Health News Rundown, + one political rant
Hookah? Ahhh scary caterpillar
A recently study performed by Georgetown University found that genetic damage in mouth tissue of hookah smokers was identical damage found in cigarette smokers. The jury's still out but it is not necessarily safe to assume that hookah is any safer than smoking.
Caffeine Abuse
A study performed by the American College of Emergency Physicians has discovered that many students are abusing caffeine pills. These pills are legal and easily purchased over the counter; use of them may result in a euphoric high. Sometimes an overdose will lead to a kid being taken into the ER, unfortunately many ER physicians overlook the possibility of caffeine abuse when diagnosing the case. The average fatal dose for caffeine is around 2-5 grams. Generally speaking you are putting yourself at risk for anxiety, sleep problems, and a host of other health issues if you consume more than 250 mg a day.
Mirror Neurons--effect on autism, violent video games/movies
Today I psychology class I got bored and we were learning about learning and conditioning so I started looking into these things called mirror neurons. Mirror Neurons are neurons that fire when an animal performs an action, but also fire when the animal sees that action performed by someone else. They have been observed in primates (including humans, of course) and some birds. These neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. They may especially play a large part in theory of mind.
Many scientists believe that this relatively recent discovery is extremely significant, and that a strong understanding of how these neurons work may lead to remarkable advances in various areas of study. Having a weaker set of mirror neurons may account for impaired communication and relating skills found in children with Asperger's and autism. This may very well prove to be the neurological basis for mindblindness, similar to recent findings that have shown a neurological basis for dyslexia. Recent research has also suggested that the temporal lobes of people with autism may communicate differently with other parts of the brain, and a mutated gene has been marked to increase the risk of having an autistic phenotype.
Another area this discover has affected is our understanding of entertainment media, particularly violent movies and video games. Obviously I'm one of them folk who don't darn think dem dastardly video games made me do it. But since mirror neurons are apparently firing while you play violent games, you may be relating more to what you see on the screen than you actually think--which is why when you're getting chased around while playing CS you might be nervous and sweaty? But does this mean that those violent morons who said "video games made me do it" might have been right? Because that would...kind of suck. What do you guys think?
Stem Cells and Lou Gehrig's
A US research team has discovered that injecting rats with stem cells can delay the onset of ALS (amytrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's the same motor neuron condition that Stephen Hawking has. When injected in to rats, 70% of the human stem cells differentiated into neurons! While this is a preliminary study it certainly paints a bright and happy future for stem cell research...if only the government would support it further...
Contraceptives
A lot of women I've spoken with are reticent to take Seasonale, a birth control pill that limits your period to once a season. I can understand why that would be--if you got pregnant your period would be missing, too. Recently, though, manufacturers have come out with birth control pills that can limit your periods to approximately 3 days a month. Obviously this has benefits for both men and women. (Poor boys having to put up with PMS...) Loestrin 24 Fe, which has 24 active pills and 3 placebo pills, is advertising this.
Other reproductive news: Yaz(drospirenone & ethinyl estradiol), a low dose form of Yasmin, can now be used to treat severe PMS (called PMDD). Don't want a vasectomy? Instead of getting them snipped, you can get em plugged. Speaking of contraceptives, read this op/ed on legalization of Plan B. I guess it sucks to live in South Dakota. Bastards.
PTSD...rats
Researchers are the University of South Florida have been able to replicate PTSD symptoms in rats by putting them under stress. Rats exposed to two intense periods of stress, in conjunction with daily social stress, exhibited increased anxiety, heightened cardiovascular activity and impaired memory. If their social behaviors were disrupted (if they were constantly separated from friends, etc, their symptoms would get worse.)
America, So Beautiful it HURTS
On Sept 27, although everyone was freaks out about a Republican pedophile, the Military Commissions Act was passed unnoticed. My fellow Americans, we are talking very bad juju. This act gives President Bush the authority to detain people indefinitely without charge or trial if he deems them an unlawful enemy combatant. This includes US citizens. (Right to a prompt and fair trial, anyone?) Also, by amending the War Crimes Act, it allows the president to authorize interrogation techniques that may nonetheless violate the Geneva Conventions and provides future and retroactive immunity for those who engage in or authorize those acts. It specifies that "enemy combatants" as opposed to POWs, are not protected under the Geneva convention and that they have no right to habeas corpus.
If you're picked up under this, you don't have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, the right to a phone call, or even a right to a trial. You don't even have to be charged with anything. Oh, and then there's nifty CIA Interrogation Techniques. (No, seriously. Read that. It's CREEPY.)
Oh. And Halliburton has been contracted $385 to build a detention camp in an undisclosed location within the US. Why does this reek of McCarthyism?
Otherwise...
algern0n. I hope this guy wasn't you.
A recently study performed by Georgetown University found that genetic damage in mouth tissue of hookah smokers was identical damage found in cigarette smokers. The jury's still out but it is not necessarily safe to assume that hookah is any safer than smoking.
Caffeine Abuse
A study performed by the American College of Emergency Physicians has discovered that many students are abusing caffeine pills. These pills are legal and easily purchased over the counter; use of them may result in a euphoric high. Sometimes an overdose will lead to a kid being taken into the ER, unfortunately many ER physicians overlook the possibility of caffeine abuse when diagnosing the case. The average fatal dose for caffeine is around 2-5 grams. Generally speaking you are putting yourself at risk for anxiety, sleep problems, and a host of other health issues if you consume more than 250 mg a day.
Mirror Neurons--effect on autism, violent video games/movies
Today I psychology class I got bored and we were learning about learning and conditioning so I started looking into these things called mirror neurons. Mirror Neurons are neurons that fire when an animal performs an action, but also fire when the animal sees that action performed by someone else. They have been observed in primates (including humans, of course) and some birds. These neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. They may especially play a large part in theory of mind.
Many scientists believe that this relatively recent discovery is extremely significant, and that a strong understanding of how these neurons work may lead to remarkable advances in various areas of study. Having a weaker set of mirror neurons may account for impaired communication and relating skills found in children with Asperger's and autism. This may very well prove to be the neurological basis for mindblindness, similar to recent findings that have shown a neurological basis for dyslexia. Recent research has also suggested that the temporal lobes of people with autism may communicate differently with other parts of the brain, and a mutated gene has been marked to increase the risk of having an autistic phenotype.
Another area this discover has affected is our understanding of entertainment media, particularly violent movies and video games. Obviously I'm one of them folk who don't darn think dem dastardly video games made me do it. But since mirror neurons are apparently firing while you play violent games, you may be relating more to what you see on the screen than you actually think--which is why when you're getting chased around while playing CS you might be nervous and sweaty? But does this mean that those violent morons who said "video games made me do it" might have been right? Because that would...kind of suck. What do you guys think?
Stem Cells and Lou Gehrig's
A US research team has discovered that injecting rats with stem cells can delay the onset of ALS (amytrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. It's the same motor neuron condition that Stephen Hawking has. When injected in to rats, 70% of the human stem cells differentiated into neurons! While this is a preliminary study it certainly paints a bright and happy future for stem cell research...if only the government would support it further...
Contraceptives
A lot of women I've spoken with are reticent to take Seasonale, a birth control pill that limits your period to once a season. I can understand why that would be--if you got pregnant your period would be missing, too. Recently, though, manufacturers have come out with birth control pills that can limit your periods to approximately 3 days a month. Obviously this has benefits for both men and women. (Poor boys having to put up with PMS...) Loestrin 24 Fe, which has 24 active pills and 3 placebo pills, is advertising this.
Other reproductive news: Yaz(drospirenone & ethinyl estradiol), a low dose form of Yasmin, can now be used to treat severe PMS (called PMDD). Don't want a vasectomy? Instead of getting them snipped, you can get em plugged. Speaking of contraceptives, read this op/ed on legalization of Plan B. I guess it sucks to live in South Dakota. Bastards.
PTSD...rats
Researchers are the University of South Florida have been able to replicate PTSD symptoms in rats by putting them under stress. Rats exposed to two intense periods of stress, in conjunction with daily social stress, exhibited increased anxiety, heightened cardiovascular activity and impaired memory. If their social behaviors were disrupted (if they were constantly separated from friends, etc, their symptoms would get worse.)
America, So Beautiful it HURTS
On Sept 27, although everyone was freaks out about a Republican pedophile, the Military Commissions Act was passed unnoticed. My fellow Americans, we are talking very bad juju. This act gives President Bush the authority to detain people indefinitely without charge or trial if he deems them an unlawful enemy combatant. This includes US citizens. (Right to a prompt and fair trial, anyone?) Also, by amending the War Crimes Act, it allows the president to authorize interrogation techniques that may nonetheless violate the Geneva Conventions and provides future and retroactive immunity for those who engage in or authorize those acts. It specifies that "enemy combatants" as opposed to POWs, are not protected under the Geneva convention and that they have no right to habeas corpus.
If you're picked up under this, you don't have the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, the right to a phone call, or even a right to a trial. You don't even have to be charged with anything. Oh, and then there's nifty CIA Interrogation Techniques. (No, seriously. Read that. It's CREEPY.)
Oh. And Halliburton has been contracted $385 to build a detention camp in an undisclosed location within the US. Why does this reek of McCarthyism?
Otherwise...
algern0n. I hope this guy wasn't you.