From the monthly archives:

December 2009

X-Rays Help Predict Permanent Bone Damage From Bisphosphonates

December 30, 2009 News & Research

Breast cancer patients, individuals at risk for osteoporosis and those undergoing certain types of bone cancer therapies often take drugs containing bisphosphonates. These drugs have been found to place people at risk for developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (a rotting of the jaw bones). Dentists, as well as oncologists, are…

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Aerobic Exercise No Big Stretch For Older Adults But Helps Elasticity Of Arteries

December 30, 2009 Cardiovascular Research

Just three months of physical activity reaps heart health benefits for older adults with type 2 diabetes by improving the elasticity in their arteries — reducing risk of heart disease and stroke, Dr. Kenneth Madden told the 2009 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the…

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Why Some Continue to Eat When Full: Researchers Find Clues

December 30, 2009 News & Research

The premise that hunger makes food look more appealing is a widely held belief — just ask those who cruise grocery store aisles on an empty stomach, only to go home with a full basket and an empty wallet. Prior research studies have suggested that the so-called hunger hormone ghrelin, which the body produces when it’s hungry, might…

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Diets Bad For The Teeth Are Also Bad For The Body

December 29, 2009 Cancer

Dental disease may be a wake-up call that your diet is harming your body. “The five-alarm fire bell of a tooth ache is difficult to ignore,” says Dr. Philippe P. Hujoel, professor of dental public health sciences at the University of Washington (UW) School of Dentistry in Seattle. Beyond the immediate distress, dental pain may portend future medical …

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Microbes Help Mothers Protect Kids From Allergies

December 28, 2009 Asthma Research

A pregnant woman’s exposure to microbes may protect her child from developing allergies later in life. Researchers in Marburg, Germany find that exposure to environmental bacteria triggers a mild inflammatory response in pregnant mice that renders their offspring resistant to allergies. The study…

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Value Of Drugs For Pre-Osteoporosis Exaggerated, Experts Warn

December 28, 2009 News & Research

A series of recent scientific publications have exaggerated the benefits and underplayed the harms of drugs to treat pre-osteoporosis or “osteopenia” potentially encouraging treatment in millions of low risk women, warn experts in the British Medical Journal. The authors believe that this represents a classic…

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Proline Repeats Help Protein Grow Tooth Enamel

December 28, 2009 News & Research

A simple amino acid that is repeated in the center of proteins found in tooth enamel makes teeth stronger and more resilient, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Researchers compared proline repeats in…

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Calorie Restriction: Scientists Take Important Step Toward ‘Fountain of Youth’

December 28, 2009 Life Extension

Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. That’s because they’ve shown exactly how restricted calorie diets — specifically in the form of restricted glucose — help human cells live longer. This…

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Disability May Be on the Rise Again After 20-Year Decline

December 23, 2009 News & Research

Disability rates among non-institutionalized older Americans increased between 2000 and 2005, a trend that could seriously impact the quality of life of seniors in the coming decades if it continues, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Toronto and the University of California, Berkeley. The findings are troubling, said…

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Brain Controls Formation Of Bone, Researchers Find

December 23, 2009 News & Research

The brain acts as a profound regulatory centre, controlling myriad processes throughout the body in ways we are only just beginning to understand. In new findings, Australian scientists have shown surprising connections between the brain and regulation of bone mass. One of the key functions of our skeletons is to provide mechanical…

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New Insights Into Mushroom-Derived Drug Promising for Cancer Treatment

December 23, 2009 Cancer

A promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, could be made more effective thanks to researchers who have discovered how the drug works. The research is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and was carried out at…

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Role For Immune Cells Known As Mast Cells In Atrial Fibrillation

December 23, 2009 Cardiovascular Research

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common type of abnormal heart beat. It is characterized by scarring of the atrial region of the heart (a hallmark known as atrial fibrosis). Although atrial fibrosis is thought to perpetuate Afib, exactly how it develops has not been determined. Some research has suggested…

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