DOLORES PUEDEN CAUSAR ESTRÉS AL CELEBRO

Pain May be Stressing Brain
CHICAGO (UPI) -- Chronic pain keeps areas of the brain active and that may disrupt the brain's equilibrium, a U.S. study suggested. The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, said the brain's state of equilibrium is disrupted when chronic pain causes the frontal cortex -- linked to emotion -- to never "shut up." "The areas that are affected fail to deactivate when they should" lead study author Dante Chialvo of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said in a statement. Being stuck on full throttle, causes neurons to keep firing, Chialvo said.

"We know when neurons fire too much they may change their connections with other neurons and or even die because they can't sustain high activity for so long," he said.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to scan the brains of people with chronic low back pain and the brains of healthy volunteers. The people with pain were, Chialvo said, "using their brain differently than the pain-free group." Chialvo hypothesized the subsequent changes in brain wiring may make it harder for those with chronic pain to make a decision or be in a good mood to get up in the morning.

Pain may produce depression and other abnormalities, he said, "because it disturbs the balance of the brain as a whole."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

QUE CAUSA LA PUBERTAD ANTES DE SU TIEMPO??

Toxins May be Linked to Early Puberty
PISA, Italy (UPI) -- Researchers in Italy suggest environmental toxins may be linked to areas where girls have a high incidence of early puberty. The study, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, looked at whether the naturally occurring mycoestrogen zearalenone, or ZEA, produced by the Fusarium fungus species, may be linked to early onset of puberty, known as central precocious puberty. ZEA can be found naturally in the environment, but it also has properties similar to the female reproductive hormone estrogen and is structurally similar to anabolic growth agents used in animal breeding. The researchers studied a group of girls affected by early puberty in Tuscany -- an area with much higher than average incidence of this condition. Six of the 17 girls studied had elevated levels of ZEA. "Although this finding might be incidental, ZEA may be related to central precocious puberty occurrence in girls exposed to mycoestrogens," lead researcher Dr. Francesco Massart said. Copyright 2008 by United Press International

POR QUE RASCARSE UN PICOR ES TAN SATISFACTORIO

Why Scratching an Itch is so Satisfying

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (UPI) -- U.S. researchers are learning about the areas of the brain affected when the body is scratched and why scratching an itch is so satisfying. The research, reported online ahead of print in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, revealed to the scientists' surprise -- sections of the brain associated with unpleasant emotions become significantly less active during scratching. "This is the first real scientific evidence showing that itch may be inhibited by scratching," lead study author Dr. Gil Yosipovitch of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., said in a statement. "Of course, scratching is not recommended because it can damage the skin. But understanding how the process works could lead to new treatments." Thirteen healthy participants underwent testing with functional magnetic resonance imaging technology while being scratched on the lower leg with a brush. The scratching reduced brain activity associated with aversion to unpleasant sensory experiences and the area associated with memory, Yosipovitch says. The imaging studies also show areas of the brain made more active by the scratching is a sensory area involved in pain and an area associated with compulsive behavior. "This could explain the compulsion to continue scratching," Yosipovitch says.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

ES DURO QUITAR EL PESO GANADO CUANDO ALGUIEN PARA LOS EJERCICIOS

Exercise Layoff Weight May Be Hard To Lose

BERKELEY, Calif. (UPI) -- Weight gained while taking a break in exercise routines may be hard to shed when exercise is resumed, a U.S. scientist warns. "The price to pay for quitting exercise is higher than expected, and this price may be an important factor in the obesity epidemic affecting Americans," Paul Williams of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory says in a statement. The study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, shows the key to keeping weight off is exercising "sufficiently and consistently." Williams compared 17,280 men and 5,970 women who decreased their running distance with 4,632 men and 1,953 women who increased their running distance over a 7.7-year period. Runners who decreased their distance from 5 to zero miles per week gained four times as much weight as those who decreased their distance from 25 to 20 miles per week. Williams also found that people who started running after an exercise layoff didn't't lose weight until their mileage exceeded 20 miles per week in men, and 10 miles per week in women. Copyright 2008 by United Press International

HERPES CONECTADO A COMPLICACIONES DEL EMBARAZO

Herpes linked to Pregnancy Complications
ADELAIDE, Australia (UPI) -- Exposure to viral infection -- especially herpes -- may be associated with pre-eclampsia and premature birth, an Australian study found. Researchers at the South Australian Cerebral Palsy Research Group at the University of Adelaide and the Women's and Children's Hospital discovered the presence of viral nucleic acid in heel-prick blood samples from 1,326 newborn babies, taken over a 10-year period. Study leader Alastair MacLennan said more than 400 of these babies were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. "This is an exciting finding and further studies are now required to look at the link between viral exposure in pregnancy and genetic susceptibility to adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as high blood pressure, premature delivery and cerebral palsy," MacLennan said in a statement. Pregnancy high blood pressure occurs in up to 10 percent of first pregnancies throughout the developed world and if left untreated, it can lead to uncontrolled epileptic fits of eclampsia with loss of baby and mother, MacLennan said. It is a common cause of maternal death in undeveloped countries.

The study is published in the British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International

YOU CAN LOWER THE RISK OF HYPERTENSION BY DRINKING FAT-FREE MILK

Fat-free milk may lower hypertension risk
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (UPI) -- Women who drank more fat-free milk and consumed more calcium and vitamin D -- not from supplements -- had a lower risk of hypertension, a U.S. study found. Researchers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., examined the diets of nearly 30,000 middle-aged and older women and found those who consumed more low-fat milk and milk products and had diets higher in calcium and vitamin D from foods were better protected against high blood pressure. Women who drank two or more servings of fat-free milk each day reduced their risk for high blood pressure by up to 10 percent compared to those who drank fat-free milk less than once a month. However, this did not appear to be true with higher-fat milk and milk products or calcium and vitamin D supplement users, the study said. In the last decade, there has been significant increases in uncontrolled high blood pressure in U.S. women, a condition that puts them at serious risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney failure. The study was published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International

EL AMOR ES BUENO PARA EL CORAZON, IGUAL AL CHOCOLATE!!!

Love is Good for the Heart, and so is Chocolate
NASHVILLE (UPI) -- Healthy, loving relationships do the heart good, but so do chocolate and wine, a U.S. cardiologist says. Dr. Julie Damp of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute says most people who are married or who are in close, healthy relationships tend to be less likely to smoke, are more physically active and are more likely to have a well-developed social structure -- and as a result have lower levels of stress and anxiety. "There is a theory -- unproven -- that people who are in loving relationships may experience neuro-hormonal changes that have positive effects on the body, including the cardiovascular system," Damp says in a statement. However, giving a box of dark chocolates and a bottle of red wine to your loved one -- or yourself -- won't hurt either, Damp says. Studies show both are good for the heart. Dark chocolate -- the darker the better -- contains flavonoids, antioxidants, which have positive effects on many different body systems including the cardiovascular system. Flavonoids are also present in red wine and moderate alcohol consumption -- not more than one drink a day for women and one to two for men -- is associated with lower rates of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International