According to what doctors say, it seems that a 9-year old boy from Greece permanently injured his left eye because he repeatedly looked straight into a laser pointer’s beam. After examination, doctors were shocked to discover a big hole in the boy’s macula, which is a very small area in the eye’s retina. It helps with seeing details in people’s faces, and with reading and driving. After imaging, it was revealed that the boy also had two more areas that were injured, right below the hole in the macula.

According to Dr. Sofia Androudi, who took part in the boy’s strange case, macula holes are usually treated through surgery. However, the risk is almost 100% for that person to develop cataract. In turn, this causes blurry vision which clouds the eyes’ clear lenses. However, the boy’s case was more complex. Because the damage to the macula was so serious and caused by laser burn, the nerves that absorb light were also completely destroyed. Unfortunately, even if the surgery were successful, the little boy would still lose his sight. It seems that the boy’s vision was at 100% in his right eye and at only 20% in his left and damaged one.

Boy ends up with hole in retina after looking at a laser beam

Dr. Sofia Androudi says that because children often do not tell their parents about certain problems, the boy must have injured his eye at least one year before coming to the doctor. The problem is that even if he had come in earlier, there still wouldn’t have been any remedy for him. About 18 months after doctors saw him, the boy’s vision was still as bad.

A laser is usually so powerful that is can act like a burn. This is why people shouldn’t look directly at laser beams. They might even end up with a blind spot right in the middle of the eye.

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If a while ago something called “gaming disorder” made you check twice thinking that it was a term probably invented by some angry parents, it now seems that the World Health Organization has finally recognized it. The organization has recently included it its Internal Classification of Diseases. The volume is out this week and it presents three signs or “symptoms” that might affect someone. They include, among other things, choosing gaming over normal day-to-day activities and continuing to play video games even if some negative consequences occur.

And while a lot of young people might gasp at the sound of these possibly familiar symptoms, many experts have criticized it. Most characterized it as being vaguely-understood and subjective. Apart from this, it seems that its potential impact differs greatly from gamer to gamer. Not everyone who likes to play video games suffers from a disease. It’s interesting that the effects which the WHO shared are eerily similar with those of other addictive activities like gambling. The organization writes that disorders caused by addictive behaviors are clinically important and recognized syndromes which shouldn’t be ignored.

World Health Organization recognizes gaming disorder

The WHO also states that these diseases usually badly interfere with personal functions. These reportedly develop as a result of engaging in a rewarding behavior. In this case, we are not talking about certain dependence-inducing substances. When it comes to gaming disorder, the WHO states that this may involve both online and offline behavior that affects a person’s social life and normal and mandatory actions. A gamer might sometimes even ignore hygiene, friends, family or job/school.

However, according to WHO member Dr. Vladimir Poznyak, it seems that the prevalence of this disorder is, in fact, very low. There are millions of people who like playing video games frequently around the world. But that doesn’t make them sick.

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There are certain people out there who want us to think that sex robots are somehow beneficial for our health and wellbeing and are more than just weird toys. However, according to a new study, which the British Medical Journal recently published, there is absolutely no evidence that this is real. Sex robots do not have any therapeutic benefits and do not improve our relationships and quality of life. However, this also doesn’t mean that they are evil and we should burn them all. At the moment, they simply exist to fulfill the needs and fantasies of certain people, and there is nothing wrong with that.

The sex robots industry is a $30 billion business that works better and better, despite the fact that robots still don’t have a perfect reputation. Taking this into account, it’s only normal for manufacturers to try and sell them as therapeutic. According to their supporters, sex robots encourage safer sex, are a good option for pedophiles who cannot control themselves and help couples who have trouble in their relationships. Others have said that sex robots can also aid celibate men who think that every woman out there owes them sex.

The concept behind sex robots

According to this new study, it seems that the supposed health benefits of these robots are only speculation at the moment. This doesn’t mean that in the future, robots will not indeed lead to safer sex and other benefits. However, right now, that is not the case. Also, the authors make it clear that the belief that robots will dehumanize women is also not true.

Right now, we don’t know how much good or how much bad these sex robots can do. More research is needed to establish this connection. Probably, time will tell where we were wrong and where we were right.

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According to a new study, which the New England Journal of Medicine recently published, most women who have been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer may not need chemotherapy at all. A team of experts discovered that patients with tumors that had not yet spread to the lymph nodes did very well without this therapy. However, the team of experts warned that this may not apply to patients who have bigger tumors or with cancer that has started to metastasize or spread. For those women, they need to conduct more studies to find out precisely what needs to be changed.

According to Dr. Adam Brusky, who is a co-author for this study, thanks to this new study, doctors now have a special test to determine which cancer patients can skip chemo. Usually, that number is very large, as most of these people can go without chemotherapy. It seems that out of the 250,000 women in the United States who are expected to receive this diagnosis, 63,000 could benefit from this discovery. In order to analyze the tumors, doctors usually give cancer patients scores. They also look at 21 genes that are associated with recurrence. Until now, doctors did not know whether or not to offer chemo to early-stage cancer patients.

Early-stage breast cancer patients don’t need chemo

For the study, also called the TAILORx trial, the team of researchers followed 9,717 women between 18 and 75, with early-stage breast cancer. About 67% of these women had an intermediate risk of recurrence. While women with low scores were advised against chemo and those with high scores for, the situation wasn’t clear for those with intermediate risk. The new study proved that chemo made no difference at all in women with intermediate risk of recurrence. Initially, doctors were not sure what to do with these category, but now, things are starting to become clearer.

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According to a new study which the Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently published, it seems that a lot of people are wasting their money on vitamin and mineral supplements that might actually be useless. The study claims that these supplements do not provide any benefit when it comes to your health, but they are not dangerous either. In fact, they are completely useless when it comes to maintaining your heart’s good condition, especially if we’re talking about heart attacks, disease, strokes or even early death. These supplements do not reportedly prevent these issues.

In order to reach these results, the team of experts looked at some of the most common and popular such supplements. Those included Vitamin D, C, calcium, and multivitamins, among other similar supplements. Their conclusion was that none of them provided any notable benefit for any aforementioned health issues, nor they posed any additional risk. Moreover, according to Dr. David Jenkins, the leader of the study, these very few positive effects of these popular supplements surprised the entire team. However, people should not understand that taking supplements with Vitamin D, C, calcium or any other kind is bad for their health. But they do not do anything notable and make no difference.

Supplements apparently do not have any effects on health

So, people who regularly take these kinds of supplements to boost their vitamin and mineral intake might feel disappointed after this conclusion. Most of them take them as an extra source of vitamins and minerals, apart from those they take from food.

However, there is one exception here: folic acid. It seems that this is the only supplement that can decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease. It seems that Vitamin B actually does the same thing. In fact, the team discovered something in antioxidants and niacin that could potentially increase the risk of early death, but nothing too significant.

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It seems that the gluten free craze that has been taking over the world recently, and which supposedly makes zero difference when it comes to someone’s diet, might be done and dusted. There is a new superfood trend that has become the talk of the town recently and it might just make you gag: cockroach milk. And in case you are wondering what on Earth is this, it’s exactly what its name suggests: milk that has been made by cockroaches. As disgusting as it may sound, you should know that a study from 2016 claims that this revolting substance is both sustainable and a lot more nutritious than regular, dairy milk. You were not expecting that, were you?

According to that research, it seems that cockroach milk is packed-full with protein. Apart form this, it also contains beneficial fats and sugars that make it a very healthy food choice. When it comes to the comparison with dairy milk, it seems that cockroach milk provides three times as much energy as the most nutritious regular milk that we now of. As incredible as this may sound, it still doesn’t make the concept of drinking bug milk more pleasant. Not at all.

Cockroach milk, the new food trend

It’s worth noting that this new superfood alternative is only produced by a certain species of cockroach which only lives in Hawaii. So not all bugs give milk. These bugs are in fact very special in the sense that they actually give birth to live babies rather than laying eggs. They also produce a crystalline milk-like substance which they feed to their newborns.

There is currently a tricky process that experts have developed to extract that substance from cockroaches. As for companies, many of them are eager to jump in the bug milk bandwagon in the hope that they will start a new bug-eating trend. According to them, it is more environmental-friendly than cow’s milk, but we say that this doesn’t beat the fact that it’s made by bugs. Thanks, but no, thanks!

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A new study, which the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism recently published, claims that having  diet that is rich in seafood could increase the chances of becoming pregnant. According to the researchers from the Harvard University, the couples who ate more seafood not only conceived faster, but also tended to have ore sex than those who did not. It’s interesting that older studies have also connected the omega-3 fatty acids to higher progesterone levels, better quality of semen and a shorter time to get pregnant. Official numbers tell us that 15 to 25% of couples are not able to conceive within the first year of trying.

This study could shed some light on the natural remedies that could help women become pregnant a lot quicker and without any medical help. In order to reach these results, the team of experts followed 500 Michigan and Texas couples for one year. The team asked the participants to record their seafood intake and sexual activity in a daily journal. It seems that 92% of couples who consumed seafood over twice a week conceived after only 12 months. In comparison, only those 79% of those who ate less seafood conceived in one year.

Eating seafood increases the libido and the chances for pregnancy

What’s even more interesting is that if both partners consumed seafood throughout the day, they were 39% more likely to have sex. Experts believe that one of the biggest mistakes people make is ignoring the male factor. This study proves that the male seafood intake was just as important as the female one.

Apart from the omega-3 acids, shellfish and many types of fish also contain zinc. This has been shown to improve men’s sperm count. Most pregnant women are however worried about eating seafood because of the mercury in them. But the FDA reassures everyone that 90% of the fish in the United States is safe for consumption.

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According to a new study, which the journal Cell recently published, it seems that Vitamin D, or the enhanced activation of it by protecting the beta cells might represent a brand-ne approach to treating cancer, diabetes, and many other diseases. The beta cells are the cells found in the pancreas that produce, store and release the hormone called insulin. The problem is that when they no longer function, the body cannot produce any more insulin to regulate the blood sugar levels. Because of this, the glucose levels can become dangerously high, even fatal sometimes.

Research suggests that Vitamin D might be beneficial when it comes to treating and repairing these dysfunctional beta cells. Apart from this, with this study, the researchers provided new details about gene regulation. Also, about how this could be used to treat many other diseases, including cancer. According to Ronald Evans, who was part of this new study, it’s not a secret that an inflammation causes diabetes. The main idea is that this Vitamin D receptor can reverse both inflammation and ensure the survival of the beta cells.

Vitamin D might be able to treat diabetes, cancer, and other diseases

In order to reach this conclusion, the team of experts used embryonic stem cells and created beta cells. This was how they managed to identify the compound called iBRD9. This seemed to enhance the Vitamin D receptor activation but only when they combined it with Vitamin D. That improved the survival rate of the beta cells.

The team also conducted a screening test on a dish to look for certain compounds that could improve the beta cells’ survival. They then tested this combination on a mouse model and proved that it decreased the glucose levels back to normal. However, before clinical trials are greenlit, the team needs to conduct even more research to make sure that there are no side effects to this therapy.

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For years, Kendra Jackson of Omaha, Nebraska thought that she simply suffered from bad allergies that caused her a runny nose. Every doctor that she went to told her this and she remembers how she always had to carry a box of Puffs in her pocket. She was always sneezing, coughing and had a very runny nose and it all began after she was in a car accident back in 2013. During that accident, she remembers hitting her head on a dashboard and she thought that was the reasons for her chronic headaches.

Finally, this year, she learned that her nose was runny not because of severe allergies, but because she had a cerebrospinal fluid leak. According to the doctors, the woman was losing about half-pint of fluid each day. The doctors are saying that such a leak occurs when the fluid around the brain travels through a hole in the skull bone. This is usually a result of a traumatic injury and the symptoms include a runny nose, headaches, and vision loss.

Woman’s runny nose was cerebrospinal fluid leak

It seems that every year, only 5 in 100,000 people report a cerebrospinal fluid leak each year. This is a very rare and usually under-diagnosed condition that can be very dangerous. There are instances when the leak might fix itself through a period of rest. However, not everyone is that lucky and sometimes, surgery is needed.

This was also Jackson’s case as she underwent surgery a few weeks ago. The doctors used a piece of tissue from the woman to stop the leak and they went through her nostrils. After the surgery, the woman was finally able to breathe easily and no longer needs tissues. She can sleep better now, and she admitted that her head felt very clear. According to the doctors, she is now recovering nicely.

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All parents know the struggling of tiring their very energy-filled children in order for them to sleep well at night. Unfortunately, a new study brings bad news for them. It seems that there is a clear reason why they have such a hard time achieving this. The study, which the journal Frontiers in Physiology recently published, says that children’s muscles recover a lot quicker than those of adults. Moreover, their recovery rate is even quicker than that of professional athletes.

So, in order to reach this impressive result, the team of experts tested three different groups of kids. One was made up of 12 boys between 8 and 12 who were not in shape, 12 adults who were not in shape, and finally, 13 adults who were national-level competitors. After taking part in some cycling tests, the team analyzed how the groups recovered from the effort. They monitored their heart rate, oxygen levels, lactate levels, and acidosis too. Upon concluding all the tests and examinations, the experts reached an unexpected conclusion. The children outperformed the adults who were not in shape, which was not very shocking. However, they also recovered a lot quicker than the adult well-trained endurance athletes.

Children’s muscles recover quicker than those of professional athletes

But what does the result of this study tell us? The team of experts wanted to conduct this experiment in order to find new ways to incorporate a healthy lifestyle for adults. Especially as they get older and begin facing an increasing risk of developing certain diseases. Researchers think that the high number of diseases that appear in old age happen because of physical inactivity.

However, this aerobic fitness decreases as the child becomes older. The idea would be to help children maintain it for longer by doing physical exercise. At the same time, other experts think that many of these diseases are hereditary and have nothing to do with physical activity or the lack thereof.

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