Face-to-face, a human and a chimpanzee are easy to tell apart. The two species share a common primate ancestor, but over millions of years, their characteristics have morphed into easily distinguishable features. Chimps developed prominent brow ridges, flat noses, low-crowned heads and protruding muzzles. Human noses jut from relatively flat faces under high-domed crowns.
Those facial features diverged with the help of genetic parasites, mobile bits of genetic material that insert themselves into their hosts’ DNA. These parasites go by many names, including “jumping genes,” “transposable elements” and “transposons.” Some are relics of former viruses assimilated into a host’s genome, or genetic instruction book. Others are self-perpetuating pieces of genetic material whose origins are shrouded in the mists of time. Read Article: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/jumping-genes-play-big-role-what-makes-us-human There's a rich body of evidence that links chocolate to heart health.
Now comes a new study that finds people who consume small amounts of chocolate each week have a lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a heart condition characterized by a rapid or irregular heartbeat. "The rate of atrial fibrillation was 20 percent lower for people consuming two to six servings [of chocolate] per week" compared with people who ate chocolate less than once per month, explains study author Elizabeth Mostofsky, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The findings are published in the journal BMJ Heart. Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, can increase the risk of heart failure, stroke and cognitive impairment. It affects over 33 million people around the globe, and an estimated 25 percent of adults will develop the condition during their lifetime, according to an editorial published alongside the paper. Read Article: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/05/24/529843647/eating-chocolate-a-little-each-week-may-lower-the-risk-of-a-heart-flutter A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, helps your doctor find out how well your heart handles its workload. As your body works harder during the test, it requires more fuel and your heart has to pump more blood. The test can show if there’s a lack of blood supply through the arteries that go to the heart. Taking a stress test also helps your doctor know the kind and level of physical activity that’s right for you.
Taking a stress test also helps your doctor know the kind and level of physical activity that’s right for you. Read Article: https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_300453.pdf Common cardiovascular conditionsRheumatic heart disease
Rheumatic heart disease is caused by one or more attacks of rheumatic fever, which then do damage to the heart, particularly the heart valves. Rheumatic fever usually occurs in childhood, and may follow a streptococcal infection. In some cases, the infection affects the heart and may result in scarring the valves, weakening the heart muscle, or damaging the sac enclosing the heart. The valves are sometimes scarred so they do not open and close normally. Hypertensive heart disease High blood pressure of unknown origin (primary hypertension) or caused by (secondary hypertension) certain specific diseases or infections, such as tumor in the adrenal glands, damage to or disease of the kidneys or their blood vessels. High blood pressure may overburden the heart and blood vessels and cause disease. Ischemic heart disease Heart ailments caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries and therefore a decreased blood supply to the heart. Cerebrovascular disease Disease pertaining to the blood vessels in the brain. A cerebrovascular accident or stroke is the result of an impeded blood supply to some part of the brain. Inflammatory heart disease Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), the membrane sac (pericarditis) which surround the heart, the inner lining of the heart (endocarditis) or the myocardium (heart muscle). Inflammation may be caused by known toxic or infectious agents or by an unknown origin. Read Article: http://www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/heart-disease/different-heart-diseases/ Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It helps cut your chances of getting heart disease. It's good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, energy level, and mood, too.
If you're not active now, check in with your doctor before you start. She’ll let you know what you can do safely. If you take any prescription medicines, ask her if you need to adjust them when you start exercising. How Often and How Long Should I Exercise?If you're not active now, gradually work up to an aerobic session of about 20 to 30 minutes, at least three or four times a week. While the more exercise you can do, the better, any amount is good for you. What Type of Exercise Should I Do?Anything that makes your heart beat a bit faster counts. Think about what you need. For instance, if you're looking for something easy on your joints, consider walking and swimming. Read Entire Article: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-disease-prevention-exercise#1 A fascinating article about a new technology which uses modified bacteria to find buried landmines.5/22/2017
Landmines are explosive wartime weapons. People bury them or leave them on the ground for their enemies to step on or drive over. Yet once peacetime arrives, some of these buried bombs may remain behind. They’re often in empty fields, where they can maim or kill innocent civilians. But a new technology can make it easy to find landmines — even from a safe distance. And this might let bomb crews disarm these weapons before someone gets hurt.
Read Article: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/tweaked-germs-glow-pinpoint-buried-landmines Eating a heart-healthy diet pays big benefits, like better cholesterol and blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and weight.
Surprise: Eating this way can taste good! While most diets tell you what you can't eat, it's more powerful to focus on what you can eat. Take these nuggets of nutrition wisdom to heart:
For many residents entering their fellowship training, burnout has become an unfortunate and, sometimes, unavoidable reality. The cardiology specialty presents its own unique challenges apart from those experienced in internal medicine residency – stressors that can leave even the most confident individual needing more time to unwind and regroup. Physicians suffering from burnout are less likely to deliver compassionate care, becoming desensitized to patient care as work-related stress increases. With burnout also comes emotional exhaustion and less feeling of accomplishment, making for a less productive workplace and reduced patient satisfaction, according to a recent post on the Health Affairs Blog.
Read Article: https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2016/05/20/07/50/from-burnout-to-a-brighter-future-providing-hope-for-fitshttps://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2016/05/20/07/50/from-burnout-to-a-brighter-future-providing-hope-for-fits Eating for the sake of pleasure, rather than survival, is nothing new. But only in the past several years have researchers come to understand deeply how certain foods—particularly fats and sweets—actually change brain chemistry in a way that drives some people to overconsume.
Scientists have a relatively new name for such cravings: hedonic hunger, a powerful desire for food in the absence of any need for it; the yearning we experience when our stomach is full but our brain is still ravenous. And a growing number of experts now argue that hedonic hunger is one of the primary contributors to surging obesity rates in developed countries worldwide, particularly in the U.S., where scrumptious desserts and mouthwatering junk foods are cheap and plentiful. Read Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-sugar-and-fat-trick-the-brain-into-wanting-more-food/?utm_content=buffer88f70&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer A wearable robot could prevent future falls among those prone to stumbles.
The new exoskeleton packs motors on a user’s hips and can sense blips in balance. In a small trial, the pelvic robot performed well in sensing and averting wearers’ slips, researchers report May 11 in Scientific Reports. Exoskeletons have the potential to help stroke victims and people with spinal cord injuries walk again (SN: 11/16/13, p. 22) — and even kick soccer goals (SN Online: 6/12/14). But this new model focuses on a more ordinary aspect of the human condition: falling on your face or your rear. “Exoskeletons could really help in this case,” says study coauthor Silvestro Micera, an engineer at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. Most exoskeletons guide the movement of the wearer, forcing the person to walk in a particular way. But the new pelvic device allows the user to walk normally and reacts only when it needs to. A computer algorithm measures changes in a wearer’s hip joint angles to detect the altered posture that goes along with slipping. The robot then uses its motors to push the hips back into their natural position to, hopefully, prevent a fall. Read Article: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/new-pelvic-exoskeleton-stops-people-taking-tumbles |
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