Depression And Pregnancy

Dr Seuss Poem For Depression

Accurate, unbiased women's health information. Questions and answers on PMS, pregnancy, breastfeeding, birth control, weight, wellness, menopause and more..Your source for daily entertainment news and coverage of the films, TV and music you need to need to know about..View the latest health news and explore articles on fitness,t, nutrition, parenting, relationships, medicine, diseases and healthy living at CNN Health..Live a healthier life with TODAY's health tips and find the latest news for personal wellness, fitness,t and relationships..Easing labor pain may help reduce postpartum depression in some women, early research suggests 3D tumors grown in the lab provide new perspective for cancer drug .TODAY Parents is the premiere destination for parenting news, advice community. Find the latest parenting trends and tips for your kids and family on TODAY.com..This course is designed to provide an overview on epidemiology and the Internet for medical and health related students around the world based on the concept of .Pill nowadays is the most popular pregnancy termination option. Medical Pill - is a method of in early pregnancy 6-7 weeks .The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; however .Read about depression, including how to tell if you're depressed, the treatments for different severities of depression, and how making lifestyle changes can help..

Dr Seuss Poem For Depression

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Easing labor pain may help reduce postpartum depression in some women, early research suggests 3D tumors grown in the lab provide new perspective for cancer .The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; however .Read about depression, including how to tell if you're depressed, the treatments for different severities of depression, and how making lifestyle changes can help..Pill nowadays is the most popular pregnancy termination option. Medical Pill - is a method of in early pregnancy 6-7 weeks .TODAY Parents is the premiere destination for parenting news, advice community. Find the latest parenting trends and tips for your kids and family on TODAY.com..Accurate, unbiased women's health information. Questions and answers on PMS, pregnancy, breastfeeding, birth control, weight, wellness, menopause and more..View the latest health news and explore articles on fitness,t, nutrition, parenting, relationships, medicine, diseases and healthy living at CNN Health..Your source for daily entertainment news and coverage of the films, TV and music you need to need to know about..Live a healthier life with TODAY's health tips and find the latest news for personal wellness, fitness,t and relationships..This course is designed to provide an overview on epidemiology and the Internet for medical and health related students around the world based on the concept of .

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR FIFTH DISEASE

Fifth disease or Slapped cheek disease or  Parvovirus infection or Erythema infectiosumis a common and highly contagious childhood ailment — sometimes called slapped-cheek disease because of the distinctive face rash that develops. Parvovirus infection has also been known as fifth disease because, historically, it was one of five common childhood illnesses characterized by a rash.

In most children, parvovirus infection is mild and requires little treatment. However, in some adults, the infection can be serious. Parvovirus infection in some pregnant women can lead to serious health problems for the fetus. Parvovirus infection is also more serious for people with some kinds of anemia or who have a compromised immune system.

Cause-The human parvovirus B19 causes parvovirus infection. This is different from the parvovirus seen in dogs and cats, so you can't get the infection from a pet or vice versa.

Human parvovirus infection is most common among elementary school-age children during outbreaks in the winter and spring months, but anyone can become ill with it anytime of the year. It spreads from person to person, just like a cold, often through respiratory secretions and hand-to-hand contact.

Parvovirus infection can also spread through blood. A pregnant woman who is infected can pass the virus to her baby.

The illness is contagious in the week before the rash appears. Once the rash appears, the person with the illness is no longer considered contagious and doesn't need to be isolated.

Symptoms- Most people with parvovirus infection have no signs or symptoms. When symptoms do appear, they vary greatly depending on the age of the person who has the disease.

Early signs and symptoms of parvovirus infection in children may include-Fever,Upset stomach, Headache, Runny nose

Several days after the appearance of early symptoms, a distinctive bright red facial rash may appear — usually on both cheeks. Eventually it may extend to the arms, trunk, thighs and buttocks, where the rash has a pink, lacy, slightly raised appearance. The rash may be itchy, especially on the soles of the feet

Generally, the rash occurs near the end of the illness. It's possible to mistake the rash for other viral rashes or a medicine-related rash. The rash may come and go for up to three weeks, becoming more visible when a child is exposed to extreme temperatures or spends time in the sun

HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES

APIS MEL 30-. —for skin rashes that feel hot and dry and are sensitive to touch; may be accompanied by sore throat; often the rash area is puffy & hard and can resemble a bee sting. The rash is stingy. Symptoms are relieved by cool drinks and baths and worsened by heat and warm liquids, they can have little or no thirst.

BELLADONNA 30- when the condition comes on with a fast onset, the cheeks are very red with a radiating heat and can be accompanied by a high temperature & dilated pupils. Headache can be throbbing. May desire lemon or sharp flavored drinks

 CALENDULA 30 – for burns and skin lesions that are fairly superficial; often used after the acute phase of the skin condition has subsided to aid in complete recovery

FERUM PHOS 6X- Slow onset, low grade fever, nose bleed

RHUS TOXICODENDRON 30  — used for rashes, blisters and vesicles accompanied by intense itching that worsens at night and improves with the application of heat; this remedy is most appropriate for individuals who are generally restless and unable to get comfortable at night. Often have desire for milk or milk products. Often restless & can’t get comfortable. Can affect tendons & ligaments & have painful joints

SULPHUR 200-—for skin disorders that are accompanied by fever and intense itching; this remedy is most appropriate for individuals who are thirsty, irritable while sick, lazy 

Chronic Fatigue And Neuropathy Self Help Tips

Today's post from kansas.com (see link below) is an article by TV's well-known Drs. Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen and talks about what you can do to help yourself if you are suffering from chronic fatigue. It's very much in his style but the advice is good for most people. If you have neuropathy, you'll know how tiring both the symptoms and the pain can be, especially if your night rest is continually interrupted by the symptoms. This can easily reach a point where you are constantly weary, both mentally and physically; something that some doctors give insufficient credence to. If there's anything here that can help you improve the situation then the article is worth while but remember, you can only do what you can do and with neuropathy, overdoing it can make things worse.

New treatments ease chronic fatigue syndrome for some
By DRS. OZ AND ROIZEN: Published Monday, Feb. 25, 2013

An estimated 1 million North Americans, mostly women ages 40 to 60, have chronic fatigue syndrome.

Only between 5 percent and 10 percent of people with chronic fatigue syndrome recover from the wide range of symptoms that include fatigue, brain fog and everything from digestive woes to peripheral neuropathy and emotional problems.

But new research shows that around 20 percent can recover when ongoing treatment from a medical specialist is combined with graded exercise therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy.

Graded exercise therapy starts with basic, low-intensity activity, like walking and/or stretching, and builds endurance gradually and progressively — never doing so much that it increases fatigue or worsens other symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy offers goal-oriented guidance to change behaviors that may make chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms worse.

Even more people might find relief if they used both treatments along with seeing a specialist, or if they continued those therapies for longer than the 14 weeks that the study did. Other ways to manage symptoms: Opt for an anti-inflammatory diet with lots of 100 percent whole grains and veggies, and make sure to take 900 mg a day of DHA omega-3 from algal oil and 420 mg of purified omega-7 daily.
Thank your Valentine for a healthier heart

Being married to, or living with, one Valentine slashes your risk of cardiac events (heart attack, stroke, etc.) by more than 60 percent for men and women.

And if you have a heart attack and true love, you’re up to 170 percent less likely to die from it than the unattached. What’s so healthy about enduring love? Everything from stress reduction and pleasant reminders (“take your vitamins, dear”) to having someone there to help if you get into trouble.

So, what can you take from this, whether you’re married or not, to benefit you?

• Make reducing stress a priority. If you get daily physical activity (walking 10,000 steps is a great goal), have someone to cuddle with, meditate for 10 minutes daily and work on being a more generous person (it lowers levels of stress hormones), you make your heart years younger.

• Get a buddy to work out with; call each other daily to keep your nutrition on track; and offer support through times good and bad.
Revving up your willpower

Want to motor up your willpower and supercharge your self-control? Here’s what to focus on:

• Strengthen your desire to feel better and look great. Try meditating 10 minutes a day using a mantra to guide you. Your mantra might be: “Food does not stress me; I eat for health.” Then sit comfortably in a quiet space and repeat that to yourself (silently or out loud) as you let your breath move in and out in a peaceful rhythm.

• Do willpower exercises: If you have the urge to eat something that’s not healthy, decide to flex your willpower muscles instead. Pump up the power and give yourself a pep talk: “Today, I choose fresh veggies and fruit.” As you use those muscles, they grow stronger and stronger. Soon you won’t have to challenge yourself; you’ll naturally opt for the healthier choices.

• Bonus tip: Flex your muscles — any muscles — as you tell yourself you will do the best, right thing. Just that act, done simultaneously with exerting your willpower, reinforces it and makes it easier to reach your goal.
Getting a leg up on 10,000 steps a day

We really like hearing from those of you who've taken up the heart-healthy, stress-relieving, wrinkle-banishing, brain-boosting benefits of walking 10,000 steps a day. But some of you tell us that getting 10,000 steps seems almost impossible. Well, it isn’t, and that’s because it’s 10,000 steps total — including walking the dog and walking downstairs to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Every step counts and improves your health, so you’re already on your way to hitting 10,000.

But don’t believe us. Get a pedometer and wear it from the time you get up until you hit the sack (it’s good to have two, so you can leave one in the car in case you forget to bring it with you). Then you’ll get an accurate picture of the whole enchilada.

Wearing a pedometer may make you want to be more active; you’ll want to see the total add up. You already know getting movin’ can improve blood pressure, boost good HDL and lower lousy LDL cholesterol levels, reduce stress and improve your love life. So, keeping track of your steps might get you to do that project in the yard or the basement (there’s another 500 steps, easy). And if you plan on a 30-minute walk at lunchtime, you may already be halfway there. Step out for an hour after work, you’ve done it.

Mehmet Oz, M.D., is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D., is chief medical officer at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

http://www.kansas.com/2013/02/25/2691690/drs-oz-and-roizen-new-treatments.html

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  Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2013/02/25/2691690/drs-oz-and-roizen-new-treatments.html#storylink=cpy

Can Serotonin Prolong Chronic Pain

Today's post from the ever-helpful sciencedaily.com (see link below) looks at how the brain can release extra serotonin in cases of chronic pain. The serotonin then acts on trigemninal nerve bundles and actually stimulates them to 'feel' the pain even more. A useful defence mechanism but unpleasant for the person with neuropathic pain. Reducing the serotonin flow may be the answer. It's a fascinating article but one that requires a little concentration from the reader.
 

Brain uses serotonin to perpetuate chronic pain signals in local nerves
Date:
January 23, 2014
Source:
Johns Hopkins Medicine
 
Summary: Setting the stage for possible advances in pain treatment, researchers have pinpointed two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain in mice. The molecules, they say, also appear to have a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain when an area nearby has been hurt

Setting the stage for possible advances in pain treatment, researchers at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland report they have pinpointed two molecules involved in perpetuating chronic pain in mice. The molecules, they say, also appear to have a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain when an area nearby has been hurt. A summary of the research will be published on Jan. 23 in the journal Neuron.

"With the identification of these molecules, we have some additional targets that we can try to block to decrease chronic pain," says Xinzhong Dong, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an early career scientist at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "We found that persistent pain doesn't always originate in the brain, as some had believed, which is important information for designing less addictive drugs to fight it."

Chronic pain that persists for weeks, months or years after an underlying injury or condition is resolved afflicts an estimated 20 to 25 percent of the population worldwide and about 116 million people in the U.S., costing Americans a total of $600 billion in medical interventions and lost productivity. It can be caused by everything from nerve injuries and osteoarthritis to cancer and stress.

In their new research, the scientists focused on a system of pain-sensing nerves within the faces of mice, known collectively as the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is a large bundle of tens of thousands of nerve cells. Each cell is a long "wire" with a hub at its center; the hubs are grouped together into a larger hub. On one side of this hub, three smaller bundles of wires -- V1, V2 and V3 -- branch off. Each bundle contains individual pain-sensing wires that split off to cover a specific territory of the face. Signals are sent through the wires to the hubs of the cells and then travel to the spinal cord through a separate set of bundles. From the spinal cord, the signals are relayed to the brain, which interprets them as pain.

When the researchers pinched the V2 branch of the trigeminal nerve for a prolonged period of time, they found that the V2 and V3 territories were extra sensitive to additional pain. This spreading of pain to uninjured areas is typical of those experiencing chronic pain, but it can also be experienced during acute injuries, as when a thumb is hit with a hammer and the whole hand throbs with pain.

To figure out why, the researchers studied pain-sensing nerves in the skin of mouse ears. The smaller branches of the trigeminal V3 reach up into the skin of the lower ear. But an entirely different set of nerves is responsible for the skin of the upper ear. This distinction allowed the researchers to compare the responses of two unrelated groups of nerves that are in close proximity to each other.

To overcome the difficulty of monitoring nerve responses, Dong's team inserted a gene into the DNA of mice so that the primary sensory nerve cells would glow green when activated. The pain-sensing nerves of the face are a subset of these.

When skin patches were then bathed in a dose of capsaicin -- the active ingredient in hot peppers -- the pain-sensing nerves lit up in both regions of the ear. But the V3 nerves in the lower ear were much brighter than those of the upper ear. The researchers concluded that pinching the connected-but-separate V2 branch of the trigeminal nerve had somehow sensitized the V3 nerves to "overreact" to the same amount of stimulus.

Applying capsaicin again to different areas, the researchers found that more nerve branches coming from a pinched V2 nerve lit up than those coming from an uninjured one. This suggests that nerves that don't normally respond to pain can modify themselves during prolonged injury, adding to the pain signals being sent to the brain.

Knowing from previous studies that the protein TRPV1 is needed to activate pain-sensing nerve cells, the researchers next looked at its activity in the trigeminal nerve. They showed it was hyperactive in injured V2 nerve branches and in uninjured V3 branches, as well as in the branches that extended beyond the hub of the trigeminal nerve cell and into the spinal cord.

Next, University of Maryland experts in the neurological signaling molecule serotonin, aware that serotonin is involved in chronic pain, investigated its role in the TRPV1 activation study. The team, led by Feng Wei, M.D., Ph.D., blocked the production of serotonin, which is released from the brain stem into the spinal cord, and found that TRPV1 hyperactivity nearly disappeared.

Says Dong: "Chronic pain seems to cause serotonin to be released by the brain into the spinal cord. There, it acts on the trigeminal nerve at large, making TRPV1 hyperactive throughout its branches, even causing some non-pain-sensing nerve cells to start responding to pain. Hyperactive TRPV1 causes the nerves to fire more frequently, sending additional pain signals to the brain."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:
Yu Shin Kim, Yuxia Chu, Liang Han, Man Li, Zhe Li, Pamela Colleen LaVinka, Shuohao Sun, Zongxiang Tang, Kyoungsook Park, Michael J. Caterina, Ke Ren, Ronald Dubner, Feng Wei, Xinzhong Dong. Central Terminal Sensitization of TRPV1 by Descending Serotonergic Facilitation Modulates Chronic Pain. Neuron, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.12.011

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140123124646.htm

Salivary calculus – Sialolith

Salivary calculus – Sialolith

MOUTH – Salivary calculus – Sialolith

Calculus is medically meant for any abnormal concretion of mineral salts formed inside the body. ‘Sial’ refers to salivary gland and ‘Sialolith’ refers to salivary gland calculus. Tendency to salivary calculus or formation of salivary calculus is termed as ‘Sialolithiasis’. Stone formation can obstruct the pathway and cause infection and pain in the glands. The obstruction can be complete or partial.

Three pairs of salivary glands produce saliva persistently and dispense them into the mouth through ducts almost continuously, i.e., even at night time (during sleep) to keep the mouth moist. Saliva constitutes mainly water, salts, electrolytes, waste products of body (urea, uric acids, acetone, etc.) and epithelial cells. It is the first digestive juice of the digestive tract which helps to breakdown the food particles to get dissolved and digested easily. It also makes the food bolus to swallow easily. Salivary calculus is a type of salivary gland disorder where normal saliva flow is interrupted (partially or totally) to cause dryness of mouth, pain in salivary gland with or without altered taste in the mouth.

Incidences – The incidence of stone formation in the salivary glands seems to be more in males than females. The reason is unknown. The commonest age group which suffers most frequently is 30-50. The salivary calculus is most commonly seen in Wharton’s duct (draining duct of submandibular gland which opens to the floor of the mouth). The stone formation in submandibular gland or duct is more common because of its thick saliva and its draining way (i.e., against gravity) compared to other glands (parotid and sublingual glands).

Causes – The major constituent of salivary calculus is calcium. Calculus commonly forms in the glands and gets obstructed in the ducts. The exact reason why a stone forms is really unknown. Anyhow, researchers can find out various factors which can favour the formation of stones. They are:

• Thick saliva – highly concentrated saliva (concentrated more with calcium, mucin, magnesium , etc.) – may be because of dehydration or super-saturation or salivary gland diseases.
• Changes in saliva PH (saliva PH gets altered in infections or diseases or tumours)
• Saliva inadequate drainage – slowness in flow and stagnation with obstructive flow or in case of infection, will encourage precipitation of salivary salts to form stones.

Symptoms – Many a time, most of the salivary stones remain asymptomatic. Usually, symptoms occur when stone(s) happen to move and block a duct. Mostly stone(s) do not block a duct completely. So there won’t be any need for emergency attention. Even if it blocks completely, saliva from remaining glands cope up with the need / digestion in the mouth. So complaints arise only when the affected gland swells more drastically or gets infected. The common symptoms of salivary calculus are:

• Swelling of the affected gland(s) – usually follows more after food intake or while chewing since additional amount of saliva is often produced in salivary glands to break down the intake of food materials in the mouth. Swelling may be persistent or vary in size from time to time.
• Pain – occurs mostly because of swelling and pressure. So, as like swelling, which increases after food or taking citrus fruits (which induces more saliva production / flow and swelling), pain also increases with food intake or taking citrus fruits.
• Dryness of mouth (occasionally) – due to lack of saliva
• Halitosis – due to drying of thick saliva
• Altered taste in mouth

Diagnosis – Perfect diagnosis can be made from

• Clinical examination
• Radiological imaging studies with the help of X-rays / ultrasound / CT or MRI scans
• Sialoangiography – radiography of duct after injecting radio opaque materials.
• Sialoendoscopy can aid for diagnosis as well as for removal
• Chemical analysis of calculus (which have been expelled on their own or removed by surgery) can provide a clue in identifying the underlying causative factor and can aid in preventing it in future.

Complications

• Chronic infections
• Recurrence of stones
• Fibrosis of the gland

Preventive measures and management

Drink

• Plenty of water – good hydration often helps to ease the condition and further helps to stop stone formations

Avoid

• High sources of calcium diets – meat, dairy products, cheese, poultry, fish, calcium supplements, ice creams, chocolates, tea.
• Citrus fruits like orange, lemon, tomato, etc. – These items can increase saliva production, which in-turn can cause swelling and pain in the blocked gland.

General treatment – Treatment varies depending on size and location of the stone. Rarely, stone gets expelled on its own into the mouth. Otherwise sialolithotomy (removal of salivary calculus) will be tried with any of the following according to the condition:

• Lithotripsy (shock wave treatment) – to break stones to expel them easily in parts.
• Sialoendoscopy can aid in removal – if necessary, (in case of big stone whose size exceeds the duct size) intracorporeal lithotripsy aid can also be sought for breaking stones to force easy removal.
• Sialolithectomy – total removal of gland will be advised in case of multiple stones or recurrent infections.
• Intraoral open surgery to remove obstructed (big and adhered) stone.

In case of salivary stones, Allopathy mostly directs everyone to opt for surgical solution. Allopathy mode of treatment mostly prescribes a course of antibiotics with analgesics during the initial, infective and painful condition i.e. for temporary palliation / to ease the condition and then simply go for elective surgery to avoid an emergency surgery in future. The advantageous endoscopic surgery without scar and minimal hospital stay makes every patient opt for removal of salivary calculus by surgical option.

Homoeopathic approach – These days, people keep worrying about their health and go for surgery sometimes even unnecessarily. Even for minor ailments, they get admitted to a hospital to rule out all (?) risk factors. Removing just stones or the salivary gland cannot be taken as elimination of the whole disease since stones are only the effects of the disease and not the disease itself. So, the stone-forming tendency will be there in the body and the disease will move or proceed to other places/parts. The best way to stop occurrence/recurrence of stones is to treat the condition and to prevent the formation of stones in future.

Calculus formation in salivary glands, like renal stones/gall stones, can arise to form tendencies. Homoeopathic medicine can stop this stone-forming tendency by enforcing salivary gland to work properly and more efficiently, so that it can produce good quality (composition) saliva and have good flow. Homeopathy treats patient with its constitutional approach considering the characteristic symptoms of the patient and the disease. Surgery can be avoided in many cases of salivary stones if one follows homeopathic medicines regularly for the prescribed period as per the direction of the Homeopath but in advanced conditions, where stone is enormously large and adhered, surgery may be the only way.

Simply put, the earlier you treat, you get easy, speedy and complete cure. There are many drugs in Homoeopathy which can help relieve pain, expel stones and associated complaints. The most commonly used homeopathic drugs in case of salivary calculus are Alumen, Apis mel, Ars alb, Baryta mur, Belladona, Beri beri vulgaris, Borax, Bryonia, Calcarea Carbonica, Cantharis, China, Colocynthis, Hydrastis, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Mag phos, Nat Sulph, Nux mos, Nux Vom, Pulsastilla, etc. These medicines should be taken under the advice and diagnosis of a Qualified Homeopath.

for new hope

Dr. S. Chidambaranathan, BHMS, MD (Homeo)

Laxmi Homeo Clinic

24 E. New Mahalipatti Road

Madurai, TN 625 001

India

Tel:  +91-452-233-8833 | +91-984-319-1011 (Mob)

Fax: +91-452-233-0196

E-mail:  drcheena@yahoo.com

www.drcheena.com / www.drcheena.in

(Disclaimer: The contents of this column are for informational purpose only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional healthcare advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of healthcare professional for any health problem or medical condition.)

HUMAN FACES ARE SO VARIABLE BECAUSE WE EVOLVED TO LOOK UNIQUE

The amazing variety of human faces -- far greater than that of most other animals -- is the result of evolutionary pressure to make each of us unique and easily recognizable, according to a new study by University of California, Berkeley, scientists.

Our highly visual social interactions are almost certainly the driver of this evolutionary trend, said behavioral ecologist Michael J. Sheehan, a postdoctoral fellow in UC Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Many animals use smell or vocalization to identify individuals, making distinctive facial features unimportant, especially for animals that roam after dark, he said. But humans are different.

"Humans are phenomenally good at recognizing faces; there is a part of the brain specialized for that," Sheehan said. "Our study now shows that humans have been selected to be unique and easily recognizable. It is clearly beneficial for me to recognize others, but also beneficial for me to be recognizable. Otherwise, we would all look more similar."

"The idea that social interaction may have facilitated or led to selection for us to be individually recognizable implies that human social structure has driven the evolution of how we look," said coauthor Michael Nachman, a population geneticist, professor of integrative biology and director of the UC Berkeley Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.

The study will appear Sept. 16 in the online journal Nature Communications.

In the study, Sheehan said, "we asked, 'Are traits such as distance between the eyes or width of the nose variable just by chance, or has there been evolutionary selection to be more variable than they would be otherwise; more distinctive and more unique?'"

As predicted, the researchers found that facial traits are much more variable than other bodily traits, such as the length of the hand, and that facial traits are independent of other facial traits, unlike most body measures. People with longer arms, for example, typically have longer legs, while people with wider noses or widely spaced eyes don't have longer noses. Both findings suggest that facial variation has been enhanced through evolution.

Finally, they compared the genomes of people from around the world and found more genetic variation in the genomic regions that control facial characteristics than in other areas of the genome, a sign that variation is evolutionarily advantageous.

"All three predictions were met: facial traits are more variable and less correlated than other traits, and the genes that underlie them show higher levels of variation," Nachman said. "Lots of regions of the genome contribute to facial features, so you would expect the genetic variation to be subtle, and it is. But it is consistent and statistically significant."

Using Army data

Sheehan was able to assess human facial variability thanks to a U.S. Army database of body measurements compiled from male and female personnel in 1988. The Army Anthropometric Survey (ANSUR) data are used to design and size everything from uniforms and protective clothing to vehicles and workstations.

A statistical comparison of facial traits of European Americans and African Americans -- forehead-chin distance, ear height, nose width and distance between pupils, for example -- with other body traits -- forearm length, height at waist, etc. -- showed that facial traits are, on average, more varied than the others. The most variable traits are situated within the triangle of the eyes, mouth and nose.

Sheehan and Nachman also had access to data collected by the 1000 Genome project, which has sequenced more than 1,000 human genomes since 2008 and catalogued nearly 40 million genetic variations among humans worldwide. Looking at regions of the human genome that have been identified as determining the shape of the face, they found a much higher number of variants than for traits, such as height, not involving the face.

Prehistoric origins

"Genetic variation tends to be weeded out by natural selection in the case of traits that are essential to survival," Nachman said. "Here it is the opposite; selection is maintaining variation. All of this is consistent with the idea that there has been selection for variation to facilitate recognition of individuals."

They also compared the human genomes with recently sequenced genomes of Neanderthals and Denisovans and found similar genetic variation, which indicates that the facial variation in modern humans must have originated prior to the split between these different lineages.

"Clearly, we recognize people by many traits -- for example their height or their gait -- but our findings argue that the face is the predominant way we recognize people," Sheehan said.

PREGNANT WOMEN INVOLVE PARENT IN ABORTION WHEN ANTICIPATING SUPPORT

When an adolescent wants to terminate a pregnancy, how does she decide whether to talk to a parent? A recent study from the Section of Family Planning and Contraceptive Research at the University of Chicago found that pregnant teens will turn to parents and adults who are engaged in their lives and who will offer support, regardless of her pregnancy decision. Young women will avoid talking with parents who are less involved or may try to prevent them from seeking care

The study, published online ahead of print in theAmerican Journal of Public Health, explored the factors young women under age 18 consider when deciding to involve a parent. Researchers conducted interviews with 30 minors seeking abortion in Illinois, prior to implementation of the 2013 parental notification law. Currently, there are 38 states with laws requiring a parent to provide consent or receive notification before a minor can access abortion services.

"There's a commonly accepted idea that teens will try to hide their pregnancy or abortion decision. However, pregnant young women actually do turn to parents in the majority of cases," said Section policy researcher Lee Hasselbacher. "In our study, 70% of the young women involved a parent or guardian. They thought carefully about which parents and adults in their lives they could turn to for help in making their decision."

While each young woman's family circumstance was different, there were several common motivations for involving a parent. Factors favoring telling included close and supportive relationships, need for help with logistics like travel or payment, or experiences that made discovery of the pregnancy seem inevitable.

Minors expressed a range of motivations for not telling a parent about their abortion. Some teens worried that if their parent learned of their decision, it would dramatically change their relationship or feared it would even lead to anger or harm. Young women also discussed the lack of a relationship or presence as a reason they did not want to involve a parent.

One of the strongest findings was that among those young women who did not involve either parent, most were concerned that one or both parents would directly interfere with their decision to get an abortion.

"Policymakers should not force communication at the time of pregnancy; instead they should focus on supporting family communication long before a pregnancy or abortion decision," said Dr. Melissa Gilliam, Section Chief of the Section of Family Planning and Contraceptive Research at the University of Chicago and senior author on the study. "This study reveals teenagers will seek adult help."