Dark chocolate could prevent heart problems in high-risk people.

A study published in the British Medical Journal, shows that daily consumption of dark chocolate can reduce cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes, in people with metabolic syndrome (a cluster of factors that increases the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes). Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dark chocolate (containing at least 60% cocoa solids) is rich in flavonoids -- known to have heart protecting effects -- but this has only been examined in short term studies. A team of researchers from Melbourne, Australia used a mathematical model to predict the long-term health effects and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption in 2,013 people already at high risk of heart disease. All participants had high blood pressure and met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, but had no history of heart disease or diabetes and were not on blood pressure lowering therapy. A 100% compliance (best case scenario), the researchers show that daily dark chocolate consumption could potentially avert 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per 10,000 people treated over 10 years. Even when compliance levels were reduced to 80%, the number of non-fatal and fatal events potentially averted was 55 and 10 per 10,000 people treated over 10 years, and could still be considered an effective intervention strategy The authors stress that only non-fatal stroke and non-fatal heart attack were assessed in their analysis, and that the potential effects on other cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, are yet to be tested. Also important, they say, is that these protective effects have only been shown for dark chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa), rather than for milk or white chocolate, probably due to the higher levels of flavonoids found in dark chocolate. The blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects of plain dark chocolate could represent an effective and cost effective strategy for people with metabolic syndrome (and no diabetes).

RESEARCH: WHY YOU SHOULD EAT DARK CHOCOLATE.

Dark chocolate is good for you and scientists now know why. Dark chocolate helps restore flexibility to arteries while also preventing white blood cells from sticking to the walls of blood vessels. Both arterial stiffness and white blood cell adhesion are known factors that play a significant role in atherosclerosis. What's more, the scientists also found that increasing the flavanol content of dark chocolate did not change this effect. A study published in the March 2014 issue of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal.(FASEB) Diederik Esser, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Top Institute Food and Nutrition and Wageningen University, Division of Human Nutrition in Wageningen, says the impact of chocolate consumption on vascular health and that increasing flavanol content has no added beneficial effect on vascular health. Diederik Esser noted however, the increased flavanol content clearly affected taste and thereby the motivation to eat these chocolates. So the dark side of chocolate is a healthy one. Esser and colleagues analyzed 44 middle-aged overweight men over two periods of four weeks as they consumed 70 grams of chocolate per day. Study participants received either specially produced dark chocolate with high flavanol content or chocolate that was regularly produced. Both chocolates had a similar cocoa mass content. Before and after both intervention periods, researchers performed a variety of measurements that are important indicators of vascular health. During the study, participants were advised to refrain from certain energy dense food products to prevent weight gain. Scientists also evaluated the sensory properties of the high flavanol chocolate and the regular chocolate and collected the motivation scores of the participants to eat these chocolates during the intervention. This discovery could lead the way to therapies that do the same thing as dark chocolate but with better and more consistent results, but until the 'dark chocolate drug' is developed, however just o make do with what nature has given . Go ahead eat dark chocolate.

Design and print your own 3-D chocolate objects.

3-D printing is a technology where a three dimensional object is created by building up successive layers of material. The technology is already used in industry to produce plastic and metal products but this is the first time the principles have been applied to chocolate. This new digital technology printer allows you to create your own designs on a computer and reproduce them physically in three dimensional form in chocolate. The project is funded as part of the Research Council UK Cross-Research Council Programme -- Digital Economy and is managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) on behalf of ESRC, AHRC and MRC. It is being led by the University of Exeter in collaboration with the University of Brunel and software developer Delcam Chocolate is not an easy material to work with because it requires accurate heating and cooling cycles. These variables then have to be integrated with the correct flow rates for the 3-D printing process. Researchers overcame these difficulties with the development of new temperature and heating control systems. Research leader Dr Liang Hao, at the University of Exeter, states that what makes this technology special is that users will be able to design and make their own products. In the long term it could be developed to help consumers custom- design many products from different materials but we've started with chocolate as it is readily available, low cost and non-hazardous. There is also no wastage as any unused or spoiled material can be eaten of course! From reproducing the shape of a child's favorite toy to a friend's face, the possibilities are endless and only limited by our creativity. Researchers hope that an online retail business will host a website for users to upload their chocolate designs for 3-D printing and delivery. Dr Hao added: "In future this kind of technology will allow people to produce and design many other products such as jewellery or household goods. Eventually we may see many mass produced products replaced by unique designs created by the customer." EPSRC Chief Executive Professor Dave Delpy said: "This is an imaginative application of two developing technologies and a good example of how creative research can be applied to create new manufacturing and retail ideas. By combining developments in engineering with the commercial potential of the digital economy we can see a glimpse into the future of new markets -- creating new jobs and, in this case, sweet business opportunities." source;Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). "Design and print your own 3-D chocolate objects.

Rare human disease found in dogs.

The study published in the journal Veterinary Pathology, shows that rare severe form of pulmonary hypertension, which up until now, has only been classified as a human lung disease, has also been discovered in dogs. This study according to a Michigan State University, the research is the first to document the existence of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, or PVOD, in dogs," said Kurt Williams, the lead author of the study and an expert in respiratory pathology in MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. "PVOD is considered one of the most severe forms of pulmonary hypertension." PVOD might be more common in dogs than in people, but this has yet to be determined and needs to be looked at closely. Pulmonary hypertension develops because of abnormal blood vessels in the lungs, which makes it harder for the heart to push blood through and provide oxygen to the rest of the body. In cases of PVOD, the small veins in the lungs become blocked, increasing pressure in these blood vessels, and ultimately causing heart failure. The same process happens in canines,.these dogs also come in with similar symptoms as humans, yet because subtle changes in health may not be recognized as quickly in dogs, death can occur quickly once the animal is seen by a veterinarian. Symptoms include cough, increased rate of breathing, respiratory distress, loss of appetite and chronic fatigue. Fatal progression of the disease in humans can last up to two years. Unfortunately, there are very few effective treatment options for PVOD and a lung transplant often becomes the best choice. PVOD is a poorly understood disease not just because it's so rare, but also because there has been no other animals known to have the disease, but this finding aids the diagnosis. The discovery could be important for human medicine because the canine disease may serve as a model for human PVOD. Cases like this help to show how important veterinary medicine is to medicine in general, medical professionals in the human medical community are becoming much more aware of the many diseases shared by our respective patients and how together we can learn from each other. The value of one world one health can not be underestimated.

UC Davis Veterinarians Help Paralyzed Dog Walk Again.

Doctors at the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital were faced with the incredible challenge of helping a paralyzed dog walk again. Leah’s deer encounter nearly took her dear life. The 4-year-old border collie was kicked in the head by a stubborn buck, but at first it looked like a stubborn wound. “She had a gash in her face and was recovering nicely but on the third day she had a very devastating deterioration in her condition,” her owner Fran Cole said. Suddenly, she stopped moving. UC Davis veterinarians discovered Leah was actually left paralyzed after her skull had been dislocated from her spine.“Most times when this happens the animal or the person dies,” said Dr. Karen Vernau. She was one of the surgeons who helped put Leah back together. “What we did in surgery was to drill away part of the bone and the bone fragments that were pressing on her spinal cord,” she said. Cole was faced with the real possibility Leah would be paralyzed forever. I said to him, ‘Do you think my dog will ever walk again?’ and he said ‘If your dog walks again, it’ll be the biggest feat of my residency,’ which is not a comforting statement,” she said. What is comforting is seeing Leah spending days doing water therapy and learning how to use her muscles again. Now, she can get up, move her head and stand on all fours. She’s now home with her family in Grass Valley. She’s still doing water therapy and getting acupuncture, but she’s doing doggie stuff, too, like chasing squirrels, digging and loving life again. culled from CBS Sacremento

CAMEL,GENES AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

The findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the dromedary camel has their genetic diversity shaped by ancient trade routes. Scientists examined DNA samples from more than 1,000 one-humped camels. Despite populations being hundreds of miles apart, they were genetically very similar.Scientists explained that centuries of cross-continental trade had led to this "blurring" of genetics. One of the team, Prof Olivier Hanotte, from Nottingham University, explained that what made the dromedary so biologically fascinating was its close link to human history. They have moved with people, through trading So analyzing dromedaries, can help find a signature of our own past. In search of this signature, the researchers compared samples of DNA - the carrier of genetic information - from populations across the camels' range. Our international collaboration meant we were able to get samples from West Africa, Pakistan, Oman and even Syria. The domesticated dromedary was adopted as a beast of burden around 3,000 years ago and, well into the 20th Century, trade caravans that sometimes consisted of thousands of animals, would transport goods across the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Prof Hanotte explained: "People would travel hundreds of miles with their camels carrying all their precious goods. And when they reached the Mediterranean, the animals would be exhausted. "So they would leave those animals to recover and take new animals for their return journey." This caused centuries of genetic "shuffling", making dromedaries that are separated by entire continents remarkably similar. Crucially, this has also ensured that the animals maintained their genetic diversity - constantly mixing up the population. This means that dromedaries are likely to be much more adaptable in the face of a changing environment. Climate change, is characterized by rising temperatures, more extreme weather patterns and more areas becoming less suitable for livestock, .The dromedary will be our better option for livestock production - of meat and milk. These could replace cattle and even sheep and goats that are less well-adapted. read more from BBC NEWS.

Howell County rabies diagnosis leads to euthanization of dogs.

The Howell County Health Department says a six-week-old puppy that showed symptoms and died recently tested positive for rabies. The puppy had been given to another family, but originated from the Moody area The health department says eight other unvaccinated dogs, including the puppy's mother and litter mates, had to be euthanized. "Unfortunately, the rabies virus can incubate six months to 2 years, and so as a general rule, when you have a really certain exposure from a known rabid animal, we generally recommend that those animals be destroyed, unfortunately," says Dr. Eugene Ulmanis of Animal Clinic of West Plains. The Howell County Health Department says 32 people, including some children, who may have been exposed to the animals are starting rabies post-exposure treatment. They feel they have contacted everyone who came in contact with the animals. "It's really the best way to get protected, because once you actually start to show symptoms. Public health investigators don't know for sure where the rabies exposure originated, but say the puppy's original owners, near the Moody area, witnessed two dead skunks in the area about four weeks prior to the puppy getting sick. Dr. Ulmanis says, "Apparently, the dogs had killed two skunks, according to the owner that was in, because we did vaccinate the owner's other dogs, so I actually did talk to the owner of the original incident yesterday." Officials think the mother dog may have killed a rabid skunk, then licked her puppies to pass on the deadly virus. The rabies case happens to coincide with low cost annual rabies vaccine events in Howell County. Dr. Ulmanis' clinic charges 7 dollars ,if an animal has already been exposed to rabies, a vaccine won't help. Culled from http://www.ky3.com/