Category: Health

{Zika virus has been detected in the brain tissue of a deceased two-month-old baby in Brazil who was diagnosed with microcephaly, in the brain tissue of two newborns who died shortly after birth, and in the placenta tissue of two fetuses that were spontaneously aborted, new research reveals.}

New research, published in The Lancet, reveals that Zika virus has been detected in the brain tissue of a deceased 2-month-old baby in Brazil who was diagnosed with microcephaly, in the brain tissue of two newborns who died shortly after birth, and in the placenta tissue of two foetuses that were spontaneously aborted.

The small study provides further evidence that Zika virus infection in the first trimester of pregnancy can result in placental and fetal damage and loss, and early insight into the effect of Zika virus infection on foetuses. Further studies are now needed to understand the exact mechanism of transmission.

Since the start of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil in March 2015, there have been 7,343 cases reported cases of microcephaly, of which 1,271 have been confirmed. Fifty-seven of the microcephaly cases were fatal.

In this paper, Dr Sherif R. Zaki from the Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA, and colleagues, analysed tissues from three post-mortem cases and two placentas. All five mothers reported symptoms of Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy. In three cases (two newborns who died within hours of being born, and one who died at two months), microcephaly was detected during pregnancy or at birth. The two other cases were foetuses spontaneously aborted at 11 and 13 weeks gestation.

In the three fatal cases, Zika virus antigens were detected in the neurons and glial cells. Analysis of brain tissue showed damage and degeneration of cells, microcalcification (calcium deposits), and cell death. The authors say that the absence of a substantial inflammatory response in the brain and any specific structural effects appear to distinguish Zika virus infection from other infections, such as herpes, that are associated with microcephaly.

No evidence of Zika virus was detected outside the central nervous system in the heart, liver, spleen, kidney or cartilage. All three cases showed a range of birth defects, including craniofacial malformations and a range of brain abnormalities.

Zika virus antigens were also detected in the placental tissue of the two aborted cases. Tests on all five cases were negative for the presence of dengue virus antibodies and tested negative for other infections including rubella virus, Toxoplasma gondii, and herpes. Genetic analysis of the Zika virus samples showed the greatest match to strains isolated in Brazil during 2015.

The authors say that the mechanism by which Zika virus may cause abnormalities is not yet understood, but that it’s likely the result of the virus attacking the nervous system with subsequent damage to the brain and muscle impairment.

“There are a number of viral infections, including herpes and rubella, which are known to cause birth defects, especially if infection occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy. But, until now, there have been no reports of a mosquito-borne virus that could cause severe birth defects,” says lead author Dr Zaki. “Zika virus is an evolving epidemic, and many important questions remain to be explored. We are continuing to investigate the possible spectrum of neurological defects in infants and various abnormalities in placental tissues, and further studies will now need to look at whether there is a link between birth defects and Zika virus infection during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, and understand the mechanism of transmission.”

Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Drucilla J Roberts from the Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Pathology, Boston, MA, USA, and Dr Matthew P Frosch from the C S Kubik Laboratory for Neuropathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, say: “Although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has concluded that Zika virus causes microcephaly and other fetal brain defects, demonstration of Zika virus in tissues is sparse…Additional detailed pathological studies are needed to properly elucidate the full spectrum of congenital Zika syndrome. Work remains to confirm Zika virus infection as causal in perinatal complications and should include histopathological examination of available tissues at various gestational ages.This report highlights that we can learn much about the pathogenesis of Zika virus congenital infection through careful pathological investigation, but leaves us with many questions for study.”

{Most women believe that going without sex for awhile makes the vagina tighter but how true is this? Experts believe this isn’t true.}

According to an article published in Women’s health magazine, Jennifer Wider, a health specialist is quoted as saying:

“Many people falsely assume that women who have less sex have tighter vaginas and women who have more sex have looser vaginas but this is just a complete misconception.”

According to experts, while having sex after a long dry spell without sex might need several attempt at insertion, it doesn’t mean that the vagina has actually gotten tighter.

The muscles in the vagina are elastic which means they contract and go back to their normal shape after sex or after childbirth.

Gynaecologists claim that no amount of dry spell without sex will make you tighter and no amount of sex will make a woman’s vagina loose.

If you feel tight after a dry spell without sex, this is because the muscles of your vagina hasn’t been stretched in a while.

Even though the vagina undergoes an enormous amount of stretching during childbirth, studies have shown the vagina can return to its original shape and size after six months of delivery.

The only factor that makes a woman’s vagina loose is age. According to gynaecologist, a woman’s vagina shape and size changes as she gets older but kegel exercises can help improve the tone of the muscles of the vagina.

{Healthy living isn’t a once in a while routine; it’s a daily process that yields good fruit on the long run. Healthy people don’t become healthy by luck, they become healthy because they make the right health choices.}

These are some of the very important things healthy people do daily.

{{ 1. They exercise }}

Exercising doesn’t only mean spending long hours in the gym lifting weights, it could also be taking a walk daily, doing some chores that involves movement or engaging in sports. Exercise strengthens your muscles and improves your cardiopulmonary health while improving your energy levels. Exercising also improves your mood by releasing very desirable neurotransmitters into your brain.

{{2. Starting your day with warm lemon water }}

Drinking lemon water is a very healthy way to break your fast. Lemon water is a very hydrating and nourishing drink; it would make your day start out well, and would boost digestion.

{{3. Eat breakfast }}

A lot of working class adults skip breakfast, but healthy people know that breakfast is a very important meal to miss. Eating breakfast would help boost your day and start you off in the right mood; you would be more productive and have a better level of energy when you have breakfast.

{{4. They eat healthy }}

Healthy people care about what they eat; they don’t just eat anything, but they eat healthy.

They avoid junk and sugary foods, as well as high carb intake.They understand that these foods would spike their blood sugar.

Healthy people eat right and drink lots of water.

{{5. They have enough sleep }}

You can’t be healthy enough if you don’t sleep well. Healthy people rest well, and this helps ease them from stress. Read the health benefits of sleeping.

{{6. They are grateful }}

Grateful people are healthy people. When you are grateful, you live a happier life devoid of stress and worries, and this would make your mind be at peace.

{{7. They practice good hygiene }}

Healthy people practice good oral and body hygiene everyday, and this makes them feel comfortable and have good self-esteem.

{{8. They spend time with people they care about }}

Healthy people spend time with people they care about; they understand the importance of happiness, so they spend quality time with people they love and care about.

{Army scientists are moving quickly to test vaccine candidate}

The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and collaborators at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School have completed a promising preclinical study of two Zika vaccine candidates that suggests that an effective human vaccine will be achievable. Findings from the study were published today in the journal Nature.

In the preclinical study, WRAIR and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center tested two Zika virus vaccine candidates: a DNA vaccine developed at Harvard based on a Zika virus strain isolated in Brazil, and a purified inactivated virus vaccine developed at WRAIR based on a Zika virus strain isolated in Puerto Rico.

The study showed that single shots of either vaccine candidate protected mice against subsequent Zika challenge. Both candidates were found to be safe and elicited an antibody response to Zika virus that correlated with protection. Further work with the DNA vaccine demonstrated that protection was solely due to antibodies raised by vaccination.

WRAIR is moving forward with the purified inactivated virus (PIV) vaccine, called ZPIV, because it builds on “a type of vaccine that has been licensed before,” said Col. Stephen Thomas, an infectious disease Army physician and a vaccinologist specializing in flaviviruses, and the WRAIR Zika program lead. “It’s the same technology WRAIR has used to successfully develop other flavivirus vaccines.” Researchers are trying to mitigate risk by avoiding unproven technologies that could cause a licensing delay, he noted.

Col. Nelson Michael, the WRAIR Zika program co-lead, said, “This critical first step has informed our ongoing work in non-human primates and gives us early confidence that development of a protective Zika virus vaccine for humans is feasible.”

WRAIR scientists are moving rapidly to develop and test the ZPIV vaccine, and they plan to start human testing at their clinic in Silver Spring before the end of the year. Additional human trials are planned in the United States, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), through its Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units.

WRAIR has been researching flaviviruses, a family of viruses that includes Japanese encephalitis, dengue, West Nile and Zika viruses, for over half a century. “Our laboratory in Thailand has been conducting biosurveillance for Zika for the past three years, since we started to observe dengue-like illnesses in Thailand and the Philippines that were not dengue and did not test positive for other likely causes,” said Thomas. “These efforts gave us a head-start for our vaccine development efforts.”

WRAIR also has in-house capabilities that have enabled them to quickly develop a vaccine candidate. The Pilot Bioproduction Facility headed by Dr. Kenneth H. Eckels, produced small batches of vaccine candidates that were used for the preclinical studies and is currently manufacturing a vaccine lot for use in initial human clinical studies.

Infectious diseases have long been a threat to U.S. Service Members, and the military has extensive expertise and capabilities to develop countermeasures. WRAIR is working on the vaccine in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies, including the NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It is also exploring collaborations with pharmaceutical companies.

Support for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (AI095985, AI096040, AI00663 and AI124377), the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and the Sao Paulo Research Foundation.

{Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people every day and the ‘coffee experience’ has become a staple of our modern life and culture. While the current body of research related to the effects of coffee consumption on human health has been contradictory, a study in the June issue of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, which is published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), found that the potential benefits of moderate coffee drinking outweigh the risks in adult consumers for the majority of major health outcomes considered.}

Researchers at Ulster University systematically reviewed 1,277 studies from 1970 to-date on coffee’s effect on human health and found the general scientific consensus is that regular, moderate coffee drinking (defined as 3-4 cups per day) essentially has a neutral effect on health, or can be mildly beneficial.

The review was used to create an exhaustive list of the potential health benefits and risks of coffee consumption on the following health outcomes:

– Total Mortality

– Cardiovascular Disease

– Cancer

– Metabolic Health

– Neurological Disorders

– Gastrointestinal Conditions

– Other Miscellaneous Health Outcomes

The authors noted causality of risks and benefits cannot be established for either with the research currently available as they are largely based on observational data. Further research is needed to quantify the risk-benefit balance for coffee consumption, as well as identify which of coffee’s many active ingredients, or indeed the combination of such, that could be inducing these health benefits.

Note: Some financial support of this study was provided by illycafe s.p.a., however the authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the objective search and summary of the literature.

{There are certain things you can do to increase your chances of getting pregnant according to experts.}

Assuming you nor your partner have a known fertility problem, these tips below will help improve your chances of getting pregnant

{{1. Know your cycle }}

Understanding your cycle will help you better understand when you are most fertile. Ovulation is the best time to get pregnant.

{{2. Have regular sex }}

Experts recommend you have sex every two to three days if you are seeking to get pregnant. This ensures you don’t miss out on your most fertile time as sperm can stay in a woman’s body for up to 72 hours.

{{3. Avoid strenuous exercise }}

Working out is good for a woman preparing to get pregnant as it helps prepare the body for the demands of pregnancy and labour but strenuous exercises can interfere with ovulation. Avoid strenuous exercises if you are seeking to get pregnant.

{{4. Lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after sex }}

Laying in bed for at least 10 to 15 minutes after sex without going to use the bathroom should be encouraged if you are seeking to get pregnant as it ensures sperm going to the cervix gets to the cervix.

{{5. Quit smoking }}

A woman seeking to get pregnant should quit smoking as smoking reduces fertility. According to experts, smoking or even passive smoking can affect a woman’s chances of getting pregnant.

{{6. Start trying for a baby early}}

Modernization has made more women hold out until their thirties and forties before starting a family. There’s a gradual decline in fertility when a woman is in her 30s. The decline is sharp after age 37. Avoid leaving it late before trying to have a baby.

{{7. Maintain a healthy weight }}

You should strive to maintain a healthy weight if you are trying for a baby. Being overweight or underweight can reduce a woman’s odds of conceiving.

{{8. Reduce your Caffeine consumption}}

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, consuming four cups of caffeine daily has been linked with a decrease in fertility in women.

{Children breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life have an easier time behaving as primary school students, according to new research published Tuesday.}

Children breastfed exclusively for their first six months of life have an easier time behaving as primary school students, according to new research published Tuesday.

Carried out in South Africa, the study assessed more than 1,500 children and found a strong link between how long they were breastfed and signs of behavioural disorders between the ages of seven and 11.

Children fed only breast milk for their first six months — as recommended by the World Health Organisation — were 56 percent less likely to exhibit such disorders than those breastfed for less than one month, found the study published in the PLOS medical journal.

“The duration of exclusive breastfeeding of an infant has greater importance than previously realised in several areas of development,” said Tamsen Rochat of the Human Science Research Council in Durban, a lead author of the Canadian government-financed study.

{{Social problems }}

Rochat emphasised that childhood conduct disorders are associated with social problems — including violence and crime — later in life, as well as poor long-term mental health and low academic achievement.

The research also found that young children who attended daycare for at least one year were 74 percent more likely to achieve higher executive functions, enabling them to plan, concentrate and remember instructions.

The brain needs these skills to prioritise tasks, filter out distractions and achieve goals, noted study authors.

Young children who received stimulation only at home were just 36 percent more likely to achieve high executive functions.

The study also analysed a number of environmental factors that could influence child development, and found that children were two-and-a-half times more likely to develop behavioural problems if their mothers showed signs of mental health issues or severe parenting stress.

{Lemon water is rich in vitamin C. A glass of it everyday can go a long way in keeping you healthier than you already are, by cleansing your stomach, and ridding it of waste that can cause diabetes and more. And that’s not all; check out these other benefits of lemon water.}

{{1. It alkalizes the body }}

Although lemon water contains a lot of acid naturally, the moment it enters your bloodstream, the alkalizing salt overrides the presence of acids during the metabolic process that occurs in the bloodstream.

{{2. It’s the perfect post-work out drink}}

The body tends to become acidic after a workout session; when you drink lemon water after your workout, it neutralizes all that acidity, and leaves you feeling refreshed and better. Lemon water is recommended ahead of some energy drinks because they are mostly made from sugar.

{{3. It’s good for Asthma treatment }}

Lemon contains Vitamin C, an antioxidant that’s very effective in fighting free radicals which causes smooth muscle contractions and airway constrictions, which are both symptoms of Asthma. And apart from that, lemon helps clear out mucus from the air vessels.

NB: lemon shouldn’t stop you from following your doctor’s prescriptions. It is only meant to provide you with the dietary supplement you need to fight the condition.

{{4. Helps in balancing blood sugar levels }}

Bioflavonoids naturally stimulate the production of insulin in our body that in turn balances our blood sugar levels which can help people who have diabetes. Lemon is very rich in this compound. In fact, it is responsible for that yellowish color lemon has.

{{5. It’s rich in Potassium }}

Lemon is very rich in potassium, and if you know anything about nutrition, then you know that it is very important for the smooth functioning of the brain.

{{6. It helps balance PH levels in the body }}

High PH levels in the body mean our body is becoming more acidic, which also means it’s become more prone to diseases like high cholesterol and diabetes.

One effective way to balance the body’s pH levels is by drinking water infused with fresh lemon juice to alkalize the body and lower acidity levels.

{{7. It dissolves Philegm }}

The presence of Citric acid in lemon will dissolve phlegm. In addition to that, it is rich in antioxidants like Vitamin C and K which help fight off cough and colds. For best results, drink a mixture of lemon with warm water and honey. The warm water will work as a decongestant and offer relief from irritation caused by cough.

{{8. It fighst cancer cells }}

As I stated before now, lemon contains a compound called Bioflavonoids which also works as an antioxidant that fights cell oxidation and free radical damage which are the main culprits of cancer. Lemon also contains pectin, which is known to shield the intestines from cancer.

{{9. Helps the heart stay healthy}}

You’ve read that lemon contains a great amount of potassium, which is not only good for the brain, but for the heart as well. It keeps your heart beat stay normal, as well as keeps away high blood pressure and other heart-related illnesses.

{{10. Prevents constipation }}

The Citric acid found in lemon induces bowel movement that will flush out undigested waste from the colon. Water on the other hand, will lubricate your digestive system, and soften your stool.

{{11. Helps in the treatment of scurvy }}

The rich vitamin C content in lemon is what makes this possible. Scurvy, as you know, is due to a deficiency of it.

{{12. Keeps your eyesight healthy }}

The rich vitamin C content of lemon water also helps one prevent eye conditions like macular degeneration and cataract.

{{13. It rids your body of warms }}

Parasites like worms thrive in an acidic environment. By drinking something bitter like lemon mixed in water helps in flushing them out.

{{14. It helps prevent bad breath }}

Lemon helps kill the bad-breath-causing bacteria in your mouth, and flushes away toxins in your liver that when overworked, release bad smelling substances to the bloodstream, lungs then out the mouth.

{{15. Helps keep the skin radiant }}

Lemon contains antioxidants which help repair damaged cells, flushes out toxins, and rids the body of free radicals, to give your skin that radiant look.