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Rising rate of marijuana exposure among children 5 years old and younger

 

Debates about legalizing marijuana have focused on crime rates, economic benefits, and health effects among adults. But a study published today from researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital shows that the risk to young children of swallowing, breathing in or otherwise being exposed to marijuana also needs to be considered The study, published online today in Clinical Pediatrics, found that the rate of marijuana exposure among children 5 years of age and younger rose 147.5 percent from 2006 through 2013 across the United States. The rate increased almost 610 percent during the same period in states that legalized marijuana for medical use before 2000. In states that legalized marijuana from 2000 through 2013, the rate increased almost 16 percent per year after legalization, with a particular jump in the year that marijuana was legalized. Even states that had not legalized marijuana by 2013 saw a rise of 63 percent in the rate of marijuana exposures among young children from 2000 through 2013. More than 75 percent of the children who were exposed were younger than 3 years of age, and most children were exposed when they swallowed marijuana. "The high percentage of ingestions may be related to the popularity of marijuana brownies, cookies and other foods," said Henry Spiller, D.ABAT, a co-author of the study, toxicologist, and director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's. "Very young children explore their environments by putting items in their mouths, and foods such as brownies and cookies are attractive." The study findings showed that most exposures resulted in only minor clinical effects, but some children experienced coma, decreased breathing, or seizures. The main psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, THC, can be especially high in marijuana food products, and that may have contributed to some of the observed severe effects. More than 18 percent of children who were exposed were hospitalized. These hospital admissions were likely due not only to the clinical effects, but also the need to investigate the circumstances that lead to the exposure in the home. Overall, there were 1,969 young children reported to Poison Control Centers in the United States because of marijuana exposure from 2000 through 2013. While that is a relatively small number of total cases, the steep rate of increase in states that have legalized marijuana is reason for concern, said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, senior author of the study and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's. "Any state considering marijuana legalization needs to include child protections in its laws from the very beginning," Dr. Smith said. "Child safety must be part of the discussion when a state is considering legalization of marijuana." Researchers recommend the same measures for commercially-available marijuana products that are now used to protect children from medicines and dangerous household chemicals, including requirements for child-resistant packaging and packaging that is not see-through. These same precautions need to be used for homemade marijuana products. If any marijuana products are in a household, they need to be kept up, away and out of sight of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. Data for this study came from the National Poison Database System, the most comprehensive and accurate database available for investigation of poisonings in the United States. The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center, both at Nationwide Children's.

Drinking Water on Empty Stomach Immediately After Waking Up!

 

Drinking water immediately after waking up is a popular ritual in Japan. Scientists agree that is very beneficial to our health. For our readers we publish below a description of use of water. For curing various kinds of diseases drinking water has been found to be very successful in the Japanese medical society, treating numerous diseases, including: Epilepsy, bronchitis asthma, diarrhea, vomiting, urine and kidney diseases, diabetes, menstrual disorders, meningitis, arthritis, headache, heart beating fast, all eye diseases, prevents fatness etc. 1. Drink 4 x 160 ml of water immediately after waking up, even before brushing teeth. 2. Now you can brush your teeth, but don’t eat yet anything for another 45 minutes. 3. After 45 minutes you may eat normally. 4. After eating breakfast, lunch and dinner do not drink or eat anything for another 2 hours. 5. Those unable from sickness or age to drink 4 glasses of water can gradually increase the content little by little each day. 6. People who practice this routine will cure above mentioned diseases and enjoy the full benefit of healthy life. Below we will describe the list of days it takes to practice this routine for curing certain kinds of diseases: 1. Gastric – 10 days 2. High blood pressure – 30 days 3. Constipation – 10 days 4. TB – 90 days 5. Diabetes – 30 days Patients with arthritis should practice this treatment only for 3 days the first week, and continue daily from next week. This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times. It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active. Source: http://www.dailynutritionnews.com/drinking-water-empty-stomach-immediately-waking/

Put an Ice Cube at This Point on Your Head and Witness the Miracle

 

You have probably never thought that a daily use of ice cubes can help your body heal and recharge and make you a bit younger and energetic. It can happen if you put an ice cube at the point where your head and neck are connected. This technique is closely related to Chinese acupuncture and according to it, the point where you have to place the ice cube is called Feng Fu, which translates to “wind mansion”. Just hold the cube for 20 minutes on the Feng Fu point. Naturally, at first you will begin to feel freezing, but after thirty or forty seconds you will feel warmth. By doing this every day you will begin to feel euphoria. This is because the ice cube will cause for endorphin to be released in your blood. But, there are many more benefits from using this technique. For example: • Sleep improvement; • Better digestion; • No more frequent colds; • Less joint pain, toothaches and headaches; • Breathing improvement and better cardiovascular system; • No more degenerative spine changes and management of neurological disorders; • Help with sexually transmitted and gastrointestinal infections; • No thyroid gland disorders; • No hypotension, hypertension and arthritis; • No asthma; • Help with malnutrition or obesity; • No Cellulite; • Better menstruation and help with impotence, infertility, endocrine glands and frigidity; • No insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression, stress and management of psycho-emotional disorders; This method helps the body to return its balance, so technically it is not a cure, but a rejuvenation method. Simply put, your body gets higher on life. However, the method may show contraindications in cases of schizophrenia, epilepsy, pacemakers, and during pregnancy. Source: dailynutritionnews

Over 95% of the world’s population has health problems, with over a third having more than five ailments

 

In 2013, low back pain and major depression ranked among the top ten greatest contributors to disability in every country, causing more health loss than diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma combined. Credit: © xy / Fotolia Just one in 20 people worldwide (4·3%) had no health problems in 2013, with a third of the world's population (2·3 billion individuals) experiencing more than five ailments, according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2013, published in The Lancet.  Moreover, the research shows that, worldwide, the proportion of lost years of healthy life (disability-adjusted life years; DALYS [1]) due to illness (rather than death) rose from around a fifth (21%) in 1990 to almost a third (31%) in 2013. As the world's population grows, and the proportion of elderly people increases, the number of people living in suboptimum health is set to rise rapidly over coming decades, warn the authors. The findings come from the largest and most detailed analysis to quantify levels, patterns, and trends in ill health and disability around the world between 1990 and 2013. In the past 23 years, the leading causes of health loss have hardly changed. Low back pain, depression, iron-deficiency anemia, neck pain, and age-related hearing loss resulted in the largest overall health loss worldwide (measured in terms of YLD -- Years Lived with Disability -- ie, time spent in less than optimum health [2]) in both 1990 and 2013. In 2013, musculoskeletal disorders (ie, mainly low back pain, neck pain, and arthritis) and mental and substance abuse disorders (predominantly depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol use disorders) accounted for almost half of all health loss worldwide. Importantly, rates of disability are declining much more slowly than death rates. For example, while increases in rates of diabetes have been substantial, rising by around 43% over the past 23 years, death rates from diabetes increased by only 9%. "The fact that mortality is declining faster than non-fatal disease and injury prevalence is further evidence of the importance of paying attention to the rising health loss from these leading causes of disability, and not simply focusing on reducing mortality," [3] says Theo Vos, lead author and Professor of Global Health at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, USA. The GBD 2013 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators analysed 35,620 sources of information on disease and injury from 188 countries between 1990 and 2013 to reveal the substantial toll of disabling disorders and the overall burden on health systems from 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries, as well as 2337 health consequences (sequelae) that result from one or more of these disorders. Key findings include: In 2013, low back pain and major depression ranked among the top ten greatest contributors to disability in every country, causing more health loss than diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma combined. Worldwide, the number of individuals with several illnesses rapidly increased both with age and in absolute terms between 1990 and 2013. In 2013, about a third (36%) of children aged 0-4 years in developed countries had no disorder compared with just 0·03% of adults older than 80 years. Furthermore, the number of individuals with more than ten disorders increased by 52% between 1990 and 2013. Eight causes of chronic disorders -- mostly non-communicable diseases -- affected more than 10% of the world population in 2013: cavities in permanent teeth (2·4 billion), tension-type headaches (1·6 billion), iron-deficiency anemia (1·2 billion), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency trait (1·18 billion), age-related hearing loss (1·23 billion), genital herpes (1·12 billion), migraine (850 million), and ascariasis (800 million; giant intestinal roundworm). The number of years lived with disability increased over the last 23 years due to population growth and aging (537·6 million to 764·8 million), while the rate (age-standardised per 1000 population) barely declined between 1990 and 2013 (115 per 1000 people to 110 per 1000 people). The main drivers of increases in the number of years lived with disability were musculoskeletal, mental, and substance abuse disorders, neurological disorders, and chronic respiratory conditions. HIV/AIDS was a key driver of rising numbers of years lived with disability in sub-Saharan Africa. There has also been a startling increase in the health loss associated with diabetes (increase of 136%), Alzheimer's disease (92% increase), medication overuse headache (120% increase), and osteoarthritis (75% increase). In central Europe, falls cause a disproportionate amount of disability and health burden, ranking as the second leading cause of disability in 11 of 13 countries. In many Caribbean nations anxiety disorders ranked more highly, and diabetes was the third greatest contributor to disability in Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela. Disability from past war and conflict was the leading contributor to health loss in Cambodia, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and ranked second in Vietnam. According to Professor Vos, "Large, preventable causes of health loss, particularly serious musculoskeletal disorders and mental and behavioural disorders, have not received the attention that they deserve. Addressing these issues will require a shift in health priorities around the world, not just to keep people alive into old age, but also to keep them healthy." FOOTNOTES: This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [1] Years of healthy life lost are measured in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYS). These are worked out by combining the number of years of life lost as a result of early death and the number of years lived with disability. [2] Years lived with disability (YLD) calculated by combining prevalence (proportion of the population with the disorder in any given year) and the general public's assessment of the severity of health loss (disability weight). Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by The Lancet. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4

New approach for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

 

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease for which as yet no causal therapy exists. It is, however, known that the lung interstitium -- the connective tissue between the air sacs in the lower part of the lung -- is affected. There scar tissue consisting mainly of collagen accumulates, thus reducing lung elasticity and gradually impairing lung function. Patients with IPF have an extremely poor prognosis; on average they survive only two or three years after the diagnosis has been made. Analysis of patient data Prof. Dr. Oliver Eickelberg and Dr. Claudia Staab-Weijnitz of the Comprehensive Pneumology Center (CPC) at Helmholtz Zentrum München and their colleagues at LMU University Hospital in Munich and Yale University School of Medicine have now discovered a new therapeutic target for IPF. The main focus of their research was to identify causative mechanisms involved in the disease. The researchers analyzed microarray data of samples from German patients and from an IPF cohort of the Lung Tissue Research Consortium in the U.S. The analysis revealed elevated levels of the protein FKBP10 in the lungs of IPF patients. The researchers hypothesized that if the production or activity of the protein could be inhibited, this might lead to a new therapeutic approach. Further experiments confirmed that knockdown of this protein in IPF fibroblasts diminished the collagen synthesis. "Thus, FKBP10 represents a potential new target molecule for the individualized therapy of IPF," said Claudia Staab-Weijnitz. "In the future, these results could also lead to new therapeutic options for the treatment of other fibrotic diseases." New ways to understand the disease cause Eickelberg has made the study of IPF one of his key priority research areas. Together with his team of researchers, he is studying the pathogenic mechanisms with the aim to develop causal therapies -- and thus one day to actually cure IPF. In the short term, however, the main focus is on delaying the progression of the disease and alleviating the symptoms. "My foremost objective is to help develop an effective treatment that will completely halt the progression of IPF in the patient," said Eickelberg. "These approaches are best developed in international networks. This cooperative project is a direct result of the research stay of Professor Kaminski (Yale) at the CPC through the support of a Helmholtz International Fellow Award (HIFA)." "With our translational approach," said Eickelberg, "we want to help alleviate the suffering of patients with lung disease." In the case of IPF, the researchers now want to establish a drug screening assay and begin clinical trials with an FKBP10 inhibitor, an agent to inhibit the production or activity of the FKBP10 protein. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Claudia A. Staab-Weijnitz, Isis E Fernandez, Larissa Knüppel, Julia Maul, Katharina Heinzelmann, Brenda M Juan-Guardela, Elisabeth Hennen, Gerhard Preissler, Hauke Winter, Claus Neurohr, Rudolf Hatz, Michael Lindner, Jürgen Behr, Naftali Kaminski, Oliver Eickelberg. FK506-binding Protein 10 is a Potential Novel Drug Target for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2015; 150603135027000 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201412-2233OC

New composite material as carbon dioxide sensor

 

ETH researchers' miniature CO2 sensor is pictured: chip with a thin layer of the polymer-nanoparticle composite. Credit: Fabio Bergamin / ETH Zurich Material scientists at ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam have developed a new type of sensor that can measure carbon dioxide (CO2). Compared with existing sensors, it is much smaller, has a simpler construction, requires considerably less energy and has an entirely different functional principle. The new sensor consists of a recently developed composite material that interacts with CO2 molecules and changes its conductivity depending on the concentration of CO2 in the environment. ETH scientists have created a sensor chip with this material that enables them to determine CO2 concentration with a simple measurement of electrical resistance. The basis of the composite material is a chain-like macromolecule (polymer) made up of salts called ionic liquids, which are liquid and conductive at room temperature. The name of the polymers is slightly misleading as they are called "poly(ionic liquid)s" (PIL), although they are solid rather than liquid. Unexpected properties Scientists worldwide are currently investigating these PIL for use in different applications, such as batteries and CO2 storage. From their work it is known that PIL can adsorb CO2. "We asked ourselves if we could exploit this property to obtain information on the concentration of CO2 in the air and thereby develop a new type of gas sensor," says Christoph Willa, doctoral student at the Laboratory for Multifunctional Materials. Willa and Dorota Koziej, a team leader in the laboratory, eventually succeeded by mixing the polymers with specific inorganic nanoparticles that also interact with CO2. By experimenting with these materials, the scientists were able to produce the composite. "Separately, neither the polymer nor the nanoparticles conduct electricity," says Willa. "But when we combined them in a certain ratio, their conductivity increased rapidly." Chemical changes in the material It was not only this that astonished the scientists. They were also surprised that the conductivity of the composite material at room temperature is CO2-dependent. "Until now, chemoresistive materials have displayed these properties only at a temperature of several hundred degrees Celsius," explains Koziej. Thus, existing CO2 sensors made from chemoresistive materials had to be heated to a high operating temperature. With the new composite material, this is not necessary, which facilitates its application significantly. Exactly how the CO2-dependant changes in conductivity were produced is not yet clear; however, the scientists have found indications that a chemical change induced by the presence of CO2 occurs foremost at the interface between the nanoparticles and the polymers at the nanometre scale. "We think that CO2 effects the mobility of the charged particles in the material," says Koziej. Breathing gauges for scuba divers With the new sensor, scientists are able to measure CO2 concentration over a wide range -- from a concentration of 0.04 volume percent in Earth's atmosphere to 0.25 volume percent. Existing devices that can detect CO2 measure the optical signal and capitalise on the fact that CO2 absorbs infrared light. In comparison, researchers believe that with the new material much smaller, portable devices can be developed that will require less energy. According to Koziej, "portable devices to measure breathing air for scuba diving, extreme altitude mountaineering or medical applications are now conceivable." Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by ETH Zurich. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Christoph Willa, Jiayin Yuan, Markus Niederberger, Dorota Koziej. When Nanoparticles Meet Poly(Ionic Liquid)s: Chemoresistive CO2Sensing at Room Temperature. Advanced Functional Materials, 2015; 25 (17): 2537 DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201500314

36 Days of Type

 

36 Days of Type

Posted: 07 Jun 2015 12:30 PM PDT

Le graphiste Mario De Meyer a participé au projet de typographie « 36 Days Of Type » qui invite les designers et illustrateurs du monde entier à donner leurs propres visions des lettres et des nombres. De Meyer a donc imaginé chaque jour, pendant 36 jours consécutifs, des lettres et des chiffres représentant un même signe mais sous différentes perspectives.

LG G4 - Early impressions

 

The LG G4 is the third first-tier Android flagship of 2015, following the HTC One M9 and Samsung Galaxy S6 (and S6 edge). Before we run our full review, we have some thoughts on the leather-clad version of the LG G4. The LG G4 is a very solid phone, as we expected it to be. The leather backing is a nice touch (though it isn't the first company to try this, with Motorola offering a leather Moto X as well), and the phone's display looks very good. LG managed to make an IPS screen that could be mistaken for an AMOLED one – meaning its contrast, deep blacks and richness of colors are all in very good shape. We find its plastic sides, though, to be a big negative. Your fingertips are typically more sensitive than the rest of your hand, and when you hold the G4 your fingertips rest against those cheap-feeling plastic edges. Technically this leather version of the G4 does have a mostly premium build, but because your fingers go straight to that plastic, it doesn't feel like it in hand. Performance is mostly good, but LG just can't seem to make a flagship that has 100 percent silky-smooth performance. We aren't yet sure if its slight and occasional lag is coming from the launcher or from the LG UI in general, but the phone doesn't feel nearly as snappy to us as the Galaxy S6 does – and it also feels a bit less zippy than the stock Android-running Nexus 6. So far the G4's camera is in very good shape: it brings back LG's laser autofocus, and its ƒ/1.8 aperture does a great job in low-lit conditions. But the camera still doesn't launch as quickly or easily as the GS6's does. Battery life appears to be (at least) pretty good so far, but we'll have more on that in our full review. Its lack of (built-in) wireless charging tech is another area, though, where it lags behind its best competition. Stay tuned for more on the LG G4, but from where we stand now it looks like a decent upgrade over last year's G3 – though it might also have too many holes to be considered a true peer of the Galaxy S6's. The G4's bigger 5.5-inch screen is about the only clear-cut advantage we're seeing so far over the Samsung flagship. Product page: LG Correction 6/7: The original version stated that the G4 doesn't support quick charging, but it was indeed added in a pre-US launch update.

Texting and tweeting in the classroom: How do they impact student learning?

 

Mobile devices are ubiquitous -- including in the college classroom. Instructors across disciplines now compete with a host of electronic stimuli for students' attention. But to what extent is messaging interfering with student learning? Can students concentrate with the same intensity while exchanging texts with their friends and family? A new study published in the National Communication Association's journal, Communication Education, evaluates how different types of messaging impact student retention of classroom material. Previous research has shown that students who text in class generally recall less about the classroom content than those who do not. Similarly, those who used mobile devices in class took notes of poorer quality, detracting from another cognitive process by which students integrate new material. As mobile technology has become more widespread, however, some instructors have begun to include texting or digital technology in their lesson plans, which begs the question: Is it still distracting to students? Can students reply to and send messages about class content without being distracted? A new study by J.H. Kuznekoff, et. al., examines these questions. The researchers tested students using mobile devices in class to respond to messages that were related or unrelated to classroom material; additionally, the researchers varied the form of the messages (responding to another message or composing an original one) and the frequency of the texts. Their results are compiled in the article "Mobile Phones in the Classroom: Examining the Effects of Texting, Twitter, and Message Content on Student Learning." Students who replied to messages relevant to class material scored higher on multiple choice tests than students who replied to messages that were unrelated to the class. The study authors conclude from this that "sending or receiving relevant messages may allow students to engage in similar processes as those that occur during note-taking. Specifically, relevant messages may allow students to encode lecture content in a manner similar to the processes that occur during note-taking (Peverly et al., 2013)." The frequency of messaging was also found to be a factor in the interruption of learning: Students who tweeted or sent messages with higher frequency on content not related to the class took lower quality notes than those who tweeted less frequently on non-classroom related subjects. The first group also scored up to 17 percent lower than the control group on multiple-choice tests, evidence that engaging in messaging unrelated to the class hurts student learning. While many instructors assume that mobile devices interrupt learning processes in the classroom -- even when they are related to material being studied -- this research points to the value that such devices may impart. That said, the study suggests that texting about content external to the lesson, or texting at a very high frequency, can, indeed, interrupt learning. In addition to helping guide campus and classroom mobile device policies, this study contributes to the growing body of research on how the brain processes information when confronted with multiple, simultaneous sources of input. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by National Communication Association. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Jeffrey H. Kuznekoff, Stevie Munz, Scott Titsworth. Mobile Phones in the Classroom: Examining the Effects of Texting, Twitter, and Message Content on Student Learning. Communication Education, 2015; 1 DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2015.1038727

Current mobile contracts damaging the environment

 

Researchers from the University of Surrey analysed studies on the lifespan of mobile devices, from manufacture, use and disposal to see what impact each stage had on the environment. Through their investigation, they concluded that the current mobile business model, driven by frequent upgrades, is costing both the manufacturer and the environment. The study argues that where frequent upgrades are encouraged and recycling schemes not actively pursued, valuable materials integral to phone manufacture are lost, causing damage to the environment by additional waste to landfill as well as from the impact of extracting additional finite resources. "There are an estimated 85 million unused phones in the UK," said lead author Dr James Suckling from the University of Surrey. "Each of these phones has been manufactured using precious metals such as gold, copper and silver which are costly to extract, both in cash-terms and environmental impact. These unused phones contain approximately 4 tonnes of gold, lost resource that would cost £110million and an equivalent of 84,000 tonnes of CO2 released into the atmosphere to replace. "The current business model of mobile contracts encourages consumers to upgrade frequently, regardless of whether their current phone is fit for purpose. Our study shows that there is little incentive for people to recycle old mobiles. Unfortunately this leaves many unused devices lingering in drawers, until they are eventually thrown away and end up in landfill. This isn't a trend that can continue if we are to have the mobile lifestyle we want, while still ensuring a sustainable future." As an alternative, the researchers propose a 'cloud-based product service system', where the heavy processing and memory storage of mobile devices are moved to a remote server, over the internet. Without the need for complex processing, mobile devices could become less complex, designed to last longer and requiring less precious resources to make. Together with a "take-back" clause in the mobile service contract, researchers believe that consumers would be encouraged not only retain their device for longer, but to return it to the manufacturer at the end of the service contract. This would be instrumental in ensuring that the resources tied up in mobile phones are retained and not lost to landfill. "This is a model that has been used already. Replacing power hungry desktop PCs with thin client computers that run off cloud services, with less hardware reduced power consumption by up to 55%," said Dr Suckling. "There are of course other challenges to overcome. Our research team is now looking at how to implement such business models while convincing consumers that cloud services can be trusted to deliver services, and hold data privately and securely. This will be one important focus for our continuing research, as will be understanding the wider impact of the mobile lifecycle on the environment and what impact new business models will have on this cycle." Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Surrey. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: James Suckling et al. The International Journal Of Life Cycle Assessment. The International Journal Of Life Cycle Assessment, June 2015