Century-Old Fertility Method Could Reduce Need For IVF

The technique involves flushing the woman's Fallopian tubes with an iodised poppy seed oil.

A 100 year old medical technique could help infertile couples achieve a successful pregnancy without the the need for In Vitro Fertilisation(IVF), scientists say. The technique involves flushing the woman's Fallopian tubes with an idolised poppy seed oil,according to researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia. Known as hysterosalpingography (HSG),the procedure is a dye test of the Fallopian tubes conducted under X-ray.

The procedure was first carried out in 1917,and since the 1950s both water based and oil-based solutions have been used. Researchers compared the benefits of flushing the Fallopian tubes with either an oil-based or water-based solution in 1,119 women. "Over the past century,pregnancy rates among infertile women reportedly increased after their tubes had been flushed with either water or oil during this X-ray procedure,"said project leader professor Ben Mol,from the University of Adelaide. "Until now,it has been unclear whether the type of solution used in the procedure was influencing the change in fertility," said Mol. "Our result have been more exciting than we could have predicted,helping to confirm that an age-old medical technique still has an important place in modern medicine," he said.

Almost 40 percent of infertile women in the oil group and 29 percent of infertile women in the water group achieved successful pregnancies within six months of the technique being performed. The oil-based product was an iodised solution of fatty acids from poppy seeds currently available in 47 countries around the world. "The rates of successful pregnancy were significantly higher in the oil-based group,and after only one treatment,"said Mol.

It was long believed that testing a woman's Fallopian tubes could have fertility benefits through 'flushing out' the kind of debris that hinders fertility,researchers said. However,why this technique benefits fertility is still not well understood. "Considering the technique has been used for 100 years without any known side-effect,we believe it is a viable treatment for infertility prior to couples seeking IVF,"Mol said. "Not only is there a known benefit,but this flushing procedure is also a fraction of the cost of one cycle of IVF,"he said.

"Considering that 40 percent of women in the oil-based group achieved a successful pregnancy,that's 40 percent of couples who could avoid having to go through the huge costs and emotions associated with IVF treatment," he added.

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Nurturing Human Relationships

A relationship cannot survive on its own.It needs care and nurturing of two adults,giving to each other in a way that creates a mutually beneficial connection.To foster a deep and loving relationship,there need to be.

It does seem that pain and misery don't fit in this beautiful earth.Then why is it that many of those who set out in life with enthusiasm,often come to grief.One source of trouble is human relationships.If there is an one to be blamed,it is perhaps we not nature,the earth or God. Even the best of individuals commit unintended mistakes,breaking up relationships. Living in isolation is no alternative as we need one another.

Learning to understand and let go of mistakes that you or your partner make will turn you life around and give you more time for joy.

.The best formula for good interpersonal relationships is the Golden Rule.Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This rule articulated in the Bible by Jesus is enshrined in most faiths.If you wish to be loved and respected by others,you need to do the same to them. If u hope to be forgiven, it is necessary to forgive those who have wronged you.

A forgiving nature is essential to maintain relationships because we are by nature imperfect.Anger and revenge do not promote righteousness and in fact blind us to the reality.An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth makes the whole world blind.Any conversation,proceeding from an enlightened heart-enlightened by the Spirit of God-will promote love and understanding.Love is the perfect material that bonds humans in good relationships.

Just we need to breath to survive,your love needs a breath of fresh air to flourish. Giving your relationship what it needs to thrive is a truly loving gesture. 

One Hand of Help,One Word of Sympathy,One Act of Humanity,One smile of Charity And One Sweet Hello,can change someone's Mood And Life.This follow each and every one, can nurture human relationship.

Categories: Bible Thoughts Devotional Human Organs Motivation Reduce weight

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How Free Are You, In Your Own Life

People always thinking about their life,need more and more, never satisfied with.Means,once desire never end till their death.At the same time forgot to live also.

Do not worry: "I tell you not to worry about food,drink or clothes.Your life is more important than food.Your body is more important than clothes.Look at the birds. They do not plant seeds. God your Father takes care of them! You are certainly more important than the birds! You cannot live longer by worrying about these things.

"Look at the wild flowers. They do not work or make clothes.But I tell you: Not even King Solomon with all his riches had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. If God can clothe the wild grass that lives only for a short time,surely he will clothe you.You must have more trust in God! "Stop worrying about food or clothes.Only people who do not know God worry about these things.God your father knows that you need them.Instead, do the things that God wants.Then he will give you everything you need.So do not worry about tomorrow. Each day brings its own troubles. Don't add to the troubles of each day by worrying." (Matt.6:25-34)

Once upon a time a king wanted to grant a holy man a wish.The holy man said he would like the king to fill his cup with gold coins."That is easy," thought the king.But when he tried to fill the cup,it just will not get filled.Frustrated,the puzzled king asked the man to tell him the secret of the cup.The holy man replied:"This cup is like the heart of every man which is never content. Fill it with whatever you may,with wealth,greatness,power,knowledge,with all there is.It will never get filled.It is not meant to be filled."

The ignorant man is in pursuit of objects continually,and the more he gets,the more he wants.The cup of his desires is never filled. Worldly desires are like the salty waters of the sea that can never quench thirst. On the contrary,thirst increases and there is an even more acute craving for fresh water.

"Ask,and you will receive.Seek,and you will find.Knock,and the door will be opened to you.Are you a father? If your son ask for bread,will you give him a stone? Or would you give him a snake when he asks for fish? No! Even a bad father knows how to give good things to his children. Surely,then,God your Father will give good things to those who ask him!

"Do for others what you want them to do for you.This what the Law of Moses and the prophets teach us." (Matt.7:7-12)

All desires must go before we can enter a life of freedom and joy.If you are a slave to one desire,you are as spiritually dead as another who is a victim to a hundred desires. You many be a man of many virtues.But you are held down by just one desire,you are a cup of milk with a single drop of poison in it,the entire milk is poisoned. 

Categories: Bible Thoughts Devotional jesus Perfection

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How Sleep Resets The Brain

People spend about a third of their lives sleep. When we get too little shut-eye,it takes a toll on attention,learning and memory,not to mention our physical health.Virtually all animals with complex brains seem to have this same need for sleep,but exactly what is it about sleep that is so essential?. Two NIH-funded studies in mice now offer a possible answer.The two research teams used entirely different approaches to reach the same conclusion: the brain's neural connections grow stronger during waking hours,but scale back during snooze time.This sleep related phenomenon apparently keeps neural circuits from overloading ensuring that mice(and,quite likely humans) awaken with brains that are refreshed and ready to tackle new challenges. The idea that sleep is required to keep the brain wiring sharp goes back more than a decade.While a fair amount of evidence has emerged to support the hypothesis,its originators Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison,set out in their new study to provide some of the first direct visual proof that it is indeed the case.

As published in the Journal Science,the researchers used a painstaking,cutting-edge imaging technique to capture high resolution pictures of two areas of the mouse's cerebral cortex,a part of the brain that coordinates incoming sensory and motor information.The technique, called serial scanning 3D electron microscopy,involves repeated scanning of small slices of the brain to produce many thousands of images,allowing the researchers to produce detailed 3D reconstructions of individual neurons.Their goal was to measure the size of the synapse,where the ends of two neurons connect.Synapses are critical for one neuron to pass signals on to the next,and a strength of those neural connections corresponds to their size.The researchers measured close to 7,000 synapse in all.Their images show that synapse grew stronger and larger as these nocturnal mice scurried about at night.Then,after 6 to 8 hours of sleep during the day,those synapses shrank by about 18% as the brain reset for another night of activity.Importantly,the effects of sleep held when the researchers switched the mice's schedule,keeping them up and engaged with toys and other objects during the day.

In the second science report,Richard Huganir and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,Baltimore,measured changes in the levels of certain brain proteins with sleep to offer biochemical evidence for this weakening of synapses.Their findings show that levels of protein receptors found on the receiving ends of synapses dropped by 20% while their mice slept.The researchers also show that the protein Homeria -Imp   important in regulating sleep and wakefulness -rises in synapses during a long snooze,playing a critical role in the resetting process.When the protein was lacking,brains did not reset properly during sleep.This suggests that Homeria responds to chemical cues in the brain that signal the need to sleep. These studies add to prior work that suggests another function of sleep is to allow glial lymphatics in the brain to clear out proteins and other toxins that have deposited during the day.All of this goes to show that a good night's sleep really can bring clarity,so,the next time you are struggling to make a decision and someone tells you to "sleep on it-that might be good advice.(Dr Francis Collins)

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Child Without Siblings Wired To Be Selfish

It's Not Just Exclusive Love That Spoils Them, They Have Different Brain Structures Too.(Sarah Young)

A study has found that children who grow up without sibling are likely to have a different brain structure than those who do.Children without siblings are often branded selfish and spoiled compared to peers who have brothers and sisters.

But a new study by South West University in Chongqing,China,has revealed that the different could be down to more than just behaviours.

While previous studies have focused on the difference in conduct,cognitive function and personality traits between those with and without siblings,this study's aim was to find out if the differences had a neural basis.Turns out,it did.

Studying 250 university students,of which around half were only children,researchers scanned their brains while also testing their personality, creativity and intelligence. Verifying previous findings,the tests showed that only children outperformed those with siblings on creativity but consistently scored lower on "agreeable" personality traits.The scans also demonstrated that the parts of the brain associated with the development of these traits were indeed structurally different in the two.

The only children,who performed higher on a creativity,actually showed a higher volume of gray matters in the parietal lobe-a part of the brain associated with mental flexibility and imagination.

Meanwhile,they were found to have less gray matter in the medial prefrontal cortex-a part of the brain known to be involved in thinking about the self in relation to others.This shows that different family environment -growing up with or without siblings-does affect children's structural brain development, researchers claimed.

They also pointed out that while previous studies have already shown that only children tend to exhibit higher intelligence,the sole attention of parents and grandparents can result in what they call "undesirable" personality traits like dependency,selfishness and social ineptitude.

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Hormone Treatment Studied In Older Men

As men age,the level of the male hormone testosterone usually drops.Some older men have levels far below what is normal for a young adult male.Doctors some times prescribe hormone treatment for such men to combat challenges they many have with sexual function, bone fractures and other symptoms. But large,long-term studies of the benefits and risks of hormone treatment haven't been conducted.

NIH's National Institute on Ageing  (NIA) initiated the Testosterone Trials( TTrials) to find out whether the ageing-related symptoms of low testosterone could be treated without significant side effects. In 7 trials at 12 medical centres across the United States,the researchers evaluated hormone treatment for men aged 65 or older who had a low level of testosterone.The trials are supported by NIA and other NIH components. Participants received either testosterone gel or placebo gel.They were asked to apply it every day for 12 months.The men weren't told which gel they were given.Regular blood tests,assessed hormone levels.For those receiving testosterone gels,the dose was adjusted throughout the study period,if needed,to maintain the hormone level of a young man.

Finding from 3 studies on sexual function,walking,and vitality were reported last year.Results from the other 4 trials-on bone density, anemia,cognition and cardiovascular risk appeared in JAMA and JAMA Internal Medicine on February 21,2017.The researchers found an increase in bone density and strength among the men who received hormone treatment.However,a larger study over many years will be needed to determine whether increasing testosterone level can reduce a man's risk of bone fracture.

Another trial assessed whether hormone treatment affects anemia,a condition in which the blood can't supply enough oxygen to the body, causing fatigue and other symptoms. Anemia often caused by low numbers of red blood cells.A greater percentage of men taking testosterone were no longer anemic (58%)after 12 months than those taking placebo(22%).

The researchers did not find a significant effect on memory or cognition from hormone treatment.They did find that treatment increased the build-up of plaque in the artery that supplies blood to the heart.Such build-up is associated with cardiovascular disease.However,the clinical implications are unclear. In another NIH-supported study published in the same issue of JAMA Internal Medicine,men who'd received hormone treatment after a diagnose of low testosterone were less likely than other men to have had a heart attack,stroke or other cardiovascular event.This study,however,was also not definitive.

"Clarifying the effects of testosterone on many major clinical outcomes such as cardiovascular events,fractures and disability will require longer,larger scale trials,"explains Dr.Evan Hadley,director of NIA's Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology.Because the TTrials were conducted in older men with no apparent cause for low testosterone other than ageing,these results don't apply to men with low hormone levels for reasons other than ageing. Any man considering hormone treatment should discuss the possible harms and benefits with a health care provider.

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B12 Deficiency, A Silent Epidemic.

Feeling dizzy? Forgetting things too often? Experts warn that the often overlooked Vitamin B12 deficiency has major consequences.Other Signs -Blurry vision-Forgetfulness-Wobbly or dizzy feeling-Sadness or anxiety-Tongue is smooth and red-Pale skin. 

When the two bothers Aftab and Ansari (names changed) walked into Dr Nupur Krishnan's clinic at Cuffe Parade with a view to finding a weight loss solution,little did they know that their wobbly gait had to do with the fact that they were Vitamin B12 deficient.A simple lab test confirmed the doctor's suspicion.Hitherto, the family had always blamed it on their weight.Aftab,a 36 year old business man and his 32 year old sibling Anas reported that all their meals included either fish,meat,poultry or egg.since B12 is adequately found in these foods,it was hard to connect the dots.

"There were other signs too,"explains Dr Krishnan,listing,"Lethargy,lack of energy,shortness of breath,and a feeling of nervousness,"as some."We usually associate these with weight gain,however,it is important to investigate the root cause," she says.

According to a case report from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital published in The New England Journel of Medicine,a severe Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to deep depression,paranoia and delusions,memory loss,incontinence,diminished taste and smell and a host of other problems.Senior consultant physician Dr.Sharat Kolke explains, "Vitamin B12 also known as Cobalamin is an essential ingredient for DNA synthesis,and hence any rapidly growing cell in the body,such as the red blood cells,the nerve cells,the cells lining the intestines or the cells of our skin need B12 for regeneration and growth.It is also required for the proper functioning of our immune system.Although Vitamin B12 is not manufactured in the body,there are sufficient stores in the liver,these would last for about five years,so when deficiency occurs,it is insidious and not noticed easily."

Spot the Signs

Dr Kolke tells us about a 35 year old patient who had "generalised weakness and dark discoloration of the hands,especially over the knuckles,this was so obvious,she tried to cover her hands most of the times."Tests confirmed that her B12 levels were alarmingly low.Since B12  is necessary for the production of red blood cells and for nerves and skin regeneration,its deficiency manifests as anaemia.This is characterised by fatigue, tiredness and lethargy and a spectrum of neurological manifestations ranging from personality changes to peripheral nerve involvement (this can give rise to tingling and numbness in the feet and hands).Skin changes like dryness and hyperpigmentation is also not uncommon.Even the oral mucosal hyperpigmentation is seen as a part of B12 deficiency,"he explains.

In the long run,it can lead to a host of neurological manifestations ranging from behavioural changes changes like forgetfulness,mood disorders,depression and gait abnormalities,leading to repeated falls.    

Studies from various parts of India conducted by medical institutions like Apollo Hospital over the past several years have shown that a large percentage of the population suffer from Vitamin B12 deficiency,and that it's most prevalent in pure vegetarians."In fact Vitamin B12 deficiency is also associated with the use of drugs like antibiotics,antidiabetics like metformin and antacids.Smoking and alcohol   consumption combined with poor nutritional intake also contributes to the condition.That should explain why many non-vegetarians too fall in to the 'deficient' bracket.Also,with age,the body's ability to absorb Vitamin B12 from food slows down.

B12 and Pregnancy 

It is imperative to diagnose Vitamin B12 deficiency in pregnancy and treat it accordingly as it can have an adverse effect on the growing foetus."It can lead to neurological abnormalities and low birth weight for babies,which can have serious implications for the newborn in the long term,"warns Dr Kolke.

Vegan woes

While non-vegetarian fare includes many sources of the vitamin (seafood,eggs,meat,liver and kidney),for those who eat only vegetarian food,there no pure plant-based source of B12 ."Milk,cheese,and some forms of yeast are the only source,if they can be termed 'Pure Vegetarian'.For vegans,who do not even consume milk,a solution is not as simple.They would need to consume vitamin B12 fortified foods,or they may make up for their deficiency in this essential nutrient by taking additional nutritional supplements," suggests Dr.Kolke  

Dr Krishnan recommends adding soybean,hydroponic lettuce,mushrooms,whey powder and seaweed (nori) to your diet."While these don't contain high amount of vitamin B12,It's better than nothing.And once you cross the age of 45,you must have vitamin B12 supplements and/or fortified foods,because absorption gets impaired with aging". 

According to Dr Nupur Krishnan -A wobbly gait,lethargy,shortness of breath,and a feeling of nervousness are all signs of a B12 deficiency.

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Tomatoes Can Fight Stomach Cancer

Tomato extracts can inhibit the growth and malignant cloning of stomach cancer cells,according to a new study that paves the way for novel therapies to treat the deadly disease.

Researchers analysed whole tomato extracts for their ability to tackle gastric cancer cell lines."Their antitumoral effect seem not related to specific components,such as lycopene,but rather suggest that tomatoes should be considered in their entirety,"said Daniela Barone, researcher at the Oncology Research Centre of Mercogliano (CROM) in Italy.

Extracts of San Marzano and Corbarino tomato varieties were able to inhibit the growth and cloning behaviour of malignant cells.

Treatment with the whole tomato extracts affected key processes within the cells hindering their migration ability,arresting cell cycle through the modulation of retinoblastoma family proteins and specific cell cycle inhibitors, and ultimately inducing cancer cell death through apoptosis.

"Our results prompt further assessment of the potential use of specific nutrients not only the cancer prevention setting but also as a supportive strategy along with conventional therapies," said Antonio Giordano,professor at the University of Siena in Italy.

"Distinct species may exert different effects,in different stages of certain neoplasm," said Barone.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer worldwide and has been associated with genetic causes,Helicobacter pylori infection,and eating habits such as consumption of smoked and salted food.

Tomatoes are consumed worldwide and are a staple of the Mediterranean diet,which is popularly thought to lower cancer risk.

Various tomato components have also been analysed for their ability to counteract tumour growth in experimental systems,although few studies have analysed the effect of tomatoes in their entirety.

The research was published in the 'Journal of Cellular Physiology'.

Tomatoes are consumed worldwide and are a staple of the Mediterranean diet,which is thought to lower cancer risk.

Studies Shows The Fruit's Extracts Can Inhibit Growth Of Malignant Cells. 

Categories: food habits Good Health health

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Women Find Romantic Partners Who Look Like Their Brothers

Research finds that similar features suggest suitable genes,Olivia Blair: It has long been some sort of 'old wives' tale' that many people have wished was not true.Unfortunately,researchers have again suggested that women find romantic partners who look like their brothers.

In a new study,published in the Evolution and Human Behaviour Journal, participants were asked the rank the facial similarity of photos of men,who they did not know were the male partners and the brothers of women.

The photos were sent in by volunteers (who might regret doing so now), other photos were of the brothers and partners of public figures and celebrities.Participants were given a sheet of paper which on one column had the brothers of a women and on the other column had four men: While three pictures were random and one was the women's partner. The participants were then asked who the man on the first column most resembled on the second.

Researchers found "clear evidence for perceptual similarity in facial photographs of women's partner and her brother".If the chance that a participant would pick the women's partner was one in four,the raw data showed people were picking the partner more than that.After all the variables were into account,the rate was around 27%.Researchers Dr Tamsin Saxton suggested "familiarity seems to be attractive" people often choose a romantic partner with similar views.

Match made in heaven:Familiarity seems to be attractive,leading women to pick men who resemble their siblings.

Categories: Good Thoughts happiness moral values

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