Researchers find six more diabetes genes: study

clipped from www.reuters.com U.S. and European scientists have found six more genes that make people more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, in a study they say may help prevent and treat the chronic condition The finding extends the total number of genes linked to the disease to 16 and provides clues to how the biological mechanisms that control blood sugar levels go awry when people get type 2 diabetes, the researchers said The team turned up six genetic differences that each individually slightly raise a person's risk of diabetes But the risk for the few people unlucky enough to inherit all six variations is two to three times higher than the average risk One of the surprising finds was the link between type 2 diabetes and a gene called JAZF1, which researchers recently showed plays a role in prostate cancer The researchers believe the genes -- which also include the CDC123-CAMK1D, TSPAN8-LGR5, THADA, ADAMTS9 and NOTCH2 genes -- are involved in regulating the number of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas

clipped from www.egodevelopment.com How you can heal your life : Foods That Heal There are a great number of foods that are healing in nature to the human body. A lot of of these foods may surprise you. The following collection of facts offers details about diverse foods popularly thought to have healing properties. Many of the following foods or tips are supported by research. Apples Carrots Apricot Zinc Avocado Almonds Sunflower Seeds Cheese Chicken Soup Hot and spicy food Citrus fruits Ginger Mushrooms Sea Vegetables Honey Fluids

Even cheap masks stop flu spreading.

clipped from www.abc.net.au Normal surgical masks help prevent people with the flu from spreading the virus just as well as more expensive face protection, a study shows for the first time. Australian researchers found that in a real-life situation surgical masks effectively contain the virus when infected people cough. Previous studies tested masks in laboratories using machines, not humans, and with non-infectious particles, says co-author Professor Lindsay Grayson, director of infectious diseases at Melbourne's Austin Hospital. "Our study compared the value of masks for the first time in a real-life clinical situation, in people with flu," Grayson says. No influenza virus was detected when participants wore the surgical or N95 mask but influenza was detected on all dishes when no mask was worn. "Using this method, both masks appear to work equally as well because there was no detectable virus on the dishes. The material of both masks stopped droplets escaping," Grayson says.

Premature babies don't grow out of their problems

Interesting, even with the statistics.

clipped from www.theage.com.au INFANTS born prematurely are much more likely to die during childhood and, if they survive, much less likely to have children of their own in adulthood, according to the largest study of prematurity ever undertaken. Researchers already knew that premature infants faced many neurological and developmental problems, but the new findings, released yesterday, indicate that the spectrum of problems is even broader than suspected and persist throughout the child's life. The study, conducted using Norwegian birth data, suggests that, as the percentage of premature infants who make it through their first year continues to grow because of advances in neonatology, the number of troubled infants and adults will also rise. "Are we improving their survival at the expense of significant problems down the road?" asked the lead author, Dr Geeta Swamy, of the Duke University Medical Centre. One in eight US infants are born prematurely - defined as 37 weeks or less.

5 best protein sources for building muscle

clipped from www.fatmanunleashed.com Whey – Whey protein is one the two major proteins found in the milk of humans and other mammals, such as cows. This means that nature selected it as one of the best proteins to help babies grow, and babies grow very fast. Casein – Casein protein is the other milk protein. So, nature also chose casein to aid in the growth of newborns. However, casein is digested and used slowly, making it a decent post workout protein Egg Whites – Egg yolks are good for the body in moderation, but egg whites are far better. Egg whites have all the amino acids you need and can be fairly inexpensive if you buy whole eggs and separate them yourself. Soy – Soy protein is the ideal choice for vegetarians. Soy is the only plant that has all of the amino acids your body needs. Skinless Chicken Breast – For those of you who just want meat, skinless chicken breast should be ideal for you. Skinless chicken breasts are extremely lean especially if you remove all visible fat.

Schizophrenia could involve 100s of genes

clipped from www.abc.net.au Schizophrenia may be caused by many different mutations in many different genes that disrupt biological pathways vital to normal brain development, say researchers The genetic fingerprint of each individual with schizophrenia is unique, say researchers Two teams of researchers publish new genetic insights into the condition in today's issue of the journal Science. Schizophrenia is a complex disorder marked by delusions, hallucinations and disordered thinking and appears in about 1% of adults. Experts have long struggled to grasp its causes and the role of genetics and environmental factors. Prior to the publication of this study, it was assumed that genetic studies like this one would trace the origins of the illness back to a cluster of common, or high frequency, genetic mutations. The researchers found gene-disrupting DNA deletions and duplications are far more common in people with schizophrenia. The duplicated or deleted strands of DNA differ from person to person,

Big belly in middle age triples risk of dementia

clipped from iamanalzheimerscaregiver.blogspot.com My mother has visceral fat. At her age it could be life threatening. There is no doubt this is a contributing factor to her Alzheimer's Having a large belly in middle age nearly triples the risk of developing dementia Researchers measured the abdominal fat of 6,583 people age 40 to 45 in northern California and some 36 years later 16 percent had developed dementia Those who were overweight or obese but did not have a pot belly had an 80 percent increase in the risk of dementia compared to people with a normal body weight and abdominal fat level The risk increase jumped to 230 percent among overweight people with a large belly and 360 percent among the obese with large abdomens. "Where one carries the weight -- especially in midlife -- appears to be an important predictor for dementia risk," Whitmer said. "These findings imply that the dangerous effects of abdominal obesity on the brain may start long before the signs of dementia appear."

Cloned cells treat Parkinson's in mice

clipped from www.reuters.com Researchers who used cloned embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease in mice said on Sunday they worked better than other cells they found that a mouse's own cloned stem cells were far less disruptive to its body than cloned cells taken from other mice One disease always named that may benefit from this technology is Parkinson's

Eight Healthy Reasons To Drink Beer

clipped from www.forbes.com Looking for a good excuse to tip back a beer? You don't have to wait for St. Patrick's Day. That's because a decade's worth of health research shows that regular, moderate beer intake--one to two 12 ounce glasses per day for men and one for women--can be good for you, especially if you're facing some of the most common diseases related to aging. Alcohol, including beer, in moderation raises high-density lipoprotein or HDL, known as good cholesterol It also appears to have a favourable effect on the lining of blood vessels, making them less likely to form a clot or for a clot to rupture and plug an artery, and may help protect against Type 2 diabetes. Beer may also give your brain a boost. frequent drinking in moderation may protect men from death due to cardiovascular disease. Adults over age 65 who drank one to six alcoholic beverages over the course of the week turned out to have a lower risk of dementia than non-drinkers or heavier drinkers

Ant guts could pave the way for better drugs

Marvellous how the brain can come up with such diverse and worthwhile ideas; while blowing each other up.

clipped from www.eurekalert.org Scientists have discovered two key proteins that guide one of the two groups of pathogenic bacteria to make their hardy outer shells -- their defence against the world. The work, they said, could allow researchers to create new antibiotics against gram-negative bacteria, like E. coli and salmonella, that would destroy these bacteria by disabling the mechanism that produces their protective coating. "A long-term goal is to find inhibitors of these proteins we have discovered," said Natividad Ruiz, a research molecular biologist at Princeton University and the lead author on the paper describing the work. "Small molecule inhibitors could become antibiotics that subvert the outer membrane." The research, conducted by Ruiz, Thomas Silhavy, Princeton's Warner-Lambert Parke-Davis Professor of Molecular Biology, and others from Harvard University, is described in the online edition of the April 8 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Networked Pill

clipped from www.technologyreview.com A new information system records what pills do to the body. A system that monitors pill taking and its effects is being engineered by a Silicon Valley startup. The technology consists of pills that report when they've been taken, and sensors that monitor the body's responses. The company behind the technology, Proteus Biomedical, of Redwood City, CA, calls its technology the Raisin system George Savage, Proteus's cofounder and a former ER physician, says that the company was motivated by the fact that so many medical problems stem from drug compliance problems According to Savage, 40% of hospital readmissions for heart failure happen because patients fail to take their medications properly. Even when a regimen is followed, it may not be the best regimen Imagine a situation where drug ingestion is tracked, and heart pressure before, immediately after, and later are known That represents real, individualized, tailored drug therapy."

Mesothelioma Lung Cancer

Mesothelioma Lung Cancer is a rare form of cancers often associated with asbestos or Mesothelioma Straight

clipped from www.mesotheliomastraight.net What is Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In mesothelioma , malignant type cells form and develop within the mesothelium, a protective lining which covers the internal organs of the body. Mesothelioma is most common in the pleura which is the outer lining of the lungs, but it can also arise in the peritoneum or the pericardium which protects the heart.

clipped from www.medicalnewstoday.com Brain Chemistry Ties Anxiety And Alcoholism Doctors may one day be able to control alcohol addiction by manipulating the molecular events in the brain that underlie anxiety associated with alcohol withdrawal, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center report in the March 5 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. "The association of anxiety with increased alcohol use is a key factor in the initiation and maintenance of alcohol addition," says Dr. Subhash Pandey, UIC professor of psychiatry and director of neuroscience alcoholism research, the lead author of the study. Pandey and his colleagues have discovered the molecular basis for the link between anxiety and alcohol addiction, which may help in identifying new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of alcohol addiction.