Month: July 2010

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News on Health & Science

More Electrodes Could Improve Conventional Cochlear Implants

Candidates for cochlear implants—an estimated million in the United States alone—include children and adults with profound deafness in both ears. An implant does not restore normal hearing but simulates sounds in the environment, including speech. More electrodes pick up more external sound and the flexible wire allows those sounds to be transmitted over more of the auditory nerves.

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The snail-shaped cochlea is difficult to access, particularly considering the multiple components involved in a cochlear implant, said Dr. Brian McKinnon. Those components include of an external microphone, speech processor and transmitter and an internal group of electrodes arranged on a thin wire that stimulate the auditory nerve.

“The wire in traditional implants is fragile and thin and may buckle,” he said. “We try to get it as far into the center of the cochlea, where the nerves are bundled, as possible – the idea being that the more electrodes on the nerves, the better the sound.”

Because they buckle, physicians typically can’t optimally insert the wire, and electrodes can, in some cases, injure the cochlea, he said.

The new device, called the thin film array, pairs 12 electrodes on a thinner, more flexible wire. The wire’s thinness has, so far, allowed surgeons to place more electrodes into the cochlea than they could with a conventional electrode. With more electrodes than standard models, the implant improves the quality of sound.

“This device could mean could mean a several-fold improvement of the sound’s resolution,” Dr. Kenneth Iverson said. “For the patient, it would be like the difference between hearing a Bach concerto played by a music box versus a quartet.”

McKinnon compared the improvement to adding more fingers and more notes to a piano performance.

There are other benefits too. “Because the thinner wire means less trauma to the ear, it could also mean more preservation of residual hearing for patients,” Iverson said.

Source:Elements4Health

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Herbs & Plants

Mysore Thorn (Caesalpinia decapetala )

Botanical Name: Caesalpinia decapetala
Family: Leguminosae
Genus : Caesalpinia
Synonyms: Caesalpinia sepiaria – Roxb.
Common names: Arrete-boeuf, bois sappan (French), caniroc, cat’s claw, kraaldoring (Afrikaans), kraaldoring, liane croc chien (English), Mauritius thorn (English), mauritiusdoring (Afrikaans), mubage, Mysore thorn (English), puakelekino (Hawaii), sappan (French-Reunion (La Réunion)), shoofly (English), thorny poinciana, ubobo-encane (Zulu), ufenisi (Zulu), ulozisi (Zulu-South Africa), wait-a-bit (English)


Habitat : E. Asia – Himalayas to China.Hedges and open bushy places. Swampy localities and ravines to 1800 metres.Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;

Description:
It  is a tropical tree species originating in India.

It is as a robust, thorny, evergreen shrub 2-4 m high or climber up to 10 m or higher; often forming dense thickets; the stems are covered with minute golden-hair; the stem thorns are straight to hooked, numerous, and not in regular rows or confined to nodes. The leaves are dark green, paler beneath, not glossy, up to 300 mm long; leaflets up to 8 mm wide. The flowers are pale yellow, in elongated, erect clusters 100-400 mm long. Fruits are brown, woody pods, flattened, unsegmented, smooth, sharply beaked at apex, ± 80 mm long.

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The medium-sized seeds may be dispersed by rodents and granivorous birds and running water. Trailing branches root where they touch the ground.

It has been introduced to Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawai‘i, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Mauritius, Reunion, Rodrigues, and South Africa. Is has become a seriously problematic invasive species in many locations.

In Hawai‘i, where it has the local name p?poki, it forms impenetrable brambles, climbs high up trees, closes off pastures to animals and impedes forest pathways

It is hardy to zone 8. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Similar Species: Caesalpinia scortechinii, Caesalpinia subtropica

Cultivation:
Requires a sunny position, succeeding in any moderately fertile well-drained soil[200] including limy soils. This species is on the borderline of hardiness in Britain. However, C. japonica, which is considered to be no more than a variety of this species by many botanists, succeeds on a wall at Wisley to the west of London and is said to be hardy to about -10°c. Its natural range is Japan where it grows at heights up to 2000 metres on rocky mountain slopes in the cooler regions of the country. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagation
Seed – pre-soak for 12 – 24 hours in warm water and sow in a greenhouse in early spring. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Softwood cuttings in sand in a frame.

Medicinal Uses:
Anthelmintic; Antiperiodic; Astringent; Emmenagogue; Febrifuge; Laxative; Purgative.

Anthelmintic, antiperiodic, astringent, febrifuge. The leaves are emmenagogue and laxative.The bitter tasting stems and roots can be used medicinally. They are applied externally to burns. The root is purgative.

Other Uses
Hedge; Tannin; Wood.

The bark is a rich source of tannin. Plants are often grown as field boundaries in Nepal. An excellent hedge plant. However, due to its doubtful hardiness it is not a good candidate for this use in Britain. Wood – moderately hard.

Caesalpinia decapetala is used as a landscaping plant as a hedge or an ornamental in China and elsewhere.  Bark & other parts of the plant are useful in the chemical industry (Hao et al. 2004). The fruits and bark are rich in tannin. With an oil content of 35 percent, the seeds serve as a source of lubricant and soap (Hao et al. 2004).

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Caesalpinia+decapetala
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesalpinia_decapetala
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?fr=1&si=510

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/229822/

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News on Health & Science

Genes Hold Key to Living Longer Than 100

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Exceptional longevity results from favourable genes much more than from a healthy lifestyle and environment, according to the first extensive genetic analysis of people who lived past the age of 100.

Researchers at Boston University have identified 150 genetic variants that, taken together, can predict exceptional longevity with 77 per cent accuracy.

The scientists compared the genomes of 1,055 centenarians with a similar number of control subjects, using DNA-scanning technology. They distilled the differences down to 150 life-extending changes, each affecting one chemical “letter” in the 3bn letters of the human genetic code.

These changes run right across the human genome. A few affect genes associated with age-related diseases, such as the ApoE and Alzheimer’s but many have unknown functions.

“Longevity is an extremely complex genetic trait involving many biological processes,” said Thomas Perls, co-author of the paper and director of the New England Centenarian Study. “We’re a long way from understanding them.”

The research confirmed that there could be no simple “elixir” to extend life, he added.

The scientists were surprised to find that, on the whole, the centenarians did not have fewer genetic variants known to trigger disease than the controls.

“What makes a difference is more the positive enriching effect of genetic variants that protect against disease than the absence of disease-associated variants,” said Dr Perls.

Although the details remain a mystery, what seems to happen as people age is that lifestyle and environment – such as healthy eating, exercising and avoiding smoking and obesity – are important in determining lifespan up to the 80s. After that, genes play an increasingly important role.

DNA rather than lifestyle is almost entirely responsible for generating “super-centenarians” who survive beyond 110. They make up one in 7m people in the industrial world.

Eighty-five per cent of centenarians and 90 per cent of super-centenarians are women. In spite of claims of people living to 140 or 150 in places from the Andes to the Caucasus, Jeanne Calment, who died in France in 1997 at the age of 122, remains the world’s oldest documented person.

Paola Sebastiani, professor of biostatistics at Boston University, said all data from the longevity study would be available without restrictions. “We have no financial interests in it and we are not planning to patent anything here,” she said.

Researchers will put up a web page this month where people can calculate their prospect of longevity. They also expect companies that sell genetic tests to consumers quickly to include a longevity assessment.

Source : Financial Times. July 1st.2010

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Healthy Tips

Olive Oil Protection Against Breast Cancer

Researchers have decoded a complete cascade of signals within breast tumor cells activated by virgin olive oil, and concluded that benefits include decrease in the activity of the oncogene p21Ras, changes in protein signaling pathways, stimulation of tumor cell death and prevention of DNA damage. The study was carried out in an experimental model and researchers have already begun a new study with human cell lines.

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Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Western countries. Research carried out with animal models demonstrate that a diet rich in fats is directly related to the incidence of cancer. Some types of fats however can play a protective role against the development of these tumors. Such is the case of virgin olive oil, rich in oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fatty acid, and containing several bioactive compounds such as antioxidants. A moderate and regular intake of virgin olive oil, characteristic of the Mediterranean diet, is associated with low incidences of specific types of cancer, including breast cancer, as well as with having a protective role against coronary diseases and other health problems.

The study decoded the mechanisms operating within the tumor cell and induced by the intake of olive oil, in comparison to those activated by corn oil, rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which increase the aggressiveness of tumors.

Scientists demonstrated that virgin olive oil is associated with higher incidences of benign breast tumors and at the same time with a decrease in the activity of the p21Ras oncogene, which spurs uncontrolled cell proliferation and stimulates the growth of tumors. In addition, olive oil suppresses the activity of some proteins, such as the AKT, essential for the survival of cells since they prevent apoptosis, the cell’s “suicide” program. Between proliferation and apoptosis in tumor cells, these effects tip the balance towards cell death, thereby slowing the growth of tumors.

Another result obtained by researchers is the protection of DNA in the cell nucleus. Cells from animals fed a diet rich in virgin olive oil contained less DNA lesions than those fed a control diet.

Scientists of the UAB Breast Cancer Study Multidisciplinary Group (GMECM) have spent over twenty years working to determine the effects fats have on breast cancer, and in particular the effects of virgin olive oil. Previous studies of the group revealed the beneficial effects of this component of the human diet on the clinical conduct of mammary tumors and on their histological grade (malignancy). Scientists also described several molecular mechanisms producing these effects and in 2004 the same group was the one to identify the four genes involved in the effects dietary fats have on experimental breast cancer.


Source: Elements4Health

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