Watching the World

Enjoy That Yawn!

An infant in the womb starts yawning just 11 weeks after conception, explains the Spanish weekly magazine Salud. Apparently, most mammals, as well as certain birds and reptiles, manifest this involuntary reaction. Although the exact reason why we yawn has not yet been discovered, researchers have observed that actions like stretching are usually associated with yawning. These movements, they note, “increase blood pressure and heartbeat frequency, besides relaxing muscles and joints.” When we inhibit yawning by clenching our jaws, we forgo the accompanying benefits. Thus, the research team recommends that if circumstances allow, we should “stretch our jaws and face muscles naturally” when yawning. You never know​—a good yawn may well enliven your day!

 Cranberries Combat Infection

“Cranberry juice has a long and distinguished history,” says The Times of London. “It had a great reputation both as a medicine and as a drink among Native Americans [and] had been used by American sailors to ward off scurvy.” Rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, “cranberry juice also has antimicrobial qualities, which makes it especially effective in combating urinary-tract infections.” But this is not due to the juice’s effect on urine acidity, as was previously thought. Rather, says The Times, it stems from substances in the juice that “prevent the E. coli bacteria [the cause of most infections, including cystitis] from sticking to the urinary-tract wall, so that the bacteria are flushed away before an infection can become established.” Researchers have also found that cranberry juice can reduce the effects of gum disease.

Brain Protection for Heart Attack Victims

“Cooling the body temperature of heart attack patients by just a few degrees significantly lowers their risk of subsequent brain damage and death, according to two groundbreaking studies,” says a report in Canada’s Toronto Star newspaper. A study involving five European countries and another involving Australia found that mild hypothermia resulted in better recovery for patients in terms of neurological and cognitive function. The body temperature of heart attack victims who were comatose when they got to the hospital was lowered to 33 degrees Celsius [90 degrees Fahrenheit] for 12 to 24 hours, using cold air and ice packs. According to cardiologist Beth Abramson, this inexpensive, low-tech therapy reduces “the brain’s need for oxygen while suppressing the chemical processes that kill brain cells,” says the Star. “The cooling technique appears to work so well that doctors in Canada, the United States, Australia and Europe are advocating that the practice be routinely used to treat all cardiac-arrest patients brought to hospital.”

Child Soldiers Banned

“A treaty to ban the use of children as soldiers comes into force today, crowning ten years of international efforts to fight one of the major causes of human rights violations in the world,” said a United Nations press release dated February 12, 2002. The Optional Protocol, signed by 96 countries, “establishes that no person under the age of 18 shall be subject to compulsory recruitment into regular armed forces, and imposes an obligation on States to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment to at least 16 years.” It is estimated that “half a million children are currently serving in government armed forces, paramilitaries and armed groups in 85 countries worldwide; more than 300,000 of these are actively participating in fighting in more than 35 countries.” According to the UN News Service Web page, many of these children have been abducted and “are beaten or killed if they attempt to escape. Girls are especially vulnerable, because they are often sexually exploited.”

Medication and the Elderly

“Persons over 60 take an average of three different drugs, three times as many as younger patients,” says Germany’s newsmagazine Der Spiegel. “However, the risk of [drug] interaction, and as a result that of side effects, increases dramatically with the number of drugs taken.” Another potential complication is that “family doctors . . . often fail to take into account the reduced renal function in old age.” The result is that drugs can accumulate in the body. Hence, “the right dose for a 40-year-old can poison a 70-year-old,” explains Der Spiegel. “Many old people make things even worse by not drinking enough.” Dehydration alone, adds the report, can produce side effects similar to those of drugs such as painkillers, tranquilizers, and antihypertensives. Symptoms include confusion, delirium, and dizzy spells, which are often simply blamed on old age.

Deadly Ecstasy

Nine out of 10 people who go to all-night dance sessions called raves consume the amphetamine-based drug known as ecstasy, reports the Spanish newspaper El País. Recently, two young people died from an ecstasy overdose at a rave in Spain. “You were being offered drugs constantly,” recalls a friend of the deceased. What makes young people take the drug? Peer pressure and the temporary feeling of congeniality and self-esteem that ecstasy engenders. Youngsters frequently mix ecstasy with such drugs as hashish and cocaine or with alcohol, all of which heighten its dangerous side effects. Apart from memory loss and depression, ecstasy can cause ‘respiratory problems, cerebral hemorrhage and even death,’ warns Spain’s National Antidrug Program.

Swearing in the Workplace

Profanity has become commonplace in many work environments, reports The Gazette of Montreal, Canada. Some experts contend that swearing adds to stress in the workplace. Karen Harlos, a professor of organizational behavior at McGill University, notes: “If profanity is part of negative criticism, it can have a detrimental effect on an employee’s productivity, sense of self or health.” According to the paper, “the boss often sets the tone” at the workplace, which others will follow. If you are bothered by swearing at your workplace, The Gazette suggests that you first approach “the person you think is crossing the line and politely ask him or her to drop the colourful phrasing in your presence.”

Housework Is Good Exercise

Can vacuuming, washing windows, and pushing a baby stroller be classed as healthy exercise? The answer is yes, according to a recent study conducted at the University of Queensland, Australia. Researchers fitted seven mothers who had children under five years of age with gas analyzers to measure their oxygen intake during their daily routine, explains a report in The Canberra Times. According to the researchers, “the findings suggest that some of the tasks associated with domestic caring duties are conducted at an intensity which is sufficient to confer some health benefit.” Professor Wendy Brown found that “the women’s housework was roughly equivalent to moderate intensity exercise such as brisk walking, cycling or swimming,” notes the report. “This is only preliminary research,” said Brown, “but clearly you can’t label women as inactive when they’re on their feet all day.”

Rice Hulls Strengthen Concrete

“Researchers are predicting a revolution in the construction industry,” says Brazil’s Jornal da USP, with “structures that last longer and stand up better to the weather and the environment. This is possible because of a new cement developed by researchers at the School of Engineering of the University of São Paulo” in Brazil. The scientists blended silica extracted from rice-hull ash with normal cement to produce an extremely fine, high-grade product. The resulting concrete is less porous, more resistant to pollution and the elements, and at least three or four times stronger than standard concrete. Thus, they are able to reduce column sizes by up to 30 percent, “but with comparable strength, [and] the results will be: greater space, lighter structures, shorter building time, lower expenditure with building materials, less labor,” says Jornal da USP. Worldwide, about 80 million tons of rice hulls are produced annually, providing 3.2 million tons of silica.