Women taking pill more likely to be treated for depression, study finds

Millions of women worldwide use hormonal contraceptives, and there have long been reports that they can affect mood. A research project was launched in Denmark to look at the scale of the problem, involving the medical records of more than a million women and adolescent girls.

It found that those on the combined pill were 23% more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant by their doctor, most commonly in the first six months after starting on the pill. Women on the progestin-only pills, a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone, were 34% more likely to take antidepressants or get a first diagnosis of depression than those not on hormonal contraception.

The study found that not only women taking pills but also those with implants, patches and intrauterine devices were affected.

Adolescent girls appeared to be at highest risk. Those taking combined pills were 80% more likely and those on progestin-only pills more than twice as likely to be prescribed an antidepressant than their peers who were not on the pill.

The researchers, Øjvind Lidegaard of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues, point out that women are twice as likely to suffer from depression in their lifetime as men, though rates are equal before puberty. The fluctuating levels of the two female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, have been implicated. Studies have suggested raised progesterone levels in particular may lower mood.

The impact of low-dose hormonal contraception on mood and possibly depression has not been fully studied, the authors say. They used registry data in Denmark on more than a million women and adolescent girls aged between 15 and 34. They were followed up from 2000 until 2013 with an average follow-up of 6.4 years.

The authors call for more studies to investigate this possible side-effect of the pill.

TEXTO:

Like many a diet before it, the Paleo diet relies on a
set of rules claiming to be based on science. People
swear by it and in theory it makes sense, but is it actually
practical?
[5] Paleo harkens back to the days of a different time;
the caveman era. The diet lays out an eating plan that
mimics the way our ancestors ate hundreds of years
ago. The idea is that modern day diseases like obesity,
diabetes, and heart disease are all the result of
[10] processed foods. Things like grains, dairy, legumes, salt,
and sugar which have entered our diets thanks to the
agrarian revolution are all eliminated from the diet. What’s
left? Meat, fish, and veggies. Think of it as retro dieting.
This all sounds sensical and smart, but it also
[15] throws out foods that do have real nutritional value.
Calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and phosphorous in
dairy, and fiber, antioxidants, and B vitamins in grains. In
addition, legumes are a fantastic source of protein and
fiber that also happens to be low fat. The nutrients in
[20] these forbidden foods can lower cholesterol and blood
pressure as well as reduce risk of heart disease and
osteoporosis.
If you have weight problems to begin with and you’re
used to eating lots of processed fatty food, any diet is
[25] likely to help you lose weight Paleo included. Which is a
good thing since obesity is becoming a major epidemic.
The problem with Paleo is that it eliminates things
that are healthy like low fat yogurt, for example. It also
neglects to address portion control, a key element in
[30] losing weight. There’s also no mention of saturated fat
which is a major artery clogger. It would be easy to cut
out grains and just fill up on meats with no concern for
your heart.
Last but not least, the diet forgets one major thing;
[35] we’re human! In the Paleo diet, there’s no room for
cupcakes or fettuccine Alfredo or peanut butter and jelly?
Enjoying delicious food and savoring it is one of life’s
pleasures. In fact, its one of your senses. Sure one may
need to lose weight, but it’s also important to maintain

[40] balance. So go ahead and cut out unhealthy foods. Just

don’t forget to eat that cookie every once in a while.

Leia o trecho do relato de um imigrante ao jornal britânico

The Guardian.I’ve never thought of myself as an immigrant, although I suppose technically I am one. I’m a British citizen, and happy to be, although, in a deeper sense, I might describe myself, nationally speaking, as homeless – and proud of it. There’s much to be said for the philosophical notion of homelessness or the “other”. I’m committed to my family, to certain moral values, to people who share them, to my work, less so to nations or flags as such. I left Israel for the first time as a boy, in 1967, after the six-day war. I lived in Berkeley, in the US, came back to Israel, left for good as a graduate student and came to study classics in Oxford.

Antony’s lines from Act III, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar

[1] Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is often interred with their bones;

[5] So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Has told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously has Caesar answered it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–

[10] For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men–

Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

[15] And Brutus is an honourable man.

He has brought many captives home to Rome

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When the poor have cried, Caesar has wept:

[20] Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

[25] Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

[30] You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! you are fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

[35] And I must pause till it come back to me.

Match the questions to the answers.

(1) Are you on vacation?

(2) Where's she from?

(3) Are you and Ana married?

(4) Is Julie Italian?

( ) Yes, we are.

( ) She's from Italy.

( ) No, she isn't.

( ) No, I'm not.

Susan Calvin had been born in the year 1982, they said, which made her seventy five now. Everyone knew that. Appropriately enough, U. S. Robot and Mechanical Men, Inc. was seventy-five also, since it had been in the year of Dr. Calvin’s birth that Lawrence Robertson had first taken out incorporation papers for what eventually became the strangest industrial giant in man’s history. Well, everyone knew that, too. (…)

She went back to her desk and sat down. She didn’t need expression on her face to look sad, somehow.

“How old are you?” she wanted to know.

“Thirty-two,” I said.

“Then you don’t remember a world without robots.

There was a time when humanity faced the universe alone and without a friend. Now he has creatures to help him; stronger creatures than himself, more faithful, more useful, and absolutely devoted to him. Mankind is no longer alone. Have you ever thought of it that way?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t. May I quote you?”

“You may. To you, a robot is a robot. Gears and metal; electricity and positrons. Mind and iron! Human-made! If necessary, human-destroyed! But you haven’t worked with them, so you don’t know them. They’re a cleaner, better breed than we are.”

ANOTHER TWO BRAZIL DAMS ‘AT RISK OF COLLAPSING’

Brazilian mining company Samarco says two dams it uses to hold waste from iron production are damaged and at risk of collapsing

One of the company’s reservoir burst earlier this month, flooding dozens of homes in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. Eleven people were killed and 12 are missing presumed dead. Emergency work to try to avoid another breach will begin immediately and will last up to 90 days, the company said. The company initially said that two of its dams – Fundao e Germano – had burst on 5 November. But it has now clarified that only the Fundao reservoir collapsed. Germano and another nearby dam, Santarem, are still standing but are at risk, said Samarco’s Infrastructure Director Kleber Terra.

‘First instalment’

Samarco is owned by mining giants Vale, from Brazil, and Anglo-Australian company BHP Billiton. It agreed on Monday to pay the Brazilian government 1bn reais (…) compensation. The money will be used to cover the initial clean-up and to offer some compensation to the victims and their families.

HOW TO BEAT THE HACKERS

The global cyber attack that began on Friday – 05/12/2017, spread to thousands more computers over the weekend and into the new workweek, primarily in Asia.

Many of us assume our computer isn’t vulnerable — perhaps because we don’t use a PC, have strong passwords or update our operating systems regularly.

I’m good about not opening suspicious mail, so I won’t be hacked.

Great, but not good enough.

Attacks through email are only one type of hacking, Professor Wandt said, and they are becoming more sophisticated. Don’t open any link or attachment that you are not expecting to receive, even from people you might know, unless you confirm that they sent it.

I use a password manager, so my passwords are strong and well protected.

Yes, but be careful.

Password managers can help prevent someone from hacking your computer using the password, but it’s important to store your key securely. Also, after using a public computer, you should immediately change your password from your home computer or phone.

I should buy extra encryption software if I really want to protect myself.

Don’t worry about it.

“The average person today doesn’t need third-party encryption software,” Professor Wandt said. Most new Apple and Windows products have encryption built into their operating systems.

Read the text and answer question.

[1] A pilot from Northwest Airlines flight was less than pleased
with the food which was to be served on the flight.
He decided to find some better food, so he left his aeroplane,
and then left the airport to find food even though he had
[5] a plane to fly. The passengers were left to wait 90 minutes
until the pilot came back and when the pilot came back
he was fired on the spot for “abandoning his plane”.
(Adapted from www.flightglobal.com)

Read the extract and answer question.

A lack of sleep affects your mood
[1] When a person cannot sleep or sleeps only a few hours a
night, a lot of damage is done. A person gets bad-tempered,
loses their drive, feels angry and tired, and also gets bags
under their eyes. Poor sleep can also make a person
[5] emotionally unstable and even affect their immune system.
A good tip to improve the quality of sleep is to avoid heavy
meals at night and to avoid drinking beverages with a high
caffeine content, such as soft drinks and coffee.
Fonte: Maganews