PMID: 

Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2002 Dec ;129(4):348-50. PMID: 12483040

Abstract Title: 

Enhancement of allergic skin wheal responses by microwave radiation from mobile phones in patients with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome.

Abstract: 

Microwave radiation from mobile phones enhanced skin wheal responses induced by house dust mite and Japanese cedar pollen while it had no effect on wheal responses induced by histamine in patients with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS). Microwave radiation also increased plasma levels of substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in patients with AEDS. These results indicate that microwave radiation from mobile phones may enhance allergen-induced wheal responses in association with the release of SP and VIP. This finding may be useful in elucidating the pathophysiology and treatment of AEDS.

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PMID: 

Neuroreport. 2000 Mar 20 ;11(4):761-4. PMID: 10757515

Abstract Title: 

Effects of electromagnetic field emitted by cellular phones on the EEG during a memory task.

Abstract: 

The effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by cellular phones on the ERD/ERS of the 4-6 Hz, 6-8 Hz, 8-10 Hz and 10-12 Hz EEG frequency bands were studied in 16 normal subjects performing an auditory memory task. All subjects performed the memory task both with and without exposure to a digital 902 MHz EMF in counterbalanced order. The exposure to EMF significantly increased EEG power in the 8-10 Hz frequency band only. Nonetheless, the presence of EMF altered the ERD/ERS responses in all studied frequency bands as a function of time and memory task (encoding vs retrieval). Our results suggest that the exposure to EMF does not alter the resting EEG per se but modifies the brain responses significantly during a memory task.

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PMID: 

Int J Neurosci. 2003 Jul ;113(7):1007-19. PMID: 12881192

Abstract Title: 

Effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields on human EEG: a brain mapping study.

Abstract: 

Cell phones emitting pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) may affect the human brain, but there are inconsistent results concerning their effects on electroencephalogram (EEG). We used a 16-channel telemetric electroencephalograph (ExpertTM), to record EEG changes during exposure of human skull to EMF emitted by a mobile phone. Spatial distribution of EMF was especially concentrated around the ipsilateral eye adjacent to the basal surface of the brain. Traditional EEG was full of noises during operation of a cellular phone. Using a telemetric electroencephalograph (ExpertTM) in awake subjects, all the noise was eliminated, and EEG showed interesting changes: after a period of 10-15 s there was no visible change, the spectrum median frequency increased in areas close to antenna; after 20-40 s, a slow-wave activity (2.5-6.0 Hz) appeared in the contralateral frontal and temporal areas. These slow waves lasting for about one second repeated every 15-20 s at the same recording electrodes. After turning off the mobile phone, slow-wave activity progressively disappeared; local changes such as increased median frequency decreased and disappeared after 15-20 min. We observed similar changes in children, but the slow-waves with higher amplitude appeared earlier in children (10-20 s) than adults, and their frequency was lower (1.0-2.5 Hz) with longer duration and shorter intervals. The results suggested that cellular phones may reversibly influence the human brain, inducing abnormal slow waves in EEG of awake persons.

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PMID: 

Curr Opin Psychol. 2019 Aug ;28:302-306. Epub 2019 Jul 11. PMID: 31352296

Abstract Title: 

Mindfulness meditation and gene expression: a hypothesis-generating framework.

Abstract: 

Recent research in functional genomics shows that social stressors affect the expression of immune response genes. These effects are mediated in part via our adaptive capacity for intracellular molecules to respond to extracellular signals, a process called signal transduction. Under this framework, one-way stressors can be transduced into cellular changes is through central nervous system (CNS) modulation of peripheral neural, endocrine, and molecular activity. Mindfulness meditation is a consciousness discipline used to cultivate attention and self-regulation, and may thus be relevant to the signal transduction process outlined in the social genomics literature. In this opinion article, we briefly review results from existing controlled trials that test the effects of mindfulness meditation on gene expression. We then speculate on a mind-body conceptual model, grounded in existing social genomics theory. In the spirit of hypothesis generation, we argue that mindfulness meditation changes brain activity patterns related to attention, self-regulation, and threat evaluation and so may alter the signal transduction process that regulates the expression of immune response genes.

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PMID: 

J Nutr. 2006 06 ;136(6 Suppl):1660S-1665S. PMID: 16702336

Abstract Title: 

The effects of sulfur amino acid intake on immune function in humans.

Abstract: 

No direct data exist on the influence of supranormal intakes of sulfur amino acids on immune function in humans. However 3 major products of sulfur amino acids, glutathione (GSH), homocysteine (Hcy), and taurine (Tau), influence, mainly, inflammatory aspects of the immune response in vitro and in vivo. Methionine intakes above approximately 1 g/d transiently raise plasma Tau, Hcy, and GSH. Tau and GSH ameliorate inflammation. Hcy has the opposite effect. A biphasic relation, between cellular GSH and CD4+ and CD8+ numbers occurs in healthy men. How changes in sulfur amino acid intake influence this phenomenon is unknown. In animals, high Tau intakes are antiinflammatory. How immune function in humans is affected is unknown. A positive relation between plasma neopterin (a marker of a Th-1-type immune response) and Hcy indicates that Hcy may play a part in inflammatory aspects of Parkinson's disease and aging. In vitro, Hcy, at concentrations seen following consumption of approximately 6 g L-methionine/d in adults, increases the interactions among T lymphocytes, monocytes, and endothelium. Whether a similar phenomenon occurs in vivo is unknown. Polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene are associated with raised plasma Hcy in young but not old subjects. The relation of this observation to immune function is unknown. The relationships among Hcy, inflammatory aspects of disease, and in vitro alterations in immune cell behavior create a cautionary note about supplementation of diets with l-methionine to raise intake above approximately 1 g/d. Studies directly linking methionine intake, genetics, plasma Hcy, Tau, and GSH and immune function are needed.

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PMID: 

J Subst Abuse Treat. 2019 Oct ;105:57-63. Epub 2019 Aug 1. PMID: 31443893

Abstract Title: 

Mindfulness practice predicts interleukin-6 responses to a mindfulness-based alcohol relapse prevention intervention.

Abstract: 

Chronic alcohol misuse can result in chronically elevated interleukin (IL)-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, in the bloodstream. Given that Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) has been shown to reduce alcohol misuse, MBRP might also be effective in reducing IL-6 concentrations. Past research has found, however, that IL-6 does not respond consistently to mindfulness-based interventions. Building on prior studies, we examined whether between-person variability in engagement with mindfulness training (i.e., formal mindfulness practice time) is associated with between-person variability in changes in serum IL-6, using data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating MBRP for Alcohol Dependence (MBRP-A). Participants were 72 alcohol dependent adults (mean age = 43.4 years, 63.9% male, 93.1% White) who received a minimum dose (i.e., at least four sessions) of MBRP-A either at the start of the trial (n = 46) or after a 26-week delay (n = 26). IL-6 concentrations did not significantly change from pre- to post-intervention for the full sample.Nevertheless, greater mindfulness practice time was significantly associated with reduced IL-6 levels (r = -0.27). The association between practice time and IL-6 changes remained significant when controlling for intervention timing (i.e., immediate or after the 26-week delay), demographic characteristics, and changes in mindful awareness, obsessive-compulsive drinking, and depressive symptoms. The association between practice time and IL-6 changes was not significant when omitting the minimum treatment dose requirement. Overall, results suggest that the level of engagement in mindfulnesstraining may predict changes in the inflammatory pathophysiology in adults with alcohol dependence.

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PMID: 

J Am Coll Health. 2019 Sep 3:1-9. Epub 2019 Sep 3. PMID: 31478805

Abstract Title: 

Immediate effects of meditation in college students: A pilot study examining the role of baseline attention performance and trait mindfulness.

Abstract: 

: Determine feasibility of a procedure to identify relationships between preexisting traits and immediate mindfulness meditation (MM) responses in novice college students.: Twenty-four novice college students participated between September 2016 and April 2017.: We measured trait mindfulness, attention and executive function performance, and immediate MM-related changes in self-reported state mindfulness and state anxiety following a 13-min MM.: The procedure appeared to be feasible and acceptable to college students. Preliminary findings included increases in state mindfulness and decreases in state anxiety, which appeared to vary by level of trait mindfulness. Better attention performance correlated with greater increases in state mindfulness of body.This pilot study demonstrated feasibility of investigating the relationship between baseline traits and college students' immediate MM responses. Using these methods, future studies can provide a unique examination of MM effects stratified by validated facets of state mindfulness of body and mind.

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PMID: 

J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol. 2017 ;36(1):87-98. PMID: 28605333

Abstract Title: 

Prevention of Polyphenols Against Carcinogenesis Induced by Environmental Carcinogens.

Abstract: 

Cancer is one of the major causes of death in humans. Of all cancers, 19% are attributed to exposure to environmental chemical carcinogens. Dietary polyphenols from teas, vegetables, fruits, and many others exhibit multiple activities against cancers. Exposure to environmental carcinogens such as ultraviolet B (UVB), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals has been demonstrated to cause cancer in humans. In this article, we specifically select UVB, PAHs, and metals as representative of three types of environmental carcinogens: physical, organic, and inorganic, respectively. We provide a comprehensive review on the role of various dietary polyphenols against carcinogenesis induced by those three types of carcinogens. We summarize the current knowledge of and prospects for prevention of those three groups of carcinogens induced by dietary polyphenols in vitro and in vivo.

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PMID: 

Headache. 2019 Oct ;59(9):1448-1467. Epub 2019 Sep 26. PMID: 31557329

Abstract Title: 

Does Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Migraine Reduce Migraine-Related Disability in People with Episodic and Chronic Migraine? A Phase 2b Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: The current Phase 2b study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for migraine (MBCT-M) to reduce migraine-related disability in people with migraine.BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based interventions represent a promising avenue to investigate effects in people with migraine. MBCT teaches mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral skills and directly applies these skills to address disease-related cognitions.METHODS: Participants with migraine (6-30 headache days/month) were recruited from neurology office referrals and local and online advertisements in the broader New York City area. During the 30-day baseline period, all participants completed a daily headache diary. Participants who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized in a parallel design, stratified by chronic migraine status, to receive either 8 weekly individual MBCT-M sessions or 8 weeks of waitlist/treatment as usual (WL/TAU). All participants completed surveys including primary outcome evaluations at Months 0, 1, 2, and 4. All participants completed a headache diary during the 30-day posttreatment evaluation period. Primary outcomes were the change from Month 0 to Month 4 in the headache disability inventory (HDI) and the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) (total score ≥ 21 indicating severe disability); secondary outcomes (headache days/30 days, average headache attack pain intensity, and attack-level migraine-related disability [Migraine Disability Index (MIDI)]) were derived from the daily headache diary.RESULTS: Sixty participants were randomized to receive MBCT-M (n = 31) or WL/TAU (n = 29). Participants (M age = 40.1, SD = 11.7) were predominantly White (n = 49/60; 81.7%) and Non-Hispanic (N = 50/60; 83.3%) women (n = 55/60; 91.7%) with a graduate degree (n = 35/60; 55.0%) who were working full-time (n = 38/60; 63.3%). At baseline, the average HDI score (51.4, SD = 19.0) indicated a moderate level of disability and the majority of participants (50/60, 83.3%) fell in the"Severe Disability"range in the MIDAS. Participants recorded an average of 16.0 (SD = 5.9) headache days/30 days, with an average headache attack pain intensity of 1.7 on a 4-point scale (SD = 0.3), indicating moderate intensity. Average levels of daily disability reported on the MIDI were 3.1/10 (SD = 1.8). For the HDI, mean scores decreased more from Month 0 to Month 4 inthe MBCT-M group (-14.3) than the waitlist/treatment as an usual group (-0.2; P 

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PMID: 

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2019 Oct 10 ;19(1):346. Epub 2019 Oct 10. PMID: 31601170

Abstract Title: 

Assessing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs on mental health during pregnancy and early motherhood – a randomized control trial.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: The process of entering motherhood is highly stressful for women, with 15-85% of new mothers experiencing postpartum blues or depression. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting program in improving psychological health during the postpartum period.METHODS: This research was a randomized controlled trial with single blinding. Recruitment began after the participating hospital granted formal approval. A total of 74 women between 13 and 28-weeks gestation were allocated either to the intervention group or to the comparison group. The intervention program included a series of eight, 3-h classes held once weekly and 1 day of 7-h silent meditation. Psychological health was assessed at baseline and 3-months postpartum.RESULTS: Significant differences in stress and depression were observed in both groups over time. Stress scores and depression scores were significantly better in the intervention group than in the comparison group at 3-months postpartum (F = 7.19, p = .009 and F = 7.36, p = .008, respectively). No significant difference between the groups was identified for mindfulness scores at 3-months postpartum.CONCLUSIONS: The intervention program effectively reduced postpartum self-perceived stress and depression, suggesting that this program provides acceptable and long-term benefits to women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The teaching and practice of mindfulness meditation and parenting education during pregnancy may help reduce stress and depression in pregnant women as they transition into parenthood.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier for this study is: NCT03185910 . The study was retrospectively registered on 14 June 2017.

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