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Science
Bits
Cure for Intestinal Disorder on Its Way LONDON: Researchers at Stanford University in California and the University of Oslo in Norway have discovered what causes people to develop the life-long intestinal disorder, coeliac disease. The findings could even lead to a cure. Coeliac disease sufferers have intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and similar proteins in rye, barley and oats. About three in 1,000 people in the UK are thought to be affected with the disorder. The only way to manage the condition is to eat a gluten-free diet. The culprit was discovered to be a specific fragment of gluten. The team also discovered that a dietary enzyme made by a bacterium could break down the fragment into harmless bits. According to them, this could be the basis of a future treatment of dietary supplements for coeliac patients. In a healthy gut, the lining of the small intestine is carpet-like and covered in small protrusions called villi. But in patients with coeliac disease, the lining is smooth and pipe- like. This means that there is less surface area to absorb the nutrients the body needs. Coeliac disease is often diagnosed in childhood and can be characterised by a distended stomach and stunted growth. It
is treatable, but can lead to serious long-term complications, such
as the brittle bone disease called osteoporosis, infertility and cancer
of the small intestine. The researchers have discovered that a fragment
of gluten called gliadin is responsible for inflaming the gut. Gum Disease Can Lead to Heart Problems: Study (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: US researchers have found in a study in mice that gum disease can lead to heart disease by flooding the body with dangerous germs that can cause arteries to clog. "Our finding indicates that one contributing factor to heart disease is oral infection with a bacteria that causes gum disease," said study co-author Caroline Attardo Genco, an associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. For
a decade, scientists have studied a possible connection between gum
disease and clogged arteries. In gum disease, also known as periodontal
disease, the gums become infected by bacteria and can lead to the loss
of teeth. "Oral bacteria can easily enter the bloodstream and eventually
can make it to the heart," Genco said. Exercise Must Match Health Condition (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: It is a well-known fact that exercise can do wonders for one's health. But there are many people who don't know how much exercise is enough and which activities are the best for them. According to the Presbyterian Hospitals of Greenville and Commerce (TX) in the United States, to raise your HDL (good cholesterol) level, about 30 minutes of good aerobic exercise - the kind that makes you breathe a little harder - several times a week is enough. That amount also can help you control your weight, lower your blood pressure and burn off some of the stress in your life, reports HealthScout. Depending on an individual and his goals, exercise regimes can include brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, dancing, jumping rope, skating, and even such active sports as basketball. More
"passive" exercises could include gardening, a leisurely evening stroll
or "anything that can get you off the couch and on the road to better
health," the hospitals' Health Tip says. However,
before you start any kind of rigorous exercise regime, always consult
a doctor Out-of-Body Experience Originates in Brain: Study (Go To Top) LONDON: A team of Swiss researchers have discovered that stimulation in a part of the brain called the right angular gyrus could be the underlying mechanism for "out-of-body experience" (OBE), the experience of leaving and floating above the body. "For the first time, we have shown that this kind of feeling can be provoked by interference with a specific brain region," says Margitta Seeck of Geneva University Hospital, who was involved in the research. The right angular gyrus is close to areas involved in vision, hearing, balance and touch. The researchers think it could be responsible for integrating sensory information about the body, and that a failure to perform this task correctly could account for OBEs. The angular gyrus is particularly susceptible to a drop in blood pressure, as happens during anaesthesia, she points out. "It is in a frontier region between two vascular systems. If you have problems with arterial pressure this area is less nourished. Maybe that 'tickles' it - and that could be the underlying mechanism for OBEs," she was quoted as saying in New Scientist. Christopher French, head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths College, London, says the discovery is "very interesting - but it raises as many questions as it answers". The
Swiss team stumbled across the finding while mapping the brain of a
patient with epilepsy, prior to surgery. The woman had suffered partial
seizures for 11 years. The patient reported "sinking into the bed" or
"falling from a height". "I see myself lying in bed, from above, but
I only see my legs and lower trunk." One in 10 people worldwide report
experiencing an OBE at some point in their lives. |
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