screen time how does it affect your child's development and how much is too much

Are you letting your child spend a lot of time using screens? If that’s the case, you might want to rethink - as a new study suggests that children who spend a significant amount of time using screens may delay their development of skills, including language and sociability. The Canadian study, which tracked the progress of over 2,400 children in Calgary, is one latest piece that examines how much screen time is safe for children.

Screen time includes watching TV, playing video games, using a computer, smartphone,  tablet or any other screen-based devices. In the study, mothers were asked to fill out questionnaires assessing the kids’ screen time and development at ages 2, 3 and 5 years.

“Kids who are being put in front of screens are showing delayed development,” lead researcher Sheri Madigan, was quoted as saying by WebMD. Madigan is the research

.chair of child development with the University of Calgary's department of psychology, in Canada.


The researchers found that, on average, the children were viewing screens somewhere between two and three hours per day, exceeding the recommended guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). According to the researchers, higher levels of screen time at ages 2 and 3 have been significantly linked to poorer performance on developmental screening tests at ages 3 and 5.

The study, published in the JAMA Paediatrics, also ruled out the possibility that the link might work the other way in kids with existing developmental problems. “We actually don't see the reverse association,” Madigan said. However, she added that too much screen time could affect kids’ development in a couple of possible ways, although a cause-and-effect link hasn’t been proven.

The researchers also said that spending time on a screen might cause kids to miss important opportunities for learning. “When kids are in front of screens, they are missing out on opportunities to practice their gross motor skills like riding a bike or running around playing,” she explained.


Madigan noted that the screens themselves and the apps and games they offer might also have a direct impact on the way a child's brain develops.

Screen time for kids: How much is too much?
While the new study does not make any recommendation about how much is too much, concerned parents would want to check out the AAP’s guidelines regarding screen time.

The American Association of Paediatrics’ recommendations’ on screen time say that -

For children younger than 18 months, avoid the use of screen media other than video-chatting.
Parents of children 18 to 24 months of age who want to introduce digital media should choose high-quality programming, and watch it with their children to help them understand what they're seeing.
For children ages 2 to 5 years, limit screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Parents should co-view media with children to help them understand what they are seeing and apply it to the world around them.
For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
Meanwhile, as per the Canadian Paediatric Society, screen time for children younger than two is not recommended.


The AAP’s guidelines also suggest families to designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms

why do some people have dimples

.Preity Zinta, the Bollywood actress, celebrates her 44th Birthday this year on 31 January 2019. The bubbly, pretty Preity made her comeback with the movie Bhaiji Superhit starring opposite Sunny Deol and everyone was surprised to see that she still looked just as charming and beautiful as she did when she made her debut in Dil Se and Soldier in 1998, twenty-one years ago.

Both Preity and Shah Rukh Khan are popular for their dimpled smiles, that give them the bonus marks. Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan have both been seen teasing each other about their dimples – Preity has one while the King of Bollywood, has two. But what is the reason for a dimple to occur when you smile? Why do some people have it while some don't?

Dimples are genetic

Some researchers say that dimples are genetic and are inherited from one generation to the other. However, dimples are an irregular dominant trait and therefore, even if both your parents have dimples, it is not necessary that you do, too. However, some specialists also believe that there isn't enough evidence to call dimples a genetic trait.

A short muscle

Another theory says that a dimple occurs because of a muscle that is shorter in some people because of which the dent occurs. A muscle called the zygomaticus major can cause a dimple if it is divided or short around the cheek.

Why do some kids have dimples that disappear as they grow up?

Some babies have dimples when they are really young which disappear as they grow older. The reason behind this mystery is that the dimple is caused due to the baby fat in the baby's cheeks. As the baby grows and loses the baby fat, the dimples are also lost. 

Can you create a dimple if you dig your cheek?

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you really can't do much about not having a dimple except eye Preity Zinta and envy her for her adorable smile! Since the dimples are either genetic or caused due to a divided muscle, your dream to have a dimple may be difficult to realise in this life. However, though we would not advise for or against it, it is claimed by some medical professionals that dimples can be created through a surgical procedure.

Why are chin dimples caused?

The chin dimples are caused due to a dent in the bone of the chin. They are neither genetic nor a muscle flaw, but reportedly occur when the left and right side of the chin bones have not fused together in the womb

a burger or a sandwich what's the healthy option

. While every sandwich outlet may be claiming that   their food is the healthiest, their bread the freshest, or the veggies the most nutritious, your heart may still draw you towards the sauces and the flavour of your favourite burger. While you stand at crossroads between the burger and the sandwich joint, trying to choose which of the two are better for your body and your health, read this to decide.

While some people think sandwiches are clearly healthier, there may be much more they need to consider before they reach that conclusion. So how do you know the healthier choice between the sandwich and the burger? Let us make them compete and see which one wins!
Calories
While sandwich joints try to use chicken that is low in calories to make the sandwich healthier, burger patties are mostly deep fried and therefore contain considerably more calories than grilled chicken used in the sandwiches. If you are on a weight loss diet, a sandwich is definitely a healthier choice when it comes to the calories.


Sandwich – 1

Burger – 0

Sodium
While the chicken in the sandwich may be a leaner source of protein and also low on calories, it is definitely high on sodium. High sodium can cause heart conditions like hypertension, heart attacks, strokes, and also lead to kidney diseases and osteoporosis. If you suffer from any such problems already, the burger may be the better choice since it contains almost half the amount of sodium than the sandwich.


Sandwich – 1

Burger – 1

Purity
When you compare the sandwiches and burgers served at most fast food joints in terms of purity, the burgers may win this round. While the chicken on the sandwich may be mixed with other ingredients to fill the sandwich with, the patty of the burger maybe  made100% the ingredient you have asked for. In that case, the burgers may be healthier as the food that you are eating is pure.

Sandwich – 1


Burger – 2

Other factors
At the end of the day, both food items can be easily customized according to the choice and preference of the consumer. Depending on what kind of bread you use and the vegetables you add to your burger or sandwich, and how much of the sauces you consume with it will determine which is healthier and which is not.

Try to choose a burger or a sandwich that uses whole grain bread, grilled fillings, lots of raw veggies, and only the healthy sauces to make sure your meal is the healthiest

reasons for bad breath and halitosis. diabetes liver and kidney diseases and more

You may have found it out yourself or may have been told about it by a family member, co-worker, or friend, but bad breath is a reality for everyone, at least once in their lives. However, some people suffer from the problem of bad breath all the time, which is a thing of concern as it can interfere with the normal activities of life and can also be really embarrassing.

You can treat the bad breath that occurs once in a while with chewing gum or mint, and the reasons for that may not be so important anyway. It could occur because of the last meal you have eaten, a nap you took, or due to smoking a cigarette. However, treatment of long-lasting bad breath is important and the first step for the same is to identify the reasons for the bad breath. Your bad breath may be a result of one or more of the following causes.

Poor oral hygiene
The reason for bad breath can be the bacteria present in the mouth. If the bacteria grow beyond the right limit, they can lead to oral problems like gum diseases like Teeth Pyria and cause bad breath. It is important to exhibit proper oral hygiene – brush teeth twice a day, clean your tongue and floss.


Respiratory infections
Another reason for bad breath can be respiratory infections like sinusitis, bronchitis, etc. This happens because such diseases can cause nasal secretions to drain into the mouth and cause bad breath.

Diabetes
According to some experts, people with diabetes experience bad breath due to the presence of high levels of ketones in their blood. When enough insulin is not produced in the body, sugar cannot be broken down for energy. The body then starts burning fat for energy which produces ketones. These ketones present in the body can lead to bad breath.

Liver diseases
According to an article published in the Journal of Chromatography, bad breath is used as a diagnostic symptom for liver diseases. Apparently, late-stage liver diseases can cause a sweet, musty aroma because of dimethyl sulfide.


Kidney diseases
Chronic kidney problems can also lead to bad breath which happens due to the presence of urea in the saliva and its subsequent breakdown to ammonia. According to NIH, kidney failure can cause the breath to smell “fishy” or like ammonia.

to cure cancer within a year says Israel scientist take these steps to prevent or reduce the risk of cancer

Unfortunately, there is no true cure for cancer yet, but treatment can help control the symptoms and significantly improve a person’s outlook. That is why detecting and treating the disease at an early stage is so important when it comes to cancer. Recent advances in medical technology are helping move humans closer than ever to a cure. While curing cancer is the goal of everyone, it would mean completely eliminating all traces of cancer from the body and ensuring the disease won’t come back. And that’s exactly what a team of Israeli scientists is claiming. The team announced this week that its preliminary research on mice has given them new hope of a cancer cure within a year’s time.

Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies CEO Dr Ilan Morad told the Jerusalem Post that a new treatment called MuTaTo, which would work more like a ‘cancer antibiotic’. Reportedly, the treatment uses cancer-targeting peptides for each cancer cell, which can reportedly reduce the chances of evasion through mutation. Dr Morad added that MuTaTo (multi-target toxin) will work to target cancer stem cells, reducing the risk of recurrence.

The scientists also said the treatment would be an effective cure from Day 1 with no or minimal side effects compared to the side effects of most cancer treatments. It would also be a cheap and brief option than the other treatments.


Morad also explained that the new cancer treatment will eventually be personalised and that patient would be given the exact amount of molecule cocktail needed to cure the disease.

However, the claim made by Israeli scientists has been criticised by many cancer experts. Moreover, the MuTaTo treatment has been trialed in mice and not tested in humans yet.

How to prevent or lower your risk of cancer
There’s no guaranteed strategy to prevent cancer, but you can help reduce your risk by making a few changes to your lifestyle. These include –


Eating a healthy diet and limiting intake of processed and junk food
Being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight
Not smoking or quitting smoking
Not drinking alcohol in excess
Avoiding risky behaviours - such as sharing needles, unsafe sex, etc
Regular health exams and screenings for various types of cancer
In addition to this, having good knowledge about behaviours, exposures, and other factors that may influence the risk can make a big difference when it comes to cancer prevention.

causes and treatment of weak hamstrings why you need to pay attention to these muscles

You may have never noticed, but your hamstrings really deserve an applaud from your body. Have you ever thought that an activity we take for granted – walking and moving our legs – would never have been possible without the three muscles in the back of each thigh? These three muscles are the hamstrings.

The hamstrings not only ensure motion of our legs and our whole body from one place to other but also assist the gluteal muscles that help us get up from a chair, climb stairs, etc. These muscles are at the back of your hips. Weak glutes can lead to the weakening of the hamstrings as they may have to work in the place of glutes as well.

Why do hamstrings get weak?
In an age and era where we sit in front of our laptops all day, or the TV on our off-days, or just casually sit around even when we don't have anything else to do, our hamstrings suffer. One reason for the weakening of the glutes and the hamstrings is that they are not active – there is no brisk walking, running, jogging, etc. while the other reason is a reaction that occurs when we sit too much. When you sit, the muscles in the front of the hip contract, and give the same signal to the glutes. This condition is called altered reciprocal inhibition. A similar effect happens on the hamstrings and both these muscles get weaker as we sit for long hours.


How to treat the problem?
The first step to ensuring that the problem is solved is to find good coordination between the hamstrings and the glute muscles. If all muscles perform their functions properly, the other will not be over-worked and therefore will not get weak. One way to do it is to exercise all muscles properly, to ensure that all of them are active and working. Another way is to very specifically target strengthening hamstrings and glute muscles in your workout. Including yoga poses like the bridge, and exercises like jogging as a part of your workout can help

iPhones 2020 might come with 3D cameras

Apple has just announced its quarterly earnings for the Q1 2018 quarter and while there was a 15 per cent decline in revenue from iPhone sales, it has now been reported that Apple might be planning to introduce 3D cameras with the iPhones 2020 lineup. With the iPhones 2019 still being months away from their official launch, reports about the iPhones 2020 lineup might be too early to consume.

However, 3D cameras coming to iPhones is, in itself, a very big update as it will be a huge push towards making augmented reality mainstream in the smartphone business. According to a report by Bloomberg, there will be the more powerful 3D camera in the iPhone 2020 while the rear-facing, longer-range 3D camera will be designed in such a way that it will be capable of scanning the surroundings to create its own three-dimensional projection of the real world.

The report further states that the 3D reconstructions in the iPhones 2020 will work up to 15 feet from the smartphone while the current distance at which Apple’s Face ID works is between 25 to 50 centimeters. The 3D camera in iPhones 2020 will also use a laser scanner, instead of dot-projection for long distances.

Apple’s iPhone 2020 lineup is also rumoured to come with a triple rear camera setup, a more powerful chip, enhanced photo-capture tools and more. On the other hand, the laser-powered 3D camera in iPhones 2020 which will make the smartphones more powerful in terms of augmented reality which will also help in accurate depth perception as well as placing virtual objects.

Coming to the iPhones 2019, the upcoming smartphone lineup from Apple is rumoured to come with USB Type-C charging systeminstead of the lighting port while reports have also suggested that there on-screen Touch ID fingerprint scanner just like the in-display fingerprint scanners found in Android smartphones these days

five government backed loan schemes for unemployed youth in India

It is probably impossible for unemployed youth in the country to secure a loan from a private financial institution. Worth mentioning that there are a lot of factors that come into play when banks or any other NBFC has to sanction a loan. From documents guaranteeing security to credit score, banks investigative a lot of aspects before handing out a loan. However, the government has come up with a lot of schemes to support individuals who want to kickstart their career or use it for any other purpose. 

All the schemes have been rolled out by the government to support unemployed youth in the country and reduce poverty. Having said that, here are some government-backed loan schemes for unemployed youth in India: 

Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana: This is one of the many schemes that has been set up by the government for helping unemployed youth secure loans. Under the scheme, the government of India offers loans to unemployed to kickstart their own ventures and anyone who has received education till standard 8 is applicable to apply for loans under the scheme. It may be noted that the loan is of composite nature and individuals can avail a loan of up to Rs 5 lakh for setting up their venture. Also, only those between the age gap of 18-35, who are unemployed, can apply for the loan. However, in the case, the income of the beneficiary along with the income of his/her parents should not exceed Rs one lakh per annum. 

Loan subsidy scheme: While it is not available across all states, the Tamil Nadu government has a nifty scheme for unemployed, under which the 25 per cent of the loan amount will be subsidized by the state government. Under the NEEDS scheme or the New Entrepreneur and Enterprise Development Scheme, the state government provides 25 per cent subsidy for any loan taken by unemployed youths who are graduates. 

Cash loans: Similar to the NEEDs scheme, this is also a state-funded initiative and has been kickstarted by the government of West Bengal. Under the scheme, an unemployed person can apply for a loan of Rs 50,000 under the scheme. Like all the above measures, this has been started to help unemployed individuals kick off their business ventures. Any individuals belonging to the 18-45 age group can apply and avail the loan. 

Agriculture loan: This is a very useful scheme for those unemployed individuals engaged in the agricultural sector. It is worth mentioning that the government has collaborated with many banks and financial institutions to provide agricultural loans to unemployed youths in the country. An unemployed agricultural sector graduate, aged 22 or above, can apply for the loan under the scheme.   

Secured loans for unemployed: This is another way unemployed people in the country can get secured loans. However, in this process, the individual will have to pledge some asset to the lender for the loan to be sanctioned. Here, the loan amount will depend directly on the value of the asset

your body image is influenced by people around you

Are you surrounded by people who are not that body conscious? Then there is good news for you as a new study suggests spending time with people who are not preoccupied with their bodies can improve your own eating habits and body image.

In this study, examining how social interactions influence body image, researchers found that in addition to the previous findings that being around people preoccupied with their body image was detrimental, spending time with people who were non-body focused had a positive impact.

Non-body focused people are those who are not preoccupied with their body weight or shape or appearance.

"Our research suggests that social context has a meaningful impact on how we feel about our bodies in general and on a given day. Specifically, when others around us are not focused on their body it can be helpful to our own body image," said Kathryn Miller, postdoctoral student at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

For the study, the team involved nearly 100 female undergraduate students aged 17 to 25.

They measured the participants' frequency of daily interactions with body focused and non-body focused people, their degree of body appreciation (how much one values their body regardless of its size or shape), and body satisfaction, and whether they ate intuitively in alignment with their hunger and cravings rather than fixating on their dietary and weight goals.

The findings, published in the journal Body Image, showed that body dissatisfaction is ubiquitous and can take a huge toll on our mood, self-esteem, relationships and even the activities we pursue.

"It's important to realise that the people we spend time with actually influence our body image. If we are able to spend more time with people who are not preoccupied with their bodies, we can actually feel much better about our own bodies," said Allison Kelly, Professor at the varsity.

In addition, they also found that spending more time with non-body focused individuals may be advantageous in protecting against disordered eating and promoting more intuitive eating.

"If more women try to focus less on their weight or shape, there may be a ripple effect shifting societal norms for women's body image in a positive direction. It's also important for women to know that they have an opportunity to positively impact those around them through how they relate to their own bodies," Miller suggested

these saturated fats can put your heart at risk

The type of saturated fats we consume can put us at risk of a heart attack, according to a new study suggesting that eating plant-based proteins can decrease chances of the disease instead. The study showed that people whose diets contain relatively little palmitic and stearic acid -- saturated fats composed of 16 or more carbon atoms (longer-chain saturated fats) that are typically found in meats can affect our risk of a myocardial infarction or heart attack.

Moreover, individuals who eat more saturated fats with 14 or fewer carbon atoms (shorter-chain saturated fats) that are typically found in dairy products have lower risk of heart attacks.

"Our analysis of the diets of large groups of individuals in two countries over time shows that the type of saturated fats we consume could affect our cardiovascular health," explained lead author Ivonne Sluijs, postdoctoral student at the Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

For the study data from approximately 75,000 people were analysed by the team among which nearly 3,500 people experienced heart attack.

"We found that eating relatively little of the longer chained saturated fatty acids and consuming plant-based proteins instead was associated with a lowered risk. Substitution of those saturated fats with other energy sources such as carbohydrates did not affect the risk to develop myocardial infarction," said Sluijs.

Although diets vary by nationality and other factors, the most frequently consumed saturated fat is palmitic acid, with 16 carbon atoms, followed by stearic acid, with 18 carbon atoms, both of which are found in meat products, as per the study published in the International Journal of Cardiology.

Shifts in fat intake should align with the recommended healthy dietary patterns, which emphasise limited intakes of red and processed meat and added sugars, lower salt intake, replacement of refined grains with whole grains, and higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, the team suggested

E cigarette no safer alternative than traditional smoking

If you are an e-cigarette smoker and claim it to be 'safer' than combustible cigarettes, then take note. A new study warns that vapers are at risk of having heart attacks, strokes, and coronary heart diseases. The study, conducted by the American Heart Association (AHA), found that heart attacks are nearly 60 per cent more common among vapers.

In addition, people who vape are twice as likely to also smoke traditional cigarettes as are those who do not vape.  "It's obviously quite concerning. This is a potential chip of the spear, of a wave of cardio-vascular disease, that may be coming in the future, especially since this has been so attractive to young users," Larry Goldstein, chairman of the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, US was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

E-cigarettes were often originally advertised as a cessation aid for smokers. However, with increased research, it has become clear that 'safer' does not mean safe and that they are more likely to be an addition to, rather than substitute for, combustible cigarettes.

For the study, the team recruited 400,000 people among which 66,795 respondents who vaped had a 71 per cent higher risk of stroke. The same group was at a 59 per cent higher risk of having a heart attack or angina. Angina is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.

In addition, they were at 40 per cent greater risk of developing heart disease.  The researchers could not, however, conclude that vaping kills.  Importantly, rates of e-cigarette use are highest among the young people suggesting that only 4.2 per cent of adults vape, as compared to 11.3 per cent of high school students, reported Daily Mail.

The public health officials must continue to push for a ban on sweet flavoured e-liquids that are so enticing to younger users, Goldstein suggested.  "It's hard to know what contribution this has to that, but it doesn't appear to be safer, or safe right now from the data that's available," Goldstein noted

20 genes that can predict severity of dengue identified

Researchers, including one of an Indian-origin, have identified 20 genes that can predict an individual's likelihood of developing a severe form of dengue fever with about 80 per cent accuracy.

The team from Standford University in the US, identified a gene-expression pattern that predicts which people infected with dengue -- a mosquito-borne virus that can cause fever and joint pain, among other symptoms -- are at highest risk for developing a severe form of the illness.

Every year, between 200 million and 400 million people in tropical and subtropical regions of the world contract dengue fever, and about 500,000 of those cases are fatal. For the most part, people with the disease recover after receiving some fluids and a few days' rest, said Purvesh Khatri, Associate Professor at the varsity.

"But there's a smaller subset of patients who get severe dengue, and right now we don't know how to tell the difference," Khatri said. Anywhere from 5 to 20 per cent of dengue cases will advance to severe. Currently, to diagnose severe dengue the doctors wait to observe specific symptoms and results of laboratory tests that typically emerge in the late stages of the disease.

"These practices are not nearly sensitive or accurate enough, and some patients end up admitted to the hospital unnecessarily, while others are discharged prematurely," said Shirit Einav, Associate Professor.

The new set of genes, reported in the Cell Reports journal, can help identify predictive biomarkers that can help doctors reliably gauge the likelihood of severe dengue in patients who are newly symptomatic and use that information to provide more accurate care to help guide therapeutic clinical studies and, in the future, to guide treatment decisions. The genes could serve as a basis for a targeted therapy for dengue, Einav said - but that's far on the horizon

Brazil Dam collapse Rises to 84 mining firms output to be hit

The death toll from the collapse of a Brazilian dam rose to 84 on Tuesday as mining giant Vale announced that moves to dismantle similar structures would hit production. Brazilian authorities are stepping up their probe of Vale, with five engineers involved in the operating licenses and the last inspection of the dam arrested on prosecutors' orders in the state of Minas Gerais, where the disaster occurred Friday at one of the firm's mines.

Flavio Godinho, Civil Defense spokesman in Minas Gerais, said the death toll had increased from 65 to 84, while the number of missing fell from 292 to 276. Shares in Vale -- the world's biggest iron ore miner -- meanwhile ticked up nearly two per cent in Sao Paulo, still far from recovering from a 24-per cent wipeout suffered on Monday.

The company said it will freeze operations around 10 dams in Brazil to dismantle structures such as the one that resulted in the Friday disaster -- a move that will reduce annual iron ore production by 10 per cent or 40 million tons.

The dam collapse at the Vale mine near the town of Brumadinho occurred three years after a similar disaster at another one of its sights in the same region.

That 2015 dam rupture, near Mariana, killed 19 people and caused what was considered the worst environmental catastrophe Brazil had seen. After the latest disaster, credit rating agency Fitch downgraded Vale's score, and Moody's said it had the company under review for a downgrade.

Three US law firms were also making moves toward starting a class-action lawsuit against the miner. Brazilian media speculated that Vale's board and top executives might be replaced. The overwhelming majority of the dead and missing were workers at the mine.

Authorities have ordered $3 billion in Vale assets be frozen to pay for fines, compensation and employee salaries to families."If there has truly been negligence or recklessness by certain people in that company, they will face criminal action," Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao vowed Monday.

- Search for bodies -

The search for bodies was ongoing Tuesday, with a team of Israeli soldiers joining Brazilian crews who have been laboriously probing for days the expanse of mud released by the dam.

The barrier, which was in the process of being decommissioned, held around 13 million tons of tailings, or sludgy mining waste. Men were digging, often by hand, to depths of up to 15 meters (50 feet) to recover corpses encased in mud. The remains were then bagged and airlifted away by helicopter. The fetid odour of decomposing bodies rose from the brown surface.

With a dozen kilometres (eight miles) of mud to carefully scour, the operation has proceeded slowly, barely denting the long list of the missing.

Jose Ferreira da Silva, a 55-year-old labourer, was blocked by police as he attempted to enter the zone to look for his 27-year-old son Josue, who worked for a Vale contractor."We just want to try to do something," he said, tearfully. No survivors have been found since Saturday, only bodies.

Corrego do Feijao, the closest village to the mine, has been in mourning since the disaster. Most of its inhabitants work for Vale, and 20 of their number were missing.

"I'm living a horror film. These are people I grew up with. I don't know how I'm going to get through this," said Clayton Candido, who was waiting on news of his missing nephew and several friends. The toxicity of the mineral-laced sludge was not yet known. But an indigenous community downstream complained that fish it relies on for its livelihood were dying.

Brazil's authorities feared pollution from the mine waste could reach hydro-electric power plants between early and mid-February.

The environmental group WWF said that a forest area "equivalent to 125 football fields" had been lost, and it was still too early to know the full ecological scope of the disaster.

- Public anger -

The tragedy has turned public opinion against Vale.

On Monday, dozens of people staged a protest with mud in front of the company's headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Newspaper editorials blasted it -- and the government -- for not learning the lessons of the 2015 Mariana disaster. Minas Gerais prosecutors said they have launched a probe "evaluating the criminal responsibility of the Vale company."

The five engineers arrested were part of that investigation. They were to be held for up to 30 days for questioning. Three of the engineers work for Vale and were directly involved in the process of the facility's operating licenses, the prosecutors said. The other two worked for TUEV SUED, a German company that in September carried out the last safety inspection of the collapsed mine.

grenade attack kills two at southern Philippines mosque

A grenade attack on a mosque in the troubled southern Philippines killed two people early Wednesday, authorities said, just days after a deadly Catholic cathedral bombing and a vote backing Muslim self-rule."A grenade was lobbed inside a mosque killing two persons and wounding another four," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP of the attack in Zamboanga City.

The victims were sleeping inside the mosque at the time of the attack on the insurgency-plagued island of Mindanao, which is home to the Philippines' Muslim minority. The blast comes as the country was on high alert after a cathedral bombing that killed 21 people at Sunday mass on the remote, Muslim-majority island of Jolo.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the cathedral blast.

Philippine authorities initially said it was not a suicide attack, but on Tuesday President Rodrigo Duterte contradicted them saying one of the bombers had blown himself up outside the cathedral. Besana told AFP it was too early to say whether the mosque blast was retaliation for the cathedral attack, adding police were hunting for those responsible.

The attacks have interrupted the joy spurred by voters' decisive approval of giving Muslims in the south more control over their own affairs, which sparked hopes of quelling long-time separatist violence. Rebels and the government in Manila have expressed hope the new so-called Bangsamoro area will finally draw the investment needed to pull the region from the brutal poverty that makes it a hotspot for radical recruitment.

However, hardline factions aligned with IS were not part of the decades-long peace process with the nation's largest separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, that culminated January 21 with the resounding approval of a new Muslim led-region in the south.

Jolo, which is home to hardline Islamist factions, is the only area in the southern Philippines that voted against the Bangsamoro. Its leader came out publicly against the region and even asked the nation's top court to halt the vote. The grenade attack on Wednesday drew immediate condemnation from authorities.

"There is no redeeming such blasphemous murder. It is the highest form of cowardice and obscenity to attack people who at prayer," said regional leader Mujiv Hataman."We call on people of all faiths... to come together to pray for peace."

nigerians drugs use more than twice globally average

One in seven Nigerians uses drugs, more than twice the global average, according to the country's first major national drug-use survey published on Tuesday. The survey, conducted by the Nigerian government, the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC), said an estimated 14.4 per cent of Nigerians use drugs. That is more than twice the global average of 5.6 per cent. It based its findings on data collected from nearly 50,000 respondents.

In Nigeria, that 14.4-per cent figure translates to 14.3 million people aged 15 to 64 using drugs other than alcohol and tobacco last year, said the survey.

"Some of the findings of the survey presented today are striking and alarming," said Nigeria's health minister, Osagie Ehanire. They require "concerted efforts to mitigate the negative consequences of this rising menace on the health, socio-economic and security of our nation". A new drug-control masterplan was being formulated to tackle the problem, he added.

The report revealed for the first time the extent of drug use in Africa's most populous nation. It said that 4.6 million people -- 4.7 per cent of the population -- used prescription painkillers such as tramadol and cough syrups for non-medical purposes last year.

This abuse, responsible for most of the negative health impacts of drugs, led to Nigeria banning codeine-based cough syrups last year because of concern at the spiralling rates of abuse. The levels of consumption in Nigeria placed it among the countries with "highest estimates of non-medical opioid use globally", the report said.

Many of Nigeria's drug users are in the restive northeast, which has suffered from the Boko Haram insurgency for almost a decade. But the highest rate of drug use is in the southwest, where just over one in five (22.4 per cent) of 15-64-year-olds used drugs last year, the report said.

In Lagos, Nigeria's sprawling megacity where poverty and unemployment is increasing, drug use was even higher, at 33 per cent. In Nigeria, as in the rest of the world, the most abused drug was cannabis, according to the report

Tibetan children banned from attending classes in monasteries

A county in China's Qinghai province, which is adjacent to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, has banned Tibetan children from attending informal classes at local monasteries, Human Rights Watch reported on Wednesday. The ban, officially published last month, "violates a long list of basic rights, from education to cultural life", said HRW China Director, Sophie Richardson.

"Preventing Tibetan children from contact with monks and monasteries will only fuel Tibetan fears that China aims increasingly to restrict Tibetan culture and religion," she was quoted as saying by Efe news.

According to the report, the informal classes taught by monks have become popular in the areas inhabited by Tibetans during school holidays, especially to teach their language, which is used less and less in many public schools.

Nangchen County authorities banned these classes in December 2018, considering them illegal and describing them as "ideological infiltration among the young", "dangerous"' and "harmful".

The county authorities also called on local officials managing monasteries to "understand the harmful nature of monasteries running open schools" and prevent them from doing so and expelling monks organizing such sessions.

According to HRW, such bans were not applied outside Tibet and it believed that the regime suspected monks were using these classes to instill Tibetan religious or nationalist ideas among children.

"Treating voluntary study classes during the holidays and family visits to temples as 'dangerous' reflects Beijing's hostility towards Tibetans' rights. That's the real threat to Tibetans and China's other religious minorities," said the HRW China Director.

HRW said that China had ratified international conventions guaranteeing freedom of belief and included this right in its own Constitution. The country had also promised not to deny ethnic, linguistic or religious minority children the right to use their own language and practice their religion.

"But in practice, authorities limit worship to what they define as 'normal' religious activities, which it says are legal only if carried out by certain state-sanctioned congregations and institutions," the non-governmental organization said in a statement.

"In regions with populations that overwhelmingly practice a particular faith, such as Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang or Buddhists in Tibet, restrictions are far more intrusive," it added.

three iraqis held for Islamist attack plot in Germany

German police commandos on Wednesday arrested three Iraqis suspected of planning an Islamist attack using explosives, a gun and a vehicle. Two of the men had "decided in late 2018 to carry out an Islamist attack in Germany," prosecutors said in a statement.

"According to the investigation so far, the accused had not yet chosen a target for their attack.

"Whether the accused belonged to a terrorist group must now be clarified."

The suspects were identified only as Shahin F and Hersh F, both aged 23, and their alleged supporter, the 36-year-old Rauf S. They were detained in early-morning raids in Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein state, near the Danish border.

Shahin F. had allegedly accessed bomb-building manuals online and asked a contact in Britain to send him a fuse, a plan that was however foiled by UK police. He and Hersh F had also collected explosive material from fireworks, said authorities.

And they had asked Rauf to procure a gun, but rejected as too expensive a Makarov 9mm weapon on offer from a man identified as Walid Khaled YY in the statement.

Because the Iraqi men had wanted to use a vehicle in their attack, Shahin F. had also started driving lessons early this year, said prosecutors. Police also carried out related raids in the states of Mecklenburg-Pommerania and Baden-Wuerttemberg.

News site Spiegel Online reported, quoting unnamed security sources, that the men had arrived in Germany in the autumn of 2015, at the height of the refugee influx that brought over a million asylum seekers. One of the suspects had allegedly spoken of wanting to target the largest possible group of "non-believers, but not children", Spiegel Online said

migrant boat sink off. Djibouti at least 28 dead

The death toll from the sinking of two migrant boats off the coast of Djibouti rose to 28 on Wednesday, with perhaps 130 more still missing. Two vessels carrying migrants departed from Godaria on the Horn of Africa nation's northeast coast on Tuesday morning but sank in heavy seas 30 minutes into the journey, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Five bodies were recovered immediately and the IOM said Djiboutian authorities found more dead on Wednesday.

"Twenty-three bodies were recovered this morning and the coast guard continues (its) search," IOM's chief of mission in Djibouti, Lalini Veerassamy, told AFP.

Two people were recovered alive and Veerassamy said "a few" more survivors arrived at an IOM facility in the town of Obock on Tuesday evening. One survivor estimated there were 130 people on his boat but was not able to estimate the number of passengers on the other vessel. The nationalities of the victims remained unclear, Veerassamy said.

Located across the Bab el-Mandeb strait from Yemen and next to volatile Somalia and Ethiopia, Djibouti has in recent years become a transit point for migrants heading to find work on the Arabian Peninsula.

The region of Obock, from where the boat set off for Yemen, is unusual in that it sees people passing in both directions -- boatloads of Yemeni refugees fleeing war cross vessels carrying African migrants seeking better opportunities.

Worst crises

In 2017 some 2,900 people, mostly Somalis and Ethiopians, passed through from Yemen, a year that saw about 100,000 migrants head into the troubled country.

"The number of new arrivals arriving in Yemen has been continuously increasing since 2012, despite the deepened insecurity and violence following the war that erupted in March 2015," the IOM said in its 2018-2020 regional migration response plan.

"Arrivals peaked in 2016, when over 117,000 arrived in Yemen," it added.

This migration comes despite Yemen facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. UN officials say 80 per cent of the population -- 24 million people -- are in need of aid and nearly 10 million are just one step away from famine.

IOM said that most of the journey migrants take to Yemen is by foot, walking across the scorching desert regions of eastern Ethiopia, Djibouti and northern Somalia.

Once they arrive in Yemen they face torture, blackmail, sexual abuse or forced labour.

The sea crossing itself has repeatedly proven perilous.

Last year, at least 30 migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia believed to be headed for Djibouti drowned when their boat capsized off Yemen amid reports of gunfire being used against those on board. In August 2017, dozens of migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia died after human traffickers forced them off two Yemen-bound boats and into the sea.

more than 90 radicals arrested for. protested against Pakistan apex court verdict on Asia bibi

Over 90 members of hardline religious parities have been arrested from different parts of Pakistan's Punjab province for holding demonstrations against the Supreme Court's decision to reject a review plea against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi in a blasphemy case.

Punjab Police spokesperson Nabila Ghazanfar said that most arrests have been made from Lahore, Gujranwala and Ralwapindi. "Police have arrested more than 90 activists of different religious parties mostly Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on Tuesday and Wednesday for creating law and order situation," Ghazanfar told PTI on Wednesday.

She said three protests were held in Lahore, one each in Gujranwala and Rawalpindi but timely action by police thwarted them and arrested the participants.

Bibi, 47, is finally a free woman after all the legal impediments in her way came to an end on Tuesday, when the apex court threw out a petition seeking to review its verdict of acquitting the victim of a blasphemy charge.

"On merit, this review petition is dismissed," pronounced Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa after hearing out for almost 90 minutes advocate Chaudhry Ghulam Mustafa who represented the petitioner Qari Muhammad Salam, the prayer leader who had lodged the original FIR against Asia Bibi in 2009.

On October 31, the SC reversed the judgements of the Lahore High Court as well as the trial court, thus setting aside the conviction and the death sentence awarded to Bibi.

The apex court's decision in October last to overturn her conviction sparked nationwide violent protests and death threats from hardline Islamist groups. The protests subsided when the government allowed the protesters to file a review petition against Bibi's acquittal.

Later, a nationwide crackdown had been carried out against the TLP and all of its central leadership including its chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi had been put behind bars.

Meanwhile, Bibi may leave the country shortly as there are threats to her life. Her two daughter had already shifted to Canada. Her case has been deeply divisive in Pakistan where there is strong support for the controversial blasphemy laws.

Bibi's case gained prominence when former governor of Pakistan's Punjab province Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 for supporting her and criticising the blasphemy laws.

A month after Taseer was killed, Pakistan's religious minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who spoke out against the blasphemy law, was shot dead in Islamabad.

The blasphemy laws were promulgated by former military dictator Ziaul Haq in 1980s. A person convicted under these laws is given death sentence

FBI finds no motive for Las Vegas shooting closes probe

The FBI has found no clear motive for the killing of 58 people by a sniper firing down at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas in 2017, the agency said on Tuesday as it closed an investigation into the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

According to an FBI report, the 64-year-old gunman, Stephen Paddock, was not unlike many other mass shooters who are driven by a complex mix of issues, ranging from mental health to stress, and want to die by suicide. The report also found no evidence that any ideological or political beliefs motivated Paddock, who also wounded more than 800 in the shooting rampage on Oct. 1, 2017.

"There was no single or clear motivating factor behind Paddock's attack," the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit said, echoing a report issued by Las Vegas police in August.

Paddock acted alone when he planned and carried out the attack, firing more than 1,000 rounds during 11 minutes from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. As law enforcement officers assembled in the hallway outside his hotel room, he fatally shot himself.

"Throughout his life, Paddock went to great lengths to keep his thoughts private, and that extended to his final thinking about this mass murder," officials said in the report. An important aspect of the attack was Paddock's desire to die by suicide as he suffered a decline in his physical and mental health and financial status, the FBI report said.

"Paddock concluded that he would seek to control the ending of his life via a suicidal act," according to the report. He wanted to attain a degree of infamy through a mass- casualty attack and was influenced by the memory of his father, a well-known criminal, the report said.

Paddock displayed minimal empathy throughout his life and his decision to murder people while they were being entertained was consistent with his personality, according to the report. As was his nature, he carefully planned the attack, buying an arsenal of guns and ammunition in a year-long spree and methodically researching police tactics and site selection.

Paddock even took steps to insure he could commit suicide at the time and in the manner he chose, using surveillance cameras to watch police and bringing a handgun to the room that he used to shoot himself, the report said

iPhone FaceTime issue. Apple to patch privacy bug in video calling feature

Apple Inc said on Monday it will issue a software patch later this week for a bug that lets iPhone users hear audio from users who have not yet accepted a video call. The bug, which Reuters was able to replicate, allows an iPhone user placing a call using Apple's FaceTime video-calling feature to hear audio from the recipient's phone even if the recipient has not yet picked up the call. The bug appears to rely on Apple's group video-calling feature.

In certain situations, the bug also broadcast both video and audio from the recipient's phone, the technology news website the Verge noted. "We're aware of this issue and have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," an Apple spokesperson said.

Apple's group FaceTime was temporarily made unavailable due to an ongoing issue, according to Apple's system status webpage. The Cupertino, California-based company was not immediately available to comment on the update on its system status page.

Users took to Twitter to tweet jokes and comments about the bug affecting Apple's group FaceTime service. "Disable FaceTime for now until Apple fixes," Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted. Apple announced the feature last summer, but then removed it from early test versions of its iOS 12 operating system. The company launched the feature in October.  

Apple watch using aetna client data. wants to help you be healthy

CVS Health Corp's health insurer Aetna on Tuesday said it is working with Apple Inc on a new health app for Apple Watches that uses an individual's medical history to set personalized health goals. Called "Attain," the Apple Watch app will reward Aetna customers for meeting activity goals and fulfilling recommended tasks, such as getting vaccinations or refilling medications, with a subsidy toward the cost of an Apple Watch or gift cards for U.S. retailers.

Several insurers have offered such subsidies for using wearable devices to meet generic activity goals such as a number of steps in the past. But what is new and significant about the Attain app is the use of personal health data held by Aetna to provide customized goals and recommendations.

That health history data is tightly regulated by the U.S. government, and Apple and Aetna had to enter into what is known as a business associate agreement in order for Aetna to share it with the Apple.

Access to regulated data is necessary for some of the functions of the app, such as recommending age-appropriate exercise or a lower-cost option for scheduled lab tests or MRI imaging tests. Aetna said the program is voluntary and that data gathered will not be used for premium pricing or coverage decisions.

"We understand that you don't need to be a personal trainer or work out several hours a day to be healthier," Alan Lotvin, executive vice president for transformation at CVS Health, said in a statement.

For Apple, the Aetna partnership continues a push into regulated areas as the company dives further into health features with its wearable device launched in 2014.

Last fall, Apple announced a watch with the ability to take an electrocardiogram, an electrical measure of heart activity that can detect heart problems. The feature required clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Aetna users can opt to share their information anonymously with Apple. Apple will use techniques such as machine learning to fine tune the app, such as detecting the users are more likely to follow up on tasks if they notified midday rather than in the morning.

“As we learn over time, the goal is to make more customized recommendations that will help members accomplish their goals and live healthier lives," Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, said in a statement.  

global waming we need you write Trump and Twitter can't stay calm

Keeping up with his penchant for simply creating words, US President Donald Trump has asked global "waming" to make a return for "beautiful Midwest" in the country, which is currently experiencing chilly weather conditions due to a polar vortex.

"In the beautiful Midwest, windchill temperatures are reaching minus 60 degrees, the coldest ever recorded. In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can't last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Waming? Please come back fast, we need you!," Trump tweeted.

Donald Trump had stumped readers in the past by coining terms like "covfefe" without giving a clarification regarding its true meaning before deleting the tweet.

Twitter users, assuming "waming" for "warming", slammed the President, with one Twitter user stating, "Are you really this ignorant about climate change? Have you never read a book in your life?".  We will never again see a President like this. I intend to enjoy his presidency to the fullest," another Twitter user remarked.
"You're kidding, right?! You do know Global Warming is causing climate change which means MORE deeper colder winters for the Midwest sad #badforfarmers #ActOnClimate #ClimateChangeIsReal," another reply to Trump's tweet read.
Donald Trump's recent tweet adds to the bizarre things he has already said about global warming. "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive," Trump had tweeted in 2012.

Trump has also pulled out of the Paris Agreement that aims to combat climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The United Nations has labelled climate change a "defining issue of our time" due to the drastic modifications in weather patterns caused by over a century of industrialisation

foods that can change your hair health

The market is full of hair care products, but to amplify their results, it is first essential to make dietary changes to include vitamins and minerals that promote hair growth and reduce hair fall significantly, suggest experts.

Arvind Poswal, Hair Expert and Hair Transplant Surgeon, Dr. A's Clinic, and Karan Gupta, Director and Men's Grooming Expert, Qraa Men, have given out some tips on foods that can boost hair health:

*Eggs: The hair are build-up of protein, so it is essential that we always consume enough amounts to proteins to ensure augmented regeneration of hair. Eggs are the richest source of protein and are packed with high amounts of Biotin. The goodness instilled in eggs prevents hair loss thereby promoting the hair growth.

*Carrots: This season of winter calls for us to consume ample amounts of carrots. The carrots help the scalp in producing the natural sebum oil which as this oil keeps the roots healthy. Not only this, carrots are enriched with Vitamin A which avert dullness of the hair strands and dryness of the scalp. This is how thinning of hair is prominently reduced as a moisturized and nourished scalp assures stronger and healthier hair. Therefore, drink carrot juice to provide extra nourishment to your hair and scalp.

*Walnuts: They are a powerhouse of Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin E which prevent our hair from the excruciating and harsh effects of the sun. Try and include nuts into your diet to assure that your hair are being protected with ample amounts of Biotin for hair growth and copper minerals for natural hair colour.

*Greek yogurt: The Greek yogurt is charged with Vitamin B5 which helps with proper flow of blood to the scalp while promoting the hair growth. Start your day with some greek yogurt and even a spoonful can help in boosting the elasticity of hair.

*Citrus fruits: It is very important that you accommodate citrus fruits in your diet they shall help you in biding goodbye to split ends and roughness with the presence of abundant Vitamin C. The citrus fruits also boost the production of collagen which reinforces and braces the capillaries that supply blood to the hair follicles. Citrus fruits include oranges, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, guava and tangerines that must be included for a balanced diet.

*Green leafy vegetables: The greens are full of iron as its deficiency is main reason for hair loss and anaemia. The deficiency of iron in the body incapacitates the oxygen and nutrients from being transported to the hair follicles which eventually refrains the hair roots for its proper growth. Green vegetables also add a shine to your hair

what is alzheimer's disease ?6 key facts every one should know about the disorder

Former Defence Minister George Fernandes died on Tuesday, January 29, 2019,  in Delhi after a prolonged illness. The Samata Party leader was 88 and had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Fernandes, who had been bedridden for the past few years, recently contracted swine flu, a respiratory infection which makes the chronic conditions like heart disease, asthma, and pneumonia worse. Individuals affected with the H1N1 flu virus also experience neurological symptoms, ranging from confusion to seizures and respiratory failure.

Fernandes, who was born in Mangalore in Karnataka on 3 June 1930, was battling Alzheimer’s disease from a very long time. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia, which is described by a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and behaviour. Read on to know more about this progressive disorder.

Key facts you need to know about Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic ongoing condition that causes brain cells to waste away and die.

Memory loss and confusions are the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Other signs of the disease include trouble with speech or writing, decreased personal hygiene, mood and personality changes, withdrawal from friends and family, etc. Since Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder, symptoms gradually worsen over time.

Anyone can get Alzheimer’s, however, adults over 65 years of age and those with a family history of the condition are at higher risk of developing the condition.

It many be noted that Alzheimer’s and dementia are similar but not the same thing. Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia.

While there’s no one identifiable cause of Alzheimer’s, scientists believe that the disorder is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the brain over time.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but proper medication and management strategies can help slow the progression of the disorder and temporarily improve the symptoms.

Similarly, there’s no definitive way to prevent Alzheimer's disease, but evidence suggests that changes in lifestyle, diet, and exercise and habits – all of which are essential for good health and well-being - may reduce the risk of the condition

don't snap your memorable moments just enjoy them says new

New US research has found that taking photos of life’s enjoyable moments could actually lead to you enjoying them less. Led by Gia Nardini at the University of Denver along with researchers at Washington University in St Louis and the University of Florida, Nardini was prompted to carry out the new research when she herself came back from a trip to a wildlife preserve thinking she had spent more time taking photos than actually living in the moment.

To investigate the idea further, the authors carried out a series of five different tests including a total of 718 participants. Some were surveyed on whether photographing highly enjoyable experiences increases, decreases or has no effect on enjoyment while others were asked to take part in experiences and say whether they enjoyed it when taking photos and when putting the camera down.

The findings, published in the journal Psychology and Marketing, showed that if the event is a highly enjoyable one, then stopping to take photos will distract from this enjoyment.

In particular, the participants who watched a highly enjoyable video without snapping photos enjoyed the experience significantly more, at 72.6 on a 100-point scale, than those occasionally taking pictures, at 63.8 on the 100-point scale.

"We’re looking at experiences that are overall highly enjoyable, ones you really get immersed in, things that are a 8-, 9- and 10- on a 10-point scale of enjoyment," said co-author Robyn LeBoeuf, "When you take pictures, you tend to enjoy them less. Taking pictures hurts."

"We get so focused on picture-taking, we miss the experience itself."

However, the surveys revealed that many people, 51.4 percent, think taking photos has no effect on enjoyment, and 27.9 percent believed it increased enjoyment. Just 21.6 percent said it decreased enjoyment "Most people don’t think it hurts. Certainly, this isn’t obvious to people," commented LeBoeuf.

Sharing photos on social media appeared to hinder people’s enjoyment even further, with the team finding that when watching a highly enjoyable video, 83.7 percent of participants enjoyed the video when they just sat back and watched it, compared to 76.2 percent who watched and took personal pictures, and 73.5 who watched and took photos to share.

"Thinking ’Oh, I have to post these’ makes it even harder to enjoy the experience," said LeBoeuf. However, when watching or partaking in a moderately enjoyable video or experience, taking pictures appeared to have no negative effect.

In addition, the researchers also looked at 99 participants who were texting while watching an enjoyable video, and found that this common digital distraction could also reduce our enjoyment of experiences, adding that photography was merely "one manifestation of a larger range of behaviors, such as texting, tweeting and posting on social media that surreptitiously distract people from the moment, resulting in diminished enjoyment."

"When advising people, we can tell them, ’Hey, you may want to be more mindful when deciding whether to take pictures,’" concludes LeBoeuf.

women twice as likely to suffer from severe depression after stroke

A new study, published Tuesday in the European Journal of Neurology has found that women are twice as likely to suffer from severe depression following a stroke than men.The research followed the progress of symptoms over five years after stroke onset 2,313 people and found that 20 per cent of women suffered from severe depression compared to 10 per cent of men

The study also found varying patterns of symptom progression that long-term increased symptoms of depression are associated with higher mortality rates and that initially moderate symptoms in men tend to become worse over time.

The study found that patients who had their first-ever stroke between 1998 and 2016 were recruited to the study from the South London Stroke Register (SLSR) and were monitored until July 2017. Participants' mental health was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and cross-referenced with their physical health and socio-demographic data.

Speaking about the study, lead author Dr Salma Ayis from the School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences at King's College London, said: "While we cannot pinpoint exactly why depression is more common among women, it could be that women draw more of their sense of self and self-worth from their social relationships and so are more sensitive to challenges in maintaining these. Also, as women live longer, they are more exposed to loneliness, poor physical health and loss of support, all of which could lead to depression.

She added that what is common to both sexes is the dramatic decrease in the likelihood of survival as depression symptoms increase. The researchers believe that by monitoring symptoms of depression in stroke survivors and acting accordingly, clinicians may be able to provide better long-term care.

heavy drinking can change your DNA

Are you a heavy drinker? Take note. Besides alcohol taking a toll on your health in many ways, it may also trigger a long-lasting genetic change resulting in an even greater craving for alcohol, researchers including one of Indian-origin have warned.

"We found that people who drink heavily may be changing their DNA in a way that makes them crave alcohol even more," said Dipak K. Sarkar, Professor at Rutgers University in the US. "This may help explain why alcoholism is such a powerful addiction, and may one day contribute to new ways to treat alcoholism or help prevent at-risk people from becoming addicted," said Sarkar.

For the study, researchers focused on two genes implicated in the control of drinking behaviour: PER2, which influences the body's biological clock, and POMC, which regulates our stress-response system.

By comparing groups of moderate, binge and heavy drinkers, the team found that the two genes had changed in binge and heavy drinkers through an alcohol-influenced gene modification process called methylation, according to the findings, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

In addition, the binge and heavy drinkers also showed reductions in gene expression, or the rate at which these genes create proteins. These changes increased with greater alcohol intake.

Also, in another experiment, the drinkers viewed stress-related, neutral or alcohol-related images. They were also shown containers of beer and subsequently tasted beer, and their motivation to drink was evaluated.

Results showed that alcohol-fuelled changes in the genes of binge and heavy drinkers were associated with a greater desire for alcohol. The findings may eventually help researchers identify biomarkers -- measurable indicators such as proteins or modified genes -- that could predict an individual's risk for binge or heavy drinking, Sarkar noted.

In 2016, more than 3 million people died from the harmful use of alcohol. More than three quarters of alcohol-caused deaths were among men. The harmful use of alcohol also caused 5.1 per cent of disease and injuries worldwide, according to the World Health Organization

persistent sore throat could indicate laryngeal cancer

A persistent sore throat combined with shortness of breath, problems in swallowing or an ear ache is an indication of laryngeal cancer rather than hoarseness alone, a new study warns. Hoarseness, which is a symptom and not a disease, describes abnormal voice changes where the voice may sound breathy, raspy, strained or there may be changes in volume (loudness) or pitch (how high or low the voice is).

Laryngeal or larynx cancer is one of the most common types of head and neck cancer. Use of tobacco products and drinking too much alcohol can heighten the risk of this cancer.

The study of more than 800 patients diagnosed with cancer of the larynx has found more than a 5 per cent risk of cancer from a persistent sore throat combined with one of these other symptoms. This compares with a 2.7 per cent risk for hoarseness alone, said the study published in the British Journal of General Practice.

The research aims to facilitate earlier detection of cancer, which is the key in getting the best survival rates and health outcomes for patients and also gives greater insight into the combinations of symptoms general practioners (GP) should be alert to when deciding who should be investigated for cancer.

Currently, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend investigation for persistent hoarseness or an unexplained neck lump.

"This research matters -- when NICE guidance for cancer investigation was published there was no evidence from GP to guide this -- nor to inform GPs. Crucially, hoarseness serious enough to be reported to GPs does warrant investigation," said Willie Hamilton, Professor at the University of Exeter in Britain.

"Furthermore, our research has shown the potential severity of some symptom combinations previously thought to be low-risk. "There's still some way to go and the results of this study really highlight the need to improve the current recommendations for all of the head and neck cancers - which are either incomplete or absent," said lead author Elizabeth Shephard from the varsity.

GPs should consider larynx cancer when patients report a persistent sore throat, particularly when combined with other seemingly low-level symptoms, the study suggested

controlling blood pressure reduces cognitive impairment risk

Intensive control of blood pressure in older people significantly reduced the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor of early dementia, finds a new study. MCI is defined as a decline in memory and thinking skills that is greater than expected with normal ageing and is a risk factor for dementia.

The study found that just three years of lowering blood pressure not only dramatically helped the heart but also helped the brain. Hypertension, which affects more than half of people over 50 and more than 75 per cent of those older than 65, has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor for MCI and dementia in previous observational studies.

"As doctors treating older patients, we are encouraged to finally have a proven intervention to lower someone's risk for MCI," said principal investigator Jeff Williamson, Professor at Wake Forest University in the US.

The clinical trial enrolled 9,361 volunteers among adults 50 and older with hypertension but without diabetes or a history of stroke. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed a 15 per cent reduction in dementia in the intensively controlled group.

Although MCI considerably increases the risk of dementia, this progression is not inevitable and reversion to normal cognition is possible, Williamson noted

way forward to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030

Improvements in screening, prevention and treatment particularly in high-burden countries, such as India, China and Pakistan, can avert 15.1 million new hepatitis C infections and 1.5 million cirrhosis and liver cancer deaths globally by 2030. Globally, it is estimated that 71 million individuals are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus, that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation.

The virus was also responsible for over 475,000 deaths in 2015. To achieve the big reductions, there is need to implement comprehensive blood safety and infection control measures, extend harm reduction services (such as opioid substitution therapy and needle and syringe programmes) and replace older treatments with direct-acting antivirals in all countries.

Moreover, adding screening to these interventions can help diagnose 90 per cent of people with hepatitis C and offer treatment by 2030, according to the study published in The Lancet journal.

The estimates equal to an 80 per cent reduction in incidence and a 60 per cent reduction in deaths as compared to 2015.  But, it narrowly misses the elimination targets set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) -- to reduce mortality by 65 per cent -- and would instead be attained by 2032, the researchers said.

"Even though it narrowly falls short of the WHO targets for 2030, the impact our estimates suggest would be a tremendous stride forwards," said lead author Professor Alastair Heffernan, from UK's Imperial College London.

The team found that implementing comprehensive blood safety and infection control measures was estimated to reduce the number of new infections in 2030 by 58 per cent.

Extending harm reduction services to 40 per cent of people who inject drugs could reduce the number of new infections by a further 7 percentage points.  Together, this would prevent 14.1 million new infections by 2030.

But, offering direct-acting antivirals to all patients at the time of diagnosis could prevent 640,000 deaths from liver cancer and cirrhosis by 2030, the researchers noted.

"Achieving such reductions requires a massive screening programme and demands a rapid increase in new treatment courses in the short term -- namely, 51.8 million courses of direct-acting antivirals by 2030," Heffernan said

to defeat obesity hunger and climate change: radical rethink needed

To defeat the intertwined pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must curb the political influence of major corporations, said a major report Monday calling for a 'global treaty' similar to one for tobacco control. Bu this will not happen unless ordinary citizens demand a "radical rethink" of the relationship between policymakers and business, nearly four dozen experts from The Lancet Commission on Obesity concluded.

"Powerful opposition from vested interests, lack of political leadership, and insufficient societal demand for change are preventing action," they said in a statement.

Nearly a billion people are hungry and another two billion are eating too much of the wrong foods, causing epidemics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Unhealthy diets account for up to 11 million premature deaths every year, according to the most recent Global Disease Burden report.

"Malnutrition in all its forms -- including undernutrition and obesity -- is by far the biggest cause of ill-health and premature deathy globally," said Commission co-chair Boyd Swinburn, a professor at the University of Aukland.

"Both undernutrition and obesity are expected to be made significantly worse by climate change."

The way in which food is currently produced, distributed and consumed not only fuels the hunger and obesity pandemics, it also generates 25 to 30 percent of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

Cattle production alone accounts for more than have of those gases, in the form of methane-laden flatulence and CO2 when forests -- especially in Brazil -- are cleared to accommodate livestock.

A transport system dominated by cars contributes another 15 to 25 percent of emissions, and supports a sedentary lifestyle.

Triple pandemic

"Underpinning all of these are weak political governance, the unchallenging economic pursuit of GPD growth, and the powerful commercial engineering of overconsumption," the report said.

"Undernutrition is declining too slowly to meet global targets, no country has reversed its obesity epidemic, and comprehensive policy responses to the threat of climate change have barely begun."

Despite 30 years of warnings from science about the dire impacts of global warming, CO2 emissions hit record levels in 2017 and again last year.

Because all these problems are interwoven, the answers must be too, the researchers emphasised.

"Joining three pandemics" -- hunger, obesity, climate -- "together as 'The Global Syndemic' allows us to consider common drivers and shared solutions."

Another Lancet Commission report published last week calling for a dramatic shift in global diet to improve health and avoid "catastrophic" damage to the planet.

"Until now, undernutrition and obesity have been seen as polar opposites of either too few or too many calories," said Swinburn.

"In reality, they are both driven by the same unhealthy, inequitable food systems, underpinned by the same political economy."

The report calls for a Framework Convention on Food Systems -- similar to global conventions for tobacco control and climate change -- to restrict the influence of the food industry.

- How we eat, live, move -
The experts also argue that economic incentives must be overhauled.

Some five trillion dollars (4.4 trillion euros) in government subsidies for fossil fuels and large-scale agribusiness should be rechanneled toward "sustainable, healthy and environmentally friendly activities," they said.

To sharply reduce red meat consumption, for example, the report favours high taxes, abolishing subsidies, along with transparent health and environment labelling.

In addition, they favour the creation of a one billion dollar philanthropic fund to support grassroots action.

"Tackling 'The Global Syndemic' requires an urgent rethink of how we eat, live, consume and move," said Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet.

The two Lancet reports are not the only urgent appeal from science in recent months. In October, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change likewise called for an economic and social "paradigm shift" to avoid global chaos.

Reaction to the Lancet recommendations has been sharply divided. Health advocates and climate experts hailed its sweeping call for deep change.

"For too long we have been day-dreaming our way to a diseased future," said Katie Dain, CEO of the Noncommunicable Disease Alliance.

"A food system that secures a better diet for this and the immediate next generations will save millions of lives and, at the same time, help save the planet."

Industry representatives and libertarians slammed the findings as overwrought and an assault on free choice.

"This is the final vindication for those of us who have warned about the slippery slope of regulation," said Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs.

"Nanny-state zealots are no longer hiding their intention to use the anti-tobacco blueprint to control other areas of our lives."