Hidden Benefits of Vaccines, and More
In a recent experiment, 123 healthy men and women underwent MRI scans of their brains while they looked at images of food items and rated how tasty and healthy they were. They were also asked to name a healthy food. The participants with more gray matter in two brain regions—the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—were more likely to make healthy choices. Luckily, you can increase the volume of your gray matter. It happens when you push yourself to learn new things, such as words in a foreign language.
Vaccines May Have Extra Benefits
Measles. Polio. Tuberculosis. Typhoid fever. Thanks to vaccines, these diseases have been mostly eradicated in industrialized nations. And it turns out that these live vaccines may protect against diseases beyond the ones they were developed to prevent. For instance, a recent study showed that a typhoid vaccine also appeared to protect against influenza, yeast infections, and tetanus. Earlier studies have demonstrated that children who receive the measles vaccine are less likely to die from pneumonia and diarrhea, as well as from measles. Similarly, when the live polio vaccine and the bacillus Calmetteguérin (BCG) vaccine for tuberculosis are introduced in developing countries, deaths from all causes go down. Researchers theorize that live vaccines work to strengthen the overall immune system.
Alcohol Effects Persist
Having alcohol in your system hampers your ability to think straight even after it has left your bloodstream, according to a review of 19 studies. The authors, from the University of Bath in England, collected evidence that concentration, reaction time, memory, and driving ability are all poorer the day after a heavy drinking session. Hangovers involve fatigue and changes to levels of hormones and cytokines (molecules that help regulate immune responses), either of which might explain these effects.
Antibiotics Can Replace Appendicitis Surgery
Most times, a case of appendicitis means an emergency operation, but a new study has found that treatment with antibiotics can help delay the need for surgery for years—and perhaps permanently. A Finnish trial tracked 257 people with uncomplicated appendicitis who tried ten days of antibiotics before taking further steps. Over the following five years, 100 of them wound up getting their appendixes removed, and none of them were hurt by delaying the operation.