Natural therapy: Their

Showing posts with label Their. Show all posts

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Patients With Rare Cancers Want More Shared-decision Making About Their Cancer Treatment

Cancer patients under 55 and those with some rarer types of cancer want more of a say in the decisions made about their treatment, according to new research being published in the British Journal of Cancer today (Wednesday). Recently, several US states have introduced legislation or other policies supporting share-decision making.

The research also shows that ethnic minorities and patients with rectal, ovarian, multiple myeloma and bladder cancers are more likely to feel they aren't being given a big enough say in how they are treated.

Scientists funded by the National Institute for Health Research at the University of Cambridge looked at more than 40,000 responses to the 2010 English National Cancer Patient Experience Survey. More than 70 per cent said they felt suitably involved in decisions about their treatment. But younger patients in particular responded to the survey saying that decisions are made without enough of their personal input.

Dr Anas El Turabi, study author based at the University of Cambridge, said: "Although the overall results are very positive and most patients do feel suitably involved in their treatment decisions, there are distinct groups where this isn't the case and we need to address this. There appears to be a generation gap, possibly because younger patients expect to have more of a say in their treatment than older patients.

"This study should help us to focus on those groups of patients who feel the least involved. This means doctors, nurses and the patients themselves need to work together and build strong relationships that allow them to discuss treatment options in every case. Some patient groups may also need extra support to make sure they're properly involved in making these decisions, such as having a longer consultation with doctors or specialist nurses."

Dr Georgios Lyratzopoulos, study author, said: "Although there are differences between the US and UK healthcare systems, we would expect to find similar variation between American patients with different cancers.

"Additionally, this evidence highlights the importance of studying the experience of cancer patients using large national patient surveys such as in the UK, and we feel similar US-wide surveys of this kind would be very useful in identifying those patients who feel side-lined during decisions around their own treatment for cancer."

Martin Ledwick, head information nurse at Cancer Research UK, said: "All patients should feel entitled to discuss the options available with their doctors and nurses and be given the chance to do so. It's important that they're made to feel more like the co-pilots, rather than the passengers, on their own cancer journeys.

"Doctors want the best possible outcome for you when they're considering the most appropriate treatment but that doesn't mean the treatment will always suit every patient. Being able to talk freely about different options will help patients feel more involved."

Source-Eurekalert

View the original article here

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Over 60 Million Women in India Utilize Internet to Manage Their Lives

by Kathy Jones on? June 24, 2013 at 8:18 PM Lifestyle News A new survey carried out by Google India reveals that more than 60 million women are regular internet users in the country and utilize the online medium to manage their day-to-day lives. Over 60 Million Women in India Utilize Internet to Manage Their Lives
The web search engine released a report titled "Women & Web study" Thursday to understand the Internet usage pattern and its influence on purchase decisions of women using the online medium in India. It reveals that around 60 million women use the Internet to manage their day to day life, said a statement.

In terms of top searched categories by women on Google in India, apparels and accessories were on top followed by food and drink; baby care; hair care; and skin care.

The study also revealed that skin care, hair care, food and drink were the fastest growing search categories, with queries coming from mobile phones growing rapidly and accounting for almost 25 percent of total query volumes in these categories.

"With the report it is clear that the Internet is empowering Indian women with easy access to information and helping them to make more informed decisions in their day-to-day life," said Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director, Google India.

With an easy access to the Internet at homes, cyber cafes, offices and growing adoption of smart phones, the medium is becoming favourite to choose the right product.

The study revealed, that women who are online, are relatively more affluent and younger.

The Study was compiled by Google India, by combining Google search query data in India for Apparel and accessories, food and drinks, baby care, hair care and skin care product categories along with TNS Australia research conducted online over 1,000 women in the age group of 18 to 65 and industry reports.

Source-IANS

var xmlHttpvar imgpath,imagefunction RefreshImage(ImageId){image=document.getElementById(ImageId);//alert(ImageId);xmlHttp=GetXmlHttpObject();if (xmlHttp==null) { alert ("Your browser does not support AJAX!"); return; } var url="http://www.medindia.net/captcha/captcha.asp";url=url+"?x="+Math.random();imgpath=url;xmlHttp.onreadystatechange=stateChangedReg;xmlHttp.open("GET",url,true);xmlHttp.send(null);} function stateChangedReg(){if (xmlHttp.readyState==4){image.src = imgpath;}}function RequestCode(){xmlHttp=GetXmlHttpObject();if (xmlHttp==null) { alert ("Your browser does not support AJAX!"); return; } var url="http://www.medindia.net/captcha/reqimgvalue.asp";url=url+"?x="+Math.random();xmlHttp.onreadystatechange=stateChangedReq;xmlHttp.open("GET",url,true);xmlHttp.send(null);} function stateChangedReq(){if (xmlHttp.readyState==4){var seccode=xmlHttp.responseText;if(seccode==document.getElementById("scode").value){//alert(seccode + "same value");}else{document.getElementById("scode").value=xmlHttp.responseText;}}}function GetXmlHttpObject(){var xmlHttpNew=null;try { // Firefox, Opera 8.0+, Safari xmlHttpNew=new XMLHttpRequest(); }catch (e) { // Internet Explorer try { xmlHttpNew=new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP"); } catch (e) { xmlHttpNew=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); } }return xmlHttpNew;}function GetXmlHttpObject(){var xmlHttp=null;try { // Firefox, Opera 8.0+, Safari xmlHttp=new XMLHttpRequest(); }catch (e) { // Internet Explorer try { xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP"); } catch (e) { xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); } }return xmlHttp;}

function fnsearch(){day1 = document.search.SelDay.value;month1 = document.search.SelMonth.value;year1 = document.search.SelYear.value;tmpdate=month1+"/"+day1+"/"+year1 fromdate=new Date(year1,month1-1,day1)if (!((fromdate.getDate()==day1)&&(fromdate.getMonth()+1==month1)&&(fromdate.getFullYear()==year1))){alert("Please Select a valid Date")document.search.SelDay.focus();return false;}tmpcatid=document.search.ncategoryid.value;tmpkeyword=document.search.keyword.value;document.search.action="http://www.medindia.net/news/newsday_list.asp?ddate="+tmpdate+"&ncategoryid=" +tmpcatid +"&keyword=" +tmpkeywordreturn true;}News Categories:?? Latest Health News Popular News AIDS/HIV News Alcohol & Drug Abuse News Alternative Medicine News Anti-Aging News Bird Flu News Cancer News Celebrity Health News Chikungunya News Child Health News Cholesterol News Clinical Trials News Corporate News Dengue News Dental News Diabetes News Diet & Nutrition News Drug News Education News Environmental Health General News Genetics & Stem Cells News Health Insurance News Heart Disease News Hospital News Hypertension News Indian Health News Lifestyle News Medical Gadgets Medical PDA News Medico Legal News Men?s Health News Mental Health News News on IT in Healthcare Nursing Profession News Obesity News Organ Donation News Research News Respiratory Disease News Senior Health News Sexual Health News Tropical Disease News Weight Loss Women Health News

View the original article here

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Men Perform Oral Sex on Their Partners to Reduce Risk of Infidelity

The study was conducted to find out why men performed oral sex on females, as the act did not lead to reproduction.

243 adult men in heterosexual relationships were surveyed and the researchers found that cunnilingus is used by men to discourage their female partners from cheating by increasing her relationship satisfaction, a theory which the authors referred to as a mate-retention strategy, the Huffington Post reported.

The study has been published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology.

Source-ANI

View the original article here

Friday, May 31, 2013

Keystone Molecules in Nature Punch Over Their Weight in Ecosystems: Report

by Kathy Jones on? May 19, 2013 at 11:25 AM Environmental Health A theory proposed in the June issue of BioScience states that naturally occurring "keystone" molecules that have powerful behavioral effects on diverse organisms often play large roles in structuring ecosystems. Keystone Molecules in Nature Punch Over Their Weight in Ecosystems: Report
The authors of the theory, Ryan P. Ferrer of Seattle Pacific University and Richard K. Zimmer of the University of California at Los Angeles, liken such molecules to keystone species, animals or plants that may be uncommon but exert a controlling influence, through predation or in other ways. Keystone molecules function in chemical communication and defense, and likewise have dominant consequences in nature.Ferrer and Zimmer give four examples of keystone molecules. DMSP is a simple chemical, synthesized by single-celled marine organisms, that has powerful effects on bacteria, and through its breakdown products, on the foraging of seabirds. Saxitoxin is a potent poison, also produced by marine microbes, that repels some grazing animals but can cause massive die-offs of fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals. Tetrodotoxin is another toxic keystone molecule, but produced in the skin of newts. It prompts newt larvae to hide to avoid being cannibalized and also deters some predators. Garter snakes that feed on newts, however, can accumulate the toxin in their own tissues, which in turn provides them with predator protection. Pyrrolizidine akaloids, which are synthesized by many plants, repel most plant-eaters, but are consumed by some moths, which recycle the alkaloids and convert them into a powerful volatile pheromone that attracts mates.Because of their multifunctional effects and importance in the sea, in fresh water, and on land, keystone molecules deserve special attention from managers seeking to conserve species, Ferrer and Zimmer argue. The loss of a species that produces or captures a keystone molecule in an area could have far-reaching effects, as could the arrival of a non-native species that disrupts flows of the molecules. Future research, Ferrer and Zimmer suggest, is likely to reveal more keystone molecules and unseen webs of natural control.

Source-Eurekalert

View the original article here

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Risk of Problem Drinking High Among Youth Who Have Their First Drink During Puberty

Research shows that the earlier the age at which youth take their first alcoholic drink, the greater the risk of developing alcohol problems. Thus, age at first drink (AFD) is generally considered a powerful predictor of progression to alcohol-related harm. A new study shows that individuals who have their first drink during puberty subsequently have higher drinking levels than do individuals with a post-pubertal drinking onset.

Results will be published in the October 2013 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

"Most teenagers have their first alcoholic drink during puberty, however, most research on the risks of early-onset alcohol use up to now has not focused on the pubertal stage during which the first alcoholic drink is consumed," said Miriam Schneider, leader of the Research Group Developmental Neuropsychopharmacology at the Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, as well as corresponding author for the study. "Common thinking in alcohol research was that the earlier adolescents begin, the more deleterious become their drinking habits. However, a closer look at the statistics revealed a peak risk of alcohol use disorders for those beginning at 12 to 14 years of age, while even earlier beginners seemed to have a slightly lower risk. Since timing of puberty is not a simple function of chronological age, and also greatly differs between the sexes, the pubertal phase at first drink may therefore represent a stronger and better indicator for subsequent alcohol-related problems than simply the age."

"Usually this type of research has to be done retrospectively, and those studies are not very reliable," added Rainer Spanagel, head of the Institute of Psychopharmacology at the University of Heidelberg. "Prospective longitudinal studies like the one here ? are able to provide reliable conclusions on such a clinically and highly relevant research question. Alternatively, animal studies can be very informative - and which the researchers have also provided."

"Adolescents have their first drink at very different ages," explained Schneider. "It would be unethical to make adolescents have their first drink in the course of a study, so this variable requires a longitudinal epidemiological study or experimental animal research to assess drinking behavior. Also, the determination of the pubertal stage at AFD is not trivial; even our study had to rely on estimations. Third, it takes longitudinal studies to assess drinking data in early adulthood. Fourth, both drinking behavior and pubertal development can be traced back to common factors such as psychosocial adversity. Finally, while puberty and adolescence are overlapping time periods, with puberty being a part of adolescence, the terms cannot be used interchangeably. 'Puberty' refers to the time period during which sexual maturity is achieved. 'Adolescence' refers to the gradual period of behavioral and cognitive transition from childhood to adulthood, where adult behavioral abilities are acquired, and the boundaries of this period are not precisely defined. Girls complete puberty much earlier than boys, indicating a difference in timing of neurodevelopmental processes."

Schneider and her colleagues determined pubertal age at first drink in 283 young adults (152 females, 131 males) that were part of a larger epidemiological study. In addition, the participants' drinking behavior - number of drinking days, amount of alcohol consumed, and hazardous drinking - was assessed at ages 19, 22, and 23 years via interviews and questionnaires. Furthermore, a rodent study concurrently examined the effects of mid-puberty or adult alcohol exposure on voluntary alcohol consumption in later life by 20 male Wistar rats.

"Both studies revealed that those individuals that initiated alcohol consumption during puberty tended to drink more and also more frequently than those starting after puberty," said Schneider.

"In other words," said Spanagel, "this study indicates that the period of puberty might serve as a risk window for AFD. Results also show a higher Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score later in life in those individuals who had their AFD in puberty. A higher AUDIT score is indicative of a high likelihood of hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption. This information is of great relevance for intervention programs. Even more interesting, neither pre-pubertal nor post-pubertal periods seem to serve as risk-time windows. Therefore, intervention programs should be directed selectively towards young people in puberty."

Both Schneider and Spanagel noted the influence of a high degree of brain development that occurs during puberty.

"Numerous neurodevelopmental alterations are taking place during puberty, such as maturational processes in cortical and limbic regions, which are characterized by both progressive and regressive changes such as myelination and synaptic pruning," said Schneider. "Typically, an overproduction of axons and synapses can be found during early puberty, followed by rapid pruning during later puberty, indicating that connections and communication between subcortical and cortical regions are in a highly transitional state during this period."

"Puberty is a phase in which the brain reward system undergoes major functional changes," said Spanagel. "For example, the endocannabinoid and dopamine systems are at their peak and these major neurobiological changes are reflected on the behavioral level; reward sensitivity is highest during puberty. Therefore, during puberty the brain is in a highly vulnerable state for any kind of reward, and drug rewards in particular. This high vulnerability might also affect reward seeking, or in this particular case, alcohol seeking and drinking behavior later in life."

"In summary," said Schneider, "puberty is a very critical developmental period due to ongoing neurodevelopmental processes in the brain. It is exactly during puberty that substances like drugs of abuse - alcohol, cannabis, etc. - may induce the most destructive and also persistent effects on the still developing brain, which may in some cases even result in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or addictive disorders. Prevention work therefore needs to increase awareness of specific risks and vulnerability related to puberty."

Source-Eurekalert

View the original article here

Monday, May 27, 2013

Terrence Jenkins Surprises Mom With Early Mother's Day Visit—Watch Their Adorable Reunion!

by Natalie Finn Fri., May. 10, 2013 7:00 PM PDT

Terrence Jenkins is just that sweet.

The E! News?cohost jetted to Rocky Mountain, N.C., to surprise his mom, Lisa Gonzalez, ahead of Mother's Day this Sunday—and he brought us all along for the joyful reunion.

"Oh my God, honey, what are you doing here?!" Lisa exclaimed as she opened the door to find her son standing there. "I'm in shock, it's so good to see you!"

NEWS: Check out the latest stop on Terrence's Road to Shirtless!

She was especially surprised because, as Terrence noted, he's usually flying her out to see him in New York or L.A.

"It's kind of weird the way my life is because I'm pretty much a homebody, but all of a sudden you'll call and say, 'Mom, come to this event,' and then I'll be walking on the red carpet."

Well, why wouldn't Terrence want his muse by his side?! Lisa is, of course, the inspiration behind Terrence's upcoming first book, The Wealth of My Mother's Wisdom, due out in September.

NEWS: All about Terrence's new book, The Wealth of My Mother's Wisdom

"I want to thank you so much for honoring me with the book," Lisa told her son. "Growing up, I knew there was something really, really special about you...I'm so proud that you're my son and we're connected, forever."

Watch the clip for more warm words between mother and son—and see the sweet gifts Terrence bought Lisa for Mother's Day!?

For more celeb scoop, tune into E! News?weekdays at 7 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.

PHOTOS: Need inspiration for Sunday? Check out our Mother's Day gift guide!

View the original article here

Tuesday, May 21, 2013