"Betcha can't eat just one!" For obese people trying to lose weight, the Lays potato chip advertising slogan hits a bit too close to home as it describes the daily battle to resist high calorie foods. But new research by Terry Davidson, director of American University's Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, indicates that diets that lead to obesity—diets high in saturated fat and refined sugar—may cause changes to the brains of obese people that in turn may fuel overconsumption of those same foods and make weight loss more challenging. "It is a vicious cycle that may ...

NASA satellites continue to watch the long-lived Nadine in the eastern Atlantic. Today, Oct. 1, NASA satellite data revealed that Nadine has weakened from a hurricane and is now a tropical storm. Over the weekend of Sept. 29 and 30, Hurricane Nadine dramatically rebounded. On September 19, 2012 Nadine appeared to be dissipating quickly and was expected to become post-tropical but after over a week of meandering near the Azores, Nadine sprang to life again as a hurricane on Friday September 28, 2012. NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite's path ...

The twenty-first tropical depression of the northwestern Pacific Ocean was born as a NASA satellite flew overhead on Oct. 1, capturing its "baby picture" in infrared light. On Monday, Oct. 1 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT), Tropical Depression 21W (TD21W) had maximum sustained winds near 25 knots. It was centered about300 nautical miles south of Hong Kong, near 17.4 North latitude and 114.8 East longitude. TD21W has tracked northward at 5 knots and is expected to curve to the northwest and west. On Oct. 1, 2012, infrared imagery from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) ...

The western North Pacific is in full swing, tropically speaking and NASA observed the birth of Tropical Storm Maliksi on Sept. 30. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of the storm when it was a depression and revealed a large area of powerful thunderstorms around its center that hinted at its strengthening. Tropical Storm Maliksi formed from the twentieth tropical depression of the western North Pacific typhoon season. Tropical Depression 20W formed on Sept. 20 about 305 nautical miles from Guam near 16.3 North and 149.0 East. It is moving to the north-northwest ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – New research from the Netherlands shows that the switch from screen film mammography (SFM) to digital mammography (DM) in large, population-based breast cancer screening programs improves the detection of life-threatening cancer without significantly increasing detection of clinically insignificant disease. Results of the study are published online in the journal Radiology. DM's higher sensitivity at detecting breast cancer raised concerns that its introduction into screening programs would increase the diagnosis of clinically unimportant cancers—cancers ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Water diffusion measurements with MRI could decrease false-positive breast cancer results and reduce preventable biopsies, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. Researchers said the technique also could improve patient management by differentiating high-risk lesions requiring additional workup from other non-malignant subtypes. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) has emerged in recent years as a useful tool in breast cancer detection and staging. One of its primary limitations is a substantial number of false-positive ...

Washington — In an article published today (October 2, 2012) in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) High Production Volume (HPV) Chemicals Challenge Program had the potential to use 3.5 million animals in new testing, but after the application of animal-saving measures, approximately 127,000 were actually used. Although this toll in animal lives is high, it would have been many times worse had PETA not obtained major concessions from the ...

Stroke care has improved considerably in Alberta following the implementation of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy (APSS), leading to more targeted patient care and fewer health complications, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Nearly 97 per cent of stroke patients received a brain-imaging scan during their admission to hospital in 2011, compared to 88 per cent before the APSS was implemented in 2006. "The faster a patient has access to brain imaging, the faster they get the right diagnosis and the right treatment," says lead ...

Improvements to the diagnosis and screening of sleep apnea are critical to stroke prevention, according to new stroke care guidelines released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder where the flow of air to the brain pauses or decreases during sleep, is both a risk factor for stroke and a complication following stroke, according to the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care. Among the general population sleep apnea increases the likelihood of having a stroke, even after controlling for other stroke risk factors, such ...

A study of stroke patients from Southern Ontario found those who smoke have more difficulty with problem-solving and decision-making than non-smokers. The study, presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress, tested mental abilities of 76 patients, including 12 smokers, with an average age of 67.5 years, using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool. The MoCA exam tests patients with memory and problem solving questions and gives them a score out of 30. Smokers had a median MoCA score two points lower than non-smokers -- 22 out of 30 compared to 24 out of 30. ...

Widespread use of telestroke -- two-way audiovisual linkups between neurologists in stroke centres and emergency rooms in underserved and rural areas -- would save lives, reduce disability and cut health-care costs in all parts of Canada, according to a major national report released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. However, despite repeated research that shows telestroke delivers quality stroke care to underserviced areas, few stroke patients in Canada are benefiting from this lifesaving service. "The case for telestroke is compelling and the need is urgent," ...

Chevy Chase, MD— Low serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) are associated with Alzheimer's Disease in men, but not women, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 are involved in longevity and could be beneficial to cognition, especially in Alzheimer's disease where experimental studies have shown that IGF-1 opposes the main pathological processes of Alzheimer's disease. The current study ...

Chevy Chase, MD— Diabetes is among the ten leading causes of death in both white and African American patients, but the prevalence of diabetic complications are race-specific, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). "This study is one of only a few to assess whether there is a racial difference in the incidence of diabetic complications," said Gang Hu, MD, PhD, of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and lead author of the study. "Our findings suggest ...

A new type of antibiotic can effectively treat an antibiotic-resistant infection by disarming instead of killing the bacteria that cause it. Researchers report their findings in the October 2 issue of mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. "Traditionally, people have tried to find antibiotics that rapidly kill bacteria. But we found a new class of antibiotics which has no ability to kill Acinetobacter that can still protect, not by killing the bug, but by completely preventing it from turning on host inflammation," says Brad Spellberg ...

When Linda Tuttle was diagnosed with breast cancer, she never imagined her experience would inspire her colleagues to design new treatments to tackle the disease. An administrative assistant in the Department of Chemistry at Wake Forest University, Tuttle was more accustomed to talking to faculty and staff about meetings and course loads – not doctors' appointments and treatment plans. But after her 2009 diagnosis, Tuttle's use of tamoxifen, a drug commonly used to treat breast cancer, inspired medicinal chemist Ulrich Bierbach to develop a targeted therapy that delivers ...

Chevy Chase, MD—Low levels of vitamin D and high levels of parathyroid hormone are associated with increased mortality in African American and Caucasian older adults, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM). The study also indicates that the potential impact of remediating low vitamin D levels is greater in African Americans than Caucasians because vitamin D insufficiency is more common in African Americans. For the past several years, there has been considerable interest in the ...

New York, NY, October, 2, 2012—The number of uninsured individuals is estimated to increase in every state and to 72 million nationwide—with children and low- and middle-income Americans particularly hard hit—under Governor Mitt Romney's plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with block grants to states for Medicaid and new tax incentives, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. While the details of Governor Romney's proposals have not been specified, a set of assumptions was made for the report based on similar proposals advanced in the past. The ...

Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased number of brain lesions and signs of a more active disease state in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study finds, suggesting a potential link between intake of the vitamin and the risk of longer-term disability from the autoimmune disorder. But researchers, led by Ellen M. Mowry, M.D., M.C.R., an assistant professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and principal investigator of a multicenter clinical trial of vitamin D supplementation in MS patients, caution that more ...

When their four-year-old son, Danny, dies suddenly, Mitch and Kate's grief overwhelms them. Conflicted about going on with their lives, Mitch and Kate decide to leap from a cliff at Chimney Bluffs. When the couple is found by park rangers, Clancy and Bobby, Kate is still very much alive. What follows is a poignant and powerful story of three strangers, each facing a tragic loss, who together find friendship and healing. A novel of hope and redemption by David B. Seaburn, author of "Charlie No Face" (Savant 2010). David B. Seaburn is the author of the "Charlie ...

On Sept. 24, Rachel Galvin's show Indie Streak won Web Radio Show of the Year at the 3rd annual Women in the Arts Miami event at Privet in Hallandale, FL. Winners were selected by the public voting online. On her show, which has been in existence since Jan. 1, 2012, Galvin interviews film industry professionals, including directors, screenwriters and even the occasional actor. Combining the interviewing skills she has used as a journalist with the background she has gained working in the film industry, Galvin has made a name for herself with Indie Streak. Regarding the ...

FEMA has declared October to be "National Zombie Awareness Month" and the CDC has warned the public to prepare for the "Zombie Apocalypse" and has even set up a special web site with guidebooks and other resources. Join Jing Ying Institute for a fun workshop that will prepare you to protect yourself, your family and friends against zombies. Instead of trying to settle the age-old argument about whether slow zombies or fast zombies are the scariest, we will give you the tools you need to defend against both. Use the controlled movement, mental concentration ...

A dyslexia simulation will be held on November 3rd at the Stowell Learning Center in Irvine, CA. The purpose of the simulation is for participants to experience first-hand the daily challenges facing children with reading problems. This is a fun, but eye-opening experience that can help anyone working with children with reading problems to better understand and help remove or at least diminish the frustration these children feel. It is very difficult to understand how a smart child can struggle with reading and even harder to imagine what it must feel like to actually ...

Brillare Hairdressing Academy will be offering zombie hair and makeup services for $20 on October 5th -- the day of the Arizona Zombie Charity Walk to benefit St. Mary's Food Bank -- at both Brillare locations. The cosmetology school, which is sponsoring the walk, will be teeming with zombies as students help clients achieve their desired zombie look for this event. "There are so many ways to go with the zombie look and the students have a lot of fun getting to use their creative talents," said Denise Chatter, Director of Education at the Scottsdale Brillare ...

Streaming live on the Co-Creator Radio Network on Tuesday, October 2, at 11 a.m. Pacific time/2 p.m. Eastern time, on her show "Why Shamanism Now?: A Practical Path to Authenticity," shaman and founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing Christina Pratt explains to listeners that shamanic journeying is an art that requires crafting good questions. According to Pratt, a good question provokes an answer that addresses your problem effectively without creating new problems. Shamanic journeys are often confusing or lackluster because the practitioner began ...

Where public awareness has been lacking in professional medicine's use of music in post operative therapy, Dr. Joe Vitale, star in the hit film "The Secret", has taken steps to better educate people on music's power to repair and heal after surgery has taken place. Through the study of how rhythm and melody inspires positive energy in the body and mind, Vitale has recorded a series of CDs to influence positive change by simply listening to music. The latest album released in his catalog is titled "The Healing Song." The Dana Foundation has stated, ...