“Latest Discoveries About Chronic Disease…”

Cause of Lou Gehrig disease discovered
CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2011 (UPI) — The cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig disease, is a protein whose job is to recycle damaged proteins in motor and cortical neurons, U.S. researchers say. Dr. Teepu Siddique of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a neurologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital {…} Read the Full Article

Scientists find why stress damages DNA
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 22, 2011 (UPI) — For years, studies showed chronic stress creates chromosomal damage and now U.S. researchers say they know why. Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Duke University Medical Center, said in the study, mice were infused with an adrenaline-like compound that works through a receptor called the beta adrenergic receptor {…} Read the Full Article

Scientists find new ovarian cancer gene
Reuters (August 08, 2011) – Women who carry a faulty copy of a gene called RAD51D have an almost one in 11 chance of developing ovarian cancer, scientists said on Sunday in a finding they called the most significant ovarian cancer gene discovery for more than 10 years. Tests to identify those at highest risk are expected to be available within a few years, according to Cancer Research UK, and may lead some women to decide to have their ovaries removed in order to beat the disease {…} Read the Full Article

Experts find rogue stem cells in liver cancer
Reuters (July 11, 2011) – Liver cancers are embedded with a type of super cancer stem cells that make them resistant to chemotherapy, spread to other body parts and stage a comeback even after they are surgically removed, researchers in Hong Kong reported on Thursday. The discovery, published this week in the journal Cell Stem Cell, is important because it means experts can target these stem cells in their fight against liver cancer {…} Read the Full Article

U.S. adds formaldehyde to list of carcinogens
Reuters (June 11, 2011) – The government on Friday added formaldehyde, a substance found in plastics and other commonly used products, to a list of known carcinogens and warned that the chemical styrene might cause cancer. In a report prepared for the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), scientists warned that people with higher exposure to formaldehyde {…} Read the Full Article

Growth hormone treatment tied to diabetes in kids
Reuters (May 13, 2011) – Type 2 diabetes is eight and a half times more common among children in the United States treated with growth hormone than among kids who are not on the hormone treatment, a new study shows {…} Read the Full Article

Scientists find genetic link to depression
(May 16, 2011) Scientists say they have discovered the first solid evidence that variations in some peoples’ genes may cause depression — one of the world’s most common and costly mental illnesses. And in a rare occurrence in genetic research, a British-led international team’s finding of a DNA region linked to depression {…} Read the Full Article

Antibiotics that reduce gut bacteria linked to obesity
(May 3, 2011) Scientists believe that the widespread use of antibiotics may be playing a significant role in exacerbating the obesity epidemic. Growing evidence suggests that oral antibiotic medicines may be affecting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the human intestine which is influencing whether some people put on weight when they overeat or take too little exercise, they said {…} Read the Full Article

Liver, not brain, a source of Alzheimer’s
The Times Of India (March 04, 2011)– A new study has suggested that the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease start in the liver and not in the brain—completely altering scientists’ ideas about the disease {…} Read the Full Article

How to Take Charge of Parkinson’s Disease: Dynamic Lifestyle Changes to Put You in the Driver’s Seat
Reisterstown, MD (PRWEB) February 19, 2011 — Unusual new how-to book for boosting physical and emotional resilience with brain healthy nutrition, exercise, and enlightened caregiving in Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and other neurodegenerative and chronic diseases. More than 80 original recipes {…} Read the Full Article

Small Amount of Common Preservative Increases Toxins from Harmful Bacteria in Food, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — In response to consumer demand for more natural food, the food industry has reduced the amount of preservatives in food over recent years. A common preservative is acetic acid, which is used to stop bacterial growth in dressings, sauces, cheese and pickles. However, new research shows that a small amount of acetic acid does not have the intended effect {…} Read the Full Article

Study: Aspirin May Help Prevent Cancer Deaths
Dec. 6, 2010 (CBS): Aspirin Reduces Risk of Death by About 30% for Lung Cancer, 40% for Colorectal Cancer and 60% for Esophageal Cancer. Aspirin is already known as a wonder drug for heart disease; data released tonight suggests it might even be a life saver for cancer, too, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. In a study of 25,570 people in the British journal “Lancet”, the number of deaths from cancer was lowered by 21 percent {…} Read the Full Article

Aspirin May Cut Colon Cancer Deaths by 1/3
LONDON, Oct. 22, 2010 (AP): New Study Finds Low Dose of Common Anti-Inflammatory Could Reduce Risk of Developing Killer Disease by a Quarter. A low dose of aspirin may reduce colon cancer cases by a quarter and deaths by a third, a new study found. But experts say aspirin’s side effects of bleeding and stomach problems are too worrying for people who aren’t at high risk of the disease to start taking the drug for that reason alone. {…} Read the Full Article

Hormone Replacement, Breast Cancer Link Grows
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2010 (CBS): New Study Adds Evidence to Increased Risk of Breast Cancer — Especially Deadliest Forms — While Taking Post-Menopausal HRT. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports a new study adds to the evidence that taking hormone replacement therapy after menopause can be dangerous. “What’s important about this study is that it really provides tremendous clarity regarding the risks of hormone replacement therapy,” says Dr. Freya Schnabel, of New York University’s Langone Medical Center. {…} Read the Full Article