DISPENSARY CORNER 15 March 16
March 15, 2016
SUCK it up princess!?
Nitrous oxide - more commonly
known as laughing gas - can
help avoid post traumatic stress,
according to a study recently
conducted by the University
College London.
The research saw 50 volunteers
exposed to distressing scenes
from a movie, with half of them
spending the next half hour
inhaling the happy gas.
Over the next week those who
had sucked on the N2O reported
significantly less recurring
memories of the traumatic
content compared to those
who didn’t take the nitrous,
according to the write-up in the
Psychological Medicine journal.
Lead researcher Ravi Das
postulated that the laughing gas
disrupts a process that helps
permanent memories to form.
Apparently the brain requires
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
receptors to tag information
during the day which is then filed
for long-term storage at night,
with nitrous oxide blocking NMDA
receptors and therefore possibly
interfering with tagging.
AND speaking of tagging, a
special jewellery item for children
is helping keep track of infant
immunisation in India.
Authorities in rural Rajasthan
have implemented the system
which contains a child’s
vaccination records in a computer
chip on a simple necklace.
Titled “Khushi Baby” (happy
baby) the device also stores the
mother’s health records and
communicates with a smartphone
allowing health care workers to
access real-time data, according
to a BBC report.
Data is uploaded to the “cloud”
so health workers know what
supplies they need on their
subsequent field visits.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 15 Mar 16To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 15 Mar 16
