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