For people in northern countries enjoying summer sun, I hate to put a dampener on things but winter’s coming. The cold months can seem to go on forever, yet scientists are uncovering a new reason to be grateful for them.

It turns out that cold climates may help keep type 2 diabetes at bay because of surprising findings about how temperatures affect certain “good” fats in the body. This insight potentially opens up exciting new means of treating people with diabetes – which afflicts 415m people worldwide and is predicted to increase to 641m by 2040.

Strangely enough, this possibility arose from scientists trying to develop something else, namely a new major way of treating obesity. The two endeavours are linked in ways we don’t yet fully understand. To get a sense of how, you need to understand a bit about fat.

Our bodies have three types of fat: white, brown and brite. White fat cells are the body’s energy stores, comprising about a fifth of the weight of the average man and about a quarter of the average woman. Obesity is an excessive storage of this fat, and this increases the risks of type 2 diabetes.Almost 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

Brown fat cells operate very differently. They are packed with mitochondria, which are rod-shaped organelles that are present in all cells. Mitochondria are often called the power houses of the cell for the way they convert nutrients in our food into a fuel source known as ATPthat powers all cellular functions. Unusually, however, brown fat cells contain a special protein that when activated, restricts this conversion so that the energy is released as heat instead.

You find a lot of brown fat in small mammals like mice and rats that need lots of heat to regulate their body temperature. Human babies have it, too, but for a long time it was thought to disappear in adults, who can usually keep sufficiently warm through metabolic processes. In 2007, however, it was shown that adult humans do have functional deposits of these cells. This discovery is part of the reason for the recent excitement among obesity scientists.

Great brite hope

Brite (BRown in whITE) fat cells only came on the radar 25 to 30 years ago. Several groups observed that when small mammals are placed in the cold, their white fat deposits take on a browner appearance – a process we now call “browning”. Much more recently we realised that these cells – also known as beige – come from a separate lineage to white fat even though they are related.

When brite cells mature they can act like either white or brown cells as the body’s needs change between energy storage and heat production. Scientists have been trying to understand this process, believing that if we can switch these cells into their brown phase, we may be able to activate them along with the body’s brown fat to burn off the energy stored in true white fat cells. Exposure to cold could be the key, since research has previously shown that this activates brown and brite fat in both small mammals and humans.

But will it work? A paper I recently co-authored sought to investigate this by analysing public health data. Our rationale was that if you can burn off excess white fat by increasing the sum of brown/brite fat in the body; and activate this through exposure to cold, people will on average be thinner in colder climates.

America under the microscope

Ours was not a completely new idea, but previous attempts were confounded by trying to compare different countries. Instead we focused on just one country – the US, which has one of the highest obesity rates in the world.

We recovered data on levels of obesity, type 2 diabetes, poverty, race and temperature from 2,654 of America’s 3,146 mainland counties, covering around 170m people. We found a weak correlation between the ambient temperature and obesity prevalence.

The average level of obesity in a typical northerly county with an average temperature of 5℃ was 29.6% compared to 33.6% in counties further south with an average temperature of 25℃ – in other words that big difference in temperature was only linked with about 1.1 times as much obesity.

Unexpectedly, though, the effect of climate on type 2 diabetes was much stronger. In the same two types of cooler and warmer counties, the prevalence of the illness was 1.6 times higher in the warmer ones (12.1% prevalence compared to 7.6% in the cooler counties).

It is not quite that simple, however. Warmer counties have higher populations of African Americans and are poorer, both of which are also linked to higher prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. When we factored this into the data analysis, it completely accounted for the disparity in relation to obesity. With type 2 diabetes, the temperature effect was reduced but still remained very strong.

The message seems clear: switching on your brown and brite fat may not do very much for your obesity levels, but it may have a strong impact on type 2 diabetes.

The way ahead

Despite our best efforts to control for confounding factors, it is always possible the data is being affected by something we overlooked. We were delighted therefore that while our paper was in review a small clinical trial was published in the Nature Medicine journal which showed enormous beneficial effects on insulin action from exposing type 2 diabetic patients to cold temperatures (15℃) for six hours per day.

The interesting thing was these benefits occurred despite only small changes in the patients’ brown and brite tissues. This suggests there is something special about being exposed to cold that may affect type 2 diabetes risk that we don’t yet fully understand.

So while this analysis suggests that the hopes of being able to treat obesity by switching on brown and brite fat tissue may turn out to be disappointing, something else exciting appears to be emerging instead. Patients with type 2 diabetes may see a major new additional avenue in treatment in the years ahead.

Please keep in mind that this article was taken from the United States of America. Some interesting studies and ideas are taking place around diabetes at the moment. Make sure you can treat diabetics as a qualified first aider by completing a first aid course in Canberra with Canberra First Aid.

A local mum has stressed the benefit of learning first aid after ‘one of the scariest moments of her life’ occurred when her little girl began choking. A child choking is among every parent’s greatest fears and one which was shockingly real for Martina Cullen, the Donegal mum behind this weekend’s Bump and Baby Expo in Letterkenny. The traumatic incident involving her first child, at the age of just 10 months, left Martina regretting that she’d never learned how to respond to such a life-threatening situation. When she set about organising a two-day baby show featuring the latest products, service and expert advice for parents, top of her list was the provision of expert advice on child choking and first aid.“There were so many things I hadn’t a clue about as a first time parent but in hindsight child first aid is vitally important. “To see your baby choking is a horrific experience. Our little girl was playing on a mat when all of a sudden she went quiet. My husband lifted her up and saw she was in distress – unable to breath, gasping to get air. “In that moment we both realised that we didn’t know what to do. We tried slapping her gently on the back but didn’t want to hurt her, we tried looking in her mouth but nothing was visible. We had no idea what she had swallowed. “She was turning blue. Within 30 seconds we were in the car and on the way to the hospital which was only a few minutes from the house. My husband kept tapping her on the back the whole way. It wasn’t until we were pulling into the hospital grounds that she finally vomited and started to breathe once again. Words can’t describe the relief as we pulled into A&E and she was smiling as though completely unaware of the danger. “We were lucky, sadly it can be a different story for other families. That’s why two of our key talks during the Bump and Baby Expo Letterkenny in the Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday and Sunday will be delivered by First Aid Aware on ‘What to do when a child is choking’ and ‘Choking hazards and what to look out for’.” First Aid Aware Paediatric Instructor Niall Clancy said families should be aware of the dangers to infants and young children to be best placed to deal with situations. “Choking is one of the main causes of cardiac arrest in children so it’s very important for parents and anyone responsible for children to know how to react. We’re delighted to be taking part in the Bump and Baby Expo Letterkenny where we’ll be giving people a chance to learn about what to do when a child is choking and allowing them to practice the techniques on mannequins. We’ll also be advising people on what dangers to look out for and explaining that if an item can fit through the inside of a toilet toll then it may represent a choking hazard,” he said. In establishing Bump and Baby Expo, Martina aimed to give parents “information that really matters” all under one roof. The career mum – who co-founded human resources and employment law consultancy, HR Team while pregnant with her second child and following a successful career as operations manager for a multinational retailer – said the event will be highly informative in everything needed from pregnancy to pre-school. “I have two bouncing baby girls aged one and three and – as anyone with young children will tell you – it can be hard to keep up with the latest information on products, child safety and health matters for mums and babies. “The whole idea behind the Bump and Baby Expo is to provide expert advice, the best products and most beneficial services needed by families with babies and young children.

Read more at: http://www.derryjournal.com/news/mum-urges-awareness-of-choking-hazards-and-first-aid-1-7528612

Book in to a first aid course in Canberra by checking our website at www.canberrafirstaid.com. 

An 11-year-old boy helped save his mum’s life by calling triple zero.

His pregnant mum was having violent convulsions, so Tommy sprang into action.

Neil Mitchell spoke with Tommy, who says he feels quite proud he was able to save her.

“It got so bad we had to call triple zero.” – Tommy told 3AW Mornings.

Tommy relied on the first aid training he received at school.

His mum Renae says without a doubt Tommy saved her life.

She told Neil Mitchell – “I don’t know where I would have been…”

“He does a lot of things that are beyond his years, and for that I’m proud of him.”

Renae says she looks forward to where he progresses in life.

St John’s Ambulance wants to have every primary school student first-aid trained by 2020.

Great work from another young hero. The sooner schools train first aid to all students the better. It shouldn’t take this long to have t added to the curriculum. Contact us at Canberra First Aid and we can book you in to one of our hands on first aid courses located at the Dickson Tradies.

YONI BASHAN, The Sunday Telegraph
August 14, 2016 12:00am

TWO senior managers at one of the country’s biggest armoured car firms have resigned amid allegations they sold fake first aid certificates to their cash-in-transit guards.

Police confirmed an investigation is currently looking at up to 12 guards at Toll Secure who allegedly bought the forged documents, which are legally required to conduct ­security work and carry a ­firearm.

The company said it was waiting for the police investigation to conclude before acting on those involved, a move which has prompted concern among some fellow workers.

“These guys are still being allowed to work, carry a firearm, and they’ve demonstrated their lack of integrity,” a Toll Secure employee told The Sunday Telegraph.

“They knew what they were doing was wrong.”

Each guard is alleged to have paid $150 for the photocopied, fraudulent first aid certificates.

Police suspect the armed workers were buying the forged documents from two senior Toll Secure employees, both of whom have resigned in recent weeks over the­ ­allegations.

At the centre of the investigation is the company’s now-former state manager, Chris Dyble, and another senior company manager.

Mr Dyble did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Toll Secure said both men had resigned.

Police confirmed Mr Dyble and the other worker were being investigated as the ­alleged architects of the scam, and that possible criminal charges were being examined.
“With full support of the company, we are investigating allegations former employees had provided false first aid qualifications to other ­employees in exchange for payment,” said Cameron Smith, the Director of the NSW Police Force Security Licensing & Enforcement ­Directorate.

The first-aid certificates are understood to have been ­issued by BPF Global Security, an outfit that conducts first aid training for security workers, including those at Toll Secure.

BPF’s owner, Shane Fisher, said the issue of fraud was common in the industry.

He added that he was unaware of the ongoing investigation.

There is no suggestion BPF or Mr Fisher were involved in the scam at Toll ­Secure.

Im not sure why you would pay $150 for a fake first aid certificate when you can get a nationally recognised real one from Canberra First Aid for $115. Make sure you book in for one of our upcoming first aid courses if your training has expired. Learn all of the new first aid techniques now.

By Tim Lamacraft, Amber Irving-Guthrie and Lauren Henry

A Horsham woman’s photograph of a wedge-tailed eagle attacking a boy at an Alice Springs wildlife park has made headlines around the world.

The photograph shows the eagle making contact with a boy’s head at the ‘Eagle Encounter’ show at Alice Springs Desert Park.

Christine O’Connell, who is travelling around Australia with her husband, said the boy screamed when the eagle attacked him, and his face was left bleeding after the incident.

She said the boy’s mother sought first-aid treatment following the incident.

“I don’t know about trying to pick him but he definitely grabbed him by the head and tried to take off,” she said.

“I think the eagle thought the boy was an animal because the little boy was pulling his zipper up and down really quick, and he had a hoodie on so all the bird could see was the green of the hood and hear the noise.

“Everyone was a bit shell-shocked — it happened so quick. Nobody said anything. All of a sudden one of the guides ran over and stood the bird down and stood in front of him.”

Mrs O’Connell said she had been to see the eagle show last year.

“Normally the bird flies down and lands in front of the crowd and you get a photo opportunity, so I thought seeing as though I already had that photo, I would try and get him taking off,” she said.

“I had the camera on multiple shots, luckily, and just as he took off, he actually didn’t go where he was supposed to. He just flew straight down to the young boy sitting 10 to 15 feet away from him.”

PHOTO: Alice Springs Desert Park is investigating why a wedge-tail eagle attacked a boy.(Supplied: Christine O’Connell, Instagram: @55chris)

Mrs O’Connell said she was surprised her photo had been picked up by international media, including the BBC and USA outlets.

“It was one little photo that I actually wasn’t going to post on Instagram until my husband talked me into to it. I didn’t think it was a clear enough photo, I thought it was a little bit blurry,” she said.

Attacks sparks debate about capability of wedge-tailed eagles

The photo has sparked online debate about the capability of wedge-tailed eagles and if it was attempting to pick up the boy.

But Neil McCumba, a wildlife guide from Pomonal, said the boy playing with his zip could have antagonised the eagle.

“Maybe the bird was annoyed or thought it was a play item squeaking,” he said.

Mr McCumba said it was ‘totally impossible’ for a wedge-tailed eagle to drag off the boy.

“A wedge-tailed eagle male is about 3.2 kilograms and a female about 4.2 kilograms, and in my handbooks it says their prey items weigh half their body weight so a two-kilogram prey item,” he said.

“They might kill large animals or birds but there is no way they are going to be able to drag them off.

“I Google searched how much a 7-year-old boy weighs and it’s about 23 kilograms so there is absolutely no way in the world that a 4 kilogram wedge-tailed eagle, even though it’s got a wing span of up to three metres, could lift 23 kilograms.”

The show continues to feature at the park, following the incident on July 6.

A Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife spokesperson said a thorough investigation regarding the circumstances behind the incident was underway.

“The eagle will be removed from the show while this investigation is ongoing,” he said.

Wow, that’s quite scary. Hopefully the young boy is ok. If you would like to learn how to treat bleeding wounds in a first aid course please contact us at Canberra First Aid Courses so that we can organise your training. We will cover cuts, scratches, impalement, abdomen wounds and much more. We look forward to teaching you the skills so book into one of our first aid courses now. 

Published: 7:57 pm, Tuesday, 19 July 2016

In the blink of an eye a curious toddler can reach that hot cup of coffee or tea sitting on the kitchen bench, resulting in a painful burn.

Scalds from hot drinks account for about 20 per cent of all burns in children aged 0-15 years, or one in every five children.

Burns researcher Jacquii Burgess says treatment for burns has improved but the high incidence of toddlers presenting to hospital with a scald has not.

Wanting to reduce the rates of this very painful childhood injury, Burgess and a team of researchers at the Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research in Queensland have teamed up with digital health company iPug to develop a new smartphone app, called Cool Runnings.

The app, which is currently being trialled among a group of mothers, is designed to educate parents about how to prevent hot drink and other burn injuries and how to treat them with cold running water.

It provides fortnightly educational messages about scalds and photo challenges for the mothers – all aimed at engaging parents while reinforcing the importance of prevention.

‘A cup of coffee to a baby is equivalent to a bucket for an adult-sized body. Even though it may look like a small amount it covers a lot of them and the damage is usually worse,’ Ms Burgess said.

One of the tips is securing bookshelves, something you might put a hot drink on, to the wall to make it more stable.

Another is that hot drinks still cause nasty burns even eight minutes after its been made, especially if it’s a black tea or coffee.

‘We’re hoping that if we make more parents aware about how often it happens and how severe the burn can be from a hot drink scald that they take extra precautions. Just having it front of mind, basically.’

It also aims to improve at-home first aid, which is still too often incorrect, said Ms Burgess.

‘People put on creams, they might put on ice, which is bad.’

– See more at: http://www.skynews.com.au/tech/technews/2016/07/19/-cool-runnings–app-aims-to-stop-child-burns.html#sthash.1eQhHhv9.dpuf

Looks like another good app coming on to the market in the first aid field. Make sure you get along to a first aid course so that you learn the reasons behind using running cold water to treat burns. Our first aid courses are run both on weekends and also on week days so book in now with us at Canberra First Aid.