Tattooing inks may be poisonous

Tattooing inks may be poisonous

BRUSSELS: Fans of tattooing are putting poisonous chemicals
into their skin because of widespread ignorance about the
substances used in tattooing dyes, the European Commission
warned.

"Would you inject car paint into your skin?", the Commission
asked in a statement accompanying its report on the health risks
of tattooing and body-piercing.

It said most chemicals used in tattoos were industrial
pigments originally used for other purposes, such as automobile
paints or writing ink, and there was little or no safety data to
support their use in tattoos.

In addition, laws demanding tattoo artists use gloves and
sterile needles did not include rules about the dyes, meaning
they could be impure and dirty without breaking the law.

The report said that as well as the risk of catching diseases
such as HIV, hepatitis, or bacterial infections from dirty
needles, tattooing could cause skin cancer, psoriasis, toxic
shock syndrome or even behavioral changes. -- Reuters

;REUTERS;
ANPAc..r..
BoH-incontinence
Options for fighting incontinence
JP/18/stress

Options for fighting incontinence

CHICAGO: Incontinence triggered by physical stress such as
coughing or laughing, a problem faced by 13 million adults in the
United States alone, can be corrected with exercises and training
in many cases, researchers said.

The problem mainly affects women as a result of pregnancy and
childbirth, menopause and the structure of the female urinary
tract, according to experts.

In an article published in Journal of the American Medical
Association, researchers said they looked at 200 women aged 40 to
78 who were treated over eight weeks.

Some had visits to clinics that included pelvic floor muscle
control instruction, home exercise, bladder control strategies
and self-monitoring.

Dr. Patricia Goode, who headed the study, said an important
conclusion is that the condition "is very treatable without
surgery". -- Reuters

;REUTERS;
ANPAc..r..
BoH-depression
Gene causes depression after stress
JP/18/depression

Gene causes depression after stress

WASHINGTON: Having a short version of a certain gene may make
people more susceptible to depression after stressful events such
as losing a job or a loved one, researchers said.

People only have to inherit one copy of the gene, from either
parent, to become more vulnerable to depression, the researchers
in Britain, New Zealand and the United States found.

The finding, published in Friday's issue of the journal
Science, could be the first to show stress as an environmental
factor in causing disease, they said.

Stress, such as divorce or illness, is a well-known cause of
depression -- one of the five leading causes of disability in the
world.

"However, not all people who encounter a stressful life
experience succumb to (depression)," the researchers wrote.

They set out to find a gene and looked at the 5-HTT or
serotonin transporter gene, because the protein it controls is
affected by well-known antidepression drugs called selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Serotonin is a message-carrying
chemical linked with mood. -- Reuters