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Researchers Still Aren’t Sure What Causes Autism

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

While there is no shortage of research being done on the causes of autism, we are still left with more questions than answers as to what’s going on. As one in about 110 boys being born today are being diagnosed with autism, parents are till trying to figure out if they are somehow responsible for their child’s condition or if there are environmental causes contributing to the affliction. Here are a few of the more popular theories about what is going on with autism diagnosis.

1.) More diagnosis are happening-It is the contention of some that there really aren’t all that many more cases of autism now than there was 20 years ago, it’s just that doctors are diagnosing it more now. While there is certainly an increased awareness of autism now, it is difficult for many to believe that there isn’t more to the problem.

2.) Genetic combinations- A popular theory regarding autism is that it’s the combination of genes in two parents that produce an autistic child. Indeed, while one person could procreate with someone and produce a child natural in every way, it could be possible for that same person to procreate with someone else and the combination of genes in those two people results in autistic children.

3.) Vaccinations- The early rap on autism was that it was coming from immunization shots they received as babies. Themerosal for instance received considerable blame for contributing to autism numbers. Many people now believe this is an unfounded claim and it’s rare now for the vaccinations to be blamed for autism rates.

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Get to Know the Companies You Invest In

March 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It is imperative perhaps now more than ever to do your due diligence and research on the companies you invest in. Indeed, with the financial crisis barely in our rear view mirror, most of us have not forgotten the feeling of seeing our money disappear as stock prices plummeted. While many people used to put their investing faith in brokers and big banks, these same people are no longer trusted to handle the money of hard working people still angry about losing their money and then bailing out the companies who lost it. With sites like ebuilder and Scottrade allowing people to make their own trades. Here are some sites you can use to make your own investing decisions.

1.) yahoo finance- Yahoo provides a great source for making your own investment decisions. In addition to providing key information on company financials, you are also able to look up historical prices over the history of a stocks life span. Also, yahoo provides a charting mechanism so that you can view stock prices by chart over the last 1, 3, or 5 year periods.

2.) footnoted.org- This is a wonderful site which will alert you to any noferous activity at a comoany you invest in. Often times a company will try and be sneaky when they don’t want the public and shareholder to know what they are up to. An example would be when a board’s compensation committee choose to grant stock options to an executive after they have already filed their proxy statements. By providing this information in a supplemental filing, it looks to shareholders like the company has something to hide.

Getting ahold of your own investing by doing your research will be great in the long run. It leaves you responsible for your own investments.

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Where to Buy Concert Tickets

March 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It is important to do your research before buying concert tickets. While concert ticket sales as a whole are down from past years, that doesn’t mean the seats you desire are readily available. The most popular concerts are still filling up, especially the best seats down front. There are many after market ticket agencies out there looking to sell you concert tickets for mark-ups of up to hundred of dollars. Do yourself a favor and make sure your due diligence is done before you go purchasing tickets at a serious price hike. Here are the places to go for concert tickets.

1.) Ticketmaster- Unfortunately, this company i still getting the majority of tickets to the majority of concerts out there so you best learn their system if you want good seats at an affordable price. Most concerts will go on sale at 10am and often on a Saturday morning. What you’ll want to do is settle in at your computer a few minutes before ticket go on sale. Have all your account information set up so you don’t waste valuable time filling it in after you claim your tickets. If you aren’t able to complete these forms in time then the tickets you claimed are returned to the general public. Refresh your page right as the tickets go on sale and once inside the ticket area, make you you are choosing the right pair before committing.

2.) eBay- eBay is a fair second choice if you missed out with Ticketmaster. However, do not pay $399 for some buy it now auction. The tickets are most likely overpriced. Instead, look for no reserve auctions where you can grab tickets for a reasonable price.

It’s easy to overpay for tickets if you know what you’re doing. Follow this tips for successful ticket buying.

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The Linus Pauling Institute

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Linus Pauling is well-known for his work with Vitamin C (and his recommendation to take high doses of this vitamin daily), but he voraciously studied all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and phytochemicals he could get his hands on. He was so dedicated to this field, in fact, that he established the Linus Pauling Institute in 1973 to focus on the study of nutrition and its impact on both optimal health and disease.

This institute is still active today, and it has grown into a large research center that is well respected by the scientific community. Not only is it valuable to the field of science, but the general public also reaps the benefits of their research.

The Pauling Institute is now located on the campus of Oregon State University (where Pauling attended during his undergraduate education). Pauling Institute scientists and researchers conduct timely studies that aim to solve today’s medical problems, such as examining the role of tea in cancer prevention or the impact of environmental stress on Lou Gehrig’s disease. In a twice-annual newsletter, the Pauling Institute outlines its accomplishments and features interviews with lead researchers. They also host free annual lectures on topics of interest to the public.

The Pauling Institute also provides medical information to the general public, such as a recent press release announcing that burns reduce Vitamin E levels in the body drastically, based on a study they completed on children who had been burned. Also, their web site has a free comprehensive database of all the micronutrients that are known to exist in food products.

In addition to conducting research, the Institute also supports the scientific community by offering a prize every other year to scientists and doctors who exemplify Pauling’s aim, which was to further the understanding of the effect of nutrition on health. The Institute also offers graduate fellowships to worthy science students.

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Stay Safe with Electronic Cigarette Cartridges

December 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Electronic Cigarettes
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When was the last time you thought about your general well being? If you have a life that is well fused into the economic burst of our world, it is highly likely and understandable that you wade aside your conscience, each time your body and mind sparks you with an indication of something not being sound. You take refuge in the financial success and the societal glory of the moment. You could be drifting away from the self awareness of the functions of your body and mind and the practices of self monitoring principles, which you once found delight in.

The average health expenditure in a year, per person in the US, is roughly estimated to be about US $7,000. A good percentage of people become victims of critical illnesses, and the hospital costs involved can be astonishing. Another good portion of health expenditure can be attributed to general illnesses, which can be hospital in-patient treatments or via ordinary visits to the clinic. Doctors in major cities worldwide, attribute this phenomenon to life style. Stressful demands on the individual from society, employer and the family members, can shift him onto a position, where he learns to resist and cope with stress and yet continue that way. What many people do not realize is that the human body is delicate and has evolved out of frail conditions from past centuries.

While indulging in richer things of life is essential, formulating your routine diet to be healthy and body friendly can go a long way. Much information on food ingredients are freely available to be viewed online. While one must hope to stay away from preventive medications, maneuvering medications to supplement health is acceptable and fine. There are options for just about any unhealthy indulgences you can think of. For example, electronic cigarette cartridges are an effective way to avoid ill effects of tobacco carcinogens.

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Anschutz Medical Campus Launches 25-Year Study

December 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment

On October 27, 2010, the Anschutz Medical campus kicked off one of the largest children’s health studies conducted anywhere in the world. Partnering with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Colorado School of Public Health and funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study will follow children from before birth through the age of 21. The study will include 100,000 participants and last 25 years.

The study will follow children from 105 locations and will evaluate the effect of environment and genetics on children’s health. Over the next five years, the funding will provide $13.5 million for the local study, which will take place at the Anschutz Medical campus. Dana Dabelea, with the Colorado School of Public Health, will act as the lead investigator for the study. She reported this will be the first study of its kind.

What is unique about the study is that it will consider a variety of environmental factors, such as the diets for children, the quality of air and water, and the care they receive from caregivers. In other words, the study will evaluate the effect of biochemical and social environments on health.

The study will begin recruiting for women in the Douglas County area of Colorado who are or may become pregnant in the next few years. The Battelle Memorial Institute will be helping the study recruit volunteers. In the first stage, participants will spend time answering questions to help researchers get a baseline for the study. The questions will seek information on the home environment women have or plan to have for their babies.

To help track the home environment, the participants may need to bring samples of things from home, such as dust or tap water samples. Researchers may also take samples of blood and urine from participants. While the study will last 25 years, the team expects to begin using the information within the first five years of the project.

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Hope for Patients With Lung Tumors

December 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Lungs Ru
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A new report from research teams conducting a clinical trial for the drug crizotinib has shown that the drug may shrink lung tumors. The team issued this report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, after finding that crizotinib reduced tumor sizes in over half of the patients who developed the tumors in conjunction with the ALK gene. Overall, the drug was able to reduce tumor size in about 33 percent of the entire group, regardless of the gene.

The phase one trail pulled together researchers from various institutional research facilities and may help the FDA determine whether to approve crizotinib for use in the treatment of lung tumors. As part of the study, the team also had to determine the maximum amount of the drug that is safe for patients to take.

According to the last few years of research for cancer, most doctors now know that certain genetic abnormalities contribute to the development of the disease. Because of this knowledge and the initial parameters of the trial, the research team was able to add patients to it that have cancer specifically related to the ALK gene. That means more research will need to determine whether the drug will work as effectively on cancers caused by other gene abnormalities.

Even if crizotinib only proves effective for the ALK gene, it is still a major success for cancer research. This particular gene may cause between 2 and 7 percent of the cases where cancer develops into non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is the number one cause of death related to cancer in the U.S.

As the clinical trial continues, doctors will learn more about the effectiveness of crizotinib, but for now things look promising. Over 60 of the participants are still taking the medication. If the FDA does approve the drug, Pfizer will begin producing more of it. As the manufacturer, Pfizer helped fund the study.

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Harry Potter Magic Coming True in Science

December 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Re-growing bones comes in handy when you are a wizard who has just broken your arm playing in an aggressive match of Quidditch. It also comes in handy when a magical teacher accidentally vaporizes the bones. While most people don’t blink an eye at the magic in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, most wouldn’t expect science to mimic it. And that’s where they’d be wrong.

Researchers with the Eindhoven University of Technology have found a way to mimic the formation process of bone—in other words, they may have a way to grow bone. The team will be publishing a paper in December 2010 in Nature Materials that will explain more about the research process.

When bone develops in the body, it is the formation of calcium phosphate growing inside collagen. The collagen fibers control the process and direct bone, while biomolecules play a different role in development. By studying this process using tools, such as an electron microscope, the team has been able to learn more about the process and develop its own method to recreate it. The electron microscope has a high enough resolution to see individual atoms.

While the research from this team, led by Dr. Nico Sommerdijk, is able to mimic the body’s process, the team itself will not be following the project into production. It passed that torch onto an Italian-based research institution, which is already using the process to begin creating bone implants. Sommerdijk team’s will continue to pursue its current course of research and expand it to determine whether they can make other kinds of materials using the same process.

There’s no doubt the process is a bit more complicated than drinking a magical portion, but for many, bone implants could be its form of magic, courtesy of science and research teams like Sommerdijk’s.

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Green Tea and Breast Cancer

November 24, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Early signs of breast cancer.
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For years, many people have believed that the tannins in green tea might help prevent breast cancer; however, a Japanese study debunks this myth. According to Dr. Motoki Iwasaki, who works with the Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening’s Epidemiology and Prevention department, the study failed to prove any positive correlation between drinking green tea and reducing the possibility of developing breast cancer.

The team published its results in Breast Cancer Research in October 2010. The study took into consideration over 53,000 women and evaluated the amount of green tea they drank, as well as the type. Running from 1995 to 1998, the study collected research from the women at the beginning and the end of the experiment. The amount of tea consumed vary from individual to individual, but 27 percent consumed five or more cups of green tea daily, and 12 percent fell into the category of one cup or less a week. Some participants consumed more than 10 cups a day.

After 14 years, 350 women have developed breast cancer. According to Iwasaki, the study is useful because it gathered information prior to these women developing the condition. This prevents what researchers refer to as exposure recall bias.

While Iwasaki is confident of his research’s results, others point out that the study doesn’t eliminate the idea that green tea has benefits for everyone, including those who may develop breast cancer. One breast cancer doctor in New York City believes that green tea can still be beneficial. Dr. Stephanie Bernik believes it would be hard to say there are no benefits to drinking the tea based on one study. Bernik also pointed out that many women want to consider alternative medication treatments and may look at other ways because of the research.

The study may have problems because participants perhaps didn’t take enough green tea to act as a preventive. Before doctors sign off on green tea, they’ll want to see more research.

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Monkey Pox May Help Find Cures for Lung Disease

November 19, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Human monkeypox lesions
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Most parents know about smallpox and chickenpox, but what is monkeypox? Monkeypox is an infectious virus that appeared in the late 1970s, after smallpox vaccinations began to reduce that virus. People can catch monkeypox by coming into contact with infected animals, including monkeys, rodents, and pets.

Originally, the disease occurred in Africa, but the first U.S. outbreak occurred in 2003. Many doctors believe African prairie dogs, intended for resale as pets, carried the disease to the U.S. An estimated 10 percent of patients with monkeypox will die due to complications from the virus.

While monkeypox is not something doctors want to see, they are aware that some benefit may come from studying patients infected with the virus. Monkeypox can cause lung damage by increasing proteins related to inflammation. It also decreases the proteins protecting lung tissue.

Because the virus actually ruins the structural integrity of the lungs, doctors may have a new path of treatments to try to halt the affects of the virus. The National Center for Research Resources and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease funded the study, which was comprised of biologists and virologists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Monkeypox happens to cause similar complications in monkeys, which means doctors may be able to test new treatment options on monkeys with the condition. Through research, doctors and other health medicine professionals may be able to find new ways to fight outbreaks. One possible method may be using surfactants to lubricate the lungs, which may help the tissues maintain their integrity.

Researchers will also be able to do additional studies by using cell cultures collected during the study. With the newest data on monkeypox and a deeper understanding of the infectious virus and its effects on lungs, researchers can continue to work on solutions to a variety of health problems related to lung conditions.

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