area alone getting up to 100,000 extra cases each year. Other countries may be affected as well. The report can be found in the July 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to Dr. Margaret Pearle, professor of urology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the paper, "This study is one of the first examples of global warming causing a direct medical consequence for humans." She also noted, "There is a known geographic variation in stone disease that has been attributed to regional differences in temperature. When people relocate from areas of moderate temperature to areas with warmer climates, a rapid increase in stone risk has been observed. This has been shown in military deployments to the Middle East for instance."

Kidney-stone disease (nephrolithiasis) is a common health issue in which solid crystals form from dissolved minerals in urine. Both environmental and metabolic issues cause kidney stones. The lower the volume of urine, the higher the kidney stone risk due to the concentration of stone-forming salts. Therefore, kidney stones can form from either too little fluid intake or too much fluid loss.

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Slow exercise beneficial for menopausal women

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Scientists seeking to delay or reduce age-related muscle deterioration in menopausal women are examining the effects of different exercise regimes.

Alexander Sanger's research group from University of Salzburg has investigated two such methods. Hypertrophy resistance training is a traditional approach designed to induce muscle growth and 'SuperSlow(r)' which involves much slower movement and fewer repetitions of exercises.

'Our results indicate that both methods increase muscle mass at the expense of connective and fatty tissue, but contrary to expectations, the SuperSlow(r) method appears to have the greatest effect,' revealed Sanger.

'These findings will be used to design specific exercise programmes for everyday use to reduce the risk of injury and thus significantly contribute to a better quality of life in old age.'

The study focussed on groups of menopausal women aged 45-55 years, the age group in which muscle deterioration first starts to become apparent.

Groups undertook supervised regimes over 12 weeks, based on each of the training methods. Thigh muscle biopsies were taken at the beginning and end of the regimes, and microscopically analysed to look for changes in the ratio of muscle to fatty and connective tissue, the blood supply to the muscle.

'The results of our experiments have significantly improved our understanding of how muscles respond to different forms of exercise,' asserted Sanger.

'We believe that the changes that this new insight can bring to current training systems will have a considerable effect on the lives of both menopausal and older women,' she concludes.

These results were presented on Monday at the Society for Experimental Biology's Annual Meeting in Marseille.

Woman Aquires New Accent After Stroke

ScienceDaily (July 6, 2008) — A woman in southern Ontario is one of the first cases in Canada of a rare neurological syndrome in which a person starts speaking with a different accent, McMaster University researchers report in the July issue of the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences.

The puzzling medical phenomenon known as foreign-accent syndrome (FAS) arises from neurological damage, and results in vocal distortions that typically sound like the speaker has a new, "foreign" accent.

This particular case, however, is even more unusual because the English-speaking woman did not acquire an accent that sounds foreign but one that instead sounds like Maritime Canadian English.

The woman, referred to here as Rosemary, was recovering from a stroke two years ago, when her family noticed a change in her speech. They asked medical personnel at the Integrated Stroke Unit of Hamilton General Hospital why their mother was suddenly speaking with what sounded like a Newfoundland accent. It was at that point that the medical team joined forces with researchers in McMaster's Cognitive Science of Language program to study the case.


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'Mind's Eye' Influences Visual Perception

ScienceDaily (July 4, 2008) — Letting your imagination run away with you may actually influence how you see the world. New research from Vanderbilt University has found that mental imagery—what we see with the "mind's eye"—directly impacts our visual perception.

"We found that imagery leads to a short-term memory trace that can bias future perception," says Joel Pearson, research associate in the Vanderbilt Department of Psychology. and lead author of the study. "This is the first research to definitively show that imagining something changes vision both while you are imagining it and later on."

"These findings are important because they suggest a potential mechanism by which top-down expectations or recollections of previous experiences might shape perception itself," Pearson and his co-authors write.

It is well known that a powerful perceptual experience can change the way a person sees things later. Just think of what can happen if you discover an unwanted pest in your kitchen, such as a mouse. Suddenly you see mice in every dust ball and dark corner—or think you do. Is it possible that imagining something, just once, might also change how you perceive things?

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Post-Exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel

Article Date: 02 Jul 2008 - 0:00 PDT
Recipe to recover more quickly from exercise: Finish workout, eat pasta, and wash down with five or six cups of strong coffee.

Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research from the online edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study, published by The American Physiological Society.

The study, "High rates of muscle glycogen resynthesis after exhaustive exercise when carbohydrate is co-ingested with caffeine," is by David J. Pedersen, Sarah J. Lessard, Vernon G. Coffey, Emmanuel G. Churchley, Andrew M. Wootton, They Ng, Matthew J. Watt and John A. Hawley. Dr. Pedersen is with the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, Dr. Watt is from St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. All others are with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT) in Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.


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