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Shaking The Salt Habit
Date: Apr-01-2013The love affair between U.S. residents and salt is making us sick: high sodium intake increases blood pressure, and leads to higher rates of heart attack and strokes. Nonetheless, Americans continue to ingest far higher amounts of sodium than those recommended by physicians and national guidelines. A balanced review of the relevant literature has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Theodore A. Kotchen, M.D., professor of medicine (endocrinology), and associate dean for clinical research at the Medical College of Wisconsin, is the lead author of the article. Dr...
Chinese Herbal Formula Reduces Hot Flashes Linked To Menopause
Date: Apr-01-2013Perimenopausal women who took a Chinese herbal formula called EXD (Er-xian decoction) experienced a significant reduction in the number of menopausal hot flashes, researchers from the University of Hong Kong reported in Menopause. (Perimenopausal means at or near the menopause) Among the females in the trial, all of them menopausal and complaining of multiple episodes of hot flashes, a reduction in the frequency of daily hot flashes of 62% was observed, compared to a 52% reduction among those on a placebo...
Herpesvirus Hijacks Cellular Machinery To Invade Nervous System
Date: Apr-01-2013Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified a component of the herpesvirus that "hijacks" machinery inside human cells, allowing the virus to rapidly and successfully invade the nervous system upon initial exposure. Led by Gregory Smith, associate professor in immunology and microbiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, researchers found that viral protein 1-2, or VP1/2, allows the herpesvirus to interact with cellular motors, known as dynein...
Transmission Routes Of Spreading Protein Particles
Date: Apr-01-2013In diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's endogenous proteins accumulate in the brain, eventually leading to the death of nerve cells. These deposits, which consist of abnormally formed proteins, are supposed to migrate between interconnected areas of the brain, thereby contributing to the development of the illness. Now, a new laboratory study by scientists from Germany and the US shows that certain protein particles are indeed capable of multiplying and spreading from one cell to the next...
Antihistamines For Stomach Acid Can Increase C. Diff Infection Risk
Date: Apr-01-2013Patients receiving antihistamines to suppress stomach acid are at greater risk of infection from Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a common cause of diarrhea, particularly in health care settings, Mayo Clinic researchers have found. The study focused on histamine 2 receptor antagonists. The researchers found no significant risk for people taking over-the-counter antihistamine drugs, however. The findings appear in the online journal PLOS ONE. Researchers reviewed 35 observations based on 33 separate studies involving C. diff and antihistamines used for stomach acid suppressive therapy...
Being Active During The Day Could Stave Off Hot Flashes At Night
Date: Apr-01-2013Getting a good night's sleep isn't always easy for women at menopause. Exercise may help, but women can have a tough time carving out leisure time for it. The good news from a study published online in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society, is that higher levels of routine daily physical activity may be the more important key to a better night's sleep for many women who have hot flashes or night sweats. Although exercise is known to improve sleep for people in general, studies in menopausal women haven't been conclusive...
Light Shed On The Natural Mechanism That Protects Ears From Hearing Loss
Date: Apr-01-2013New research from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology may have discovered a key piece in the puzzle of how hearing works by identifying the role of the olivocochlear efferent system in protecting ears from hearing loss. The findings could eventually lead to screening tests to determine who is most susceptible to hearing loss. Their paper is published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Until recently, it was common knowledge that exposure to a noisy environment (concert, iPod, mechanical tools, firearm, etc...
Caffeine-'Addicted' Bacteria Offer Applications In Medicine, The Environment And More
Date: Apr-01-2013Some people may joke about living on caffeine, but scientists now have genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to do that - literally. Their report in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology describes bacteria being "addicted" to caffeine in a way that promises practical uses ranging from decontamination of wastewater to bioproduction of medications for asthma. Jeffrey E. Barrick and colleagues note that caffeine and related chemical compounds have become important water pollutants due to widespread use in coffee, soda pop, tea, energy drinks, chocolate and certain medications...
Correctional Policies Discourage Released Inmates From Seeking Methadone Therapy
Date: Apr-01-2013Methadone treatment for opioid dependence remains widely unavailable behind bars in the United States, and many inmates are forced to discontinue this evidence-based therapy, which lessens painful withdrawal symptoms. Now a new study by researchers from the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights, a collaboration of The Miriam Hospital and Brown University, offers some insight on the consequences of these mandatory withdrawal policies...
No Animal Testing Necessary With New Skin Sensitization Test
Date: Apr-01-2013In an advance in efforts to reduce the use of animals in testing new cosmetic and other product ingredients for skin allergies, scientists are describing a new, highly accurate non-animal test for these skin-sensitizers. Their study appears in ACS' journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. Bruno Miguel Neves and colleagues explain that concerns about the ethics and costs of animal-based tests for skin sensitizers, plus regulations in the European Union, are fostering a search for alternative tests...
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