Two simple tests—smelling and drawing—could help detect Parkinson’s disease earlier.
A US study published in the journal Neurology suggests that a simple scratch-and-sniff test could potentially identify people who are at an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease up to 10 years before diagnosis.
The researchers asked 2,462 participants with an average age of 75 to smell 12 common odours including cinnamon, lemon, gasoline, soap and onion.
They were then divided into three groups—poor, medium and good sense of smell—and followed for more than a decade.
During the study, 42 people developed Parkinson’s.
People with poor sense of smell were nearly five times more likely to develop the disease than people with a good sense of smell. The association was stronger in men than women.
Of the 764 people with a poor sense of smell, 26 people developed Parkinson’s compared to just seven of the 835 people with a good sense of smell and nine of the 863 people with a medium sense of smell.
"Evidence suggests olfactory [sense of smell] impairment may develop years prior to the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and dementia, the so-called neurodegenerative diseases that we are yet to find a cure for," the study author said. “More research is needed before the smell test can be used as a screening tool for Parkinson’s, but we are definitely on to something and our goal now is to better characterise populations that are at higher risk for the disease and to identify other factors involved.”
Australian researchers report in Frontiers in Neurology that a test that involves drawing a spiral on a sheet of paper could help detect Parkinson’s disease even when there are no physical symptoms.
By analysing the time taken to draw the spiral and how hard the participants pressed on the paper with the pen, the researchers could identify those who had the disease and also the severity of the disease.
Using a specialised software and a tablet computer, the researchers measured pen speed and pressure during a simple spiral sketching task in 28 healthy volunteers and 27 Parkinson's patients with different levels of disease severity. The test has a 93 per cent accuracy rate.
"This simple device can be used by community doctors for routine screening of their patients every few years after the patients are above middle-age," said Poonam Zham, one of the researchers.
Treat reflux with diet
A mostly plant-based Mediterranean style diet could ease acid reflux symptoms as effectively as medication, a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery suggests.
The study focused on laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), a condition in which acid made in the stomach travels up the oesophagus to the throat, and causes symptoms such as hoarseness, sore throat, persistent coughing, difficulty swallowing, need to clear the throat and a sensation of a lump in the throat.
LPRs are often treated with heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Recent studies have linked prolonged PPI use to an increased risk of heart attack, kidney disease, dementia and bone fractures.
The researchers compared 85 people with LPR who were treated with PPIs and 99 people with LPR who were advised to follow a Mediterranean diet—eating mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts and limiting meat and dairy intake. They were also asked to drink alkaline water, which can neutralise excess acid, and avoid reflux triggers such as alcohol, coffee, tea, chocolate, soda and fried, spicy and fatty food.
After six weeks, 63 per cent of patients on the diet showed at least a 6-point drop on a reflux symptom index scale compared with 54 per cent of PPI patients.
As an added bonus, patients in the diet group also lost about 4kg, on average.
“This approach may effectively improve symptoms and could avoid the costs and adverse effects of pharmacological intervention as well as afford the additional health benefits associated with a healthy, plant-based diet,” the study concluded.
Did You Know
Dogs can help people sleep better, but make sure you share only the room and not the bed.
Mayo Clinic Proceedings
The tall at risk
Your height could predict your risk of blood clots. According to a Swedish study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, taller people are more susceptible to venous thromboembolism (VTE), a condition that causes blood clots in the veins.
The link between VTE and physical height was assessed in 27,04,212 Swedish siblings (both men and women) without VTE at the start of the study.
The risk for blood clots was lowest among the shortest people, and increased with height.
Men who are shorter than 5’3” had a 65 per cent lower risk of VTE when compared to men who are 6’2” or taller.
Among women, those shorter than 5’1” had a 69 per cent reduced risk of VTE compared to women 6 feet or taller.
While the exact reason for the association is not clear, the researchers hypothesise that gravity could be the reason. "It could just be that because taller individuals have longer leg veins there is more surface area where problems can occur. There is also more gravitational pressure in leg veins of taller persons that can increase the risk of blood flow slowing or temporarily stopping.”
In ten seconds
Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin in the US have invented a pen-like device that can accurately identify cancerous tissue, during surgery, in about 10 seconds, potentially improving treatment, reducing the need for repeat surgeries and chances of cancer recurrence.
Distinguishing between healthy and cancerous tissue can often be challenging during surgery and cancer remnants may be left behind.
The new MasSpec Pen delivers results in real time within seconds, more than 150 times as fast as existing technology, allowing surgeons to remove all the cancerous tissue surrounding the tumour while leaving the healthy tissue intact.
The pen was tested on tissues removed from 253 cancer patients and had more than 96 per cent accuracy.
The pen is held against the patient’s tissue during surgery. It releases a drop of water that rests on the tissue for about three seconds and extracts tiny molecules from the tissue.
The pen is connected to a mass spectrometer, a device that analyses the chemical and mass composition of molecules.
"Cancer cells have dysregulated metabolism as they're growing out of control. Because the metabolites in cancer and normal cells are so different, we extract and analyse them with the MasSpec Pen to obtain a molecular fingerprint of the tissue. What is incredible is that through this simple and gentle chemical process, the MasSpec Pen rapidly provides diagnostic molecular information without causing tissue damage.”
The molecular fingerprint obtained by the MasSpec Pen is instantly analysed by a software, and the words “Normal” or “Cancer” appear on a computer screen within seconds.
“Any time we can offer the patient a more precise surgery, a quicker surgery or a safer surgery, that’s something we want to do. This technology does all three. It allows us to be much more precise in what tissue we remove and what we leave behind.”
“If you talk to cancer patients after surgery, one of the first things many will say is ‘I hope the surgeon got all the cancer out. It’s just heartbreaking when that’s not the case. But our technology could vastly improve the odds that surgeons really do remove every last trace of cancer during surgery.”
The researchers hope to start using the pen in cancer surgeries starting next year.
The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine.
Did You Know
About 70 per cent of a driver’s time behind the wheel is spent mind-wandering.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Tips to prevent colon cancer
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer globally, and the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths. But nearly half of the cases of this deadly disease can be prevented by changing the diet and lifestyle.
The American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund have issued new cancer prevention guidelines after reviewing data on diet, weight, and physical activity of 29 million people of whom 2,47,000 developed colorectal cancer.
Daily consumption of whole grains and regular exercise is at the top of the list, as well as limiting or avoiding processed meat and alcohol.
Three daily servings (85gm) of whole grains such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread can lower the risk of colorectal cancer by 17 per cent.
Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fish and food containing vitamins C and D also appeared to lower the risk. Daily physical activity—at least 30 minutes a day, and sitting less—also lowered the risk.
On the other hand, eating more than 500 grams of cooked red meat such as pork, beef, or lamb every week; consuming two or more alcoholic drinks (above 30gm) daily; as well as being overweight or obese increased the odds of colon cancer risk.
Processed meat such as ham, hot dogs and bacon also increased the risk.
“The extensive review of the scientific literature revealed that colorectal cancer is largely preventable through a healthy diet and lifestyle. Maintaining a healthy body weight, physical activity, a healthy diet, and avoiding smoking and high alcohol intake all contribute to lower risk of colorectal cancer," noted a panel member of the report.
Walk every half hour
Too much sitting can be deadly, even if you exercise regularly! But walking around every 30 minutes can reduce the risk.
According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, it is not just the total hours spent sitting, but also the time you sit at a stretch that can affect the risk of early death.
The researchers tracked the activity levels of 7,985 adults, aged 45 and older, for a week using hip-mounted accelerometers.
On average, the participants spent more than 12 hours a day sitting; 340 of the participants died over a median follow-up period of four years.
The participants' risk of death increased relative to their total sitting time and uninterrupted sitting bouts regardless of sex, age, race, body mass index and exercise habits.
Those who spent more than 13 hours a day sitting and who frequently had uninterrupted sitting bouts of at least 60 to 90 consecutive minutes had nearly twice the risk of dying compared with those who had the least total sedentary time and the shortest sedentary bouts.
Participants who sat less than 30 minutes at a stretch had the lowest risk of death.
“So if you have a job or lifestyle where you have to sit for prolonged periods of time, we suggest taking a movement break every half hour. This one behaviour change could reduce your risk of death, although we don’t yet know precisely how much activity is optimal,” the study author suggested.
Right praise
Kids who are told they are smart (as opposed to praising their effort on a specific task) are more likely to cheat, according to a pair of international studies.
Praising the person, and not the effort, can also undermine their motivation to achieve.
For the first study published in Psychological Science, 300 three and five-year-olds were asked to play a guessing game using number cards.
When they did well, they were praised in one of two ways: they were praised for being smart ("You are so smart."), or praised for their effort or performance ("You did very well this time.").
The researchers then left the room after asking the children to continue playing, and getting them to promise not to cheat by peeking at the answers. The kids’ activities were monitored by a hidden camera.
In both age groups, kids who had been praised for being smart were more likely to act dishonestly than the ones praised for their specific performance. The results were the same for boys and girls.
In the second study published in Developmental Science, the kids who were told they had a reputation for being smart were more likely to cheat.
“When children are praised for being smart or are told that they have reputation for it, they feel pressure to perform well in order to live up to others’ expectations, even if they need to cheat to do so.”
“We want to encourage children. We want them to feel good about themselves. But these studies show we must learn to give children the right kinds of praise, such as praising specific behaviour. Only in this way will praise have the intended positive outcomes,” the study co-author noted.
Women's loss
A British study published in the BMJ Open finds that women living with a partner are more than twice as likely to lose sexual interest compared with men.
The study surveyed 4,839 men and 6,669 women, aged 16 to 74 years, who had been living with a partner for at least a year.
More than 34 per cent of the women said that they lost interest in sex, compared with 15 per cent of the men. Half of these people (62 per cent of women and 53 per cent of men) reported feeling distressed by their lack of sexual desire.
Poor mental and physical health, age, having had a sexually transmitted infection in the previous year, experiencing non-consensual sex and lack of emotional connection during sex were all factors for dwindling sexual interest for both men and women.
Some factors were only applicable to women: having three or more partners in the past year, having young children in the house, not sharing the same sexual likes and dislikes as their partner and lacking sexual competence at first encounter all contributed to women’s loss of sexual interest.
But communication helps. For both men and women, those who were able to talk freely about sex with their partners were less likely to report lacking sexual interest.
“For women in particular, the experience of sexual interest appears strongly linked with their perceptions of the quality of their relationships, their communication with partners and their expectations/attitudes about sex.”
"Our findings show us the importance of the relational context in understanding low sexual interest in both men and women. For women in particular, the quality and length of relationship and communication with their partners are important in their experience of sexual interest. It highlights the need to assess and—if necessary—treat sexual interest problems in a holistic and relationship-, as well as gender-specific way," the study author noted.
Did You Know
Writing down your fears and feelings may help you perform a stressful task more efficiently.
Psychophysiology
The mark of poison
Sindoor may contain unsafe levels of lead.
The US study published in the American Journal of Public Health tested 118 sindoor samples; 95 samples came from South Asian stores in New Jersey and 23 from stores in Mumbai and New Delhi.
About 80 per cent of the samples had some level of lead; 83 per cent of the US samples and 78 per cent of the Indian samples had at least one or more micrograms of lead per gram of powder.
About one third of the samples—19 per cent of the US samples and 43 per cent of the Indian samples—contained lead levels above the limit set by the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA’s limit for lead in cosmetics is 20 micrograms per gram. Five samples contained more than 10,000 micrograms of lead.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to high levels of lead can cause anaemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Since lead can cross the placental barrier, pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child, which can damage the growing baby’s nervous system and affect their behaviour and intelligence. Lead exposure can also cause miscarriage, stillbirths and infertility in men and women.
Did You Know
Bald men are perceived as more confident, more masculine, dominant, stronger and taller.
Social Psychological and Personality Science
Vaping bad for heart
E-cigarettes with nicotine can cause arterial stiffness, which is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. E-cigarettes are often considered harmless and its usage has increased dramatically.
But according to this Swedish study presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress, “There was a significant increase in heart rate and blood pressure in the volunteers who were exposed to e-cigarettes containing nicotine. Arterial stiffness increased around three-fold in those who were exposed to nicotine containing e-cigarettes compared to the nicotine-free group."
The study recruited 15 young, healthy adults. They were seldom smokers (smoked only about 10 cigarettes a month) and had never smoked e-cigarettes.
They were randomly assigned to use e-cigarettes with nicotine for 30 minutes on one day and e-cigarettes without nicotine on another. The researchers measured blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness right after using the e-cigarettes, and then two and four hours later.
In the first half-hour after using e-cigarettes containing nicotine, blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness increased significantly, but similar changes were not seen after the volunteers used e-cigarettes without nicotine.
While the increase in arterial stiffness was temporary, continued exposure can cause a permanent increase in arterial stiffness.
"We think that chronic exposure to e-cigarettes with nicotine may lead to stiffer arteries and, in the long run, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,"the lead author added.
Blood group and heart health
Your blood group may affect your heart health.
According to a study from Netherlands presented at Heart Failure 2017, people who have a non-O blood group have a higher risk of heart attacks.
The study assessed the association between blood groups and all coronary events, combined cardiovascular events, and fatal coronary events in 1.3 million adults across nine studies.
There were a total of 23,154 cardiovascular events; 7,71,113 people had a non-O blood group and 5,19,743 had an O blood group. Those with a non-O blood group had a 9 per cent increased risk of coronary events and a 9 per cent increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially heart attack.
The researchers speculate that the higher risk for cardiovascular events in non-O blood group carriers may be due to having greater concentrations of a blood clotting protein called von Willebrand factor.
"In future, blood group should be considered in risk assessment for cardiovascular prevention, together with cholesterol, age, sex and systolic blood pressure. It could be that people with an A blood group should have a lower treatment threshold for dyslipidaemia or hypertension, for example. We need further studies to validate if the excess cardiovascular risk in non-O blood group carriers may be amenable to treatment," the lead researcher noted.
CONTRIBUTOR: SHYLA JOVITHA ABRAHAM
