healthy living for women + their families
Two widely carried gene variants that lead to longer chromosome caps also increase the risk of developing the brain cancers known as gliomas.
The researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, found that the variants lead to longer telomeres, the caps on chromosome ends that are thought to protect cells from aging.
The genetic variants, in two genes known as TERT and TERC, are respectively carried by 51 percent and 72 percent of the general population.
Cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Approximately 24.5 million Americans have the lens-clouding eye condition, and the incidence is set to grow by 50 percent by 2020. If they’re not treated through a change in eyeglass prescription or surgery, cataracts can increase the risk of permanent blindness.
Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered the sequence of early cellular responses that can ultimately lead to obesity-induced insulin resistance and diabetes.
The cells respond, the investigators said, to a high-fat diet.
“We’ve described the etiology [cause] of obesity-related diabetes. We’ve pinpointed the steps, the way the whole thing happens,” said Jerrold M. Olefsky, MD, associate dean for Scientific Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego.
Scientists are a step closer to understanding why older women are more susceptible to breast cancer.
Researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) said their study shows that as women age, cells that that are responsible for maintaining healthy breast stop responding to cues that should prompt them to suppress nearby tumors.
According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is most frequently diagnosed among women aged 55 to 64.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis—affecting 27 million Americans—and is an increasing problem among older adults. Treatments for osteoarthritis address the symptoms, such as pain, swelling, and reduced function in the joints. Nonmedicinal approaches involve lifestyle changes such as exercise, weight control, and rest.
What’s the difference between mental health and mental illness? Sometimes the answer is clear, but often the distinction between mental health and mental illness isn’t so obvious. For example, if you’re afraid of giving a speech in public, does it mean you have a mental health condition or a run-of-the-mill case of nerves? Or, when does shyness become a case of social phobia? Here’s some help in telling the difference.
It’s often difficult to distinguish normal mental health from mental illness because there’s no easy test to show if something’s wrong.
Ramucirumab, a drug designed to combat solid tumors, has proven effective as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer when it’s combined with another drug, docetaxel.
In a randomized phase III clinical trial, the two drugs showed greater effectiveness than docetaxel combined with a placebo. The findings were published in the British journal Lancet.
A team of researchers, including corresponding study author Dr. Edward B. Garon, MD, of UCLA, looked at 1,253 patients.
Investigators have found that implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) provide improved survival rates among a specific group of heart failure patients.
The findings, published in the June 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, focused on patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
FROM THE MAYO CLINIC
Early symptoms of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, can be subtle or seemingly harmless — if you have symptoms at all. Over time, however, you may develop diabetes complications, even if you haven’t had diabetes symptoms.
In the United States alone, nearly 7 million people have undiagnosed diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. But you don’t need to become a statistic. Understanding possible diabetes symptoms can lead to early diagnosis and treatment — and a lifetime of better health.
Researchers have developed a method for measuring glucose concentrations in saliva, and they say it would be a significant improvement in managing diabetes.
The scientists, from Brown University, devised a new biochip sensor that measures blood sugar levels in saliva rather than blood.
Eye doctors could save billions in health-care costs if they prescribed a less expensive but effective drug to treat two common forms of serious eye disease in older adults.
Researchers from the University of Michigan focused on two medicines used to treat the wet form of macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
Almost every summer, there’s a deadly heat wave in some parts of the country. Excessive heat isn’t safe for anyone, especially for older people or those with health problems. But exactly what dangers are you facing and how can you protect yourself? Here’s some advice from the National Institute on Aging:
Your body is always working to keep a balance between how much heat it makes and how much it loses. Too much heat causes sweating.
Depression, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition, affects 14.8 million American adults, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The percentage of seniors who have the disorder varies from less than 1 percent to 5 percent, the CDC says. But the percentage rises sharply to 11.5 percent among elderly hospital patients to 13.5 percent among those who have home health care.
The condition is complex and multi-faceted, encompassing both physical and mental symptoms, and for a patient or caregiver it’s essential to know as much as possible about it.
Researchers are now able to reactivate a memory that has vanished from the brain.
A study from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, detailed how researchers removed a memory from the brain of rat subjects and then restored it.
Women with the cancer-causing BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations have a number of serious issues that need to be monitored following preventive surgery, researchers say.
A study from the University of Pennsylvania examined the after-effects of a preventive hysterectomy – known as risk-reducing salpingo-oopherectomy (RRSO).
Here’s another addition to the Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning.
Lyme disease – and the ticks that transmit the uncomfortable, potentially serious condition – seem as inevitable a part of summer as sizzling hot days. But you can protect yourself. The first rule: Know your enemy. Here, from a producer of insect repellents, are ten things you might not know about these annoying insects.
1. Tick bites and tick-borne diseases are completely preventable
There’s really only one way you get a tick-transmitted disease and that’s from a tick bite.
Prostate-cancer patients who have received radiation treatment appear more likely to develop bladder or rectal cancer, new research shows. And while the number of cases is relatively low, investigators said that patients should still be monitored for those illnesses.
“Overall the incidence of these cancers is low. But when men have received radiation treatments, it’s important to evaluate carefully any symptoms that could be a sign of bladder or rectal cancer,” says senior study author Kathleen A.
