Heart :: Aging heart changes shape, shrinks and loses pumping function too
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have evidence to explain why the supposedly natural act of aging is by itself a very potent risk factor for life-threatening heart failure.
Evidence
Cancer :: American Association for Cancer Research announces AACR Asia
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is pleased to announce its plans to facilitate global advances in cancer research through the establishment of AACR Asia, an office that will open officially in Singapore in 2009.
Cancer :: Rare cancer-causing syndrome found, for the first time, in Singapore
A rare hereditary disorder that strongly predisposes carriers to develop cancer at an early age has been found in an Asian female, report researchers today at the American Association for Cancer Research Centennial Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine.
Obesity :: Possible link between obesity and viral infections
Experts don’t dispute the important role that diet and activity play in maintaining a healthy weight. But can poor eating habits and a less active lifestyle fully explain the prevalence of obesity in the United States today? That question has led some researchers to ask whether there might be other causes for this serious problem. In the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researcher Richard Atkinson, M.D., asserts that there is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that viruses may play a role in causing obesity in humans.
Drug :: How does the antitumor drug get to the cell nucleus?
Platinum complexes such as the well-known cisplatin are powerful antitumor medications. They cross the cell membrane and reach the nucleus, where they attach to DNA and stop cell growth. But how does cisplatin get to the nucleus? Italian researchers have now proven that a copper transport protein may play a critical role. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, they present their hypothesis about the transport mechanism.
Folic Acid :: Folic acid linked to increased cancer rate
Two recent commentaries appearing in the November issue of Nutrition Reviews find that the introduction of flour fortified with folic acid into common foods was followed by an increase in colon cancer diagnoses in the U.S. and Canada. The two new review articles address these recent findings and provide an overview of the existing evidence on folic acid fortification and the associated policy issues.
HIV :: HIV-TB spreads in Africa, undermines control of world’s 2 deadliest infectious diseases
The largely unnoticed collision of the global epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis (TB) has exploded to create a deadly co-epidemic that is rapidly spreading in sub-Saharan Africa. However, health systems cannot adequately diagnose, treat, or contain the co-epidemic due to unanswered scientific and medical questions, according to a report issued today by The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research and amplified by experts from leading global health organizations.
Folic Acid :: Scientists question folic acid fortification
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research have highlighted possible consequences of fortifying flour with folic acid due to new evidence of how it is absorbed by the body.
Massage :: Mayo Clinic study shows that massage therapy decreases pain levels for patients after heart surgery.
A new Mayo Clinic study shows that massage therapy decreases pain levels for patients after heart surgery. During a five-month period in 2005, 58 patients undergoing surgery participated in a pilot study to examine the effect of massage on pain after surgery. Of the 30 who received massage, the mean pain scores were less than 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as the most painful.
Heart :: Gene, stem cell therapy only needs to be 50 percent effective to create a healthy heart
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and greatly affects the quality and length of life for individuals with specific forms of muscular dystrophy. Recent discoveries have demonstrated that gene and/or stem cell therapy could help a variety of organs in the body, but until now scientists have been unsure whether the heart could benefit from these treatments.