Mahathir & Genneva

Credit: www.financetwitter.com

Genneva Gold – Another Collapsing Ponzi Scam?

Click HERE for details

A Woman's Poem

=Tamar left a comment on our post "A Woman's Poem":

It goes back a long way: This version was printed in Australia in 1917:

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/3284907

Northern Territory Times and Gazette (Darwin, NT : 1873 - 1927) Thursday 19 July 1917
[photo of the newspaper printing, page 34]

JUST AS MOTHER USED TO DO.

He criticised her puddings, and he
didn't like her cake;
He wished she'd make some biscuits
like his mother used to make;
She didn't wash the dishes
and she didn't make a stew,
And she didn't mend his stockings, as
his mother used to do.
Ah, well! She wasn't perfect, though
she tried to do her best
Until at length she thought her time
had come to have a rest;
So, when one day he went the same
old rigamarole all through,
She turned and boxed his ears, just
like his mother used to do!

More than Good Vibes: The Science Behind Mindfulness

                                            Published on Oct 12, 2012 by Dave Vago

Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms of Mindfulness

Achieving mindfulness through meditation has helped people maintain a healthy mind by quelling negative emotions and thoughts, such as desire, anger and anxiety, and encouraging more positive dispositions such as compassion, empathy and forgiveness. Those who have reaped the benefits of mindfulness know that it works. But how exactly does it work?

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have proposed a new model that shifts how we think about mindfulness.  Rather than describing mindfulness as a single dimension of cognition, the researchers demonstrate that mindfulness actually involves a broad framework of complex mechanisms in the brain.

In essence, they have laid out the science behind mindfulness.

The researchers identified several cognitive functions that are active in the brain during mindfulness practice. These cognitive functions help a person develop self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART) which make up the transformative framework for the mindfulness process.

The S-ART framework explains the underlying neurobiological mechanisms by which mindfulness can facilitate self-awareness; reduce biases and negative thoughts; enhance the ability to regulate one's behavior; and increase positive, pro-social relationships with oneself and others-all-in-all creating a sustainable healthy mind.

The researchers highlight six neuropsychological processes that are active mechanisms in the brain during mindfulness and which support S-ART. These processes include 1) intention and motivation, 2) attention regulation, 3) emotion regulation, 4) extinction and reconsolidation, 5) pro-social behavior, and 6) non-attachment and de-centering.

In other words, these processes begin with an intention and motivation to want to attain mindfulness, followed by an awareness of one's bad habits. Once these are set, a person can begin taming him or herself to be less emotionally reactive and to recover faster from upsetting emotions.

"Through continued practice, the person can develop a psychological distance from any negative thoughts and can inhibit natural impulses that constantly fuel bad habits," said David Vago, PhD, BWH Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, and lead study author.

Vago also states that continued practice can also increase empathy and eliminate our attachments to things we like and aversions to things we don't like.

"The result of practice is a new You with a new multidimensional skill set for reducing biases in one's internal and external experience and sustaining a healthy mind," said Vago.

The S-ART framework and neurobiological model proposed by the researchers differs from current popular descriptions of mindfulness as a way of paying attention, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. With the help of functional MRI, Vago and his team are currently testing the model in humans.

This research was supported by the Mind and Life Institute, Impact Foundation, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (5-R21AT002209-02).

###

The above story is based on the October 29, 2012 press release by Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The research was published online 25 October 2012 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience:

Vago DR, Silbersweig. DA Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness. Front Hum Neurosci, 2012; 6 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00296

FULL TEXT PDF

Pengambilan Harian Multivitamin Mengurangkan Risiko Kanser pada Lelaki

Pengambilan harian multivitamin boleh mengurangkan risiko kanser di kalangan lelaki, menurut keputusan ujian secara rawak terbesar di Amerika Syarikat
Beberapa ujian vitamin berasingan, diberi pada dos yang tinggi, tidak menunjukkan apa-apa kesan terhadap pencegahan kanser. Kajian secara pengamatan juga tidak menyediakan bukti hubungan antara penggunaan multivitamin dan pengurangan insiden kanser atau kematian.

Walau bagaimanapun, kajian semasa adalah unik dalam beberapa cara, yang pertama bahawa ia adalah satu-satunya ujian plasebo terkawal berskala besar yang menilai multivitamin dalam pencegahan kanser.

Ia juga merupakan satu tempoh yang panjang dan doktor sendiri terlibat sebagai subjek.Selepas kira-kira 11 tahun, penggunaan multivitamin mengakibatkan pengurangan yang sederhana tetapi signifikan secara statistik – secara khusus, pengurangan sebanyak 8% dalam keseluruhan kejadian kanser.
Kajian ini melibatkan 14,641 doktor lelaki AS berumur ≥ 50 tahun (min umur, 64.3 tahun), termasuk 1,312 lelaki dengan sejarah kanser secara random, mendaftar pada tahun 1997 dengan rawatan dan susulan hingga 1 Jun, 2011. Mereka menerima sama ada multivitamin jenama yang sama (Centrum Silver) atau plasebo. Hasil utama adalah pengiraan jumlah kanser (tidak termasuk kanser kulit non-melanoma), dengan prostat, kolorektal, dan lain-lain kanser khusus di peringkat akhir kedua.

Semasa susulan pertengahan dari 11.2 tahun:

• Terdapat 2,669 lelaki dengan kanser disahkan, termasuk 1,373 kes kanser prostat dan 210 kes kanser kolorektal.

• Berbanding dengan plasebo, lelaki yang mengambil multivitamin setiap hari mempunyai pengurangan ketara secara statistik dalam jumlah terjadinya kanser (multivitamin dan kumpulan plasebo, 17.0 dan 18.3 kejadian, masing-masing, setiap 1000 orang-setahun; nisbah bahaya [HR], 0.92, 95% CI, 0,86-0,998; p = 0.04).

• Tiada kesan ketara pada pengambilan harian multivitamin pada kanser prostat (multivitamin dan kumpulan plasebo, 9.1 dan 9.2 acara masing-masing, setiap 1000 orang-setahun; 0,98; 0,88-1,09; p = 0.76), kanser kolorektal (multivitamin dan kumpulan plasebo , 1.2 dan 1.4 kejadian, masing-masing, setiap 1000 orang-setahun; 0,89; 0,68-1,17; p = 0.39), atau kanser khusus yang lain.

• Tiada perbezaan yang ketara dalam risiko kematian kanser (multivitamin dan kumpulan plasebo, 4.9 dan 5.6 masing-masing, setiap 1000 orang-setahun ; 0,88; 0,77-1,01; p = 0.07).

• penggunaan multivitamin harian telah dikaitkan dengan pengurangan jumlah dalam kanser di kalangan 1,312 lelaki dengan sejarah awal kanser (0.73; ,56-0,96; p = 0.02), tetapi tidak berbeza secara ketara di kalangan 13,329 lelaki yang pada mulanya tanpa kanser (0,94; 0,87-1,02; p = 0.15; p bagi interaksi = 0.07).Pengurangan dalam Jumlah Kanser

"Mesej utama kami mengambil multivitamin adalah disebabkan kekurangan nutrisi tetapi ia pastinya kelihatan bahawa mungkin ada manfaat sederhana dalam mencegah kanser di kalangan lelaki berusia lebih 50 tahun," kata pengarang John Michael Gaziano.

# # #

Kajian ini juga telah diterbitkan secara dalam talian pada 17hb Oktober 2012, di Journal of the American Medical Association Published:

Gaziano JM, Sesso HD, Christen WG, Bubes V, Smith JP, MacFadyen J, Schvartz M, Manson JE, Glynn RJ, Buring JE. Multivitamins in the Prevention of Cancer in MenThe Physicians' Health Study II Randomized Controlled Trial . JAMA. 2012;():1-10. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.14641.

Anda boleh membaca teks penuh DI SINI


Artikel ini diterjemahkan dari bahasa Inggeris oleh Ahli Farmasi Mahfuza Turman

Exercise Boosts Satisfaction With Life, Researchers Find

Credit: www.rawstory.com

Had a bad day? Extending your normal exercise routine by a few minutes may be the solution, according to Penn State researchers, who found that people's satisfaction with life was higher on days when they exercised more than usual.

"The findings reinforce the idea that physical activity is a health behavior with important consequences for daily well-being and should be considered when developing national policies to enhance satisfaction with life," said Jaclyn Maher, graduate student in kinesiology.

The team examined the influence of physical activity on satisfaction with life among emerging adults ages 18 to 25 years because this population's sense of well-being appears to worsen more quickly than at any other time during adulthood.

"Emerging adults are going through a lot of changes; they are leaving home for the first time and attending college or starting jobs," said Maher. "As a result, their satisfaction with life can plummet. We decided to focus on emerging adults because they stand to benefit the most from strategies to enhance satisfaction with life."

The researchers recruited two groups of college students at Penn State. The first group, consisting of 190 individuals, entered information into a diary every day for eight days. The second group, consisting of 63 individuals, entered information into a secure website every day for 14 days. Both groups answered questions aimed at determining participants' satisfaction with life, physical activity and self-esteem. The personalities of all participants in the first group were assessed at the outset of the study using the Big Five Inventory short form.

For the second group (the 63 individuals who filled out questionnaires online for 14 days), the researchers wanted to further investigate whether physical activity was indeed, the cause of participants' increased satisfaction with life rather than some other factor such as mental health, fatigue, or Body Mass Index.

"Shifts in depression, anxiety and stress would be expected to influence a person's satisfaction with life at any given point in time," said David Conroy, professor of kinesiology. "In addition, fatigue can be a barrier to engaging in physical activity, and a high Body Mass Index associated with being overweight may cause a person to be less satisfied in a variety of ways."

By controlling for these variables, the researchers were able to determine that the amount of physical activity a person undertakes in a particular day directly influences his or her satisfaction with life. Specifically, the team found that by exercising just a little more than usual a person can significantly improve his or her satisfaction with life.

"Based on these findings, we recommend that people exercise a little longer or a little harder than usual as a way to boost satisfaction with life," said Conroy.

###

The above story is based on the October 25, 2012 news release  by Pennsylvania State University

The results of the research appeared online October 22, 2012 ahead of print in the journal Health Psychology:

Maher JP, Doerksen SE, Elavsky S, Hyde AL, Pincus AL, Ram N, Conroy DE. A Daily Analysis of Physical Activity and Satisfaction With Life in Emerging Adults. Health Psychol. 2012; DOI: 10.1037/a0030129 

Mung Beans Could Protect Against Sepsis

http://kuali.com

Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that a bean commonly used in Chinese cuisine protects against the life-threatening condition sepsis.

It has been found that a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) protein, HMGB1, mediates inflammation. Inflammation is necessary for maintaining good health – without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal. However, persistent and constant inflammation can damage tissue and organs, and lead to diseases such as sepsis.

Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection or injury, and occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammation throughout the body. The result is that organs become damaged, including liver, heart, lungs, kidney, and brain. If excessive damage occurs, it may be irreversible. Therefore, it is important to identify ways in which persistent and constant inflammation can be halted.

Neutralizing the protein HMGB1 protects against persistent and constant inflammation that results in damage to tissue and organs. Haichao Wang, PhD, and his colleagues, including Shu Zhu, MD and PhD, and Andrew E. Sama, MD, at the Feinstein Institute found that extract from mung bean (Vigna radiata), a bean native to India and commonly used in Chinese food and traditional medicine, reduced the release of HMGB1, thereby increasing survival rates in mice from 29.4 percent to 70 percent (P < 0.05).

“Many traditional medicinal herbs have been successfully developed into effective therapies for various inflammatory ailments, and now we have validated the therapeutic potential of another medicinal product, mung bean extract,” said Dr. Wang. “Demonstrating that mung bean extract has a positive effect on septic mice shows promise that this bean can also have a positive effect on septic humans – of course, additional studies are required to prove the safe and effective use in humans.”

###

The above story is based on the Octiber 26, 2012 news release by North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System.

These findings are published in the current issue of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM):

Shu Zhu, Wei Li, Jianhua Li, Arvin Jundoria, Andrew E. Sama, Haichao Wang. It Is Not Just Folklore: The Aqueous Extract of Mung Bean Coat Is Protective against Sepsis. Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med., 2012; 2012: 1 DOI: 10.1155/2012/498467 

Click HERE to read the full text online.

Daily Multivitamins Cut Cancer Risk in Men

Centrum Silver and other MVTs

The daily use of multivitamins may reduce the risk for cancer in men, according to the results of a very large randomized trial in the US

A number of trials of individual vitamins, administered at high doses, have not shown any effect at preventing cancer. Observational studies have also not provided evidence of an association between multivitamin use and a reduction in cancer incidence or mortality.

However, the current study is unique in a number of ways, the first being that it is the only large-scale placebo-controlled trial evaluating a multivitamin in the prevention of cancer.

It is also of long duration and involved physicians themselves as the subject.

After about 11 years, multivitamin use resulted in a modest but statistically significant reduction — specifically, an 8% reduction in total cancer incidence.

The study involved 14,641 male US physicians initially aged ≥50 years (mean age, 64.3 years), including 1312 men with a history of cancer at randomisation, enrolled in 1997 with treatment and follow-up through to June 1, 2011. They received either daily exact same brand multivitamin (Centrum Silver) or placebo. The main outcome measures were total cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer), with prostate, colorectal, and other site-specific cancers among the secondary end points.

During a median follow-up of 11.2 years:

• There were 2669 men with confirmed cancer, including 1373 cases of prostate cancer and 210 cases of colorectal cancer.

• Compared with placebo, men taking a daily multivitamin had a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of total cancer (multivitamin and placebo groups, 17.0 and 18.3 events, respectively, per 1000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86 to 0.998; p=0.04).

• There was no significant effect of a daily multivitamin on prostate cancer (multivitamin and placebo groups, 9.1 and 9.2 events, respectively, per 1000 person-years; 0.98; 0.88 to 1.09; p=0.76), colorectal cancer (multivitamin and placebo groups, 1.2 and 1.4 events, respectively, per 1000 person-years; 0.89; 0.68 to 1.17; p=0.39), or other site-specific cancers.

• There was no significant difference in the risk of cancer mortality (multivitamin and placebo groups, 4.9 and 5.6 events, respectively, per 1000 person-years; 0.88;, 0.77 to 1.01; p=0.07).

• Daily multivitamin use was associated with a reduction in total cancer among 1312 men with a baseline history of cancer (0.73; 0.56 to 0.96; p=0.02), but this did not differ significantly from that among 13,329 men initially without cancer (0.94; 0.87 to 1.02; p=0.15; p for interaction=0.07).

Reduction in Total Cancers

"Our main message is that the main reason to take a multivitamin is for nutritional deficiencies but it certainly appears that there may be a modest benefit in preventing cancer in men over the age of 50," lead author John Michael Gaziano said.

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The study has also been published online October 17, 2012 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Published:

Gaziano JM, Sesso HD, Christen WG, Bubes V, Smith JP, MacFadyen J, Schvartz M, Manson JE, Glynn RJ, Buring JE. Multivitamins in the Prevention of Cancer in MenThe Physicians' Health Study II Randomized Controlled Trial . JAMA. 2012;():1-10. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.14641.

You can read the full text HERE