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Dealing with health issues is by far no laughing matter. In fact, it can be downright painful, exhausting, tiresome and for some lead to depression. When you’re left with no resolution after numerous doctors’ appointments and a variety of medications that only mask the symptoms, juicing may be the ultimate alternative.
An astonishing experimental therapy that relies on bacteria-infecting viruses collected through HHMI’s SEA-PHAGES program to fight a Mycobacterium infection in a 15-year old girl may very well save may the lives of many for decades or centuries to come.
Measles continues to infect 20-30 million individuals every year, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia, in areas where access to vaccines is limited. The Phillipines saw a large outbreak in January. In the United States, the CDC declared Measles as eradicated in 2000, but the recent months have seen the largest spike (700 cases in 22 states since January). Here’s explaining why Measles is such an important public health hazard.
Fermented foods and beverages were among the first processed foods consumed by humans. Improved shelf life, safety and properties of fermented foods added to their value. Investigators have found strong associations between the consumption of fermented foods and diseases. In humans, further understanding is needed for the potential benefit of apple cider vinegar and weight loss.
For healthcare workers, there has been a vaccine for Hepatitis B for some time now. T-cell immunity plays a vital role in pathogen infections. MicroRNA are small, single-stranded non-coding RNAs that regulate T-cell immunity by targeting key factors, signaling and proteins and cytokines associated with T-cell activation, differentiation, and function. This study of specific immune responses can provide new therapeutic opportunities against various infectious diseases.
Obesity remains an epidemic in the US as well as worldwide. Little has been studied and understood about the epigenetic basis of obesity in adolescents. There has been found an association between the level of DNA methylation in obesity-related genes and BMI percentile. In the last decade, a novel mechanism of epigenetic regulation of gene expression has been studied. Although there is increased awareness of lifestyle and environmental factors associated with obesity, there remain major gaps that exist in understanding the contribution of epigenetics.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative condition that is almost always fatal; usually in three to five years after diagnosis. Most recently we have lost Steven Hawkin who was a very great scientist-he suffered from this disorder. The etiology of ALS remains unresolved and no effective treatment exists. This study looked at an area of ALS potential treatment that is understudied. Reprogramed induced pluripotent stem cells from patient cells reverse key hallmarks of cellular age. Increased recognition of cell type-specific aging paradigms underscores the importance of tipping the balance from a state of compensated dysfunction to decompensation and progression.
Research has been done in mice that suggest that the food additive tBHQ found in many common products from frozen meat to crackers and fried foods can interfere with the immune response in the body. This was especially seen in people when fighting the flu. this effect increasing the severity of the flu symptoms and tBHQ exposure could reduce the effectiveness of the flu vaccine through its effects on T cells; a vital part of immune system.
HIV-1 infected individuals are treated with lifelong antiretroviral drugs to control the infection. A means to strengthen the antiviral T cell response might allow them to control viral loads without antiretroviral drugs. The results support the development of this approach as a therapeutic vaccine that might allow HIV-1 infected individuals.
The neurotransmitter serotonin has an essential role in behavior and cognition. It has been seen as having a big part of common neuropsychiatric diseases such as major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. This study added to the increasing evidence for a direct interaction between serotonin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. There continues to be insufficient data for the interaction of serotonin and BDNF.
Millions of concussions are sustained each year by children, adolescents, and adults while playing sports. These mild traumatic brain injuries are complex due to multiple neurologic symptoms like cognitive and motor deficits.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have found autoreactive cells in people who suffer from narcolepsy. This is an important breakthrough that proves narcolepsy is indeed an autoimmune disease. For years doctors have suspected that narcolepsy had some connection between the area that controls wakefulness and the autoimmune system. They have found cytotoxic CD8 T-cells in the blood of narcoleptics. At this point, they know that the immune cells of the patient's body sees normal cells in the body as invaders and attacks them. This results in them having narcolepsy. Researchers have found a combination of genetics, autoimmune cells, and some type of trigger (like a virus) that then leads to this disease.
Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) has many lung disorders that fall under that term. One of them Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), is the most common of these disorders. Asbestosis is diffuse pulmonary fibrosis resulting in a slowly progressing disease that can take from 15 to 40 years after exposure to be encountered physical symptoms. And while in most developing countries it has been banned, the exposure-related diagnoses are still being cared for.
Vaccinations against many childhood diseases are much needed yet often not given. Antivaccination people are creating pockets of unvaccinated children who then spread the most contagious of childhood diseases, measles, to people who are unable to receive vaccinations. In addition, the recent influx of illegal immigrants creates a large drain on health care systems.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an inherited neuromuscular disorder primarily occurring in boys and caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. New treatments other than the classic glucocorticoids have started phase 2 testing. This brings hope to patients and families currently dealing with Duchennes.
Glioblastoma and its variants are, at present, unable to be cured. Once diagnosed the life expectancy is only 15 months or so. They can occur at any age but most are seen in people between the ages of 50 and 70. In just the past two years studies have been moved from animal trials to human trials and are showing promise. No matter what their outcomes, further research is needed.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common form of muscular dystrophy. It is a sex-linked disorder residing on the X chromosome. It affects primarily boys and men and is always lethal. There are few treatments to this disorder that affects 1 in every 3500 to 5000 boys born. There are no cures and few treatments for this disorder.
ACA has had little effect on the financial burden of households with chronic health conditions. The rise in treatment costs and associated cost sharing for individuals and families are causing medical debt that often has caused these families to deplete their savings. It often also causes these families to forgo necessities like food, heat or rent in order to pay their medical bills. In these cases, the families are forced to file for bankruptcy in order to have a roof over their heads.
Despite numerous national programs intended to ensure patients receive the best quality care, it is limited by how best to define quality. It is also dependent on your insurance. Those with government-sponsored programs such as Medicaid or Medicare are often given the barest minimum of care while those with private insurance are provided every option possible.
With the increased use of e-cigarettes and/or vapes by high school students, authorities are trying to determine what if any safety these devices contain. In addition, the FDA is addressing the need for stricter regulation of who is allowed to purchase both devices.
Electronic cigarettes are an increasingly popular device that produces an aerosol by heating a liquid containing solvents, flavorings, and nicotine. The effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a way to stop smoking or reducing the number smoked is uncertain. The chance of this device becoming attractive to the youth of our country is very high. The limited scientific data about the safety of e-cigarettes is a trend that must be remedied and soon.
Being able to reach a reasonable conclusion of the internal states of others is called mentalization and is critical for successful social interactions. The main components of this system are the medial prefrontal cortex and the temporal-parietal junction. These areas show similar patterns during both the performance and observations of actions. People with autism have trouble mentalizing. This is important as difficulties with this in adults with autism; this is evident in tasks involving action processing. In addition, this issue can impair the understanding of the social intentions of others and this can lead to inappropriate social decisions. These decisions then can lead to maltreatment by others. This study was done to see if there was connectivity between regions of mentalization system when inferring the social intention of others from their actions. Adults with autism are significantly impaired on tasks that involve integrating information regarding others’ intended states with the surrounding context.
Medication prices continue to rise faster than many people can keep up with. Long told that pharmaceutical companies needed to recoup their costs from research and development, recent studies have found this is not true. The price of research and development are often covered within the first few years the medication is released to the public. The companies, however, rarely lower the retail price they charge the patients who are in need of the medicine.
With a rise in kidney illnesses, it is more important than ever to look for the underlying causes to slow its occurrence. One of the easiest ways we can influence our kidney function is to be mindful of how much sugary drinks like soda (soft drinks) we consume on a daily basis. This can decrease our propensity for obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders that can place undue stress on our kidneys.
A large group of researchers have uncovered a novel mechanism of neurotransmitters is released in the brain during schizophrenia. This elevated protein was noted not only schizophrenia but also other mental illnesses. the study was the first to study the relationship between mental illness and the level of protein. This is important as schizophrenia affects nearly one in 100 American adults and remains poorly understood.
In the picture above, the different lobes of the brain are color coded. According to the studies found concerning brain volume and schizophrenia, there are two main areas affected. These areas are colored green and the blue lobe that borders on the green. This illustrates why it is so important for research to continue in order to help those afflicted with schizophrenia as it is a lifelong disorder.
Osteoporosis occurs frequently in postmenopausal women. This often leads to women having a fracture. Some of these fractures can lead to becoming life-threatening or at the very least cause loss of independence.
Autophagy is a dynamic cellular pathway involved in the turn over of proteins, protein complexes, and organelles through lysosomal degradation. Defects in autophagy affect the intercellular communication and subsequently contributing to neurodegeneration. The presence of abnormal autophagy activity is frequently observed in selective neuronal populations in neurodegeneration seen in diseases like ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease.
Many studies have been conducted about finding lasting pain relief from osteoarthritis-the number one reason for joint pain; especially in older adults. Medication doesn't always work and they often come with unwanted side effects. It is time to investigate alternative ways to treat this joint pain.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic disease. The clinical management and treatment of this fatal disease are challenging for various reasons. And although antifibrotic therapies exist, doctors are still unable to tell which patient will benefit from individual treatments.
