Severe Acne Treatment Linked With Depression

Researchers have found that a common treatment for severe acne has been linked to depression on tested mice. The drug, Roaccutane, was widely used during the 1980s. This study serves as a follow up to controversial reports that the drug had caused depression and suicidal behavior in users. Prior to this study, drug manufacturer Roche required a warning label on the drug stating potential risks. Those risks associated with the use of Roaccutane include depression, psychosis, and suicidal behavior. Despite this warning, the chemical cause of these conditions had yet to be documented.

Enter a new independent study completed by researchers at the University of Bath and the University of Texas at Austin. In the tests, researchers gave Roaccutane to mice over a six week period and study the resulting response. The found that while the mice showed no loss of physical ability, the mice exhibited more depression related behavior. In tests designed to stimulate a response in the mice, those who received the drug showed much less of a response, an indication of depression.

Despite this finding in mice, it is impossible to conclude whether or not the link exists in people. The study, despite its shortcomings, is still seen as a step forward in the research into the drugs reactions. The response which was elicited in the mice will go a long way in determining what role drugs such as Roaccutane play in overall brain function. Up to this point, the only indications of the drugs effects came from patient accounts. But due to the complications associated with drugs of this type and the role in which severe acne plays on a person, the accounts are not very useful for scientific studies.

Researchers hope to expand the results of this study across broader drug groups to which Roaccutane belongs. Studies of this kind may help develop links between side effects associated with similar drugs. For example, Roaccutane belongs to a group of vitamin A-derived medicines proven to effect the development of a person's nervous system. Although this experiment showed a link to depression related behavior, researchers believe that drugs in this same family may be able to be used in the future to help with brain disorders such as schizophrenia.

This field will be one of significant study in the future. Firstly, scientists will want to map similarities among similar medicines to help determine their effectiveness, side effects, and broad uses against other diseases. For example, drugs derived from vitamin A are shown to have affects on the nervous system and the brain. Future experiments will look to exploit this and use it to our advantage. By breaking the effects of medicine down we should be able to expand our knowledge and use of medicines we already have.

Research will also be done to study just what effects drugs play on the brain and whether anything can be done to prevent such occurrences. Look for frequent studies and developments in this field in the near and distant future.

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content

Tags: news, breaking news, depression, study, drugs, acne, teens, suicide

Music Lessons Increase Brain Development in Children

After a year long comparison between children who had musical lessons and those who didn’t, researchers have found a difference in brain development between the groups. Scientists at McMaster University in Canada say that children who received music lessons had better memories. The study also found a higher literacy and math level among the group. According to the study, it is the first of its kind to study the effects of musical lessons over a complete year.

Findings
This study focused on children aged 4 to 6 years old. Perhaps the most surprising aspect to the entire study was its effect on children as young as 4 years old. The effects of musical lessons stretch far beyond the music itself. The study found that the memory performance related to learning music can be stretched to a wide variety of subjects. Among the subjects improved are verbal memory, literacy, and mathematics. Possibly the broadest finding of the entire study was that music lessons may even improve IQ.

The Study
This research was completed on only twelve children. The twelve were then split up into two groups. The first took no music lessons and was comprised of four boys and two girls. A second group which did participate in music lessons consisted of five boys and a girl. The music lessons the children participated in are known as Suzuki music lessons. The key of these lessons is to allow children to listen to music and attempt to imitate it before they know how to read music.
All of the children were subjected to two different sounds throughout the study and their brain activity was monitored while the sound was played. The first sound was that of a violin and the second was a sound similar to static. Across the board children showed greater brain reaction to sounds with meaning and intention, in this case the sound of the violin. By the end of the study all of the children showed an increased response to the sound due to a greater level of brain maturity. The children who received the music lessons however showed a greater response than those who didn’t.

It is this change, as well as better memory indicated by testing shows the significant effect music lessons play on a child’s developing brain. Extending and applying this finding the research scientists found that music helped to wire the brain for cognitive and memory functions to a greater extent.

Questions Raised
One of the main questions raised following the study was its application to large groups of children. Only twelve children were tested, a relatively small group for research of this kind. Although the research is believed to be true across all children, this cannot be confirmed to a greater extent until a broader study is completed. Another question which must be asked is whether gender plays any role in childhood brain development as it relates to music. In this study males were the main test subjects. A study into varying development as it relates to gender should also be completed to ensure the validity of results. Overall, more research will have to be completed to confirm the results found in this study.

The team is planning further research into the topic, this time focusing on the effect of music lessons on adult minds. For more information about this study, check out the October issue of Brain. Music lessons linked to increased brain development. Some improvements included memory, literacy, and math skills. An improvement in overall IQ was also indicated. The study focused on only 12 children, 9 boys and 3 girls.

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content



Tags: web medical news, medical, news, breaking news, study, health, wellness, study, music, music lessons, children, education

Quintuple Kidney Transplant a Success

With 12 surgeons, 6 operating rooms, 5 donors, and 5 patients the first known transplant of 5 kidneys simultaneously went off without complications. The procedures were conducted at the Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Center which had done triple transplants of several previous occasions. The five recipient - 3 men and 2 women - were in good health and spirits, as were the donors. The 10 participants came from 5 different states and Canada. 4 of the kidney recipients approached the hospital with family members willing to donate but incompatible with their loved ones. The fifth recipient was on a waiting list to receive a kidney.

The procedure showed just how well hospitals and the health care system can be at linking willing donors with recipients. Organ recipients know all to well how long the wait can be to receive an organ and procedures such as this where compatible strangers are linked may become more common. The procedure took 10 hours to complete and involved 12 surgeons, 11 anesthesiologists, and 18 nurses.

Doctors say the most common form of kind of transplants are paired transplants with triple transplants even being rare. Doctors prefer to use kidneys out of live patients as opposed to cadavers because the success rates with such organs is higher. Live-donor practice is becoming more common every year in the United States as the process becomes more well known and people network for organs across the nation. Live-donor practice involves pairing a kidney recipient and a friend or family member willing to donate an organ, particularly a kidney, with another pair. This reduces the amount of time a needy patient has to wait for an organ and increases the chances of the surgeries success.

Last year, 16,500 kidney transplants were completed in the U.S. 10,000 of the kidneys came from cadavers while the other 6,500 were from live-donors. There are presently 70,000 people waiting for kidneys with an average wait time of 5 years. Nearly half of this number will die before receiving a kidney or become two sick to undergo the surgery.

Altruistic donations, donations by people not related to any of the recipients, are becoming more common as well. Many members of certain Christian groups have donated their kidneys to others whom they have never met before. One of the donors in the quintuple surgery was an altruistic donor never meeting and of the recipients whom her organ was donated to.

The multiple kidney swaps bend the legal boundary as some laws prohibit giving something of value in exchange for an organ. Doctors, hospitals, and patients are looking for clarification and refinement of the law to allow for the life saving donations.



Tags: web, medical, news, health, breaking news, wellness, kidney, surgery, transplant, donation, John Hopkins

Higer Infant Death Rates Accompany Voluntary C-Sections

If you’ve decided to have your next child via a voluntary c-section, you may want to reconsider. A study to be published in September indicates that infant and neonatal death rates during voluntary c-sections are higher than during vaginal births. Marian MacDorman as well as other researchers took a look at nearly 5.8 million live births and 12,000 infant deaths from 1998 to 2001 in order to determine the infant death risk associated with different types of birth, particularly the rates associated with voluntary c-sections compared to vaginal delivery.

In order to determine as true of a set of results as possible, the study only looked at pregnant women who had no complications with the delivery. This made the only difference between two different births the delivery method. By eliminating women with complications, the study will yield less tainted results.

The study is believed to be the first study to look at the death infant and neonatal death rate associated with voluntary c-section. Prior studies have been completed on risks associated with required c-sections; however, this study goes a step further to analyze those c-sections which are not mandatory and are instead, voluntary. The amount of births completed via c-section has rose from 20.7 percent in 1996 up to 29.1 percent in 2004, a staggering increase. This rise in c-section births has made the study more pertinent than ever.

Infant and neonatal mortality rate among babies delivered via voluntary c-section were 1.77 per 1,000. In contrast, the mortality rate for babies delivered vaginally was .62 per 1,000. A look into the causes to these starkly different figures may be linked to a number of different factors. One cause which researchers have cited is that vaginal labor and delivery releases a hormone which promotes greater and healthier lung functioning. C-sections on the other hand do not release this hormone. Researchers also stress that the force on the infant during vaginal birth pushes fluid from the lungs and prepares the young child to breathe on their own, another thing c-sections are unable to accomplish. Other causes are associated with possible cuts to the infant during the c-section procedure and delayed time before breast feeding can occur.

All of the information which was outlined in the study was drawn from information written on birth certificates. Therefore, the accuracy of the information in the study is only as accurate as it was put onto the birth certificates. The certificates are typically accurate however, so the survey will represent this fact. For low risk women, the risk of infant death is still very rare with an average of only one infant death per every 1,000 infants.

This study needs to be taken with a significant amount of consideration. The key to this entire study is that a higher risk of infant and neonatal death is associated with a voluntary study. The expectant mother will have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the procedure and come to a conclusion as to whether the risk is worth the reward. This study will hopefully engage more conversation between OB/GYNs and patients as to whether this study is right for their situation and whether the indicated higher risk to the infant is worth it.

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content

Tags: birth, web medical news, news, health, medical, hospital, birth, c-section, delivery, complications, study, infant, baby, neonatal, child, volunteer

Despite New Rules, Medical Interns Still Face Long Hours

"A new study released just recently has indicated that, despite major rules changes enacted in 2003 to put an end to long work hours, interns are still working long hours. In the study, 80 percent of interns have stated that they violate mandatory standards placed on their workplace schedules. The survey covered over 4,000 interns across the United States.

New Rules

In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education refined its standards for medical interns. New rules were set forth due to the rising concern that mistakes in judgment and health care decisions were being made due to a lack of adequate rest under the then current conditions. The council was also concerned about the overall health of the students partaking is extremely tedious work schedules.

The new standards limited interns to working no longer than 30 hours straight. They also stated that the students were not allowed to work more than an average of 80 hours a week over a 4 week period.

No Improvement

Despite the newly implemented rules, a study at Boston ’s Brigham and Women’s hospital indicated that no improvements in intern working conditions were made in 2004; the first year after the rules took effect. 2005 appears to be the same, if not worse than the previous year. Even though new rules were implemented, there appears to be no effect on working conditions. The safety standards are comparable to those of other jobs requiring extensive hand eye coordination such as truckers and pilots. The study indicates that possible reasons for the lack of change include resistance to changes, emergencies, and lack of money.

A Second Study

Another study was completed at the same hospital and tracked accidental needle punctures. The mistakes are most commonly attributed to lack of sleep and expose interns to diseases. This survey was completed just before the new rules came into effect. Since the newest rules had little effect on interns actions it can be assumed the results of this study are still common.

Further Steps Are Needed

More steps need to be taken to ease the problems faced by interns presently. Number one on the priority list is federal legislation aimed at employers violating current rules and laws. Evidence indicates that shifts that exceed 12-16 hours endanger patients and cause interns to not perform to the best of their abilities. Any improvements that have been seen have been marginal at best and have mainly been seen in institutions which had 120 hour work weeks before the new rules took effect. The only locations in compliance with the law now are those which had lower hours before the rules. Despite the health care systems goal of helping patients, they are in fact putting them at increased risk by extending shifts beyond what is recommended."

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content

Tags: medical, health, news, breaking news, interns, hospital, doctors, doctor, sleep, mistakes, study

Buying Scrubs for School and Work

I know that the process of finding just the right scrubs for your work or school needs can be a frustrating challenge. Finding pieces that will match one another, match school or other colors, or that you just look good in can be hard to come by, that's why web sites specialize in finding a solution to just such problems.

If you are a nurse or medical professional, Scrubs Gallery is the place to shop online. By using Scrubs Gallery you can sort through scrubs by type color style and fabric to find the scrub the fits your wants and needs. Not only does the site have many different styles but they are cheaper as well. The next time you are looking for scrubs consider Scrubs Gallery.

Tags: medical, health, scrubs, doctors, nurses, health professionals, clothing, work clothing, online store

Overweight Toddler = Overweight Preteen, Most of the Time

A new study completed by American researchers indicates that toddlers who are overweight or obese at age 2 run a much higher risk of being overweight at age 12 when compared to toddlers of recommended weight. The new study, whose results were released earlier this week, followed children from age 2 through age 12 and tracked not only their weight, but also their levels of weight gain as compared to other children of the same age.

Despite what you may hear, weight and weight gain is important throughout a persons life including when they are very young. It is particularly important to establish healthy eating habits when a child is young in addition to maintaining a healthy weight. Contrary to what many people believe, weight will typically not go away simply as a result of getting older, the study indicated.

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content
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Tags: health, medical, wellness, diet, obesity, children, parenting, study, web site, blog, blogs, disease

Hair Transplant Clinic

A word from my sponsor: Feller Medical is a hair transplant clinic specializing in natural hair transplant surgery. You will find a comfortable environment at Feller Medical with no sales tactics or pushy salesmen trying to convince you how much you "need" the surgery. Dr. Feller personally meets with all of his patients to evaluate what step to take next. They let their work speak for itself by displaying a photo gallery prominently on their website so you can see for yourself how good their work is. Feller Medical is conveniently located in New York near JFK airport.

Human Body Resists Attempted Weight Loss

"A recent study completed in has determined that the body resists attempts to lose weight. The study comes on the heels of news that obesity in is still on the rise despite efforts to reduce the recent epidemic. The study covering the body’s high resistance is set to be reviewed by obesity experts at the Queensland University of Technology.

Contrast of mechanisms
One doctor associated with the project from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation has states that the body has very few processes to prevent weight gain, but very strong processes to prevent weight loss. The study showed a long known effect whereby weight loss effectively stops or is drastically reduced once it reaches a certain level.

A plateau effect
The long known plateau effect was demonstrated in this study. The plateau effect marks a point where exercise and reduced calories no longer lead to significant weight loss. In the study, two sets of data were used. The first set involved obese men and women exercising five times a week, but did not regulate the amount of food which they were able to consume. The second survey group tracked was those which utilized both diet and exercise, but it was up to them how much of each they completed.

The first group lost an average of 3kg a week for the first seven weeks but in the eight week, the average net weight loss was only .7kg, a staggering drop. This stoppage of weight loss is evidence of the mechanisms the body has in place to prevent it from losing further weight, or at least from losing it as fast as it had been.

The second group had a wide array of weight losses, mainly due to the fact that the exercise program and diet had been left up to each individual. Despite the difference in total results, most of those surveyed displayed the previously mentioned plateau and major slowdown in weight loss."

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content
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Tags: medical, health, wellness, fitness, plateau effect, diet, weight loss, study

Meat Shown to Increase Breast Cancer Risk

According to a study consuming red meat may increase a woman's risk for breast cancer. The study found women who ate more than one and a half servings of red meat daily had nearly two times the risk of developing hormone related breast cancer. Those women who ate only 3 servings of meat a week or less had a much lower rate. The study was published in Monday's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study tracked women's diets over a two decade period and focused on survey rather than experimentation. The type of breat cancer involved with the study was only those that were hormone driven and not types formed for some other reason. Those who consumed extra meat were also more likely to smoke and be overweight, but with these factors incorporated meat eaters still had a greater risk of the cancer.

The exact reason for the proposed link is unknown although it is believed to be related to the high fat content of red meat and improper portioning.

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Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, medical, news, health, study, wellness, diet, fat, obesity, healthy eating, meat, cancer, breast cancer, medicine

Severe Acne Treatment Linked With Depression

"Researchers have found that a common treatment for severe acne has been linked to depression on tested mice. The drug, Roaccutane, was widely used during the 1980s. This study serves as a follow up to controversial reports that the drug had caused depression and suicidal behavior in users. Prior to this study, drug manufacturer Roche required a warning label on the drug stating potential risks. Those risks associated with the use of Roaccutane include depression, psychosis, and suicidal behavior. Despite this warning, the chemical cause of these conditions had yet to be documented.

Enter a new independent study completed by researchers at the University of Bath and the University of Texas at Austin. In the tests, researchers gave Roaccutane to mice over a six week period and study the resulting response. The found that while the mice showed no loss of physical ability, the mice exhibited more depression related behavior. In tests designed to stimulate a response in the mice, those who received the drug showed much less of a response, an indication of depression.

Despite this finding in mice, it is impossible to conclude whether or not the link exists in people. The study, despite its shortcomings, is still seen as a step forward in the research into the drugs reactions. The response which was elicited in the mice will go a long way in determining what role drugs such as Roaccutane play in overall brain function. Up to this point, the only indications of the drugs effects came from patient accounts. But due to the complications associated with drugs of this type and the role in which severe acne plays on a person, the accounts are not very useful for scientific studies."

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content
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Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, medical, doctor, acne, depression, wellness, mice, teens, study

Metal Forces Painkiller Recall

11 million bottles of the common pain killer acetaminophen are being recalled due to the risk of metal contamination. Some of the drugs were sold over 3 years ago. The generic pills were sold to many stores including Wal-Mart, CVS, Safeway, and SuperValu. The 500 mg tablets were also sold under more than 120 other brands.

Acetaminophen is one of the most common painkillers and is most well known under the Tylenol brand name. Along with Asprin and Ibuprofen, it is one of the most widely used pain killers not needing a prescription.

The risk of the pills causing major injury to anyone ingesting the pills is minor with the most common possible effect being stomach discomfort and cuts of the mouth and throat. So far no one is known to have consumed any contaminated pills. The metal ranges from small fragments to wire one-third of an inch long.

The metal was found during routine quality control checks after company employees discovered equipment was wearing down. Out of 70 million pills tested with a metal detector only 200 indicated even a minor metal presence.

The company who manufactures the medication, Perrigo, is touted as the world's largest producer of generic drugs. Affected batch numbers can be found on the FDA website.

Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, acetaminophen, pills, drugs, health, recall, FDA, prescription, asprin, medicine, wellness, ibuprofen, tylenol

Duct Tape Doesn't Get Rid of Warts - Study

A study focusing on a popular belief that duct tape can help cure warts has found the tape is an ineffective treatment. In the test duct tape performed only slightly better than a test placebo corn pad. The test composed of just over 100 school children. Some of those who wore the "common cure" of duct tape reported discomfort, itching, and rashes most likely caused from the tapes adhesive.

The tape provides an alternative treatment to much harsher options. Other forms of wart removal include freezing the wart of in a process called cryotherapy or the chemical buring of a wart using a strong acid solution. The study's findings contradict a report published in the same publication which declared duct tape worked better than cryotherapy.

Unless further research is completed, the only effective treatments to remove warts are cryotherapy and chemical burning.

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New Patch May Eliminate Need for "Vaccinations"

A newly developed patch may eliminate the need for conventional vaccinations delivered in a shot. The new skin delivered vaccine patches are undergoing testing on hundreds of volunteers to test effectiveness. Current shots are not perfect and the U.S. government is hoping this patch may solve the problem current shots present. The patches may also be useful in times of epidemics like bird flu for mass vaccination.

The creators of the patch have even broader ideas for the product. They hope that one day a mail man could deliever the patch to your door eliminating the need for a trip to a doctor. Although previous experiments indicate this skin is able to absorb vaccines, this is the first test using patches to administer vaccines such as the flu vaccine. Years of testing lie ahead for the product the could revolutionize one aspect of the health industry.


Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, medical, health, wellness, vaccine, shots, flu, doctor, patch, sick, sickness, vaccination, bird flu, public health, health care

New Solution to Old Problem of Head Lice

We all know of head lice: The pesky bugs the terrorize moms and schoolchildren every school year. Well the reign of terror may soon be put to an end by a device called the "LouseBuster". The device dries out lice and their eggs in a half hour preventing them from reproducing. The device is a better alternative than the powerful shampoos currently employed to curb the rampant problem.

In the study nearly all of those tested had no lice present one week after the treatment. The device may be a more feasible option than the hastle of sending children home to parents once lice is detected. Instead, children could be treated at school and return to class.

The device works similar to hairdryers in that it blows heated air, although the similarities end there. The "LouceBuster" pushes twice as much air as most hair dryers and the air is not as hot. Spawned by the discovery of lice dying in dry environments, the device is expected to be around $1000. Although it seems a bit pricey, typical shampoo lice treatments cost upwards of $40. Combining increased effectiveness with its low cost the device would pay for itself in time.

Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, Technorati, lice, head lice, school, children, medical, health, LouseBuster, elementary school, wellness, hair care, hair, solution, solutions

Tomatoes Cause of Salmonella Outbreak

Fresh tomatoes tainted with the Salmonella virus have been found as the cause of a recent outbreak of Salmonella that had spread across 21 states. The outbreak, which is now over, sickened approximately 183 people across the United States. No deaths were believed to have been caused by the tainted fruit, although 22 people did have to be hospitalized. The restaurant tomatoes were found to be the cause based on surveys of victims and what they had eaten.

This outbreak came soon after an outbreak involving the E. Coli virus on tainted spinach. That outbreak killed 3 and sickened 200 more.

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Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, diseases, conditions, sickness, health, wellness, tomatoes, salmonella, outbreak, hospital, E. Coli, spinach

Surviving Hepatitis C Stops Reinfection

Those who survive Hepatitis C, the liver killing virus, appear to be protected from getting the virus again in the future. The findings came from a study of 3,500 drug users in Canada. The sharing of needles among drug users is the most common reason people contract the Hepatitis C virus. Although many of those tested still possesed the virus, those who had rid themselves of Hepatitis C appeared to protect themselves from future infection.

Despite repeated exposure to the virus, those who had previously had the virus either didn't get the virus again or got it to a lesser degree. There is a painful treatment for those who have Hepatitis C, however medical prefessionals are hesitant to give it because of their continued use of drugs. This new study however may change this. Treating and ridding those of the virus may be beneficial since their chance of reinfection and thus their capability of passing the virus on are reduced. If the findings prove true on wide use, the transmission of Hepatitis C could be severely reduced.

Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, Technorati, medical, health, wellness, sickness, virus, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis, infection, canada, hospital, doctor, health care, treatment, reinfection, syringe, drugs, needle, study

Genes May Determine Who Is Infected With Bird Flu Virus

One of the deciding factors in who does or does not contract the bird flu may lie in the persons genes. The trait makes some people more disposed to getting the deadly infection, partially explaining the previously believed random contraction. This factor has also helped the infection remain rare according to the World Health Organization.

The conclusion was formed based greatly upon the deaths of 7 extended family members in Indonesia. The relatives who shared many genescould have passed the virus to members outside of their family, but the virus only spread among the same family. The disease with over a 50% mortality rate is one of the pressing issues facing the world today. The infection is rarely transmitted to humans from animals nor is it passed from human to human readily except in rare circumstances.

No vaccine is available for the disease and none is seen to be coming in the near future. The chances of a pandemic developing remain possible and very little is known about the bird flu. Research will continue into the infection to determine more about it's cause, treatments, and mutations.

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Tags: blog, blogs, blogger, blogging, weblog, weblogs, medical, health, wellness, diseases, infections, bird, flu, bird flu, pandemic, vaccine, World Health Organization, infection

Despite Decline, Heart Disease Still Most Likely Cause of Death

For 10 years the number of deaths caused by heart diseases declined by over 23% leading many to feel better about to common disorder. More effective treatments and drugs only intensified this feeling of control over the situation. Despite this large decline, heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans with nearly 1 million dying annually from the broad disease.

70 million Americans are affected by some form of the disease, but very few know its severity and consequences. As the baby boomer generation continues to age Cardiovascular disorders are expected to rise significantly over the next 10 years. Prevention of the disease is key and there are several things you can do to help your situation. Exercise, healthy eating, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight all reduce a person's risk of heart problems.

Obesity rates continue to rise annually and until the epidemic is challenged heart problems will likely remain the number one cause of death among Americans.

Tags: blog, blogs, weblogs, blogger, blogging, Technorati, health, wellness, fitness, medical, medical news, news, heart, heart disease, heart health, disease, disorder, smoking, diet, exercise, treatment, obesity, America, Americans

Abnormal Part of Brain Believed to be Cause of SIDS

An area of the brain that is responsible for breathing, arousal, and other key functions may be the missing link behind the cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The study, completed by Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, provides hope that a treatment for the devastating problem may one day be possible. It may also go a long way in explaining just why babies who are lying face down are more acceptable. When lying face down, the infant's reflexes and sense of a arousal are more challenged making breasting more difficult.

The limited study focused on the deaths of 41 infants who died in California and included data obtained from their autopsies. The abnormality was found on the lower part of the brainstem, the medulla oblongata, responsible for serotonin production. Serotonin acts as an arousal agent waking infants from their sleep when some physical condition is not correct. SIDS is caused by the inhalation of excess carbon dioxide when the baby is face down or when it's face is covered.

In children with normal serotonin production, the agent wakes the children up and prompts them to move allowing them to inhale more oxygen. Children who do not produce enough serotonin, however, do not receive this stimuli and fail to wake up despite the danger eventually causing their death if the baby is deprived of oxygen for too long. More public is needed for the problem and campaigns are underway to inform the public of the risks associated with SIDS. The study may aid others in creating a test for the defect and in creating a drug to combat the problem.

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Tags: blog, blogs, weblog, weblogs, news, health, wellness, medical, SIDS, brain, disorder, study, Harvard, hospital, baby, infant, serotonin, blogger, death