Drug Shields Cigarette Smoking Mice From Emphysema
December 23, 2008
(ChattahBox) — Scientists have shown in experiments with mice, that a new drug may protect the animals from respiratory damage caused by cigarettes. The chemical CDDO-Im helped activate a master gene called Nrf2 that bolsters the lung’s ability to fight off chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a condition that includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and some types of serious chronic asthma. Read more
Cells which trigger bowel cancer identified?
December 21, 2008
(ChattahBox) — Scientists want to know what event causes a normal, healthy bowel cell to turn cancerous and start to form tumors. Bowel Cancer is one of the most common cancers and can be hard to treat because it is often diagnosed late. UK and Dutch researchers hunting for the cells which trigger bowel cancer found that genetic damage inflicted on stem cells from the intestines of mice, resulted in a speedy transformation into fast-growing tumors. Read more
Study shows cough medicine ingredient could effectively treat advanced prostate cancer
December 19, 2008
(ChattahBox) — Coughing and prostates might have a much better mental association after a new study that shows a cough medicine ingredient could effectively treat prostate cancer. The study published today in the December issue of the European medical journal Anticancer Research demonstrates that an ingredient noscapine, which has been used in cough medication for nearly 50 years, reduced tumor growth in mice by 60% and limited the spread of tumors by 65% without causing harmful side effects.
Currently hormone therapy and chemotherapy, along with radiation and surgery, are used to slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer. But side effects resulting from these treatments include impotence, incontinence, fatigue, anemia, brittle bones, hair loss, reduced appetite, nausea and diarrhea. No toxic side effects were observed in the laboratory study of noscapine.
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Sleep Apnea May Be A Good Thing?
December 17, 2008
California (ChattahBox) – According to a new study done at UCLA, people who snore may burn more calories while they sleep then those who don’t. The study included 212 adults who had reported problems with sleep disorders, and the amount of calories that were burned in those who snored seemed to be higher then those who didn’t.
Colonoscopy saves lives, but proves to be one-sided
December 16, 2008
(ChattahBox) — A colonoscopy is still a very effective procedure for combating colorectal cancer, but it may not be quite as good as previously thought, a new study suggests. The procedure does a good job of detecting early signs of disease on the left side of the colon, or large intestine, but is not as effective at spotting potential problems of the right side of the organ. This means a colonoscopy’s success at preventing colorectal cancer deaths seems to lie with its ability to uncover so-called “left-sided” problems.A complete colonoscopy is a procedure where a physician inserts a long, flexible tube called a colonoscope up into the patient’s rectum to scan the entire colon for potentially cancerous growths. If a polyp or lesion is detected, it can often be removed during the colonoscopy so that no additional procedures or surgery are needed. Read more
Obesity May Be Mostly In Your Head
December 15, 2008
UK (ChattahBox) – A new medical study published in Nature Genetics shows that obesity may partially be a genetic problem with the brain.
The study was conducted by deCODE Genetics, a Iceland based researching company, on seven separate gene problems and show that a contributing factor of obesity may be directly related to how the mind controls appetite, rather then past theories that it is largely due to problems with the metabolism. Read more
New Treatment May Cure Many With Eating Disorders
December 15, 2008
US (ChattahBox) – Eating Disorders are on the rise globally, and treatment has, unfortunately, been unable to keep up. With so many men and women struggling for years to recover, sometimes entering program after program only to relapse into the same patterns, it’s clear that common understanding of how to treat these conditions is far from being complete.
However, researchers of Wellcome Trust think they may have a new psychotherapy that could pave the way to treating 8 out of 10 cases of the disorder bulimia nervosa, marking it as one of the greatest steps for a cure in medical history.
Scientists find key that can stop cancer from spreading
December 15, 2008
An exciting discovery at the University of London could ’stop cancer from killing people.’ Metastasis is the ability of cancer cells to spread from a primary site, to form tumors at distant sites. It is a complex process in which cell motility and invasion play a fundamental role.
To understand how metastasis develops requires identification of the molecules, and characterization of the mechanisms that regulate cell motility. These mechanisms have been previously poorly understood, but now a team of researchers lead by Professor Marco Falasca at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry has shown not only that the enzyme phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) plays a crucial role in metastasis formation, but that down regulation of PLCγ1 expression is able to revert metastasis progression. Read more
New Treatment Captures and Destroys Cancerous Cells
December 12, 2008
New York (ChattahBox) – In the past decade some incredible steps forward have been taken in the treatment and cure for cancer. Now, Cornell Researcher Michael King is hoping to add one more to the list.
Mother Dies From Water Consumption During Controversial Diet
December 11, 2008
UK (ChattahBox) – A British woman who was determined to lose weight died after drinking 4 liters of water within a 2 hour period as part of a controversial diet called the ‘LighterLife Plan’.
The program, which has been widely criticized by doctors and health professionals, requires you to cut down your caloric intake to 500 calories a day, and consume 4 liters of water to compensate. All of this is done within a 12-week period, causing the body to begin starving itself, and so eating off excess fat that has been stored on the body. It’s dangerous, and in this case, fatal. Read more