Undercooked Chicken and Paralysis
According a recent study, undercooked chicken can actually be a real threat to your health. American researchers have identified a bacterium, commonly found in under-cooked chicken, that may cause Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) — an autoimmune disorder, which is the world’s leading cause of acute neuromuscular paralysis in humans. The research showed that if chicken isn’t cooked to the proper minimum internal temperature, bacteria — Campylobacter jejuni — which still exist in the food can trigger GBS. “It takes a certain genetic makeup combined with a Campylobacter strain to cause this disease,” said lead author linda Mansfield, Professor at the Michigan State University, in the US. Further, most of the bacteria strains were found to be antibiotic-resistant, with some causing more harm than good. Use of certain antibiotics aggravated neurological signs, lesions and the number of immune antibodies that can mistakenly attack a patient’s own organs and tissues.
Running is good for the knees
According to a recent study, running reduces inflammation in knee joints and slows the process that leads to osteoarthritis. “This idea that long-distance running is bad for your knees might be a myth,” said study co-author Matt Seeley, Associate Professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University in Utah. The researchers measured inflammation markers in the knee joint fluid of several healthy men and women aged 18-35, both before and after running. They found that the specific markers they were looking for in the extracted synovial fluid — two cytokines named GM-CSF and Il-15 — decreased in concentration in the participants after 30 minutes of running.
Violence may cause PTSD in women
Women in disadvantaged neighbourhoods who experience and witness violence may be at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study has warned. The study also found that women with PTSD diagnosis or sub-threshold PTSD had significantly more severe depression symptoms than those who did not report experiencing trauma. Researchers examined a disadvantaged Chicago neighbourhood; every woman who was recruited had symptoms of depression. “There are many women who are affected by shooting and gang violence in these neighbourhoods. They are often overlooked. With this study, we were able to shine a light on this high prevalence of trauma exposure and PTSD diagnosis among the underserved population,” said Sunghyun Hong, research assistant at Northwestern University.