Training programme may help ADHD patients: study

Posted: 29 October 2012

SINGAPORE: A study has shown promising results for using a special computer-based training programme as a potential new treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The study was conducted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), in collaboration with the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School.

20 children with ADHD (16 males, four females) who had significant symptoms of inattentiveness were recruited.

They played a computer game three times a week for eight weeks.

In the training game, the children wore headbands around their foreheads, with an electrode clipped to the earlobes.

They controlled an avatar via the signals detected by electrodes.

In order to move the avatar, the child would need to focus.

The system would measure the attention level and the game would proceed at a proportional speed.

The higher the concentration level of the child, the higher the speed of the avatar's movement.

The training programme included academic tasks at the end of every alternate session.

The intention was to train the child to learn to focus in the same way when performing academic work.

After the eight-week training program, patients showed significant improvement.

Those with more severe symptoms were also the ones who showed greater improvement.

Principal investigator Dr Lim Choon Guan from the IMH said the team is excited by the early result.

But he added that there are limitations to the study as the number of patients involved was small with no comparison group.

The team plans to have a larger trial over the next two years.

- CNA/xq

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Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Training programme may help ADHD patients: study

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Organic food not necessarily better for children, say experts

Posted: 23 October 2012

WASHINGTON: Feed your children plenty of fruits and vegetables but don't fret over whether they're organic or not if you're on a budget, US experts said on Monday.

While organic foods have lower pesticide levels, they also have the same vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients as their conventional counterparts.

"We do not want families to choose to consume smaller amounts of more expensive organic foods and thus reduce their overall intake of healthy foods like produce," said Janet Silverstein of the American Academy of Pediatrics

"What's most important is that children eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, whether those are conventional or organic foods," she said.

"This type of diet has proven health benefits," she said.

The report found no individual health benefit from organic milk but emphasised that all milk should be pasteurised to reduce the risk of bacterial infections.

In that vein, the group called for large prospective cohort studies that directly measure environmental exposures such as estrogen at low levels to examine the impact of hormonal exposure of children through milk and meat.

A large-scale study by researchers from Stanford University published in early September found that organic foods were no more nutritious than conventional products but contained fewer traces of pesticides.

- AFP/de


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Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Organic food not necessarily better for children, say experts

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Eating fish boosts heart health in young women

Now this is good to hear, but even better 'to eat'!
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Posted: 06 December 2011

WASHINGTON: Women of childbearing age can reduce their risk of heart problems by regularly eating fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids, said a Danish study out Monday.

The study is the first to examine younger women, age 15-49, and determine whether fish in their diet has a real impact on their current likelihood of heart problems, instead of their longevity.

For instance, "those who rarely or never ate fish had 50 percent more cardiovascular problems over eight years than those who ate fish regularly," the research said.

Women who rarely or never ate fish faced a 90 percent higher risk of heart problems than those who ate fish weekly.

When researchers looked at hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease in three different assessments over a 30 week period, they found it was three times higher among women who did not eat fish.

The findings, published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, are based on a Danish study of 49,000 women with a median age of 30 that spanned eight years.

Women were interviewed by phone about their family history, lifestyle and fish consumption, and were tracked over the next eight years.

"We saw a strong association with cardiovascular disease in the women who were still in their late 30s," said Marin Strom, lead researcher and post doctoral fellow at the Centre for Fetal Programming at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"The biggest challenge in getting health messages like this across to younger populations is that usually the benefits may not be evident for 30 or 40 years, but our study shows this is not the case."

Women most commonly reported eating cod, salmon, herring, and mackerel, all of which are high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, believed to protect against heart and vascular disease.

The study focused exclusively on dietary intake of fish, not supplements with fish oil.

"Women who eat fish should find the results encouraging, but it is important to emphasize that to obtain the greatest benefit from fish and fish oils, women should follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish as a main meal at least twice a week," said Strom.

-AFP/ac


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Eating fish boosts heart health in young women

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Long-term study proves benefit of statins in heart disease

A long-term study, now this is something!
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Posted: 23 November 2011

PARIS: Statins safely reduce the risk of cardiovascular illness even years after treatment is stopped, according to a probe into the popular cholesterol-busters published on Wednesday.

Statins work by blocking a liver enzyme that makes fatty molecules which line arterial walls and boost the danger of heart disease and strokes.

With worldwide annual sales of more than 20 billion dollars, the drugs have been dubbed "the aspirin of the 21st century" because of their benefit and wide use.

But lingering questions persist about their long-term safety for the heart, liver and cancer risk.

Researchers at the Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group in Oxford looked at 20,536 patients at risk of cardiovascular disease who were randomly allocated 40mg daily of simvastatins or a dummy look-alike over more than five years.

During this period, those who took the statins saw a reduction in "bad" LDL cholesterol and a 23-per cent reduction in episodes of vascular ill-health compared to the placebo group.

The monitoring of the volunteers continued for a further six years after the trial ended.

The benefits persisted throughout this monitoring period among those volunteers who stopped taking the statins, the investigators found.

In addition, there was no emergence of any health hazard among those who had taken, or were continuing to take, the drugs.

A large number of cancers (nearly 3,500) developed during this follow-up period, but there was no difference in cancer incidence between the statin and placebo groups.

"The persistence of benefit we observed among participants originally allocated simvastatin during the subsequent six-year post-trial period is remarkable," said one of the investigators, Richard Bulbulia.

"In addition, the reliable evidence of safety, with no excess risk of cancer or other major illnesses during over 11 years follow-up, is very reassuring for doctors who prescribe statins and the increasingly large numbers of patients who take them long-term to reduce their risk of vascular disease."

A previous investigation in November 2010 found that long-term use of statins was less risky than thought for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a common liver ailment.

- AFP/ck


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Long-term study proves benefit of statins in heart disease

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NTU scientists achieve bacterium breakthrough

Posted: 25 August 2011

SINGAPORE: Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have for the first time re-engineered a common bacterium to seek out and kill other dangerous bacteria, to target a superbug which is naturally resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.

The breakthrough could change the way medical treatment is currently done in hospitals, as it targets only harmful bacteria, unlike the existing broad-spectrum antibiotics which kill both good and bad bacteria.

In a media release on Wednesday, NTU said its scientists were able to modify a harmless strain of Escherichia coli - also known as E. coli - found naturally in the human digestive system, to target a superbug which causes infections such as upper respiratory tract infection, gastrointestinal tract infection and urinary tract infection.

The biochemically engineered E. coli, upon detection of the other bacterium, will generate "killing molecules", and then self-destruct to release these molecules to kill the superbug, while remaining harmless to the human body.

The results have generated interest in the biomedical industry, which is looking for ways to combat infection - one of the world's leading causes of death, said NTU.

The researchers, Assistant Professor Matthew Chang and Assistant Professor Poh Chueh Loo from NTU's School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, said the idea for the project came about after they observed that bacteria secrete toxins to kill other bacteria in their bid for survival under adverse competition.

They plan to refine the efficiency of the killing molecules and to find other possible targets, and expect to soon move into animal trials. - TODAY


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
NTU scientists achieve bacterium breakthrough

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The boy who beat cancer

By Leong Wai Kit, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 24 July 2011

SINGAPORE: When Wong Jun Da was diagnosed with cancer at nine years old, the boy knew there was nothing he could do about it – which was why he decided his world must not come crashing down.

"At that age, I do know about cancer and what it means to have cancer," says the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivor, who is now 16.

"I thought about it for a while, and how it would affect me in future. But after about two minutes, I tried to snap out of it and accept that reality," Jun Da says, recalling his reaction in June 2004 at KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

"Even if I were to cry over it, there is nothing I can do to change that fact," he adds.

Fortunately for Jun Da, doctors did change that fact.

Childhood cancers in S'pore

Every year, about 100 new cases of cancer are reported in Singapore, with ALL being the most common one.

Treatment for ALL include chemotherapy, radiation and in some cases, bone marrow transplants.

The survival rate for children with ALL is at between 70 and 90 per cent, which is "very good", says the Children's Cancer Foundation (CCF).

A dose of determination

Jun Da began chemotherapy in June 2004 but suffered a relapse in September 2005.

He was then put through more intensive treatment, including full-body radiation in 2005 followed by a cord blood transplant in 2006.

To focus on his treatment, Jun Da stopped attending school for two years when he was in primary five.

His mom, Mdm Koh Bee Geok, says: "We didn't hire tutors because Jun Da said he could self-study so we let him do that for two years.

"A few days before his PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination), he was warded for bronchitis and had to sit for the exam in hospital."

But that did not stop Jun Da, who aspires to be an artist, from doing well enough to get into the express stream in Bedok South Secondary School.

Something to smile about

By the time Jun Da was cleared of his cancer in May 2009 - at age 14 – he had already undergone about six surgeries.

Although his treatment was not a bed of roses, Jun Da often tries to find something to smile about.

"I was able to look on the brighter side despite my condition because I think I had some maturity to begin with.

"And I think having cancer didn't kill that optimism but instead, helped me appreciate the things around me.

"For instance, though cancer stopped me from being a child for two years, I gained in other ways, including forming close friendships with nurses and social workers (from CCF)."

These days, Jun Da the survivor has been actively giving back to the community.

Besides doing volunteer work with Make a Wish, an organisation which helps grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, Jun Da also makes time to share his experience with other children with cancer.

And on Sunday, Jun Da will help out at the CCF's Hair for Hope event at VivoCity, to raise funds for children with cancer.

The CCF, which has served about 1,950 families since 1996, needs about S$3.5 million each year. Donations can be made to the CCF via its website at http://www.ccf.org.sg/sponsors_donors/donate.html

-CNA/wk/ac


Taken from ChannelnewsAsia.com; source article is below:
The boy who beat cancer

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Scientists find genes linked to migraines

Posted: 14 June 2011

PARIS - Scientists have uncovered a trio of genes tied to migraine headaches, including one in which the link is exclusive to women, according to a study published on Sunday.

Migraines are acutely debilitating headaches - sometimes with an "aura", in which patients have the impression of seeing through frosted glass - that strike up to 20 percent of the population.

Scientists describe the condition, which is three to four times more common in women, as a brain disorder in which neurons, or brain cells, respond abnormally to stimuli.

The precise cause is unknown, but inheritance is thought to play a significant role.

To assess the genetic component, Markus Schuerks of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston coordinated an international sweep of genomes in 23,230 women, 5,122 of whom suffered from migraines.

So-called genome-wide association studies compare differences between individuals across the approximately three billion pairs of basic molecular building blocks found in the human genetic code.

The study, published on Sunday in the British journal Nature Genetics, is the largest to date of its kind. It found variations in three genes that showed up more frequently in migraine patients.

Two of them, known as PRDM16 and TRPM8, were specific to migraines, as opposed to other kinds of headaches.

TRPM8, in addition, was linked to migraines only in women. Earlier studies have shown that the same gene contains the genetic "blueprint" for a pain sensor, in both men and women.

The third suspect gene, LRP1, is involved in sensing the external world and in chemical pathways inside the brain.

"The brain of a person with migraine responds differently to certain stimuli, their nerve cells 'talk' differently to each other," explained Shuerks in an email.

"Many neurotransmitters are involved in this cross-talk and some seem to have a special role in migraines. LRP1 interacts with some of these neurotransmitter pathways and may thus modulate nerve responses that promote or suppress migraine attacks."

None of the genetic variants appeared to be connected specifically to migraines with or without auras.

The findings, published in Nature Genetics, were replicated in two smaller population-based studies, one in the Netherlands and the other in Germany, and in a clinical group followed by the International Headache Genetics Consortium.

"Inheritance of any of the genetic variants alters migraine risk by about 10 to 15 percent," said Schuerks.

The influence of these genes is probably not large enough to be immediately used as a diagnostic tool. But the result "is an advancement of the understanding of migraine biology," he said.

- AFP/al


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Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Scientists find genes linked to migraines

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Video gaming teens sleep less, says study

Kids, take note of this; it is for your own good to stay away, or limit, your videogaming!
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Posted: 17 May 2011

WASHINGTON: Teens who play a lot of video games are likely to sleep less than the eight to nine hours a night recommended for the age group, researchers said on Monday.

Speaking via teleconference from the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, researchers said that an analysis of data on 16,000 teens also found that youths who reported sleeping less than seven hours a night did not get enough exercise, which could also impact their health.

And not getting enough sleep is detrimental for all - and has a particularly negative effect on teens, added Caris Fitzgerald, a psychiatry resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who led the study,.

A poor night's sleep can bring on a slew of ill effects, including low energy, poor concentration, moodiness, a greater tendency to act on impulse and more suicidal thoughts.

Yet only 10 percent of US teens get the recommended hours of shut-eye, according to the study, for which Fitzgerald and her fellow researchers analyzed the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's 2009 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey.

Because teens have "accelerated demands for growth and memory retention, very vital things with regard to the teen in their overall success," getting sufficient sleep is even more important for them, Fitzgerald said.

But they also struggle to do so more than adults.

"When it comes to teens, they have a lot of factors that affect them, from an ever greater quest for independence reflected by later bedtime; to expectations from parents and peers - like texting in the middle of the night," said Fitzgerald.

Teens' circadian rhythms don't help them in their quest for sleep either.

Their body rhythms put them on a schedule where they like to stay up late and sleep in each morning.

"But unfortunately the rest of society is not on that schedule and school is still going to start at 8:00 am," Fitzgerald said.

The researchers were unable to conclude there was a cause-effect relationship between sleep and online gaming or sport, but Fitzgerald pointed to "some evidence that reducing media exposure and increasing physical activity could increase the amount teens sleep."

The study did have one piece of good news for teens: watching television does not appear to affect sleep time.

- AFP/de


Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Video gaming teens sleep less, says study

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Fat or not, it is not just about BMI

Image via WikipediaOne of our local news here...
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Wednesday April 20, 2011

HEALTH Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai announced on Sunday that effective immediately the body mass index (BMI) of students would be listed on their report cards, and unhealthy foods and drinks would be banned from school canteens.

This was in response to data indicating that around 1.7 million, or 30%, of Malaysians are overweight, with another 30% considered obese.

Obesity is an associated risk factor for many chronic, non-communicable diseases, including diabetes (which is being detected more and more in younger Malaysians), heart disease and hypertension (high blood pressure).

So, will noting down a student’s BMI in his or her report card really help in the battle of the bulge?

Height and weight are already a standard part of our children’s report cards, and BMI – which is weight in kilogrammes divided by the square of height in metres (kg/m²) – is basically just an extension of that information.

Knowing a person’s BMI is helpful in the sense that it is currently accepted as a rough indication of the amount of body fat a person has.

It is by no means a totally accurate estimation. But it is a good enough approximation for most people in the general population.

Of course, just putting a number in the report card is not going to be of much use if there is no accompanying information to help parents and students interpret it.

However, this will not be as simple as the Health Ministry providing the Education Ministry with a single table of BMI measurements with their associated readings – underweight, normal, overweight, and obese – to include in report cards.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control, BMI measurements for children and teenagers are not static, unlike those for adults.

BMI measurements for those between two and 19 years need to have their age and gender taken into account in order to properly reflect their weight status in relation to their growth.

This means that, assuming all the students in one class are of the same age, the BMI table needs to be sorted out by gender for the same class. Similarly, for the whole school.

Which brings up two questions: how much of a school’s budget will have to go towards paying for all the new report cards that will have to be printed for every student.

And, with this in mind, how practical is it to really implement this idea immediately, especially as mid-year exams will be held within the next few weeks?

It is a good idea to raise awareness among parents as to their children’s weight status, but is the cost worth the benefit?

It may help children who are on the borderline of being underweight or overweight, but surely parents can see with their own eyes if their child is quite thin or fat.

Banning soft drinks and food with high sugar content from the school canteen is an excellent idea. However, this is an old issue, one that keeps popping up periodically over the years.

The guidelines from the ministries are there, but let’s face facts. First, canteen operators are business people, and kids love unhealthy foods; and second, enforcement is quite lax.

Our Government is concerned over our growing waistlines no doubt, and there are the committees and policies to prove it.

But all the best policies in the world will not help if there is no strict enforcement, especially when the change is difficult – you try convincing most kids that a piece of fruit is better than fried chicken nuggets!

And as we all know, banning unhealthy food from the school canteen will be fairly useless if students can just run outside the school gate to buy them from streetside vendors.

Controlling one’s diet is also just half the battle.

What about exercise? Physical Education (PE) lessons are always the first to be sacrificed when the exams are near; not to mention that, oftentimes, these lessons are not being taught seriously either.

The Education Ministry policy on this is clear. What we need now is strict enforcement by school heads and teachers, and equally importantly, parents and students to support (not dismiss) PE, as well as the 1Sport, 1Student policy.

At the end of the day, our children’s weight is their and their parents’ responsibility.

Some other ways to help solve this problem could be for parents to ensure that their kids have breakfast before leaving for school (yes, we are aware that it’s almost impossible to wake some kids up, but you are the parent), packing them healthy food for recess, and reducing their allowance so that they do not have the money to spend on junk food in the first place.

But kids just need to be taught right by their families, because once they are in school, what they eat is their own choice.

And enforcing a healthy diet in school will not help if parents are indulging those fast food and high calorie requests regularly

Taken from thestar.com.my; source article is below:
More than just BMI

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Poverty and Mental Health

Image by mySAPL via Flickr

Found an article that equates poverty to having mental health problem(s). How true, I don't know. I actually disagree. You'd be more nuts worrying about keeping your money safe, than simply worrying about how or where you'd get the next meal. I'm talking of extreme cases here. But stranger than the truth is the fact that those who have just enough, or less, of finances, can sleep better than those who have to upkeep, and therefore, keep up, their financial status of being rich.

Agree?

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SIDNEY – Eleven percent of Nebraska children between the ages of 2 and 17 have at least one emotional, behavioral or developmental condition – and the statistics are growing every year. The state’s increasing poverty level is but one of a number of contributing factors, according to the 2010 Kids Count in Nebraska report issued Tuesday by Voices for Children. Other factors include geography, out-of-home care and contact with the juvenile justice system.

Just more than 66,000 Nebraska children were living in poverty in 2009. That’s 15.2 percent of the state’s youth, and increase from the 2000 rate of 10 percent. The 2008 economic recession is in part to blame for the increase, said Melissa Breazile, research coordinator for Voices for Children in Nebraska.
Economic well-being is not a cause of behavioral health disorders, but it is an environmental stressor that increases the chances of episodes for susceptible youngsters and it can leave families with hardships in addressing the issues.

As the state’s poverty rate has increased, so has its child abuse and neglect rates. Nebraska’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline registered 25,106 calls in 2009, an increase over the prior year’s 24,073 calls. Of the 2009 reports, 56 percent were investigated and 16 percent were determined to be “unsafe” situations.
But this year’s report, comprised of the latest data from 2008 and 2009, is not all bad news. Graduation rates have increased. Dropout, expulsion and juvenile arrest rates are down. Infant mortality rates have also decreased.

Families struggling with mental or behavioral issues have an easier time accessing the help they need. Much of that was the state’s response to the 2008 debacle with the Safe Haven Law that allowed parents to relinquish custody of children of any age. Thirty-six children were left to state custody before lawmakers closed the loophole. Thirty-four of them had received prior mental health treatment.

Breazile said the children’s parents felt the only way to find adequate services to help them was to leave their children in the state’s custody.

“Parents should not have to give up custody of their children to get help,” said Region 3 Behavioral Health Services Administrator Beth Baxter.

After fixing the Safe Haven Law, the state implemented the Nebraska Family Helpline, Family Navigator Services and the post adoption/guardianship program, Right Turn. But concerns now turn to the state’s increasing budget shortfalls and how that could affect the future of the programs.

“As the state attempts to strengthen its services, project budget shortfalls threaten even existing programs,” Breazile wrote in the report. “Already, the Nebraska Family Helpline and Family Navigator Services – implemented in 2010 – have been listed as potential programs to cut in an effort to reduce the DHHS budget.

“Some of the framework is in place for an effective system, but it’s a work in progress,” Breazile said. “That’s why we believe that the helpline and family navigator services are critical front doors for families entering and trying to find their way around the behavioral health system.”

Phone services for families in a state as large as Nebraska play a critical role in connecting families with needed resources. Only 14 percent of Nebraska children live in counties with no mental health service shortage. About 57 percent live in counties with no services and another 29 percent live in counties where services may be hard to find.

Baxter said one one-quarter of Nebraska children get the behavioral health care they need.
“That means three-quarters of them are not getting help,” she said. “Nineteen percent of all pediatrician visits involve some type of psychosocial problem, making it the most chronic condition for pediatrician visits – more than asthma.”

That’s why Breazile emphasized an importance on keeping the existing services available.

“If we address the health needs now, it increases the chance all children will grow up to be productive and prosperous,” Breazile said.

Click Here To See More Stories Like This

Taken from Sun Telegraph; source article is below:

Behavioral, Mental Health Issues Linked To Poverty

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