Day: 08/23/2015

New drug protects against the deadly effects of nuclear radiation 24 hours after exposure

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New drug protects against the deadly effects of nuclear radiation 24 hours after exposure

An interdisciplinary research team led by The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston reports a new breakthrough in countering the deadly effects of radiation exposure. A single injection of a regenerative peptide was shown to significantly increase survival in mice when given 24 hours after nuclear radiation exposure. The study currently appears in Laboratory Investigation, a journal in the Nature Publishing group.

UTMB lead author Carla Kantara, postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry and , said that a single injection of the investigative peptide drug TP508 given 24 hours after a potentially-lethal exposure to appears to significantly increase survival and delay mortality in mice by counteracting damage to the gastrointestinal system.

The threat of a nuclear incident, with the potential to kill or injure thousands of people, has raised global awareness about the need for medical countermeasures that can prevent radiation-induced bodily damage and keep people alive, even if given a day or more after contact with .

Exposure to high doses of radiation triggers a number of potentially lethal effects. Among the most severe of these effects is the gastrointestinal, or GI, toxicity syndrome that is caused by radiation-induced destruction of the intestinal lining. This type of GI damage decreases the ability of the body to absorb water and causes electrolyte imbalances, bacterial infection, intestinal leakage, sepsis and death.

The GI toxicity syndrome is triggered by radiation-induced damage to crypt cells in the small intestines and colon that must continuously replenish in order for the GI tract to work properly. Crypt cells are especially susceptible to and serve as an indicator of whether someone will survive after total body .

“The lack of available treatments that can effectively protect against radiation-induced damage has prompted a search for countermeasures that can minimize the effects of radiation after exposure, accelerate tissue repair in radiation-exposed individuals and increase the chances for survival following a nuclear event,” said Darrell Carney, UTMB adjunct professor in biochemistry and molecular biology and CEO of Chrysalis BioTherapeutics, Inc. “Because radiation-induced damage to the intestines plays such a key role in how well a person recovers from radiation exposure, it’s crucial to develop novel medications capable of preventing GI damage.”

The peptide drug TP508 was developed for use in stimulating repair of skin, bone and muscle tissues. It has previously been shown to begin tissue repair by stimulating proper blood flow, reducing inflammation and reducing cell death. In human clinical trials, the drug has been reported to increase healing of diabetic foot ulcers and wrist fractures with no drug-related adverse events.

“The current results suggest that the peptide may be an effective emergency nuclear countermeasure that could be delivered within 24 hours after exposure to increase survival and delay mortality, giving victims time to reach facilities for advanced medical treatment,” Kantara said.

7 Ways To Boost Your Sperm

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Whether you want to increase your chances of having children, or simply want to ejaculate loads of sperm and semen, doubling the load is what all guys want to do in the grand scheme of things.

An abundance of sperm is a sign of testosterone and a healthy reproductive system and guys who watch porn know that guys like Peter North are popular for a reason. So now it’s up to you to turn your once ordinary sperm into Supersperm (cue the music).

Why Increase Sperm?

Aside from the ego boost it gives guys, having more semen and sperm to release will result in longer orgasms, no doubt.

As well, increased sperm production will likely lead to an increase in sexual desire as well — not that you need it, of course. Nevertheless, if you simply want to shower your woman with your love (yes, that’s the really nice way of saying it) or you want to give fatherhood a fighting chance, today’s tip is surely going to teach you something you didn’t already know about your swimmers.

Let Your Boys Fly

The following tips may not all apply to you, but there are at least a couple you can take to heart, or to your testicles, to improve and increase your sperm count.

 

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/dating/7-ways-to-boost-your-sperm.html

36 Sex Positions Everyone Should Try in Their Lifetime Magazine

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Is your sex life screaming for an upgrade? With more than 35 orgasm-inducing ways to get your grind on, our sex-position guide will help fulfill all your naughty needs. Click away!.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-relationships/sex-positions-guide

Blood test reveals biomarkers for future suicide attempts .

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© Thomas Peter
US scientists have managed to find certain biomarkers in blood that can help predict a potential suicide victim, says the study, adding that it can give an early warning of some individuals who may commit an “impulsive suicide act.”

The method includes blood tests and questionnaires, implemented as apps on tablets, that together are able to predict with about 92-percent accuracy which patients will think of suicide or even try to commit it, says a press release about the research carried out at Indiana University.

The questionnaires alone are able to predict “the onset of significant suicidal thoughts” with more than 80-percent accuracy, the research paper adds.

“We now have developed a better panel of biomarkers that are predictive across several psychiatric diagnoses. Combined with the apps, we have a broader spectrum predictor for suicidality,” said Dr Niculescu, director of the Laboratory of Neurophenomics at the Institute of Psychiatric Research at the IU School of Medicine, one of the co-authors of the study.

Neither of the apps, developed separately, asks the participant directly if they are planning to commit suicide.

“One of the apps assesses measures of mood and anxiety; the other asks questions related to life issues including physical and mental health, addictions, cultural factors and environmental stress,” the press release says.

Niculescu and his colleagues have been following a large group of male patients for three years. They have been diagnosed with mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder.

“Suicide is a big problem in psychiatry. It’s a big problem in the civilian realm, it’s a big problem in the military realm and there are no objective markers,” added the scientist.

In the blood samples of these patients the scientists were able to find certain “biomarkers at significantly higher levels in the blood of both bipolar disorder patients with thoughts of suicide as well in a group of people who had committed suicide.”

The scientists detected the SAT1 marker and a series of other markers in the blood of the patients, which indicated a propensity to suicide. They found the same markers in the blood of suicide victims.

“This suggests that these markers reflect more than just a current state of high risk, but could be trait markers that correlate with long term risk,” said Niculescu.

According to the researcher, there are people who will not “reveal they are having suicidal thoughts when you ask them, who then commit it and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“We need better ways to identify, intervene and prevent these tragic cases…Over a million people each year worldwide die from suicide and this is a preventable tragedy,” he said, adding that the paper is a “first ‘proof of principle’ for a test that could provide an early warning of somebody being at higher risk for an impulsive suicide act.”

He added the research is not complete, as it must be carried out on females as well. It must also take into consideration other groups, such as people who have less impulsive, more deliberate and planned subtypes of suicide.

“Suicide is complex: in addition to psychiatric and addiction issues that make people more vulnerable, there are existential issues related to lack of satisfaction with one’s life, lack of hope for the future, not feeling needed, and cultural factors that make suicide seem like an option.”

NASA wants to turn astronauts poop into food.

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The US space agency has funded researchers to find out how to recycle human excreta into food that can help astronauts sustain on deeper space missions, including Mars.

The researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina will receive $200,000 a year for up to three years to achieve this task, the US space agency said in a statement.

Using urine and breathed-out carbon dioxide as the building blocks to create useful aboard items, the team is genetically engineering yeast to produce things that astronauts may need.

“A particular strain of yeast can be genetically manipulated to create polymers, or plastics, used for 3D printing, as well as Omega 3s, which lower heart disease risk, and protect skin and hair,” Mark Blenner, professor at Clemson, was quoted as saying in a Quartz report.

Nitrogen is needed to grow the yeast and is abundant in human urine.

Yeast also feeds on fatty acids which certain algae can create out of carbon.

Blenner’s system would grow yeast that could take those lipids and nitrogen and turn them into plastics and Omega 3s.

The grant was one of eight given to universities around the US, all of which focus on “innovative, early stage technologies that will address high-priority needs of America’s space program”, NASA said.

“These early career researchers will provide fuel for NASA’s innovation engine,” said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Earlier this month, the six astronauts currently living on the International Space Station (ISS) became the first people to eat food grown at the Veggie plant growth system aboard the orbiting laboratory in space.

The fresh “Outredgeous” red romaine lettuce that accompanied the crew’s usual freeze-dried fare, however, is far from the first crop grown on a space station.

As the space agency eyes deep-space missions like a trip to an asteroid or Mars, space farming becomes less of a novelty and more of a necessity.

Plants will be an integral part of any life-support system for extended missions, providing food and oxygen and processing waste.

Significant further advances will be necessary, and each of them promises to bring new innovations to agriculture here on the Earth.

NASA is planning to land humans on Mars by 2030 and is investing in ideas to figure out ways for astronauts to be more self-sufficient on long-term space missions.

Five surprising diseases that threaten your heart

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Heart disease is the number one cause of death in India, where heart attacks and strokes account for more than 30% of all deaths each year. By now, most people are more than familiar with the risk factors for heart disease – high blood pressure, inactivity, obesity, high cholesterol, smoking, among others- but few know that some seemingly unrelated diseases also aggravate the risk of heart disease and early death.

*Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis – a chronic progressive disease that causes painful inflammation, stiffness and deformity of the joints, especially of the fingers, wrists, feet and ankles – raises risk of heart attack and death 1.5-2.5-fold over 10 years compared with people without the disease, reported a study of more than 160,000 women in the journal Nature Reviews Rheumatology in June, 2015. Globally, heart disease and stroke cause more than half of all premature deaths in people with rheumatoid arthritis, showed a 2011 review of 24 studies published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology.

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Gout – a condition where defective metabolism of uric acid causes arthritis, especially in the smaller bones of the feet — also raises the chances of heart attack and death, reported a large review in The Annals of Rheumatic Diseases this year. It concluded that using medicines to bring uric acid to the target levels and early diagnosis and treatment of heart disease can prevent early death.

*Diabetes
The risk of heart disease and stroke is two to four times higher for people with diabetes, according to the American Heart Association. People with diabetes may not experience pain associated with an attack because of diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) and they are more likely to have “silent” heart attacks, which often delays diagnosis and treatment. They are also more likely to be overweight, have high blood pressure, high triglycerides and high bad cholesterol and low good cholesterol, all factors that raise the risk to their heart even more.

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Since inflammation in the arteries is a possible reason for both insulin resistance and heart disease among diabetics, the American Diabetes Association recommends aspirin to block thromboxane production to reduce blood clotting and lower their risk of heart and stroke.

*Depression, anxiety
Depression, anxiety and heart disease feed on each other. Not only does depression raise the risk of heart disease but it also slows healing and recovery in people recovering from a heart attack or stroke. People who are depressed are also more likely to have an unhealthy lifestyle, and are more likely to smoke, be inactive and overweight, and generally poor at sticking to prescription medication, all of which further aggravate both conditions. Sticking to the medicines prescribed, eating healthy, staying active, getting six to eight hours of sleep and reconnecting with family and friends lowers depression and the associated heart attack risk.

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People with diagnosed heart disease should also watch out for signs of depression and seek treatment if they feel low, listless, disengaged or hopeless for more than two weeks.

*Psoriasis
Damage from psoriasis red, itchy, scaly skin condition runs more than skin deep, with studies linking it with heart disease, stroke and other blood vessel diseases. A massive analysis of 75 studies involving 503,686 cases and 29,686,694 controls found that people with psoriasis are more prone to develop heart failure, with the risk rising as the psoriasis gets more severe. Chronic inflammation — a component of both heart failure and psoriasis — may be the link between the two, reported the 2013 study from Denmark in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology.

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Psoriasis affects 125 million people worldwide. The Danish study recommends early screening and treatment of heart risk factors in patients with psoriasis.

*Kidney Disease
People with chronic kidney disease are twice as likely to develop heart disease as those with healthy kidneys and roughly half of them die from it before they develop kidney failure. People with end-stage kidney disease are 20 to 30 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Even less severe cases of kidney disease double your risk for heart attack and stroke. Clinical guidelines already recommend that patients with diabetes, hypertension and the possibility of chronic kidney disease be evaluated for kidney function and kidney damage. So clear is the link that experts advocate measuring kidney health to predict heart disease risk.

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Indicators of kidney function and damage could rival tests of cholesterol and blood pressure in foretelling several outcomes, including death from heart attack, showed research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology this year.

Lifestyle modifications such as adopting a low-salt diet and more exercising along with or treatments using cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins, blood pressure-lowering ACE inhibitors and diuretics help manage both diseases.