Researchers from at the University of Pennsylvania are using a DNA vaccine to kill cancer, not by attacking tumor cells but targeting the blood vessels that keep them alive. The vaccine also indirectly creates an immune response to the tumor itself, which amplifies the attack because of a phenomenon called epitope spreading. The results of the study were published in April 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Tag: depressive symptoms
Statin Users Eating More Fat
Many Americans who take statins don’t have a healthy diet because the drugs give them a false sense of security, according to a new study. And the number of statin users with unhealthy diets appears to have increased.
The research by investigators from UCLA indicates that patients who took statins in 2009-2010 were eating more calories and fat than those who used statins earlier. Among people who didn’t use statins, there was no similar increased.
Longhand Trumps Typing for Remembering Your Notes
The next time you need to take notes, maybe during a meeting at work or when you’re on the phone with a customer service representative, you’ll be more likely to retain the information if you write by hand rather than typing on a digital device. That’s the finding of a study done at Princeton University and published in April 2014 in the journal Psychological Science.
Yoga to Help Control Incontinence
If you’re prone to bladder accidents, practicing a form of yoga may be the answer to regaining control. That’s the conclusion of a study published on April 25th 2014 in Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery, the official journal of the American Urogynecologic Society. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco report that a yoga training program designed to improve pelvic health can help women gain more control over their urination and avoid accidental urine leakage.
A Better Approach to Colorectal Surgery
Hospital stays for colorectal-surgery patients can be cut by two days via a practice known as “enhanced recovery,” according to researchers from Duke University Hospital. The practice also reduced readmission rates.
Risks of Testosterone Tx for Older Men Not Known
Physicians do not have sufficient information from clinical trials to understand the risks associated with the prescription of testosterone in older men, according to a Comment in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, written by Professor Stephanie Page, of the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, USA.
A release from the publisher notes that while the benefits of testosterone therapy in younger men with a deficiency of the hormone are well established, testosterone is now widely prescribed to older men, particularly in the USA.
Tips to Spring Clean Your Relationship
Winter weather is behind us and the signs of spring are everywhere: temperatures rising, buds budding, birds chirping, and bees buzzing. Now’s the time to spring-clean our homes—and also our relationships.
Eating And Exercising: 5 Top Tips
Anyone who’s ever had a high-fat meal knows how sluggish it can make you feel. (Thanksgiving dinner, anyone?) To get the most from your exercise routine, you need to eat healthy and nourishing foods. Here, from the Mayo Clinic, are some suggestions:
1. Eat a healthy breakfast
CoQ10: How Reliable Is It?
Editor’s Note: CoQ10 is a popular supplement that’s said to be effective in fighting everything from congestive heart failure to gum disease. But is it safe, and is there reliable evidence to support these claims? Before you reach for a bottle of CoQ10 on your next trip to the drugstore, read this information from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the federal National Institutes of Health:
Watch: Treating Severe Shoulder Pain
Here's another addition to our ThirdAge video collection. Read more at www.thirdage.com.
Proof of Women’s Intuition
If you suspect that you have what is popularly called women’s intuition, you may be right. Researchers at the University of Granada, the Barcelona Pompeu Fabra University, and the Middlesex University of London have shown that the tendency to be intuitive could have a biological component related to the lower prenatal exposure to testosterone females receive in the womb. This team says this would lead women to have a "more intuitive and less reflective" attitude to life than men. The study was published in 2014 in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Eating Meat Ups Heart Disease Risk
Here’s more proof that steaks and burgers can be bad for your health: A new study from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington has bolstered the link between red meat consumption and heart disease by finding a strong association between heme iron, found only in meat, and potentially deadly coronary heart disease.
Take a Walk to Spark Your Creativity
When the task at hand requires some imagination, taking a walk may lead to more creative thinking than sitting, according to research published in April 2014 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, a publication of the American Psychological Association.
A release from the association quotes researcher Marily Oppezzo PhD of Santa Clara University, as saying, "Many people anecdotally claim they do their best thinking when walking, "With this study, we finally may be taking a step or two toward discovering why."
The Body’s Anti-Cancer Weapon
Researchers have identified a pathway that works to prevent new cells from getting too many or too few chromosomes. That presence of abnormal numbers of chromosomes has been directly linked to cancer and other serious illnesses.
Mark Hall, associate professor of biochemistry, Purdue University, discovered that when cells are nearly finished dividing, the enzyme Cdc14 activates Yen1, another enzyme. Yen1 helps repair the DNA breaks that lead to cancer in cells.
A Cyberbuddy Boosts Exercise Effort
If you need a little encouragement in order to stick with an exercise regimen, a digital workout pal just might be the answer. Michigan State University researchers have shown that a software-generated partner can be an effective motivator. A human exercise buddy is still a better cheerleader but a cyberbuddy definitely helps gives people the extra nudge they need. The study appears in the April 2014 issue of Games for Health Journal.
Watch: 7 Health Apps You Need to Know About
Here's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
The Right Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects an estimated 3 to 20 percent of the population, according to the federal National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). According to the NDDIC, IBS is a collection of symptoms, not a condition. It’s been known by a number of other names in the past, including colitis and spastic colon.
Counterintuitive Tx for Depression
Could ratcheting up the activity of neurons in the brain known to be involved with stress-induced depression have the counterintuitive effect of banishing the blues and helping people bounce back?. Yes, say researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City who published their study online April 18th 2014 in the journal Science.