Those with moderate SDB were at double the risk, while those with only a slight problem had a 10 per cent increased chance, according to the group, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. By far the most common type of sleep disordered breathing problem is obstructive sleep apnoea. In this, the airway frequently collapses during the breathing cycle, leaving the sleeper struggling for breath. Typically this produces snoring and repeated forced waking. Sleep apnoea is already known to be associated with other health problems including obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. As being overweight can cause cancer, it could simply have been the case that snoring had no active role in promoting cancer, and was simply a proxy for obesity. However, the researchers ... Continue reading →
Enlarge image Sales of Previously Owned U.S. Homes Probably Climbed in April A pre-owned single family home for sale in Fort Collins, Colorado. A pre-owned single family home for sale in Fort Collins, Colorado. Photographer: Matthew Staver/Bloomberg Enlarge image Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Rise for First Time in Three Months A sold sign is displayed in front of a property at the River Valley Highlands neighborhood in Lancaster, Ohio. A sold sign is displayed in front of a property at the River Valley Highlands neighborhood in Lancaster, Ohio. Photographer: Ty Wright/Bloomberg Enlarge image Sales of U.S. Existing Homes Rise for First Time in Three Months A sold sign is displayed in front of property at the River Valley Highlands neighborhood in Lancaster, Ohio. A ... Continue reading →
Note to Parents: Believe It or Not, You're Happy By Deborah Solomon 2012-05-18T12:02:00Z It may come as cold comfort to any mother awake for a 3 a.m. feeding -- or trying to get up at 7 a.m. after a 3 a.m. feeding -- but new research shows that being a parent does, in fact, make you happier. A recent study finds evidence that people with children, particularly younger and multiple children, are happier than their childless peers. This "parental happiness surplus" refutes previous economic research that concluded parenthood decreases well-being, which spawned a cottage industry of blog posts, articles and books recounting how that little bundle of "joy" is actually a Prozac-inducing, marriage-killing remora. So what changed? Chris M. Herbst, a professor of public affairs ... Continue reading →
You might think Chinese social networks would be all a-Twitter (yes, pun intended) with mentions of the Bo and Chen scandals, but the censors continue to make heroic efforts to tamp that talk down. So what has been trending there? Talk of "American French Fry Brother" — otherwise known as Jason Loose. (He also goes the Chinese name Lu Jiesen.) The recent graduate from Arizona State is currently in Nanjing. Jason bought a bag of McDonald's french fries for a homeless woman there, and then he poured her some water. A bystander took photos of the act, and the images have been rocketing around Chinese cyberspace, where someone lovingly called this new hero, "American French Fry Brother." Besides being popular on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, ... Continue reading →