BABIES CRY THE MOST IN THESE COUNTRIES
Babies cry more in Britain, Canada, Italy and Netherlands than in other countries, researchers said. However, newborns in Denmark, Germany and Japan cry and fuss the least, they added. In research looking at how much babies around the world cry in their first three months, psychologists from Britain have created the first universal charts for normal amounts of crying during that period. “Babies are already very different in how much they cry in the first weeks of life,” said Dieter Wolker, who led the study at Warwick University. “We may learn more from looking at cultures where there is less crying — (including) whether this may be due to parenting or other factors relating to pregnancy experiences or genetics.” The highest levels of colic — defined as crying more than three hours a day for at least three days a week — were found in babies in Britain, Canada and Italy, while the lowest colic rates were found in Denmark and Germany.
lACK OF SlEEP UPS RISK OF BONE lOSS
Prolonged sleep disturbances due to jet lag or shift work may increase the risk of bone loss, a new study has found. For three weeks, the subjects went to sleep four hours later than the prior day, resulting in a 28-hour “day”. The men were allowed to sleep only 5.6 hours per 24-hour period, since short sleep is also common for night shift workers. While awake, the men ate the same amount of calories and nutrients. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and again after the three weeks of sleep manipulation. Six of the men were aged between 20 to 27 and the other four were aged between 55 to 65. Researchers found after three weeks all men had reduced levels of bone formation marker P1NP compared with baseline.
PlASTICS MAY UP BREAST CANCER RISK
A chemical found in hard plastics, currency bills and paper receipts may increase the aggressiveness of breast cancer, a new study has found. BPS used in the plastic industry shows the potential for increasing the aggressiveness of breast cancer through its behaviour as an endocrine-disrupting chemical. Researchers studied the effects of BPS on oestrogen receptor-alpha and the BRCA1 gene. Most breast cancers are oestrogen receptor positive, and 55 to 65 per cent of women who inherit a harmful mutation in the BRCA1 gene will develop breast cancer. Using two commercially available breast cancer cell lines obtained from women with oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, the research team exposed the cancer cells to varying strengths of BPS or to an inactive substance as a control.