Doctors who are exposed to techniques such as 'nudges' triple the number of prescriptions they write out, a new study has discovered.
Nudges and other techniques from the world of behavioural science are being built into software systems that doctors access when they are treating patients. Two common 'nudges' are reminders at the point when the doctor decides on the next steps and later when their prescribing levels are compared to those of other doctors.
The techniques are tripling the number of prescriptions being written, say researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.
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Abstract Title:
Effects of long-term low-dose formaldehyde exposure on global genomic hypomethylation in 16HBE cells.
Abstract Source:
Toxicol Lett. 2011 Sep 10 ;205(3):235-40. Epub 2011 Jul 1. PMID: 21745553
Abstract Author(s):
Qingcheng Liu, Linqing Yang, Chunmei Gong, Gonghua Tao, Haiyan Huang, Jianjun Liu, Huimin Zhang, Desheng Wu, Bo Xia, Gonghua Hu, Kunpeng Wang, Zhixiong Zhuang
Abstract:
Formaldehyde (FA), a volatile organic compound, is a ubiquitous air pollutant that is classified as 'Carcinogenic to humans (Group 1)' by IARC (2006). As a well-recognized human carcinogen, its carcinogenic mechanisms are still poorly understood. Previous studies have emphasized on genetic changes. However, little is known about the epigenetic mechanisms of FA exposure. In this study, We not only characterized the epigenomic response to long-term low-dose FA exposure in 16HBE cells, but also examined the expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and the methyl-CpG-binding protein DNA-binding domain protein 2 (MBD2). Each week the 16HBE cells were treated with 10μM FA for 24 h (h). After 24 weeks (W) of exposure to FA, the level of genomic DNA methylation gradually decreased in a time-related manner. Moreover, our results showed that FA exposure down-regulated the expression of DNMT3a and DNMT3b at both mRNA and protein level, and up-regulated the levels of DNMT1 and MBD2 at both mRNA and protein level. Our study indicated that long-term FA exposure could disrupt genomic DNA methylation, which may be one of the possible underlying carcinogenic mechanisms of FA.
Article Published Date : Sep 10, 2011
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The vegetable contains a molecule that nullifies a gene that plays a key role in the growth of most common cancers. The molecule—13C (indole-3-carbinol)—is also found in other cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, Brussels sprouts and kale.
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Abstract Title:
Role of therapeutic fasting in women's health: An overview.
Abstract Source:
J Midlife Health. 2016 Apr-Jun;7(2):61-4. PMID: 27499591
Abstract Author(s):
Pradeep M K Nair, Pranav G Khawale
Abstract:
Fasting is a therapeutic tool practiced since millennia by different cultures and medical systems heterogeneously. PubMed and Google Scholar search engines were searched using the keywords"fasting,""intermittent fasting,""calorie restriction,""women's health,""women's disorders,""fasting and aging,"and"fasting and health."All the animal and human studies which address women's health and disorders were included in the review. Fasting has shown to improve the reproductive and mental health. It also prevents as well as ameliorates cancers and musculoskeletal disorders which are common in middle-aged and elderly women. The present studies available have limitations such as majority of the studies are preclinical studies and human studies are with lesser sample size. Future studies should address this gap by designing medically supervised fasting techniques to extract better evidence. Nevertheless, fasting can be prescribed as a safe medical intervention as well as a lifestyle regimen which can improve women's health in many folds.
Article Published Date : Mar 31, 2016
