From the monthly archives:

May 2010

Healthy Blood Vessels May Prevent Fat Growth

May 17, 2010 News & Research

The cells lining blood vessels are known to be important for maintaining health, but researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine believe these cells may perform an unsuspected task – controlling the development of fat cells.

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Level of Frailty Predicts Surgical Outcomes In Older Patients, Researchers Find

May 17, 2010 News & Research

A simple, 10-minute “frailty” test administered to older patients before they undergo surgery can predict with great certainty their risk for complications, how long they will stay in the hospital and — most strikingly — whether they are likely to end up in a nursing home afterward, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

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Slimming Aid From The Cell Laboratory? Inflammation Enzyme Regulates The Production Of Brown Fat Tissue

May 17, 2010 Inflammation

Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have published an article in Science revealing that the COX-2 inflammation enzyme stimulates the formation of new brown fat tissue in mice. Brown fat tissue transforms energy into heat. Therefore..

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Olive Oil Could Guard Against Developing Ulcerative Colitis

May 4, 2010 Cancer

Eating more olive oil could help prevent ulcerative colitis, according to a new study coordinated by medical researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

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Sleeping Well At 100 Years Of Age: Study Searches For The Secrets To Healthy Longevity

May 4, 2010 Insomnia Research

A study in the May 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to examine sleep issues in a large sample of exceptionally old adults, including nearly 2,800 people who were 100 years of age and older. Results show that about 65 percent of the sample reported that their sleep quality was…

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New Insights Into How Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Inflammation Also Hints At Novel Disease Treatments

May 4, 2010 Cardiovascular Research

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine went on a molecular fishing trip and netted a catch of new mediators that not only can explain how omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation, but also hint at novel treatments for a host of diseases linked to inflammatory processes.

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Why Cholesterol Damages Arteries: Cholesterol Crystals Lead To Life-Threatening Inflammation In Blood Vessel Walls

May 4, 2010 Cardiovascular Research

In addition to crystallized cholesterol, atherosclerotic plaques always contain large quantities of immune cells but, surprisingly, no bacteria or viruses. It was previously unclear just how the body’s own defence forces are called into action. Even animals that are kept in an absolutely sterile environment can suffer from “clogging” or “furring” of the arteries when their food contains high levels of cholesterol. The same relationship is found in humans.

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Potential Treatment For Bone Death In The Hip From Osteonecrosis

May 4, 2010 Asthma Research

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a potential new treatment for osteonecrosis, or the death of bone tissue, in people who are treated with steroids for several common medical conditions. There are currently no treatment options for people with this debilitating disease.

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Vitamin E Provides New Hope For Patients With ‘Silent’ Liver Disease

May 3, 2010 Inflammation

A daily dose of a specific form of vitamin E significantly improved the liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to a study funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health.

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Lies, Damn Lies And Medical Research

May 3, 2010 Articles

Mahatma Gandhi was once asked by a reporter what he thought about western civilization, and in light of the uncivilized treatment by the British government of his nonviolent actions, he immediately replied, “Western civilization? Yes, it is a good idea.” Likewise, if he were asked what he thought about “scientific medicine,” he would probably have replied in a similar manner.

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