Exotic mushrooms could herald a new era of cancer treatment and prevention as the Western world learns lessons from the Orient according to a report released by Cancer Research UK today (Aug 19th).
The charity has produced the world`s most comprehensive review of information about the way medicinal mushrooms are used in Japan, China and Korea where they have been reported to have anti-tumour properties and to stimulate the immune system to fight disease.
It also documents evidence f
Although there has been an intensive research effort focused on diseases caused by kinetoplastid parasites, there has been little success in developing effective ways of treating them. The launch of the online journal Kinetoplastid Biology and Disease represents the practical first step in tackling some of the communication difficulties that face those concerned with the eradication of kinetoplastid parasites that cause diseases like sleeping sickness, Chargas disease and Leishmaniasis.
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Don’t like spinach? Try honey. It contains about the same level of plaque-fighting antioxidants as the leafy green stuff. And according to research presented at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, the range of antioxidants in honey is comparable to that in apples, bananas, oranges and strawberries.
A five-week study of blood from 25 men between the ages of 18 – 68 indicates that drinking a mixture of water and honey, about
Flu shots can save lives, especially among the elderly who account for most of the 20,000 flu-related deaths in the United States each year. But physicians have debated whether vaccinating healthy, younger adults is worth the time and money. The answer is yes, according to a new study based on a computer model. The study was led by Patrick Lee, MD, a resident in internal medicine at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.
“There’s been a lot of debate about optimal treatment strategies,” Lee said
Using a simple, inexpensive test to determine levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, researchers were able to detect heart disease before symptoms were apparent, according to a report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers studied the relationship between levels of C-reactive protein (CRP, a marker of inflammation in the body), and coronary calcium, which indicates the extent of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries.
AIDS researchers have developed a candidate vaccine strategy that, for the first time, demonstrates an ability to elicit antibodies that block the infection of multiple HIV virus strains — an elusive scientific goal that has been pursued for a decade.
The candidate vaccine – still early in developmental stages at the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) — is described in a report to appear during the week of Aug. 19-23 in the U.S. Proceedings in the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). It is
Developed by Hebrew University Scientists
A new technique for tricking cancer cells into “committing suicide” and thus preventing their spread has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Their work is described in the September issue of Nature Biotechnology, which was published this week in its Internet version.
The technique involves the engineering of a virus that will induce the cancer cell to behave in a manner similar to that of norm
In the future, a “broccoli-pill” a day may help keep breast cancer at bay. Researchers have developed a new compound, designed from a known anticancer agent found in broccoli, that shows promise as a breast cancer preventive.
Apparently less toxic than its natural counterpart, the compound could be marketed for cancer prevention, the researchers say. Their findings were described at the 224th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
A sort of biochemical scaffold for a compound that enables blood pressure to be low, heart bypass grafts to remain open and nerves to communicate has been identified by Medical College of Georgia researchers.
Researchers say identifying the framework for how these and other very positive health benefits occur should help them find ways to augment the benefits and identify new treatments for cardiovascular disease, which may result when the support structure falls apart.
“It’s
A DMS professor is leading the way in using computer technology for medical education with a pioneering virtual clinic to teach “Genetics in Clinical Practice.” Joseph V. Henderson, MD, a professor of community and family medicine who heads Dartmouth Medical School’s Interactive Media Lab (IML), created a “virtual practicum in genetics” using state-of-the-art interactive multimedia and world leaders in genetics research to foster more effective continuing medical education at DMS.
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Nearly one in ten adults suffers from migraine
UK male sufferers alone lose 4m working days with an estimated productivity loss of £750m
Migraine accounts for more than half of all headaches New collaborative research by City University, the University of Essex and the Institute of Optometry, London shows that coloured filters are effective in reducing migraine symptoms for some sufferers.
Professor Bruce Evans, of City University`s renowned Department of Optom
Very light smokers significantly increase their risk of a heart attack, shows research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Furthermore, women are much more susceptible than men to the detrimental effects of tobacco, even if they don’t inhale.
The findings are based on a population sample of over 12,000 men and women taking part in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which began in 1976.
The participants, all aged 20 or older at the start of the study, were monitored up
The thigh length of babies in the womb is as strong an indicator of subsequent childhood – and potentially adult – blood pressure as birthweight, suggests a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Researchers scanned 707 developing fetuses to measure the dimensions of their abdomen and head circumferences and the length of the thigh bones (femurs). The growing babies were scanned five times each between 18 and 38 weeks of pregnancy. Blood pressure was then measured in 300
Finding May Present a New Target for Anti-Cancer Drugs
Researchers at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a known cancer-causing gene, Ras, may exert its influence through very different pathways in humans than in mice, a finding that could offer tantalizing new targets for anti-cancer therapy.
While studying the Ras, gene, Duke researchers unexpectedly found that it activates an obscure group of proteins in humans, but not in mice, in order to turn normal c
A new laser procedure that requires only local anesthetic is effective in treating nasal passageway obstructions associated with a deviated nasal septum, according to an article in the July-September issue of The Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The procedure uses heat generated by a laser to soften cartilage abnormalities so that they can be flattened or shaped to clear the nasal passages.
The septum is the cartilage wall that divides and separates the
Researchers have developed a unique vaccine that destroys a deadly toxin produced by the parasite that causes malaria, which kills more than two million people each year. The vaccine appears extremely promising in animal studies, they say.
If the drug works in humans, it could become a more effective and longer lasting anti-malarial vaccine than those currently available, according to the researchers.
Details of the research will be presented next week (Aug. 21) in Boston at the 2
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