In the 60's a young Brazilian doctor proposed the ambitious goal of getting a hundred percent vaccination rate among the population attending the health center where she worked. Thus began the career of Ciro de Quadros, who has granted the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Development Cooperation "lead the elimination of polio and measles in the Americas and for being one of the leading scientists in the eradication of smallpox worldwide. "


De Quadros worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) chief epidemiologist of the Program for the Eradication of Smallpox. This experience marked his career and made him join the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), working on plans for routine vaccination against poliomyelitis. In the early 80's set out to eradicate the disease in America. Among the many initiatives that led to achieve this goal, De Quadros arrived to negotiate with the guerrillas in El Salvador and Peru to the vaccination campaign were to conflict zones.


The awards jury, chaired by Pedro Alonso, director of research at the Institute for Global Health of Barcelona, ​​has also recognized the merit of De Quadros to "convince governments of the cost of vaccination and hold them accountable for funding and development immunization campaigns. "The doctor gives an example: "Several studies show that vaccinated children have a much higher school performance than non-vaccinated and, overall, the contribution of the vaccinated population to the country's wealth is greater."

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The opera and classical music reduces rejection in heart transplants in mice, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery.


Although the music is already used in clinical settings to reduce anxiety after certain operations, are still unclear mechanisms by which music causes a change in brain function and its relationship to the immune system, responsible for the rejection following the transplants.
The researchers tested the effect of different types of music about the time when the transplanted organ worked without fail. While the opera and classical music the answer was yes, the music of art could not the same effect.

"The mice that listened to works of opera La Traviata had a higher number of CD4 + CD25 + and anti-inflammatory cytokines, which regulate the immune response peripheral. This results in increased graft survival," discussed in the article the the study authors

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Testosterone is Antidepressant

It has long been known that testosterone, the main male hormone, has antidepressant properties, although the mechanisms underlying these effects were unknown. Now, a study by Florida State University (USA) published in the journal Psychiatry Biologycal has revealed that there is a region of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in memory formation and the regulation of stress responses-playing a crucial role in mediating these positive effects of testosterone.

Compared with men, women are twice as likely to suffer from mood disorders like depression. Male hypogonadism, a situation in which the body does not produce testosterone or produce it in small quantities, also increased levels of depression and anxiety. To find out why this happens, and how to apply in the development of future antidepressants, Mohamed Kabbaj and his colleagues worked with adult rats that led to depression. Depression disappeared in rodents administered testosterone. The scientists found a molecular marker called MAPK/ERK2 whose proper functioning is necessary to combat testosterone pathological sadness.

The scientists also showed that the positive effects of testosterone are not associated with changes in the formation of new neurons (neurogenesis), which does happen when given antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac).

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It Took Over To Give Birth Now Than 50 years

Women in the XXI century takes about two and a half hours to give birth than mothers of the 60, according to a survey published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The extra time is used in the initial phase of delivery, at which occurs a cervical dilation.

The researchers, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) U.S., compared data from nearly 140,000 births that occurred spontaneously in two distinct intervals: the first between 1959 and 1966 and the second between 2002 and 2008. Although there are clear reasons for the delay, the scientists suggest that changes in medical practices could be among the causes. Currently have increased both the number of cesarean deliveries as those in which oxytocin was given. Furthermore, half of the current interventions are provided epidural anesthesia, a procedure that can increase the delivery time from 40 to 90 minutes, compared with 4 percent in 50 years ago.


Furthermore, also changed the characteristics of the current mothers, who are on average about four years older than the 60. "The older mothers tend to take longer to give birth to girls," says Katherine Laughon, an author of the study. "However, this does not completely explain the differences," he adds.

On the other hand, the last interval studied children born five days earlier on average, and they and their mothers weigh more. The mean BMI of modern mothers in the study was 24.9, a figure very close to 25 indicates obesity. Being overweight is a risk factor that can cause problems during childbirth for both mothers and babies, and doctors advise women who suffer from obesity consult your doctor before becoming pregnant.

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Anti-Aging Bulletin No. 51

CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH AND CONSUMPTION carotene and flavorless Understanding the connection between diet and cardiovascular health is an issue that has for several decades. Improve your diet by reducing added sugars consumption and saturated fat has been a recommendation from various health agencies as a prudent way to prevent cardiovascular disease. A study by Dr. J and Kim of Yonsei University in South Korea Bulletin published an Atherosclerosis in March 2011 evaluated the effect of lycopene nutraceutical supplementation in cardiovascular health indicators. Lycopene is an antioxidant compound that gives fruits and vegetables like tomatoes their red color. Previous research suggested that lycopene could benefit heart health by stimulating the body's antioxidant activity, decrease markers of inflammation and protect against DNA damage. In the study with 126 healthy men in South Korea, researchers found that supplementation for 8 weeks produced a significant increase in antioxidant activity, reduced DNA damage in white blood cells, a decrease in inflammatory markers and lower systolic blood pressure. The researchers commented: "These findings add to the growing literature on the potential protective effects of antioxidant lycopene in atherosclerosis through an anti-inflammatory and preservation of endothelial function. In this respect the recommended supplement Carotenoid Complex Dr. Gonzalez Aragon is a whole plant supplement whose benefits have been demonstrated in human studies conducted by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and university researchers. Each capsule provides the full value of carotenoids for optimal ration a wide variety of fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids, including 400 mcg. of lycopene. This makes the best and most complete supplement that contains only lycopene (synthetic origin). On the other hand, growing evidence support a role of flavonoid compounds in fruit in reducing cardiovascular disease risk. In particular, a study by A. Cassidy and collaborators at Harvard University, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February 2011, found that the increased consumption of anthocyanins (a type `e flavonoid found in berries) was associated with a reduction of between 8 and 12% blood pressure. Researchers suggest that flavonoids may regulate blood pressure by improving blood flow, vascular response and entry of glucose into cells. In this respect the supplement Flavonoid Complex provides diverse phytonutrients from an optimal serving of fruits and vegetables, and green tea catechins and ellagic acid derived from grapes, blueberries and other berries. Flavonoids promote antioxidant activity, cellular health and growth and normal tissue renewal and renewal throughout the body. Each tablet provides the overall profile of water-soluble antioxidants for an optimal serving of fruits and vegetables rich in flavonoids. Both are part of over 6 pills PhytoDefense with cruciferous vegetables. If you do not eat regularly for 2 to 3 daily salad has a cardiovascular risk, neurological and cancer 10 times greater than the one doing it ... Dr. Gonzalez Aragon suggests cover these gaps in your nutrition with carotenoids, flavonoids and cruciferous separately or Phyto Defense. If you if you eat salads, also add to your nutrition, the more protection you have, the better quality of life and longevity. And if you're suffering from a chronic illness, certainly add to your medical treatment to increase the power of your body's internal healing. Increasingly science confirms the importance of nutritional

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Humorous Life Story #5- "My son-Always good for a laugh"

My son is 5 years old.  He is a constant source of laughter.  Sometimes by being funny on purpose and other times just by being a growing boy.  I thought that I would share some of his funniest moments:

Church services near Christmas last year, the minister says the word, "Peace." My son looks up from coloring and says in a voice loud enough for the entire congregation to hear, "Peace? Peace? I want a piece of chicken."

Church services near Mother's day last year, the minister says, "I think that if God were to speak to Mothers today, He would say," and pauses dramatically.  At the same instant, my son just finished drawing a picture and yells, "TaDa!"

About a year ago, my son was in his room changing clothes.  My husband was in the kitchen fixing him breakfast.  I was away from home.  My son starts screaming in a panicked voice, "Dad, I need you.  Hurry!" My husband drops what he is doing and rushes down the hall and into my son's room.  My son is in his underwear, in the middle of his room, dancing.  My husband says anxiously, "What's wrong?" My son replies, "Help me, Dad. I can't stop dancing." as he continues to dance around. My husband scoops my son up into his arms and my son sighs dramatically and says, "Thanks Dad."

One day, about the time my son just finished potty training, I am walking by the bathroom and hear my son say, "Oh, my god, poop.  Get out of my butt!"  (He has a teenage sister.)

I know that no one finds a child as amusing as their mother does, but I hope these stories still gave you a chuckle. Kids, you gotta love them!

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Pet Health Tip #7- Ringworm

I have had several people over the years ask me if ringworm is really worms.  The answer is, NO.  Ringworm is caused by a fungal infection.  There are really not that many diseases that can be spread from one species of animals to another or from animals to people (zoonotic). However, ringworm is one of the diseases that CAN be spread. Cats and dogs can give ringworm to each other and both of them can give it to people.

In humans, it causes a lesion on the skin that is usually circular and very itchy (pruritic).  In dogs, it causes patchy hairloss (alopecia) that can occur anywhere on the body.  The skin in the area of the alopecia is usually flaky.  Dogs are usually not pruritic. 

Cats are the tricky ones.  Some cats will have patchy hairloss.  Usually the hairloss is localized around the mouth, eyes, and on the ears.  However, there are cats that are asymptomatic, which basically means that they have the fungus on their fur, but don't have any lesions.  These cats are still contagious!  So, if you suddenly come down with a ringworm lesion and you recently had contact with a cat.  The cat was probably the source, even if it appeared healthy.

The fungus that causes ringworm can also survive very well in the environment including the dirt.  The fungal spores can also travel through the air and hide in places like air conditioning ducts for very long periods.  It is very difficult to get rid of ringworm once it has entered an environment.  The fungus is very susceptible to household cleaners.  So, it is pretty easy to get kill it on cleanable surfaces.  The problem is the places that it can hide that we don't usually clean.

If your pet is diagnosed with ringworm, it is very important to limit the areas that it goes and to keep it isolated from other pets and also from children.  Ringworm is a treatable disease, but as I said, it is very hard to get rid of once it gets into an environment.

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