The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) has today decided the winners of the The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2011

       The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Bruce A. Beutler, Jules A. Hoffmann and Ralph M. Steinman.
       Beutler and Hoffmann were honoured for "their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity", while the other half of the prize was given to Steinman for "his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".

From fundamental research to medical use

The discoveries that are awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize have provided novel insights into the activation and regulation of our immune system. They have made possible the development of new methods for preventing and treating disease, for instance with improved vaccines against infections and in attempts to stimulate the immune system to attack tumors. These discoveries also help us understand why the immune system can attack our own tissues, thus providing clues for novel treatment of inflammatory diseases.



Bruce A. Beutler was born in 1957 in Chicago, USA. He received his MD from the University of Chicago in 1981 and worked as a scientist at Rockefeller University in New York and the University of Texas in Dallas, where he discovered the LPS receptor. Since 2000 he has been professor of genetics and immunology at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, USA.

Jules A. Hoffmann was born in Echternach, Luxembourg in 1941. He studied at the University of Strasbourg in France, where he obtained his PhD in 1969. After postdoctoral training at the University of Marburg, Germany, he returned to Strasbourg, where he headed a research laboratory from 1974 to 2009. He has also served as director of the Institute for Molecular Cell Biology in Strasbourg and during 2007-2008 as President of the French National Academy of Sciences.

Ralph M. Steinman was born in 1943 in Montreal, Canada, where he studied biology and chemistry at McGill University. After studying medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, USA, he received his MD in 1968. He has been affiliated with Rockefeller University in New York since 1970, has been professor of immunology at this institution since 1988, and is also director of its Center for Immunology and Immune Diseases.
Steinman died this weekend of pancreatic cancer, The Gazette was told by Steinman's family. The Nobel Prize is not normally given posthumously, unless "a prizewinner dies before he has received the prize, then the prize may be presented," the Nobel Prize website states.
     The committee that awarded the 2011 Nobel Medicine Prize was not aware that Steinman had died just days before Monday's announcement, the head of the committee said.
Nobel Prize regulations do not allow the award to be given posthumously, but Goeran Hansson said the committee stood by its choice.


      The Nobel Institute added: "This year's Nobel Laureates have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation."

Find out more : http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2011/press.html#

Healthy Pumpkin Pudding - Grab your go-to dessert recipe for fall

What's your favorite pumpkin treat - or your fave got-to dessert recipe this time of year??

This sweet treat of Pumpkin Pudding is a creamy blend of fall spices, maple syrup and cozy pumpkin. Pumpkin pie flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger are swirled into each spoonful.

This is my go-to dessert recipe for fall because it is so simple to prepare in a flash. As easy to make as a smoothie. Yet elegant enough to serve at a fall dinner party. And even better, it's totally good for you! Healthy enough to eat any time of the day - from a quick breakfast to a midnight snack. 5 ingredients, 5 minutes no-cooking required. Blend, chill, serve..

Healthy Pudding! This pudding is rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin K, iron, potassium, free of refined sugar - and it even contains some fiber from the canned pumpkin.

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin contains:
83 calories
1g fat
7g fiber
3g protein
763% RDA vitamin A
19% RDA iron
17% RDA vitamin C
49% RDA vitamin K
14% RDA potassium

5-Ingredient Pumpkin Pudding
vegan, makes about 3 cups

• 1 lb silken tofu (I used one pack of Nasoya silken tofu)

• 1/2 tsp salt (I used a pink salt)

• 2/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 cup canned pumpkin, unsweetened

• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

optional add-in: 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted slowly

topping: vanilla bean coconut milk whip

To Make:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender.
2. Blend on low -> high until smooth and creamy. The mixture will be watery at this point, but placing it back in the fridge or freezer will firm it up a bit.
3. If you are adding the coconut oil, melt it in the microwave (don't let it get too hot though - just softened - you can also do this on your stove top). Then very slowly pour into the pudding mixture while blending on low. You don't want the coconut oil to chill too quickly and turn into little beads - a slow smooth blend is ideal.
4. For quick chill: pour pudding into tiny serving cups and place in the freezer for 15 minutes - then move to fridge until ready to serve.

A swirl of coconut milk whip - vanilla bean flavor is the perfect topping!!

You can blend up this pudding in under five minutes and be enjoying it in about twenty minutes (about 20 minutes for the chill time).

Add-on's. A cool swirl of my coconut whip seen here (beater whipping method) and here (dispenser method) is a perfect touch.

October 2011- Health Observations and Events

October 2011 Health Current Events - Months

Awareness Event	Coverage	Related Organization
National Bandanna Day	Australia	CanTeen
SIDS Awareness Month	Canada	Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths
Autism Awareness Month	Canada	Autism Society Canada
Eye Health Month	Canada	Canadian Association of Optometrists
Breast Cancer Awareness Month	Canada	Canadian Cancer Society
Breast Cancer Awareness Month	United Kingdom	Breast Cancer Care
National Liver Awareness Month	United States	American Liver Foundation
Celiac Awareness Month	United States	Celiac Sprue Association
Lung Health Day	United States	American Association for Respiratory Care
Healthy Lung Month	United States	American Lung Association
National Orthodontic Health Month	United States	American Association of Orthodontists
National Down Syndrome Awareness Month	United States	National Down Syndrome Society
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month	United States	Spina Bifida Association
Lupus Awareness Month	Worldwide	Lupus UK
Rett Syndrome Awareness Month	Worldwide	International Rett Syndrome Foundation

October 2011 Health Current Events - Weeks

Event	Date	Nation	Organisation
BackCare Awareness Week	4th Oct - 10th Oct	United Kingdom	BackCare
Mental Illness Awareness Week	5th Oct - 11th Oct	United States	National Alliance on Mental Illness
Baby Loss Awareness Week	9th Oct - 15th Oct	United Kingdom	Baby Loss Awareness
Haemophilia Awareness Week	12th Oct - 18th Oct	Australia	Haemophilia Foundation Australia

October 2011 Health Events - Days

Event	Date	Nation	Organization
2010 NYC Kidney Walk	7th Oct	United States	National Kidney Foundation
World Mental Health Day	10th Oct	Worldwide	World Federation For Mental Health
National Depression Screening Day	11th Oct	United States	Screening for Mental Health
Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day	13th Oct	United States	Breastcancer.org
World Food Day	16th Oct	Worldwide	World Food Day USA
International Osteoporosis Day	20th Oct	Worldwide	International Osteoporosis Foundation
International Stuttering Awareness Day	22nd Oct	Worldwide	British Stammering Association
National Bug Busting Day - 3rd of 3	31st Oct	United Kingdom	Community Hygiene Concern

Urbanization and Cardiovascular Disease: Raising Heart-Healthy Children in Today’s Cities

WORLD HEART FEDERATION CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT CHILDREN’S HEART HEALTH IN WORLD’S MOST POPULOUS CITIES

New S.P.A.C.E strategy to address threat to the cardiovascular health of the world’s urban children

Geneva, 29 September 2011 – On World Heart Day, the World Heart Federation calls for a new approach to make cities heart healthier for the children who live in them. The call to action follows research commissioned by them which shows that increasing urbanization threatens the current and future heart health of children.


The research results are presented in a new report entitled, Urbanization and Cardiovascular Disease: Raising Heart-Healthy Children in Today’s Cities. The report summary – made available today – shows how urban life in low- and middle-income countries – often imposes limitations on the ways in which children live, and restricts opportunities for heart-healthy behaviours. In large cities across the globe, urban living actually facilitates unhealthy behaviour in children, including: physical inactivity, eating unhealthy foods, and even tobacco use by children as young as two. Crowded city living environments can also spread diseases such as rheumatic fever, which if left untreated, can cause rheumatic heart disease.

The report notes that children are particularly at risk of the negative health effects of city life, since they are most dependent on and affected by their living environment. Since urbanization is continuing to occur rapidly worldwide, urgent action is needed to prevent an “epidemic” of cardiovascular disease (CVD) including heart attacks and stroke.

“Although urbanization can be positive, bringing with it great opportunities, inherent to city-life are practical and logistical obstructions to heart-healthy behaviour for children. Lack of recreational space or unsafe environments may cause children to be inactive, or poor economic circumstance may force parents trying to feed hungry children to purchase cheap but unhealthy food high in fat, salts and sugars,” explains Professor Sidney C. Smith Jr, MD, President of the World Heart Federation.


To support policymakers, city planners, and other adults concerned with making cities more heart healthy, the World Heart Federation has devised the S.P.A.C.E strategy, which incorporates five critical elements:

•    Stakeholder collaboration – To bring together all those who have an impact on children’s lives and health, including family, neighbours, teachers, religious and community leaders. Local and national governments need to ensure that city planning includes all these stakeholders.

•    Planning cities – So that they incorporate healthy choices in the natural, built, social and economic environment. As cities grow and land comes under ever more pressure, it is essential that the interests of children and their health are taken into account in the planning process. This includes providing space for outdoor recreation and exercise, limiting the presence of unhealthy food choices, and promoting smoke-free environments.

•    Access to healthcare – The intensive population of urban areas can make the provision of healthcare easier. However, inequities persist and prevent poor people from getting the healthcare they need. Investment in paediatric healthcare will greatly improve CVD outcomes within cities.

•    Child-focused dialogue – All city dwellers face similar risks to their future heart health, but children’s needs are very specific and need to be addressed separately from those of adults. It is important that approaches to improving heart health should include elements that are aimed specifically at children.

•    Evaluation – More information and research is needed to fully understand the impact that cities have on children’s heart health. Every city provides different risks and opportunities. Therefore, each city needs to carry out its own evaluation to establish the risks that exist and what can be done to mitigate them.

“We recognize that the S.P.A.C.E strategy may not be fully applicable or affordable for all nations currently experiencing the rapid urbanization of their populations. But it is hoped that the report presents a range of options to policymakers that are looking for initiatives to make a difference to CVD health outcomes,” said Johanna Ralston, Chief Executive Officer at the World Heart Federation. 

Creating environments that facilitate healthy behaviour can help children to build a heart-healthy future. By introducing the new S.P.A.C.E strategy, planners, government officials and other adults who have an impact on children’s lives can help to make cities as healthy as possible for future generations.

• AboutWorld Heart Federation    http://www.world-heart-federation.org/fileadmin/user_upload/images/About_us/About%20the%20World%20Heart%20Federation.pdf

• Cardiovascular disease risk factors http://www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/cardiovascular-disease-risk-factors/

 

Breast Cancer iPhone App Enlists Hunky Men to Remind Women About Self-Examination

A breast cancer app for iPhone, as well as Android, in which hunky men remind women to self-examine will be available in October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Canadian charity Rethink Breast Cancer (RBC) has come up with an app called "Your Man Reminder."
Women can choose from six stereotypical male hunks, including the Boy Next Door, the Sports Jock, and the Business Man. A woman's hunk will pop up on her smartphone on a regular basis and remind her to do a self-exam. He will also offer her words of encouragement, such as "Give your breasts some TLC." TLC is breast awareness code for the words touch, look and check. Women can even choose the pose they want their man to make. The app will also offer scheduling options for doctors' appointments and a "signs and symptoms" tab, among other conveniences.

    Tracie Snitker, who works for the public relations firm promoting the app, said Your Man Reminder targets young women who give little thought to breast cancer detection. "It's not a lot of fun to remind yourself to do a self exam," Snitker said. "And a busy woman has so many reminders in her phone for all kinds of things. With this app, you can have a cute guy to remind you to do it."
The charity itself is known for doing "provocative" marketing campaigns with "shock value," Snitker said. Previous efforts have urged women to "Save the Boobies!" In honor of its 10th anniversary, the organization will be throwing a BoobyBall next month.
       Asked whether the app would offend women, Snitker said: "He's not going to do it for you. It's about touching yourself, about knowing how your breast feels when it's normal. So later if there's a change, you'll know."

      "Young women are busy and often need a reminder to show their breasts some TLC,"  Rethink Breast Cancer executive director M.J. DeCoteau said in a statement: "Being aware of what your breasts regularly look and feel like is the key to early detection and what better way to remind you to check yourself than a friendly nudge from a hot guy."

Sources:
http://m.ibtimes.com/breast-cancer-iphone-app-218657.html

Daltonism/ Color Blindness Tests

       
          Color blindness or color vision deficiency is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under lighting conditions when color vision is not normally impaired. "Color blind" is a term of art; there is no actual blindness but there is a fault in the development of either or both sets of retinal cones that perceive color in light and transmit that information to the optic nerve. The gene that causes color blindness is carried on the X chromosome, making the handicap far more common among men (who have just one X chromosome) than among women (who have two, so must inherit the gene from both parents).
The symptoms of color blindness also can be produced by physical or chemical damage to the eye, optic nerve, or the brain generally. These are not true color blindness, however, but they represent conditions of limited actual blindness. Similarly, a person with achromatopsia, although unable to see colors, is not "color blind" per se but they suffer from a completely different disorder, of which atypical color deficiency is only one manifestation.

Click HERE  to take the Test 

Colorblindness Test for Children

     The image below can be used as a simple, non-medical test for red-greencolorblindness in children. Originally published in Field and Streammagazine, the test was intended for potential hunters. However, the animalshapes can usually be identified by young children who may not yet be ableto read numbers, which are used in standard colorblindness tests.

A larger version of the image, which can be printed on plain white paper (or photo paper), can be found here.

The image should be presented to a child in private. The child can be asked if they see any animals. There should be no prompting. The key for what can be seen with differing color vision can be seen below:

Past use of this test indicates the following:
    Children with normal vision can see the bear, deer, rabbit, and squirrel. They cannot see the fox.
    Children with a red-green color vision deficiency see a cow (instead of the deer), a fox (in the lower left), and usually the rabbit and squirrel. They cannot see the bear. Red-green colorblindness apparently occurs in varying degrees--mild to severe. Children with severe red-green color vision deficiency may have difficulty seeing the rabbit and/or squirrel. Generally, anyone with a red-green color deficiency cannot see the bear, butcan see the fox.

     Children (and adults) with a red-green color deficiency have difficultydifferentiating shades of the following colors from each other:
    red from green
    green from brown (especially beige)
    blue from purple
    pink from gray
Note that most color deficient children can identify pure primary colors.

       In each of these cases, the color red (found in red, brown, purple, andpink) cannot be discerned, making the distinction difficult. Thus childrensee purple azalea or crepe myrtle blossoms as blue. They have difficultyseeing the browned pine needles among the green ones. A flashing trafficlight could be red or amber. Green traffic lights look white.
      Because of the shift in the color vision of those with red-green colorblindness, those with the deficiency can more readily differentiate yellow and blue fromgreen. Yellow and/or blue are frequently the “favorite colors” of those witha red-green color deficiency.
      Obviously once identified, tact must be used when informing a child of this vision issue. Care must also be shown when dealing with such children in agroup setting, so as not to call undue attention or create a reason for discriminationor ridicule.

Given the frequency of this condition, it is surprising that testing isnot done on all children prior to entering pre-school or school. This condition should be identified early, so that parents, caregivers, and teachers can address it with understanding, patience, and respect. 
(via @http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hellmers/test/)

Links:
http://www.colblindor.com/2006/04/09/daltonism-named-after-john-dalton/
http://m-a-s.110mb.com/Daltonism/daltonism_tests.htm

23% of Global Population Never Uses the Internet for Health Info

@Mashable‘s Social Good Summit is in full swing. David Armano, Edelman Digital’s EVP of Global Innovation and Integration spoke Monday about how digital innovation is impacting global health.
Edelman surveyed more than 15,165 people to create a global confidence index: how healthy different countries believe they are. While most values seem high, the survey shows how cultural views of health can skew responses. In India, Armano said, percentage is high because good health is measured just by access to clean water. Japan’s percentage might be low, despite its record of long life-expectancy, due to the recent earthquake, tsunami and ensuing crises.
But Edelman took the survey one step further, comparing these values to how people keep up their health and how they use the Internet. The results help illustrate the growing connection between global health and digital tools. The goal is to help improve the behavioral shifts, to leverage technology and to improve health.
Have a look at Edelman’s graphic below and compare it to the Digital Engagement just below it.

                                                                  Click for larger view