Author: Jane Farrell

Protein Implicated In Kidney and Heart Disease

Phosphate-rich foods such as processed cheese are known to increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Now scientists have found exactly why that’s so.

The culprit is the hormone FGF23 (Fibroblast Growth Factor 23). When the level of FGF23 is raised, putting strain on the cardiovascular system. FGF23 controls renal excretion of sodium, and that affects blood pressure.

The study, from researchers at Vetmeduni, Vienna, was published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Caring for Horses Can Help Dementia Symptoms

Spending time with horses eases dementia symptoms for Alzheimer’s patients, according to the first study of its kind.

The research, a collaboration between The Ohio State University and an adult daycare center, revealed that patients could groom, feed and walk horses under supervision. That experience improved patients’ mood and made them less likely to resist care or become upset later in the day.

37 Million Could Be Saved Through Global Health Programs

Reaching globally-agreed targets for health risks such as smoking and alcohol can prevent more than 37 million deaths by 2025, according to new statistics.

The study, led by researchers from Imperial College London, said the health risks are caused by the “big four” illnesses: cancer, diabetes, lung disease and cardiovascular disease.

The study, published in The Lancet, found that the majority of death prevention would be in low- to middle-income nations, while the reductions for smoking and blood pressure will lead to the largest benefits.

Does Melatonin Work?

could get to sleep. Millions of people suffer from the same condition, and melatonin, a popular dietary supplement, is said to help.

The melatonin sold in stores is a concentrated form of a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep. The hormone’s levels in the body rise in the a.m. and fall in the p.m. It’s been studied in connection with sleep disorders such as jet lag and insomnia, as well as dementia symptoms.

Alzheimer’s Subtype Often Misdiagnosed

Neuroscientists have defined a subtype of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that they say is neither well recognized nor treated appropriately.

The variant – called hippocampal sparing AD – made up 11 percent of the 1,821 AD-confirmed brains examined by researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Asthma Medicine Definitively Linked to Bone Loss

Scientists appear to have definitively established a new risk factor for bone loss: asthma.

According to a study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, there is a definitive connection between the use of corticosteroids and loss of bone mineral density.

Watch: The Symptoms of Throat Cancer

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Human Cartilage Created From Stem Cells

For the first time, scientists have grown fully functional human cartilage from human stem cells.

The experts, from Columbia University, said that the process could help repair cartilage defects in humans. It could also make a composite graft with bone.

The discovery was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Vitamin D and Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Researchers say that Vitamin D deficiency is an indicator of aggressive prostate cancer risk in middle-aged men who underwent a biopsy.

Adam B. Murphy, M.D., MBA, assistant professor in the Department of Urology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that the finding affected European-American and African-American men, although the link between Vitamin D deficiency andaggressive prostate cancer was stronger in African-Americans.

Protect Your Eyes During Exercise

For many of us, the warmer seasons mean more exercise. And you’re probably taking several safety factors into account: how to protect yourself from dehydration or the sun’s damaging and even deadly rays. We should think about our sight as well. According to the National Institutes of Health, emergency room doctors treated an estimated 42,000 sports-related eye injuries each year.

And 90 percent of them, the NIH says, could have been prevented with protective eyewear.

New Approaches to Parkinson’s

Three studies from the University of Pennsylvania demonstrate new approaches to understanding and treating Parkinson’s disease, and eventually even staving it off.

The findings were to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

Spinal Cord Cells and ALS

A previously overlooked group of cells may be contributing to a wide range of disorders, according to research from the University of California, San Francisco.

The star-shaped cells, known as astrocytes, might be a factor in illnesses such as Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), autism and schizophrenia.

The finding was published in the journal Nature.

Watch: New Device for Migraine Prevention

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Study: Chemotherapy Not Always Best for Breast Cancer

Although many women with early-stage breast cancer are getting chemotherapy, the ones that decide against it appear to be more empowered about making a good decision, new research indicates.

The current guidelines for treating cancer that hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes or other parts of the body have led to thousands of women receiving chemotherapy without benefiting from it.

Better Medicine for Serious Ailments

Scientists have discovered a crucial element in a cellular process that could help develop a new class of drugs for treating epilepsy, heart disease and cancer.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, found that T-type channels can shift the way they generate electrical signals to cells.

The rhythmic signals produced by a normal action of this process support the contraction of heart muscles as well as “firing” in parts of the brain

End-of-Life Pet Care

As any pet owner can tell you, companion animals are part of your family. You love them, you take care of them, you play with them. Someday, though, the inevitable will come: your pet will become seriously ill and pass away. Most pets don’t die suddenly; they usually become ill and linger for a while. How can you make your companion’s last days good ones, and when is it time for him or her to go? The experts at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) have some answers.