Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA and at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN have created the most detailed 3-D picture yet of a membrane protein that is linked to learning, memory, anxiety, pain, and brain disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and autism. The research, which focuses on the mGlu1 receptor, was reported in the March 6th, 2014 issue of the journal Science.
Tag: depressive symptoms
Avoiding Hospital Readmission After Surgery
Patients with post-surgical complications are likelier to be readmitted within 30 days than are those that don’t have the complications, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery. The research also found that using a simple online tool can help health-care practitioners predict which patients are at high risk of readmission.
Screening for Sickle Cell Trait Needed
Researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine say the time is long past due to use current scientific data and technical advances to reduce the burden of sickle cell disease (SCD). Sickle Cell Trait (SCT) is estimated to affect 3 million people in the US: approximately 8 percent of African Americans and .5-3 percent of Hispanics. The inexpensive identification of the mutated hemoglobin and the technical capacity to screen populations have been known for decades.
Prehospital Alerts for Stroke Patients
Prehospital stroke alerts by emergency medical services personnel can shorten the time to effective treatment with "clot-busting" drugs for patients who have had a stroke, according to a report in the March issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Dress in Blue Day: Colon Cancer Awareness
Friday, March 7th 2014 is the annual National Dress in Blue Day. The event takes place in conjunction with National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. A release from The Colon Cancer Alliance reports that one in 20 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer, leading to more than 50,000 deaths every year.
That’s why the organization is urging individuals, businesses and community groups across the country to participate in the nationwide Dress in Blue Day.
A Potentially Life-Saving Molecule
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center may have discovered a way to potentially shut down the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Dr. Ralf Kittler, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, studies ERG, a protein that facilitates the transformation of normal prostate cells into cancer cells. He and fellow investigators found that a molecule called WP1130 can ultimately lead to the destruction of ERG.
“We now have a target that we could potentially exploit to develop a drug for treatment,” Kittler said in a statement.
A Molecule That Could Cure Prostate Cancer
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center may have discovered a way to potentially shut down the growth of prostate cancer cells.
Dr. Ralf Kittler, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, studies ERG, a protein that facilitates the transformation of normal prostate cells into cancer cells. He and fellow investigators found that a molecule called WP1130 can ultimately lead to the destruction of ERG.
“We now have a target that we could potentially exploit to develop a drug for treatment,” Kittler said in a statement.
10 Things You Should Expect From Your Doctor
By David Longworth, MDof the Cleveland Clinic
You just waited two hours for a doctor who’s running late. Once in the office, the doctor zips through a jargon-filled speech, orders a test, writes a prescription and sends you on your way. You leave in a cloud of confusion, realizing that you never even asked a question.
Watch: The Mysterious Butt Bump
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Watch: How Good Are Over the Counter Diabetes Tests?
Here's another addition to our Third Age Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
“Reading” Others’ Emotions Is Often Inaccurate
If you think you’re good at reading peoples’ faces, you might want to think again.
Lisa Feldman Barrett, Northeastern University Distinguished Professor Psychology, has concluded that the widespread belief in universal emotions – i.e. you can read someone from a Third World country just the same as you would someone from the is simply wrong.
“Emotions are not universally perceived, “ Barrett says. Everything that’s predicated on that is a mistake.”
Memory Loss Could Someday Be Reversed
Researchers have made a discovery that may make age-related memory loss a thing of the past.
The drug can’t be used by humans yet, but scientists from the University of Florida are developing compounds that could eventually help adults who have memory trouble but are not suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.
The Internet & Our Health
The last decade has seen a remarkable shift in how people use the Internet in relation to their health. This revelation probably won’t come as a surprise to you, given that you’re no doubt a regular visitor to ThirdAge.com and perhaps to other health sites as well. Professor Sue Ziebland, Director of the Health Experiences Research Group at the University of Oxford in the UK presented her findings at the South West Society for Academic Primary Care meeting at the University of Bristolin the UK on March 6th 2014.
Post-Menopausal Women’s Fall Risk
A study published in the March 2014 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) showed that women with distal radius (wrist) fractures had decreased strength compared to similar patients without fractures. The authors suggest that this fact could explain why these women were more likely to fall and might sustain future fractures.
Restless Legs May Signal Heart Problems
A nationally recognized sleep expert has published an editorial describing Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) as a possible biomarker for underlying disease. The editorial appears in the March 5th 2014 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and was written by Boston Medical Center neurologist Sanford H. Auerbach, MD.
RLS is a disorder of the nervous system. Patients with RLS have uncomfortable sensations in their legs that lead to an overwhelming urge to move them – most often at night or whenever the patient is resting.
The “Demonization” of Saturated Fats?
After President Eisenhower had a heart attack in his 50s, the erroneous belief that diets low in saturated fat curb heart disease risk was strengthened, according to Dr, James DiNicolantonio, a cardiovascular research scientist and doctor of pharmacy based in Ithaca, New York. His editorial appears online in the March 2014 issue of Open Heart, a journal published by the British Medical Association. Dr.
Is Your Hearing Getting Worse?
From NIH SeniorHealth.gov.
Hearing loss, a common yet complex problem, involves both the ear’s ability to detect sounds and the brain’s ability to interpret those sounds, including speech.
Several factors have to be taken into account to determine how much of an effect hearling loss will have on quality of life. They include:
*the degree of the hearing loss
*the pattern of hearing loss across different frequencies (pitches)
*whether one or both ears is affected
Protect Yourself Against Colon Cancer
Colon cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, is often preventable and highly curable.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s important to find out all about the illness that overwhelmingly affects people 50 and older. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 90 percent of people with the illness fall into that age category.