JeannyTSY site, Health & Beauty: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Will and Kate visit Royal Marsden Hospital

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she leaves after a visit to the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge greets a young girl as she leaves after a visit to the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge greets well wishers after visiting the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meet patient Ellis Andrews at the new Oak Centre for Children and Young People at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge speaks to patient Beth Ansell, 18, at the new Oak Centre for Children and Young People at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge open the new Oak Centre for Children and Young People at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, smiles as she arrives for a visit to the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, southern England September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meets patient Fabian Bate, 9, at the new Oak Centre for Children and Young People at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she leaves after a visit to the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge leave after a visit to the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton, southern England, September 29, 2011.[Photo/Agencies]
taken from : China Daily
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Magic Mushrooms Can Make Lasting Personality Changes, Hopkins Study Finds

By Elizabeth Lopatto - Sep 29, 2011 11:00 AM GMT+0700

Psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” can make people more open in their feelings and aesthetic sensibilities, conferring on them a lasting personality change, according to a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

People who had mystic experiences while taking the mushrooms were more likely to show increases in a personality trait dubbed “openness,” which is related to creativity, artistic appreciation and curiosity, according to the study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The change was still in place a year later, suggesting a long-term effect.

“The remarkable piece is that psilocybin can facilitate experiences that change how people perceive themselves and their environment,” said Roland Griffiths, a study author and professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine in Baltimore. “That’s unprecedented.”

Magic mushrooms, also known as “shrooms,” are hallucinogens native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mexico and the U.S. The fungi were favored by former Harvard psychologist Timothy Leary, who founded the Harvard Psilocybin Project, and explored by ‘60s writer and anthropologist Carlos Castaneda. They are typically eaten but can also be dried and smoked or made into a tea.

Openness is one of five major personality factors known to be constant throughout multiple cultures, heritable in families and largely unvarying throughout a person’s lifetime. The other four factors, extroversion, neuroticism, agreeableness and conscientiousness, were unchanged by being dosed with the hallucinogenic mushrooms, the study found. This is the first finding of a short-term intervention providing a long-term personality change, researchers said.

Mystical Experiences

The 51 participants, who had an average age of 46, completed two to five eight-hour drug sessions at least three weeks apart. They were asked to lie down on a couch, use an eye mask and listen to music on headphones while focusing on an inner experience. Their personalities were screened initially, one to two months after each drug session and about a year after the last trip.

In the test, 30 people had a mystical experience, as established by a set of psychological scales. On tests of major personality traits, their openness scores rose, suggesting a greater interest in imagination, aesthetics, feelings, ideas and values. The 22 patients who didn’t have a mystical experience showed no change.

Potential for Abuse

Psilocybin mushrooms are a schedule I substance in the U.S., which means the government considers them to have a high potential for abuse and no legitimate medical purpose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Griffith disagrees. He has started two studies, one in people distressed by recent diagnoses of cancer, and another in cigarette smokers. The changes to patients’ personalities may make them more at ease with their cancer diagnosis or make it easier to give up cigarettes, he said.

“There’s reason to suggest a treatment program may help patients in opening the mind to other ways of seeing their behavior,” Griffith said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Lopatto in New York at elopatto@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net.

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Little supermodels

A child model presents a creation at a charitable fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Sept 27, 2011. The proceeds will help to fund more African girls' educations.[Photo/Xinhua]

Child models present creations at a charitable fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Sept 27, 2011. The proceeds will help to fund more African girls' educations.[Photo/Xinhua]

A child model presents a creation at a charitable fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Sept 27, 2011. The proceeds will help to fund more African girls' educations.[Photo/Xinhua]

Child models present creations at a charitable fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Sept 27, 2011. The proceeds will help to fund more African girls' educations.[Photo/Xinhua]

A child model presents a creation at a charitable fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Sept 27, 2011. The proceeds will help to fund more African girls' educations.[Photo/Xinhua]

A child model presents a creation at a charitable fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Sept 27, 2011. The proceeds will help to fund more African girls' educations.[Photo/Xinhua]

taken from : China Daily
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Death Toll From Contaminated Cantaloupe May Rise, CDC Says

By Molly Peterson - Sep 29, 2011 3:44 AM GMT+0700

The U.S. listeria outbreak linked to tainted cantaloupes may continue to sicken people through October, and the number of deaths may rise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The outbreak is the deadliest caused by contaminated food in more than 10 years, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said today on a conference call. More illnesses are likely to occur because it can take more than two months for people to become sick after eating the tainted fruit, Barbara Mahon, deputy chief of the CDC’s Enteric Disease branch, said on the call.

Laboratory tests so far have linked 72 illnesses and at least 13 deaths to cantaloupes grown by Jensen Farms in Granada, Colorado, Mahon said. Jensen recalled the Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on Sept. 14, and the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to eat them. The agency is working with Colorado health officials to learn how the contamination occurred, said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

“This outbreak has been a tough one for all involved,” Hamburg said on the conference call. “This is the first outbreak we’ve seen with listeria” linked to cantaloupe, “and that is a surprise.”

Of 10 previous outbreaks linked to tainted cantaloupe in the past decade, seven were caused by salmonella and three were from norovirus, Frieden said.

‘Unusual Bacteria’

“Listeria is an unusual bacteria,” Frieden said on the conference call. “The incubation period is one to three weeks on average, and can be two months or more, so there is a continued risk. If you have cantaloupe in your refrigerator that you are in doubt about the source of, it’s best to throw it out.”

Listeria, a bacterium often found in soil and water, sickens about 1,600 people and kills about 260 in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC website. Animals can carry the germ without appearing ill. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are among those at greatest risk for listeria infections. Symptoms include fever and diarrhea.

In 1998, 21 people died from listeria linked to tainted hot dogs, according to a CDC online database.

“We haven’t seen a lot of very large listeria outbreaks” in recent years, Mahon said. “To a large extent, that’s due to improvements to the safety of hot dogs and deli meats.”

The FDA and state officials are investigating whether animals or water may have transmitted the bacteria to the melons, and whether the contamination occurred during the growing, harvesting, packing or rinsing processes, Sherri McGarry, senior adviser in the FDA’s Office of Foods, said on the conference call.

“We are working vigilantly to ensure that the product is being removed from the market,” McGarry said. The tainted cantaloupes, shipped from July 29 to Sept. 10 in at least 17 states, are “nearing the end of their shelf life,” she said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Molly Peterson in Washington at mpeterson9@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Adriel Bettelheim at abettelheim@bloomberg.net

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Going to her head

Hairbands designed for the girls who like to let fashion go to their heads: Glittering gemstones, velvet ribbons, frothy feathers, Swarovski crystals are all part of the Alexandre Zouari collection. [Provided to China Daily]

Gan Tian looks at how the fashionistas are reviving the art of hair accessories

Yang Mi, a 28-year-old office worker in Beijing, is busy preparing for an important party. She has already got a velvet evening dress, a delicate watch, an expensive diamond necklace, and a pair of stylish high-heeled shoes. But she still feels something is missing. She suddenly realizes that what she needs is an elegant accessory for her hair.

The choices now are bewildering and Yang had spent two days downtown shopping for something suitable. She had found a little hat, decorated with diamonds and two large feathers.

In Shanghai, Huang Peixue, who is holding her wedding ceremony on Oct 5, has already picked out her white gown. After watching the British royal wedding, she wants a breathtakingly beautiful hat to go with her outfit.

Hair accessories, which had lost popularity with Chinese women for a time, are making a comeback.

In ancient times, Chinese women used to have elaborate buns and hairdos adorned by intricate hair ornaments, but since the 1950s, such styles were largely abandoned. Instead, simple clips, barrettes and hair bands took over.

High-end hair accessories have enjoyed a renaissance in the past two years, especially for special occasions like parties or weddings.

"Usually, it is socialites who wear hair feathers, small hats, and some other diamond accessories, but since 2009, more and more people are wearing them to match their styles on formal occasions," says Zhao Wei, jewelry editor of Harper's Bazaar China.

French giant Louis Vuitton recently launched a hair band it has named Ruban Bijou. It has the label's iconic pink floral monograms, and has proved very popular. Prada and Fendi also pushed out several high-end hair accessories these couple of years.

In 2008, Hong Kong businessman Thomas Lee introduced renowned French hairstylist Alexandre Zouari's label to China. Zouari had worked with some of the most glamorous style icons of the day, including France's first lady Carla Bruni and entertainer Shirley Bassey.

In his 2011 fall/winter collection, Alexandre Zouari showcased ornaments that combine plastics, metals, Swarovski crystals, leathers, furs and haute couture fabrics. According to Lee, these are all classic elements from the 1970s, which has inspired current trends.

You can contact the writer at gantian@chinadaily.com.cn.