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New role for zebrafish in human studies

May 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Zebrafish – an important animal model in disease and environmental studies – could eventually help scientists in revealing the function of a mysterious enzyme linked to the steroid cortisol, and found in the human brain, found a researcher at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

In people and other vertebrates, steroids like cortisol perform a variety of diverse duties, including regulating immune response, bone formation and brain activity.

However, too much cortisol is unhealthy. High levels of the steroid have been linked to type 2 diabetes and may impair the brain”s ability to store memories.

The human body regulates cortisol by employing an enzyme called 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-type 1 or 11beta-HSD1, which catalyzes the synthesis of cortisol in liver and fat cells.

A related enzyme known as 11 beta-HSD-type3 or 11 beta-HSD3 is expressed in the brain, though its utility remains unknown.

In new findings, Dr. Michael E. Baker has reported that 11 beta-HSD3 (but not 11 beta-HSD1) is present in zebrafish, where it appears to serve an important role in fish endocrine physiology.

This makes the fish a potentially useful analog for cortisol studies, including discovering the purpose and function of 11 beta-HSD3 in human brains, which may be an evolutionary precursor to 11 beta-HSD1.

Interestingly, Baker found that the genomes of mice and rats do not contain 11 beta-HSD3.

This means that inserting the appropriate gene for the enzyme in these animal models could provide additional avenues of investigation.

The study will be published in the latest issue of FEBS Letters. (ANI)

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Stay-at-home parents ‘most stressed workers’

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 12 (ANI): Parents who stay at home and look after the household are the most stressed out, a new UK study claims.

According to a research conducted by Mindlab Organisation, mothers or fathers who do household chores are more frazzled than those with traditionally high-pressure jobs, like city trading, teaching or nursing.

Stress levels were investigated in British adults as per their “work” roles – stay-at-home parents, taxi drivers, teachers, nurses and city dealers.

The conclusion was reached by measuring levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout an average working day.

It was found that stay-at-home parents proved to be the most under pressure. Nurses ranked second in the list, followed by the traders, then teachers and finally, taxi drivers.

A bio-monitoring equipment was used to measure and record the heart rate and skin conductance.

The participants were connected to the equipment and tested over a seven-hour period.

Also, samples of saliva were taken at crucial junctures during the day to measure cortisol, which is a direct indicator of stress.

“The key here is the degree of control each of these professionals feel able to exercise over their lives,” the Daily Express quoted Dr David Lewis, who was part of the research, as saying.

“Stay-at-home parents receive little or no specific training and are furthermore typically isolated from other adults for much of the day,” he added.

Psychologist Jenni Trent Hughes said: “The answer is simply to be selfish and take some time out. After 21 years of running around after the family, pets, supermarket and the house, women have earned it.

“If you’re not taking care of your- self then how can you properly take care of anyone else?

“If you’re ratty or short-tempered, tired or at your wits’ end how can you possibly be the best you can be for your partner, children, family and last but definitely not least yourself?” (ANI)

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Different types of booze impact desire for food differently

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, August 25 (ANI): The type of alcoholic drink you consume may have an impact on your desire for food, suggests an Australian study.

Dr. Anna Kokavec, a research psychologist at La Trobe University in Bendigo, found that the additional nutritional content of various alcoholic beverages influence the body’s reaction to alcohol, reports ABC Science.

The lead author, along with her team, measured the effect of red wine, white wine, light beer or regular beer on the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, which is responsible for the synthesis of the steroid hormones cortisol and dehyrdoepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS).

Kokavec said that DHEAS and cortisol, commonly known as a stress hormone, influence appetite, adding: “We need a sufficient release of cortisol to make us feel hungry.”

She found that cortisol levels went down in participants after the consumption of alcohol, and decreased their appetite despite having fasted for half a day.

But DHEAS levels varied depending on what type of alcohol was consumed.

The DHEAS levels initially took a dip for those who took beer before going up, resulting in an eventual increase in hunger.

Kokavec said: “Beer completely confuses the system.”

Consumption of red wine was also observed to have led to an increased appetite.

But, unlike beer and red wine, white wine completely switched off the HPA axis, indicating hunger remained low.

The study has been published in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behaviour. (ANI)

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Stress during pregnancy can lead to behavioural, emotional problems in kids

June 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 30 (ANI): British researchers have advised expectant mothers to reduce their anxiety and stress levels to protect their kids from developing behavioural and emotional problems later.

The researchers from Imperial College London hope that it will raise families’ awareness of the importance of reducing levels of stress and anxiety in expectant mothers.

They say that reducing stress during pregnancy could help prevent thousands of children from developing emotional and behavioural problems.

According to Professor Vivette Glover, the lead researcher behind the exhibit from the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology at Imperial College London, maternal stress and anxiety can alter the development of the baby’s brain. This in turn can result in a greater risk of emotional problems such as anxiety or depression, behavioural problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and being considerably slower at learning. S

It can also increase the likelihood of later violent or criminal behaviour.

The findings have suggested that the effects of stress during pregnancy can last many years, including into adolescence.

“We all know that if a mother smokes or drinks a lot of alcohol while pregnant it can affect her fetus,” said Glover.

“Our work has shown that other more subtle factors, such as her emotional state, can also have long-term effects on her child.

“Our research shows that stress due to the mother’s relationship with her partner can be particularly damaging,” Glover added.

The researchers say that the stress hormone cortisol may be one way in which the fetus is affected by the mother’s anxiety during pregnancy.

Usually the placenta protects the unborn baby from the mother’s cortisol, by producing an enzyme that breaks the hormone down.

When the mother is very stressed, this enzyme works less well and lets her cortisol through the placenta.

The researchers suggested higher the level of cortisol in the womb, the lower the toddler’s cognitive development or “baby IQ” at 18 months. (ANI)

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Circus life takes a toll on wild animals’ health

May 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 21 (ANI): Elephants, lions and tigers might be considered the stars of a circus show, but these wild animals are least suited to life in captivity, cited the first global study of animal welfare in circuses.

The survey concluded that wild animals, on average, spend just 1 to 9 per cent of their time training, and the rest confined to cages, wagons or enclosures typically covering a quarter the area recommended for zoos.

“It’s no one single factor. Whether it’s lack of space and exercise, or lack of social contact, all factors combined show it’s a poor quality of life compared with the wild,” New Scientist magazine quoted Stephen Harris of the University of Bristol, UK, and lead researcher of the study, as saying.

According to him, the worst affected animals are elephants, lions, tigers and bears who are often confined to cages where they pace up and down for hours at stretch.

“Even if they are in a larger, circus pen, there’s no enrichment such as logs to play with, in case they use them to break the fence and escape,” he said.

Even travelling takes a toll on the animals’ health, and their itineraries could also turn out to be gruelling.

The study even cited data showing that concentrations of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva from circus tigers remains abnormal up to 6 days after transport, and up to 12 days in tigers who’ve never travelled before.

The researchers analysed 153 European and North American circus trips, and found that troupes only stayed at each single location for an average of a week before moving on, with an average of almost 300 kilometres between locations.

The animals are often kept in conditions drastically different from their natural habitat even after reaching their destinations.

Elephants can be shackled for 12 to 23 hours per day when not performing, in areas from just 7 to 12 square metres and very often, they could only move as far as the chain would let them- just 1 to 2 metres.

The researchers also found evidence showing that circus elephants, lions, tigers, bears and even parrots adopt repetitive abnormal movements and pacing, called sterotypies.

Also, the animals suffer ill health both from confinement and from the tricks they learn to perform.

“There is no evidence to suggest that the natural needs of non-domesticated animals can be met through the living conditions and husbandry offered by circuses. Neither natural environment nor much natural behaviour can be recreated in circuses,” concluded the study. (ANI)

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Chinese mind-body training technique improves attention, reduces stress

May 20, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Just five days of practicing a newly emerging mind-body technique may produce effective changes in attention and stress reduction, say Chinese researchers.

Now undergraduates at the University of Oregon are being taught the practice-called integrative body-mind training (IBMT)-which was adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s in China, where it is practiced by thousands of people.

In a 2007 study, the researchers had reported that doing IBMT prior to a mental math test led to low levels of the stress hormone cortisol among Chinese students, along with lower levels of anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue than students in a relaxation control group.

“The previous paper indicated that IBMT subjects showed a reduced response to stressWhy after five days did it work so fast?” said UO professor Yi-Yuan Tang.

He says that the new findings point to how IBMT alters blood flow and electrical activity in the brain, breathing quality and even skin conductance, allowing for “a state of ah, much like in the morning opening your eyes, looking outside the grass and sunshine, you feel relaxed, calm and refresh without any stress, this is the meditation state.”

Using several technologies, the researchers conducted two experiments involving 86 undergraduate students at Dalian University of Technology and analyzed the data collected.

“We were able to show that the training improved the connection between a central nervous system structure, the anterior cingulate, and the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system to help put a person into a more bodily state. The results seem to show integration-a connectivity of brain and body,” said UO psychologist Michael Posner.

In each experiment, participants who had not previously practiced relaxation or meditation received either IBMT or general relaxation instruction for 20 minutes a day for five days.

After conducting single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), the researchers found that both groups experienced some benefit from the training-those in IBMT showed dramatic differences based on brain-imaging and physiological testing.

Physiological tests also revealed that IBMT subjects had lower heart rates and skin conductance responses, increased belly breathing amplitude, and decreased chest respiration rates as compared with the relaxation group.

Finally, the researchers noted that IBMT subjects had more high-frequency heart-rate variability than their relaxation counterparts, indicating “successful inhibition of sympathetic tone and activation of parasympathetic tone (in the autonomic nervous system).”

IBMT avoids struggles to control thought, and instead relies on a state of restful alertness, allowing for a high degree of body-mind awareness while receiving instructions from a coach.

The study has been published online ahead of regular publication in PNAS. (ANI)

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Elle Macpherson’s secret to looking 20 at 45 revealed

May 4, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 4 (ANI): Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson’s secret to looking like a twenty something at the age of 45 has been revealed by her personal trainer James Duigan.

Macpherson has attracted a lot of interest with her killer figure and Duigan was contacted to find out the reason for her great shape.

The trainer first revealed that Macpherson is a person who swears by fish oil, and it is one of the reasons she is so trim.

“They’re great for helping your body burn fat, especially around your stomach and waist,” the Mirror quoted him as saying.

In fact, the latest study, from the Mayo clinic in Minnesota in the US, reveals that the omega-3 fatty acid contained in these oils helps suppress appetite and encourages the body to burn fat around the mid-section.

Secondly the model moves around a lot, whether she’s cycling her kids to school in West London, or surfing in her native Australia, is always on the move.

“She makes exercise a part of her day,” Duigan said.

“When she was in Sydney recently, she was cycling and surfing all the time. It’s important to stay active at weekends and holidays but, like Elle, you can make it fun,” he explained.

Thirdly Macpherson does not want to be skinny, she is happy to have a few extra pounds on her body.

“A few pounds show a lot on my body but it’s OK. I believe women look good with a bit of softness to them,” the model once said.

Although she’s very slim, Macpherson always kept her curves during her modelling career, which is probably why she’s so fit now.

“If you yo-yo diet or starve yourself, your metabolism suffers greatly,” says nutritionist Carina Norris.

“It catches up with you in later life and you’ll find it harder to keep a steady weight. It’s far better to eat well and move around a bit instead of messing with your metabolism,” she added.

Fourthly, Macpherson believes in her organic diet, and even says so.

“I would encourage everyone to give it a go,” she said.

Studies show that organic food contains more nutrients – and the more nutrients your body absorbs, the less hungry it feels, however, it can be pricey, so just add the odd organic item to your basket when you can.

Fifthly, she likes to meditate, as it allows her to take time out to focus on her mind.

“Keeping stress at bay is one of the best things you can do for your body and waistline,” Duigan said.

Stress is closely linked with stomach fat – studies show that when we’re stressed, our bodies release cortisol, a hormone that encourages our body to store fat around our waist and tummies. (ANI)

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Soon, a ‘love potion’ that may help couples communicate better

May 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 30 (ANI): Relationships are tricky. Most of the people think at some point that communicating positively with their partners when discussing stressful issues, like home finances, is an impossible task. But, worry not, for Swiss researchers are working on a “love potion” that will drive away all such conflicts.

Researchers have begun exploring the benefits of oxytocin for helping couples communicate better.

Oxytocin has been touted as beneficial for reducing anxiety, producing feelings of well-being, empathy, bonding, and sexual arousal.

In its May 1st issue, Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, includes a paper by Swiss researchers that have investigated the effects of oxytocin, the “love hormone,” on human couple interactions.

They recruited adult couples who received oxytocin or placebo intranasally before engaging in a conflict discussion in the laboratory.

Oxytocin increased positive communication behavior in relation to negative behavior and reduced salivary cortisol, i.e., their stress levels, compared to placebo.

“We are just beginning to understand the powerful effects of hormones and chemicals released by the body in the context of important social interactions,” commented John Krystal, M.D., the editor of Biological Psychiatry.

“As this knowledge grows, the question of how to best use our developing capacities to pharmacologically alter social processes will become an important question to explore,” he added.

Author Beate Ditzen, Ph.D., noted that this was the first study of its kind and important because it evaluated real-time natural couple behavior in the laboratory.

“[Oxytocin] might help us to pronounce the effects of a standard treatment, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, by possibly making the benefits of social interaction more accessible to the individual. But it probably will not replace these standard treatments,” the expert added.

They clarify that this study does not show that oxytocin should currently be used as a treatment itself and the effects of repeated administration have not been evaluated in humans. (ANI)

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Stressful memories may soon be history

March 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 18 (ANI): Scientists have suggested a new strategy to treat the distress related to traumatic memories.

Their strategy is based on the study of a drug, RU38486, which blocks the effects of the stress hormone cortisol.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the most common and disabling psychiatric casualties of combat and other extremely stressful situations.

People suffering from PTSD often suffer from vivid intrusive memories of their traumas.

Current medications are often ineffective in controlling these symptoms and so novel treatments are needed urgently.

Using an animal model of traumatic memory, researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has shown that treatment with RU38486 selectively reduces stress-related memories, leaving other memories unchanged.

They also found that the effectiveness of the treatment is a function of the intensity of the initial “trauma.”

Although this particular study was performed in rats, their findings help to set the stage for trials in humans.

Cristina Alberini, Ph.D., co-author of the study, explained how the findings would translate into developing clinical parameters: “First, the drug should be administered shortly before or after recalling the memory of the traumatic event. Second, one or two treatments are sufficient to maximally disrupt the memory.

“Third, the effect is long lasting and selective for the recalled memory. Finally, the time elapsing between the traumatic experience and the treatment seems to be an important parameter for obtaining the most efficacious treatment,” Alberini added.

Alberini said that “these results suggest that carefully designed combinations of behavioral and pharmacological therapies may represent novel, effective treatments for PTSD or other anxiety disorders.”

The study has published in the February 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry. (ANI)

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Spiritual kids tend to be healthier

March 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 12 (ANI): Spiritual kids are more likely to be healthier, just like their adult counterparts, according to a new study.

Dr. Barry Nierenberg, associate professor of psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, came to this conclusion after studying the relationship between faith and health.

“A number of studies have shown a positive relationship between participatory prayer and lower rates of heart disease, cirrhosis, emphysema and stroke in adults,” he said.

He added: “Prayer has been shown to correlate to lower blood pressure, cortisol levels, rates of depression, as well as increased rates of self-described well being. But very few studies have attempted to examine how children’s spiritual beliefs impact their health.”

At the very beginning, Nierenberg conducted a study of HIV positive paediatric patients, aged seven to 17, comparing religious development, church attendance and prayer to health measures like symptoms, T-cell counts and number of hospitalisations.

He said: “One significant finding was that children who attended church were more likely to have higher T-cell counts than non churchgoing children. But that finding is difficult to interpret. It’s likely that the more ill a child is, the less ability they have to attend church. We needed a second study to more precisely examine religious faith and behaviour.”

The researchers thus studied 16 children, aged six to 20, who were undergoing haemodialysis due to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

The patients were questioned on a scale of spirituality behaviours and attitudes, and their responses were correlated to dialysis-related blood levels, including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lymphocytes, albumin, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and urea reduction ratio.

Nierenberg said: “There was a significant negative correlation between spiritual attitudes and BUN levels. As children reported more agreement with statements like, ‘I am sure that God cares about me,’ and ‘God has a plan for me,” their average BUN levels over the past year were lower.”

He presented on the topic at the American Psychological Association’s Division of Rehabilitation Psychology national conference on February 27, in Jackson, Florida. (ANI)

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Stress of waiting for breast biopsy results may adversely affect women’s health

February 24, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Feb 24 (ANI): The anxiety of waiting for breast biopsy results may put women at increased risk of adverse health effects, according to a new study.

The study led by Elvira V. Lang, M.D., associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, revealed that women experience considerable stress while waiting to undergo breast biopsy and while waiting for the results.When women express how taxing it is to have to wait for results, the medical establishment may dismiss their feelings as psychological. We were able to show that this state of not knowing the diagnosis goes along with biochemical changes which can have adverse effects on wound healing and the immune system,” said Lang.

The researchers aimed to establish a biochemical marker to assess the physical effects associated with the stress of extended waiting for a final diagnosis after breast biopsy.

For the study, they used cortisol samples collected from the saliva of 126 women during an earlier clinical trial on patient stress during biopsy.

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland and is often referred to as the “stress hormone.”

“Cortisol helps us fight acute stress by adjusting blood pressure, blood sugar and immune response in a good way when needed. But when stress becomes chronic, cortisol secretion either goes into continuous overdrive or dries up, leaving the immune system vulnerable and other body functions less well adapted,’ said Lang.

The women participants in the study had to undergo large-core breast biopsy and their diagnosis was disclosed one to six days after the procedure.

Salivary cortisol samples were collected on cotton swabs on the day of biopsy and each of the four days following biopsy.

During the period in which the samples were taken, the women learned whether their biopsy results were benign (non-cancerous), malignant (cancerous) or uncertain.

By the fourth day after biopsy, 16 patients had learned they had cancer, 37 patients had benign findings and 73 patients had an uncertain diagnosis, because their results had not been communicated yet or they required further diagnostic procedures.

It was found that cortisol secretion for the women with uncertain results was significantly different than that of the women with benign results and highly similar to secretion levels in the women with malignant results.

Scientists believe that the findings will encourage faster analysis and communication of biopsy results.

They have recommended that women should speak to their doctors about communication procedures before undergoing breast biopsy.

Lang said: “Women should ask who will communicate their results to them and how long it will take to receive them. Then they should schedule the biopsy accordingly, taking into account delays over weekends and holidays.”

The study has been published in the journal Radiology. (ANI)

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Childhood trauma may lead to chronic fatigue syndrome in adulthood

January 6, 2009 By Rajiv Gupta 1 Comment

Washington, Jan 6 (ANI): People who undergo trauma during childhood are more likely to develop chronic fatigue syndrome as adults, according to a new study.

Also, the study found that neuroendocrine dysfunction is linked to childhood trauma in those with chronic fatigue syndrome, pointing towards a biological pathway by which early experiences influence adult vulnerability to illness.

Neuroendocrine dysfunction are abnormalities in the interaction between the nervous system and endocrine system.

“Stress in interaction with other risk factors likely triggers chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms through its effects on central nervous, neuroendocrine and immune systems, resulting in functional changes that lead to fatigue and associated symptoms such as sleep disruption, cognitive impairment and pain. However, obviously not every individual exposed to a stressor goes on to develop chronic fatigue syndrome, and it is therefore of critical importance to understand sources of individual differences in vulnerability to the pathogenic effects of stress,” wrote the authors.

Led by Christine Heim, Ph.D., of Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, the researchers studied 113 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and 124 healthy individuals who served as controls. All the participants were drawn from a general sample of 19,381 adults residents of Georgia

The participants reported whether they had experienced childhood trauma, including sexual, physical and emotional abuse or emotional and physical neglect.

They also underwent screening for depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and were tested for levels of the hormone cortisol in their saliva. Low levels may indicate decreased function of the body””s main neuroendocrine stress response system, the authors note.

It was found that those with chronic fatigue syndrome reported higher levels of childhood trauma—exposure to trauma was associated with a six-fold increase in the risk of having the condition.

Sexual abuse, emotional abuse and emotional neglect were most closely associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. Patients suffering from the syndrome were also more likely than controls to have depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Also, the researchers discovered that cortisol levels were decreased in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome who experienced childhood trauma, but not in those with chronic fatigue syndrome who had not been subjected to trauma.

Thus, the authors noted that early life stress may lead to biological susceptibility to chronic fatigue syndrome.

“Our results confirm childhood trauma as an important risk factor of chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, neuroendocrine dysfunction, a hallmark feature of chronic fatigue syndrome, appears to be associated with childhood trauma. This possibly reflects a biological correlate of vulnerability due to early developmental insults. Our findings are critical to inform pathophysiological research and to devise targets for the prevention of chronic fatigue syndrome,” they wrote.

The study is published in the latest issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (ANI)

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How to get rid of belly fat

November 5, 2008 By Rajiv Gupta Leave a Comment

Washington, Want to get rid of your belly fat? Well, then all you need to do is follow the simple tips given in a new book, ‘The Flat Belly Diet’.

The book is written by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass, the editors of health magazine ‘Prevention’, reports CBS News.

Here are some tips that can help you get rid of belly fat:

1. Eat four 400-calorie meals per day

2. Never go more than four hours without eating

3. Incorporate monounsaturated fats or “MUFAS” into meals

4. When the body is under stress, it produces a hormone called “cortisol,” which turns into belly fat. Learning to control the stress in life can go a long way toward reducing the belly fat.

5. Keep a strong social support group. Get your friends to join you, or find an online support group.

6. Keep a record of what you”ve eaten, and how much. (ANI)

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