What Gut Type Are You?

Would it surprise you to find out that you are a part of a group you probably didn't even know existed? Astounding new research, published in the journal Nature, shows that humans have three distinct gut types. Specifically, we each have one of three distinct varieties of bacterial ecosystems living inside our gastrointestinal tract. According to lead researcher Peer Bork of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, "We found that the combination of microbes in the human intestine isn't random, our gut flora can settle into three different types of community — three different ecosystems, if you like." The gut types are named after the predominant bacteria in each type: Bacteroides, Prevotella and Ruminococcus. According to New Scientist, "People with a bacteriode ecosystem have a bias towards bacteria that get most of their energy from carbohydrates and proteins. Prevotellas specialise in digesting sugar-covered proteins in mucin, the mixture of viscous proteins in the gut – an ability shared by people with a ruminococcus ecosystem." To our further surprise one's ecosystem type isn't dependent on your location, age, diet, or genetic makeup. Scientists aren't exactly sure how it is that we come to have only three gut profiles. And the exact implications of this is as yet unclear. What we do know is that people with Bacteriodes-predominant gut make high amounts of vitamins C, B2, B5 and H, and prevotellan-predominant guts make more vitamin B1 and folic acid. This research certainly suggests that the relationship we have with our gut is much more complex then previously though

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Low Sunlight Exposure and Mono Linked To MS

New research from Oxford University, published in the current issue of the journal Neurology, finds that the combination of low sunlight exposure and having a history of mononucleosis raises the risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS). It's well-known that the incidence of MS is generally greater as you move away from the equator to regions that receive less sunlight. As such, MS is far more common in places like Scandinavia, Canada, and the Northern U.S. In the current study scientists used NASA satellite data on UV radiation exposure to calculate sunlight exposure in various parts of the UK, in addition to scouring all National Health Service hospital admissions records for cases of MS and mononucleosis. What they found was that 72% of all cases of MS patients lived in areas of relative low UV exposure and had a history of mononucleosis. It's believed that vitamin D (which is produced by our skin in reaction to UV light exposure) plays a protective role in preventing MS. However, more research is underway to further understand the association between mononucleosis and MS

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Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth day! Our planet has been facing problems like climate change and air and water pollution. This planet is all we have and it needs to be protected from destructive development. 

Click to see the video

The planet needs heroes who protect it from human greed. Every step taken to keep the earth safe is an investment for a safe future.

Greenpeace India has been working to keep the planet safe. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept money from government or business houses. All the work is funded by contributions madeby individuals like you. There can't be a better day than today, to pledge your support to the planet. Here's what you can do:

Watch this inspiring video and then make a contribution to strengthen the fight to keep this planet safe. 

http://www.greenpeace.in/donate/earth_day_donate_to_greenpeace_india.php

What more, you can get a cool environment hero shirt for the contribution you make. 

Thanks a billion!

 

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Mahantesh.I.B
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Que:I just had an abortion and was offered an “Anti-D” injection because my blood group is A- (minus). Do I need this?

A: Aside from the main blood groups (A,B, AB or O), there is another component to your blood type. This is called the Rhesus (Rh) group. One can be Rh-positive or Rh-negative. This is why you'll see blood types designated as "A+" or "B-", etc. Your Rh status is determined by the Rh group of your parents. If one of your parents is Rh-positive, then you have a chance of being Rh-positive. People who are Rh-positive have a substance called D-antigen on the outside of their red blood cells, Rh-negative people don't.

Your question addresses the concern we have when an Rh-negative mother has a baby who is Rh-positive. If at any time during the pregnancy there is mixing of maternal and fetal blood, the mother's immune system may recognize the baby's Rh-positive blood as foreign and produce 'anti-D antibodies' against it. These 'anti-D antibodies' can then attack the baby's red blood cells, which then can lead to problems with the pregnancy, including spontaneous abortion.

Therefore, in women who just underwent a spontaneous abortion and are known to be Rh-negative, an Anti-D injection [Rho(D) immune globulin or Rhogam] is recommended in the event that the fetus was Rh-positive. The Anti-D injection will essentially "clean up" the mother's blood of any Rh-positive blood that may have come from the baby before mom's immune system has a chance to produce antibodies which can stay around in her system can cause issues with future pregnancies. This will help prevent future spontaneous abortions which are caused by the differences between mom and baby's Rhesus groups.

Manuka Honey May Fight Superbugs

Research presented this past week at the UK Society for General Microbiology meeting suggests that manuka honey may have a role in defending our bodies from antibiotics-resistent bacteria. Manuka honey is harvested in New Zealand from bees which feed on the manuka plant. For centuries humans have known about the healing properties of this honey and, in fact, purified forms of it are currently available on the market as wound-care products. However, the researchers wanted to find out whether or not the honey would help with infections caused by certain hospital bacteria. To their surprise, the manuka honey was able to prevent attachment of bacteria to tissue, effectively preventing them from forming biofilms, a property of bacteria which allows them to multiply and escape attack by antibiotics. The scientists believe that manuka honey, in conjunction with current antibiotics, could mean greater efficacy against multi-drug resistant bacteria such as MRSA and pseudomonas, among othe

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Mahantesh.I.B
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Ovarian Cancer Starts In The Fallopian Tubes

Scientists at the renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have discovered that ovarian cancer actually starts in the fallopian tubes, not the ovaries. Previous studies have suggested that ovarian cancer may originate elsewhere in the body, but this is the first study to demonstrate how the cancer has its origins inside the fallopian tubes, which are located adjacent to the ovaries. Ovarian cancer is sometimes called the silent killer because its early symptoms can be so subtle and commonplace. These symptoms can include unexplained discomfort in the pelvic region, indigestion, bloating, pain with sexual intercourse and abdominal pain. Each year, approximately 200,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 115,000 die of the disease. The hope is that by understanding how cancers start, new screening tests may improve rates of early detection. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

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Mahantesh.I.B
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Suicide Rates Correlate With Economy

A new CDC study published in the American Journal of Public Health demonstrates the correlation between suicide and periods of economic downturn. The study shows, as one would expect, that more people commit suicide when the economy falls and less people do so when the economy rises. After looking at various economic cycles between the years of 1928 and 2007, researchers noted this trend during the most significant economic periods listed below. The link between the two is most pronounced among people between the ages of 25 and 64 – individuals of prime working ages.

According to the report:

During periods of economic crisis the overall suicide rate rose, examples include:

• 1929-1933 – the Great Depression
• 1937-1938 – the end of the New Deal
• 1973-1975 – the Oil Crisis
• 1980-1982 – The Double-Dip Recession

During periods when the economy did well the overall suicide rate dropped, examples include:

• 1939-1945 – World War II
• 1991-2001 – The longest period of economic expansion and low unemployment

More Than Half of Americans Use Supplements

A report released yesterday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that over half of all Americans use some form of dietary supplement. That increase, from 42% in 1988 to 53% in 2006, has made nutritional supplements a $27 billion industry. An estimated 39% of Americans take multivitamins, making them the most popular supplements. The largest increase in use for any supplement was calcium among older women. Currently, it's estimated that more than two-thirds of women over 60 years of age take supplemental calcium. What the report doesn't tell is is whether all these supplements are doing us any good. Are we, in fact, living healthier lives? Dietary supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the same way as drugs, and the manufacturers do not have to prove any safety or effectiveness. Yet, many of us take for granted that they will make us healthier, which is not the case. Taking a multivitamin will never provide you with all the nutrition your body needs. There are compounds found only in fresh fruits and vegetables which we cannot put into a capsule – yet. Furthermore, taking a supplement will never make up for poor diet and lifestyle choices, no matter how much you take

Study: Physicians Not Always Objective In Decision Making

Study: Physicians Not Always Objective In Decision Making

A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that physicians may not always be objective when it comes to decision making. Almost 1000 physicians were asked to make theoretical decisions for patients and themselves. The majority of those surveyed reported that they would choose treatment options for their patients which had the least risk of death, but higher rate of side effects. However, if they were to choose for themselves, the majority of physicians would opt for interventions which had greater risk of death, but lower risk of side effects. The researchers concluded that, "The act of making a recommendation changes the ways that physicians think regarding medical choices." This type of decision-making is logical since, in most cases, patients would prefer to live with side effects than risk death. However, the thought of experiencing certain side effects yourself may make you shy away from the interventions which could cause them. So what's the take home message? Your physician may not always be objective. According to the study, "…the advice you get could depend on whether your doctor is thinking about what you should do, or instead thinking about what he or she would do in your situation."

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Mahantesh.I.B
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Hair Braids May Lead To Baldness

A new study, published this week on the website of the Archives of Dermatology, shows an association between weaves and braids and a type of permanent hair loss called central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). Researchers believe that these so-called "traction" hairstyles, which exert a great deal of stress on the scalp due to how tight the hairs are pulled, can lead to the development of pus-filled bumps which later become infected by bacteria and lead to scarring and thinning of hair. "Making matters worse, women who are already losing their hair are more likely to favor these hairstyles because they help disguise thinning hair, the study notes." The study doesn't show that these hairstyles directly cause CCCA, just that there may be an association. Furthermore, the study only included women. Those with CCCA were more likely to have balding maternal grandfathers, as well as diabetes. Based on the study the average age of women with CCCA was 58. However, the condition often presents itself among women in their 40s, and sometimes as young as their 20s and 30

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Er Mahantesh.I.Biradar

Amrita Institute of Medical Science

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Mahantesh.I.B
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