Magazzino

People blessed with youthful faces are more likely to live to a ripe old age than those who look more than their years, work shows.

Danish scientists say appearance alone can predict survival, after they studied 387 pairs of twins.

The researchers asked nurses, trainee teachers and peers to guess the age of the twins from mug shots.

Those rated younger-looking tended to outlive their older-looking sibling, the British Medical Journal reports.

Survival advantage

The researchers also found a plausible biological explanation for their results.

Key pieces of DNA called telomeres, which indicate the ability of cells to replicate, are also linked to how young a person looks.

Perceived age, which is widely used by clinicians as a general indication of a patient’s health, is a robust biomarker of ageing that predicts survival among those aged over 70 The report authors

A telomere of shorter length is thought to signify faster ageing and has been linked with a number of diseases.

In the study, the people who looked younger had longer telomeres.

All of the twins were in their 70s, 80s or 90s when they were photographed.

Over a seven-year follow-up the researchers, led by Professor Kaare Christensen of the University of Southern Denmark, found that the bigger the difference in perceived age within a pair, the more likely it was that the older-looking twin died first.

A night terror, also known as a sleep terror or pavor nocturnus, is a parasomnia disorder characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The subject wakes abruptly from slow-wave sleep,
with waking usually accompanied by gasping, moaning, or screaming. It
is often impossible to awaken the person fully, and after the episode
the subject normally settles back to sleep without waking. A night
terror can rarely be recalled by the subject. They typically occur
during non-rapid eye movement sleep

The lack of a dream itself leaves those awakened from a night
terror in a state of disorientation much more severe than that caused
by a normal nightmare. This can include a short period of amnesia
during which the subjects may be unable to recall their names,
locations, ages, or any other identifying features of themselves.

In children

Children from age two to six are most prone to night terrors, and they affect about fifteen percent of all children,^[1] although people of any age may experience them. Episodes may recur for a couple of weeks then suddenly disappear.^{[citation needed]} The symptoms also tend to be different, like the child being able to recall the experience, and while nearly arisen, hallucinate.^{[citation needed]} Strong evidence has shown that a predisposition to night terrors and other parasomniac disorders can be passed genetically.^{[citation needed]}
Though there are a multitude of triggers, emotional stress during the
previous day and a high fever are thought to precipitate most episodes.^{[citation needed]}
Ensuring the right amount of sleep is an important factor. Night
terrors may also be caused by stress and constipation and other
irregular bowel movements or lack thereof.^{[citation needed]} Special consideration must be used when the subject suffers from narcolepsy, as there may be a link.^{[citation needed]}

Common elements

A typical night terror episode usually occurs in the first hour of sleep. The child sits up in bed and screams, appearing awake but is confused, disoriented, and unresponsive to stimuli. Although the child seems to be awake, the child does not seem to be aware of the parents’ presence and usually does not talk. The child may thrash around in bed and does not respond to comforting by the parents. The child’s heart rate can escalate during the terror, along with sweating and harsh breathing. ^[1]

Most episodes last only a few minutes, but they may last up to 3 hours before the child relaxes and returns to normal sleep.

In some cases the night terror could be recalled by the person, depending on age and the nature of the episode.

Treatment

Since night terrors are most commonly triggered by being overtired, sometimes no treatment is necessary except for a bedtime schedule that ensures proper sleep. If the night terrors are more frequent, however, it has been suggested that the sufferer should be awakened from sleep just before the time when the terrors occur most to interrupt the sleep cycle. ^[1]

Carranza, Christopher. Banishing Night Terrors and Nightmares Kensington Books, 2004.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Modafinil is sold in these different formulations:<br /><br />Provigil <br />(United States, United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea)<br /><br />Vigil<br />(Germany)<br /><br />Modalert<br />(India)<br /><br />Modavigil<br />(Australia, New Zealand)<br /><br />Alertec or Vigicer<br />(Canada)<br /><br />Modiadal<br />(Mexico, France, Sweden)<br /><!--more--><br />Cephalon Press Release, 2005<br /><a href="http://stocks.us.reuters.com/stocks/fullDescription.asp?symbol=CEPH.O&WTmodLOC=L2-LeftNav-8.5-FullDescription">http://stocks.us.reuters.com/stocks/fullDescription.asp?symbol=CEPH.O&WTmodLOC=L2-LeftNav-8.5-FullDescription</a><br /><br />"Outside of the United States, modafinil is approved in more than 30<br />countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and<br />Germany, for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness associated<br />with narcolepsy. In certain of these countries, Cephalon also has<br />approval to market modafinil to treat excessive daytime sleepiness in<br />patients with OSA/HS and/or SWSD."<br /><br />Cephalon Press Release, 2002<br />"Cephalon Announces Modafinil Receives Marketing Clearance In<br />Australia, New Zealand and South Korea"<br /><a href="http://www.cephalon.com/newsroom/news_reader.aspx?ID=330060">http://www.cephalon.com/newsroom/news_reader.aspx?ID=330060</a><br /><br />Worldwide, most of these forms (including Vigil, Modiadal, and<br />Modavigil) are manufactured and sold by Cephalon Inc.  However,<br />Modalert is sold by Sun Pharmaceuticals in India and Alertec is sold<br />in Canada by Draxis Health.<br /><br />These countries require a prescription:<br /><br />United States<br />United Kingdom (but with lesser restrictions than the United States)<br />Canada<br />Germany (same restrictions as United States; illegal to possess<br />without a prescription or license)<br />Australia <br />New Zealand<br />France<br />South Korea<br /><br />-----------<br /><br />Cephalon's patent on the drug expired in 2006.  When a drug patent<br />expires, makers of generics often rush to the forefront and capture<br />business from the original drugmaker.  However, this has not happened<br />yet due to an interesting court case begun by Cephalon.  Four<br />companies applied to the US FDA for approval to market generic<br />versions of Provigil and they were all granted approval to make the<br />generics.  Cephalon filed suit against all these companies for patent<br />infringement and the companies all settled out of court, in what some<br />have seen as a form of blackmail.<br /><br />United Senior Action<br />"Help Challenge Drug Industry Attempts to Keep Generics off the Market"<br /><a href="http://www.usaindiana.org/challenge.cfm">http://www.usaindiana.org/challenge.cfm</a><br /><br />"The case, which was filed in June 2006, claims that Cephalon, the<br />brand name manufacturer of Provigil, conspired with generic drugmakers<br />Teva, Ranbaxy, Barr and Mylan to keep generic versions of Provigil off<br />the market. The case alleges that when Cephalon's exclusive marketing<br />rights were set to expire, the generic companies applied for FDA<br />approval to market generic versions of the drug. Although the FDA<br />determined that each company had developed safe, effective and<br />bioequivalent generic versions of Provigil, they could not begin<br />marketing the drugs because Cephalon filed patent infringement<br />lawsuits against them.<br /><br />Although they had strong arguments for invalidating Cephalon's patent<br />for Provigil, all four generic companies settled their cases with<br />Cephalon. Under these settlement agreements, each generic company<br />agreed to keep their generic versions of Provigil off the market until<br />2011 or 2012, in exchange for cash payments. The three payments to<br />Teva, Ranbaxy and Barr alone totaled up to $136 million."<br /><br />Apotex, another generic drugmaker, has sued all the parties involved<br />alleging monopolistic practices.<br /><br />"Apotex Accuses Cephalon and Four Generic Drug Companies of<br />Monopolizing the U.S. Market for Provigil"<br /><a href="http://www.orangebookblog.com/2006/07/apotex_accuses_.html">http://www.orangebookblog.com/2006/07/apotex_accuses_.html</a><br /><br />-----------<br /><br />Provigil's sales (Cephalon)<br />2005-- $500 million<br />2004-- $289 million<br />2003-- $200 million<br />2002-- $150 million<br />2001-- $75 million<br /><br />More than a million people have been prescribed Provigil in the United<br />States; since it is primarily approved for narcolepsy and there are<br />only 150,000-200,000 narcoleptics in the US, people are not just<br />taking it for narcolepsy but to remedy other sleep disorders.  In<br />2004, the drug was approved for use with other sleep disorders such as<br />sleep apnea.  At one point, it was being prescribed at the rate of<br />250,000 every three months.<br /><br />"The Great Awakening:<br />With a Pill Called Modafinil, You Can Go 40 Hours Without Sleep -- and<br />See Into the Future"<br />By Joel Garreau<br />Washington Post Staff Writer<br />Monday, June 17, 2002<br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61282-2002Jun16&notFound=true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61282-2002Jun16&notFound=true</a><br /><br />'There are only 125,000 to 250,000 narcoleptics in the United States.<br />Cephalon brags that hundreds of thousands of patients have taken<br />Provigil, with over a million prescriptions written as of 2001, and<br />sales soaring. Nonetheless, Cephalon spokesman Sheryl Williams says<br />that "we are not aware of any significant prescribing of the drug for<br />nonmedical conditions."'<br /><br />In Cephalon's latest earnings call in October, the company reported<br />sales of $186.5 million for Provigil in the United States in the<br />previous three-month quarter and sales of $11 million in Europe, for a<br />combined total of $197.6 million in sales in three months.  This<br />compared to a year earlier, when total earnings for that quarter were<br />$134 million combined.  This meant that sales of Provigil increased by<br />almost 50% in the course of one year.<br /><br />For the nine months ending on September 30, 2006, Provigil experienced<br />$494.5 million in sales in the US and $29 million in Europe, a 44%<br />increase from the year before.<br /><br />The full balance sheet released by Cephalon can be seen here:<br /><br />MSN Money<br /><a href="http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=PR&Date=20061102&ID=6163626">http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.asp?feed=PR&Date=20061102&ID=6163626</a><br /><br />Sales of Provigil are expected to increase even more:<br /><br />Philadelphia Daily News<br />"Cephalon earnings more than double"<br /><a href="http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/15915834.htm">http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/15915834.htm</a><br /><br />'"Provigil is on track to become our first billion-dollar product,"<br />said Frank Baldino Jr., founder and chief executive officer of<br />Cephalon, referring to the company's treatment for narcolepsy,<br />obstructive sleep apnea, and shift-work sleep disorder. Provigil<br />prescriptions were up 18 percent in the latest quarter, with sales of<br />$197.6 million.'<br /><br />-----------<br /><br />Vigil-- Germany<br /><br />"Vigil" is simply a shortened version of the name Provigil, and Vigil<br />is marketed by Cephalon, the same company that markets the drug in<br />America under the Provigil moniker.  It has been available in Germany<br />since 1998.<br /><br />Cephalon Press Release<br />"Cephalon Receives Approval to Market Modafinil for Shift Work Sleep<br />Disorder in Germany"<br /><a href="http://www.cephalon.com/newsroom/news_reader.aspx?ID=750715">http://www.cephalon.com/newsroom/news_reader.aspx?ID=750715</a><br /><br />I could not find individual reports of sales in Germany or other<br />European countries, but instead all European numbers as seen above.<br /><br />-----------<br /><br />Modalert-- India<br /><br />Some buyers of modafinil have stated that the Indian version,<br />Modalert, which is distributed by Sun Pharmaceuticals, is not as<br />effective as other forms of modafinil such as Provigil, manufactured<br />by Cephalon.  The following thread clarifies why this may be:<br /><br />"Re: PROVIGIL"<br /><a href="http://www.drugbuyers.com/freeboard/showthreaded.php?Number=312423">http://www.drugbuyers.com/freeboard/showthreaded.php?Number=312423</a><br /><br />-------------<br /><br />Alertec-- Canada<br /><br />Alertec was made by Shire Pharmaceuticals in Canada until this year,<br />when Shire was divested by its parent company, Draxis Health, and<br />Draxis retained the rights to make and sell Alertec.<br /><br />BioSpace-- Draxis Health Press Release<br /><a href="http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?StoryID=20049020&full=1">http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?StoryID=20049020&full=1</a><br /><br />-------------<br /><br />Where do people buy it?  How do they buy it? <br /><br />Most people who take modafinil have a prescription.  Ninety percent of<br />the prescriptions are for off-label usage-- to combat sleep<br />deprivation and other ailments.  With a prescription, modafinil can be<br />readily obtained from any pharmacy or chemists'.   Like any<br />prescription drug, it can also be bought at online pharmacies, which<br />may or may not have more competitive prices.  Provigil is expensive.<br /><br />If you are in the United States, Provigil is a Schedule IV controlled<br />substance, which means it's illegal to import it from a foreign<br />source.  In other countries, it is not considered a controlled<br />substance and is not illegal to buy from other sources.<br /><br />One thing a buyer of modafinil will find is that Provigil is more<br />expensive than Alertec or Modalert, the foreign forms of the drug.<br />This is because, while the different formulations are chemically the<br />same, Canadian and Indian manufacturers of the drug use different pill<br />shapes and formulas that are not covered under Cephalon's US patent.<br />Because they are "generics," although not official generics, Alertec<br />and Modalert are generally less expensive than Provigil.<br /><br />Here are some places from which people have bought Provigil<br />successfully (with the recommendations I found):<br /><br />Good Health Pharmacy<br /><a href="http://www.goodhealthpharmacy.com/new/catalog/product_info.php?ref=1&products_id=618&affiliate_banner_id=1">http://www.goodhealthpharmacy.com/new/catalog/product_info.php?ref=1&products_id=618&affiliate_banner_id=1</a><br /><br />from:<br />"Modalert/Provigil CHEAP!"<br />topix.net<br /><a href="http://www.topix.net/forum/health/narcolepsy/T5G91I20L8QQNE68F">http://www.topix.net/forum/health/narcolepsy/T5G91I20L8QQNE68F</a><br /><br />Quality Health-- UK<br /><a href="http://www.qhi.co.uk/list.asp">http://www.qhi.co.uk/list.asp</a><br /><br />Biogenesis--<br />sells three different forms of modafinil<br /><a href="http://www.biogenesis-antiaging.com/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&keywords=modafinil&osCsid=6e324d4476e5bdd256f25eee7f9f3492&x=0&y=0">http://www.biogenesis-antiaging.com/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&keywords=modafinil&osCsid=6e324d4476e5bdd256f25eee7f9f3492&x=0&y=0</a><br /><br />Modalert at Jan Drugs<br /><a href="http://www.jandrugs.com/momex/NavCode/drugs/DrugName/Provigil">http://www.jandrugs.com/momex/NavCode/drugs/DrugName/Provigil</a><br /><br />Other recommendations from the Imminst.org thread are:<br />Freedom Pharmacy (Modalert)<br /><a href="http://freedom-pharmacy.com/Products2.asp?Brand=MODALERT+%28Modafinil%2CProvigil%29&T=m">http://freedom-pharmacy.com/Products2.asp?Brand=MODALERT+%28Modafinil%2CProvigil%29&T=m</a><br /><br />Pharma-Orders<br /><a href="http://www.pharma-orders.com/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=8612ccc28983aaef6d530636d20a1cb6&keywords=modafinil&osCsid=8612ccc28983aaef6d530636d20a1cb6&x=0&y=0">http://www.pharma-orders.com/advanced_search_result.php?osCsid=8612ccc28983aaef6d530636d20a1cb6&keywords=modafinil&osCsid=8612ccc28983aaef6d530636d20a1cb6&x=0&y=0</a><br /><br />Sun Pharma-- Modalert<br /><a href="http://www.sunpharma.com/sunpharma-products/sunpharma-formulation/spopup13.php">http://www.sunpharma.com/sunpharma-products/sunpharma-formulation/spopup13.php</a><br />