Decrease in placental steroid can elevate risk of autism spectrum disorder

 In a new study it has been found that allopregnanolone, one of many hormones produced by the placenta during pregnancy, is so essential to normal fetal brain development that the decrease in the supply can cause Autism.

A children's National Hospital research team reports the findings on Oct 20 at the Neuroscience 2019 annual meeting. Lead author said, "To our knowledge, no other research team has studied how placental allopregnanolone (ALLO) contributes to brain development and long-term behaviours."

"Our study finds that targeted loss of ALLO in the womb leads to long-term structural alterations of the cerebellum - a brain region that is essential for motor coordination, balance and social cognition - and increases the risk of developing autism," added the author. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 10 infants is born preterm, before 37 weeks gestation; and 1 in 59 children has autism spectrum disorder.

In addition to presenting the research,  the abstract's senior author, will discuss the research with reporters during a Neuroscience 2019 news conference. This Children's National abstract is among 14,000 abstracts submitted for the meeting, the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

To investigate what happens when ALLO supplies are disrupted, a research team led by Children's National created a novel transgenic preclinical model in which they deleted a gene essential in ALLO synthesis. When the production of ALLO in the placentas of these experimental models declines, offspring had permanent neurodevelopmental changes in a sex- and region-specific manner. "From a structural perspective, the most pronounced cerebellar abnormalities appeared in the cerebellum's white matter," the author adds.

"We found the increased thickness of the myelin, a lipid-rich insulating layer that protects nerve fibres. From a behavioural perspective, male offspring whose ALLO supply was abruptly reduced exhibited increased repetitive behaviour and sociability deficits - two hallmarks in humans who have autism spectrum disorder."

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Male Birth Control Pill Offers 'Unprecedented' Study Results

Almost sixty years since the FDA approved the pill for birth control in women, a male version may finally be on the horizon. Researchers have developed a prototype male pill that appears to be safe in a month-long trial.

More attractive to many men than a long-acting injection or topical gel—both of which are in development—the prototype pill offers a “major step forward” in male contraception, a professor   and senior investigator on the study, said in a statement.

The once-daily prototype pill suppressed certain hormones to the low levels you'd expect to see with effective longer-term contraceptives, results from a study.

The prototype pill—dimethandrolone undecanoate (DMAU)—is somewhat similar to the combined female pill, which contains estrogen and a steroid hormone. Rather than estrogen, DMAU uses a male hormone like testosterone.

Currently available forms of testosterone can exit the body too quickly for use in a once-daily pill. The “undecanoate” in DMAU, however, is a long-chain fatty acid that can slow the drug’s journey out of the body, the Dr. said.

Eighty-three men took various doses of DMAU or a placebo for a month. Researchers analyzed the men’s hormones and cholesterol with blood tests at the start and end of the study. They found testosterone and two hormones needed for the production of sperm were notably suppressed in men who took the highest dose of DMAU.

While some subjects on all doses experienced mild weight gain, DMAU appeared safe. All participants passed safety tests including liver and kidney health checks.

“Despite having low levels of circulating testosterone, very few subjects reported symptoms consistent with testosterone deficiency or excess,” the Dr. said. There were no significant changes in mood or sexual function, but a minority of participants did experience decreased libido during the study. 

The Dr. has high hopes for the results, calling them “unprecedented in the development of a prototype male pill.” Longer-term studies are the next step toward a once-daily male contraceptive pill, she said.

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Everything you want to know about Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow normally does not lead to serious health problems. When the condition continues and is left untreated, it becomes necessary to seek medical advice. If you ignore this condition, it may cause complete loss of motion or function of the elbow. That is why it is advised to contact a healthcare professional if you face numbness or weakness in the hand and elbow. If you have been diagnosed with tennis elbow, you must not ignore the condition and follow the treatment process thoroughly.
Home remedies of tennis elbow include icing in the area for about quarter of an hour for reducing inflammation and relieving pain. You should also allow the affected area to rest so that pain subsides and future attacks are prevented. Make sure that you do not apply ice directly on the skin as that may give you ice burns and lead to further complications.

Steroid and corticosteroid injections are two effective options against the pain arising from tennis elbow. Even though steroid injections are considered a safer option, you cannot take them more than two to three times in a year since taking more than the recommended dosage may weaken the tendon and make it susceptible to rupture. But you can take corticosteroid injection to the inflamed area for improvement of the pain and discomfort. Before taking any of these injections, it is advised to consult an expert.

Even though surgery is the last resort in the treatment of tennis elbow, it can successfully treat the condition in most people. The surgeon would make a small incision over the elbow for trimming the tendon or release and reattach it to the bone. This is usually done as an outpatient process and takes about a few hours or so. You will have to consider surgery only if you had pain for a year despite trying other alternatives.

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6 Types of Hypertrophic Scar Treatment

One of the most unpleasant scars to deal with is a hypertrophic scar, which can cause disfigurement that can lead to social detachment, lowered self esteem and job discrimination. This type of scar is extremely visible and tends to be raised above the surrounding skin. 

 

What Is A Hypertrophic Scar?
This type of scar is raised, thick, red and is usually caused by injury or even surgery. They are usually the body's response to inflammation, surgery, trauma or burns. This type of scarring is most common among young people, particularly those with a darker skin tone. This type of scar forms when something goes wrong during the initial phase of healing and causes an overabundance of collagen fibers in the affected area. Due to the accumulation of collagen, the scar looks raised in appearance instead of flat like other scars.

Most often, they tend to form on the breastbone, shoulders and ears but can also form on other parts of the body. Other characteristics of this type of scarring include itchiness and pain, even after the wound has healed. 

 

Hypertrophic Scars and Keloid Scars: Are They Similar?
Similar to hypertrophic scars, keloid scars can be caused by injury, surgery, injections, body piercing and also acne. They are both similar in size and shape, though keloid scars will grow beyond the boundary of the wound. Both scars have high amounts of collagen in comparison to the average scar tissue. In contrast, hypertrophic scars can heal by themselves within 12 to 18 months, unlike keloid scars, although the scar does not disappear completely. 

What Are Hypertrophic Scar Treatment Options?
Even though hypertrophic scars can heal with no assistance within several months, certain treatment options can help to accelerate the process and minimize the appearance of the scars. Below are treatment options you could try:

 

1. Needling Hypertrophic Scar Treatment:  This affordable and cost-effective treatment can be done at home with specialized scarring needles. The treatment requires that you 'needle the scar' often in order to stimulate the formation of the collagen fibers. Seek medical care at first and enquire about the possible side effects. 

2. Collagen Injections: Such an injection can be used on scars that sink into the skin rather than grow out of it. It requires injecting the collagen into the sunken scar which will help it to rise above skin level. 

3. Steroid Injections: This scar treatment is used by many people as it helps thin the skin tissues. The steroid is injected directly into the scar every month until it has flattened out. Although effective it can pose certain risks. 

4. Silicone Sheets Hypertrophic Scar Treatment: This is considered to be one of the best treatments as it helps to fade most of the traces of the scarring. It is usually performed by a dermatologist but can also be done as a home treatment. Here, silicone gel sheets are applied to the skin to moisturize the scar and even out the blotchy skin tone around it. They are mineral-based gel membranes, transparent and very smooth, making them easy and comfortable to wear. The sheets cover the scar by applying pressure, though air and moisture can still penetrate the sheets. This treatment is very low-risk and does not cause further damage to the skin tissues.

 

5. Radiotherapy: In severe cases, radiotherapy treatment is performed whereby the scar is cut open and closed up or exposed to radiotherapy. It is very risky, however, as opening a scar can have long-term side effects. 

6. Laser Therapy:  This form of therapy effectively removes all kinds of scars including hypertrophic acne scars. It works by vaporizing the scar tissues one level at a time. Treatment starts with the top layers of the skin, till the lower skin layers are exposed. After a couple of sessions, the scar should disappear - though this would depend entirely on the severity of the scar. 

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All About Alopecia Areata

It’s the stuff nightmares are made of – you step out of the shower, dry your hair, and are shocked to discover a clump of hair on your towel. You finally pluck up the courage to take a look in the mirror and you see that you now have a glaring bald patch on your scalp. For the majority of us this is just a really bad dream, but for millions of people around the world, this nightmare is a cruel reality. The culprit behind this is the disease, alopecia areata.

Alopecia Areata is hair loss which occurs as a result of your immune system mistakenly attacking your hair follicles, which is where hair growth begins. Experts still do not know exactly why the immune system decides to attack the follicles, but it is thought that something triggers the immune system to react against the body’s tissues – possible triggers are infections, viruses, medicines and environmental factors.
 
This disease can occur at any age, but most cases first develop in children and teenagers – at least half of those who suffer from alopecia areata develop their first hair loss before the age of 21. Males and females are equally affected.

What Happens with Alopecia Areata?

Alopecia areata usually begins when clumps of hair start to fall out, resulting in smooth, round (the size of a large coin) hairless patches on the scalp or other parts of the body. However, in some cases the hair may just become thinner with no obvious bald patches, or it may grow and break, leaving short stubs. In extremely rare cases, the complete loss of all body hair occurs.

As the damage to the follicles is often not permanent, hair loss can come and go. In fact, it is quite common for someone to have it as a child, have it go away, and then have it return 20 years later as an adult.
 
About 10% of people who suffer from this condition may never regrow their hair. You are more likely to suffer permanent hair loss if you:
•    Have a family history of the condition (around 1 in 5 people with this disease have a close relative affected by it).
•    Had the condition before puberty or for longer than one year.
•    Are prone to allergies.
•    Have other autoimmune diseases.
•    Suffer from extensive hair loss.
•    Have abnormal color, texture, shape, or thickness of fingernails and/or toenails.

How Is Alopecia Areata Diagnosed?

It’s diagnosed through a physical examination and a look at your medical history. Your doctor will generally ask you questions about your hair loss and look at the pattern of your scalp, which they'll then examine. They may also gently tug on a few strands of hair to see if they fall out too easily.
 
If the doctor cannot put their finger on the exact reason for your hair loss, they may decide to carry out a few tests to check whether a disease is causing your hair to fall out. These tests include:
•    Hair analysis. The doctor will pluck some of your hair and examine it under a microscope.  A scalp sample may also be taken.
•    Blood tests will be done, including testing for specific conditions, such as an underactive or overactive thyroid gland.
How Is it Treated?

Since hair usually grows back within a year, you may simply decide to not treat it and just wait. If you decide against trying to treat your alopecia areata, you may wish to:
•    Wear a hairpiece. Hairpieces are made up of human or synthetic hair that is implanted into a nylon netting. Hairpieces can be attached to the scalp using metal clips, glue or tape. However, sewing or braiding longer pieces of hair into existing hair is not recommended as it may cause permanent hair loss.
•    Use specific hair care products and styling techniques. Hair care products or perms can make the hair appear thicker. Dyes can also be used to color the scalp, but continual use can result in additional hair loss. 

 If you wish to treat your alopecia areata, you can try:

•    Steroid injections – Injecting steroids into the bald patches suppresses the local immune reaction which occurs in alopecia areata patients. Therefore, this allows the hair follicles to function normally and your hair will eventually re-grow after 1-2 months. This is thought to be the most effective treatment for this condition, but it is not 100% effective.
•    Rub-on steroids – Steroid cream may help hair re-growth, but it does not work as well as steroid injections. It is worth trying steroid cream if you have large bald patches which are not suitable for the injections. If re-growth does occur, it usually takes 3-6 months. If no re-growth is present after this period of time, there is no point continuing with this treatment.
•    Applying Anthralin – Anthralin, commonly used to treat psoriasis, is an ointment that may help your hair grow again. It looks and feels a bit like tar, and it can irritate and stain your skin. Therefore, you should apply it to your bald patches for only a short period of time before washing it off. It may take up to 2 months for new hair to grow.

 

If you would like to try a natural home remedy instead, you can:
•    Apply lavender – Studies have shown the lavender can slow, or even reverse, hair loss caused by alopecia areata. Since it is a powerful essential oil, it should be diluted with almond or coconut oil before being applied.
•    Apply coconut milk – Applying coconut milk with a gram of flour to your scalp will guarantee the relatively quick recovery of your lost hair as the paste stimulates the hair follicle and boosts the health of your scalp.
•    Use Chinese Hibiscus – Mix hibiscus petals with some dandelion oil and apply it to your scalp. This flower is known to maintain the health of hair when it has not fallen out, but it also helps to stimulate and rejuvenate hair follicles.
•    Apply Aloe Vera – This plant dramatically increases blood circulation to any area of the body it is placed on. Furthermore, it's effective in promoting scalp development and recovery. 

How Will Alopecia Areata Affect Your Life?

This disease does not have the same effect as many other diseases: there is no pain, you do not feel sick, and it does not cause any serious health problems. You cannot spread it to others and it should not interfere with your everyday life.
However, if hair loss is making you feel unattractive and down, it's important that you talk to somebody about it.

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

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations

https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes

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