Month: April 2014

Number of Unsafe Abortions in Kenya ‘Worrying’

Abortion is medically defined as the expulsion of a pregnancy before viability whether spontaneous or induced.

In Kenya, the new Constitution terms abortion as illegal. However, in circumstances where the pregnancy presents danger to the woman’s mental or physical health then she has the right to access safe and legal abortion.

According to Andrew Wamalwa, a health director with the Ministry of Health, Kenya records 465,000 unsafe abortions annually and this contributes to 20 percent of the total maternal deaths.

He further observed that community attitudes contribute to the alarmingly high numbers of unsafe abortions.

“Lack of knowledge, myths and misconceptions combined with health provider attitudes are partly to blame for this high numbers of unsafe abortions.”

“Interestingly, the women who come in for post abortion care or have procured an abortion are not just the marginalised or poor as has been the stereotype.”

“This calls for leadership right at the community level within the current legal and policy framework. Educate young girls how to manage crisis pregnancy safely, show them that there are options like adoption as opposed to harshly judging them which only pushes them to undertaking back street abortions.”

Wamalwa added that the ministry is on a campaign to increase access to effective family planning to women that are of reproductive age.

“More than 70 percent of the women that seek post abortion care were not using a method of contraception prior to them getting pregnant,” he said

He also advised on safe abortion methods that are available to the woman in a case where her life is in danger.

“A woman has various options of the abortion methods; first there is the vacuum aspiration which is a manual suction to remove the contents of the uterus. This method can only be done at three or less months of pregnancy by a trained medic. If done safely then there are no complications and 98 percent success rate.”

“The second method is referred to as medical abortion and it is performed using pills. A trained doctor administers pills which causes the uterus to shrink and expel the pregnancy. This method has a few side effects like abdominal cramps and has a 83 to 97 percent success rate,” he explained.

Vania Kibui a policy advisor at IPAS Africa Alliance disclosed that under Article 43 (1A) of the new Constitution, every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health care services including reproductive health.

She further elaborates on Article 43 (2) which says that a person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment.

“This means that one has a right to access contraceptives after a rape incident even in a private facility which includes those operated by churches that have traditionally refused to give those services,” she explained.

Kibui however raised concern in regard to Article 26 (4) which allows for safe abortion saying,” the article demands that abortions can only be performed by trained medical practitioners meaning that women that live in poor rural communities have no such services will have to procure an abortion from a clinical officer or nurse which has serious potentially fatal repercussions for the poor women,” she added.

Source: All africa

Poor Heart Health Linked to Alzheimer’s Risk

A new study links heart disease with increased odds of developing dementia.

Researchers found that artery stiffness — a condition called atherosclerosis — is associated with the buildup of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is more than just another example of how heart health relates to brain health. It is a signal that the process of vascular aging may predispose the brain to increased amyloid plaque buildup,” said lead researcher Timothy Hughes, from the department of internal medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Plaque builds with age and appears to worsen in those with stiffer arteries, he said. “Finding and preventing the causes of plaque buildup is going to be an essential factor in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and extending brain health throughout life,” Hughes added.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older adults. The progressive brain disorder seriously affects thinking, memory and the ability to carry out daily activities.

The report, published March 31 in the online edition of JAMA Neurology, looked at brain images and arterial health of patients 83 and older.

Cardiologists and neurologists are starting to warm to the idea that heart health and brain health are not independent, but interrelated, said Dr. Kevin King, an assistant professor in the department of radiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and author of an accompanying journal editorial.

“I find the new direction to be satisfying in that it is a more holistic approach,” King said. “The invention of these cool new tools to directly image amyloid plaque while people are alive allows us to look at these interactions that have been very difficult to tease apart.”

But still more research is needed, he said, “into how chronic vascular disease impacts the brain and leads to dementia.”

For the study, researchers used PET scans to examine plaque development in the brains of 81 dementia-free elderly adults.

They also measured the stiffness of arteries by assessing the speed that blood moves through them — a process called pulse wave velocity.

Over two years, the percentage of patients with plaque in their brain increased from 48 percent to 75 percent. Moreover, the development of plaque was associated with increased stiffness of arteries, the research team found.

Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, welcomed the study.

“One of the most important problems in clinical dementia is parsing out what role brain blood vessels play in the clinical status,” Gandy said. “This is a groundbreaking paper that promises to put us on an evidence-based course toward unraveling this mystery.”

“There is increasing evidence that arterial stiffness plays not just an important role in cardiovascular disease but also in cerebrovascular disease, impaired mental function and dementia in older individuals,” he said.

More research of the relationship between high blood pressure, high cholesterol, vascular disease, arterial stiffness and the development of dementia is needed, Fonarow said.

King noted that injury to the blood vessels in the brain may dramatically alter the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

“The implication of this study is that we may be able to prevent or at least delay Alzheimer’s disease by proper control of cardiac risk factors,” King added.
Reducing heart risks means eating a healthy diet, exercising, maintaining normal weight, minimizing stress and not smoking. These behaviors can help keep blood pressure and cholesterol at safe levels, experts say.

But much still needs to be learned about the association between heart health and brain health, King said. “A lot remains unknown about what changes in arteries may be leading to chronic brain disease. We just don’t know enough about blood flow to the brain.”

Source: webmd

7 Miraculous ‘home remedies’ for combating acidity bug

Are you squirming uncomfortably because of a loaded stomach, heart burn and acidity? This may be the result of that one extra bite of sumptuous food that was placed in front of you. Now that you couldn’t resist that “put the blame on meal” we shall help you find a way out of this uncomfortable experience and help you stay away from that bottle of antacid. Let’s tell you about some home remedies for acid reflux right on your kitchen shelf:

The potassium rich Banana

You may not relish that banana but believe us; it’s loaded on potassium with a high PH value and has alkaline properties. The acidity level lowers because of the high PH value. The high-fiber rich bananas help the lining of the stomach produce mucous that helps in increasing the digestion and also acts as a protector to the inner lining. This saves the person from the renewed acidity attacks. The overripe banana work wonders during an extreme acidity bout.

Cold milk

The high-calcium content of the milk prevents the acid formation in the stomach and also prevents the ulcers from forming. The peptic acids are neutralized by the cold milk and this excessive acidity feeling is curbed down drastically by consuming a glassful of cold milk. Leave the sugar alone, drink it sugar free. If you are lactose intolerant then this may not be the answer for you.

Fragrance full fennel

This is a popular mouth freshener and helps in relieving constipation and aiding digestion. Fennel has coolant properties and balms the stomach lining aiding in the healing process. Fennel is a rich source of plasmatic acid, flavonoids, and other volatile oils and also possesses anti-ulcer properties. Best way is to boil fennel seeds in water and then leave them overnight, strain and consume whenever needed.

The digestive Basil leaves

Basil leaves possess digestive compounds that stimulate the stomach’s production of mucous. This mucous that lines the inner stomach, protects the lining from peptic ulcers, helping on the reduction of the acid levels in the stomach. Basil or tulsi leaves also help curb the formation of gas. The basil leaves provide instant relief and need to be consumed right after the meal.

Fresh green Mint leaves

This is a common thing used for preparing a mouth freshener. It improves digestion by lowering the rising acid levels in the stomach. The pain and burning caused by acid reflux can be beaten by eating the leaves of mint. Faster relief can be obtained if the leaves are boiled in water and then taken after cooling it. The tangy smell of the leaves keeps the mouth fresh.

Aromatic Cardamom

Cardamom has magical properties of soothing the stomach by relieving stomach spasms and by calming the excess acid production in the stomach. It has a cooling effect and soothes the mucosal stomach lining and relieves the sensation of burning that makes the person uncomfortable. Boil crushed cardamom in water and cool the water before drinking it.

The succulent and tangy ginger

This is a common Indian kitchen ingredient that also helps in digestion by promoting the production of mucous for the stomach lining. It helps in the reduction of the acid formation and also splits down proteins contained in the food. Ginger also helps in the absorption and assimilation of food.

Source: med guru

Smokers may show heart disease much younger than nonsmokers

A smoker’s coronary artery disease is likely to be as advanced as that of a non-smoker who is 10 years older when both show up at the hospital with a heart attack, according to a new study.

Researchers looked at nearly 14,000 patients hospitalized with blockages in arteries supplying the heart muscle and found smokers were more likely than nonsmokers to die within a year.

Despite their being younger, and otherwise healthier, the smokers’ heart arteries were in a condition similar to those of nonsmokers 10 years older.

“We saw smokers presenting the disease at age 55 and nonsmokers presenting the same disease at 65,” said Dr. Alexandra Lansky, a researcher on the study.

Smoking can cause blood clots, which often get lodged in the rigid and narrow arteries that have already been clogged by the buildup of cholesterol and fat deposits, according to Lansky and her colleagues.

Although the fat buildup and stiffening of the artery walls, known as atherosclerosis, becomes more likely with age for everyone, the clots caused by smoking worsen the blockages.

That makes smokers more likely to have a heart attack at a younger age, but less likely to have the other conditions, known as comorbidities, that go along with aging, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

“Smoking accelerates the manifestation of coronary disease but in the absence of these comorbidities,” Lansky told Reuters Health.

Past research has identified a “smoker’s paradox” – because smokers are younger, with fewer other health problems, when they had a heart attack, they were more likely to recover it. Or so it seemed.

“We wanted to look at longer-term effects of smoking rather just the short term effect,” Lansky said.

The researchers analyzed medical records for 13,819 patients, almost 4,000 of them smokers, hospitalized with chest pain or a heart attack caused by a blocked coronary artery.

The study team organized the data to match the smokers and nonsmokers by age, weight, comorbidities and other risk factors.

When compared to nonsmokers with similar overall health, the smokers were ten years younger, on average, and more likely to have already been treated with blood thinners – suggesting they had already experienced problems with blood flow.

Imaging of the coronary artery showed the smokers’ had atherosclerosis comparable to the nonsmokers ten years their senior, the researchers report in the journal JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Before the adjustments for age and other health conditions, the smokers and nonsmokers were about equally likely to survive the first 30 days after hospitalization, and smokers were about 20 percent less likely to die within a year.

But once smokers and nonsmokers with similar health profiles were compared to each other, the smokers were 37 percent more likely to die within the first year.

“What makes it novel, is that we are showing that if you come in, your chance of survival is already reduced, as a smoker,” Lansky said.

The findings are not surprising, according to Dr. Robert Giugliano, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“Nonetheless, the public does need to know that there is now even more evidence that smoking is bad for your health, accelerates the process of atherosclerosis (so smokers have heart and vascular disease on average 10 years early than non-smokers), and leads to worse outcomes compared to non-smokers of a similar age,” said Giugliano, who also teaches at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Elliot Antman, also of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard, said it would be interesting to follow the patients for longer than a year to see what happened to survival rates among smokers who quit.

Antman was not surprised by the findings either. “I always suspected this was the case but it is nice to see the data,” he told Reuters Health.

“There just aren’t many healthy people in their 80’s who smoke regularly . . . if you want to live a healthy, long life, smoking stacks the odds against you,” Giugliano said.

Source: reuters

Skin cancer: Genetic mutations ‘warn of risk’

Scientists say they have taken a step forward in understanding why some people are at greater risk of skin cancer because of their family history.

A newly identified gene mutation causes some cases of melanoma, a type of skin cancer, says a UK team. The discovery will pave the way for new screening methods, they report in Nature Genetics.

The risk of melanoma depends on several factors, including sun exposure, skin type and family history. Every year in the UK, almost 12,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma.

About one in 20 people with melanoma have a well-established family history of the disease. A team led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK, found that people with mutations in a certain gene were at extremely high risk of melanoma.

The mutations switch off a gene known as POT1, which protects against damage to packets of DNA, known as chromosomes.

Co-author Dr David Adams, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said the discovery should lead to the ability to find out who in a family was at risk, and who should be screened for skin cancer.

He told the BBC: “The mutations in this gene result in damage to the end of the chromosomes and chromosomal damage in general is linked to cancer formation – that’s the pathway for it.”

Early detection
A number of gene mutations have been identified as increasing the risk of melanoma, but others remain unknown.

Prof Tim Bishop, Director of the Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, said the finding increased understanding of why some families had a high incidence of melanoma.

“Since this gene has previously been identified as a target for the development of new drugs, in the future it may be possible that early detection will facilitate better management of this disease,” he said.

The team found cancers such as leukaemia were common in these families, suggesting the gene may underlie other cancers and not just melanoma.

Dr Safia Danovi of Cancer Research UK said: “This is a step forward for people with a strong family history of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

“But it’s important to remember that, for most of us, avoiding sunburn and sunbeds is the best way to reduce the risk of this disease.”

Source: BBC

11 Fitness Foods to Help You Get in Shape Faster

Beet juice for stamina

Recent research shows that this ruby red root veggie may be more effective at boosting energy than caffeine, or nearly anything you’ll find in the supplement aisle. When UK researchers asked male athletes to down either 16 ounces of organic beetroot juice or a placebo, those who gulped the real thing cycled for up to 16% longer, an effect scientists say isn’t achievable by any other known means, including training. To bolster your performance, invest in a juicer and grab some fresh beets, which are in season year-round. Or look for bottled beet juice, which can be sipped straight or blended into a pre-workout smoothie.

Honey for endurance
Research conducted at the University of Memphis Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory found that consuming honey before exercise provides “time-released” fuel to give athletes steady blood sugar and insulin levels over a longer duration. This natural sweetener also boosted power, speed, and endurance in competitive cyclists who downed it prior to and at 10-mile intervals throughout a 40-mile race. For quality and purity, I recommend USDA Certified Organic raw honey. Enjoy it straight off a spoon, or mix it into a pre-workout snack like oatmeal.

Pea protein to delay muscle fatigue
Pea protein powder has been generating serious buzz in the sports nutrition community for some time now. The reason: it’s rich in branched chain amino acids, compounds that have been shown to delay fatigue during exercise. The arginine in this powder (which is made from yellow peas) has also been shown to enhance immunity, while the lysine boosts calcium absorption and decreases calcium losses to help maintain strong bones. One scoop can pack more than 25 grams of lean protein, which can be whipped into a smoothie along with almond milk, a dollop of almond butter, cinnamon, and frozen cherries or berries.

Blueberries to reduce inflammation
To test the anti-inflammatory and recovery effects of blueberries, researchers at Appalachian State University recruited well-trained athletes and fed them about 9 ounces of blueberries daily for six weeks, plus another 13 ounces an hour before a two-and a-half-hour run. The results were impressive. In addition to a reduction in inflammation, blueberry eaters experienced a boost in natural killer cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a vital role in immunity. When fresh blueberries aren’t practical, reach for dried or freeze dried options to stash in your gym bag.

Tart cherries to fight pain and regain strength
At the University of Vermont’s Human Performance Laboratory, researchers asked men to drink either 12 ounces of a tart cherry juice blend or a placebo twice daily for eight days. On the fourth day of the study, the athletes completed a strenuous strength-training routine. Two weeks later, the opposite beverage was provided, and the training was repeated. Scientists found that the cherry juice had a significant effect on pain reduction. In addition, strength loss averaged 22% in the placebo group compared to just 4% in the cherry group. Fresh tart cherries are only in season in late summer, but frozen and dried options are becoming easier to find, as is 100% tart cherry juice.

Salmon to build muscle
The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish like salmon have been linked to a laundry list of benefits, from fighting heart disease to staving off type 2 diabetes. But animal research shows it may also be a potent muscle booster. Compared to steers fed cottonseed and olive oils, those that consumed fish oil showed improved muscle development: their bodies used twice the amount of amino acids to build new protein tissues, especially skeletal muscles. Include wild salmon in meals a few times a week, or try salmon jerky as a portable snack. If you can’t or don’t eat seafood, look for an algae-based source of omega-3s.

Watermelon to reduce muscle soreness
Recently, Spanish sports medicine scientists discovered that watermelon juice helped relieve muscle soreness when about 16 ounces were consumed an hour before exercise. The effect is likely due to citrulline, a natural substance found in watermelon that’s been tied to improved artery function and lowered blood pressure (it’s even been dubbed “nature’s Viagra”). I’m starting to see bottled watermelon juice popping up all over the place. And when you eat it fresh, be sure to bite into the white rind a bit—that’s where citrulline is found in higher concentrations.

Pomegranate for muscle strength recovery
The antioxidants in pomegranate have been linked to enhanced memory and brain activity, and now researchers at the University of Texas at Austin report that pomegranate juice helps improve muscle recovery. Researchers recruited volunteers who were randomly assigned to maintain their normal diets and add 4 ounces of either pomegranate juice or a placebo twice a day. Both groups performed resistance-training exercises, but those who gulped pom experienced significantly less muscle soreness and reduced muscle weakness for up to 7 days. Pomegranate is a winter fruit, but you can find frozen options year-round. Just thaw and add to oatmeal, parfaits, or garden salads. Small shots of 100% juice are also a good option.

Coffee for next-day energy
A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that glycogen, the body’s storage form of carbohydrates, is replenished more rapidly when athletes consume both carbs and caffeine following exhaustive exercise. Compared to carbs alone, the combo resulted in a 66% increase in muscle glycogen 4 hours after intense exercise. That’s significant because packing more fuel into the energy “piggy banks” within your muscles means that the next time you train or perform, you’ve upped your ability to exercise harder or longer.

Watercress to reduce DNA damage
A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that watercress, a peppery green from the mustard family, effectively countered the “wear and tear” effects of exercise. Healthy young men were given about 3 ounces of watercress daily for eight weeks, and asked to participate in treadmill workouts that included short bursts of intense exercise. Another exercise group did the workouts without watercress as a control. The men who missed out on watercress experienced more exercise-induced DNA damage, and the benefits were seen after just one dose. In other words, those who ate the green for the first time just two hours before hitting the treadmill experienced the same benefits as those who had munched on it daily for two months. Watercress makes a wonderful salad base and, like spinach and kale, it can be whipped into a smoothie.

Dark chocolate to curb exercise-induced stress
Numerous studies support the myriad benefits of dark chocolate and new research published in the European Journal of Nutrition adds exercise protection to the list. In the study, healthy men were asked to eat 3.5 ounces of 70% dark chocolate two hours before a two-and-a-half-hour bout of cycling. Compared to a control group, the chocolate eaters experienced higher blood antioxidant levels and reduced markers of exercise-induced cell stress. Enjoy a few individually wrapped squares of dark chocolate daily, melt and drizzle it over fresh fruit, or mix it into oatmeal, smoothies, or parfaits.

Source: health

Treat sexual problems in lung cancer patients on priority: Experts

Raising an issue that has been ignored for long in the case of lung cancer patients, experts have urged physicians to pay more attention on how such patients suffer difficulties with sexual expression and intimacy.

“It is time that doctors and scientists paid more attention to this important issue,” suggested Stephane Droupy from University Hospital of Nimes, France.

He was addressing the gathering at the fourth European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) here Friday.

Researchers have estimated that sexual dysfunction affects between 40 and 100 percent of patients who undergo cancer treatment.

Studies reveal that these problems may persist in due course rather than improving.

“We still have to do a lot of work on the awareness of sexual problems after cancer – lung cancer in particular. We hope that our session at ELCC would help begin the discussion about how best to help this group of patients,” Droupy added.

The emotional and physical consequences of lung cancer, as well as the impact of treatments, can all affect sexuality, he said.

For example, patients often experience a loss of libido when they learn they have cancer. The feelings of grief and depression can also diminish desire.

The physical changes that result from cancer and the impact of treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also have negative impacts on sexual expression, he noted.

Unlike other cancers, where survival is improving, lung cancer management often focuses on short-term quality of life improvement and palliative care.

“Sexuality is then even more difficult to protect or reconstruct in a short period of time when all efforts are made to stay alive,” Droupy added.

Another important step is for doctors and patients to have open and honest discussions about what the patient is going through.

“We know that sexuality is important for quality of life and marital relationships, yet health care professionals frequently avoid taking the sexual history of a cancer patient,” said Luca Incrocci, a radiation oncologist and sexologist from Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The 4th European Lung Cancer Conference is being held here March 26-29.

Source; The daily News and Analysis

Indian-American scientist finds why cholesterol worsens in winter

Cholesterol levels usually go up in colder months – a trend that may be driven by behavioural changes that occur with the changing seasons, new research by an Indian-American researcher shows.

While previous studies have shown that heart attacks and heart-related deaths increase during the winter, researchers at Johns Hopkins’ Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease were interested in finding out whether cholesterol parameters might follow a similar pattern.

They studied a massive data representing 2.8 million adults – the largest study so far to look at seasonal lipid trends in adults.

“We found that people tend to have worse cholesterol numbers on average during the colder months than in the warmer months – not by a very large amount, but the variation is significant,” said Parag Joshi, a cardiology fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

“The data instead validates a clear seasonal pattern and underscores the need to pay attention to behaviours that are critical to minimising cardiovascular risk,” Joshi said.

“In the summer, we tend to get outside, we are more active and have healthier behaviours overall,” Joshi added.

“In the colder months, we tend to crawl into our caves, eat fat-laden comfort foods and get less exercise, so what we see is that LDL and non-HDL bad cholesterol markers are slightly worse,” he added.

So you have a lipid signature of higher risk but it is driven by behaviours that occur with the changing seasons.

Researchers speculate the shorter days of winter – and limited time spent outside – also mean less sun exposure and, subsequently, lower concentrations of vitamin D, which has also been associated with the ratio of bad to good cholesterol.

More research is needed to further tease out what might be behind these seasonal variations, Joshi told the gathering at the American College of Cardiology’s 63rd Annual Scientific Session recently.

Source: samachar

Cheap drug boon for treating heart attack patients

An early treatment of heart-attack patients with a cheap drug holds promise to reduce health care expenditure to a great extent, researchers hope.

A six-month follow-up data of a trial showed that patients who received this treatment during emergency transit to hospital had much smaller amounts of dead heart muscle than those randomly assigned to receive no treatment.

The proportion of patients with a severely deteriorated heart contractile function is much less (60 percent) in the group that received the cheap drug named metoprolol.

“Early treatment with metoprolol also significantly reduced the rate of hospital readmission for chronic heart failure, and massively reduced the need to implant a cardioverter-defibrillator,” said lead investigator Borja Ibanez, a cardiologist at the Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Spain.

The possibility to reduce so dramatically the number of cases of chronic heart failure with such a cheap procedure could generate enormous savings for health services, Ibanez from CNIC (Spanish national cardiovascular research centre) noted.

This is one of the first studies to reveal extraordinary benefits from very early intervention -in this case with metoprolol – during the first contact with the emergency medical services.

An initial estimate indicates that if half the heart-attack patients in Europe received early treatment with this cheap drug, the savings in treatment for heart failure alone could exceed ?10 billion a year.

The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Source: business standard

Chronic stress in early life linked to anxiety, aggression in adulthood

Researchers have suggested that chronic stress in early life causes anxiety, aggression in adulthood.

A research team led by Associate Professor Grigori Enikolopov of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) conducted experiments designed to assess the impacts of social stress upon adolescent mice, both at the time they are experienced and during adulthood.

The tests began with 1-month-old male mice – the equivalent, in human terms of adolescents – each placed for 2 weeks in a cage shared with an aggressive adult male.

The animals were separated by a transparent perforated partition, but the young males were exposed daily to short attacks by the adult males. This kind of chronic activity produces what neurobiologists call social-defeat stress in the young mice. These mice were then studied in a range of behavioral tests.

These experiments showed that in young mice chronic social defeat induced high levels of anxiety helplessness, diminished social interaction, and diminished ability to communicate with other young animals. Stressed mice also had less new nerve-cell growth (neurogenesis) in a portion of the hippocampus known to be affected in depression: the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus.

Another group of young mice was also exposed to social stress, but was then placed for several weeks in an unstressful environment. Following this “rest” period, these mice, now old enough to be considered adults, were tested in the same manner as the other cohort.

In this second, now-adult group, most of the behaviors impacted by social defeat returned to normal, as did neurogenesis , which retuned to a level seen in healthy controls. “This shows that young mice, exposed to adult aggressors, were largely resilient biologically and behaviorally,” says Dr. Enikolopov.

However, in these resilient mice, the team measured two latent impacts on behavior. As adults they were abnormally anxious, and were observed to be more aggressive in their social interactions.

The study has been published online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Source: zee news