Same-Sex Heart Transplants Found to be Better

A new research has found that heart transplant patients have better chances of survival and lower risk of the body rejecting the organ if they get organs from donors of the same sex as them. This may be due to the fact that men's hearts are usually bigger than a woman's heart and have a greater pumping capacity. Differences in hormones and immune systems between men and women could also play a part.

Allergies Causing Depression

It is found that tree pollen can cause symptoms of depression. A psychologist at the Mood and Anxiety Program of the University of Maryland and School of Medicine analyzed surveys of 845 men and women and found that two thirds of the people surveyed reported mood difficulties during the spring season, which is when pollen levels are very high. It is believed that airborne allergens produce inflammation in the respiratory airways and the inflammation causes symptoms of depression in some people.

Another study was done on patients with mood disorders that found that increased allergy symptoms during times of high levels of pollen were connected with depression symptoms that were more severe. This study fits with earlier evidence that suicide rates increase during late spring and a family history of allergies affects depression in women.

Better Health for Diabetics

A person could significantly lower their risk of heart disease and strokes by taking a statin each day. Researchers analyzed patients over a period of five years and found that for every 1,000 people with diabetes that were given statin, there were 42 less heart attacks and strokes than there would have been if the patients wouldn’t have taken the statins. The statins even helped the people already diagnosed with vascular disease. It is recommended that women that are pregnant shouldn’t take them.

Health Risks of Premature Babies

It is found that premature babies have higher death rates in their childhood years and are more likely not to have children in their adult years. This is based on a study that followed 1.2 million Norwegian births over many years.

Most premature babies grow up to have good health and be able to reproduce normally but the risk of health and reproduction problems are significantly higher than babies born at full term. Premature babies also have the risks of lung problems, disabilities, mental retardation, and being mentally behind other children their age in school. The study found that the preemies were more likely to die in their first year of life than full term babies and the higher risk continues throughout their life.

Things that could help prevent premature births include hormone treatments for women with a history of giving premature birth, not inducing labor unless it is needed and medically necessary, and reducing the number of embryos implanted at one time during fertility treatments. Women that are born premature have a higher risk of having premature babies when they give birth.

Cell Phones Could Cause Infertility

It is found in a recent study that men who keep their mobile phones in their front pants pockets could be negatively affecting their fertility. The heat or electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell phones could possibly be the cause. The men that are most likely to experience infertility are the ones who use Bluetooth or headsets to talk with their phones in their pocket.

Relaxation Can Lower Cholesterol

Staying calm during stressful situations can help to maintain or to raise the levels of HDL cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol. Researchers from Oregon State University surveyed 716 men and found that the men who stayed calm during stressful situations had higher levels of HDL than men who became angry or wanted to be along during stressful situations. The men that got angry also had higher levels of triglycerides, which are blood fats. The same effects happen in women.

A person that has anger control problems can learn self-control techniques, such as taking time to slowly and deeply breathe when feeling angry.

Study Says Social People Get Fat and Worriers Lose Weight

A new study from Japan finds that outgoing people are more at risk for being overweight and there is a link between weight, body mass index, and personality. The study is based on more than 30,000 people in northeastern Japan who were between the ages of 40 and 64. They were quizzed on their height and weight and given a personality test. The test concluded that outgoing men were 1.73 times more likely to be obese and outgoing women were 1.53 times more likely to be obese than people that were worriers.

Read More: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23092710-1702,00.html

Scientists Produce Human Embryo Clones

There are scientists in California that have made embryos that are clones of two different men. The embryos were made using ordinary skin cells. The next big thing they are waiting for is to make a human embryonic stem cell line from cloned human embryos. Scientists think that stem cells from cloned embryos could be used to study diseases, screen drugs, and make transplant materials to treat conditions, such as diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

The problems with cloning human embryos include, creating human lives in a laboratory purposely to destroy them to benefit and help other people, there are health risks involved in the process, and exploiting the women who are asked to provide eggs.

The cloning process works by injecting DNA from a person into an egg. The egg would grow into an embryo in about five days. Then, stem cells would be extracted from the embryo.

Scientist Explain Reasons for Chocolate Cravings

A study has found there is a type of bacteria in the digestive system that craves chocolate. Everyone has microbes in their stomach but people who have chocolate cravings have different colonies of bacteria.

The study was done by finding 11 men who never ate chocolate and 11 men who ate chocolate everyday. All of the men wee healthy, not obese, and were fed the same foods for five days. The researchers examined the byproducts of their metabolism in their blood and urine and found that a dozen substances were different between the two groups. The amino acid glycine levels were higher in the men that ate chocolate. People who ate chocolate also had lower levels of bad cholesterol.

It is known that bacteria interact with what you eat and studies have shown that intestinal bacteria changes when people lose weight. Someday, some types of obesity will be able to be treated by changing the bacteria in the intestines and stomach.