Brain scan can tell if a smoker will quit
According to the new study brain scan will be able to say if a smoker is likely to quit smoking, the agency reports.
Almaty. January 31. Kazakhstan Today - According to the new study brain scan will be able to say if a smoker is likely to quit smoking, the agency reports.
US researchers have found a way to predict how successful a smoker will be at quitting by using an MRI scan to look for activity in a region of the brain associated with behaviour change, France24 reported.
The scans were performed on 28 heavy smokers who had joined an anti-smoking programme, according to the study published Monday in the peer-reviewed journal Health Psychology.
Participants were asked to watch a series of commercials about quitting smoking while a magnetic resonance imaging machine scanned their brains for activity.
After each ad, subjects in the study "rated how it affected their intention to quit, whether it increased their confidence about quitting, and how much they related to the message," researchers explained.
Those who showed activity in the medial prefrontal cortex during the ads were "significantly linked to reductions in smoking behaviour" in the month that followed, regardless of how the people said they were affected by the ad.
"What is exciting is that by knowing what is going on in someone's brain during the ads, we can do twice as well at predicting their future behaviour, compared to if we only knew their self-reported estimate of how successful they would be or their intention to quit," said lead author Emily Falk.
"It seems that our brain activity may provide information that introspection does not," added Falk, director of the Communication Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
She said researchers would next try to determine which kind of messages were most effective by matching brain activity to the ads.
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700 pheasants released into Astana’s green belt territory
Images | Astana Mayor's Office
LLP Astana Ormany released 700 pheasants into the territory of ‘green belt’ of Astana, Kazinform News Agency learned from the local mayor's office.
The ‘green belt’ around the Kazakh capital became a home for various animals and bords, like hares, foxes, wolf cubs, partridges, hazelhens, and pheasants.
In 2024, we plan to release 1,800 pheasants into the wild. 700 birds have already been released, another 150 will be released in June, and 950 more - in September," local ecology official Azamat Zhanatayev says.
The birds are constantly monitored by the foresters of LLP Astana Ormany and are additionally fed in winter period.
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Over 1,000 measles cases recorded in Astana since beginning of year
In three months of this year, the Kazakh capital recorded 1,063 measles cases, including 734 in children under 14, chief medical officer of Astana Sarkhat Beissenova said, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to Beissenova, 84% of those infected are unvaccinated, of whom 58% did not undergo vaccination and 36.5% have the immunization status unknown.
She went on to add that a total of 114,464 people or 94.6% of the eligible population have been vaccinated as part of additional mass immunization and catch-up immunization since November last year.
The anti-epidemic measures taken led to measles cases reducing by 1.4 times in March compared to January, when the peak of measles cases was recorded, and by 1.5 times among children aged 1-4, she said.
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Photo Exhibition "Unexplored Kazakhstan" Opened in the Bulgarian City of Plovdiv
Images | Kazakh MFA
At the initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Plovdiv, the official opening of the thematic photo exhibition "Unexplored Kazakhstan" dedicated to the nature and tourism potential of our country took place on the Central Square of the city. The event was attended by the leadership of the city and the region, representatives of the local intelligentsia, the Kazakh diaspora, the Bulgarian public and the media, press service of the Kazakh MFA reports.
In his welcoming speech, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Bulgaria Viktor Temirbayev stressed that Kazakhstan is a country with an extremely rich history and culture, located in the heart of Eurasia, at the crossroads of the world's oldest civilizations, at the intersection of transport arteries, economic and social, cultural and ideological ties between East and West, South and North, between Europe and Asia. The Kazakh diplomat noted that all this served as a powerful foundation in the formation of modern Kazakhstan as a strong, independent and dynamically developing state.
In his welcoming speech, Deputy Mayor of Plovdiv Plamen Panov highlighted the achievements in the development of Kazakhstan, noted the high level of bilateral relations. In addition, the Deputy Mayor spoke highly about the fascinating nature of Kazakhstan.
In turn, Honorary Consul of Kazakhstan Plamen Panchev stressed that the vector of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the regions of Kazakhstan and Bulgaria will continue to develop for the benefit of our people.
The guests of the event were able to enjoy photographs of unique nature, landscapes of picturesque landscapes, flora and fauna of Kazakhstan.
This photo exhibition will be open to residents and visitors of the city until April 30, 2024.
Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, which is more than 8000 years old, leading its chronicle from prehistoric times to the present day, and is the most dynamically developing center of Southern Bulgaria.
The Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Plovdiv has been open since December 15, 2023.
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Over 300 babies born in flood-stricken areas in Kazakhstan
325 babies were born in the regions of Kazakhstan that declared recently a local state of emergency due to flooding. 387 pregnant women are under the doctor’s care, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Most babies were born in Kostanay, Aktobe and West Kazakhstan regions since the beginning of the floods, Aigerim Urazaliyeva, the Kazakh Healthcare Ministry’s official spokesperson, said.
5,035 children from flood-hit regions are staying at temporary shelters of which 62 were taken to hospitals.
She noted over 1,000 people sought psychological assistance.
7,617 flood victims have chronic diseases. All of them are monitored by health workers, she added.
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2 schools shifted to online learning amid flooding in N Kazakhstan
Images | Depositphotos
347 pupils of two schools switched to online learning amid flooding in North Kazakhstan, Kazinform News Agency reports.
Schools were temporarily shifted to online teaching in Zarechnyi and Pokrovka villages as the River Yessil overflowed.
All villagers of Zarechnyi were evacuated amid flood risks. Ice jams triggered flooding in Pokrovka village leaving tens of homes on Beregovaya Street underwater.
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