Health & Medicine

Evaluating a new way to open clogged arteries

NLN — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:25:41 +0000

Computational model offers insight into mechanisms of drug-coated balloons.

Over the past few decades, scientists have developed many devices that can reopen clogged arteries, including angioplasty balloons and metallic stents. While generally effective, each of these treatments has drawbacks, including the risk of side effects.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Mediterranean diet boosts ageing brain power: study

NLN — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:22:39 +0000

A Mediterranean diet with added extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts seems to improve the brain power of older people better than advising them to follow a low-fat diet, indicates research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

The authors from the University of Navarra in Spain base their findings on 522 men and women aged between 55 and 80 without cardiovascular disease but at high vascular risk because of underlying disease/conditions.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Are drug side-effects inevitable?

NLN — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:54:06 +0000

A new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets – sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins – is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid. The study also found that the fundamental biochemical processes needed for life could have been enabled by the simple physics of protein folding.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Is candy consumption linked to obesity or heart disease?

NLN — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:40:43 +0000

At a time when the spotlight is focused on obesity more than ever, new research suggests that frequency of candy consumption is not associated with weight or certain adverse health risks.

According to a recent data analysis published in the April 30th issue of Nutrition Journal, adults who consume candy at least every other day are no more likely to be overweight nor have greater risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) than moderate consumers (about once a week) or even less frequent candy eaters (less than 3 times per month).¹

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Inflammatory bowel disease raises melanoma risk

NLN — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:19:36 +0000

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at higher risk of melanoma, a form of skin cancer, report researchers at Mayo Clinic. Researchers found that IBD is associated with a 37 percent greater risk for the disease. The findings were presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2013 conference in Orlando, Fla.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Key inflammatory marker to cancer discovered

NLN — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:04:09 +0000

In a new study described in the journal Oncogene, researchers reveal how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Why does old schizophrenia medicine work on antibiotics-resistant bacteria?

NLN — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:43:39 +0000

Why does old schizophrenia medicine work on antibiotics-resistant bacteria?

In 2008, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus).

Subject:

Health & Medicine

New colonoscope provides ground-breaking view of colon

NLN — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:38:27 +0000

A ground-breaking advance in colonoscopy technology signals the future of colorectal care, according to research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW). Additional research focuses on optimizing the minimal withdrawal time for colonoscopies and exploring safer methods for removing polyps.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status

NLN — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:24:38 +0000

New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.

The study appears in the American Journal of Human Biology.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Using clay to grow bone

NLN — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:48:14 +0000

In new research published online May 13, 2013 in Advanced Materials, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report that synthetic silicate nanoplatelets (also known as layered clay) can induce stem cells to become bone cells without the need of additional bone-inducing factors. Synthetic silicates are made up of simple or complex salts of silicic acids, and have been used extensively for various commercial and industrial applications, such as food additives, glass and ceramic filler materials, and anti-caking agents.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Can video game play improve your child's health?

NLN — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:43:37 +0000

Levels of physical inactivity and obesity are very high in children, with fewer than 50% of primary school-aged boys and fewer than 28% of girls meeting the minimum levels of physical activity required to maintain health. Exergaming, using active console video games that track player movement to control the game (e.g., Xbox-Kinect, Wii), has become popular, and may provide an alternative form of exercise to counteract sedentary behaviors. In a study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers studied the effects of exergaming on children.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Fish oil may stall effects of junk food on brain

NLN — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:54:10 +0000

Data from more than 180 research papers suggests fish oils could minimise the effects that junk food can have on the brain, a review by researchers at the University of Liverpool has shown.

The team at the University's Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease reviewed research from around the world to see whether there was sufficient data available to suggest that omega-3s had a role to play in aiding weight loss.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Potential flu pandemic lurks

NLN — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:28:40 +0000

MIT study identifies influenza viruses circulating in pigs and birds that could pose a risk to humans.

In the summer of 1968, a new strain of influenza appeared in Hong Kong. This strain, known as H3N2, spread around the globe and eventually killed an estimated 1 million people.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Could eating peppers prevent Parkinson's

NLN — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:32:50 +0000

New research reveals that Solanaceae—a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine—may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study appearing today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's.

Subject:

Health & Medicine

Discovery shows fat triggers rheumatoid arthritis

NLN — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:09:46 +0000

Scientists have discovered that fat cells in the knee secrete a protein linked to arthritis, a finding that paves the way for new gene therapies that could offer relief and mobility to millions worldwide.

"We found that fat in the knee joints secretes a protein called pro-factor D which gives rise to another protein known as factor D that is linked to arthritis," said Nirmal Banda, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "Without factor D, mice cannot get rheumatoid arthritis."

Subject:

Health & Medicine