Addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, according to research released on Wednesday which could prove a major breakthrough in treating addicts and in pain relief treatments. Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia worked with colleagues at the University of Colorado in the United States to pinpoint a key mechanism in the body's immune system that amplifies addiction to opioid drugs.
"Our studies have shown conclusively that we can block addiction via the immune system of the brain, without targeting the brain's wiring," said Mark Hutchinson from Adelaide's School of Medical Sciences.
"Both the central nervous system and the immune system play important roles in creating addiction, but our studies have shown we only need to block the immune response in the brain to prevent cravings for opioid drugs."
The results, to be published Thursday in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveal that laboratory studies showed that the drug known as plus-naloxone, which is not yet in clinical use, will selectively block the immune-addiction response.
The researchers said that opioid drugs such as morphine and heroin bind to immune receptors in the brain known as TLR4 which then act as amplifiers for addiction, ramping up the "reward" effect of drugs of abuse to a high degree.
The new drug automatically shuts this effect down, Hutchinson said.
"It really reduces the reward level down to the equivalent of food, sex, and hugs," he told AFP.
Professor Linda Watkins, from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado, said the work fundamentally changed understanding about opioids, reward and addiction. --- Keep reading this story
BLOCKING
HEROIN
Source: Bangkok Post
Name: Soo Joo
Occupation: Model
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Current Location: LAX en route to JFK
Astrological Sign: Sun in Aries and Moon in Taurus
What’s the best thing about summer? In the summer I eat ice cream on a cone everyday!
Where is your favorite holiday destination? Big Sur, California.
What are the best and worst things about your job? BEST: variance from quotidian day job
WORST: daily undergoing of judgments and rejections based on your physical attributes.
What will you do when you retire? Be a kooky lady that wears Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe.
What did you dream about last night?
I couldn’t sleep last night.
What rocks your world? Love.
What makes you laugh? Kittens.
SOME
SOO
JOO
Via: Test Mag
Source: Cocktail Party
Twin brothers and designers R&E Praspaliauskas have designed a collection of shoes made of bread. Called Bread Shoes (of course), the products come in a variety of designs and dough recipes.
Bread Shoes
Here’s what the designers say:
–
That’s right, boys and girls! Put some romance in your “loaf” life!
Source: De Zeen
By: R&E Praspaliauskas
"I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip."
- Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)
Your morning cup of coffee may start to taste even better after a major government study found that frequent coffee drinkers have a lower risk of dying from a variety of diseases, compared with people who drink little or no coffee.
The report, published online in The New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, analyzed the coffee-drinking habits of more than 400,000 men and women ages 50 to 71, making it the largest-ever study of the relationship between coffee consumption and health.
Previous studies have offered conflicting results on the relative benefits or harms associated with regular coffee consumption. While coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that may temporarily increase heart rate and blood pressure in some people, coffee also contains hundreds of unique compounds and antioxidants that may confer health benefits. Further confusing much of the research into coffee is the fact that many coffee drinkers are also smokers, and it has been difficult to untangle the relative health effects of coffee and cigarettes.
To learn more, researchers from the National Institutes of Health analyzed diet and health information collected from questionnaires filled out by 229,119 men and 173,141 women who were members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) between 1995 and 1996. The respondents were followed until 2008, by which point 52,000 had died.
As expected, the researchers found that the regular coffee drinkers in the group were also more likely to be smokers. They ate more red meat and fewer fruits and vegetables, exercised less and drank more alcohol – all behaviors associated with poor health. ------ Keep reading this article
DRINK COFFEE:
LIVE LONGER. YAY!
Via: Blogs/NYTimes
Lost for 1,600 years, the royal quarters of Cleopatra were discovered off the shores of Alexandria. A team of marine archaeologists, led by Frenchman, Franck Goddio, began excavating the ancient city in 1998. Historians believe the site was submerged by earthquakes and tidal waves, yet, astonishingly, several artifacts remained largely intact. Amongst the discoveries were the foundations of the palace, shipwrecks, red granite columns, and statues of the goddess Isis and a sphinx. The Egyptian Government plans to create an underwater museum and hold tours of the site.
The "Real"
LOST CITY?
Cleopatra’s Kingdom, Alexandria, Egypt
If you’ve seen The Dark Knight, you likely know we’re talking about the scenes that show the Joker issuing threats and warnings through recordings done with a camcorder.
The most recognizable line to come from these scenes is when the Joker says "Tonight, people are going to die." Chris Nolan trusted Heath Ledger with these so much that he wasn’t even present during some of the last shootings of the scenes.
Ledger shot and directed them almost completely by himself. The first video had a bit more help. The lighting guy and the sound guys came in to set everything up, but ultimately Nolan was so impressed that after the first shoot he handed the camera to Ledger and said “do whatever you want.”
Apparently, Ledger got so into it that every single take he did was different from the last. In making The Dark Knight, Nolan didn’t want to make a bland sequel and strived to only do what works.
So devoted was Nolan to this film that there isn’t a single deleted scene. He only shot scenes that had at least three reasons to be in the film to ensure that everything would be equally important and nothing would waste time.
How Ledger Directed
The
JOK
ER
Via: OMG-Facts
He might be the next Vice President of the United States and all people care about is his chest??? No wonder people vote for Obama.
Fucking clueless idiots
Paul Ryan
The most popular seaches for
is... this, really?
THIS IS BANKSY?
These type of pictures seem to come up from time to time...but could this be the "real" Banksy after all? Something called the Brian Sewell Art Directory claims to know the truth. Search Banksy on Google and this picture is the first thing that comes up. Is it fake? Whats up!
from Brian Swell Art Directory:
"Banksy Revealed! We have an exclusive official picture of Robert Banks.Unlike Peter Dean Rickards dodgy fake pictures, we have had this picture
verified and can confirm it is Banksy!"
real name:
ROBERT
BANKS!
source: Brian Swell
THE GOVERNMENT
PROTECTING AND SERVING THE SHIT OUT OF YOU
2HOT:
Two of my favorites - Alysha Nett and Bridget Blonde hangin' out somewhere in CA. Love these girls!
"I am scared easily, here is a list of my adrenaline - production: 1: small children, 2: policemen, 3: high places, 4: that my next movie will not be as good as the last one."
- Alfred Hitchcock
The gun control debate rises anew in the wake of another mass shooting, but mental health treatment should receive the same critical attention and maybe more.
We're past the point of reversing our nation's gun culture, but it's not too late to better handle the psychological problems often at the root of such senseless violence. We need to ask some serious questions about how we treat the mentally ill, how we pay for that care and how we change a dismissive attitude toward a problem that can be solved. We can start with our elected officials. Do something about it!
GUN CONTROL TALK IS CHEAP
MENTAL HEALTH TALK ISN'T.
from: Tampabay
