Top 5 Health News of the Week : 23rd – 28th November 2009
A warm welcome to all our readers. Not only have we reached the end of the week but also the month. This week was also a mixture of new researches, studies and innovations that you may want to get updated with. We are here to provide you with the top best news, if you have missed out on any news during this week.
The first top news of the week deals with colon cancer. A study conducted by Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland scientists has apparently detected a new class of therapeutic agents in soy that could avert and probably treat colon cancer. Sphingadienes (SDs) are claimed to be natural lipid molecules in soy that the study illustrates could be the answer to combat colon cancer. Additional examination apparently hinted that higher SDs could essentially provoke the death of mutant cells in the fly; thereby disclosing SDs to be cytotoxic compounds which are toxic to cells. Further study is needed to discover the finest method to transport SDs and to verify the by and large toxicity when the compounds are applied for extensive time durations and in grouping with other agents.
The next news deals with the development of Parkinson disease. As per Yale School of Medicine, Ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach could possibly be used to increase resistance to, or slow the development of Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is known to have been caused by a degeneration of dopamine neurons in substantia nigra which is responsible for dopamine production. The researchers found out that ghrelin is responsible for direct activation of the brain’s dopamine cells. During the study, the experts were believed to have carried out an experiment in mice that received ghrelin supplementation and in mice that were deficient in ghrelin hormone and in the ghrelin receptor. The study authors found that ghrelin seems to be protective of the dopamine neurons. In addition, the findings revealed that when compared to controls, mice with impaired ghrelin action in the brain seemed to have more loss of dopamine. Moreover, the findings could be easily translated to human use because the ghrelin system appeared to have been preserved via various species.
The third news is of relevance to heart patients. A new Henry Ford Hospital study claims that majority of the heart failure patients who develop kidney failure in the hospital apparently do not recuperate from it before going home and are said to be at an augmented threat of either being re-hospitalized or could die in a year. The study examined about 2,537 heart failure patients who were released from Henry Ford Hospital between Jan. 1, 2000 and June 30, 2008. Among patients whose kidney function deteriorated in the hospital, around 61 percent did not recuperate from it before discharge and their danger of additional health issues increased. Meanwhile, in about 39 percent of patients, their kidney dysfunction was apparently short-term and was supposedly not a major forecaster of increased death or re-hospitalization.
The subsequent news addresses the delicate issue of pregnancy, so pregnant women ought to pay attention to this one. A latest study from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found evidence that the quantity and timing of alcohol intake during pregnancy seems to affect child behaviour in different ways. The study discovered that those who drank reasonably during that first trimester appeared to be twice as likely to report those types of behavioral issues for their child. Moreover, exposure to moderate or heavy levels of alcohol in late pregnancy could probably increase the risk of aggressive types of behaviors in the child. The findings propose that both the timing and the amount of alcohol exposure in the womb apparently affect the type of behavioral problems expressed. Additionally, the findings exposed that low levels of alcohol appear to have not increased the risk of harm to the baby. However, evidence shows that the danger to the baby may increase with increasing amounts consumed.
The last important news of the weekly could be important to hypertension patients. University of Connecticut Health Center physician-scientists are believed to be examining into a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure. The study included patients with a diagnosis of treated or untreated high blood pressure and a vitamin D level in the inadequate range of 12 to 29. Moreover, these patients should not be consuming regular doses of vitamin D. Study involving genomic mouse models found that those with vitamin D deficiency seem to have developed higher production of renin and the protein angiotensin II thereby ensuing in hypertension. In the 14-week, double-blind, randomized trial, participants will possibly initially be given vitamin D replacement or the renin inhibitor aliskiren, then both medicines in combination. Additionally, the researchers will assess the equivalent changes in blood pressure both in the office setting and over a 24-hour period.
With this we come to the end of the weekly. Next week will be the start of a new month with more researches and innovations from the medical field. Till then, stay healthy and happy!
