THE SPERM OF INTELLIGENT MEN IS BETTER!

The sperm of intelligent men is better!
The sperm of men would be far more intelligent mobile.

According to a study conducted by researchers from the University Of Delaware, London and New Mexico, stats that the men who are more intelligent, the more sperm they produce has good mobility, and this, whatever the age and state of health.

These results could be explained by the better lifestyle of people "smarter" and less likely to suffer heart disease or Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists believe that intelligent people have less stress, greater job security, a more balanced diet and a hard sport. Good to know when we know that almost one in five couples have difficulty conceiving a child.

Others believe that genes involving intelligence could also involve the quality of semen. Geoffrey Miller, a psychologist at the University of New Mexico, provides, however, that intelligence may be an indicator of the quality of genes of a person.

IMMUNE CELLS TO LIMIT SECONDARY DAMAGE FROM STROKE

Immune cells to limit secondary damage from stroke..
Immune cells to limit the secondary damage after a cerebral vascular accident (stroke) have been discovered by a research team which includes Dr. Serge Rivest, University Laval.

Experiments on mice show that three days after a stroke, the damaged area is larger than 20% when the regulatory T cells (Treg) were blocked.

In fact, after a stroke, several types of immune cells are sent to clean up the damaged area, but they can damage healthy cells in the brain, increasing the size of the affected region.

The Treg cells will somehow curb the enthusiasm of other immune cells, which will limit secondary damage, "says Serge Rivest. So researchers decided to modulate the activity of other immune cells without blocking.

In doing so, Treg cells may also help limit the effects due to a stroke, such as difficulty speaking or loss of motor functions.

Treg cells are produced in the bone marrow, small in quantity and migrate to the brain after stroke occurs. A cocktail of drugs to stimulate the production of these cells is already known, but the researcher says Quebec that this combination of molecules can affect other immune cells. "It's a double-edged sword" concedes there". "We must find a way of stimulating Treg cells only." If scientists can find a more precise method, treatment can be developed.

Begun three years ago in collaboration with German researchers, the research on Treg cells could help in the near future to limit secondary damage not only for stroke but also for most injuries to the brain, like concussion (Mild traumatic brain injury). This study results were published in the journal of "Nature Medicine".

New application for contact lenses: the recovery of the cornea

New application for contact lenses: the recovery of the cornea..
In addition to vision correction, contact lenses are being increasingly used for therapeutic applications.

A new use has been set up: Australian researchers have developed a new technique for reconstruction of the corneal epithelium using conventional contact lenses.

Lesions of the cornea can be treated with transplants or treatments based on stem cells. But the medical profession is facing a shortage of grafts and the use of treatment is also found to be complex.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales, supervised by Dr Nick Di Girolamo, have found a way to facilitate these procedures, the transfer of autologous stem cells (from the patient himself) by contact lenses.

Cells harvested in the conjunctiva (thin, transparent tissue which covers the outer surface of the eye) were grown on these lenses, which were then transferred onto the surface of the cornea in three patients for 10 days. Measurements from 8 to 13 months after the experiment showed the restoration of a stable and transparent epithelium from these three persons, without side effects. An improvement in visual acuity has been observed.

This simple non-invasive method requires no human or animal products, unlike other techniques, and therefore cancels the risk of rejection.

Inexpensive, it could be used primarily in developing countries. Moreover, using the patient's own cells, it does not pose any ethical problem.

REDUCE THE RISK OF STROKE

Reduce the risk of stroke

A major study just published in the Journal of Medicine, New England shows that the combination of two drugs reduced the risk of cerebral-vascular accident in patients with cardiac arrhythmias and this cannot be taken for oral anticoagulants because of bleeding.

These patients, mostly elderly, usually takes Coumadin and respond positively to treatment. But this drug causes bleeding in 50% of people suffering from heart palpitations and "atrial fibrillation".

For example, doctors were prescribing the aspirin to reduce the risk of stroke and paralysis.

The study conducted over a period of three and a half years has shown that the combination of aspirin and Plavix drug decreased by 28% the risk of stroke in these patients.

Dr. Christian Constance de Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital, Montreal, participated in this study. He describes this major discovery, since therapy will provide better, safer treatment to people.

Atrial fibrillation is the cardiac arrhythmia most frequently and this is characterized by the accumulation of blood in the upper chambers of the heart, for the formation of clots that can then pass into the bloodstream and cause a stroke.

Patients face five times more likely to have a stroke, and almost 15% of all cases of stroke identified.

Source: Canoe Health
Published in: Stroke, Medicine

EXERCISE and ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Alzheimer: the exercise slows brain atrophy, according to a study...
Patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease who do regular exercise showed less deterioration in areas of the brain that control memory, according to a study unveiled Sunday as part of an international conference on the disease of Alzheimer's, in Chicago.

Studies with magnetic resonance imaging showed that the practice of physical exercise has a positive effect on the region of the hippocampus, a brain area important for both memory for balance. In Alzheimer's disease, the hippocampus is one of the first parts of the brain to suffer damage.

We had already shown that exercise and good physical condition slow death of brain cells associated with aging among older adults in health. And a study published earlier this month indicated that exercise can help slow the brain atrophy in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Now, researchers at the University of Kansas, United States, have used magnetic resonance imaging and other tools to analyze how exercise affects the brains of people in the early stage of disease.

They found that there was, in these patients, "a significant relationship between the size of brain regions associated with memory and fitness _ to what is happening among older adults in health . Patients in better physical shape showed less atrophy of brain tissue, while those who were less physically fit showed more damage to the brain.

The study was funded by the U.S. Institutes on Aging and neurological disorders.

Physical Activity:
There are number of studies showing that exercise has a protective effect on the brain. Physical activity is also very important to the health of the brain.

"The moderate physical activity has a beneficial effect on the vascular system and can help to release growth factors in the brain. People who exercise enough are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. "

Tips
1. Make room for physical activity into your daily life.
2. Think "activity" and not "exercise."
3. Set your goals reasonable.
4. Choose activities that you enjoy.
5. Start by adding a little physical activity into your daily routine like walking to the store instead of driving. Walking is a safe and effective aerobic exercise.
6. Combine physical activity with social interaction whenever possible.
7. Discuss with your doctor the types of physical activities that might suit you, taking into account your health.

ANGIOPLASTY (PTCA, PCI)

Description:
Angioplasty is a technique used to reopen the arteries of the heart (coronary arteries) narrowed or blocked without resorting to major surgery. Practiced for the first time in 1977, angioplasty is now an intervention as common as bypass surgery. This technique is sometimes called percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Angio means that a "blood vessel of interest" and plasty means "repair ". Angioplasty can also be used in other parts of the body, typically to treat peripheral vascular disease.

Balloon Angioplasty

Preparation for intervention:
A person must be treated by angioplasty should not eat after midnight the day before angioplasty, but may drink clear liquids. Patients can usually continue to take their medication, provided first talking to their doctor. Those taking medications for "blood thinners" such as warfarin * must inform the doctor as it may be necessary to stop taking them five days before the intervention. Patients taking insulin may have to reduce the dose of insulin. It must also notify the doctor if you are allergic to iodine or shellfish, since the surgeon injects a dye-based iodine during angioplasty. Some blood tests are sometimes necessary preliminary before angioplasty. Smoking is prohibited for 24 hours before and after angioplasty, of course it is best to quit completely to ensure better results.

Intervention:
The patient who underwent angioplasty remains conscious, but he received a local anesthetic. Intervention is sometimes uncomfortable, but usually it is not painful. The surgeon a small incision in the groin or arm and inserts a flexible hollow tube (catheter) into a main artery. It then injects a substance contrast radiolabeled with iodine in the blood can easily observe the arteries to radiography, the X-ray machine that takes pictures every five seconds as the surgeon moves the catheter up the blocked artery. When the catheter reached the site of obstruction, the surgeon introduces the probe in the balloon catheter. When the probe reaches the balloon segment narrowed blood vessel, the surgeon inflates the balloon. The fat deposits are then compressed against the artery walls, thus increasing its diameter. The operation can last from 30 minutes to two hours.

New methods of angioplasty sometimes used in combination with the probe balloon:
1. The stents (also known as extenders or guardians) are small hollow metal tubes that can be inserted and deployed using the balloon to keep the artery open. Approximately 30% of those treated by an angioplasty balloon catheter to return to classic after less than six months to unblock the artery again because it has narrowed again (restenosis), where the balloon was inflated . The use of stents reduces this percentage by half. The establishment of a stent will soon be the standard treatment.

2. The drug-coated stents are stents that have undergone special treatment and which, once implemented and deployed, gradually release a drug into the arterial wall. They further reduce the risk of having to repeat the intervention and it is used particularly in subjects at risk of arterial restenosis after initial intervention.

3. The directional atherectomy is a technique in which the surgeon uses a miniature rotating blade to remove fat deposits and dispose of the body.

4. The rotational atherectomy allows spraying resistant fat deposits with a diamond tip drill.

5. The intracoronary radiation to irradiate the segment of the artery dilated with angioplasty balloon probe; studies have shown that this experimental technique decreases by 70% the risk of restenosis of the artery.

After intervention:
Most people are admitted to the hospital and their condition was monitored overnight after angioplasty. In general, they can go home early the next day. They must verify that there is no bleeding at the entry point of the catheter and absolutely contact the doctor if the wound is bleeding, is purulent or discolored, or if they experience chest pain or entry point of the catheter. The patient should avoid any efforts for a week. Patients who received a stent usually have to take another medication to "thin" the blood called clopidogrel plus acetylsalicylic acid at least during the first months to prevent clots from forming on the metal stent. It may also be preferable to postpone dental care because of the risk of endocarditis.

Angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery?
The bypass is an effective but more invasive to restore blood flow to the heart It usually stop heartbeat and cooling of the heart, the patient being kept alive with a heart-lung machine . It must also take segments of vein usually in one or both legs which serve as grafts for bypass.

Angioplasty offers the advantage of restoring normal caliber of the artery without the need for a large surgery. In contrast, angioplasty involves a risk of restenosis. This means that the artery becomes blocked again by the formation of scar tissue and possibly new plates. If resistant angioplasty restenosis six months, there are good chances that the results are permanent, but the risk of restenosis is significantly greater after angioplasty and after CABG.

For against, angioplasty allows patients to receive other treatments later. When the artery clogging again after CABG, the number of venous or arterial segments is sometimes insufficient to take a second graft. In addition, a second angioplasty results in a less severe trauma to the body a second open heart operation.

Sometimes the circumstances require a choice. For example, people who have many serious blockages, a diffuse disease, particularly if they are diabetic, may have advantage to bypass surgery. Moreover, in most hospitals, it does not perform angioplasty in patients with several major arteries are blocked. Indeed, during angioplasty, the artery is completely blocked on a temporary basis when the balloon is inflated. If other arteries are blocked, the patient may suffer a heart attack. In patients aged over 80 or suffering from another serious condition, an open heart operation may be too severe trauma. Therefore, in such cases, angioplasty may be a better choice, regardless of the number of blocked arteries.

Complications:
Angioplasty is a procedure safer than bypass surgery. Fewer than one in 100 dies from complications of angioplasty. As for serious non-fatal complications, they occur in 1% to 5% of patients. These complications include:

1) A tear in the lining of the artery causing an obstruction and a total risk of heart attack - the device can usually repair this tear
2) A stroke caused by a clot that dislodges while the catheter is inside the body
3) Bleeding or bruising (blue)
4) Renal complications, particularly among people who suffer from kidney disease and diabetes, and this complication is caused by the substance-based contrast iodine used for radiography. You can administer fluids and medications intravenously before and during surgery to reduce this risk.