In the cognitive sciences, the capacity to interpret the intentions of others is called “Theory of Mind” (ToM). This faculty is involved in the understanding of language, in particular by bridging the gap between the meaning of the words that make up a statement and the meaning of the statement as a whole. In recent years, researchers have identified the neural network dedicated to ToM, but no one had yet demonstrated that this set of neurons is specifically activated by the process of understanding of an utterance. This has now been accomplished: researchers have shown that the activation of the ToM neural network increases when an individual is reacting to ironic statements. The findings represent an important breakthrough in the study of Theory of Mind and linguistics, shedding light on the mechanisms involved in interpersonal communication. read more..
Wednesday 5 September 2012
Cognitive Sciences-Theory Of Mind-Neural Network-Understanding
Thursday 23 August 2012
Neutralizing Antibodies-Protective Immunity-HIV
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Biomed Middle East: "New research shows that protective immunity against HIV can be achieved without the presence of virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood. The study, published by Cell Press in the February issue of the journal Immunity, demonstrates that a vaccine which stimulates production of specific anti-HIV antibodies in the vaginal tissue was sufficient to protect monkeys from exposure to live virus. The results may also help to explain why a few individuals who lack anti-HIV antibodies in the blood are able to resist infection, even when they are repeatedly exposed to HIV. ..."We may have been able to recapitulate in a vaccine what a few individuals do naturally." read more..
Saturday 11 August 2012
Working Mothers Breastfeed-Ghanaian Chronicle-Post Natal Stress-Maternity Leave
[Ghanaian Chronicle]Tamale -The Chronicle has learned that several female workers in both the public and private sectors in the Tamale Metropolis often lose their jobs after going on maternity leave, following their inability to manage their work and the children at the same time. read more..
Uganda: Can Working Mothers Breastfeed Exclusively?
[New Vision]Breastfeeding, especially when done exclusively for the first six months, helps babies develop immunity against many diseases. Unfortunately, work prevents many mothers from exclusively breastfeeding their babies, writes Agnes Kyotalengerire read more..
Weight Loss Success Stories-Weight Loss Success Story-Motivation To Lose Weight
Do you love a good Weight Loss Success story as much as we do? Check out the before and after pics of these big losers: http://ow.ly/cR3Jc
Before & After: Weight Loss Success Stories | Fitbie
Need inspiration and motivation to lose weight? Read weight loss success stories with before and after pictures from Fitbie read more..
Thursday 9 August 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial-Drug Manufacturers-Sexual Behavior-Drug Trials
When a PrEP trial produces poor results, the reaction is often to point the finger at the patient: they didn't take the drugs regularly, 'adherence' was low, etc. The irony of this is that people thought of as good candidates for PrEP are often those who have not successfully modified their Sexual Behavior, or have shown themselves unwilling to do so. If they will not or can not modify their sexual behavior, why would they be more willing or able to modify their drug taking behavior?
Some drug trial reports parcel up the high achievers and exclude the low and medium achievers and call it a 'sub-study' or something similar. But the point of a randomized controlled trial is to make it clear what kind of result can be expected of people taking part, not what kind of result can be expected if everyone behaved as drug manufacturers would wish them to. Given that people don't behave in real life as they do during drug trials, the results for strategies such as PrEP so far have been somewhat encouraging, but not good enough to roll out the strategy.
Even with PrEP, people are encouraged to engage in safe sex, to limit their number of partners, to use condoms, etc. If they can't or won't do some or all of those things, PrEP will not be very effective; but it may not have any positive impact at all. Those behind the trials and those producing the drugs are anxious to portray the strategy as tested and proven, but it is most definitely not, not yet anyhow. One of the main exponents of the strategy tries to persuade us that PrEP is the way to go, but some of his readers are clearly not convinced. And the opposing case raises additional concerns about PrEP, referring to the strategy as 'grasping at straws'.
In countries where HIV prevalence is very high and transmission is highest among low (sexual) risk groups, those engaging in heterosexual sex with one HIV negative partner, PrEP is not going to be feasible. Those who face the lowest risk, but are paradoxically the highest risk group in Modes of Transmission Surveys, are unlikely to be targeted by a PrEP campaign.
And given that the majority of HIV positive people in need of treatment are still not receiving it due to cost, infrastructure, political and other reasons, it would be odd to offer the same drugs to people who are still HIV negative. It would seem far better to establish what exactly the risks are and address those risks before throwing yet more drugs at the problem. But PrEP is the way to go if you want to sell lots of drugs to healthy people; if that doesn't work, you'll then have lots of sick people to sell even more drugs to.Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves putting HIV negative people on antiretroviral drugs (ARV) with the aim of protecting them from HIV infection. read more..
Wednesday 8 August 2012
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment-Morphological Transformations-Integrative Research Program
If you're looking for information on the evolution and function of jaws, a new integrative research program has some answers. Scientists are investigating major adaptive and morphological transformations in the mammalian musculoskeletal system during development and across higher-level groups. read more..
Orbiter images NASA's latest additions to Martian landscape
Late Monday night, an image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Curiosity rover and the components that helped it survive its seven-minute ordeal from space to its present location in Mars' Gale Crater. read more..
Planting the seeds of defense: Stress triggers widespread epigenetic changes that aid in disease resistance
It was long thought that methylation, a crucial part of normal organism development, was a static modification of DNA that could not be altered by environmental conditions. New findings, however, suggest that the DNA of organisms exposed to Stress undergo changes in DNA methylation patterns that alter how genes are regulated. read more..
Canadian Medical Association Journal-University Of British Columbia-Learning Disability
Overcoming a learning disability to become a Physician will actually help in being compassionate toward patients, writes a Medical Student of his struggle with a severe reading disability in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Daniel Heffner, a medical student at the University Of British Columbia who will graduate in 2013, has struggled with a severe reading disability that caused laborious reading and poor marks in school until he was diagnosed at age 12. His diagnosis allowed him to realize he could succeed, and he applied himself to overcoming his disability... read more..