Vitamin D regulates calcium in intestine differently than previously thought

A Rutgers study has discovered that vitamin D regulates calcium in a section of the intestine that previously was thought not to have played a key role.

The findings have important implications on how bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, may disrupt calcium regulation.

In a healthy person, the body absorbs calcium to maintain strong bones and perform other important functions like helping muscles move and nerves carry messages between the brain and body parts.

Vitamin D is critical for this calcium absorption from the intestine and for the function of the intestine.

The study, published in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, highlights the importance of the distal segments of the intestine - including the colon - in vitamin D regulation of calcium and bone calcification.

Previously, this regulation was thought to only occur in the proximal intestine, the first section of the intestine immediately beyond the stomach.

From the study, researchers also learned that transporter of manganese -- an essential element that plays a role in many cellular processes -- was one of the genes most induced by vitamin D in both the proximal and distal intestine.

The study's lead author, Sylvia Christakos, a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, says these findings suggest that vitamin D plays other roles as well.

"The findings suggest that vitamin D may have a role not only in calcium absorption but also in the cellular regulation of other essential ions and in the function of intestinal stem cells," she said.

This research may lead to new strategies that can compensate for calcium malabsorption and increase the efficacy of intestinal calcium uptake to minimize bone loss due to bariatric surgery, small bowel resection, or reduced calcium absorption after menopause or due to ageing.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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Is carb addiction real? Here is all you need to know

Are you addicted to carbs?

Are you one of those who cannot resist junk food? Every time you walk by a bakery, you start feeling hungry even if you just had your meal? Or you cannot imagine your life without pasta or pizza? If you are shaking your head in approval with each question, you are addicted to carbs. It might seem like a normal thing to you, but carb addiction is a breeding ground for numerous problems including weight gain and cardiovascular issues.

What are carbs?
Carbohydrate is the primary source of food our body uses for energy. Made up of three primary elements like carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, carbs help as a precursor to ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). When we talk about carb addiction, the first thing that comes to our mind is refined carbs like pasta, pizza and cookies. However, there are numerous healthy sources of crab-like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole-grain bread, pasta, and rice. Every food items contain some amount of carbs.

Are carbs addictive?
Yes! Carb addiction is real, especially for the one that contains refined sugar, salt and fat. As per a 2008 study published in "Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews," a lot of people are addicted to carbs, which is a major obstacle to optimal health. Excess intake of carbs from grains and sugar in your diet can disrupt normal body function, leading to weight gain, rise in blood sugar level and an eating disorder. Another study revealed that eating high-carb meals stimulate certain regions of the brain that are linked with cravings and rewards.

Tips to deal with carb addiction

The first step to get over carb addiction is to recognise that you are suffering from this problem. Here are 4 easy way to get rid of this addiction:

-Rather than filling your plate with carb-rich food, eat more protein-rich food items. Both plant and animal source of proteins are considered good for health and will help you keep fuller for longer.

-Sometimes when you feel hungry untimely, your body might actually want water. Most of the time people confuse dehydration with hunger. So drink plenty of water.

-To get rid of carb addiction, you must first recognise your triggers. What you cannot resist at all- pizza or pasta. This will make it easier for you to avoid those trigger foods.

-Do not be too hard on yourself. Shunning carb is not an appropriate solution to this problem. Controlling is good, but do not shun carbs. Just be mindful and eat in moderation.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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Alzheimer's: Head device reduces memory loss in 7 out of 8 people

An open-label clinical trial working with eight people with Alzheimer's disease concluded that a new wearable device that emits electromagnetic impulses was able to significantly improve memory loss in seven of these participants within 2 months. 

Alzheimer's disease affects millions of people in the United States and worldwide, but as yet there is no cure for this progressive neurodegenerative condition.

The condition's main physiological characteristic is the aggregation of beta-amyloid and tau protein in the brain, which disrupt normal communication pathways between brain cells.

Scientists have been aware of this aspect of Alzheimer's for years but have so far been unable to prevent the aggregates from forming, or to dissolve them once formed — not in humans, at least.

But now, researchers affiliated with NeuroEM Therapeutics — a medical device company based in Phoenix, AZ — have developed a wearable device that, according to their recent open-label clinical trial, can significantly reduce memory loss in Alzheimer's by disaggregating toxic protein formed in the brain.

The device has the shape of a cap, and it emits electromagnetic waves in a frequency that, as preclinical studies in mice have shown, can help reverse memory loss. The research team that conducted the clinical trial reports the groundbreaking results in a study paper .

"Despite significant efforts for nearly 20 years, stopping or reversing memory impairment in people with Alzheimer's disease has eluded researchers," notes one of the researchers, Dr. Amanda Smith, who is the director of clinical research at the University of South Florida Health's Byrd Alzheimer's Institute in Tampa.

    "These results provide preliminary evidence that [transcranial electromagnetic treatment] administration we assessed in this small [Alzheimer's disease] study may have the capacity to enhance cognitive performance in patients with mild to moderate disease."
    Dr. Amanda Smith

'Highly significant improvement' at 2 months

For the trial, the researchers worked with eight participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and their caretakers, who received instructions on how to use the therapeutic device at home. The participants received the treatment twice a day for 2 months, and each session lasted just 1 hour.

By the end of the 2 months, none of the participants had experienced any side effects. Brain scans conducted by the researchers at the end of the study showed that the eight individuals had not developed tumors or brain bleeding as a result of having used the device.

To assess whether the treatment had helped the participants, the investigators used The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale test (ADAS-cog), the most widely recognized method of assessing cognitive function.

The team found that seven of the eight participants saw an increase of over 4 points in cognitive performance on the ADAS-cog scale after 2 months. This, the researchers explain, is as if the participants' cognitive function had "rejuvenated" by a year.

"We were particularly surprised that this highly significant improvement in the ADAS-cog was maintained even 2 weeks after treatment was completed," says Dr. Gary Arendash, CEO of NeuroEM Therapeutics. "The most likely explanation for continued benefit after cessation of treatment is that the Alzheimer's Disease process itself was being affected," he adds.

The researchers also collected blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from the participants both at baseline and at the end of the clinical trial.

In analyzing them, they found that the intervention appeared to have led to the disaggregation of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which are associated with progressive cognitive function impairment in Alzheimer's.

Furthermore, MRI scans also suggested that after the 2-month treatment period, the participants had better communication between brain cells present in the cingulate cortex, which plays a key role in cognitive function — including decision making.

Further steps

The researchers behind the innovative device also note that they received the best feedback they could have received: all of the participants decided to hang onto the devices they got as part of the clinical trial.

"Perhaps the best indication that the 2 months of treatment was having a clinically important effect on the [Alzheimer's disease] patients in this study is that none of the patients wanted to return their head device to the University of South Florida/Byrd Alzheimer's Institute after the study was completed," says Dr. Arendash.

The team is particularly excited about the device's effect on toxic brain plaques. They say that drugs tested in clinical trials have, so far, been much less successful in disaggregating these disruptive buildups.

So, the investigators do not plan on stopping at this small clinical trial. Going forward, they have offered the current trial's participants' the opportunity to take part in a much larger clinical trial, which the research team is now organizing.

All the former participants have accepted this offer. The new trial is due to last around 17 months, on average, and will include about 150 participants with a diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

The medical device company hope that they will be able to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for their technology over the next couple of years and make the device available to the public by 2021.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
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Electric field-based dressing fights bacterial infections

A new study has revealed that the electric field-based dressing can not only disrupt biofilm infection but also prevent such infections from forming in the future.

Amid growing antibiotic resistance,  researchers have developed a way to charge up the fight against  bacterial infecctions using electricity.

The electric field-based dressing can not only disrupt biofilm infection, it can also prevent such infections from forming in the future, said the study.

Bacterial biofilms are thin, slimy films of bacteria that form on some wounds, including burns or post-surgical infections, as well as after a medical device is placed in the body.

These bacteria generate their own electricity, using their own electric fields to communicate and form the biofilm, which makes them more hostile and difficult to treat.

The dressing electro-chemically self-generates 1 volt of electricity upon contact with body fluids such as wound fluid or blood, which is not enough to hurt or electrocute the patient, said the study.

The researchers discovered the dressing is not only successful in fighting the bacteria on its own, but when combined with other medications can make them even more effective.

The researchers believe that the discovery has the potential to create significant changes in the way physicians treat patients with bacterial infections which are resistant to antibiotics.

“This shows for the first time that bacterial biofilm can be disrupted by using an electroceutical dressing,” said a researcher.

“This has implications across surgery as biofilm presence can lead to many complications in successful surgical outcomes,” he added.

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Natural Remedies to Get Rid of the Hiccups

We all know how frustrating it can be to get a bad case of the hiccups. A hiccup is an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm. Once the contraction occurs, it causes an intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by the vocal cords closing off. The closure of the vocal cords then produces a "hic" type of sound. 

Hiccups can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to a few hours. They can be stopped by using natural home remedies to increase the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. Hiccups lasting over 48 hours are called persistent hiccups. If they have not gone away in that time period, please consult your family physician.

What Causes Hiccups:

• Eating a lot too quickly
  
• Drinking a hot beverage immediately followed by a cold beverage
  
• Drinking too much alcohol
  
• Swallowing too much air
  
• Stress
  
• Smoking
  

Here Are 9 Home Remedies To Cure the Hiccups:

1) Eat a Little Peanut Butter - This delicious remedy involves a large tablespoon of peanut butter. The slow digestion process of the peanut butter disrupts your swallowing and breathing patterns, which eliminates the hiccups. Besides, what other excuse do you need to eat a spoonful of peanut butter!  

 

2) Have a Teaspoon of Honey - Honey can cure almost anything, including hiccups! A teaspoon of honey is all it takes to get rid of those unwanted hiccups. Mix the teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm water, and allow it to slide onto the back of your tongue before swallowing. 

3) Swallow A Teaspoon of Sugar - Did you know that a spoonful of sugar can help fight off the hiccups? The grainy texture of the sugar can change nerve impulses on your tongue and help irritate the esophagus. The vagus nerve is then stimulated, and your hiccups are history! 

4) Swallow Something Sour - The sour acidity found in vinegar and pickle juice can also disrupt the esophagus, which puts an end to your hiccupping situation. Drink half a teaspoon of either vinegar or pickle juice every 10 seconds until the hiccups go away. Yes, this does sound rather unpleasant, but it works. 

 

5) Try a Little Hot Sauce - Hot sauce helps by distracting you from hiccupping. The hot spicy flavor burns inside your mouth and digestive tract long enough to help you forget about that terrible hiccupping situation. You don't have to reach for the ultra hot Tabasco sauce, the mild stuff will do just as well. 

  

6) Powdered Chocolate Can Help - A delicious teaspoon of powdered cocoa mix can work wonders for your hiccups. Take a spoonful of powdered cocoa or Ovaltine mix, and swallow it right away. The difficult swallowing process of the cocoa can help put an end to the hiccups. 

 

7) The Paper Towel Method - Put a single layer of a paper towel over the top of a glass, and then drink through the towel. A napkin may be used as an alternative. The paper towel forces your diaphragm to work harder in order to drink the water. The hiccups should disappear after that. 

 

8) Chew On Some Dill - This hiccup cure goes back a long way. Chewing on a teaspoon of dill seeds helps to stimulate the vagus nerve, which should put an end to your hiccupping nightmare once and for all! Dill seeds can also be mixed with tea as an alternative to stop the hiccups. 

 

9) The Brown Paper Bag Method - Paper bags are used to prevent hyperventilating, and help cure the hiccups. Breathing slowly and deeply into a small paper bag increases the carbon dioxide level in the blood. This process allows the diaphragm to contract deeper to bring more oxygen in. The hiccups should end after a few deep breaths. 

 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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Can plastic chemical affect ovarian function?

Eating canned foods during pregnancy can expose your baby to the industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which can later affect their reproductive health, warns a study. Detectable in surface water and soil sediments, BPA is used in many industrial processes (epoxy resins, polycarbonate plastic production) and in the lining of food cans. While the greatest exposure is dietary from canned foods and plastic containers, skin exposure is a secondary route of smaller exposure.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/       

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To examine whether a prenatal environmental exposure can pose a real threat to human ovarian function, researchers examined existing literature from 2000 to June 2018.

"We found there is mounting evidence for the effects of these exposures in the prenatal period, a particularly vulnerable time of development," explained an Assistant Professor. 

"Whether there are causative associations with human ovulation disorders needs to be further studied."

BPA has been known to disrupt the endocrine system in fetuses and children (as well as adults), causing long-term health effects as well as in reproductive health outcomes. According to the researchers, ovarian development and function represent complex coordination of processes, starting early during prenatal development. Early aberrations have the potential to carry through the female reproductive lifespan.

The researchers believe their findings are particularly relevant since there are implications for both foetal and women's health. 

"Understanding the effect that BPA exposure has on ovarian outcomes may contribute to the treatment approach taken for diseases and disorders in which ovarian dysfunction is a manifestation such as infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome and premature ovarian failure," the Asst. Prof. added.
The researchers hope their study raises awareness of the lasting effects that harmful prenatal exposures may have and that additional studies looking at the long-term effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in diverse populations will be undertaken.