compiled by Martin Flynn
HEALTHYLIVINGNEWSWash away flu fears
While the Department of Health is advising everyone with a serious medical condition, including HIV, to get a flu jab
this winter, researchers at London’s Queen Mary’s College Medical
School say that if people washed their hands more often, and more thoroughly,
the risk of colds, flu and even the much discussed bird flu would be greatly
reduced.
They looked at the most effective methods to prevent the transmission of colds
and flu and concluded that
personal cleanliness should be a priority rather than relying on medicines.
Hand-cleaning came out top,
followed by disinfecting household surfaces.The study found that flu viruses
can survive on hands for many hours. As well as being spread through coughs
and sneezes, people can pick up flu viruses on their fingers and then touch
their eyes or nose, becoming ill themselves or infecting others. Areas in
the home most likely to harbour viruses include phones, remote controls, keyboards,
light switches, as well as kitchen and bathroom surfaces.Doctors at Queen
Mary’s advise everyone to wash their hands regularly in warm soapy water,
use clean towels and clean surfaces regularly with an antiseptic cleanser.
Other tips to avoid spreading viruses include using tissues thick enough that
they won’t break on use and keeping your hands away from your nose and
mouth.
Eat yourself happy
Betty’s hot-pots are not the only healthy eating option to come out
of Manchester. The local primary care trust (PCT) has come up with a novel
way to improve mental health and mood using healthier foods.
Research shows that what we eat has an effect on our mental health. Certain
foods improve the functioning of the brain while others make matters worse.
Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, drinking enough water
and getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids (found in foods such as oily fish and
nuts) can greatly improve mood and prevent depression. For October’s
World Mental Health Day, North Manchester PCT promoted the ‘eat yourself
happy’ message with a series of healthy eating events in the city.
• www.foodandmood.org
The
brains of liars are different
Evidence is emerging of a structural brain abnormality in people who are persistent
liars.
Research from the University of Southern California, published in the British
Journal of Psychiatry, has shown there is increased brain activity in the
prefrontal cortex region of the brain when people tell lies.
The aim of the study was to assess whether people who are habitual liars show
structural abnormalities in prefrontal grey and white matter volume. A study
of 108 volunteers found that liars showed a 22-26 per cent increase in prefrontal
white matter. This is the first study to show the brain abnormality in people
who lie, cheat and manipulate others. The authors warn that the neurological
basis for lying is likely to be complex, and extends beyond just brain matter.
But further studies into changes in brain anatomy during the critical early
neuro-developmental period in childhood, as well as physical changes to the
brain during lying activity, may well prove the link between prefrontal white
matter and deceitfulness.
‘Glowing
testicles’ may cut malaria
Glow in the dark condoms have been used for years to help prevent
the spread of STIs, but now scientists have come up with a way to make mosquito
sex glands glow in the dark to prevent the spread of malaria.
Malaria is a preventable disease which causes over a million deaths each year,
mainly among children under five. Scientists at Imperial College in London
may have come up with a novel solution by tagging a protein in the sex glands
and sperm of male mosquitoes to make them glow in the dark.
It is not the male mosquitoes that cause the problem but the female which
bites humans and spreads the disease. The researchers at Imperial found they
could tag and identify the male mosquito larvae and manipulate their genes
to make them infertile. It’s hoped they will then release sterile males
into the wild, where they will mate with the female mosquitoes already there,
therefore leading to no future offspring.
“It’s a neat method,” said Professor Chris Curtis of the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine: “It’s by no
means the first genetic method for sex separation of mosquitoes but it may
be an advantageous one.
“And the fact that you can also identify the sperm of these (sterile)
males in females they have mated with is another advantage.”
