MaoBah - Interesting Health Topics, Celebrity News and Informational News

There is a link between compulsive tail-chasing in dogs and high cholesterol and this is according to a study by a team of veterinarians. High cholesterol may be a marker for behavioral problems such as panic attacks and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) which could be expressed by frequent tail-chasing in dogs.

Bouts of tail-chasing can also occur after a dog experiences physical trauma, surgery or illness. Certain breeds, such as bull terriers and German shepherds, seem to chase their tails more often than others. According to researchers, female dogs were more likely to be obsessive tail-chasers, but the researchers aren’t sure why. Past studies have found that people with panic disorders and certain phobias often have higher cholesterol levels, possibly as a result of increased activity of hormones tied to the "fight or flight" response.

A scientist explained that since high cholesterol in dogs doesn’t always lead to the same health issues as it does in humans, such as clogged arteries, dogs aren’t tested for their serum lipid levels as part of their annual wellness exams. Blood pressure isn’t usually measured for dogs either, unless the dog is exhibiting extreme symptoms.

As for tail-chasing, this is usually just a puppy thing that happens when young pups discover they have a tail but when tail-chasing becomes compulsive, the behavior could be due to "nature or nurture," meaning genetic or environmental causes, including "a stressful incident trigger."

MGM and the Farrelly brothers are finally slapping together their high-profile cast for "The Three Stooges," a comedy project the filmmakers have been developing for years. Sean Penn is set to play Larry, and Jim Carrey is in negotiations to play Curly. Benicio del Toro is a rumored possibility for the brothers’ taciturn leader, Moe.

The studio is looking to start production in the fall for a 2010 release slot.

The project was originally set up at Columbia, which produced the 1930s Stooges shorts. C3 Entertainment Inc., which holds the licensing rights to the Stooges brand, then sold the feature rights to Warner Bros. in 2001 for the Farrellys to write and produce the movie. Eventually, Warner Bros. let the rights lapse and MGM’s Mary Parent scooped them up along with the Farrellys’ continuing participation.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly wrote the script, which Bobby has referenced as "Dumb, Dumber & Dumbest," and will produce with Bradley Thomas and Charlie Wessler. Earl and Robert Benjamin of C3 will executive produce.

The film is not a biopic but a fictional treatment that maintains the Stooges’ gleeful slap schtick updated for a modern milieu.

Originally constructed as four separate shorts, the feature screenplay has since been streamlined into a single narrative. Included in the story line is an opening that shows the Stooges as kids in an orphanage, a device that will require some "Benjamin Button"-style visual trickery to place the adult actors’ heads on child actors’ bodies.

The Stooges maintain remarkably global brand recognition, and their shorts, films and cartoons are still broadcast in 30 countries. The Farrelly brothers’ latest comedy "The Heartbreak Kid" grossed $124 million worldwide.

 Source: Independent Film Guide - Yahoo! Movies

Fish oil is known to play a role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, and UCLA researchers have discovered why.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, increases the production of LR11, a protein that destroys a protein that forms the “plaques” associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

LR11 is also found in low levels in Alzheimer’s patients, and since this protein helps prevent the toxic plaques that are thought to harm neurons in your brain, it is believed to be a factor in causing the disease.

The researchers examined both fish oil in the diet and DHA administered directly to neurons grown in a laboratory.

Even low doses of DHA increased LR11 in rat neurons, and dietary fish oil increased LR11 in brains of rats or mice that had been genetically altered to develop Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said.

DHA also had a beneficial impact on human neuronal cells in culture.

The researchers concluded that high levels of DHA lead to abundant LR11, which seems to protect against Alzheimer’s. Conversely, low levels of LR11 lead to the formation of beta amyloid plaques that harm your brain.

What’s left to be determined, according to the researchers, is what dose is most effective. In areas where dietary DHA is high, a small dose may be beneficial, while in the United States, where there’s a deficiency of DHA, a larger dose may be necessary.

Antibiotics are commonly used to treat sinus infections, but a new study found that they work no better than a placebo. Further, prescribing antibiotics to sinus patients may cause harm by increasing their resistance to the medications.

In the study, researchers followed about 200 patients with sinusitis. Of the 100 who received an antibiotic, 29 percent had symptoms that lasted 10 days or more. Another 107 received a placebo, and 34 percent had similarly lasting symptoms. The difference was statistically insignificant.

The effectiveness of a nasal steroid spray for sinus infections was also tested in the study, and found to work the same as the placebo (except among a group of patients with milder symptoms, when it was slightly beneficial).

The researchers suggested that the antibiotic did not help the sinus infections because it couldn’t penetrate the pus-filled sinus cavities.

Unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics has led to enormous problems with drug resistance. Antibiotics were recently found to be ineffective against ear infections and bronchitis as well.

The researchers say the results should encourage more patients to forgo antibiotics for sinus infections.

"With a little bit of patience, the body will usually heal itself," said Dr. Ian Williamson, the study’s lead author.

Do you want to be healthy? Drinking soda is bad for your health in so many ways; science can’t even state all the consequences. Here’s what happens in your body when you assault it with a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

A recent report warns that you are at far greater risk of passing on an infection by shaking someone‘s hand than by sharing a kiss.

The report also notes that regular handwashing may be more effective than drugs in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS.

Germs that cause stomach infections such as salmonella, campylobacter and norovirus can also circulate directly from person to person via your hands. Stomach germs can also be passed on if you put your fingers in your mouth or forget to wash your hands before preparing food.

Breaking the chain of infection depends on how well you wash your hands.

Tests on 1,200 children’s items revealed that more than one-third contained lead and other potentially dangerous chemicals such as mercury, cadmium and arsenic.

The study, directed by the Environmental Health Project of the Ecology Center in Michigan, also found that jewelry products were the most likely to contain high levels of lead.

Other items, such as bedroom slippers, bath toys and card-game cases were also tainted, some with as much as five times the standard safety level of lead. One Hannah Montana card-game case, for instance, had lead levels of 3,056 parts per million.

The study was conducted to spur government officials to take action against tainted toys. Millions of toys, most of them made in China, have already been recalled in 2007.

Mattel and Nickelodeon team up to create an interactive Dora the Explorer doll - a tween version. When you look at the image it looks like a grown up Dora. Response coming from parents were mostly negative, with some commenting that it was like a sexed-up version of a children’s icon which was a poor example for children.

The "new" Dora, whose image evolved from the little girl with short hair, orange shorts and pink T-shirt to one with long flowing hair, a tunic and leggings with emphasized long legs. Negative reaction was ubiquitous and went as far as to one headline stating "Did Mattel turn Dora the Explorer into a Tramp?"

Management of Mattel and Nickelodeon stated:

"People care so deeply about this brand and this character," Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon Viacom Consumer Products, says. "The Dora that we all know and love is not going away."

"I think there was just a misconception in terms of where we were going with this," Gina Sirard, vice president of marketing at Mattel, says. "Pretty much the moms who are petitioning aging Dora up certainly don’t understand. … I think they’re going to be pleasantly happy once this is available in October, and once they understand this certainly isn’t what they are conjuring up."

But the new version is a significant switch from the Dora many preschoolers have known, aging her so the kids who tend to drop Dora once they hit kindergarten and first grade remain connected to the new character, who has a new group of girlfriends to go exploring with (Sorry, but Boots, the Map, Swiper and other characters from the show didn’t make the transition).

The doll, which comes with a USB port and is compatible with online story lines that take Dora and four friends on new adventures involving the environment, social action and more, still has the Dora DNA.

But as Coca-Cola infamously discovered when it trotted out "new Coke" almost 25 years ago and Tropicana recently found out when it changed — then reverted to — its famous cover design after public confusion and outcry, making any changes, or even additions, to a famous brand can upset consumers.

It’s also not uncommon for children’s characters or products to evolve and mature with their age group, but Mattel and Nickelodeon may have complicated matters because instead of aging the actual character, they are introducing an extension of it.