Friday, May 30, 2014

Have a Nightmare

On the front lines of mental health: 'If you're mentally ill in America, you are shit outta luck' 
 
It's a good thing that bipolar woman has all those experts to explain her condition to her...
 

The End Game

In the future, insurance companies will make sure that you exercise

Yep.

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Light bedrooms 'link to obesity'
A team at the Institute of Cancer Research in London found women had larger waistlines if their bedroom was "light enough to see across" at night.
However, they caution there is not enough evidence to advise people to buy thicker curtains or turn off lights.
Holy Nightlight Batman!  Yes, of course, why haven't we thought of it before? This must be the piece of the puzzle we've been missing all this time..

Our rooms are lighter because we have to get up and pee in the night, dumbass.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Profiting from Incompetence

One in five elderly US patients injured by medical care
The injuries included: being given the wrong medication, having an allergic reaction to a medication, or receiving any treatment that led to more complications of an existing medical problem.
"These injuries are caused by the medical care or management rather than any underlying disease," said lead researcher Mary Carter, director of the Gerontology Program at Towson University in Maryland.
About two-thirds of these injuries occurred during outpatient care, rather than in the hospital, the study findings showed.
As I have said before... maybe there should be some disincentive for that?   Like having to treat those problems for free?   How come you guys never suggest that?

Oh, it would  be a huge chunk of your revenue?   Huh. 

The World we have Created

Cost of homelessness in Central Florida? $31K per person
Living on the streets isn't cheap: Each chronically homeless person in Central Florida costs the community roughly $31,000 a year, a new analysis being released Thursday shows.
The price tag covers the salaries of law-enforcement officers to arrest and transport homeless individuals — largely for nonviolent offenses such as trespassing, public intoxication or sleeping in parks — as well as the cost of jail stays, emergency-room visits and hospitalization for medical and psychiatric issues.
In contrast, providing the chronically homeless with permanent housing and case managers to supervise them would run about $10,000 per person per year, saving taxpayers millions of dollars during the next decade, the report concludes.
The findings are part of an independent economic-impact analysis that will be discussed Thursday afternoon by the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness.

"The numbers are stunning," said the homeless commission's CEO, Andrae Bailey. "Our community will spend nearly half a billion dollars [on the chronically homeless], and at the end of the decade, these people will still be homeless. It doesn't make moral sense, and now we know it doesn't make financial sense."
Crazy Cruel.

(that reminds me... they aren't Takers, they're Job Creators.)

Sick in the Head

The Naturalist and the Neurologist: On Charles Darwin and James Crichton-Browne
Stassa Edwards explores Charles Darwin’s photography collection, which includes almost forty portraits of mental patients given to him by the neurologist James Crichton-Browne. The study of these photographs, and the related correspondence between the two men, would prove instrumental in the development of The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), Darwin’s study on the evolution of emotions.
Ow ow ouch.  Just looking at those people gives me trigeminal neuralgia.

Bwa ha ha ha ha

Cynicism Linked to Dementia
A high level of cynical distrust — for example, believing that no one cares much what happens to you and that it's safer not to trust anybody — is associated with a higher risk for dementia, and the association is not entirely explained by depressive symptoms, a new study shows.
That's frakking adorable.
Yes, irritability is a symptom of neuropathy...

Welcome to Arizona.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Their Vision of Your Future

Military Plans To Test Brain Implants To Fight Mental Disorders

Plug into the matrix.  

oh shit I'm having that gut fear response.   go figure.

Viva la Vagus!

How your gut feeling shapes fear
In the behavioural studies, the researchers determined that the rats were less wary of open spaces and bright lights compared with controlled rats with an intact vagus nerve. “The innate response to fear appears to be influenced significantly by signals sent from the stomach to the brain,” says Meyer.

Nevertheless, the loss of their gut instinct did not make the rats completely fearless: the situation for learned fear behaviour looked different. In a conditioning experiment, the rats learned to link a neutral acoustic stimulus – a sound – to an unpleasant experience. Here, the signal path between the stomach and brain appeared to play no role, with the test animals learning the association as well as the control animals. If, however, the researchers switched from a negative to a neutral stimulus, the rats without gut instinct required significantly longer to associate the sound with the new, neutral situation. This also fits with the results of a recently published study conducted by other researchers, which found that stimulation of the vagus nerve facilitates relearning, says Meyer.

abstract


High fat, low carbohydrate diet limit fear and aggression in göttingen minipigs.      Free PMC Article
High fat, low carbohydrate diets have become popular, as short-term studies show that such diets are effective for reducing body weight, and lowering the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There is growing evidence from both humans and other animals that diet affects behaviour and intake of fat has been linked, positively and negatively, with traits such as exploration, social interaction, anxiety and fear. Animal models with high translational value can help provide relevant and important information in elucidating potential effects of high fat, low carbohydrate diets on human behaviour. Twenty four young, male Göttingen minipigs were fed either a high fat/cholesterol, low carbohydrate diet or a low fat, high carbohydrate/sucrose diet in contrast to a standard low fat, high carbohydrate minipig diet. Spontaneous behaviour was observed through video recordings of home pens and test-related behaviours were recorded during tests involving animal-human contact and reaction towards a novel object. We showed that the minipigs fed a high fat/cholesterol, low carbohydrate diet were less aggressive, showed more non-agonistic social contact and had fewer and less severe skin lesions and were less fearful of a novel object than minipigs fed low fat, high carbohydrate diets. These results found in a porcine model could have important implications for general health and wellbeing of humans and show the potential for using dietary manipulations to reduce aggression in human society.

Ingestion of Lactobacillus strain regulates emotional behavior and central GABA receptor expression in a mouse via the vagus nerve.    Free PMC Article
There is increasing, but largely indirect, evidence pointing to an effect of commensal gut microbiota on the central nervous system (CNS). However, it is unknown whether lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus could have a direct effect on neurotransmitter receptors in the CNS in normal, healthy animals. GABA is the main CNS inhibitory neurotransmitter and is significantly involved in regulating many physiological and psychological processes. Alterations in central GABA receptor expression are implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety and depression, which are highly comorbid with functional bowel disorders. In this work, we show that chronic treatment with L. rhamnosus (JB-1) induced region-dependent alterations in GABA(B1b) mRNA in the brain with increases in cortical regions (cingulate and prelimbic) and concomitant reductions in expression in the hippocampus, amygdala, and locus coeruleus, in comparison with control-fed mice. In addition, L. rhamnosus (JB-1) reduced GABA(Aα2) mRNA expression in the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, but increased GABA(Aα2) in the hippocampus. Importantly, L. rhamnosus (JB-1) reduced stress-induced corticosterone and anxiety- and depression-related behavior. Moreover, the neurochemical and behavioral effects were not found in vagotomized mice, identifying the vagus as a major modulatory constitutive communication pathway between the bacteria exposed to the gut and the brain. Together, these findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the bidirectional communication of the gut-brain axis and suggest that certain organisms may prove to be useful therapeutic adjuncts in stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Dia de los Muertos

Honor fallen brethren of suicides, too
Since 2001, the number of suicides among active duty troops has more than doubled. In the Army alone, suicides have tripled. In fact, suicide has become the second most common cause of death in the military.

And for the record

That goes for the "pickup artist" crowd too.   You aren't awesome, you're infected.  Zombie Dickheads proudly perpetuating your pathology.   Literally.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

My Two Cents

That tormented young man apparently had a lot of doctors, but he really needed a urine culture that actually detected infection.

And so it goes.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

The Fruit Loop Protocol

Geriatricians: Beware ‘Liquid Candy’
At the society’s annual scientific meeting in Orlando, Fla., last week, Paul Mulhausen, who led the geriatricians’ Choosing Wisely work group, took even more direct aim at drinks like Boost and Ensure and similar generic brands. Pointing out in his presentation that their primary ingredients are water and several forms of sugar, as well as some oils and proteins and flavorings, he called them “liquid candy bars with vitamins.”
An eight-ounce bottle of “rich chocolate” Boost Original, for instance, contains 10 grams of protein — but also 28 grams of sugar and no fiber. Ensure boasts that in its original formulation sugar content has fallen to 15 grams from 22 grams. Froot Loops and Lucky Charms have much less sugar per serving than these drinks.
Yeah, thinking about that product puts my brain in vapor lock.  Trying to imagine the number of pancakes being served in nursing homes at any given moment does too.

Friday, May 23, 2014

I remember

a time when it was explicitly expected in social planning that over time medicine would advance and be more effective and less expensive.

Strange but true...

See the Lens through which they look

Mental Illness Linked to Shortened Life Spans
While mental illness appears to greatly increase the risk of premature death, it's not a major public health priority, the researchers noted. One of the reasons is the tendency to separate mental and physical health.
"Many causes of mental health problems also have physical consequences, and mental illness worsens the prognosis of a range of physical illnesses, especially heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Unfortunately, people with serious mental illnesses may not access health care effectively," Fazel said in the news release.
While continuing to separate mental and physical health...
(and blaming the patients)

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Oh really...

New Mexico court upholds insurance coverage for medical pot
The state's Court of Appeals voted unanimously on Monday to uphold a previous workers compensation court decision that also ruled in favor of the 55-year-old former mechanic, who suffered a lower back injury in 2000, according to court papers.
Awesome hack of the Matrix.

Ask my Exes

Newly separated most at risk of suicidal thoughts
Men and women are most likely to have suicidal thoughts within a year of a marriage or de-facto relationship breakup, new ANU research has found.
The vulnerability may be due to the trauma of the breakup, along with subsequent changes in social networks affecting people's sense of belonging, said lead author of the study Dr Philip Batterham, from the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research.
"The prevalence of suicidal thoughts among recently separated men and women is three times higher than for those who remain married, or in de-facto relationships," he said
People who are depressed have an enhanced sense of error.   They think they make terrible mistakes all the time.  Those people are more likely to believe their marriage is doomed, they are also more likely to regret it after they end it.

My Primary Symptom when I am sick is I want to divorce my husband.

Luckily this one knows that now.   Me too.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Brain Saving Information of the Day

Fluoridating water does not lower IQ, new research says
"Our findings will hopefully help to put another nail in the coffin of the complete canard that fluoridating water is somehow harmful to children's development. In reality, the total opposite is true, as it helps reduce the tooth decay blighting the childhood of far too many people."
Dental Decay causes way more cognitive problems than fluoride.   I'd bet everything I own on that.

Expected Behavior

PTSD symptoms common after an ICU stay
Risk factors for the occurrence of PTSD symptoms included younger age, use of benzodiazepines and/or mechanical ventilation during the ICU stay, and post-ICU memories of frightening ICU experiences. In some studies of European ICU patients, keeping an ICU diary significantly reduced the occurrence of PTSD symptoms.
Importantly, 3 of 3 studies demonstrated that more PTSD symptoms were associated with worse health-related quality of life.

Yes, well people in ICU are pretty sick or broken.
Mechanical ventilation often leaves residual pneumonia, which is known to cause lasting health effects.
Most of those people already have bacteremia and sepsis when thy came in, if they didn't get it from all the surgeries and catheters whle they were there.
And vivid memories are an indication of increased stress hormones due to systemic immune response.

It has nothing to do with the frightening emotional experience of the hospital stay.
It's because those people are still sick afterwards...
Next?

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Correlation Games

Why bullying victims develop health problems as they age and bullies flourish
The real eye-opener, says Copeland, a psychologist and epidemiologist at Duke University Medical Center, was the change in CRP in the 19- and 21-year-olds. Levels of the protein increased over time in all groups, which is normal. But the increase was sharper in the bullying victims: Even 10 years later, average CRP levels were still higher than in those who had never been bullied. In the bullies, the levels were slightly less than half that of the victims. The CRP differences between bullies and victims remained even when the researchers accounted for potentially confounding factors, such as mental disorders, substance abuse and other forms of stress.

Okay... this trendy topic really bugs me.

Kids who are sick have higher C-reactive protein. It's an immune molecule.  Inflammation is a sign of INFECTION.

Kids who are sick cry more easily. (I know, I am making an assumption of the obvious here, maybe someone should do a study on that?)

Kids who cry more easily get picked on by bullies. Go figure.

Kids whose parents think the crying is caused by bullies do not address the underlying illness.

So those kids are still sick when they reach 20.

Cause and Effect.

The Circle of Insanity

Trigger alerts are dumbing down education
And then the New York Times took on the issue this week, with a feature on how “The Literary Canon Could Make Students Squirm.” In it, writer Jennifer Medina reports that students at “Oberlin College, Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, George Washington University and other schools” have this year all requested trigger warnings accompany certain classroom materials. And at the University of California, Santa Barbara – where this spring associate professor Dr. Mireille Miller-Young had an altercation with antiabortion protesters because she said she’d been “triggered” by their signs — the Associated Students Senate and Office of the Student Advocate General has formally requested “professors alert students of class content that can potentially ‘trigger’ symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in those who have experienced traumatic experiences such as sexual abuse or fighting in war.” Santa Barbara sophomore Bailey Loverin, a sexual abuse survivor, explained to the Times, “We’re not talking about someone turning away from something they don’t want to see. People suddenly feel a very real threat to their safety — even if it is perceived. They are stuck in a classroom where they can’t get out, or if they do try to leave, it is suddenly going to be very public.”
Huh, I didn't know this was a thing.
I guess if we have to put warnings on things that trigger anxiety attacks, we really should start with Bakeries, though.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Now that's Thinking

Possible cause, source of Kawasaki disease found—condition linked to winds from China

This is just fascinating. They think it's fungus from giant fields of grain.

Ooh, that might very well be relevant to other illnesses... I'm guessing respiratory...  I always had asthma when I lived in Illinois...

Calling Them Out

Gum disease bacteria may cause heart disease
A University of Florida study shows that the same bacteria that cause gum disease also promotes heart disease – a discovery that could change the way heart disease is diagnosed and treated. Researchers report their findings today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.
"We report evidence that introduction of oral bacteria into the bloodstream in mice increased risk factors for atherosclerotic heart disease. Our hope is that the American Heart Association will acknowledge causal links between oral disease and increased heart disease. That will change how physicians diagnose and treat heart disease patients," says Irina M. Velsko, a graduate student in the University of Florida's College of Medicine, who presented the data.
Damn Straight.
Nice work.  (but don't hold your breath- a century of evidence hasn't ever motivated them-or the ADA...)

You Go Girl!

Congratulations, Psychs

Depression is the main cause of illness and disability in adolescents worldwide, and suicide is the third most common cause of death, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.
You're making real progress.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Up All Night

Bacterial differences found in urine of healthy women and women with overactive bladder
This study evaluated urine specimens of 90 women with and without OAB symptoms. Urine samples were collected through a catheter and analyzed using an expanded quantitative urine culture (EQUC) technique. This EQUC technique was able to find bacteria that are not identified by the standard urine culture techniques typically used to diagnose urinary tract syndromes.
"While traditional urine cultures have been the gold standard to identify urine disorders in the past, they do not detect most bacteria and have limited utility as a result," said Paul Schreckenberger, PhD, director, clinical microbiology laboratory, Loyola University Health System. "They are not as comprehensive as the EQUC protocol used in this study."

Pardon me? Then what do those urine cultures detect?

Overactive Bladder Linked to Sleep Apnea in Women

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

 

AA is not a fraud: Why haters are afraid to listen
Here's why the program works, no matter what critics say: It's really about listening, living, spirituality and joy.
Um sorry- no it's not.
It's really about glucose metabolism.  And any "rehab/detox protocol" that includes donuts in it's "therapy sessions" doesn't understand the first thing about addiction in general or alcoholism in particular.

Those meetings actually perpetuate the pathology they claim to alleviate.
And you have no idea.

I don't disagree with AA because I make more money if I do.  
Their shit doesn't work.
I've Been There.  Done That.  For Years.  Didn't change a damn thing.

I consider that fraud and malpractice.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

For the Geeks

The evolutionary significance of depression in Pathogen Host Defense   (pdf)

Summary of their hypothesis: Suppression of energy expenditure is advantageous in infectious immune response.

This is Why

Here’s that epic, mesmerizing ‘fat girl’ speech from Monday night’s ‘Louie’

Yo Doctors-  This is all your fault.   100%. 
That girl is beautiful and funny and wicked smart- and you poisoned her and her entire world.
This scene may be fictional, but the underlying truth is not.
Go fck yourselves.

(sorry, didn't get to this on the DVR til last night)

Brain Eating Zombies of the Day

Effects of alcohol in young binge drinkers predicts future alcoholism
Heavy social drinkers who report greater stimulation and reward from alcohol are more likely to develop alcohol use disorder over time, report researchers. The findings run counter to existing hypotheses that innate tolerance to alcohol drives alcoholism. "Heavy drinkers who felt alcohol's stimulant and pleasurable effects at the highest levels in their 20s were the ones with the riskiest drinking profiles in the future and most likely to go on and have alcohol problems in their 30s," the lead said, "In comparison, participants reporting fewer positive effects of alcohol were more likely to mature out of binge drinking as they aged."

Our "alcoholism experts".
Just getting around to documenting the obvious.  Excellent progress guys.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Oh Thank Heavens

Is too much high-intensity exercise bad for your heart?
Though the most physically inactive were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as those who were physically active and were four times as likely to die of all causes, results showed that those who did the most strenuous daily exercise were more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack or stroke.
Yeah, I'll just sit here and think about that for a while. 

The Unknown Unknowns

“Gluten sensitivity” may be a misnomer
Now several studies hint that so-called gluten sensitivity might not always be caused by gluten. In some cases, the problem may be entirely different proteins—or even some carbohydrates. “We’re so used to dealing with gluten as the enemy, but it might actually be something else,” says David Sanders, who teaches gastroenterology at the University of Sheffield in England. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., agrees: “I’m starting to feel more uncomfortable calling it nonceliac gluten sensitivity. I think it might be better to call it nonceliac wheat sensitivity.”
 Good Article.  

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Duh Science

Distance influences accuracy of eyewitness IDs
A new study has used a controlled outside setting and actual people to test eyewitness accuracy across a variety of distances. Eyewitness accuracy declines steadily and quite measuredly as the distance increases. Additionally, a good deal of guess work or so-called "false alarms" also comes into play as the distance increases. These findings have implications for the trustworthiness of eyewitness accounts that are used to solve criminal cases.
Wow.   Just Wow.
Some lawyer must have argued there was no scientific evidence of the obvious.

Maniacs running the Asylum

What Would the Psych Ward Look Like If Patients Designed It?

Well, if you're asking me.... a lot like a cafe.    There would be quite a bit of coffee and tea involved.
And there would be puppies.

And comfortable beds, sheesh.   The first step to healing....

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

That Petard Thing

Charles Rangel wants psych testing for entire GOP

Oh, Please, can we start with John McCain?   I can't think of a single neurological test that man oould pass.  He really is a zombie.  It's frightening.

Fighting the Demons

Rosie O'Donnell Focused on Being 'Totally Heart-Healthy'

Swedish Fish.   Ha.   They are psychoactive.   Seriously, they make me insane in a matter of an hour.
Someday I will write up my Swedish Fish Experiments...  think Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde...

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Looks Promising Though

Sugar is the real enemy, not fat itself, says film targeting obesity
Now comes Fed Up, a film that looks at the global problem of surging human obesity rates and obesity-related diseases. The film, produced by Laurie David, former wife of Seinfeld creator Larry David, and narrated by TV journalist Katie Couric, seeks to challenge decades of misconception and food industry-sponsored misinformation about diet and exercise, good and bad calories, fat genes and lifestyle. When it comes to obesity, fat may not be our friend but it's not the enemy that sugar is, says the film's scientific consultant Robert Lustig, a neuroendocrinologist, author and president of the Institute for Responsible Nutrition. It is a view that is gathering support from doctors.
Ummm, doctors have been going along with those lies for decades.  They are the instigators and enablers.  They gave the food industry all the ammunition they could use.  
Do not give them a pass, ALL my doctors have spewed the low fat bullshit at me. 

Go Blue

CSG implements first napping station in UGLi

Friday, May 9, 2014

My Old Friends

The Microscopic Structures of Dried Human Tears
Photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher captures tears of grief, joy, laughter and irritation in extreme detail.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Snort

Anger motivates volunteers as much as sympathy

Empathic Anger. Ha. I get dibs on the Band Name.

Interesting

Could a maternal gluten-free diet protect offspring against type 1 diabetes?
In the study, published in the journal Diabetes, researchers from Denmark compared 30 mouse pups from gluten-fed mothers with 30 pups from mothers fed a gluten-free diet.
The researchers found that when mouse mothers ate a gluten-free diet, the intestinal bacteria in both the mothers and pups changed, which appeared to have a protective effect against development of type 1 diabetes in the pups.

related study

Money for Nothing

Many people with gluten sensitivity have not had proper tests, study says

So what? If they don't eat gluten, then what's the difference?

This is one of my major pet peeves. Doctors assuming they know better than we do.
I went to a presentation by a "celiac" doctor here a few months ago, and she said it at least 8 times- The gluten free diet is not enough, you Must have a biopsy.
Actually she required two, one before and one after gluten free. Convenient.

Why?   If you do have celiac they just tell you to go on a gluten free diet.
And if you have non celiac gluten sensitivity the biopsy will be irrelevant and you will need to try the diet anyway

If the diet DOESN"T resolve symptoms then I can understand a biopsy to see what's going on.
Testing is standard protocol because it makes money whether you are sick or not.

I do not need any test to know that gluten was making me sick. Removing gluten from my diet changed my life, reversed my rapid deterioration.
One of the hardest things I have had to do is learn to trust my experience in the face of bullshit like this.  
Giving up gluten is not easy or fun. Yet people do it voluntarily. Because the benefits outweigh the costs.
Period.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Tic Tic Tic Tic Tic

Testimony: Mom hoped to save her kids from illness
A military wife charged with killing her two teenagers wrote in her journal that she thought her children would inherit her bipolar disorder and that she was rescuing them from depression and mental illness, a crime scene technician testified Tuesday.
 Okay, I must get offline for a while.

Oh Hell

Now the creepy old zombies are going to turn into freaking vampires...

Infusion of young blood recharges brains of old mice
Something -- or some things -- in the blood of young mice has the ability to restore mental capabilities in old mice, a new study has found. If the same goes for humans, it could spell a new paradigm for recharging our aging brains, and it might mean new therapeutic approaches for treating dementias such as Alzheimer's disease.

Their vision of your future

Vibrating capsule may relieve constipation

Oh mercy me.

On that theme

Adults at higher risk of suicide attempt if parent abused alcohol, research finds
As for why homes disrupted by a combination of divorce and drinking didn't lead to more risk of attempted suicides, the authors speculated that divorce may have decreased hostility at home and therefore didn't contribute to a child's becoming a maladjusted adult. "Or, it may be that children with an alcoholic parent are not as surprised when their parents split up because they have already witnessed so much conflict, so it may not lead to as much confusion and resentment as it might in a better-functioning family," Alonzo said.
Or maybe alcoholism and depression are glucose metabolism issues and divorce is not.

Liking this

John Bruer: 'Growing up in poverty doesn't damage your brain irretrievably
The US philosopher refutes the neuroscientific view that early experiences set in stone children's patterns for life.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Silliness

Extreme hygiene: Cleaning a hippo's mighty molars

Which reminds me

Study Suggests Targeting B Cells May Help with MS
For the study, 231 people with relapsing-remitting MS received either a placebo or one of several low dosages of the drug ofatumumab, which is an anti-B cell antibody, for 24 weeks, with the first 12 weeks making up the placebo-controlled period. The main objective was to determine the effects of ofatumumab dosing regimens compared to placebo on the total number of new brain lesions assessed every four weeks over a 12-week period.
All dose groups including placebo showed lesion activity in the first four weeks with lesion suppression in all ofatumumab dose groups from weeks four to12. Researchers measured the amount of B cells in participants and compared that to the total number of new brain lesions that appeared on brain scans, which is a marker of disease activity.
The researchers found that when B cells were reduced to below a threshold of 64 cells per microliter, disease activity, as measured by appearance of new brain lesions, was significantly reduced. On average, participants had an annualized rate of less than one new brain lesion per year when B cells were maintained below a threshold of 32 to 64 cells per microliter, compared with 16 lesions without treatment.

Pregnancy hormone could offer simple treatment for MS
The symptoms of women with MS tend to ease when they are pregnant, but worsen again after giving birth. This could be because of a hormone called oestriol, which is only produced in significant amounts during pregnancy. The hormone is thought to help suppress the mother's immune system to prevent it attacking the fetus.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

The Gut Bone is connected to the Brain Bone

Bacterial Toxin May Trigger Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by blood brain (BBB) permeability and demyelination, a process in which the insulating myelin sheaths of neurons are damaged. The disease is thought to be triggered in a genetically susceptible individual by a combination of one or more environmental factors. The environmental trigger of MS, however, is still unknown. According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the condition affects approximately 400,000 Americans and is, with the exception of trauma, the most frequent cause of neurological disability beginning in early to middle adulthood.
"We provide evidence that supports epsilon toxin's ability to cause BBB permeability and show that epsilon toxin kills the brain's myelin producing cells, oligodendrocytes; the same cells that die in MS lesions," says Jennifer Linden of Weill Cornell Medical College, who presented the research. "We also show that epsilon toxin targets other cells types associated with MS inflammation such as the retinal vascular and meningeal cells. Epsilon toxin may be responsible for triggering MS."
Epsilon toxin is produced by certain strains of Clostridium perfringens, a spore-forming bacterium that is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that non-epsilon toxin producing C. perfringens strains cause nearly a million cases of foodborne illness each year.

Multiple Sclerosis and the Gut

Uh Huh

Consuming high-protein breakfasts helps women maintain glucose control.

Duh.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

The Guinea Pig Generation

The Future of Chicken
How to mass-produce meat without breeding killer microbes.
Vencomatic’s innovation was to hatch the birds where they will be raised.  
Seriously?   This circle of insanity is flat-out mind melting.

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Patrick McNamara

How sex rules our dreams

Fekkin Idjet.
Your obsessions and biases are showing.  Seriously, check your fly.

Sleep is brain maintenance, not social maintenance.
The reason there are more active experiences during REM sleep is because that's when the brain defrags the dopaminergic pathways.  It shuts down your brainstem so it can check all the links in your muscles and nervous system.   It does this by peppering it with rapid neural bursts from the pons.
It stimulates the muscles and nerves while you are paralyzed, so your "dream experience" is derived from that sensory input.   You dream of fleeing and fighting and sex because that's what dopamine is used for.

And people who remember their dreams and experience a lot of REM?   Have dopamine dysfunction.  It's a sign of acute overstimulation of the system.   As is sex obsession...
 
Your Freudian conclusion is an illusion.   An artifact of a reality based mechanism.  Like Freud himself. - you believe what your symptoms tell you.

Next time ask some narcoleptics if you have questions about sleep.  Thanks.