Too Much Watching Of TV Can Damage Children's Brain Structure

Watching too much television can change the structure of a child's brain in a damaging way, according to a new study.
Researchers found that the more time a child spent viewing TV, the more profound the brain alterations appeared to be.

The Japanese study looked at 276 children aged between five and 18, who watched between zero and four hours TV per day, with the average being about two hours.

MRI brain scans showed children who spent the most hours in front of the box had greater amounts of grey matter in regions around the frontopolar cortex - the area at the front of the frontal lobe.
But this increased volume was a negative thing as it was linked with lower verbal intelligence, said the authors, from Tohoku University in the city of Sendai.
They suggested grey matter could be compared to body weight and said these brain areas need to be pruned during childhood in order to operate efficiently.

These areas show developmental cortical thinning during development, and children with superior IQs show the most vigorous cortical thinning in this area,’ the team wrote.
They highlighted the fact that unlike learning a musical instrument, for example, programmes we watch on TV ‘do not necessarily advance to a higher level, speed up or vary’.
‘When this type of increase in level of experience does not occur with increasing experience, there is less of an effect on cognitive functioning,’ they wrote.

The authors said the impact of watching TV on the ‘structural development’ of the brain has never before been investigated.
‘In conclusion, TV viewing is directly or indirectly associated with the neurocognitive development of children,’ they wrote.
‘At least some of the observed associations are not beneficial and guardians of children should consider these effects when children view TV for long periods of time.’
The children in the study were an almost even split between girls and boys.
The findings, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, highlighted an association between TV viewing and changes in the brain but do not prove that TV definitely caused the changes.
Scientists also cannot be sure whether missing out on activities such as reading, playing sports or interacting with friends and family as a result of watching TV could be behind the findings, rather than TV being directly to blame.
But they did say that the frontopolar cortex area of the brain has previously been associated with ‘intellectual abilities'.

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New Chip Raises Hope Of Blindness Reversal

In the effort to check rising vision impairment worldwide, scientists have produced a new prosthetic device that is designed to restore lost vision.
This is contained in a study published in ‘PLOS Biology’. The prosthetic device senses signals and transmits them to the brain by stimulating the cells in the retina – the area at the back of the eye that collects light focused from the lens.
The ‘bionic eye’ senses visual signals and transmits them to the brain, but requires extensive training to help patients’ brain learn to see again. Around the world, an estimated 40 million people are blind, with many of them reaching this condition after years of slow and progressive degeneration. The new study comes from researchers at an Italian public research university, the University of Pisa, who wanted to test the brain’s capacity to process artificial visual inputs.
They focused on seven patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa – an inherited disease that gradually leads to complete blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa is the name given to a group of inherited conditions of the retina that lead to a gradual progressive reduction in vision. With the development of this condition, difficulties with night vision and peripheral vision are the first things that are noticed. Later, reading vision, colour vision, and central vision are affected.
The age at which symptoms start is variable and the rate of deterioration often varies – for example with the different genetic types – but is generally very slow with changes occurring over years rather than months. In approximately half of all cases, there are other family members affected. The researchers then used functional magnetic imaging – technology that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow.
This showed that patients learned to recognise unusual visual stimuli, such as bright flashes, and this ability led to increased brain activity. As the patient practiced seeing, the more their brain responded to visual stimuli using the prosthetic implant.
The researchers, led by Maria Concetta Morrone, said: “The boost in response takes a long time and intensive training to appear, being stronger in those subjects who used the prosthetic device more intensely and for a longer time.”
The results suggest that after the device is implanted, the brain undergoes plastic changes to re-learn how to process the visual signals. The fact that after years of blindness, the brain still has some plasticity is highly promising for the further development of new prosthetic implants.

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Why Colon Cancer Is Rising In Nigeria

Doctors treating colorectal cancer in Nigeria have raised the alarm over the rising number of Nigerians coming down with the disease. The doctors under the auspices of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria (SOGHIN) disclosed that more Nigerians above 40 years were coming down with colorectal cancer, blaming the development on the lack of periodic screening to detect the disease early since colon cancer usually don’t have symptoms.
Also, lending his voice to the alert, President of SOGHIN, Prof. Musa Borodo, urged Nigerians to imbibe the habit of periodic screening, especially for colon cancer, which he said was becoming a huge burden in Nigeria especially among people above 40. Bodoro and his colleagues spoke at the opening day of SOGHIN 2016 Conference, which started with a workshop on modern technology and surgical skills at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital ( LUTH).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly two–thirds of annual mortality worldwide is attributable to non–communicable diseases (NCDs), with 70 per cent estimated to occur in low and middle income countries (LMIC).
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is said to account for over 600, 000 deaths annually. Similarly, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates that CRC is the 5th most common cancer in sub Saharan Africa.
According to the president of SOGHIN, diseases such as CRC, liver cancer, helicobacter pyloris and other infections that occur in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are usually not easy to detect when looking out for signs and symptoms. Even when the symptoms are obvious, it’s often too late to treat, he added. Bodoro said that was the situation in hospitals at the moment and doctors treating GI diseases were disturbed about this development.

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New Technic Lowers Blood Pressure At No Cost

At a time of recession when households are faced with difficult choices and challenges, the possibility of developing high blood pressure, HBP, surely increases. Going by the findings of a new study, fully relaxing your body and mind for a few minutes a day could lower your blood pressure by about 10 points or more, at no cost and with no side effects.
The new research was conducted by doctors at Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
The technique developed by Dr. Herbert Benson is called “the relaxation response” and indicated that 32 per cent of those who volunteered to experiment with it were able to eliminate one blood pressure medication and still keep their blood pressure under control, compared with 14 per cent in another group that focused on lifestyle changes to help reduce blood pressure.
Blood pressure is the force that a wave of blood propelled from the heart exerts on the arteries.
It is measured at two points; each measurement is recorded in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Systolic pressure gauges the pressure in the arteries at systole, the instant when the heart contracts and pushes a wave of blood along the arterial tree. It is the top number of a blood pressure reading.
On its part, the diastolic pressure reflects the pressure during diastole, the brief period of relaxation between beats. It is the bottom number of a blood pressure reading. The report, titled “Relax your way to lower blood pressure”, is contained in the latest edition of Health beat, a publication of the Harvard Medical School.
The report reads: “The easiest way to lower blood pressure is by popping a pill. It takes just a few seconds and you are finished.
But pills cost money and often have side effects. Fully relaxing your body and your mind for a few minutes a day could lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading) by 10 points or more—at no cost, and with no side effects.”

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10 Strategies To Prevent Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer for men (excluding skin cancer), but the good news is that there are things you can do to stop it from happening to you.

1. Eat your G-BOMBS. G-BOMBS (greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds) have powerful anti-cancer effects. Cruciferous vegetables (greens like broccoli, kale, bok choy, arugula, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, plus cauliflower, radish and more) contain phytochemicals that stimulate the body to detoxify carcinogens, and higher cruciferous vegetable intake is associated with lower prostate cancer risk. Men who consume three or more half-cup servings of cruciferous vegetables per week are 41 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer.
2. Reduce consumption of meat, eggs and dairy. It is widely recognized that a high consumption of animal protein has been linked to a greater risk of prostate cancer. Greater consumption of meat, poultry and fish is associated with higher blood level of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), which is positively correlated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. There is substantial evidence indicating that men who avoid dairy products are at a lower risk for prostate cancer. One study that spanned 41 countries reported a strong correlation between per capita milk consumption and prostate cancer deaths. For prostate health, avoid or limit animal products to two or fewer servings per week. Plant protein, however is protective—legumes and minimally processed soy products, are associated with decreased risk of prostate cancer.

3. Eat lots of tomatoes, especially cooked. A review of several studies revealed that those who consumed the most tomato-based foods reduced their total risk of prostate cancer by 35 percent and their risk of advanced prostate cancer by 50 percent. Lycopene, which is abundant especially in cooked tomatoes, is believed to be primarily responsible for this benefit. The lycopene in cooked tomatoes is more bioavailable than in raw tomatoes. Tomatoes are extremely nutrient-dense, containing a variety of other protective phytochemicals, such as flavonoids and antioxidant vitamins.

4. Eat plenty of yellow and orange vegetables. In studies, the greater the consumption of carotenoid-rich yellow and orange vegetables, including carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash and corn, the lower the number of people with prostate cancer.

5. Confirm adequate vitamin D levels with a blood test. Insufficient vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of several cancers, including prostate cancer. The safest way to obtain vitamin D is through supplements. Aim for a vitamin D blood level (25(OH)D) between 30 and 45 ng/ml.

6. Do not rely on PSA screening as a method of “early detection” to prevent prostate cancer. About 70 per cent of men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) do not actually have cancer. Many scientists think that PSA screening does not reduce prostate cancer-related deaths.

7. Avoid supplemental folic acid. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate (one of the B vitamins), and is included in most multivitamins. Similar to breast cancer, folic acid supplementation has been associated with increased risk of prostate cancer, whereas food folate is associated with decreased risk. Get natural folate from green vegetables and beans instead of synthetic folic acid from supplements.

8. Avoid fried foods. Potential dietary carcinogens form in foods when high heat cooking methods, such as frying or grilling, are used. Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are formed in meats, aldehydes are produced in oils and acrylamide is formed in starchy foods and coatings. One study evaluated frequent (once a week or more) consumption of certain fried foods in relation to prostate cancer risk; French fries, fried chicken, fried fish and doughnuts were associated with increased risk.

9. Exercise at least 3 hours a week. Exercise, particularly endurance-type exercise such as walking, running, cycling and swimming, are effective forms of disease protection.

10. Supplement with a conservative amount of zinc. Zinc has been shown in scientific studies to suppress tumor growth and induce prostate cancer cell death. There is evidence that adequate levels of zinc are protective, while deficiency and excess may promote prostate cancer.

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How Environmental Factors Fuel Male Infertility - Prof Oluyemi Akinloye

Nigeria and other countries of the world have continued to witness a sharp rise in male infertility. Unfortunately in some cases, their causes are not known. A Professor of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, CMUL, Prof Oluyemi Akinloye says several men can not achieve their desire to impregnate their female partners due to reasons beyond their control.

“Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system, defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse," He said. Akinloye linked involuntary male infertility to hormonal disturbances, environmental factors such as diet and toxic elements, genetic aberrations, improper medical waste disposal by healthcare workers, exposure to environmental pollutants, human activities like occupational factors and climate change. The Professor of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis while presenting his Inaugural Lecture entitled: “The Nigerian Milieu and Genetic Diversity: The Case for Personalised Medicine”, said despite these multi faceted factors, male infertility in Nigeria has suffered significant neglect in reproductive health. Noting that too much attention was being paid to female infertility factors, than that of their male counterparts, he said: "In Nigeria, the male factor contribution to infertility is estimated to be about 54 per cent, based on semen analysis and globally, the male contribution to infertility among couples has been estimated to be about 33 per cent.” 

Akinloye who accused the scientific and medical communities of paying more attention to female factors than that of their male counterpart, identified one of the factors that have contributed significantly to low sperm count and other abnormalities as exposure to heavy metals or toxic elements. “Two of such metals are cadmium and lead and they are in the Nigerian environment. In Nigeria, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal or oil accounts for their gross contamination of food chain and environments," he stated.

He affirmed that studies have shown that half of the cases of human male infertility of unknown causes may be attributable to various environmental and occupational exposures. He maintained that environmental discharge of cadmium due to use of petroleum products in addition to exposure to cadmium via contaminated food or paper, cosmetic remedies put many Nigerians at high risk of cadmium. “Cigarette smoking is also contributing significantly to Cadmium environmental pollution,” he added. He further called for strict implementation of law prohibiting smoking in public places adding that unwilling exposure to second -hand smoke is high in Nigeria and high level of cadmium had been reported as the possible cause of azoospermia, (complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate) in smokers. Continuing, he lamented the effect of lead on the reproductive health of the population, particularly pregnant women where it has been found to cause miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight and problems with development during childhood. Akinloye said concentration of lead in blood is associated with a decrease in sperm count, sperm volume, sperm motility and morphological alterations.

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