>>Some Habits That Damage Our Teeth.

*Chewing on Ice
It’s natural and sugar free, so you might think ice is harmless. But munching on hard, frozen cubes can chip or even crack your teeth. And if your mindless chomping irritates the soft tissue inside a tooth, regular toothaches may follow. Hot foods and cold foods may trigger quick, sharp jabs of pain or a lingering toothache. Next time you get the urge for ice, chew some sugarless gum instead.

*Playing Sports With No Mouth Guard
Whether you play football, hockey, or any other contact sport, don't get in the game without a mouth guard. This is a piece of molded plastic that protects the upper row of teeth. Without it, your teeth could get chipped or even knocked out when the action gets rough. Self-fitting mouth guards may be purchased at a store, or you can have one custom made by your dentist.

*Bedtime Bottles
It’s never too early to protect teeth. Giving a baby a bedtime bottle of juice, milk, or formula, can put new teeth on a path to decay. The baby may become used to falling asleep with the bottle in his or her mouth, bathing the teeth in sugars overnight. It's best to keep bottles out of the crib.

*Cough Drops
Just because cough drops are sold in the medicine aisle doesn't mean they’re healthy. Most are loaded with sugar. So after soothing your throat with a lozenge, be sure to brush well. Whether the sugar comes from a cough drop or a hard candy, it reacts with the sticky plaque that coats your teeth. Then bacteria in the plaque convert the sugar into an acid that eats away at tooth enamel. Hello, cavities.

*Gummy Candy
All sugary treats promote tooth decay, but some candies are harder to bear. Gummies stick in the teeth, keeping the sugar and resulting acids in contact with your enamel for hours. If your day just isn't the same without a gummy critter, pop a couple during a meal instead of as a separate snack. More saliva is produced during meals, which helps rinse away candy bits and acids.

>>6 Amazing Tips For Healthy Sleep

1.      Ban Blue Light in the Bedroom

Insomnia feeds on the minor details of modern life, like the soft blue glow from a cell phone, PDA, or digital clock resting on your bedside table. The short waves of blue light may interfere with sleep.

Tip: Turn off TVs, computers, and other blue light producers an hour before sleep. Cover any blue displays you can't shut off.

2. Avoid Naps

Napping makes matters worse if you have trouble falling asleep. But if you must nap, keep it brief, 20 minutes or less -- and do it early in the day. Any shut-eye within eight hours of your bedtime can sabotage a good night's sleep.

Tip: When an afternoon slump hits, go for a short walk, drink a glass of ice water, or call a friend.

3. Cut the Caffeine

Coffee in the morning is fine for most people, but as soon as the clock strikes noon, avoid caffeine in foods and drinks. Caffeine interferes with the deeper stages of sleep, so even small amounts found in chocolate and decaffeinated coffee may impact your rest.

Tip: Read labels: Some pain relievers and weight loss pills contain caffeine.

4. Block the Clock

When you glance at the clock in the wee hours of the night, your sleep will suffer. You worry about how few hours are left before your busy day begins. Clock watchers should put their alarm in a drawer, under the bed, or turn it away from view.

Tip: Use black tape for the blue LED digital clocks on the bedroom DVR.

5. Put Your Neck in Neutral

If you wake tired with a stiff neck, blame your pillow. Pillows that are too fat or too flat cause problems. Your pillow should be just the right size to support your neck in a neutral position. For side sleepers, the nose should align with the center of the body. Stomach sleeping twists the neck and is best avoided.

Tip: Keep your neck neutral before bed, too. Don't crane your neck to watch TV.

6. Seal the Mattress

The sneezing, sniffling, and itching of allergies can cause fragmented sleep -- and your mattress may be to blame. Over time, it can fill with mold, dust mite droppings, and other allergy triggers. Avoid these sleep wreckers by sealing your mattress, box springs, and pillow.

Tip: Air-tight, plastic, dust proof covers work best.

Cell Phone Use In Pregnancy May Cause Behavioural Disorders In Offspring, Mouse Study suggests.

Exposure to radiation from cell phones during pregnancy affects the brain development of offspring, potentially leading to hyperactivity, Yale School of Medicine researchers have determined.

The results, based on studies in mice, are published in the March 15 issue of Scientific Reports, a Nature publication.

"This is the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to radio frequency radiation from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behavior," said senior author Dr. Hugh S. Taylor, professor and chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.

Taylor and co-authors exposed pregnant mice to radiation from a muted and silenced cell phone positioned above the cage and placed on an active phone call for the duration of the trial. A control group of mice was kept under the same conditions but with the phone deactivated.

The team measured the brain electrical activity of adult mice that were exposed to radiation as fetuses, and conducted a battery of psychological and behavioral tests. They found that the mice that were exposed to radiation tended to be more hyperactive and had reduced memory capacity. Taylor attributed the behavioral changes to an effect during pregnancy on the development of neurons in the prefrontal cortex region of the brain.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is a developmental disorder associated with neuropathology localized primarily to the same brain region, and is characterized by inattention and hyperactivity.

"We have shown that behavioral problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by cell phone exposure in the womb," said Taylor. "The rise in behavioral disorders in human children may be in part due to fetal cellular telephone irradiation exposure."

Taylor said that further research is needed in humans to better understand the mechanisms behind these findings and to establish safe exposure limits during pregnancy. Nevertheless, he said, limiting exposure of the fetus seems warranted.

First author Tamir Aldad added that rodent pregnancies last only 19 days and offspring are born with a less-developed brain than human babies, so further research is needed to determine if the potential risks of exposure to radiation during human pregnancy are similar.

"Cell phones were used in this study to mimic potential human exposure but future research will instead use standard electromagnetic field generators to more precisely define the level of exposure," said Aldad.

Too much egg yolk lead to heart disease

A Canadian study published in the  "Independent" recently that whenever a person eating egg yolks greater the impact on the bad blood vessels.

Eating a lot of egg yolk leads to the accumulation spots "carotid" It is a waxy substance clog blood vessels, thus reducing blood flow in the arteries which represents a risk factor for diseases of the arteries.

Has adopted the results of this study to assess the impact of eating eggs on nearly 1,200 people in the average age 61 years.

The results indicate that the spots "carotid" begin to grow with age after reaching the age of forty, but increase mainly according to the number of years of smoking and eating egg yolks.

The researchers said in the study that the impact of egg yolk is similar to two thirds the effect of smoking, which invited them to re-evaluate the role of egg yolk and other foods affecting the overall cholesterol as a risk factor for heart disease.

A child born without an 'Immune System'.

      Have you ever imagined a situation whereby a baby is born without an immune system?, this is a medical condition called 'Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome' (SCID) and this is the case of Nina Warnell, a 17-month old baby born without "Body Immune System'.

  

(Nina)

Nina's body is unable to fight even mild germs meaning a cold could kill her, her parents are forced to dis-infect the house three to four times in a day. She was offered a bone marrow transplant but no 'match' donor could be found, she is currently undergoing a pioneer treatment which involves 're-engineering' of her bone marrow to add a vital missing gene and this treatment is hope to allow her develop her own immune system.

Nina is trialing a world-first gene therapy cure to ‘re-boot’ her body’s defense systems and give her the chance of life outside a sterilized environment.

Seventeen-month-old Nina Warnell suffers from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome (SCID) - an inherited condition known as ‘bubble baby’ syndrome - which affects just one in 300,000 babies.

She has all the appearance of a healthy child but her body is unable to fight even the mildest germs - meaning even a cough or sneeze could end her life.

The radical new treatment - devised by doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital, has its risks but Nina’s parents Graeme and Aga Warnell, from Maidenhead, have been left with few choices.

‘With Nina’s condition, you’re against a ticking clock,’ said Mr Warnell, 43, a real estate project manager. ‘If you don’t do anything within the year, the chances of recovery and survival are very limited. It is very rear that a child with this condition survives beyond two years if nothing is done. 

Nina was diagnosed in march 2012 after her mother noticed that she was sleeping too much and she was not feeding very well. At five-weeks-old she was admitted to hospital where doctors discovered that she had multiple infections including advanced pneumonia.

(Nina and her parent)

(Nina not feeding properly)

She was placed in isolation to stop her coming into contact with any more disease and the infections were tackled with a cocktail of antibiotics and anti-viral drugs. The family had to scrub down and wear masks and gowns before being allowed through an airlock-type room to see their critically ill daughter.

Things then went from bad to worse as doctors told them Nina needed an urgent bone marrow transplant for any chance of survival.

Both her sisters and parents did not match and so Mr and Mrs Warnell campaigned for the public to register as donors with the Anthony Nolan Trust and equivalent charities abroad.

(Nina after her birth, her mother believed her to be a healthy baby)

(Tests revealed that she was suffering from numerous infections. She was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome (SCID) and put on the bone marrow donor list but no match could be found)

But with Nina getting worse by the day the family decided to move her to Great Ormond Street. Over the following months she slowly started to recover and finally put on weight and doctors managed to create an ‘artificial’ immune system for her.

She has to take 15 medications a day and immunoglobulin transfusions every three weeks to maintain it - but it is still very weak.

At this point, Professor Bobby Gaspar, a consultant in Paediatric Immunology, approached the family about the possibility of gene therapy - and things are now starting to look brighter. 

A team led by the professor is in the process of trialling a new form of gene therapy on the youngster.

(Nina undergoing Gene therapy to 're-boot' her immune system)

(Nina in a state of 'artificial immune system' created for her by the doctors using an extensive drug regime)

It is said that Nina is missing a gene which produces an enzyme vital to the production of a healthy immune system for her body.

The doctors have harvested her bone marrow and have re-engineered it using a new type of ‘reprogrammed virus’ to splice the vital gene she is missing into her DNA profile.

The re-engineered bone marrow has been re-inserted into her body and they hope a fully functioning immune system will develop.

Doctors estimate a 60 to 90 per cent chance of success.

Professor Gaspar told MailOnline that he hopes this form of gene therapy will be able to help many other children as well, and that it could eventually replace bone marrow transplants as the main form of treatment for children with immunodeficiency.

As part of the treatment, Nina underwent a session of chemotherapy to wipe her existing bone marrow so that the new one can grow in its place.

She has suffered sickness and lost some of her light-blonde hair in the process.

She also had to be housed in a sterilised room during treatment to minimize the risk of catching a potentially fatal disease.

There were several scares after she contracted a virus and the bone marrow

became contaminated with bacteria when it was inserted into her body.

However, Mr Warnell said that in ‘true Nina style’ she fought them off and her cell count started to move slowly in the right direction.

As this is a pioneering treatment, the long-term outlook for Nina is unclear and it could be months, years or even decades for side effects to surface.

Nina returned home last month but the family will not know if her body has started producing its own immune system until Christmas.

If the gene therapy treatment is found to be unsuccessful, Nina will require a bone marrow transplant.

Although a potential match has been found - this is not the preferred option as Nina would require more aggressive chemotherapy and face the risk that her body will reject the donor marrow.

Mr Warnell, who has another daughter, Megan, 11, from a previous marriage, said: ‘When I look back at the last year of what we’ve been through and what’s happened to our family, it’s very hard to describe. 

‘I can only really summarise it as like playing a record and someone just grabs the needle and pulls it straight off with a horrendous scratch and then there’s just silence.

(Nina and her sister, Mia who also had chemotherapy to wipe her existing bone marrow to allow for new bone marrow to grow)

However, the family have been buoyed by Nina’s ‘fighting spirit’ which has seen her battle through several close scrapes.

He added: ‘Nina has maintained this internal resilience, which has baffled some of the doctors, where by, she has fought through all of these things whilst having no real immune system.

‘There is no medical answer why, she just has a very strong constitution which has enabled her to survive.

‘She’s now, in a very strange way, a very confident baby, in that she’s so used to being examined by doctors and people looking at her, people prodding, poking her, injecting her, that she’s almost a child that welcomes any form of human interaction in the hospital, especially as when at home she’s quite isolated.’

Since Nina left hospital, the family have had to turn their house into a quarantine zone and must screen everyone, and everything, that enters the house

(Nina's father, Mr. Warnell cleaning his shoes)

Mrs Warnell, 39, said: ‘We sterilise probably three to four times a day and then anything that drops on the floor has to be washed and sterilised again.

‘There’s also obsessive hand-washing. This is a house of compulsive hand-washers, but it has worked, it has really prevented any infections.’

The barriers they have had to impose on Nina has been particularly hard on the couple’s other daughter Mia, three.

She has to have limited contact with other children because of the risk of picking up a cold.

Mr Warnell said he often sees her staring longingly out of the window at the other kids playing outside.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME (SCIS);

*SCID is a genetic disorder which results in a poor antibody response to germs.

*It is the most severe form of primary immunodeficiency and can be caused by any one of nine different gene mutations.

*It is also known as the bubble boy disease because one patient, David Vetter, became famous for spending 12 years living in a sterile bubble.

*Patients are usually affected by severe infections early in their life - these can include; pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections.

*If left untreated, the babies usually die within one year.

*The most common treatment is a bone marrow transplant.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2363963/Baby-born-immune-given-world-gene-therapy-hope-re-boot-bodys-defences

   

Dealing With Sore Muscles and Joint Pain

            You work hard all week, so when the weekend finally rolls around you want to play just as hard. There's nothing like a few rounds of golf, a hike in the mountains, or an intense workout at the gym to reinvigorate you.

Weekend warriors be warned, though -- Saturday and Sunday activities can lead to Monday soreness.

What's Causing My Sore Muscles?

It's normal to have sore muscles after you work out, play sports, or even do housework, especially if:

a. You did an activity you're not used to (like running a marathon when you normally jog just a few miles).
b. You suddenly kicked up your exercise intensity level or increased the length of your workout.
c. You did eccentric exercises, in which you lengthened instead of shortened your muscle (like walking downhill or extending your arm during a bicep curl).
These changes to your exercise routine can lead to tiny injuries called microdamage in the muscle fibers and connective tissue. About a day later, you'll start to feel sore.

"We call that delayed onset muscle soreness," says Ethel Frese, PT, DPT, CCS, associate professor of Physical Therapy at St. Louis University. "It peaks within about 48 hours and then it will gradually get better."

The good news is that when you do the same activity again, your muscles will start to get used to it. "You will actually have no soreness or less soreness, because now you've strengthened the muscle or connective tissue," says Allan H. Goldfarb, PhD, FACSM, professor and exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

What's Causing My Joint Pain?

When your joints feel sore and achy, that's usually a sign of osteoarthritis. This inflammatory condition becomes more common as you get older. The cartilage that normally cushions the joints wears away, leaving the joints inflamed and painful.

Joint pain can also be caused by overuse or injury -- for example, tennis elbow or a knee injury caused by a ligament or meniscal problem.

Treating Sore Muscles and Joint Pain

One big question a lot of people have when they're nursing sore muscles is whether to use heat or ice. Experts say indirect ice -- an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel -- is best for immediate relief. "Heat will feel good while it's on, but it's not going to lessen the damage or make it go away anytime soon," Frese says. Goldfarb recommends icing the sore area right after the activity to reduce inflammation, then using heat later to increase blood flow to the area. Heat also can help relieve joint pain.

If you get sore muscles once in a while, you can take acetaminophen (Tylenol) or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve) or aspirin to help relieve the discomfort. Just be cautious about using NSAIDs regularly. Long-term NSAID use can interfere with your muscles' ability to repair themselves, says Goldfarb.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist about any interactions these over-the-counter drugs may have with other medications you take. People with a history of certain medical conditions (such as ulcers, kidney disease, and liver disease) may be advised to avoid some medications.

Sometimes soothing sore muscles requires more than an ice pack or over-the-counter pain reliever. Muscle pain that comes on quickly and feels intense is a sign that you've injured yourself. Call your doctor if your pain is severe or lasts for more than a few days.

How Do I Prevent Sore Muscles and Joint Pain?

Experts used to recommend stretching before a workout to prevent sore muscles. Yet research has shown that stretching ahead of time doesn't do much to prevent soreness or injury. It's actually better to get in a good warm-up before you exercise and save the stretching for afterward, when your muscles are already warm, Frese says.

A couple of natural substances have been touted for preventing sore muscles, including antioxidants like vitamin C, but check with your doctor before taking high doses of any vitamin. Serious exercisers might find relief from post-workout soreness by beefing up on protein. A study of marines found that taking protein supplements reduced sore muscles after intense exercise. 

Ease Into Exercise and Check With Your Doctor

One of the best ways to prevent sore muscles is by easing your way into your exercise routine. "Start off with lighter exercise and gradually build up. Then you're much less likely to cause the microtrauma," says Frese. Goldfarb recommends increasing your exertion level by only about 10% at a time.

If you have a medical condition or you’re unsure about your health, check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Your doctor can help you find an exercise program that’s safe and effective for you.

Remember, when you have joint pain, you may be tempted to curl up in bed. Actually, one of the best things you can do for your joints is to exercise. "Our joints need to move to get nutrition," says Frese. Weight-bearing exercises can help strengthen the muscles that support the joint. Just watch that you don't exercise to the point of pain.

It also can help to work with a physical therapist, who can show you how to exercise safely and how to maintain good posture so that you don't get injured or worsen joint pain.

Scientists detail critical role of gene in many lung cancer cases

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown that a well-known cancer-causing gene implicated in a number of malignancies plays a far more critical role in non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease, than previously thought.

These findings establish the gene as a critical regulator of lung cancer tumor growth. This new information could turn out to be vital for the design of potentially new therapeutic strategies for a group of patients who represent almost half of non-small cell lung cancer cases.

In the study, published online ahead of print by the journal Cancer Research, the scientists found that presence of known oncogene Notch 1 is required for survival of cancer cells. In both cell and animal model studies, disabling Notch 1 leads to a rise in cancer cell death.

"While Notch signaling has emerged as an important target in many types of cancer, current methodologies that target that pathway affect all members of the Notch family, and this has been associated with toxicity," said Joseph Kissil, a TSRI associate professor who led the study. "We were able to identify Notch 1 as the critical oncogene to target, at least in a common form of lung cancer."

The new findings show that Notch1 is required for initial tumor growth, as it represses p53, a well-known tumor suppressor protein that has been called the genome's guardian because of its role in preventing mutations. The p53 proteincan repair damaged cells or force them to die through apoptosis—programmed cell death.

Using animal models, the study shows that inhibition of Notch1 signaling results in a dramatic decrease in initial tumor growth. Moreover, disruption of Notch 1 induces apoptosis by increasing p53 stability—substantially increasing its biological half-life, for example.

These findings provide important clinical insights into the correlation between Notch1 activity and the poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients who carry the non-mutated form of the p53 gene. "If you look at lung cancer patient populations, Notch signaling alone isn't a prognostic indicator, but if you look at p53-positive patients it is," Kissil said.

Cell study offers more diabetic patients chance of transplant

Diabetic patients could benefit from a breakthrough that enables scientists to take cells from the pancreas and change their function to produce insulin.

Islet cells—which occur naturally in the pancreas—produce insulin, which enables the body to store glucose. However, not enough of these cells can be provided by a single donor for a successful islet transplant to take place.The research could reduce waiting times for patients with Type 1 Diabetes who need islet cell transplants. These transplants are carried out to prevent life-threatening complications resulting from diabetes, such as seizures resulting from low blood sugar levels.

This means that patients can wait months before a second pancreas becomes available so that a sufficient number of islet cells to be transplanted.

The breakthrough, published in the journal Diabetes, could enable pancreatic cells—other than islets—to be developed in the laboratory for transplant operations.

It was carried out by the University of Aberdeen, the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

Only one pancreas donation would be needed to enable the successful transplantation of insulin-producing cells, which would save months waiting for a second donor to become available as well as make more organs available for other patients

This would involve an islet cell transplant once an organ becomes available, followed by a second transplant soon after when enough pancreatic cells have been developed to produce insulin.

The effects of the operations would also be longer lasting than currently as more cells would be transplanted.

Islet cell transplants are given to Type 1 diabetics—who are unable to make insulin and are dependent on insulin injections—to treat severe hypoglycemic unawareness.

This condition can cause potentially fatal seizures as patients have no warning signals that their blood sugar has reached dangerously low levels.

Almost 20 per cent of patients with Type 1 diabetes suffer from hypoglycemic unawareness.

John Casey, of the University of Edinburgh and also lead clinician for the National Islet Transplant Programme in Scotland, said: "There is a shortage of organ donors, which is not helped by the need for two pancreases to be donated to treat each patient. Developing previously unusable cells to produce insulin means that fewer donors would be needed, which would make a huge difference to patients waiting for transplants operations."

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council.

Professor Kevin Docherty, of the University of Aberdeen, said: "This is an example of how reprogramming,—the ability to change one cell type into another—can have a huge impact on the development of cell based therapy for diabetes and many other diseases."

An islet cell transplant programme was introduced in the UK in 2008. Since then, over 90 islet transplants have been successfully carried out in the UK with some patients now completely free of insulin injections.

6 Ways to Boost your Metabolism.

There are several ways by which we can boost series of processes by which food is converted into the energy and products that are need in the body for sustaining life, the following are the six ways by which these biochemical activities can be enhanced.

1.   Sinless Snacking

Eating more really can help you lose weight -- eating more often, that is. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down between meals. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at meal time.

                                                2.   Energy Drinks

Some ingredients in energy drinks can give your metabolism a boost. They're full of caffeine which increases the amount of energy your body uses. They sometimes have taurine, an amino acid. Taurine can speed up our metabolism and may help burn fat. But using these drinks can cause problems like high blood pressure, anxiety, and sleep issues for some people. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend them for kids and teens.

3.   Spice Up Your Meals

Spicy foods contain chemical compounds that can kick the metabolism into a higher gear. Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can boost your metabolic rate. The effect is likely temporary, but if you eat spicy foods often, the benefits may add up. For a quick boost, spice up pasta dishes, chili, and stews with red-pepper flakes.

                                                      4.   Power Up with Protein

Our body burns many more calories digesting protein as it uses for fat or carbohydrates. Although you want to eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost the metabolism at mealtime. Healthy sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.

5.   Booster Shot: Black Coffee

 If you're a coffee drinker, you probably enjoy the increased energy and concentration that follows your morning ritual. Taken in moderation, one of coffee's benefits may be a short-term increase in your metabolic rate.

6.   Best Bets

          The impact of different foods and drinks on the metabolism is small compared to what you need for sustained weight loss. Your best bet for creating a mean calorie-burning machine is to build muscle and stay active. The more you move during the day, the more calories you burn. And remember: working out in the morning has the benefit of revving up your metabolism for hours.

      

     

**Is this post helpful? kindly drop your comment

You may also like:

-   How Stress Affects Our Body System.

-   Read! Unsuspected Causes of Obesity.

-   Dealing With Sore Muscles and Joint Pain.

             

Watch these kids in Science Video Music about Frankline, Crick and Watson DNA Structure story... its so amazing.
DNA Structure science video music
+OLAYINKA A ADENEYE +SOBUR OLALEKAN Adeagbo +BABATUNDE YUSUF Raimi  

Lowest temperature for life discovered

The study, published in PLoS One, reveals that below -20 °C, single-celled organisms dehydrate, sending them into a vitrified – glass-like – state during which they are unable to complete their life cycle.

The researchers propose that, since the organisms cannot reproduce below this temperature, -20 °C is the lowest temperature limit for life on Earth.

Scientists placed single-celled organisms in a watery medium, and lowered the temperature. As the temperature fell, the medium started to turn into ice and as the ice crystals grew, the water inside the organisms seeped out to form more ice. This left the cells first dehydrated, and then vitrified. Once a cell has vitrified, scientists no longer consider it living as it cannot reproduce, but cells can be brought back to life when temperatures rise again. This vitrification phase is similar to the state plant seeds enter when they dry out.

'The interesting thing about vitrification is that in general a cell will survive, where it wouldn't survive freezing, if you freeze internally you die. But if you can do a controlled vitrification you can survive,' says Professor Andrew Clarke of NERC's British Antarctic Survey , lead author of the study. 'Once a cell is vitrified it can continue to survive right down to incredibly low temperatures. It just can't do much until it warms up.'

More complex organisms are able to survive at lower temperatures because they are able to control the medium the cells sit in to some extent.

'Bacteria, unicellular algae and unicellular fungi – of which there are a huge amount in the world-are free-living because they don't rely on other organisms ,' Clarke explains.

'Everything else, like trees and animals and insects, has the ability to control the fluid that surrounds their internal cells. In our case it's blood and lymph. In a complicated organism the cells sit in an environment that the organism can control. Free-living organisms don't have this; if ice forms in the environment they are subject to all the stresses that implies.'

If a free-living cell cools too quickly it would be unable to dehydrate and vitrify; instead it would freeze and wouldn't survive.

This goes some way towards explaining why preserving food using deep freezing works. Most fridge freezers operate at a temperature of nearly -20 °C . This study shows that this temperature works because moulds and bacteria are unable to multiply and spoil food.

'We were really pleased that we had a result which had a wider relevance, as it provided a mechanism for why domestic freezers are as successful as they are,' Clarke says.

The scientists believe that the temperature limit they have discovered is universal, and below -20°C simple forms of unicellular life can grow on Earth. During the study they looked at a wide range of single-celled organismsthat use a variety of different energy sources, from light to minerals, to metabolise. Every single type vitrified below this temperature.

'When you have a single-celled organism and cool it until ice forms in the external medium, in every case we looked at the cells dehydrated and then vitrified between -10°C and -25 °C. There were no exceptions,' explains Clarke.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-08-lowest-temperature-life.html#jCp

Bad breath can get in the way of your social life, Know the Cure.

Worried about bad breath? You're not alone. More than fifty million people suffer from bad breath, or halitosis,

according to research. Bad breath can get in the way of your social life. It can make you self-conscious and embarrassed. Fortunately, there are simple and effective ways to freshen your breath.

1. Brush and floss more frequently.

One of the prime causes of bad breath is plaque, the sticky build-up on teeth that harbors bacteria. Food left between teeth adds to the problem. All of us should brush at least twice a day and floss daily.

If you're worried about your breath, brush and floss a little more often.  But don't overdo it. Brushing too aggressively can erode enamel, making your teeth more vulnerable to decay.

2. Scrape your tongue.

The coating that normally forms on the tongue can harbor foul-smelling bacteria. To eliminate them, gently brush your tongue with your toothbrush. Some people find that toothbrushes are too big to comfortably reach the back of the tongue. In that case, try a tongue scraper. "Tongue scrapers are an essential tool in a proper oral health care routine," says Pamela L. Quinones, RDH, president of the American Dental Hygienists' Association. "They're designed specifically to apply even pressure across the surface of the tongue area, removing bacteria, food debris, and dead cells that brushing alone can’t remove."

3. Avoid foods that sour your breath.

Onions and garlic are the prime offenders. "Unfortunately, brushing after you eat onions or garlic doesn't help," says dentist Richard Price, DMD, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association.

"The volatile substances they contain make their way into your blood stream and travel to your lungs, where you breathe them out." The only way to avoid the problem is to avoid eating onions and garlic, especially before social or work occasions when you're concerned about your breath.

4. Kick the habit.

Bad breath is just one of many reasons not to smoke. Smoking damages gum tissue and stains teeth. It also increases your risk of oral cancer. Over-the-counter nicotine patches can help tame the urge to smoke. If you need a little help, make an appointment to talk to your doctor about prescription medications or smoking cessation programs that can help you give up tobacco for good.

5. Rinse your mouth out.

In addition to freshening your breath, anti-bacterial mouthwashes add extra protection by reducing plaque-causing bacteria. After eating, swishing your mouth with plain water also helps freshen your breath by eliminating food particles.

6. Skip after-dinner mints and chew gum instead.

Sugary candies promote the growth of bacteria in your mouth and add to bad breath problems. Instead, chew sugarless gum. "Gum stimulates saliva, which is the mouth’s natural defense mechanism against plaque acids which cause tooth decay and bad breath," Quinones tells WebMD.

**Is this post helpful? kindly drop your comment

You may also like:

-   How Stress Affects Our Body System.

-   Read! Unsuspected Causes of Obesity.

-   Dealing With Sore Muscles and Joint Pain.