“Cupron” provides an easy and more economical way to women and men who want to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles, fines lines and liver, a new study done by ‘Cupron’ claims that. A four week clinical study shows that the copper ion based pillowcases have emerged as non-invasive alternative to painful cosmetic surgery and collagen injections.

Dr. Gadi Barkow, the chief medical scientist at ‘Cupron’ says that with the “Wrinkle Appearance Reducing Antimicrobial Pillowcases”, it reduces the appearance of the facial wrinkles, crow’s feet and fine lines. The customers who had been sleeping on these pillowcases for four weeks have provided with very positive feedback about these pillow cases.

These copper ion based pillowcases not only carry the cosmetic effects but also promise to protect against odor causing bacteria, fungi and other microbes. So this pillowcase currently brought in market by ‘Cupron’ has not only cosmetic appearance enhancing abilities, but also an ability to deodorize while they are used.

‘Cupron’ adopts a cost effective platform technology that combines the qualities of copper and finally a fabric containing copper-impregnated fibers is bound to textile fibers. This new fabric provides protection against the microbial attack like odor producing bacteria and fungi. It also carries an additional capacity to mingle easily with latex and other polymeric products during manufacturing.

These ‘Cupron’ copper impregnated fibers have been used by ‘Cupron’ to manufacture a number of other consumer products. These products include beddings, towels, curtains, gloves and even socks. Under the various patents, the company has recently introduced socks which claim to fight against the bacteria and fungi which causes odor. The material simply doesn’t allow the microbes to grow as the protection mechanism simply penetrates the cell wall of the microbe and disturbs the key cell functions thereby not allowing it to function, grow or reproduce.

On similar lines, they have also introduced bath towels, gloves and bed sheets. The fabric used in these products is enriched with a technology to fight against the microbial attacks and allergies which could happen due to contact with these in day to day life. As compared to the usual fabric, this copper impregnated fiber can resist the smell of mold for a longer duration. 

The company has come up with a “Beauty Sleep Set” which includes the ‘Cupron pillowcase’, sleep mask and cotton gloves which will not only enhance and rejuvenate the appearance of the skin but also protect from foul odors and bacterial attacks. The best part is that all these can be achieved with the comfort of sleep.

According to the popular notion, we credit the incidence of “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)” to give rise to ‘female-to-male transsexuals’; however a new study suggests that there are higher levels of androgen among the ‘Female to Male Transsexuals’. This new study has tried to diagnose PCOS by doing assessment of female-to-male transsexuals on the updated methodology and data and they have also included the results of ‘Transvaginal Ultrasonography (TS)’ adopted for its first kind of evaluation done for female-to-male transsexuals.

‘Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)’ is a condition where there is misbalance of women hormones in the human body which generally initiates with upsetting of the periods in women, one hormonal change giving rise to another, and consequently producing more of androgens which are male sex hormones. This gives growth to extra facial and body hair, occurrence of acne and weight gain. If the symptoms are not treat at the early stage, it might along with these physical irregularities in a woman, may give rise to serious diseases like diabetes and heart diseases as it affects the release of insulin too in the body.

The study was conducted among a group of 61 female-to-male transsexual patients. These patients had never been administered any kind of hormonal medication during the treatment. The results were drawn taking into account the complete diagnostic procedures described in the ‘National Institutes of Health’ 1990 and Rotterdam 2003 criteria. The scientists also utilized the results out of ultrasound, clinical and biochemical tests done on this group. The result was then compared with the data collected among the 94 healthy unselected controls.

Higher levels of androgen were found among the patients and there was a likelihood of its being originated out of ovarian problems. However the researchers say that it might have also been possible that the patients had taken any kind of androgen therapy before, which went undetected, and could have led to higher androgen levels.

The major advancement in this study was that it studied a larger group of patients to reach the conclusion. Moreover it brought in use various techniques which were completely missing in the previous studies like ultrasound etc. for better diagnosis.

Dr. Andreas Mueller of Erlangen University Hospital in Erlangen, Germany says “This is the first prospective endocrine evaluation of using up-to-date state-of-the-art criteria incorporating for diagnosing PCOS or hyperandrogenemia”. Louis J. Gooren of Free University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Susanne Naton-Schotz, Susanne Cupisti, Matthias Beckmann, and Ralf Dittrich of Erlangen University Hospital in Erlangen, Germany were other researchers who contributed to the study.

A recent research has provided much insight in to the process of brain development and effects of hormone deficiencies on this process. This research, concluded at the “Karolinska Institutet” revealed that during the stage of early pregnancy, deficiencies of the thyroid hormones could cause “locomotors under-development” in a child. ‘Routine Pregnancy Tests’ there fore must examine this issue in detail, say the researchers.”Hyperthyreosis” is a typical disease found in children who are born with deficiencies of the thyroid hormones. Such children’s are at great risk of ‘locomotors under-development’ and the ‘brain under-development’ if proper treatment at the right time is not given to these children.

Scientists are still exploring in to the exact reasons that are primarily responsible for such impacts of thyroid hormone deficiencies. Scientists are also focusing on to identify the level of attention that is required to be paid to women’s hormone levels when she is pregnant. It is worthwhile to note that all the new born babies in Sweden are necessarily tested for “Hyperthyreosis”. But this is not true with all the women at the same time.

Experiments conducted on mice by the scientists at ‘Karolinska Institutet’ have almost established that the thyroid hormones of both the mother and the child are necessary for complete “locomotors development”. During the period of pregnancy, mother remains as the only source for these thyroid hormones for the baby and any deficiency in this hormone will produce ‘locomotors disorders’ which will pass to the adulthood also. At this stage the problem becomes worse and it goes beyond the range of any treatment also, according to the scientists.

Professor Bjorn Vennstrom, the lead researcher, says, “Hypothyreosis is easy to treat if it’s discovered”. He further advocates and supports the views of many other scientists who feel that more detailed monitoring of pregnant women must be ensured.

The ‘locomotors disorders’ are the results an abnormal development of specific nerve cells in motor cortex and cerebellum. With this perspective, this research study has provided a detailed insight in to the vital role of thyroid hormones which becomes a determining factor for proper brain development.

Gene modified mice were used for this study and mutation in one of two thyroid hormone receptors was monitored for resulting outcomes by the researchers. This means that the patients identified with such mutations of same type of receptor can also be identified for immediate treatment. This is the first ever finding in this regard, according to the scientists.

In a recent study, the researchers tried to probe the relationship lying between mobile phone use and ‘malignant and non malignant parotid gland‘, also known as the ‘salivary gland‘, tumors.

The study was carried out by Dr Siegal Sadetzki and colleagues from the ‘Chaim Sheba Medical Centre’; the Sackler School of Medicine at ‘Tel Aviv University’ in Israel and the ‘International Agency for Research on Cancer‘ in Lyon, France. It was funded by the ‘European Commission Fifth Framework Program’, the ‘Union Internationale Contre le Cancer’, and a grant from the ‘Israel Cancer Association’.

In the study, a group of Jewish adults suffering from benign or cancerous parotid gland tumors (PGTs, which are tumors in the largest of the salivary glands) was compared to another group of Israeli adults, randomly selected from the ‘National Population Registry‘. They tried to derive the results on the basis of seven parameters which were matched to each of the adults with PGTs. The participants were interviewed on mobile phone usage, other possible risk factors and demographic variables.

…Click here to read more

Scientists have been conducting researches for a long time and now they have come up with sound evidences that the paternal exposure could be making serious impacts on the fetal and post-natal development of the offspring. It is more likely that such imprints will also be reflected in subsequent future generations as well.Until now the maternal exposure to several of the dangerous toxic agents during the period of pregnancy were the prime concerns for experts, scientists, and society at large.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science’ sponsored a multidisciplinary symposium recently. This symposium was focused on the concept of “Father and Fetus”. Scientists in this symposium presented many evidences that the reproductive success and post-natal development processes could be severely affected by the male-mediated influences and this may continue from one generation to another.

Evidences supported by the results obtained from certain specific animal and epidemiological studies demonstrate that paternal exposure to the various types of potentially harmful and hazardous toxins can severely affect the development process of fetus. Such negative impacts could also bring selected but wide spectrum defects and deficits in the offspring’s and there is a strong possibility that such impacts would also be reflected in the future generations as well.

Dr. Gladys Friedler, an emeritus Professor of Psychology at the Boston University School of Medicine highlighted the issue with much concern for all. Organizing a session in the symposium, he specified an urgent need of increasing the awareness levels of everyone about the “significant effect of the male parent in reproductive success and postnatal developments as well as to stimulate research on male-mediated effects”, he says.

Dr. Gladys Friedler, a pioneer researcher, presented a complete review of the researches and studies conducted in this regard and highlighted that all of them indicate clearly that the exposure to the toxins in the form of both the recreational and therapeutic drugs is equally dangerous for a male. Similarly, the exposures at the workplaces and other types of exposure are equally risky in case males as all this could potentially affect and alter the reproductive outcomes.

There are certain impacts on the offspring outcome that have been very specifically reported. Such instances include problems like low birth weight. Growth in childhood cancer cases, Problems related to overall development, behavioral disorders, typical endocrine abnormalities, and some specific cross- generational impacts. Dr. Gladys Friedler is quite hopeful that further research would help in solving these puzzled and complex issues that are directly related to the future generations.

Millions of people suffer from the problem of over active bladder and lower urinary tract symptoms. These conditions put an adverse affect on quality of life and there are costs associated with the conditions.  The ‘International Continence Society (ICS)’ defines ‘Overactive bladder (OAB)’ as urgency, with or without urgency incontinence, usually with frequency and nocturia, in the absence of infection, or other obvious pathology.

Among the above symptoms as enumerated by ICS, urgency is the most serious implication of this condition. It is defined by ICS as a sudden, compelling, difficult-to-defer desire to pass urine. It leads to other symptoms of OAB like frequency, nocturia and sometimes incontinence except in the case of patients with absent bladder sensation. The experience of urgency puts the greatest negative effect on quality of life than any of the other symptoms associated with OAB.

Majority of the patients even do not experience the problem of incontinence. Incontinence implies the reduction of one’s voluntary control on the excretory functions of the body.

Yamaguchi and colleagues from throughout Japan explain that the urgency as defined by ICS which distinguishes it from urge. Urge is a normal physiological sensation carrying the same meaning as a desire to void. However the patients suffering from OAB fail to react towards a normal urge or urgency.

Urgency, as clearly defined by ICS, is a pathological sensation which results in a compelling desire to pass urine. However it is still unclear whether urge and urgency are just two varieties of the same condition or not.  Because of its subjective nature, it is difficult to distinguish between the two in a clinical or research.

The authors of ICs however adopted an innovative approach of gathering the information. They selected 21 female patients carrying the condition of overactive bladder who were selected on their ability to understand and distinguish between urgency and urge. All had experienced urgency and normal urge and authors found that they carried clear ability to distinguish between the two. The patients completed a 7 days voiding diary and the information was compiled to make the distinction clear about urge and urgency.

The participants of the study had already sought medical care to cure the conditions so they were capable enough to differentiate between the two. Among 43% urgency was felt less than once a day and some of the patients reported absence of sensation of urgency for many days together. Even among the patients who experienced urgency reported that it initiated with a normal sensation of desire to void.

The authors conclude that urgency does not seem to be a resultant factor in the symptoms of frequency that are common in OAB. They found urge sensation to be remarkably increased at any given bladder volume in their patients with OAB compared with normal subjects. Hypersensitivity was a common symptom among both the conditions.

This led the authors to believe that OAB may be more accurately defined as a hypersensitivity disorder rather than a syndrome characterized primarily by urgency as defined by ICS. Increased bladder sensitivity (hypersensitivity) seems to be driving the symptoms of urgency in the patients suffering from OAB.

“A person who views someone else’s snacking behavior will come to exhibit a similar snack selection pattern”.Mimicry has long been a topic of research for many social scientists that are constantly digging deep in to the human tendency that prompts on to mimic others. A recently concluded study which will be published in the April issue of the “Journal of Consumer Research” describes the mimic based consumption behavior in much detail.

Researchers found that if someone is eating a goldfish or animal crackers the viewer will also be inclined to eat the same stuff. It is basically mimicking someone else eat a particular food. This is replicated in the same way for the consumption of other products as well, according to the researchers.

Research took up a set of experimental studies and combined the results in order to arrive at some firm conclusion. In their first experiment participants were asked to sit in front of computer in a private lab room to watch a video of another fellow participant who was describing a series of advertisements and was eating goldfish and animal crackers from a bowl while he was describing. There were two bowls in front of this participant with goldfish and animal crackers in one and another but the participant was deliberately taking out the food item from one specific bowl repeatedly fro the entire time of the video show.

The participants who were watching these videos also had two bowls in front of themselves. Researchers observed that these participants started mimicking the same pattern at most of the time. If the participant in the video was taking goldfish crackers from the bowl then the viewer participant also took the same from a bowl in front of him for an average 71% of the time.

Similarly in 44% of the cases the participants took the animal crackers from the bowls in front of them because the participant in the video was also doing the same. A complete rating of all the case reporting revealed that overall the participants showed more inclination towards eating the goldfish crackers compared to the animal crackers.

According to the researchers, “preferences may shift as a result of unintentionally mimicking another person’s consumption behavior”.

The second experiment explored the possible linkages between responsiveness and the mimicking behavior of the participants. They examined if the person who is mimicking another person also like the same person with enhanced degree compared to otherwise normal situations. This was basically intended to explore the possible positive response for a particular product that has been endorsed this way.

Researchers observed that mimicking of body posture; angle, foot movements, and verbal patterns were the prime motivating factors for the participants to show a positive response towards a new sports drink. These participants drank the same sports drink compared to those participants who did not mimic.

The third experiment by the researchers showed that the rate of consumption of a particular product was significantly high in cases where the participants did mimic and above all they also invested in the success of this product.

Researchers say that these patterns are indicative of mimicry having a tremendous potential to be used an important tool for influencing the interpersonal persuasion and communication. This would be an immensely helpful approach in controlling several habits that will in turn help a normal person to protect himself from many health problems.

When it comes to be physically active, there is no single size that fits everyone with same effectiveness. People around the world have so much diversities and have so many different cultural and physical parameters that it is almost impossible to design an exercise method that benefits everyone upon this earth with equal degrees of benefits.A recent landmark research study conducted at the ‘University of Alberta’, Canada says that this study has been successful in defining the underlying trends variance and preferences for making a decision about what should be a most correct exercise pattern in case any person wants to be physically active.

People across the world belong to different cultures, ethnicities, genders, and income levels. Each of these people has different influences and different choices even in being physically active.

Professor Jane Ruseski and Professor Brad Humphyes at the University of Alberta included varied parameters in this research study. Some of these parameters include income, education and ethnicity which are prime influencing factors related to a person’s decision of remaining physically active.

Researchers involved the data of government spending on parks and other recreation facilities and examined their impacts on a person’s decision to the extent of participation in physical activities and other sports.

It was observed that simple walking was the most favored physical activity that was counted as an exercise and almost 57% people voted for this pattern. Study results also revealed that with an increasing in age the rate of participation in walking as a physical activity also increases significantly. Brad Humphreys says, “Programs aimed at promoting walking for exercise could appeal to older populations”.

Walking is a main physical activity and it is relatively the cheapest type of physical activity. Walking can be performed in almost every condition, weather and it does not need any special equipment or specific technique and other infrastructural facilities.

Researchers observed that with an increase in income level involvement in other types of physical activities also increases. Compared to the people who were simply high school graduates the people who has higher educational backgrounds were more inclined and participated with more interests in the outdoor recreation, sports, and other activities. On the other hand females on an average were less inclined to participate in such type of outdoor activities, group sports, and even the individual sports compared to their male counterparts.

The average time spent on physical activities in case of female was found to be almost 444 minutes per week less than their male counterparts in outdoor recreational activities. Similarly it was 108 minutes less on group sports and 74 minutes less in case of individual sports compared to males. Researchers feel that the child-care responsibilities and other household duties are mainly responsible for this less time spent in case of females as they normally have to invest one more hour in their homes compared to males on average.

Researchers feel that development of physical activity programs must be focused on these important factors along with other considerations affecting the outcomes of people from different ethnicities ad diverse cultures. Any particular program designed for some specific population group may not hold well with same outcomes in case of other population groups.”Our results have important implications for the design of government interventions aimed at increasing physical activity”, says Brad Humphreys.

It is normal to have a “Post-Natal Depression (PND)” after a child’s birth and the quality of life usually gets reduced. This commonly occurring problem poses threat to mental and physical health of a mother if not diagnosed and taken seriously.

A new study led by Professor Claude de Tychey, from ‘Universite Nancy 2′, France came out with striking results showing that the birth to a boy can lead to higher levels of PND and the quality of life worsens as compared in the case of birth of a girl child.

In a research published in the February issue of “Journal of Clinical Nursing”, it was found that just under a third of the 181 women, they studied four to eight weeks after delivery had PND. Nine percent of these women belonged to a French community where they faced no cultural pressures in terms of the gender of the baby. Three quarters of these women suffering from severe cases of PND had given birth to boys.

They found that the gender of the baby not only determines the severity of PND but also plays an important role in affecting the quality of life. The women who gave birth to boys were found enjoying a reduced quality of life even when there were no signs of post natal depression among them. This was lesser when they delivered girls.

A questionnaire was used to carry out this comparison. There were 36 questions in it asking the women to score eight important parameters of their health like proper functioning of the body, physical role, physical pains, mental health and few questions related to emotional and social health. The researchers provided a 100- point scale to women to measure themselves up on the above dimensions. The results were then further categorized on the basis of male and female births to evaluate their effects on PND and overall physical and mental health among the women. This provided 60 separate quality of life scores.

The overall results depicted clear differences in the overall quality of life and PND in case of birth of a girl and a boy. In 70% cases of women giving birth to a boy reported lower level of quality of life even when PND was absent among them. They showed higher cores of quality of life when the 10 quality of life scores were added together.

Among the women suffering from PND, the researchers found better scores of quality of life among those who had given birth to girls as compared to those who delivered boys.

Gender differences were also counted among the women with no, mild or severe PND symptoms. The gender differences were found to be greatest in women who had no PND. In 90% cases of women who delivered boys enjoyed lower quality of life than those who had delivered girls. Even the women with PND also had more instances of lower quality of life in the case of a boy comparatively. The results varied with the degree of PND of course.

Professor de Tychey concluded that these figures clearly show that having a boy resulted in lower score in relation to the quality of life. These scores were not much affected by the fact of giving birth to the first child or the second one.

Developing severe cases of PND in societies and cultures is natural where more preference to boys are given however this study was carried out in a French community where women were devoid of al the cultural pressures. 

Severe PND and reduced quality of life was reported among them when they gave birth to a boy. Better psychotherapeutic programs should be devised for such women at the earliest stage. Public health should be focused on early diagnosis and prevention of these cases.

On the Valentine’s Day, you can give the most seeking gift to your partner or spouse that is a good night’s rest. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery says that snoring is one of the major reasons which impels the couples to sleep separately and poses a great strain on healthy relationships. It can spoil the intimacy, brings troubles in the sex life and in certain cases, the couple seek divorce too. So it is no longer only a laughing matter.The sound of snoring is initiated in the collapsible part of the air passage where there is a lack of rigid support. It also involves the back of the nose, palate, tonsils and the tongue. Some other factors that can induce snoring are being over weight, use of sedatives and enlarged tonsils and adenoids. The problem of snoring worsens with age.

These patients not only suffer due to lack of refreshing sleep but also have a higher risk of developing cardiac, pulmonary and behavioral problems. Even if it doesn’t disturb them it is likely to ruin their partner’s chance to have a good night’s rest.

About 80 percent of the partners of the snorers decide to sleep in separate rooms, leading to isolation and frustration among both the partners. It is essential to give this problem a serious thought and prevent it to destroy the harmony and the happiness.

Surgical treatment is often considered as a last resort for its treatment however it is frequently used these days as rapid advances have been done in this field. There are certain self help tips which can prove effective in combating this problem.

•  Remain active by exercising and physical activities. It will help in maintaining the body weight which is one of the most significant factors. Snoring prevails more among the over weight people.

• Reduce alcohol intake. Alcohol relaxes the soft tissues and muscles in the throat, resulting in snoring.

• Smoking and tranquillizers should be avoided.

• Improving the sleeping postures also helps. It is better to sleep sideways rather than on the back. However it is hard to break the habit.

• Tilt the bed with the head upwards. This makes the breathing easier and facilitates smooth forward movement of the jaws and mouth. So the use of a thick pillow should be avoided. It can block the airway by bending the neck.

• To enjoy sound sleep, it is important to develop regular sleeping patterns.

If the above efforts to control snoring do not help, it is advisable to consult your physician or an otolaryngologist, ears, nose, and throat specialist. He would diagnose the problem of snoring and associated disorders.

On this Valentines Day show your partner that you care and present him with the gift of sound and refreshing sleep.

As the society changes, it tends to bring changes in all the aspects. Modernization makes it necessary to bring changes in our style and way of doing things. More families have two working parents today, so make it difficult for the family to spend time together.Nothing can replace that connection which parents need to build up with children, which comes out of the time spent with children where quantity of time along with quality is the most neglected aspect. Children do react negatively when they see both the parents being engrossed in their jobs and they enjoy the lesser priority sometimes due to job compulsions.

Associate Professor Mary Muscari in her two new books on parenting the adolescents and teens wrote that the old parenting philosophies and values still hold good, in spite of all the modernization and development, the basic principals of raising the children could not be changed, only the challenges and ways keep getting changed. According to her, “Old-fashioned values are still the best”. 

Teens or the adolescents usually get lesser time to spend with their parents as they are taken to be small adults. Parents assume that their adolescent children longer need or want to spend time with them, so often give them too much of space. Muscari says “Kids are not just small adults”. Teenagers do limit their interaction with parents but they still don’t have ability and experience to think and act like adults.

Some opportunities and space lent by parents are good for the teenagers, however patens still need to spend time with them and engage in different activities. Modernizing the conventional ideas of parenting to an extent is positive and healthy for a relationship between the parents and the adolescents, however giving too much of space is also not advisable.

Best parent-child relationship is characterized by a connection being established with the children. This is made out of a regular communication between the parents and the children. One of the most important experiences adults can provide to their adolescents is by talking and listening to them. So building a positive connection through effective communication is the most rewarding ways to build a positive relationship with them and lend them a secured personality.

Listening and understanding the child’s problem from his prospective is important and safe for the children. Generally such children are less engaged in gang activities and other anti social behavior.

Engaging in family activities together also pays off in building a connection between the parents and the children like eating together and sitting down and talking. If due to unmatched schedule among the family members, it should be made mandatory at least to have one meal together. That could lend everyone time to sit down together, share each other’s experiences and eventually connect.

Adolescents do prefer spending time with their peers, however parents need to be parents, there are certain things which parents need to be concerned about. Helping children to tackle everyday threats like fears and insecurities lend them a more stable personality. Parents still need to play a role as a guide in spite of the modem trend which stresses upon their becoming friends with the children. The basic philosophy can not be altered and the conventional role of being a guide still holds good.

 While most people gratefully welcome the longer days and warmer weather of spring, more than 35 million Americans dread the itchy eyes, runny nose, and sneezing that comes with the season’s pollens and mold spores.Fortunately, these symptoms could be easily avoided with the help of planning, effort and common sense.

Mark Dykewicz, M.D., professor of internal medicine and chief of allergy and clinical immunology at the ‘Saint Louis University School of Medicine ‘says that with a bit of planning, effort and common sense, many people can limit their suffering during allergy season or perhaps even avoid it altogether. Fortunately, there are more treatments than ever to relieve these symptoms. New non-sedating antihistamines and nasal steroids can help relieve symptoms of hay fever and other allergic conditions.

There are various causes which lead the allergies to flare up in the spring. Pollen is the most likely cause. The immune system of the body reacts towards the pollen released by various plants and causes familiar allergic symptoms. Trees are usually the first plants to release pollen, usually in the early spring followed by other types of grasses. Weeds generally release their pollen in late summer and fall. As the season progresses, different types of pollens are present to trigger allergic reactions.

The timing and the severity of the allergic season is mostly influenced by the weather. A mild winter leads to more severe pollen season. These allergic reactions make the situation worse, if they are accompanied by the asthma. 

Allergies last longer than cold. Frequent sneezing and itchy, watery eyes are more often associated wit