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Risk of violence against aboriginal women linked to socio-economic status
Date: Sep-18-2013If aboriginal women had the same income and education levels as non-aboriginal women, their risk of being abused by a partner could drop by 40 per cent, according to a new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital. The new study indicates that socio-economic position is a major factor influencing risks of abuse for aboriginal women. "The unfortunate reality is that aboriginal women in Canada are almost four times more likely to experience gender violence, but we wanted to know why," said Dr...
Mild cognitive impairment not improved by cognitive enhancers
Date: Sep-18-2013Cognitive enhancers - drugs taken to enhance concentration, memory, alertness and moods - do not improve cognition or function in people with mild cognitive impairment in the long term, according to a new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital. In fact, patients on these medications experienced significantly more nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and headaches, according to the study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Our findings do not support the use of cognitive enhancers for mild cognitive impairment," wrote Dr. Andrea Tricco and Dr...
Autophagy and neurodegenerative disorders
Date: Sep-18-2013Autophagy is a highly conserved process through the evolution of species, from eukaryotic microorganisms to humans. Bulky cytoplasmic contents, organisms (bacteria, viruses) and soluble proteins are degraded by autophagy and reused for the synthesis of new molecules. This process is generally induced by a change of environmental conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, oxidative stress and ultraviolet radiation. However, it has also been associated with normal procedures like development, differentiation and defence against pathogens...
Biomarker of diabetes risk identified
Date: Sep-18-2013Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the most common form of diabetes and is associated with many complications. T2D is preventable through weight control and exercise; however, many individuals are unaware that they are at risk and do not change their lifestyle in time to avoid disease. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Robert Gerszten and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital identify the metabolite 2-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) as a biomarker for T2D diabetes risk...
Managing long-term chronic inflammation to promote healthy aging
Date: Sep-18-2013Chronic exposure to high levels of interleukin-6 was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of healthy aging, according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Interleukin-6 is marker of inflammation, and chronic inflammation has been linked to a variety of age-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cognitive decline. Diet, chronic disease, smoking and other factors can cause inflammation. However, studies on chronic inflammation have generally looked at inflammation at only one point in time...
Why can prenatal alcohol exposure lead to fetal alcohol syndrome?
Date: Sep-18-2013Clinical literature and animal experiments have shown that prenatal alcohol exposure in utero, especially during the early stages of pregnancy, can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. The pharmacological and toxicological mechanisms of ethanol are considered to be related to the effects of ceramide. As an important signal transduction molecule, ceramide participates in a variety of cellular transduction pathways and can modulate cell cycle, cellular differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. A recent study, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No...
Poxue Huayu and Tianjing Busui Decoction for cerebral hemorrhage
Date: Sep-18-2013Dr. Jixiang Ren and team from the Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine proposed a therapeutic principle for Poxue Huayu and Tianjing Busui (i.e., breaking blood stasis, replenishing essence). The researchers established cerebral hemorrhage rat models which were intragastrically administered 5, 10, 20 g/kg Poxue Huayu and Tianjing Busui Decoction, supplemented with Hirudo, raw rhubarb, raw Pollen Typhae, gadfly, Fructrs Trichosanthis, Radix Notoginseng, Rhizoma Acori Talarinowii, and glue of tortoise plastron, once a day, for 14 consecutive days...
Smoking linked to venous thromboembolism risk
Date: Sep-18-2013Cigarette smoking is linked to numerous health problems. But now, researchers say that smoking can also increase the risk of venous thromboembolism, according to a study published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common cardiovascular illness. It is a combination of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs) and pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2007 and 2009 in the US, an average of 547,596 adults were hospitalized each year as a result of VTE...
Insulin plays a role in mediating worms' perceptions and behaviors
Date: Sep-18-2013In the past few years, as imaging tools and techniques have improved, scientists have been working tirelessly to build a detailed map of neural connections in the human brain - with the ultimate hope of understanding how the mind works. But determining how cells in the brain are physically connected is only the first clue for decoding our perceptions and behaviors. We also need to know the precise routes that information takes in the brain in a given context...
Researchers discover evidence to support controversial theory of 'buckyball' formation - discovery could affect medical imaging, cancer treatment
Date: Sep-18-2013Researchers at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have reported the first experimental evidence that supports the theory that a soccer ball-shaped nanoparticle commonly called a buckyball is the result of a breakdown of larger structures rather than being built atom-by-atom from the ground up. Technically known as fullerenes, these spherical carbon molecules have shown great promise for uses in medicine, solar energy, and optoelectronics. But finding applications for these peculiar structures has been difficult because no one knows exactly how they are formed...
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