Smog bad for your heart: Study

An early test on rats has provided the first direct indication that smog is bad for heart.

A major component of smog might trigger cell death in the heart, researchers said at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2010 Scientific Sessions – Technological and Conceptual Advances in Cardiovascular Disease.

The study found that exposure to ground-level ozone over several weeks increased the activity of a substance that triggers cell death in the heart.

Ozone becomes a major component of smog when it forms near the ground through reactions between sunlight, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons from fossil fuels and industrial processes.

Smog bad for your heart: Study

Vitamin C ‘can block tumour growth’

Vitamin C can help block the growth of cancer cells, found New Zealand researchers—a feat that could be quickly adopted into cancer treatment.

After much controversy over the role of vitamin C in cancer treatment, a team from Otago University at Christchurch have now shown that it has a role in controlling tumour growth.

They have said that their study of tumorous and normal tissue samples from women with cancer of the uterine lining, has given the first direct evidence of a link between vitamin C and a protein called HIF-1.

HIF (hypoxia inducible factor)-1 is considered a key protein in tumour survival.

Vitamin C ‘can block tumour growth’

Brain exercises reduce accident risk in older drivers

There's a clinically proven brain fitness training tool that helps older adults reduce their likelihood of being in a car accident.

For instance, playing a computer-based programme DriveSharp for 20 minutes a day, three times a week helps older drivers cut their crash risk up to 50 per cent, stop 22 feet sooner when driving at 90 kmph and increase confidence while driving at night and in stressful conditions.

"It is important for drivers to understand that they can take an active role in staying safe on the road as they age," said Jodi Olshevski, gerontologist and assistant vice president of The Hartford Financial Services Group.

Brain exercises reduce accident risk in older drivers

Drinking too much tea ‘can cause bone problems’

A new research by Medical College of Georgia has shown that black tea contains higher concentrations of fluoride than previously thought.

"The additional fluoride from drinking two to four cups of tea a day won't harm anyone; it's the very heavy tea drinkers who could get in trouble," said Dr. Gary Whitford, Regents Professor of oral biology in the School of Dentistry.

Most published reports show 1 to 5 milligrams of fluoride per litre of black tea, but a new study shows that number could be as high as 9 milligrams.

Drinking too much tea ‘can cause bone problems’

Cashew seed extract an effective anti-diabetic.

A new study suggests that cashew seed extract can act as an effective anti-diabetic.

Researchers from Universities of Montreal, Canada and de Yaoundé Cameroun analysed whether cashew extracts could improve the body's response to its own insulin, reports Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.

"Of all the extracts tested, only cashew seed extract significantly stimulated blood sugar absorption by muscle cells," a release quoted study author Pierre S. Haddad as saying.

Haddad, professor of pharmacology at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Medicine, said: "Cashew seed extract contains active compounds, which can have potential anti-diabetic properties."

Cashew seed extract an effective anti-diabetic.

Good news for fast food addicts .

Cant stop eating Junk Food ?? aahhaa me too. Dont think i am fat :)

Here is what i found some good news about it.Five major US food chains, including McDonald's and Burger King, have cut down on trans fats in their food.

Trans fats can elevate the risk of heart disease by increasing "bad" cholesterol and decreasing "good" cholesterol levels.

The latest findings from University of Minnesota School of Public Health suggest that major fast food chains may have been responsive to public health concerns.

Good news for fast food addicts .

UK researchers will study the use of Human stem cell for cure of parkinson disease.

(BBC) -A Oxford University team will use adult stem cells, which have the ability to become any cell in the human body - to examine the neurological condition.

Skin cells will be used to grow the brain neurons that die in Parkinson's, a conference will hear.

The research will not involve the destruction of human embryos.

Induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells were developed in 2007.

At the time, scientists said it had the potential to offer many of the advantages of embryonic stem cells without any of the ethical downsides.

UK researchers will study the use of Human stem cell for cure of parkinson disease.

New insulin form may keep sugar low in diabetics for 3 months .

Indian scientists having discovered a novel form of the hormone that can keep blood glucose levels down for upto three months.

A team of scientists of the National Immunology Institute of India, led by Mr Avdesh Surolia, has developed a fresh approach to insulin injection wherein 'Supramolecular Insulin Assembly-II (SIA-II)', a form of the hormone, is used for a sustained treatment of diabetes mellitus type-I.

The studies constitute the first work of its kind where a single administration of SIA-II to animal models of diabetes, such as rats, has been experimentally demonstrated to lower blood glucose levels to normal values for as many as for 120 days.

SIA-II, which is in the form of a prodrug, when injected releases just above basal levels of insulin into the blood in a sustained manner, Mr Surolia said.

New insulin form may keep sugar low in diabetics for 3 months .

Walnuts 'can prevent dementia'.

Want to stave off dementia? All you need to do is to eat walnuts everyday, according to a new study, led by an Indian-origin researcher.

Dr Abha Chauhan and his colleagues at New York State Institute have carried out the study and found eating walnuts on a regular basis can keep one's mental skills up.

According to the researchers, vitamin E and flavonoids in walnuts actually help in destroying harmful free radical chemicals that cause dementia. "Walnuts may have a beneficial effect in reducing the risk, delaying the onset or slowing progression of Alzheimer's disease," the 'Daily Express' quoted Dr Chauhan as saying.

Walnuts 'can prevent dementia'.

Computer algorithms to help develop flu vaccines

Researchers are using computer programs to develop a fast and efficient method of generating vaccines for new strains of flu viruses.

Dimitris Papamichail, and a team of researchers from Stony Brook University have created algorithms that will design viruses that serve as live vaccines, which are then synthesised to specification.

The new method is called Synthetic Attenuated Virus Engineering (SAVE).
"Our approach is not only useful for influenza; it is also applicable to a wide range of viruses," said Papamichail.

Computer algorithms to help develop flu vaccines

Being Slim doesn't always means Being Healthy.

You may be slim and still have dangerously high levels of fat within you, according to the British Medical Research Council.

Using MRI body scanners doctors demonstrated that even super-slim people could have high levels of internal fat collecting around the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas. These people, dubbed "skinny-fats", could be seriously putting their health at risk.

"The fat we can see on overweight people is subcutaneous fat," The Daily Telegraph quoted Dr Ron McCoy, Melbourne-based spokesperson for the Royal College of Australian GPs, as saying. However, what could be more dangerous is visceral fat or the fat we can't see but which surrounds vital organs.

Being Slim doesn't always means Being Healthy.

Inactivity doesn't lead to childhood obesity

Obesity may lead to inactivity, but inactivity does not lead to obesity, says a new study.

A new report from the EarlyBird Diabetes Study suggests that physical activity has little, if any, role to play in the obesity epidemic among children.

Obesity is the key factor behind diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

EarlyBird is based at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth in Britain and has been observing in detail a group of school children for 11 years.

Inactivity doesn't lead to childhood obesity

Dolphins to treat autistic children in China

IANS: A marine amusement park in China has purchased four dolphins, but they are not intended for amusement. The mammals will be use for treating children suffering from autism.

Autism is a neural disorder characterised by impaired social interaction and communication as well as repetitive behaviour.

The dolphins, bought from Japan with five million yuan ($738,000), have begun working with young patients after a month's adaptation and training, Mr Chen Rujun, chief inspector of animals at the Royal Ocean World in Fushun city in Liaoning province, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Dolphins to treat autistic children in China

Sweet drinks reduce stress and aggression

Sweet drinks such as sugary tea help to reduce stress at work, and make people less likely to be aggressive or argumentative, psychologists say.

According to a study, the energy boost provided by the sugar enables the brain to maintain control over its impulses, meaning people can prevent themselves from reacting spontaneously when under stress, reports telegraph.co.uk.

Tests on volunteers, some of whom were given lemonade sweetened with sugar and some with artificial sweetener, showed that those who had drunk sugar performed better under pressure.

Sweet drinks reduce stress and aggression

Scientists develop a brain chip that could potentially defeat paralysis and more.

Researchers in the UK are on the verge of producing a technology that might allow paralysed patients to operate bionic limbs via a transmitter brain implant. The technology relies on tiny microprocessors that will sense nerve impulses, decode the signals, and then transmit them to the bionic limbs. All this takes place wirelessly, which makes it unique compared to other experiments in the field, which actually required a wire to be attached to the processor.

While the idea behind this technology has been there for a while, the means with which to actually decode impulses and relay them intelligibly has been missing. Perhaps the most important aspect of the new technology are the decoding algorithms which give the chips the ability to recognize which impulses will control which limb, rather than the relaying of the signal aspect. In fact, this is a potential step towards an actual integration between microprocessors and the brain, which has thousands of potential applications, from physical training to data storage, augmented reality to internet connectivity. In fact, the zenith of the technology will be to provide an artificial link between the limb and the brain, bypassing the damaged nerves (or centers) that are causing the paralysis. A possible way to do this would be by transmitting signals from the brain implant to another implant, a stimulator in the spinal cord.

Scientists develop a brain chip that could potentially defeat paralysis and more.

Shopping for Men is not Manly : Research

Shopping is really bad for men's health and fertility, scientists are now saying after new research.

Researchers have discovered that a chemical compound found on some cash receipts contains a hazardous substance, Bisphenol A (BPA), which suppresses male hormones in the body and can make men impotent.

The compound, used to make ink visible on thermally sensitive paper, is ingested when men handle the paper and then touch their mouths or handle food.

Frank Sommer, a Berlin-based urologist, said the substance could just affect sex hormones in men.

"A substance like that could shift the balance of sex hormones in men towards oestrogen," Sommer was quoted as saying by The Telegraph newspaper here.

Shopping for Men is not Manly : Research

Chemical that can stop you eating for pleasure found .

Scientists have found an appetite suppressant that can curb the desire for "pleasure eating", a discovery that could lead to a new class of dieting drugs.

Researchers at Manchester University found that the substance called hemopressin, which occurs naturally in the body, affects the reward centres of the brain that light up when someone enjoys a comforting snack or cigarette.

It was found to be blocking these areas of the brain, reducing the craving for post-pub kebabs and calorific late-night snacks.

Dr Garron Dodd, who led the research, said the finding could lead to drugs that can stimulate the brain to produce more hemopressin, which will prevent people from eating purely for pleasure instead of from hunger.

Chemical that can stop you eating for pleasure found .

Olive leaf could help fighting obesity.

A new research has revealed that a cup of coffee prepared with olive leaf extract may help in combating obesity.

The study involved feeding rats a high carbohydrate, high fat diet for eight weeks until they developed signs of metabolic syndrome.

The rats given coffee fortified with olive leaf extract for a further eight weeks showed improved cardiovascular, liver and metabolic signs compared with rats given normal coffee.

Lindsay Brown of University of Southern Queensland''s said the olive leaf extract led to weight loss because of its anti-inflammatory properties, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Olive leaf could help fighting obesity.

Saliva could hold clue to Cancer Cure

Scientists have developed a revolutionary saliva test that could hold the clue to a cure for cancer.

According to the researchers, the test could be used for widespread early screening even before symptoms show, potentially saving millions of lives.

“The ability to implement safe, cost-effective, widespread screening could be the answer to saving thousands of lives each year and that is what we are after. Our objective is to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the future,” the Daily Express quoted lead author David Wong, professor of dentistry at the University of California, as saying.

Saliva could hold clue to Cancer Cure

Brain regulatory gene identified

Scientists have identified a gene that seems to be a master regulator of human brain development.

The human brain is a marvel of nature with more than 100 billion neurons and billions of other specialised cells.

A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) have identified a gene - known as Pax6 - which guides undifferentiated stem cells to tightly defined pathways in becoming different types of cells in the brain.

The new finding is important because it reveals the main genetic factor responsible for instructing cells at the earliest stages of embryonic development to become the cells of the brain and spinal cord. Identifying the gene is the first critical step towards routinely forging customised brain cells in the lab. Moreover, the work contrasts with findings from animal models such as mouse and zebra-fish, pillars of developmental biology and thus helps cement the importance of the models being developed from human embryonic stem cells.

Brain regulatory gene identified