‘Stress can cause baldness’

Tuesday, July 22, 2008LUEBECK, Germany: Stress and tension can cause hair loss and baldness, according to a study by researchers at the University of Luebeck.A team of physicians led by Professor Ralf Paus found that hormonal reactions triggered in stress situations could contribute to baldness.A higher concentration of hormones such as cortisol and testosterone, triggered during stress in humans, affected the hair roots.“This leads to an acceleration of hair loss,” Paus said in an interview with the German pharmacist magazine Senioren Ratgeber.A second test conducted among rats at the Berlin Charite hospital also found that stress affected the hair roots. “There is no final evidence yet,” Paus said, “But it is quite possible that more relaxation can do a lot of good to your hair.”The Luebeck team confirmed the results of a test conducted among handball athletes during the 2007 world championships, revealing that mental tension and physical exertion led to an increased release of stress hormones, increasing hair loss among professional athletes.

Obama meets PM Maliki in Baghdad

BAGHDAD - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama met Iraq’s prime minister yesterday to get a first-hand assessment of security in the country, where violence is at its lowest level since early 2004. His visit thrusts U.S. strategy in Iraq and troop levels to the centre of the November election race between the first-term senator from Illinois and Republican candidate John McCain. There are more than 140,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq.Obama has called for the removal of U.S. combat troops within 16 months of taking office should he win the election. Iraqiya state television and witnesses said Obama met Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad. There were no further details on Obama’s visit, which has been shrouded in secrecy for security reasons.

Baltic inflation still highest in EU

Inflation in Latvia, at nearly 18 percent, remains the highest in the EU, despite a two percent decrease. According to data released by the European Unions statistical office, Eurostat, Latvia still remains number one for the third year running. Coming in at a close second is Bulgaria with nearly 15 percent inflation this year. About this time last year, Hungary had been nudging forward as the nation with the highest inflation, but Latvia still reigns supreme. The other Baltic States are not to be excluded from this high inflation. Lithuania and Estonia have seen a rise in the inflation levels hovering around the 13 and 12 percent mark respectively.

However, it seems that the rest of the EU has curbed its high inflation problems somewhat, as the next countries are far lower, with Romania at 8.7 percent and Slovenia with around 7 percent. But the battle isn’t over, Compared to May of this year, the annual inflation has increased in 21 of the 27 EU nations. Average annual inflation in all the 27 EU member states was 4.3 percent in June, compared to 4 percent in May. A year ago, average annual inflation in the EU was 2.1 percent. The annual inflation in Euro-zone was 4 percent in June, comparing with 3.7 percent in May. A year ago, average annual inflation was 1.9 percent.