Photo: tourist_on_earth/Flickr CC
U. of Haifa scientists have found that LAN, or “light at night,” suppresses the secretion of melatonin in mice, which leads to rises in certain cancers.
This comes as more bad news to people finding themselves forced by Agenda 21-inspired urbanization schemes into dense cities that never sleep, where streetlights and other sources of artificial ambient light crash in through apartment windows.
From U. of Haifa announcement, today:
Earlier studies in which Prof. Haim has participated at the University of Haifa, have shown that people living in areas that have more night-time illumination are more susceptible to prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. The researchers’ hypothesis was that LAN harms production of melatonin, a hormone that is released from the pineal gland during the dark part of the 24h cycle and which is linked to the body’s cyclical night-day activity and seasonality. When this hormone is suppressed, the occurrence of cancer rises.
via Connection Between Light at Night LAN and Cancer Revealed.
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Orwell advises against using the vague language found in the Independent’s story about the dead MI6 guy, saying Gareth Williams worked for an MI6 division that “eavesdrops on global communications.”
Better to have said “international calls and email messages,” or “between the UK and other countries.” “Global,” though often used, is so vague as to be meaningless.
The Independent (link and excerpt, below) also seems in a hurry to shoot down, based on no evidence either way, any suggestion the agent’s murder might be work-related:
The reality, however, is likely to be more mundane. Sources within the murder inquiry led by the Metropolitan Police’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command insisted that “the suggestion there are terrorism or national security links to this case is pretty low down the list of probabilities”. They are believed to be concentrating on Mr Williams’ private life.
via Mystery of the MI6 man who was found dead in his bath – Crime, UK – The Independent.
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Christopher Knowles at the Secret Sun reminds us this week that Mel Gibson’s crazed dad — a reputed Holocaust denier and darling of white nationalist broadcasters — deserves much of the credit for creating Hollywood’s favorite real-life monster.
Knowles calls upon his own experiences, as well, to make the case:
I very much doubt that growing up with a guy like Hutton as your father made for a lot of smiles and sunshine. I wouldn’t be surprised if that belt didn’t come off at the slightest possible infraction. Growing up in a neighborhood with a lot of people raised in the pre-Vatican II church, I got to know the mentality.
via The Secret Sun: Mel-ennium, or The Real Passion.
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Photo: Eric Lewis/Flickr CC
It might be time to throw out your Tylenol. Consider: filthy manufacturing facilities, mounting evidence of disease and overdose risk from the drug, and viable alternatives for pain reduction… MB
Asthma and other diseases are far more likely to occur in kids who get even a single dose of acetaminophen per month, a study finds:
There was a significant association between acetaminophen use and risk of asthma and eczema. For medium users the risk of asthma 43 percent higher than non-users; high users had 2.51 times the risk of non-users. Similarly, the risk of rhinoconjunctivitis allergic nasal congestion was 38 percent higher for medium users and 2.39 times as great for high users compared to non-users. For eczema, the relative risks were 31 percent and 99 percent respectively.
It’s not a causal link, the authors note. But it is a strong association.
via Acetaminophen Use in Adolescents Linked to Doubled Risk of Asthma.
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From my Boston Globe column this week, a hunting cam to mind those gun toting meth heads creeping onto your compound…
Strapped to a fencepost or to a tree, the half-pound OutbackCam might deter prowlers. But it is not a surveillance camera. It does not transmit live images back to your PC, for example.
But gun-toting mountain meth heads are only part of the region’s wildlife that Bob hopes to study.
The OutbackCam (about $150) should also help him understand the habits of the nocturnal creatures living on his property: It stamps each still frame with the date, time, and moon phase.
via For peaceful living, a rugged watchdog – The Boston Globe.
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The Amphibx Waterproof Armband provides a fully integrated, wearable water sports music solution. It’s shaped to hug your upper arm firmly and comfortably while you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing around water. Go on, submerse it up to 12 feet – it’s 100% waterproof with its secure seal. The ClearTouch window enables full access to your touchscreen or click wheel. And if for some reason, it should come off your arm in a shark attack, maybe? the Amphibx will float to the surface, even if your big clunky iPod Classic is inside. Just remember, kids: you need waterproof earbuds to go with your waterproof armband. Submersing regular earbuds will result in unpleasant and possibly deadly sensations. Play safe with electricity!
via ThinkGeek :: Waterproof iPhone Armband.
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Photo: Joseph Leonardo/Flickr CC
TNF, the protein linked to all sorts of age-related physical ailments, is suppressed by resveratrol –found in red wine and other foods — a study finds:
The study, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, finds blood samples from those who took resveratrol showed suppression of the inflammatory protein tumor necrosis factor, which causes insulin resistance and the risk of developing diabetes. Blood samples from those who received the placebo showed no change in the pro-inflammatory markers.
via Resveratrol may suppress inflammation – UPI.com.
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Another week brings fresh evidence that for some THC will prove to be “God’s own medicine”:
Our results show that both Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the most abundant and potent cannabinoid in marijuana, and JWH-133, a non-psychotropic CB2 receptor-selective agonist, reduce tumor growth, tumor number, and the amount/severity of lung metastases in MMTV-neu mice. Histological analyses of the tumors revealed that cannabinoids inhibit cancer cell proliferation, induce cancer cell apoptosis, and impair tumor angiogenesis. Cannabinoid antitumoral action relies, at least partially, on the inhibition of the pro-tumorigenic Akt pathway. We also found that 91% of ErbB2-positive tumors express the non-psychotropic cannabinoid receptor CB2.
via Abstract | Cannabinoids reduce ErbB2-driven breast cancer progression through Akt inhibition.
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Photo: Giselle Giardino/Flickr CC
Here’s one for all of us who find religion every time we’re worried about our health:
As it turns out, for improving health, prayer might work, after all.
The key, according to Indiana researchers, is PIP — proximate intercessory prayer (PIP). That means the persona praying, and the “target” of those prayers, must be near to one another.
I’d like to see a followup on prayers made via live audio and video connections…
Rural Mozambican subjects exhibited improved audition and/or visual acuity subsequent to PIP. The magnitude of measured effects exceeds that reported in previous suggestion and hypnosis studies. Future study seems warranted to assess whether PIP may be a useful adjunct to standard medical care for certain patients with auditory and/or visual impairments, especially in contexts where access to conventional treatment is limited.
via Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Proximal Intercessory Pr… : Southern Medical Journal.
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Photo: James Vaughan/Flickr CC
Stress is bad, unless it’s sex that’s stressing your body.
That’s good stress.
LiveScience reports that scientists believe the effects of stress hormones on the brain “can be overridden if whatever experiences triggered them were pleasant.”
Details from an un-sexy Princeton rat study:
Rodents that only saw females once in two weeks had elevated levels of stress hormones, while the rats that had regular access showed no increase in the hormones. Sexually experienced rodents also proved less anxious than virgins, in that they were quicker to chomp down on food in unfamiliar environs.
via Sex Boosts Brain Growth, Study Suggests | Rat Sex | LiveScience.
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