Now, a Chewable Brain Chemical

Citicoline is a brain chemical that occurs naturally in the body.

Citicoline was originally developed in Japan for stroke.

A metanalysis performed by Mario Fioravanti and Ann E Buckley on the entire database available in 2006 from the clinical studies performed with citicoline points to its effectiviness as a treatment for patients with memory problems

Another clinical review by Secades JJ and Lorenzo JL found no serious side effects occurred in any series of patients treated with citicoline, which attests to the safety of treatment with citicoline.

Citicoline is now available as a dietary supplement to help improving memory, mental alertness and learning performance.

How does Citicoline work?

Citicoline stabilises cell membranes, restoring its lipid structure. It also stimulates the release of dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain. Citicoline might also decrease brain tissue damage when the brain is injured.

###

Fioravanti M, Buckley AE. Citicoline (Cognizin) in the treatment of cognitive impairment. Clin Interv Aging. 2006 September; 1(3): 247–251.

Click HERE to read the full article.

Secades JJ, Lorenzo JL. Citicoline: pharmacological and clinical review, 2006 update. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Sep;28 Suppl B:1-56.

Alvarez-Sabín J, Román GC. Citicoline in vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia after stroke. Stroke. 2011 Jan;42(1 Suppl):S40-3. Click HERE to read the full article.

###

Commercial Citicholine is the product of an enzymatic process derived from a combination of two microorganisms but protein is not detectable in the final product.

Click HERE for the 2012 Safety Assessment on Citicoline by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland

Now, citicoline is available in Malaysia as MemoMax Chewable Tablet suitable for both Adults and Children.

Each MemoMax Chewable Tablet contains 60mg of cticoline with 48mg of a blend of several vitamins and minerals.

Adults should chew one tablet after meal, twice a day, while children only need a single daily dose.

Found in my mail box

Found in my mail box

Is that Mazhar?

Workplace Stress Poses Risk to Health

Credit: www.fortuneaskannie.files.wordpress.com

Stressful situations at work can have a negative impact on the cardiovascular system and the metabolism. Stress, which is transmitted by direct and indirect signaling pathways, leads to an inflammatory response in the body, which can trigger cardiovascular diseases, amongst others.

Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München(HMGU) based their study on a long-term observation of more than 950 people as part of the population-based cohort study MONICA/KORA.

The work was conducted by Dr. Rebecca Emeny as part of the Mental Health working group headed by Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Institute of Epidemiology II (EPI II) at the HMGU.

Data was analyzed from questionnaires on psychological stress at work and concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers in the blood. The results showed that healthy workers who were exposed to stress at work displayed significantly elevated inflammatory parameters and faced twice the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

More than half of the participants in the study stated that they experienced psychological strain and stress at work.

Stress is regarded as a cardiovascular risk factor. Its consequences are communicated directly via activated messenger substances as well as indirectly via unhealthy stress-related behavior. In particular, the scientists found a clear association between stress and elevated concentrations of CRP (C-reactive protein), which is an inflammatory marker, and were thus able to demonstrate a stress-related inflammatory reaction in the body.

Moreover, job stress led to harmful psychological effects such as depression and sleep disturbances as well as to unhealthy behavior, for example, physical inactivity. Doing sports regularly, for at least one hour per week, significantly reduced inflammatory activity. However, the differences in terms of health risks between people who suffered from work stress and those who did not still remained.

“The insights gained from this study form important starting points for finding preventive measures that will protect against stress-related diseases such as coronary heart disease,” says Dr. Emeny.

###

The above story is based on the April 23, 2013 news release by Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen - German Research Centre for Environmental Health.

Environmental factors and lifestyle play a major role in the development of common diseases in Germany such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. The aim of the HMGU is to develop new approaches for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of the most common diseases.

The results of the study were published in the specialist journals Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and Psychosomatic Medicine:

Emeny R, Lacruz ME, Baumert J, Zierer A, von Eisenhart Rothe A, Autenrieth C, Herder C, Koenig W, Thorand B, Ladwig KH. Job strain associated CRP is mediated by leisure time physical activity: results from the MONICA/KORA study. Brain Behav Immun. 2012 Oct;26(7):1077-84. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.07.004.

Emeny R, Zierer A, Lacruz ME, Baumert J, Herder C, Gornitzka G, Koenig W, Thorand B, Ladwig KH. Job Strain–Associated Inflammatory Burden and Long-Term Risk of Coronary Events: Findings from the MONICA/KORA Augsburg Case-Cohort Study. Psychosom Med April 2013 75:317-325; doi:10.1097/PSY.0b013e3182860d63http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/75/3/317.abstract

Found in my email

May 5, 2013 was reportedly selected by a Burmese augur, clairvoyant, crystal ball gazer, diviner, medium, oracle, palm reader, palmist, predicter, prophet, psychic, seer, soothsayer, spiritualist, tarot reader, tea-leaf reader or very simply, a  polished mind reader, as a very auspicious day to hold GE13.

Nomination day of April 20th coincided with the birthday of the late Teoh Beng Hock and past midnight of election day is May 6th, the birthday of the late Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Wow! May 5th is going to be a truly auspicious day.... for who?

May Beng Hock and Altantunya Rest In Peace!

How Circumcision Reduces HIV Risk

The Tara KLamp*, credit: www.iol.co.za

Past studies have shown that circumcision reduces female-to-male HIV transmission.

Circumcision also lowers the risk of infection with other sexually transmitted viruses such as human papillomavirus and herpes simplex virus type 2.

A new study suggests a possible mechanism for HIV protection - the dramatic reduction  bacteria living on the penis

The research showed that removing the foreskin affects the type of bacteria that live on the penis. This international collaboration, focused on 156 men in Rakai, Uganda, further found that the decrease was primarily found in 12 types of bacteria, most of which were intolerant to oxygen.

"From an ecological perspective, it's like rolling back a rock and seeing the ecosystem change. You remove the foreskin and you're increasing the amount of oxygen, decreasing the moisture -- we're changing the ecosystem," study corresponding author Lance Price, of the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona and George Washington University, explained

In heterosexual transmission of HIV, the virus on the foreskin needs to reach its target cells, the CD4+ T-cells, which reside primarily in blood or the lymph nodes.

The exact way that the bacterial community on the penis may affect the risk of HIV infection is not known.

The researchers hypothesize that penis bacteria may activate cells in the foreskin called Langerhans cells, preventing them from carrying out their normal role of fighting off viruses. Instead, the activated Langerhans cells may actually help HIV infect by delivering the virus to susceptible T-cells.

They hope their findings could lead to nonsurgical alternatives to circumcision that would alter the bacterial community on the penis and reduce the risk of HIV infection in men.

###

The above story is based on the April 16, 2013 news release by The Translational Genomics Research Institute.

The findings were published April 16 in the online journal mBio of the Amercian Society for Microbiology:

Liu CM, Hungate BA, Tobian AAR, Serwadda D, Ravel J, Lester R, Kigozi G, Aziz M, Galiwango RM, Nalugoda F, Contente-Cuomo TL, Wawer MJ, Keim P, Gray RH, Price LB. 2013. Male circumcision significantly reduces prevalence and load of genital anaerobic bacteria. mBio 4(2):e00076-13. doi:10.1128/mBio.00076-13.

You can read the Full Text HERE.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about HIV transmission.

* The Tara KLamp circumcision device is the worlds first device based on Non-Invasive Surgery and has been described as the last frontier in circumcision surgery. It was developed by Malaysia’s Dr. Gurchran Singh Tara Singh (strange, because Sikhs don’t believe in circumcision).

Deadly Meningitis Cases Worry Gay Community

Oops, sorry, picture unrelated to the story about meningitis*

A series of bacterial meningitis cases in Southern California and New York City, resulting in the deaths of several gay men, have set the gay community on edge. 

However, a recent HealthDay News  report claims preliminary tests suggest the cases on each coast aren't connected.

More information

For more about meningitis, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine

*But, hey, the guy with a gay disposition receiving the passionate smooch looks familiar. Friends at work recommend you check out this youtube recording of March 6, 2013.

Disclaimer: gay disposition as defined in the online Oxford Dictionary is to be light-hearted and carefree. 

In sex, happiness hinges on keeping up with the Joneses

Thinking that we are having more sex than other people makes us very happy

Using national survey data and statistical analyses, Tim Wadsworth of the University of Colorado Boulder found that people reported steadily higher levels of happiness as they reported steadily higher sexual frequency.

But, he also found that even after controlling for their own sexual frequency, people who believed they were having less sex than their peers were unhappier than those who believed they were having as much or more than their peers.

“There’s an overall increase in sense of well-being that comes with engaging in sex more frequently, but there’s also this relative aspect to it, having more sex makes us happy, but thinking that we are having more sex than other people makes us even happier.”

Professor Wadsworth’s findings entitled, “Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness: How Other People’s Sex Lives are Related to our Sense of Well-Being,” was recently published in Social Indicators Research.

###

The above story is based on the April 15, 2013 news release by the University of Colorado Boulder

Found in my Mail Box

In Memoriam of ...

Found this in my mail

Some Fats Are Healthier

Credit: www.earthfitnessgym.com

Healthy Fats are found in fatty fish, nuts, seeds, avocados, vegetable oils and more.

The University of Michigan Health System explains the many benefits of including healthier fats in your daily diet :

They provide antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium

Small amounts of healthy fats help the body absorb vital nutrients, including fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D, K) from other whole foods

Including healthy fatty acids in your diet in appropriate quantities can help prevent and treat: diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, musculo skeletal pain, and inflammatory conditions

Some research suggests that diets including Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA)

can have a beneficial effect on cholesterol, blood pressure, blood clotting and inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary for proper brain growth and development.  They are anti-inflammatory and may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of many diseases.

Healthy Fats are included in the Healing Foods Pyramid™ as part of a balanced, whole foods, plant-based diet. This Food Pyramid emphasizes foods that nourish the body, sustain energy over time, contain healing qualities and essential nutrients, and support a sustainable environment.

Click HERE for more information on Healthy Fats and The Food Pyramid.

Egg White May Help Lower Blood Pressure

Credit: www.girlmakesfood.com

Scientists in Jilin University, China have found a substance contained in egg whites that can reduce blood pressure, one of the main risk factors in heart disease.

Egg whites contain a peptide- a short fragment of protein- called RVPSL(Arg-Val-Pro-Ser-Leu). After feeding RVPSL to rats with high blood pressure, they found that the peptide reduced their symptoms without any side effects.

Presenting the findings at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, lead researcher Dr Zhipeng Yu says that the peptide has a powerful ability to inhibit or block the action of ACE, a substance produced in the body that raises blood pressure.

They now hope to carry out tests in human patients.

The peptide appeared to work in the same way as ACE (angiotensin-converting-enzyme) inhibitors commonly prescribed for hypertension; 50mg of the RVPSL peptide had the same effect on blood pressure as 10mg of Captopril.

So eating egg whites could be a useful way of to help patients keep their blood pressure down, particularly when used alongside medication.

Eggs have often been described as being bad for health due to their high cholesterol content, but recent research has suggested they are healthier than previously believed.

However, Dr Yu also warned that people with high blood pressure should consult their health care provider before making any changes to their diet.

###

The above story is based on the April 9, 2013 news release by American Chemical Society (ACS).