How Your Doc Could be Give You Cancer | Men's Health News

Think twice before entering the tube.

Before your doc orders a CT scan for your busted shoulder following that backyard football game, counter with this question: Is that necessary? The number of CT scans in the U.S. tripled between 1996 and 2010, according to a recent Journal of the American Medical Association study, and almost a third might be done unnecessarily for things like headaches.

While a CT scan can pinpoint internal injuries or cancer with highly-detailed images, you?re exposing your body to doses of radiation?up to 100 to 500 times greater than a traditional X-ray?that 10 to 20 years later could lead to cancer.

Emphasis on could, as your risk is small. According to studies done during the last decade, only 1 in 5,000 adults are estimated to get cancer caused by this radiation down the road, says David Brenner, Ph.D., director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University. Still, a CT scan might save your life when you need it for current diagnoses. (See what happens when a Men?s Health editor discovers he has skin cancer.)

Your goal is to avoid unnecessary scans and to ask about alternatives like ultrasounds or MRIs. For example, a CT is often used to easily spot the pebbles that come with kidney stones. But when similar symptoms return?as they often do?you could ask for an ultrasound image first instead of getting blasted again.

Whether you?ve had two or 20 CTs in the past shouldn?t affect your decision making for the next one, says Brenner. Take it case by case, but see if any other imaging could work first if you?re uneasy. If you?re told to have a CT scan for stomach cancer or something serious, though, get one. The miniscule future risk doesn?t outweigh the immediate benefits on the health teeter-totter.

If you?re still worried about all that radiation from each scan adding up, try using an app like Radiation Passport ($2.99 for iOS) to track the amount of radiological imaging you?re receiving at the hospital. (For more must-have health tips and cool tech recommendations, sign up for our FREE Daily Dose newsletter.)

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Source: http://news.menshealth.com/ct-scan-cancer/2012/08/29/

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Nielsen: Native Travel Apps Trump Mobile Web 95% Of The Time, Google Maps Is The Top Mobile Travel Service

google maps iphoneNative app usage has been edging just ahead of mobile web usage among U.S. smartphone owners?in the last few months, but when it comes to the category of travel, mobile web use all but disappears off the map. According to figures out today from Nielsen, 95% of all mobile traffic for travel-related content comes from native mobile apps -- specifically on iOS and Android platforms. Mobile web -- and traffic on operating systems that are not Android and iOS, for that matter -- accounts for only 5% of visits. And just as Google has come to dominate search, it looks to be carving out a similar position in travel, a mobile-friendly category by its nature: Google Maps -- in its combined native app and mobile web forms -- accounted for 78% of all time spent in the travel category in June 2012, with a total of 78 million app users, and another 17 million on mobile web. It will be interesting to see how that transforms as Apple drops Google Maps in favor of its own mapping service in iOS 6.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/r4SxD8nQ3lo/

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Government Grants Within The United States Natural Resources ...

The United States of America is a nation full of natural riches, from rain forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, desserts, and whatnot. If sustained, supported, and consolidated properly, these natural resources can turn into economical and industrial behemoths that can serve the people environmentally and financially.

For this reason, the United States Government has developed a slew of agencies that are established solely to render concerns related to the country?s natural resources.

The United States Forest Service, one of the agencies in the natural resources sector, is an agency operating under the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation?s 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres of land.

The mission of the agency is ?to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation?s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.?

The agency is divided into three primary divisions, the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, and the Research and Development branch. The agency carries out its mission by establishing grant programs such as the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program, which was generally intended to encourage individuals, businesses, groups and other organizations to collaborate on the design, implementation, and monitoring of projects that value local and traditional knowledge, promote healthy and productive forests and watersheds, and build ownership and civic pride.

The National Park Service, on the other hand, is a United States federal agency that manages manages all national parks, various national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations.

The grants and programs of the National Park service are all geared towards the achievement of its primary agency mission which is to ?provide quality law enforcement to safeguard lives, protect our national treasures and symbols of democracy, and preserve the natural and cultural resources entrusted to us.?

Meanwhile, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, operating within the United States Department of the Interior, is the primary agency dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats.

The mission of the agency, which is ?to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people?, is carried out by creating several grants and initiatives that serve this purpose.

One of these grant programs is the Evaluation of Mixed-grass Prairie Biotic Communities Project, which was developed to assist with research study design, statistical analyses, data assimilation, and development of written scientific manuscript or report regarding the present situation of mixed-grass prairie biotic communities.

Iola Bonggay is an editor of TopGovernmentGrants.com. She maintains Websites providing resources on small business grants and home improvement grants.

Source: http://toddsblogs.com/referenceandeducation/2012/08/28/government-grants-within-the-united-states-natural-resources-sector/

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Learning To Be a Mom: Toddler Family Home Evening Idea

A couple weeks ago I posted about how our family is trying to be more consistent at having one night a week where we spend time together in a family home evening. For our family home evening we sing, play and teach. Recently I started wondering how much we are teaching Sweet Girl about Jesus. Even though she is still very small, I think it is important for her to start learning about Jesus and how important he is.

To start teaching her we played a game called "Jesus Looks Like Me." I printed off pictures of different body parts and put them into a box. Sweet Girl pulled them out one at a time. First she pulled out the picture of the eyes. I asked her where her eyes are, then I held up a picture of Jesus and asked her where Jesus' eyes are. At then end for our activity we sang the song "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes."

These evenings have been a lot of fun so far. We spend a lot of time together as a family, but these evenings are special. It gives us a chance to remove all other distractions and focus on our family. It is also the perfect setting for teaching Sweet Girl all sorts of important things. Plus we have fun and eat treats. What's not to love?

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Source: http://www.learningtobeamom.com/2012/08/toddler-family-home-evening-idea.html

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Nutrition tied to improved sperm DNA quality in older men: Healthy micronutrient intake linked to reduced DNA fragmentation

ScienceDaily (Aug. 27, 2012) ? A new study led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that a healthy intake of micronutrients is strongly associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men. In younger men, however, a higher intake of micronutrients didn't improve their sperm DNA.

In an analysis of 80 healthy male volunteers between 22 and 80 years of age, the scientists found that men older than 44 who consumed the most vitamin C had 20 percent less sperm DNA damage compared to men older than 44 who consumed the least vitamin C. The same was true for vitamin E, zinc, and folate.

"It appears that consuming more micronutrients such as vitamin C, E, folate and zinc helps turn back the clock for older men. We found that men 44 and older who consumed at least the recommended dietary allowance of certain micronutrients had sperm with a similar amount of DNA damage as the sperm of younger men," says Andy Wyrobek of Berkeley Lab's Life Sciences Division.

"This means that men who are at increased risk of sperm DNA damage because of advancing age can do something about it. They can make sure they get enough vitamins and micronutrients in their diets or through supplements," adds Wyrobek.

Wyrobek conducted the research with a team of researchers that includes Brenda Eskenazi of the University of California at Berkeley's School of Public Health and scientists from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. They report their findings in the August 27 online issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility.

Their research comes as more men over 35 have children, which raises public health concerns. Previous research conducted in Wyrobek's lab found that the older a man is, the more he's likely to have increased sperm DNA fragmentation, chromosomal rearrangements, and DNA strand damage. Older men are also more likely to have increased frequencies of sperm carrying certain gene mutations, such as those leading to dwarfism. These findings help explain why aging men are less fertile and are predicted to have more chromosomally defective pregnancies and a higher proportion of offspring with genetic defects.

But until now, researchers haven't understood whether diet can protect against the detrimental effects of aging on the sperm genome.

The scientists studied a group of about 80 men between 20 and 80 years old with an average age of 44. They were recruited several years ago as part of the California Age and Genetic Effects on Sperm Study when Wyrobek was at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Each man who participated in the study filled out a 100-item questionnaire that estimated their average daily vitamin intake, both from food and supplements.

In addition, their sperm DNA quality was assessed via a lab analysis in which a voltage gradient pulls broken DNA strands from intact strands within the sperm nucleus.

Each volunteer's intake of a micronutrient was classified as low, moderate, or high based on how they compared to other participants. The median daily intake, both from diet and supplements, was 162 milligrams for vitamin C, 23.7 milligrams for vitamin E, 2,586 micrograms for ?-carotene, 475 grams for folate, and 12.3 milligrams for zinc. Many participants, even those who reported to be healthy, consumed much less than the recommended dietary allowance for many of the micronutrients.

The scientists analyzed the data several ways and came up with the same result each time: A diet high in antioxidants and micronutrients may decrease the risk of producing sperm with DNA damage, especially in older men.

Why this is so isn't a mystery. Antioxidants scavenge reactive molecules that cause oxidative damage to cells. Studies have shown that dietary supplementation with antioxidants and increased consumption of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables can decrease the amount of oxidative DNA damage.

Based on their results, the scientists believe this same protective mechanism may also be at work in the reproductive tract of older men.

"The different response of the old and young men presents new opportunities for health care, especially for older men planning families," says Wyrobek.

More research is needed, however. Although the scientists found a clear link between higher vitamin intake and improved sperm DNA quality in older men, they don't know whether this link extends to male fertility and the health of offspring.

"Our research points to a need for future studies to determine whether increased antioxidant intake in older fathers will improve fertility, reduce risks of genetically defective pregnancies, and result in healthier children," says Wyrobek. "The research also raises a broader question beyond sperm DNA: How might lifestyle factors, including higher intakes of antioxidants and micronutrients, protect somatic as well as germ cells against age-related genomic damage?"

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 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:

  1. Thomas E. Schmid, Brenda Eskenazi, Francesco Marchetti, Suzanne Young, Rosana H. Weldon, Adolf Baumgartner, Diana Anderson, Andrew J. Wyrobek. Micronutrients intake is associated?with improved sperm DNA quality in?older men. Fertility and Sterility, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2012.07.1126

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.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/yAYOTWHQ1C0/120827074843.htm

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Chile Supreme Court rejects $4.5B power plant

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) ? Chile's Supreme Court has rejected plans to build a $4.5 billion coal-fired power plant and port to serve northern Chile's copper mines, ruling that the project's Brazilian and German investors failed to prove they can protect the surrounding environment.

Critics said the Castilla project developed by Sao Paulo-based MPX Energia SA would have been one of the most polluting in Latin America. Former President Michelle Bachelet's government turned it down, but after lobbying by Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista, her successor Sebastian Pinera allowed to go forward.

MPX had promised $575 million to mitigate pollution from the plant, which would have produced 2,100 megawatts by 2020, increasing Chile's electricity capacity by more than 10 percent. The court ruled Tuesday after MPX failed to persuade Chileans they could live with the contamination.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-08-28-Chile-Power%20Plant/id-473267e6914b479aaebf5cebe60dcf48

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Egypt reopens Gaza border crossing for passengers

EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) ? An Egyptian security official says Egypt has reopened its passenger terminal with the Gaza Strip and resumed normal operations there after nearly three weeks of disruption following a deadly attack on Egyptian soldiers by Islamic militants.

The official said from inside the Rafah crossing that it will be open six days a week, with normal security measures. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

The closure of the terminal raised tensions between Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Gaza's ruling Hamas, which had hoped Morsi would end the enclave's five-year isolation.

Egypt shut down the terminal after 16 Egyptian soldiers were shot dead by masked gunmen while breaking their fast during the holy month of Ramadan on Aug. 5.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-reopens-gaza-border-crossing-passengers-104336454.html

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