Scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Neuroscience report that, in rats, the administration of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II, also known as IGF2) significantly enhances memory retention and prevents forgetting.

Inhibitory avoidance learning (shocking the rat when walked into a dark area of their cage) leads to an increase in hippocampal expression of IGF-II, which requires the transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein β and is essential for memory consolidation.

Furthermore, injections of recombinant IGF-II into the hippocampus after either training or memory retrieval significantly enhance memory retention and prevent forgetting. To be effective, IGF-II needs to be administered within a sensitive period of memory consolidation.

IGF-II-dependent memory enhancement requires IGF-II receptors, new protein synthesis, the function of activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein and glycogen-synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). Moreover, it correlates with a significant activation of synaptic GSK3β and increased expression of GluR1 (also known as GRIA1) α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasolepropionic acid receptor subunits. In hippocampal slices, IGF-II promotes IGF-II receptor-dependent, persistent long-term potentiation after weak synaptic stimulation. Thus, IGF-II may represent a novel target for cognitive enhancement therapies.

There are other Insulin-Like Growth Factors …
The IGF “axis” is also commonly referred to as the Growth Hormone/IGF1 Axis. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is mainly secreted by the liver as a result of stimulation by growth hormone (GH). IGF-1 is important for both the regulation of normal physiology, as well as a number of pathological states, including cancer. The IGF axis has been shown to play roles in the promotion of cell proliferation and the inhibition of cell death (apoptosis).

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) is thought to be a primary growth factor required for early development while IGF-1 expression is required for achieving maximal growth. Gene knockout studies in mice have confirmed this, though other animals are likely to regulate the expression of these genes in distinct ways. While IGF-2 may be primarily fetal in action it is also essential for development and function of organs such as the brain, liver and kidney.

Dr. Christopher Cannon, cardiologist, explains acacetrapib, an experimental drug by Merck that pushed the so-called good cholesterol HDL to off-the-charts levels while also dropping bad cholesterol LDL is renewing hopes for a novel way to lower heart risks.

Anacetrapib works by inhibiting an enzyme, called CETP, that is involved in transforming particles of good cholesterol into bad cholesterol. LDL: A 39.8% reduction with anacetrapib beyond that seen with placebo. HDL: A 138.1% increase with anacetrapib beyond that seen with placebo.

Christopher P. Cannon, M.D., Sukrut Shah, Ph.D., R.Ph., Hayes M. Dansky, M.D., Michael Davidson, M.D., Eliot A. Brinton, M.D., Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D., D.Phil., Michael Stepanavage, M.S., Sherry Xueyu Liu, M.S., Patrice Gibbons, M.S., Tanya B. Ashraf, B.A., Jennifer Zafarino, M.S., Yale Mitchel, M.D., and Philip Barter, M.D., Ph.D. Safety of Anacetrapib in Patients with or at High Risk for Coronary Heart Disease. New England Journal of Medicine November 17, 2010

[PubMed.gov reference developing ...]

Pingping, the world’s shortest man, who was 2 feet, 5.37 inches (74.6 centimeters) tall, has died of a heart condition in a hospital in Italy. He was taken to a hospital March 3 after he felt chest pains while rehearsing the Italian program “The Record Show.” He was in the intensive care unit at the time of his death.

See also …
Exercisereports.com 54th Guiness Book World Records: Pingping, World’s Smallet Man and Svetlana Pankratova, Woman with Longest Legs

About 21 percent of women were infected with genital herpes, compared to only 11.5 percent of men. Also, about 39 percent of blacks were infected with genital herpes compared to about 12 percent for whites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

About 48 percent of black women are infected with genital herpes. The increased rate of infection in blacks is not due to increased risky behavior but likely due to biological factors that make women more susceptible. There is a higher rate of infection within black communities. The CDC estimates that more than 80 percent of people with genital herpes do not know they are infected.

The statistics make genital herpes the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD)There is no cure for genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which can cause recurrent and painful genital sores and also increases the likelihood of acquiring and transmitting the AIDS virus. It is related to herpes simplex virus 1, or oral herpes, which causes cold sores.

Several drugs are available to treat herpes symptoms and outbreaks. Acyclovir, which is available generically or under the Zovirax brand name, and valacyclovir, known generically as Valtrex, are both made by GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Ganciclovir, sold as Zirgan, is made by privately-held Sirion Therapeutics, Inc.

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL — CDC.GOV

Intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism/Implications for Metabolic Syndrome

Bacteria that helps digest food can cause obesity if the bacteria becomes unregulated and certain bacteria overpopulate and cause a low-leval inflammation that leads to a pre-diabetic condition and elevated appetite.

Scientist discovered that mice genetically deficient in Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5), a component of the innate immune system that is expressed in the gut mucosa and that helps defend against infection, exhibit hyperphagia (excessive appetite) and develop hallmark features of metabolic syndrome, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and increased adiposity.

EXPANDED REPORT …

Chicago Police Department Supt. Jody Weis is a wellness, fitness and exercise advocate for his members.

“It is essential that recruits begin the academy with a minimum level of physical fitness to ensure safe and successful participation in training,” according to a statement of the Chicago Police Department released Friday, March 13, 2009.

Under the State of Illinois POWER test (Peace Officer Wellness Evaluation Report), a man in his 20′s must do a minimum of 37 sit-ups in a minute and run 1.5 miles in 13:46. A woman in her 20′s is required to do 31 sit-ups and run the same distance in 16:21. The test also includes a bench press and a sit-and-reach (flexibility) evaluation.

Several recruits typically fail in each class. New recruits are given the option of resigning or getting in shape for the next class. The POWER test is videotaped for legal documentation.

The City of Chicago is pushing for mandatory fitness tests for veteran officers. Failing officers would be assigned a trainer and be recommended special diets. Details and resolution are part of ongoing contract negotiations with the police union.

Currently, veteran officers may volunteer to take the POWER test and get a $250 award if they pass. There’s no remedial action if they flunk.

According to Dr. Norman Marcus nearly one million spine surgeries are performed in the U.S. each year, with a failure rate as high as 50 percent and with too many patients either undergoing spinal surgery that is doomed to fail, or with patients taking mind-altering drugs to manage, but not end, their pain.

At the Norman Marcus Pain Institute the rationale for back pain treatment is that muscles are the primary source of chronic back pain and that muscle pain can almost always be successfully treated without surgery or drugs.

Even among people who had given up hope on ridding their back pain, Dr. Marcus has a protocol and treatment plan for back pain relief for thousands of people that some describe as miraculous. In a survey of 300,000 people, 80 percent reported complete elimination of pain or considerable relief.

The protocol was learned from Dr. Hans Kraus, a legendary physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist who successfully treated U.S. president John F. Kennedy with muscle-strengthening exercises and trigger point injections. The injections do not include steroids or anesthetics. The injections affect trigger points, which are described as painful muscles knots.

The common, popular of perception of pain is that there is damage to tissue that requires rest to heal. This is true for lacerations, muscle tears, tendon ruptures and fractured bones, but it is not true for most pain that involves muscle tissue. The Norman Marcus Pain Institute outlines four mechanisms that contribute to soft tissue or muscle tissue pain (tension, deficiencies, spasm and trigger points):

Tension. Psychological stress or prolonged postural positions that cause prolonged muscle tension can result in back, neck and head pain. Prolonged feelings of anger, fear and anxiety can result in prolonged muscular tightness, which can cause pain and discomfort, which can cause more fear and anxiety — a vicious cycle.

Deficiencies. Muscles that are out of shape lead to weakness and stiffness which cause pain when muscles are forced to work beyond their capacity.

Spasm. A muscle that is contracting involuntarily can cause pain and the inability to move properly (e.g., standing up straight, pain and stiffness turning your neck freely).

Trigger Points. Small hard, tense areas of muscles that are silent with rest and immobility, but are painful during motion and activity. Trigger point pain might mimic a herniated disc.

Dr. Marcus also uses a compact muscle pain detection instrument known as the Muscle Pain Detection Device (MPDD) that was developed in conjunction with Stevens Institute of Technology to help identify muscles that are causing pain in any area of the body, including low back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, sciatica, frozen shoulder, fibromyalgia and headache.

Dr. Marcus, a past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, is Clinical Associate Professor in Anesthesiology and Psychiatry and Director of Muscle Pain Research at the NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Hans Kraus is recognized as the father of sports medicine in America and was the driving force behind the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.

More information …
NMPI.com
Stevens Institute of Technology

Freedom from Pain on Amazon …
by Norman J. Marcus, M.D.

Eating less or fasting all day to drink alcohol at night so that calories prohibited during the day can be unhibited during a night out.

Experts believe it is appealing for those that choose to avoid core emotional pain because people have the misconception that drinking helps numb feelings. And they think, “Why not just get the calories from alcohol?” The newly coined “drunkorexia” is becoming a new problem among both men and women, especially college-aged ‘dieters.’ There’s a common conception that when one drinks on an empty stomach, they will become drunker, quicker, too. The connection doesn’t really make any good sense and is unhealthy.

resolution |ˌrezəˈloō sh ən|
noun
a firm decision to do or not to do something : she kept her resolution not to see Anne any more | a New Year’s resolution.

the quality of being determined or resolute : he handled the last French actions of the war with resolution.

——

Physical fitness conditioning often involves doing more activity and doing less eating or less drinking, so it figures that resolutions at New Year’s are often of a fitness nature:
“start going to the gym”
“eat less”
“drink less”
“do a chin-up”

The most important resolution is often left out:
“enjoy the process”

Getting started with a new fitness program is not fun if you are out of shape and you compare yourself to others who are in good shape. Not only is there some physical discomfort, but there can be some humiliation, too. That’s why you need to start gradually and enjoy the process. If your fitness program is going to succeed, it needs to be ongoing. If it’s going to be ongoing, there is no denying that there has to be some enjoyment. Pick something you like to do. And don’t partake too intensely. There is plenty of time to get intense. A good (and safe) program doesn’t incorporate intense activity until about four to six weeks. And unfortunately a lot of New Year’s fitness resolutions fail by February.

Write an Action Plan
An action plan helps you identify your goals. When you identify your goals, analyze the goals and figure how smaller, simpler goals will help you achieve the bigger goals. You can’t just say I want to look good and fit for new clothes in a wedding. You have to describe how you will work each body part to be fit. Shoulders defined. Waist thinner. You can’t just say you will run a 10K in a certain time. You need to understand the pace for the whole distance and be able to achieve that pace for at least one mile first. It is not just hour heart and lungs that get in shape either. Your foot and ankles have to adapt to be ready for the stress of the impact of running.

Visualize Success
As you identify your goals, visualize them. Imagine your success in carrying them through. Use photos, YouTube videos and a private blog to store your photos and videos to support your goals.

Identify, Eliminate or Adapt to Obstacles
It helps if you identify obstacles before you even start. Time constraints. Traffic. Antagonistic people. That’s right … a lot of friends would rather see you stick with the same dirty little habits that they have. Eliminate some of the obstacles before you even start. Don’t choose a health club that is too far from work or your home. The rule is to have the location of your workouts only 10 minutes from where you live or work. Try to schedule your workout at times other than 5:00 p.m. on a Monday. There are usually so many people at a gym at this time that it is difficult to get a machine to use, or there are waiting lines, or a lot of newbies mixed with regulars — a situation that creates sort of a subliminal unfriendly atmosphere.

Thrive on Failure
Don’t be a martyr and look for failure, but don’t let failure make you quit. Failure is delayed success. The success involved with increasing muscle strength is actually based upon failure. When the muscles are brought to failure with activity, they adapt to get stronger — so they don’t fail the next time. Sometimes failure is good. Failing all the time is bad, though.

Choose a Friend
Find a friend that is positive and reinforces a healthy and fit lifestyle. They can help you with your accountability.

Get Help from a Professional
A personal trainer can help you (1) select the right equipment and exercises, (2) perform with the proper technique and (3) produce the proper forces and energy output for optimal gains in human performance and body composition improvement. Personal trainers can also help with your accountability.

Create a Journal
Create a journal that works with your action plan. Note how you feel, mileage, body weight, body fat percentage, resistance lifted and diet, too. If there was an obstacle to your workout, write it down. It is great to look back and recognize accomplishments and it is also useful to see a reminder when your aspirations do not match up to reality. Journals are also helpful to use if you have high blood pressure or if you need to monitor blood sugar levels. It is good to coordinate your motivation, attitude, and performance with any health values that you can obtain. It is also important to note training errors and any musculoskeletal aches and pains. Often big details are not necessary, just a little hint of your status.

When fitness is one of your New Year’s resolutions, you have to nurture that resolution every day. It is not something you just do and forget about. Fitness is not like a material thing that you own. It is something you have to earn every day or almost every day. And that process, combined with a respect for yourself is the key to succeeding with a New Year’s fitness resolution. You have to enjoy that process.

Muscular young men are likely to have more sex partners than less muscular men, according to David Frederick, lead author of a study and researchers at the University of California Los Angeles.

Their study, published in the August issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, suggests women prefer muscularity in men.

“Most research is focused on what men find physically attractive in women and the career traits women find attractive in men,” Frederick claims — and that prior studies concluded a man’s desirability was influenced more by his earning potential and commitment. His study found physical characteristics mattered more.

Women were more physically attracted to muscular men, especially for a fling or short-term relationship. But they tend to pick a regular man (especially a toned male) over a muscular male.

The findings show that women are more attracted to muscular men, but women are also more suspicious about their romantic intentions.

The study method included interviews of 99 male undergraduates about their sexual histories. Muscular men were twice as likely to have had more than three sex partners than less-built types.

Frederick and colleagues also asked 141 college women to look at six standardized silhouettes of men ranging from brawny to slender. Most preferred a toned man who was more likely to commit over a muscle-bound man they perceived as more volatile, aggressive and dominant.

Source:
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin