Electroshocks are back!

It is very known that psychiatric diseases and electroshocks have been associated for many years. In fact, cultural depictions of asylums and psychiatric institutions always show us this “stereotypical couple”. People could think that this brutal technique is past. However, ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy) is back to treat bipolar disorder.

The purpose for this treatment is stimulating a patient’s brain through mild electric currents. Results have been successful in 75% of the trials. This led scientists to go beyond and improve this technique making it less painful and more effective. Recent studies—conducted by experts from the University of New South Wales, Australia—have demonstrated that electric currents can improve patients’ life, and even be more effective than antidepressants.

In contrast to old use of electroshocks, now these are controlled by the doctor in order to avoid any problem with the patient. The patient is put under general anesthesia, and then the current is applied. Experts suggest this treatment is effective if it is applied 3 times a week, for 3 or 4 weeks.

Perhaps a con that this treatment may have is side effects. ECT can cause headaches, jaw pain and nausea. Nevertheless, these could be considered “details” if they compared to the horrible effects that bipolar disorder carry.

It is impossible to not think of those terrible old psychiatric hospitals with this therapy, and many people think it is the same. So, could modern medicine open the doors to an old-school technique? Could be better to take action in another way, like improving antidepressants? For more information, please check the links below:

An article by WebMD.com

An article by Asianscientist.com

Do you want to try this delicious cherry pie? It may help you if you suffer from gout attack!

Several foods have been associated with treatment of harmful diseases or medical conditions, so the interest of scientists for their properties has widely increased during the last 50 years. A recent study has discovered a relation between cherry intake and the decrease of risk of gout attacks. In this presentation, we developed a meticulous analysis between a scientific publication and a newspaper article; regarding the methods, findings, and language used to describe this scientific breakthrough. 

Enjoy our presentation! :)

Food Security: Can GM foods help to feed the World?

Have you ever heard about food security? The World Health Organization describes it as having food availability, which means having enough quantities of food on a consistent basis; having food access, that considers having sufficient economic and physical resources to obtain food; and having food use, which is the appropriate use of food considering basic nutrition and care. However, it is well-known that our world is going through food insecurity rather than food security (click here to watch an explanation).

In theory, there is enough food in the world for everyone; the problem is that it is not well distributed. Governments should try to redistribute that food in order to feed their population, but what if it is not enough? The world’s population is likely to rise from 6 billion today to 8 billion in 2020 and 11 billion by 2050 (click here) and, probably, 95% of the increase will occur in the world’s poorest nations. What should governments do then?
GM foods have been considered as a possibility in the challenge of producing enough food to feed the world. This technology may not only benefit the world’s poor by altering the nutritional contents of food, but could also help reduce crop losses and increase food production without the need for additional farmland.
The controversy goes on because opponents of GM claim that GM is a bad idea because it is “unnatural”, and hunger is not caused by farming problems, but by political circumstances related to poverty and unfair trading practices.
What do you think? Are GM foods a practical solution to an impossible problem?
For further information: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/multimedia/in-focus/hungry-world/

Have Some Rest, Dear Future Mom

            A crew of doctors from the Netherlands conducted a study on more than four thousand expectant ladies that led them to the conclusion of that the excess of physical effort from pregnant women may alter the growth of the foetus by decreasing it in a three percent. These elements that can affect the embryonic development are the overload of work, long walks, extended periods of time standing, among others. In the link below you will find a presentation that shows some aspects of the research and a comparison between the original version of the scientific investigation and an adaptation from the media.

http://my.brainshark.com/Let-yourself-some-rest-and-let-your-baby-grow-963088389

Just a Blood Sample to Predict a Stroke!

As incredible as it seems, myocardial infarctions (MI), better known as cardiac arrests or heart attacks, might be no longer a matter of dreadful surprise; a study conducted by a group of scientists from San Diego, California demonstrated that the presence of Circulating Endothelial Cells—CEC’s, non-hematopoietic cells (i.e.: units that hold back hematogenesis, the formation of blood cells such as hemoglobin)—can be related to the possibility of an imminent cardiac arrest. In the next presentation, we are going to show you how different can be the information provided by the media from a scientific article on the same subject.

http://my.brainshark.com/Heart-126961073

Multivitamins in the Prevention of Cancer in Men

Have you ever heard that multivitamins prevent you from some illnesses such as the flu or diarrhea? But what about cancer? According to a recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, these pills may be able to reduce the likelihood of developing cancer. 

The following research is called “Multivitamins in the Prevention of Cancer in Men”, and its objective was to determine whether the intake of daily multivitamins reduces the risk of cancer among men or not. 

The subjects of study were only male physicians who had to take daily multivitamins from 1997 to 2011. The results showed that a small (but important) amount of the total of participants of this study reduced the risk of developing cancer. 

This research was carried out by Dr. Michael Gaziano and his team, which consisted of Howard D. Sesso, William G. Christen, Joanne P. Smith, and Jean MacFadyen.

After listening to our presentation on multivitamins, what do you think of this discovery? Are multivitamins going to be considered to fight diseases as the one previously mentioned?

For further information about this breakthrough, you can visit the following web pages:

The New York Times article
Journal of the American Medical Association article

Presentation by Mackarena Díaz & María José Peña

Five-second Rule: Does It Really Work?

Bacterias do not wait to attach to your food!

The famous five-second rule —the one that says that if you drop a piece of food on the floor and pick it up very quickly within five seconds, it is still safe to eat— has been exposed again!

Researchers showed in 2010, last year and many other times that germs do attach themselves to different surfaces even within the amount of time stated in the rule, which may lead to different types of diseases, such as a simple cold or even bronchitis.

A new study co-funded by Clorox and conducted by researchers at San Diego State University found that germs do attach themselves to food items when dropped on the floor. Using carrots, researchers dropped the food on various surfaces such as countertops, kitchen sinks, floor carpets, tiled floors and tables. None of the surfaces was able keep food clean for a full 5 seconds.

The countertop was found to be the dirtiest surface, with the carpeted and tiled floors following in second and third place.

But there is a big difference between picking up a grape from the floor versus a jelly sandwich that falls face down in a house with pets: it all depends on the surface in which food is dropped and the amount of germs that it may hold. 

In the following video, some other details about the five-second rule are shown:

Another important fact is that according to a survey conducted by researchers at San Diego State University, 65% of parents said they had used the five second rule in their homes.

As Amy Rolph, a Seattlepi columnist, stated:

"Turns out, the five-second rule is something your parents invented because they were too lazy to get you new Cheerios after you dumped them on the floor."

Have you ever applied the five-second rule? Do you think it is healthy or unhealthy?