Device to 'zap' away migraine

People suffering from migraine can now heave a sigh of relief — thanks to scientists who've developed a portable electronic device that can "zap" away the debilitating pain before it starts. In their study, a team at the Ohio State University has found that the experimental device is safe and effective in eliminating headaches when administered during the onset of the migraine. According to lead scientist Yousef Mohammad, the results of the study are promising given that only 50 to 60% of migraine patients respond to traditional migraine drug treatments. The noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device interrupts the aura phase of the migraine, described as electrical storms in the brain, before they lead to headaches.

Migraine sufferers often describe "seeing" showers of shooting stars, zigzagging lines and flashing lights, and experiencing loss of vision, weakness, tingling or confusion, followed by intense throbbing head pain, nausea and vomiting. Previous studies, conducted at Ohio State University, using a heavy and bulky TMS device, reduced headache pain. To expedite treatment at home, this portable hand-held device was developed and tested. "Stimulation with magnetic pulses from the portable TMS device proved effective for the migraine patients," Mohammad said

Link PTI

Global CEOs Call on Government to Halve Climate Emissions by 2050

A high-powered group of international CEOs is asking G8 leaders to agree on an ambitious 50% cut in global climate emissions by 2050.The so-called Gleneagles CEO Statement (PDF), signed by a who's who of the international business community, urges G8 leaders to take a stronger leadership stance on climate once the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
"We urge governments to seek consensus on a long-term goal of at least halving global emissions against current levels by 2050," the statement reads. "We seek leadership from the G8 to agree to deep cuts by 2050."
In place of government-to-government, top-down emission reduction commitments (as in Kyoto), the CEO statement recommends a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches, including public-private collaboration to set carbon-reduction strategy and create new financing mechanisms to support research into low-carbon technologies.
This isn't the first time international business leaders have called on policymakers to take more aggressive action on climate - and to assign a greater role to the private sector in developing emissions-reduction strategy. In November, a business group calling itself Combat Climate Change (3C) released its own plan for tackling climate change. Also in November, 150 of the biggest companies in the world signed the so-called Bali Communique, calling for a "comprehensive, legally binding" United Nations framework to tackle climate change.
U.N. leaders met in Bali the following month, agreeing to a roadmap of next steps toward an international climate pact to pick up where the Kyoto Protocol leaves off.

Link Sustainable life media

Hormone to help keep weight off

Falling levels of a hormone called leptin that helps the brain resist tempting foods may explain why people who lose weight often have a hard time keeping it off, US researchers said. Restoring leptin to pre-diet levels may reverse this problem, they said, offering a way for weary dieters to finally win the weight battle. "When you lose weight you've created about the perfect storm for regaining weight," said Michael Rosenbaum of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, whose research appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. After weight loss Rosenbaum said the metabolism not only becomes more efficient, so the body needs fewer calories, but the brain becomes more vulnerable to tasty-looking treats. "Areas of your brain involved in telling you not to eat seem to be less active. You are more responsive to food and you are less in control of it," he said. Leptin is a natural appetite suppressant secreted by fat cells in the body. Its discovery created a stir in the 1990s when researchers found leptin caused mice to eat less and lose weight. This rarely happens in humans.

Link Times of India