Red wine may be harmful for pregnant women

A new study has claimed that red wine may not be good for women who are expecting as its "healthy" ingredient could actually harm the unborn child's pancreas.

According to the research, the drink contains an ingredient called Resveratrol, a 'wonder drug' which provides protection against obesity, but now it has been found that it may cause damage to the pancreas of the foetus, the Daily Express reported.

For the research, lead researcher Dr Kevin Grove and his colleagues observed health complications and blood flow through the placenta in two groups of obese female macaque monkeys, where one group was given Resveratrol supplements every day throughout their pregnancy, while the other wasn't.

Earlier, it had been told that pregnant women could consume one small glass of wine every day without harming their baby's development, and Resveratrol, which is found in some fruits, chocolate, nuts and red wine, is said to improve heart, muscle and bone functions.

However, the study found that there was a confirmed evidence of pancreatic abnormalities in the fetuses whose mothers were given resveratrol.

Dr Grove said that the results were crucial as women should be very careful about what they consume while pregnant, and they should not take supplements, like Resveratrol, without consulting their doctors.

The study was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.

Source: ANI

Perfectionists at increased risk of suicide?

Perfectionists may be at an increased risk of suicide, scientists have warned.

Perfectionism is a bigger risk factor in suicide than we may think, said scientists who called for closer attention to its potential destructiveness.

Researchers said that clinical guidelines should include perfectionism as a separate factor for suicide risk assessment and intervention.

"There is an urgent need for looking at perfectionism with a person-centred approach as an individual and societal risk factor, when formulating clinical guidelines for suicide risk assessment and intervention, as well as public health approaches to suicide prevention," said Professor Gordon Flett from York University.

More than one million people worldwide, including over 40,000 North Americans commit suicide on an annual basis, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's 2012 estimation.

Flett and his co-authors Professor Paul Hewitt of the University of British Columbia and Professor Marnin Heisel of Western University note that physicians, lawyers and architects, whose occupations emphasise on precision, and also those in leadership roles are at higher risk for perfectionism-related suicide.

Researchers highlight several concerns, including how suicide thoughts can be linked to external pressures to be perfect.

The authors document how being exposed to relentless demands to be perfect, a concept they refer to as socially prescribed perfectionism, is linked consistently with hopelessness and suicide.

"We summarise data showing consistent links between perfectionism and hopelessness and discuss the need for an individualised approach that recognises the heightened risk for perfectionists," Flett said.

"They also tend to experience hopelessness, psychological pain, life stress, overgeneralisation, and a form of emotional perfectionism that restricts the willingness to disclose suicidal urges and intentions," said Flett.

The findings are published in the American Psychological Association journal, Review of General Psychology.

Source: PTI

Yoga can train your brain to control computers better

People who practice yoga and meditation can better use their brains to control a computer, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that people who practice yoga and meditation long term learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience.

The findings could have major implications for treatments of people who are paralysed or have neurodegenerative diseases.

The study involved a total of 36 participants. One group of 12 had at least one year of experience in yoga or meditation at least two times per week for one hour.

The second group included 24 healthy participants who had little or no yoga or meditation experience. Both groups were new to systems using the brain to control a computer.

Both groups participated in three, two-hour experiments over four weeks in which they wore a high tech, non-invasive cap over the scalp that picked up brain activity.

The participants were asked to move a computer cursor across the screen by imaging left or right hand movements.

The participants with yoga or meditation experience were twice as likely to complete the brain-computer interface task by the end of 30 trials and learned three times faster than their counterparts for the left-right cursor movement experiments.

"In recent years, there has been a lot of attention on improving the computer side of the brain-computer interface but very little attention to the brain side," said lead researcher Bin He, a biomedical engineering professor in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering.

"This comprehensive study shows for the first time that looking closer at the brain side may provide a valuable tool for reducing obstacles for brain-computer interface success in early stages," he said.

Researchers have been increasingly focused on finding ways to help physically disabled individuals who are paralysed, have lost limbs, or suffer from diseases such as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or cerebral palsy.

In these cases, brain function remains intact, but these people have to find a way to bypass muscular control to move a wheelchair or control an artificial limb.

He gained international attention last year when members of his research team were able to demonstrate flying a robot with only their minds.

However, they found that not everyone can easily learn to control a computer with their brains. Many people are unsuccessful in controlling the computer after multiple attempts.

A consistent and reliable electroencephalography (EEG) brain signal may depend on an undistracted mind and sustained attention. Meditators have shown more distinctive EEG patterns than untrained participants, which may explain their success, researchers said.

The research is published in TECHNOLOGY.

Source: PTI

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Note: Picture used only for representational purpose