Our skin is our biggest organ; with a 3mm thickness, the average human has between 1.5 and 2 square metres of skin covering their muscle structure- that?s a huge area for us to look after! And when our skin suffers, we really feel it- from cuts and bruises, to a huge variety of conditions that are potential problems to us, there is nothing like uncomfortable skin to make us feel miserable.
So what if we develop a condition that causes itchiness and red, scaly skin? Our confidence is bound to take a knock; this is the exact reality for the vast number of people ( 1 in 5 children, and 1 in 12 adults) who suffer from eczema.
What Causes It?
Eczema, or dermatitis to give it its other name, is a condition of the skin that results most commonly in red, scaly and itchy patches, that may weep or bleed depending on their severity.
Eczema is extremely individualized, and differs from one person to the next. In some cases, an allergic reaction to an environmental factor may cause a short period of discomfort, whereas for others, eczema is a life-long inherited condition that results in skin cells that do not behave normally, and cause reddened, itchy patches. This is known as atopic eczema.
Atopic Eczema:
In this chronic version of the skin condition, skin cells do not behave like healthy, normal cells, which are plump with water and surrounded by oils that act as a waterproof barrier. This barrier not only stops water escaping from the cells, it also stops bacteria getting in.
In eczematous patches, the skin cells are unable to retain water, and are unable to produce enough oils to keep any moisture in. Before long, this allows the shrinking of these unhealthy cells, which allows even more moisture to escape and leaves them open to infection!
The result? Dry, damaged skin that can then become further damaged when it comes into contact with external drying agents- soap, cosmetics, perfumes, household cleaners- in fact, the list is so vast that it is often incredibly difficult to know what will exacerbate the condition.
And because atopic eczema is inbuilt in your genes, you may find that eczema moves around your body- what was once a healthy, reliable patch of skin may turn into an eczematous area as skin cells are shed, and new, damaged cells replace them.
Is there A Cure?
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for eczema at this time. All that we can do is manage the condition with a combination of treatments. Allergy testing is also available through a dermatologist, to find any agents that can trigger flare-ups; but these are fairly unreliable since the triggers can be wide-ranging. However, there are common triggers, such as dairy products, which may be worth avoiding to see if there is any improvement.
How Can You Treat it?
MOISTURISE: If you suffer from chronic eczema, then you know the drill- slap on emollient creams every time you think about it, even if you?re not feeling itchy at the time. By creating an artificial oily barrier between your skin cells, you can help to keep any moisture in your skin cells that would otherwise be lost. Go for unperfumed moisturisers that are aimed at sensitive skin, and try coupling your emollient with aloe vera gel, for a soothing antibacterial boost.
DRINK WATER: Whatever you do, do not skimp on the water you drink. Give your skin cells as much of a chance as possible to help themselves, by keeping as hydrated as you can. This also means cutting down on caffeinated drinks and alcohol, which will dry your skin out quicker than you can replace the fluids.
TOPICAL STEROIDS: These creams and ointments will be prescribed by your doctor, and help take the inflammation and itch of flare-ups down. Be aware though, that steroids used for long periods of time can be hugely damaging to your skin. If you suffer from a mild case of eczema, you may find that your doctor is reluctant to give them to you, or will only give a low-strength cream. Be sure to always follow your doctor?s instructions when it comes to these very powerful creams, and use them sparingly, in short courses.
LIGHT THERAPY: If you suffer from eczema, you may have noticed that your condition improves in the summer. This is because eczema responds very positively to UV light. UV light therapy is becoming an increasingly popular alternative treatment to steroids, and works well on eczema that covers a large area of the body, or that has stopped responding to other treatments. Make sure that this treatment is carried out with the supervision of a dermatologist, to reduce the risks associated with exposure to UV light, like burning and skin cancer.
Support Networks:
Chronic and severe eczema can be tiring and demoralizing. Sometimes is helps to hear tips and support from others who know what you are going through. Here are some online forums, which may provide some advice:
I was high bidder on Bank Auction REO, I signed a contract and I asked for a copy of the contract he had no copy. I emailed him the next day and requested copy again it has been 4 days now and nothing I have no paperwork at all from auction or real estate agent. I paid escrow with a cashier check made out to me but I did not endorse check. I've had nothing but bad vibes about this transaction and I wish to cancel the contract. Do I have the right to receive my check back because of agent not giving me any paperwork not even a estimated closing cost, nothing. I just want the check back and deal cancelled. What are my options? Located Crestview,Florida. How can it be inforced with the check he has?
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New research throws doubt on earlier 'killer walrus' claimsPublic release date: 16-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Bobby Boessenecker robert.boessenecker@otago.ac.nz University of Otago
Palaeontologists who examined a new fossil found in southern California have thrown doubt on earlier claims that a "killer walrus" once existed.
Geology PhD student Robert Boessenecker from New Zealand's University of Otago and co-author Morgan Churchill from the University of Wyoming have today published their paper about the fossil in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE.
The paper reports that the new fossil-find, of the extinct walrus Pelagiarctos from southern California, prompts a different hypothesis to an earlier one that a "killer walrus" existed, preying on other marine mammals and/or birds.
Fossils of the walrus were originally found in the 1980s. The large, robust size of the jaw bone, along with the sharp pointed cusps of the teeth similar to modern bone-cracking carnivores like hyenas, suggested that Pelagiarctos fed upon other marine mammals rather than the typical diet of fish as in modern walruses.
However the new fossil, a lower jaw with teeth, and more complete than the original fossil, suggests to the Otago and Wyoming palaeontologists that the Pelagiarctos was more of a fish eater as it lacked adaptations for being a "killer walrus".
The evidence pointed to the tooth shape being unlikely to have been adapted for feeding upon large prey; instead it was an example of primitively retained tooth shape.
"This new find indicates that this enigmatic walrus would have appeared similar in life to modern sea lions, with a deep snout and large canines," says Mr Boessenecker.
The researchers estimated Pelagiarctos to be similar in size to some modern male sea lions (about 350 kg or 770 lbs).
"However, modern pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses) of small and large body sizes are dietary generalists, and tend to have diets rich in fish including sea lions similar in body size to Pelagiarctos, which means that its large body size alone doesn't make Pelagiarctos an apex predator."
The new study also analysed the evolutionary relationships of Pelagiarctos for the first time, and found it to be an early sea lion-like walrus that was most closely related to another sea lion-like walrus, Imagotaria downsi, also from California.
###
The study was supported by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship, and grants from the Geological Society of America, The Palaeontological Society, and a National Science Foundation EAPSI Fellowship.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New research throws doubt on earlier 'killer walrus' claimsPublic release date: 16-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Bobby Boessenecker robert.boessenecker@otago.ac.nz University of Otago
Palaeontologists who examined a new fossil found in southern California have thrown doubt on earlier claims that a "killer walrus" once existed.
Geology PhD student Robert Boessenecker from New Zealand's University of Otago and co-author Morgan Churchill from the University of Wyoming have today published their paper about the fossil in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE.
The paper reports that the new fossil-find, of the extinct walrus Pelagiarctos from southern California, prompts a different hypothesis to an earlier one that a "killer walrus" existed, preying on other marine mammals and/or birds.
Fossils of the walrus were originally found in the 1980s. The large, robust size of the jaw bone, along with the sharp pointed cusps of the teeth similar to modern bone-cracking carnivores like hyenas, suggested that Pelagiarctos fed upon other marine mammals rather than the typical diet of fish as in modern walruses.
However the new fossil, a lower jaw with teeth, and more complete than the original fossil, suggests to the Otago and Wyoming palaeontologists that the Pelagiarctos was more of a fish eater as it lacked adaptations for being a "killer walrus".
The evidence pointed to the tooth shape being unlikely to have been adapted for feeding upon large prey; instead it was an example of primitively retained tooth shape.
"This new find indicates that this enigmatic walrus would have appeared similar in life to modern sea lions, with a deep snout and large canines," says Mr Boessenecker.
The researchers estimated Pelagiarctos to be similar in size to some modern male sea lions (about 350 kg or 770 lbs).
"However, modern pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses) of small and large body sizes are dietary generalists, and tend to have diets rich in fish including sea lions similar in body size to Pelagiarctos, which means that its large body size alone doesn't make Pelagiarctos an apex predator."
The new study also analysed the evolutionary relationships of Pelagiarctos for the first time, and found it to be an early sea lion-like walrus that was most closely related to another sea lion-like walrus, Imagotaria downsi, also from California.
###
The study was supported by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship, and grants from the Geological Society of America, The Palaeontological Society, and a National Science Foundation EAPSI Fellowship.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The Santa Fe Board of Trade began in1882, and later became the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce. It is the heart of the region?s business community and assists over 1,200 member businesses in securing their corporate futures. It has helped turn the Santa Fe area into one of the best places in the country to live, work and raise a family.
A: Santa Fe Arcade
by Irmin Wehmeier, 120 meters away
Inside the Santa Fe Arcade on West San Fransico St. in Santa Fe New Mexico
C: Saint Francis Asisi Basilica
by Irmin Wehmeier, 170 meters away
Shot in the baptism room at Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
This panorama was taken in New Mexico
This is an overview of New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S. states, New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics at 45% (2008 estimate), being descendants of Spanish colonists and recent immigrants from Latin America. It also has the third-highest percentage of Native Americans after Alaska and Oklahoma, and the fifth-highest total number of Native Americans after California, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Texas. The tribes represented in the state consist of mostly Navajo and Pueblo peoples. As a result, the demographics and culture of the state are unique for their strong Spanish, Mexican, and Native American cultural influences. At a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth most sparsely inhabited U.S. state.
Jan. 15, 2013 ? Choline, an essential nutrient similar to the B vitamin and found in foods such as liver, muscle meats, fish, nuts and eggs, when given as a dietary supplement in the last two trimesters of pregnancy and in early infancy, is showing a lower rate of physiological schizophrenic risk factors in infants 33 days old. The study breaks new ground both in its potentially therapeutic findings and in its strategy to target markers of schizophrenia long before the illness itself actually appears. Choline is also being studied for potential benefits in liver disease, including chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, depression, memory loss, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and certain types of seizures.
Robert Freedman, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine and one of the study's authors and Editor of The American Journal of Psychiatry, points out, "Genes associated with schizophrenia are common, so prevention has to be applied to the entire population, and it has to be safe. Basic research indicates that choline supplementation during pregnancy facilitates cognitive functioning in offspring. Our finding that it ameliorates some of the pathophysiology associated with risk for schizophrenia now requires longer-term follow-up to assess whether it decreases risk for the later development of illness as well."
Normally, the brain responds fully to an initial clicking sound but inhibits its response to a second click that follows immediately. In schizophrenia patients, deficient inhibition is common and is related to poor sensory filtering and familial transmission of schizophrenia risk. Since schizophrenia does not usually appear until adolescence, this trait -- measurable in infancy -- was chosen to represent the illness.
Half the healthy pregnant women in this study took 3,600 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine each morning and 2,700 milligrams each evening; the other half took placebo. After delivery, their infants received 100 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine per day or placebo. Eighty-six percent of infants exposed to pre- and postnatal choline supplementation, compared to 43% of unexposed infants, inhibited the response to repeated sounds, as measured with EEG sensors placed on the baby's head during sleep.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Colorado Denver, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Ayman H. Fanous et al. Genome-Wide Association Study of Clinical Dimensions of Schizophrenia: Polygenic Effect on Disorganized Symptoms. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2012; 169 (12): 1309 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12020218
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Japan's hawkish new prime minister took aim at Beijing again Friday, accusing China of deliberately allowing Japanese businesses to suffer in the corrosive row over disputed islands.
The salvo is the latest from nationalist Shinzo Abe since he swept to victory in elections last month and came as he announced a spending splurge, including on military hardware.
It also follows reports that policymakers want next year's defence budget in Japan to rise for the first time in more than a decade, as Asia's two biggest economies continue to face off over the East China Sea.
"For political ends, harming Japanese companies and individuals in China that contribute to the Chinese economy and society -- I want to say it is wrong for a responsible nation state in the international community," Abe told a press conference in Tokyo.
"It not only harms bilateral relations, it has a significantly negative influence on China's economy and its society."
Japan and China are locked in a bitter battle over the sovereignty of the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus.
Tokyo's September nationalisation of three of the disputed islands, the seabed of which is believed to harbour valuable minerals, prompted violent rallies across China, with protesters trying to storm diplomatic missions and vandalising Japanese stores, factories and shops selling Japanese-brand goods.
The riots and an unofficial Chinese consumer boycott cost firms more than $100 million, according to one Japanese government estimate.
Analysts noted the apparent unwillingness of Beijing to stop the sometimes violent demonstrations, at a time the Communist Party was managing a delicate power transfer from President Hu Jintao to Xi Jinping.
Commentators said large-scale protests in the country are usually quashed quickly if the government does not approve.
Beijing took umbrage at the island nationalisation, which came just days after Hu spoke with then-Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Vladivostok.
China has since ramped up its activities around the isles, sending official vessels on dozens of occasions, often inside territorial waters.
On Friday, Japan's coastguard reported maritime surveillance ships were loitering in the so-called "contiguous zone", which sits a little further out.
Also Friday, Japan scrambled at least one fighter jet after a Chinese plane flew close to Japanese airspace, the defence ministry said.
Military aircraft have gone airborne on numerous occasions to counter Chinese state-owned -- but not military -- planes, the defence ministry has said. Airspace was breached once, last month, the first time since at least 1958.
Unconfirmed reports have said there have also been sorties to meet Chinese airforce planes, including on Thursday.
Observers say Beijing, which insists it is just patrolling its own territory, is looking to prove it can come and go around the islands as it pleases.
Abe came to power in December with pledges he would reverse what he said was Noda's pliant conduct in the face of a confident China.
"Regarding Senkaku, there is no change to my position to resolutely protect this water and territory. There is no room for negotiation on this," Abe told the press conference.
But analysts suggest that while Abe's attitude towards China may be more robust than that of his predecessors, it is also a reflection of the two countries' economic mutual dependency.
"Perhaps the undercurrent of the message was that China is a necessary partner for Japan's growth strategy to climb out of deflation," said Takehiko Yamamoto, professor at Waseda University.
"You might say Japan and China are a married couple that cannot divorce. Married couples fight. But after a period of time, they have to face each other."
The spat has left Japan's already well-equipped coastguard in a prime position to bag more funds.
On Friday a spokesman said it was considering creating a team dedicated full-time to the Senkakus, with a report in the Asahi Shimbun saying this could mean as many as 400 officers on 12 patrol ships.
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Public release date: 16-Jan-2013
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