Named for the furballs whose astonishing fecundity made them stars in early Star Trek episodes, the tribbles protein, first identified in fruit flies, aids in regulating many cell processes in humans. Joslin Diabetes Center researchers have identified mechanisms triggered by a variant of the tribbles gene that cause trouble in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells-and that offer a promising target for therapies for people with type 2 diabetes, even if they don't carry that gene variant.

Lead researcher Dr. Kulkarni  says:

Qi Gong and Tai Chi, claims a new research, are advantageous to both physical and mental health.

One reviewer stated;

Older adults taking a widely prescribed combination of antibiotics for urinary tract infections (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX)) are at increased risk of elevated potassium levels, called hyperkalemia, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Inhaled anaesthetics are recognised greenhouse gases. Calculating their relative impact during common clinical usage will allow comparison to each other and to carbon dioxide emissions in general.

Under comparable and common clinical conditions, key elements released by anaesthetic gases do affect 'greenhouse' gases: desflurane has a greater potential impact on global warming than either isoflurane or sevoflurane. N2O alone produces a sizable greenhouse gas contribution relative to sevoflurane or isoflurane. Additionally, 60% N2O combined with potent inhaled anesthetics to deliver 1 MAC of anesthetic substantially increases the environmental impact of sevoflurane and isoflurane, and decreases that of desflurane. N2O is destructive to the ozone layer as well as possessing GWP; it continues to have impact over a longer time frame, and may not be an environmentally sound trade off for desflurane. From our calculations, avoiding N2O and unnecessarily high fresh gas flow rates can reduce the environmental impact of inhaled anaesthetics.

Inhaled anaesthetics, as a group, are recognized greenhouse gases.1-3 However, because they have been considered "medically essential" and used in relatively small amounts, they have been only cursorily investigated.

 

Researchers at UCLA have suggested a physical cause for depression in MS sufferers, relating to the atrophy of a specific region of the hippocampus, a critical part of the brain involved in mood and memory, among other functions.

One of the lead authors explained:

 

A new academic study led by UCLA scientists has found that even brief exposure to ultrafine pollution particles near a Los Angeles freeway is potent enough to boost the allergic inflammation that exacerbates asthma. 

 

Older men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to have a myocardial infarction or cardiovascular disease in the future, according to results of a large, multicentre study.

 

Healthy aging is thought to reflect the combined influence of environmental factors (lifestyle choices) and genetic factors.To explore the genetic contribution, researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine undertook a genome-wide association study of exceptional longevity (EL) in 1055 centenarians and 1267 controls. Using this data, they built a genetic model that includes 150 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and found that it could predict EL with 77% accuracy in an independent set of centenarians and controls.

Further in-silico analysis (i.e. 'computer based' in conjunction with informatics data!) revealed that 90% of centenarians can be grouped into 19 clusters characterised  by different combinations of SNP genotypes-orgenetic signatures-of varying predictive value. The different signatures, which attest to the genetic complexity of EL, correlated with differences in the prevalence and age of onset of age-associated diseases (e.g., dementia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease) and may help dissect this complex phenotype into sub-phenotypes of healthy aging.

 

The essential trace element selenium is attracting more attention from oncologists  - this interest is mainly focused on:

Selenium deficiency has been linked to increased infection risk and adverse mood states.It has been shown to possess cancer-preventive and cytoprotective activities in both animal models and humans. It is well established that it has a key role in redox regulation and antioxidant function, and hence in membrane integrity, energy metabolism, and protection against DNA damage.

Recent clinical trials have shown the importance of selenium in clinical oncology. More recently, concerns arose from 2 large clinical prevention trials (NPC, SELECT) that selenium may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Despite obvious flaws in both studies and good counterarguments, controversy remains on the possible advantages and risks of selenium in cancer prevention. However, in the light of the recent clinical trials the potential benefits of selenium supplementation in tumour patients are becoming obvious, even though further research is needed.

 

A study from Ohio State University, examining the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and illness suggests that a BMI of 30 or above, a signal of obesity according to federal health standards in the US, does not translate into current illness among adults under age 40.

In addition, researchers found that across all age groups studied, from 25 to 70 years, there was little difference in the current health status in normal-weight vs. overweight people based on the medications they took.

According to a recent analysis of the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, approximately 6 percent of U.S. adults used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat their back pain during the previous year. The data from this analysis, published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, also revealed that a majority (60 percent) of survey respondents who used the most common CAM therapies for back pain perceived "a great deal" of benefit.

 

With a mean daily consumption of 67 g of nuts reductions were achieved for 'total cholesterol concentration':  LDL cholesterol concentration;  and ratio of total cholesterol concentration to HDL-C, with the conclusion that nut consumption improves blood lipid levels in a dose-related manner, particularly among subjects with higher LDL-C or with lower BMI.

A recent study concludes that taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in about a 50% increase in serum levels of 25(OH)D levels achieved.

Women with low vitamin D levels, compared with those with higher levels experienced increases in CES-D scores of 2.1 (P = 0.02) and 2.2 (P = 0.04)points higher at, respectively, 3- and 6-yr follow-up. Women with low vitamin D (Vit-D) had also significantly higher risk of developing depressive mood over the follow-up (hazard ratio= 2.0; 95% confidence interval = 1.2-3.2; P = 0.005).

Scientists have caught male topi antelopes in the act of faking fear in front of females in heat as a way to improve their chances of having sex.

The male antelopes, observed in southwest Kenya, send a false signal that a predator is nearby only when females in heat are in their territories. When the females react to the signal, they remain in the territory long enough for some males to fit in a quick mating opportunity.

A recent study from the University of Illinois shows a significant reduction in ovarian cancer amongst hens when given a 10% flaxseed supplementation for 1 year.

 

A study from the University of Michigan and Ohio State has shown that a compound found naturally in broccoli - sulforaphane - inhibits breast cancers and down regulates the Wnt/β-catenin self-renewal pathway.

Aflatoxin is a contaminant produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus in maize and nuts and is a known human liver carcinogen. This study reviewed the 550,000-600,000 new HCC cases worldwide each year, and found that about 25,200-155,000 may be attributable to aflatoxin exposure. Most cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and China where populations suffer from both high HBV prevalence and largely uncontrolled aflatoxin exposure in food.

 

Eating about a handful of pecans each day may play a role in protecting the nervous system, according to a new animal study published in the current issue of Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research.