Health Jockey

Ohio State University has revealed that according to their latest research, specific elements of marijuana are good for the aging brain. It is believed that they reduce inflammation in the brain and maybe even encourage the formation of new brain cells.

Though the exact cause of Alzheimer is unknown, it is presumed that a chronic inflammation in the brain causes memory impairment. Research insinuates that the development of a legal drug similar to marijuana may help curb or delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is similar to nicotine, caffeine and alcohol as agents that, when taken in moderation, have shown some protection against inflammation in the brain, which may mean a better memory later in life.

Gary Wenk, professor of psychology at Ohio State and principal investigator on the research, says that, “It’s not that everything immoral is good for the brain. It’s just that there Read the rest of this story >>

According to a latest research by the University of Virginia Health System, a daily dose of a special drug increases the muscle mass of older adults, without having any adverse side effects. This drug can be used to avoid any frailty due to aging.

The drug, MK-677, helps to increase muscle mass in the arms and legs of older adults. This is believed to be a safe and reliable way to decrease age related weakness.

Dr. Michael O. Thorner, a nationally recognized researcher of growth hormone regulation and a professor of internal medicine and neurosurgery at UVA, says that, “Our study opens the door to the possibility of developing treatments that avert the frailty of aging. The search for anti-frailty medications has become increasingly important because the average American is expected to live into his or her 80s, and most seniors want to stay strong enough to remain independent as they age.”

This study was conducted on Read the rest of this story >>

According to a latest research, a breakthrough in the use of viruses to target and destroy cancer cells has been reported. This is called the oncolytic virotherapy.

The research team was led by Dr. John Hiscott of McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and the Lady Davis Institute, along with Dr. John C. Bell and also colleagues from the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) are a part of this latest research. They have discovered that a variety of compounds called histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDIs) could be the missing link that turns oncolytic viruses into a powerful new weapon against cancer.

Dr. Hiscott says, “One of the greatest challenges in cancer therapy is to target and kill cancer cells that are resistant to conventional therapy. The strategy that we developed is to use a harmless, non-human virus that specifically enters, replicates and kills cancer cells, but not normal cells.” On the other Read the rest of this story >>

Five different research groups at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have come together and united their expertise to accelerate the rate of discovering cancer-related genes, which were then tested and confirmed on animals.

The end result of their combined efforts is a large-scale, rapid and cost-effective genetic screen. In a preliminary test, 13 new cancer tumor suppressors were discovered. These suppressors are genes that curb the movement of the cancer genes. Tumor suppressors are very crucial in cancer development; mostly in liver cancer, where it is unveiled that those people suffering from this illness, lack these suppressors.

Scott W. Lowe, Ph.D., a CSHL professor and a corresponding author of the study, states that these discoveries are a big leap forward in decoding cancer genetics, “and open up a host of new strategies to improve its diagnosis and treatment.”

Along with Lowe, other corresponding authors Read the rest of this story >>

According to the latest research, stress can physically reshape the size of the brain and also cause long-term harm to human beings as well as animals. Stress in the form of emotional, physical or mental tension is very harmful to the over all health of a living being.

Bruce McEwen, a neuroscientist at Rockefeller University, New York, says that, “Stress causes neurons (brain cells) to shrink or grow. The wear and tear on the body from lots of stress changes the nervous system.” Also that stress is “particularly worrying in the developing brain, which appears to be programmed by early stressful experience.”

It is believed that stress in early life, as early as in the womb, can lead to negative changes in the individual’s behavioral pattern and the ability to learn and remember, among other more serious issues.

Tallie Baram, a neurologist at the University of California, Irvine, says that, Read the rest of this story >>

Designer Duck Young Kong has designed a temperature checking device called the Lunar Baby Thermometer. The sick child’s temperature can be checked by just taking the thermometer in your hand and placing it on the child’s head.

The basic idea of this uniquely designed thermometer is based on the natural behavior of putting a hand to the forehead to measure internal heat of the body. This new device makes checking temperature easier because it rules out the uncomfortable option of sticking the thermometer inside the child’s body. A parent or guardian, whoever is checking the temperature, can just hold the thermometer in their hand and place their hand over the child’s forehead. The specially designed shape of this device makes it very user friendly. It is very easy to understand how to hold and use this device. The organic and ergonomic shape provides a secure grasp in the user’s hand.

This thermometer comes with Read the rest of this story >>

Researchers at the Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine have undertaken a very interesting study. Researchers have unveiled the reason why some “super aged” continue having a sharp memory despite their increasing age.

Scientists have used the term “super aged” to define the select group of old people whose brain power does not age with them. Thus a study was conducted to find the reason behind this. They examined the brain of five dead people who were considered to be “super aged”, because they had acquired high scores on a memory test despite being 80 at the time. Their brains were compared to the brain of normal elderly people who were also dead.

The study revealed that the “super-aged” brain had lesser fiber-like tangles as compared to the brains of the normal elderly people. These tangles are made up of a protein, tau. Tau multiplies in the brain cells and eventually destroys the cells. These tangles are commonly Read the rest of this story >>

Scientists have found a connection between two proteins in the brain that is linked to both nicotine addiction and autism. It is believed that existing drugs used to control nicotine addiction may form the base for potential therapies to lessen autism symptoms.

They discovered a protein made by the neurexin-1 gene. The neurexin-1 gene is located in the brain cells and helps in connecting neurons as a part of the brain’s chemical communication system. The aim of this protein is to attract another protein, a specific type of nicotine acetylcholine receptor, to the synapses. Here the role of the receptor includes helping the neurons communicate signals among themselves and also to the rest of the body.

Rene Anand, associate professor of pharmacology in Ohio State University’s College of Medicine and principal investigator of the research says that, “If we were to use drugs that mimic the actions of nicotine at an Read the rest of this story >>

A new research has unveiled a new technique to train the athlete’s brain in order to enhance their overall athletic performance.

Professor Jocelyn Faubert and postdoctoral student David Tinjust, from the School of Optometry of the Université de Montréal are the lead researchers of this study. They conducted a number of object training exercises on a few soccer, hockey and tennis players. Thus resulting in an average of 53% increase in the athletes over all capability to grasp a lot of information and use it effectively.

In a particular exercise the athletes in the automatic virtual environment cave were asked to follow the movement of a series of balls moving around. The volunteers were asked to follow the balls movement and also mark the ones which changed their color immediately. Each training session lasted for an hour. After each session their results were noted down and a clear sign of improvement in the athletes’ performance Read the rest of this story >>

According to a new research, physical activity in addition to atleast seven hours of sleep reduces the risk of women acquiring cancer.

The researchers are still not certain as to how does exercise influence and curb the development of cancer. However they believe that it could be due to an increased immunity, body weight and hormone levels. These researchers also studied the effects of sleep on potential cancer risk.

James McClain, Ph.D., cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute and also the lead author of this study states that, “Greater participation in physical activity has consistently been associated with reduced risk of cancer incidence at several sites, including breast and colon cancers. Short duration sleep appears to have opposing effects of physical activity on several key hormonal and metabolic parameters, which is why we looked at how it affected the exercise/cancer risk relationship.”

The Read the rest of this story >>