Anti-addiction medication

Drug addiction continues to plague vast numbers of people across the world, destroying and ending lives, while attempts to develop more effective pharmaceutical addiction treatments continue.
Vigabatrin is an anti-epilepsy medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that has also been shown to be effective against addiction to cocaine, nicotine, methamphetamine, heroin and alcohol in animal models.

In humans, vigabatrin eliminates cocaine addiction in 28 percent of patients. It works by blocking an enzyme-aminobutyric acid (GABA) aminotransferase, which breaks down GABA. The result is higher levels of this neurotransmitter in the brain and diminished narcotic-activated release of dopamine. Long-term vigabatrin therapy can have serious side effects however, causing eye damage in up to 40 percent of those treated.

In previous work, the researchers designed a compound, CPP-115, that is 186 times more efficient in inactivating GABA aminotransferase than vigabatrin. In this study, they used computational molecular dynamics simulations of CPP-115 in complex with the enzyme to develop a new and improved agent with 10 times greater efficiency.

The drug should also be less likely to cause side effects, as it has fewer off-target activities in in vitro tests. In initial rat experiments, the new compound was far better at blocking dopamine release after a cocaine or nicotine stimulus than CPP-115.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Vaping not better than smoking before surgery

Despite being perceived as a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes, vaping liquid contains nicotine, which may significantly increase the risk for complications related to surgery and anesthesia, according to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists AANA. The AANA is supporting this effort by urging individuals not to vape or smoke before surgery.

Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which can cause addiction.The nicotine found in vapes and tobacco results in poor wound healing, increases anesthesia risk, and may lead to a host of other potential complications for surgery patients. Despite being perceived as a better alternative to tobacco cigarettes, vaping liquid contains nicotine, which significantly increases the risk for complications during and after surgery.

 It's common knowledge that patients should quit smoking cigarettes at least a few weeks before and after surgery, vaping is not good as well. Nicotine can lower the effectiveness of certain medications or interfere with the way the way drugs work; it can also impact healing and lead to infection and greater discomfort after surgery.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Cell can makes or breaks your habits

Some habits are useful and healthy like drinking enough water everyday, eating of fruits and vegetables while habits like eating a cookie every day after work, smoking after meal and excess consumption of alcohol are not healthy.

Neuroscientists have identified a single type of neuron in the brain that serves as a master controller of habits. The team found that habit formation increases the activity of this influential cell, and that shutting it down with a drug is enough to break habits in sugar-seeking mice.

This cell exerts its control through a web of connections to more populous cells that are known to drive habitual behavior. This cell is a relatively rare cell but heavily connected to the main neurons that relay the outgoing message for this brain region. We find that this cell is a master controller of habitual behavior, and it appears to do this by re-arranging the message sent by the outgoing neurons.

The scientists trained healthy mice to receive a tasty treat every time they pressed a lever. Many mice developed a lever-pressing habit, continuing to press the lever even when it no longer dispensed treats. The team compared the brain activity of mice who had developed a lever-pressing habit with those who hadn't. They focused on an area deep within the brain called the striatum, which contains two sets of neural pathways: a "go" pathway, which incites an action, and a "stop" pathway, which inhibits action.

They discovered that the go and stop pathways were stronger in habit-driven mice. Habit formation also shifted the relative timing of the two pathways, making the go pathway fire before the stop. The fast-spiking interneuron in striatum FSI might serve as master conductor of the widespread changes in the outgoing neurons activity. The FSI belongs to a class of neurons responsible for relaying messages located between other types of neurons in a particular brain region.

Though FSIs make up about only one percent of the cells in the striatum, they grow long branch-like tendrils that link them up to the 95 percent of neurons that trigger the stop and go pathways. Forming a habit appeared to make the FSIs more excitable. After giving the mice a drug that decreases the firing of FSIs, they discovered that the stop and go pathways reverted to their previous brain activity patterns, and the habit behavior disappeared. Harmful behaviors like compulsion and addiction in humans might involve corruption of the normally adaptive habit -learning mechanisms.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Sugar is as addictive as cocaine

Sugar can cause cravings, binges and withdrawal symptoms similar to a drug addiction. Sugar could be just as addictive as cocaine, cocaine and sugar have similar effect on the brain.

Cutting sugar out may lead to depression and behavioural disorders such as ADHD, refined sugar and opioid drugs trigger a similar response from the brain's reward system, both releasing dopamine and other pleasure-inducing chemicals.

Getting used to this feeling leads to craving for more to get the same response, leading to addiction.
Consuming sugar produces effects similar to that of cocaine, altering mood by inducing reward and pleasure

Experiments on rats showed that sugar was more addictive than opioid drugs.
Withdrawal symptoms can include behavioural problems or depression. Lack of dopamine in the brain during periods between sugar consumption has lead to ADHD-like symptoms.

During off sugar period, a mild state of depression may ensue due to dopamine deficiency, which can be temporarily relieved by consuming more sugar.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

Keeping secrets may damage your health

Keeping secrets may be damaging to health because the internal torment drives up stress, causing sleeping problems, wrinkles and sickness.

According to scientists, 95 percent of people keep an average of 13 secrets at a time. The experts at Columbia University in New York said the amount of time thinking about the secret is more harmful to health than the secret.

Researchers said one of the most frequently kept secrets were sexual fantasies about a non-partner or having sexual relations with a non-partner.

Other commonly held secrets were sexual orientation, poor self-image, finances, poor job performance, health challenges and addiction.

These undisclosed thoughts can cause stress hormones, such as cortisol, to go wild. High cortisol can lead to high blood pressure and weak immune system.

Secrets may also impact the way we relate to others, people who have
secrets tend to change their language and behavior when communicating with their friends.

Secret-keepers are socially active and very vigilant than usual, they respond quickly to those they were keeping in dark.

haleplusheart.blogspot.com