digital thoughts

Ask your grandparents to play video games to improve their memory function and to sharpen their brains. This is what a team of researchers in Washington say. A new study found that people in their 60s and 70s can improve a number of cognitive functions by playing “Rise of Nations“, a game that rewards nation-building and territorial expansion.

“Rise of Nations gives gamers points for building cities and ‘wonders’, feeding and employing their people, maintaining an adequate military and expanding their territory.

“You need merchants. You need an army to protect yourself and you have to make sure you’re spending some of your resources on education and food,” said the authors of the study.

This is the first such study of older adults, and it is the first to find such pronounced effects on cognitive skills not directly related to the skills learned in the video game, said University of Illinois psychology professor Arthur Kramer, who co-authored the study.

The study included 40 older adults, half of whom received 23.5 hours of training in Rise of Nations. The others, a comparison group, received no training in the game.

Both groups were assessed before, during and after the video game training on a variety of tests designed to measure executive control functions, and the researchers found that training on the video game did improve the participants’ performance on a number of these tests.

Their working memory, as reflected in the tests, was also significantly improved. Their reasoning ability was enhanced.

The research is scheduled for publication this month’s issue of journal Psychology & Aging.

Related Link: Treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease

Swedish researchers have found memory impairment in rats exposed to cell phone radiation for two hours every week for more than a year.

Henrietta Nittby and her supervisor Leif Salford, of the neurosurgery division of Lund University, Sweden, believe that the findings may be related to the team’s earlier findings, that microwave radiation from cell phones can affect the so-called blood-brain barrier.

Salford and his associates have previously found that albumin, a protein that functions as a transport molecule in the blood, leaks into brain tissue when lab animals are exposed to mobile phone radiation.

The research team also found certain nerve damage in cerebral cortex and in the hippocampus, the memory centre of the brain.

“We now see that things happen to the brains of lab animals after cell phone radiation. The next step is to try to understand why this happens,” said Nittby.

Irrespective of why it happens, it’s time the young and restless give some break to cell phone usage!

We forgot the polio long time ago. We think that it’s eradicated from the world. According to polioeradicatio.org, 518 polio cases were detected in this year alone.

Google.org launched an initiative to prevent polio. As a part of their initiative, they made “Final Inch”, 38-minute film to spread the message and to highlight the effort to eradicate polio. See the trailer and clipping below.


Whether you like Google’s dominance or Microsoft’s dominance, it’s hard not to appreciate the sincere efforts taken by these companies to help the world.


There are so many good hearted volunteers that travel the world to eradicate the polio and other diseases. Polio survivors like Ramesh Ferris also traveling the world to spread the awareness. Let god them to help the poor.

Related Links: The Final Inch | Final Inch’s official website for more clippings

It is one of the scariest things. What if you are awake when the doctor performs a heart surgery on you? What if you feel all the pain, but can’t even say a word? This is the theme of the Hollywood movie “Awake”. This kind of horror incident doesn’t happen just in movies. It happens in real life too.

Kelly Haapala and her 3-year-old son, Zach, were involved in a violent car crash. The boy escaped injury, but Kelly had to undergo surgery to repair her hip.

She woke up during surgery. I can feel the pain even when I am writing this. Wake up during surgery? God… Must be a horrible experience. After the surgery, Kelly said “No pain that I’ve ever been through … can explain or come close to the pain that I felt that day.” She suffered from a condition called “anesthesia awareness” which is rare but happens to 1 out of 1000 patients.

See the related video below.

Related Links: Michigan Woman’s story | What Is Anesthesia Awareness?

According to National Human Rights Commission, Seven crore Indians suffer from mental disorder in one or the other form. A report by National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore says around 2 crore people need treatment for “serious mental disorder“. While 30-35 lakh of them need hospitalization, the number of beds available for such patients is only 29,000.

“Morbidity on account of mental illness is set to overtake cardiovascular diseases as the single largest health risk in India by 2010,” wrote National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) secretary general Akhil Kumar Jain, quoting the NIMHANS study in the preface of the medical institute’s report – Mental Health Care and Human Rights. The report was released at a seminar organized to mark the NHRC foundation day on Sunday.

You can read more about this here. I personally feel that this would be true in any country, not only in India. 7 crore is 7% of the current Indian population. If you go to any western country, the number in terms of % would be approximately same or higher.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation tomorrow will launch an AIDS-prevention partnership with the Chinese government, an unusual approach that underscores the philanthropic group’s concern about the risk the deadly virus poses to China.

The Gates Foundation’s help in curbing the spread of AIDS could be crucial given Beijing’s official resistance to dealing with the marginalized populations most likely to contract it, and societal reluctance to confront the drug use and sexual promiscuity associated with HIV transmission. In addition, China needs technical assistance and other outside expertise to mount an effective awareness and prevention campaign.

“A more widespread AIDS epidemic would have tremendous consequences for China and the rest of the world,” said Bill Gates. “But it can be averted if we move quickly to expand prevention efforts.”

It is amazing to see how people like Bill Gates find time for all the charity works. It’s not just money, Bill Gates spend lot of time on the field. You may or may not like Microsoft’s dominance in Computers. But, one can’t deny the fact that Bill Gates is a great guy with lot of good intentions to change the society for good.

The $35 billion Gates Foundation, which was created to tackle problems affecting global health, education and family issues, usually prefers to design its own programs and to put them into practice by teaming with nonprofits. But Beijing’s centralized control made it necessary to collaborate with health, security and Communist Party agencies.

It took four years of diplomacy by Mr. Gates before Beijing would permit his organization to register as a foreign foundation. At least in this aspect, India fared much better!

I just read this in Yahoo News. It’s scary.

More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph “superbug,” the U.S. government reported Tuesday in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.

Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.

This staph infection sometimes first appears on the skin as a red, swollen pimple or boil that may be painful or have pus. It can be spread by close skin-to skin contact or by touching surfaces contaminated with the germ.

It was believed that people get staph infections only when they are hospitalized. Recent cases prove that staph infections occurs in many other places like School locker rooms, Gyms, etc.,

Researchers found that only about one-quarter of staph infection involved hospitalized patients. However, more than half were in the health care system “” people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, for example. Open wounds and exposure to medical equipment are major ways the bug spreads.

In recent years, the resistant germ has become more common in hospitals and it has been spreading through prisons, gyms and locker rooms, and in poor urban neighborhoods.

Most cases were life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, about 10 percent involved so-called flesh-eating disease, according to the study led by researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bacteria don’t respond to penicillin-related antibiotics once commonly used to treat them, partly because of overuse. They can be treated with other drugs but health officials worry that their overuse could cause the germ to become resistant to those, too.

I am not aware of any staph infections in India. Few years ago, leading Tamil actor’s five year old son died because of similar infection. I was very sad when I read that news. The boy fell down when he was playing and had a cut in his arm. He was treated for that in the nearby hospital. Few days later, he complained about some pain, he was rushed to the hospital, he died in few days. It was so sad. Newspapers and magazines carried the article about this incident. But, no one knew what disease killed the boy. I suspect staph or something similar. If you know the facts about this incident, please leave your comments.

How to prevent Staph? CDC of USA advises:

1. Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
2. Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
3. Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or bandages.
4. Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

Related Links:

Teen Who Contracted Staph Infection Dies

What Are the Signs of a Staph Skin Infection?

“What is Staph” from Wikipedia

“What is Staph” from NSW Public Health

Staph patterns in India

Staph more common outside hospitals

JAMA

CDC

Coca-Cola Company said it opened a research center in Beijing that will partner with a Chinese research center to develop drinks based on Chinese herbal ingredients and formulas.

Japanese and Chinese live healthier and longer lives than any other people in the world. One of the main reasons is their use of rejuvenating herbs. Centuries ago, India was the leader in medicines too. Our ancestors’ medical knowledge is respected and followed by many Asian countries.

Chinese and Japanese developed their own medicines using the local herbs. Ginseng is one of the best examples.

Many of today’s wonder drugs are derived from Japanese, Chinese and Indian herbs. China has been perfecting the herbs for more than 5000 years. It is no wonder Coca-Cola decided to partner with China for medical research.

The Coca-Cola Research Center for Chinese Medicine opened within the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. The academy is the national center for research, health care and education in traditional Chinese medicine according to Coca-Cola.

Related Link: Can Ancient Herbs Treat Cancer? | Simple Blood Test Spots Lung Cancer 

1. Make your bedroom a haven for sleep. Your room should be quiet and sufficiently dark, because darkness prompts the pineal gland to produce melatonin, the hormone that regulates circadian rhythms (your 24-hour body clock). Heavy drapes can help keep the light out, and a fan or white-noise machine can help drown out any annoying sounds. Cool temperatures help you sleep, so set your thermostat appropriately. For better air circulation, open a window or use a fan.

2. Become a creature of habit. A nighttime routine can be very effective in letting your body knows when it’s time to sleep. Go through whatever rituals help you get mentally prepared for sleep. (Read a few pages of your novel, spend 5 to 10 minutes on personal grooming, meditate and stretch.) It’s also critical to go to bed and get up at the same time every day — even on weekends.

3. Reserve your bed just for sleeping and sex. Avoid working, paying bills, reading, or watching television in bed. If you associate your bed only with sleep, you’ll be more likely to fall asleep when you get under the covers for the night.

4. Tame your tummy. Going to bed either hungry or too full can disrupt your sleep. Don’t have a big meal too close to bedtime or the digestion process might keep you awake. Also, if you lie down after stuffing yourself you can end up with gastric reflux — stomach acid backing up into the esophagus. If you’re hungry, have a snack rich in carbohydrates, which trigger the release of the brain chemical serotonin, associated with relaxation. Try a graham cracker or bowl of cereal. Pair it with some milk or a slice of turkey, both rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which also induces sleep.

5. Watch the caffeine. Too much caffeine throughout the day, even if it’s not consumed right before bedtime, can contribute to fitful slumber. Once you hit 50, your metabolism slows, so caffeine may stay in your system longer — up to 10 hours. Limit yourself to two cups of tea, coffee, or cola, taken at least 6 hours before bedtime. If that doesn’t work, try cutting out caffeine altogether.

6. Exercise. It’s a simple fact: If you’re physically tired at the end of the day, you’ll sleep better. In a study from Stanford University School of Medicine, a group of 50- to 76-year-olds who had complained of sleep problems began moderate exercise for about half an hour four times a week. Compared with a similar group of people who didn’t exercise, the more active group slept an average of one hour more each night, took less time to fall asleep, spent less time napping, and reported an overall improvement in sleep quality. Outdoor exercise is especially helpful. By exposing yourself to sunlight (particularly in the afternoon), you help prevent midday sleepiness and reinforce your body’s circadian rhythms. Exercise at least three hours before bedtime.

7. Soak it up. Take a warm bath an hour or two before bed. Your body temperature will slowly drop after you get out of the tub, making you feel tired. Don’t bathe right before bed, however, because it can briefly stimulate you enough to make it hard to fall asleep.

8. Drift off naturally. Investigate the benefits of chamomile, valerian, kava, passionflower, skullcap, catnip, or hops. These herbs can be taken in tea and other forms. A cup of chamomile tea before bedtime may be all you need to relax. If you’re trying valerian, the suggested dose for the concentrated form is equal to two to three grams of the root a day. But don’t combine valerian with alcohol or mood-regulating drugs. If you’re using kava, try a dose of between 60 and 120 mg before bedtime.

9. Don’t toss and turn. If 30 minutes go by and you haven’t fallen asleep, don’t lie in bed feeling frustrated. Get up and do something relaxing, like listening to soothing music or flipping through a magazine. Or make yourself a cup of warm milk. If all those attempts fail, read this blog!

10. Buy the right bed. A bed that’s too soft can cause poor sleep postures (which can also lead to muscle stiffness and back problems). If you’re leaving a divot in the mattress when you get up, it’s too soft. Replace your mattress if it’s more than 10 years old, and buy one that’s as firm as you can tolerate but still comfortable.

Source: Reader’s Digest

For years, doctors have warned men having trouble conceiving to stay away from hot baths and whirlpool tubs, saying there was reason to suspect that long exposure to hot water could worsen their problems.

Even CNBC show hosts used to joke about a “Hot Tub Shiek” who made a killing in stock market but spent some of his wealth in Hot Tub with beautiful models.

Mostly, the assumption that hot water makes a man infertile, was based on speculation. But earlier this year, a team of urologists at the University of California, San Francisco, conducted a study to measure and document the extent, if any, of this effect. The researchers did confirm the link, and then they discovered something surprising.

The study looked at a group of men who were regularly exposed to high water temperatures, meaning for about 30 minutes a week, through hot tubs or hot baths.

All the men showed signs of infertility, with impaired sperm production and motility.

What was unexpected was how quickly this infertility could be reversed. The researchers found that after the men stopped their exposure to wet heat, half had “a mean increase in total motile sperm counts of 491 percent after three to six months.”

The Lesson: If you are a young man, stay away from Hot Tub. If you do mess up, there is a possibility that damage can reversed.