Life, Health and Enjoyment

Facebook co-fou nder launches social network Jumo for social good Today, users can start connecting with all their favorite social causes in one online sphere, as Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has launched his much-buzzed-about social network, Jumo. Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign's director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March . At that time the site existed merely as a homepage featuring a rather intriguing survey box that asked the site visitor an array of questions from, "If you had a daughter tomorrow, which would you name her?" to "Would you say the world is getting better or worse?" Upon answering these queries, you could also submit your e-mail address to get more information as it came. Since the site first came on our radar, we here at Mashable have waited with interest to see what Hughes would reveal. Would the site have its desired effect: Bringing together those interested in social change to ...

Scientists have identified a gene which may play a role in a common defect affecting the genitalia of baby boys. Hypospadias, which affects one in every 375 boys, is the result of incomplete development in the womb. The latest research, in the journal Nature Genetics, found a gene which, when mutated, more than doubled the risk of the condition. A UK researcher said it may help explain why hypospadias runs in families.   In boys who have the malformation, the opening of the urethral tube is not at the tip of the penis, but either further down the penis, at its base, or even further back, in the scrotum. The normal solution is surgery at a young age, but even when corrected in this way, there can be long-term medical, psychological and sexual consequences. The problem starts during the development of the sexual organs in the womb, and while there have been suggestions that exposure to environmental chemicals early in pregnancy may contribute, evidence to support this is not conclusi...

A construction crew in the south-central Chinese city of Changsha has completed a 15-story hotel in just six days. Six days. That’s how long it took to build this level 9 Earthquake-resistant, sound-proofed, thermal-insulated 15-story hotel in Changsha, complete with everything, from the cabling to three-pane windows. The foundations were already built, but it’s just impressive. Despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured — and thanks to the prefab nature of the process, the builders wasted very few construction materials. Below is a time-lapse video that shows the hotel being built from the ground up in less than a week: 15 story building

                   Researchers Unearth Ancient Water Secrets at Royal Garden Dig   Ancient gardens are the stuff of legend, from the Garden of Eden to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with Heidelberg University in Germany, have uncovered an ancient royal garden at the site of Ramat Rachel near Jerusalem, and are leading the first full-scale excavation of this type of archaeological site anywhere in the pre-Hellenistic Levant.According to Prof. Oded Lipschits and graduate student Boaz Gross of Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology, this dig is an unparalleled look into the structure and function of ancient gardens. "We have uncovered a very rare find," says Prof. Lipschits, who believes that this excavation will lead to invaluable archaeological knowledge about ancient royal gardens in the Middle East.

Early breast cancer can now be treated with a lumpectomy plus radiation given on the operating table. True? If so, how safe is this? "One-step" breast cancer treatment, as it's being called, is so new that it is still considered experimental. The procedure was pioneered four years ago in Britain, where more than 800 women are participating in an international clinical trial. The one-step treatment is also being studied at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Technically, the new procedure is known as "intraoperative radiation therapy" and involves delivering a radiation dose to the site of a breast tumor during surgery to destroy any remaining local cancerous tissue. In theory, this can save patients a lot of treatment time, protect the skin, heart and lungs from unnecessary radiation administered externally, and minimize side effects that can occur during conventional radiation treatment given after surgery. Using a probe attached to a device called the porta...

ACCORD eye study finds 2 therapies slow diabetic eye disease progression WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. A– Friday, July 23, 2010 A– In high-risk adults with type 2 diabetes, researchers have found that two therapies may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age Americans. Intensive blood sugar control reduced the progression of diabetic retinopathy compared with standard blood sugar control, and combination lipid therapy with a fibrate and statin also reduced disease progression compared with statin therapy alone. However, intensive blood pressure control provided no additional benefit to patients compared with standard blood pressure control. Results of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Eye Study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and presented at the 70th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Associatio...

Don’t clamp umbilical cords straight after birth, urges expert Personal view: Why do obstetricians and midwives still rush to clamp the cord?  Obstetricians and midwives should wait a few minutes before clamping the umbilical cords of newborn infants so that babies are not harmed by the procedure, argues Dr David Hutchon in an article published on bmj.com today.  Hutchon, a retired consultant obstetrician from the Memorial Hospital in Darlington, says it’s time for the UK to follow guidance from the World Health Organisation and the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics and refrain from early cord clamping.  Despite evidence for the benefit of delayed cord clamping, clinicians in the UK seem reluctant to change their practice, he says, and the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not advising them to do so.  One explanation for the apparent resistance of clinicians to follow the evidence is that that cord clamping “has...

Can cinnamon extracts help diabetes and heart disease?? A study led by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) chemist Richard Anderson suggests that a water soluble extract of cinnamon, which contains antioxidative compounds, could help reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and heart disease. Twenty-two obese participants with impaired blood glucose values–a condition classified as “prediabetes”–volunteered for the 12-week experimental research study. Prediabetes occurs when cells are resistant to the higher-than-normal levels of insulin produced by the pancreas (in an attempt to help remove elevated glucose levels from blood). The volunteers were divided randomly into two groups and given either a placebo or 250 milligrams (mgs) of a dried water-soluble cinnamon extract twice daily along with their usual diets. Blood was collected after an overnight fast at the beginning of the study, after six weeks, and after 12 weeks to measure the changes in blood glucose and antioxidants. T...

Grapefruit’s bitter taste holds a sweet promise for diabetes therapy Naringenin, an antioxidant derived from the bitter flavor of grapefruits and other citrus fruits, may cause the liver to break down fat while increasing insulin sensitivity, a process that naturally occurs during long periods of fasting. A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) report that naringenin activates a family of small proteins, called nuclear receptors, causing the liver to break down fatty acids. In fact, the compound seems to mimic the actions of other drugs, such as the lipid-lowering Fenofibrate and the anti-diabetic Rosiglitazone, offering the advantages of both. If the results of this study extend to human patients, this dietary supplement could become a staple in the treatment of hyperlipidemia, type-2 diabetes, and perhaps metabolic syndrome. The report appears in this week issue of the online journal PLoS ONE. “It is a fascinating find,” ...

 A man appeared to have several asthma attacks which five doctors from Italy explain appeared after he had logged into Facebook and gone to a specific page, according to a Correspondence in today's issue of The Lancet . The doctors explain that seeing his girlfriend's details on Facebook seemed to bring on hyperventilation and then asthma. The man, 18, was very sad because his sweetheart had jilted him. She had also erased all details of him from her Facebook, while at the same time developing friendships with young men. The man assumed a new Facebook nickname, and disguised as such managed to become her online friend. He eventually got to view her photograph in the profile section of her Facebook. On seeing the photograph, he would become short of breath. This would occur several times, and only when looking at her profile, with the photo of her on that page. Dr Gennaro D'Amato, High Speciality Hospital A Cardarelli, Naples, Italy, said: "The (man's) mot...

What is snoring? Snoring, like all other sounds, is caused by vibrations that cause particles in the air to form sound waves. For example, when we speak, our vocal cords vibrate to form our voice. When our stomach growls (borborygmus), our stomach and intestines vibrate as air and food move through them. While we are asleep, turbulent airflow can cause the tissues of the nose and throat to vibrate and give rise to snoring. Essentially, snoring is a sound resulting from turbulent airflow that causes tissues to vibrate during sleep.         Stop Snoring Mouth Piece - Anti Snore Device Sleep Apnea Cessation Aid How common is snoring?Stop Snoring Mouth Piece - Anti Snore Device Sleep Apnea Cessation Aid Any person can snore. Studies estimate that 45% of men and 30% of women snore on a regular basis. Frequently, people who do not regularly snore will report snoring after a viral illness, after drinking alcohol, or when taking some medications. Pe...

Researchers synthesize iron compounds that inhibit growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis This research appears on 'Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry'  A team of researchers from Spain and Latin America     have synthesized two iron compounds that inhibit the in vitro growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , the bacteria that causes tuberculosis . Due their low level of toxicity in mammal cells, the compounds could be used in the future as therapeutic agents and hospital disinfectants. A group of researchers from the Universidad de Navarra (Spain), the Universidad de la República (Uruguay), the Universidad de São Paulo (Brazil) and the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina) have synthesized two iron complexes "that showed in vitro growth inhibitory activity on Mycobacterium tuberculosis ", Dinorah Gambino and María Torre, authors of the study and researchers at the Universidad de la República explained to SINC. The study, published this month by ...

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Botulism & Babies Overview Human botulism is a serious but relatively rare disease. The disease is an intoxication caused by extremely potent toxins preformed in foods. The toxins are produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Person to person transmission of botulism does not occur . There are seven recognized types of botulism. Four of these (types A, B, E and rarely F) cause human botulism. Types C, D and E cause illness in mammals, birds and fish. The sporulated form of the bacterium is commonly found in soils, aquatic sediments and fish. The spores are heat-resistant. Under anaerobic conditions, botulinum spores can germinate, and the bacterium grow and produce the toxin. Ingestion of the toxin present in improperly prepared food is dangerous and may be fatal. Botulism is mainly a foodborne intoxication but it can also be transmitted through wound infections or intestinal infection in infants. Symptoms The symptoms are not caused by the organism itself, but b...