Research Offers Promise for Cirrhosis Treatment

New findings about the inner workings of cells may be bringing scientists one step closer to reversing the scarring of the liver known as cirrhosis.

Currently, the best treatment for advanced cirrhosis is a liver transplant, an option that's often not available. But newly released research with mice suggests that a drug-based strategy could reprogram cells and make it "feasible to treat it [cirrhosis] and prevent it without a transplant," said study lead author Martina Buck, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

There's no guarantee, however, that the treatment will work in humans. And Buck said it could take at least five to 10 years for a drug to reach the market if a pharmaceutical company became interested in pursuing it.

But the research might also lead to new treatments for other conditions that lead to excess tissue scarring, such as viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, pulmonary fibrosis, scleroderma and burns, the study authors said.

At issue is scarring in the liver, an organ that filters out toxins and breaks down medications. The scarring is a "natural healing process," Buck said, but overuse of alcohol and diseases like hepatitis can make the scarring become chronic and lead to major health problems like cancer.

In the new study, Buck and her colleagues focused on liver cells that transform into scar tissue when activated. They used mice with severe liver fibrosis that was brought about by chronic exposure to a toxin known to cause liver damage. Next, they genetically engineered mice to activate a protein that provides protection against scarring.

The researchers found that the protein seemed to protect the mice from scarring, and "if you wait until [a mouse] has cirrhosis before you treat him, he will actually regress. It's not just a preventive thing. It's an actual treatment," Buck said.

The study was published Dec. 26 in the journalPublic Library of Science Online.

Research into the workings of liver cells in people suggests that the treatment might also work in humans, Buck said. Potentially, the treatment could be converted into a drug that could be given orally or intravenously, she said.

Dr. Scott Friedman, chief of the Division of Liver Diseases at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, said that while the study is useful, it's "not a major breakthrough" considering the many research projects in a similar stage of development.

Still, he said, it "builds on 20 years of very exciting research" that looks at how cells create scarring in the liver.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

University of Minnesota Developing Cyanide Antidote

University of Minnesota researchers are developing a fast-acting antidote to the deadly poison cyanide.

The scientists say their treatment is effective on mice. They hope to start human trials within three years.

The body already is able to detoxify the small amounts of cyanide that occur naturally in pitted fruits and other foods. Researcher Steven Patterson says the new antidote works with the body's natural protections.

Concerns over the potential use of cyanide as a chemical weapon by terrorists led to the federal funding of the research. But firefighters might benefit most of all from the antidote because building fires produce large amount of the poison.

Researchers hope their antidote becomes part of a standard kit given to first responders.

Source: http://wkbt.com/

7 Medical Myths That Might Have Your Doctor Duped

Medical myths abound. For Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis, the last straw was hearing an ominous radio report that warned parents that strangers might try to poison their kids on Halloween. "There hasn't been one documented case of a stranger actually doing that," Carroll says. (He adds that the few Halloween candy poisoning cases that have occurred have involved the child's family, not strangers.) The radio story prompted Carroll and a fellow pediatrician, Rachel Vreeman of the Indiana University School of Medicine, to start looking for other common, unsubstantiated beliefs. They found numerous examples and have just published a report in the British Medical Journal naming seven common medical misconceptions and laying out the evidence for why they're not true.

1. We Use Only 10 Percent of Our Brain. People have been spouting this "fact" since 1907, but numerous brain-imaging studies have shown that no area of the brain is completely inactive.
2. Drink at Least Eight Glasses of Water a Day. We've all heard that we're supposed to drink before we're thirsty and that our pee should be as clear as mineral water, but most of us get plenty of water from food and other drinks. Drinking water when you're thirsty makes sense, but eight glasses is setting the bar too high for many people.
3. Hair and Fingernails Continue to Grow After Death. Makes for creepy fiction, yes, but actually it's the retraction of desiccating skin that makes the nails or hair of a cadaver appear to be growing. Real growth requires complex hormonal regulation, which stops at death.
4. Shaving Hair Causes It to Grow Back Faster, Darker, and Coarser. No, no, and no. Newly sprouted hair looks dark because it has had minimal exposure to sun or chemicals, and it seems coarse because shaved hair lacks the finer taper seen at the ends of unshaven hair.
5. Reading in Dim Light Ruins Your Eyesight. Dim light may force you to strain or squint your eyes, most ophthalmologists say, but it does not cause any eye damage.
6. Eating Turkey Makes You Drowsy. Tryptophan, an amino acid that's linked to mood control and can cause drowsiness, is found in turkey meat. But chicken and ground beef contain similar amounts, and pork and Swiss cheese contain even more tryptophan per gram. Any large meal can induce sleepiness by decreasing blood flow to the brain.
7. Mobile Phones Are Dangerous in Hospitals. Not one death caused by the use of a cellphone in a hospital has ever been reported, according to Carroll and Vreeman, though equipment malfunctions occasionally have been. Research actually suggests that allowing physicians to use cellphones inside hospitals reduces the risk of medical error and injury.

Source: health.usnews.com

Sex Education Found to Help Teenagers Delay Sex

Teenagers who have had formal sex education are far more likely to put off having sex, contradicting earlier studies on the effectiveness of such programs, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

They found teenage boys who had sex education in school were 71 percent less likely to have intercourse before age 15, and teen girls who had sex education were 59 percent less likely to have sex before age 15.

Sex education also increased the likelihood that teen boys would use contraceptives the first time they had sex, according to the study by researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"Sex education seems to be working," Trisha Mueller, an epidemiologist with the CDC who led the study, said in a statement. "It seems to be especially effective for populations that are usually at high risk."

Mueller's team looked at a 2002 national survey of 2,019 teens aged 15 to 19.

They found teen boys who had sex education in school were nearly three times more likely to use birth control the first time they had intercourse. But sex education appeared to have no effect on whether teen girls used birth control, the researchers found.

Black teenage girls who had sex education in school were 91 percent less likely to have sex before age 15.

The researchers did not evaluate the content of sex education programs, including whether students were taught about contraception or about abstinence only.

Earlier studies, which relied on data from the 1970s through the 1990s, suggested sex education did little to persuade teens to delay sex.

The researchers said they think the difference may be that sex education in the United States is now more widespread and is being taught at earlier ages.

"Unlike many previous studies, our results suggest that sex education before first sex protects youth from engaging in sexual intercourse at an early age," they wrote.

Source: www.reuters.com

Study Says Green Tea May Cut Prostate Cancer Risk

Drinking green tea may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer, according to a study by researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center.

It said men who drank five or more cups a day might halve the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer compared with those who drank less than one cup a day.

"This does not mean that people who drink green tea are guaranteed to have reduced risk of advanced prostate cancer," said Norie Kurahashi, a scientist who took part in the study.

"We are just presenting our results. But the study does point to the hope that green tea reduces the risk of advanced prostate cancer."

Prostate cancer is much less common among Asian men than Western men, and that may be partly due to the effects of the high consumption of green tea in Asia, the study said.

But it said further studies are needed to confirm the preventive effects of green tea on prostate cancer, including well-designed clinical trials.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, compiled data from 50,000 men aged 40-69 over a period of up to 14 years from 1990.

Cancer Research UK says on its Web site that a study of almost 20,000 Japanese men published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2006 found no relationship between green tea and prostate cancer.

Source: uk.reuters.com

Severe Psoriasis May Up Risk of Death

Study Shows Patients With Severe Psoriasis Die Earlier

Psoriasis is not generally thought of as life-threatening, but it just might be for those with the severest forms of the disease.

People with severe psoriasis had a 50% increased risk of death compared with people without the inflammatory skin disease in a newly reported study.

Men with severe psoriasis died an average of 3.5 years earlier than men without the condition, while women with severe psoriasis died 4.4 years earlier than women without psoriasis.

Having mild psoriasis was not associated with an increased risk of death, and the researchers did not have information on causes of death.

But researcher Joel M. Gelfand, MD, says the findings make it clear that patients with severe psoriasis are at greater risk than has been realized.

"To put this in perspective, this finding suggests that more years of life are lost related to severe psoriasis than to severe hypertension," he tells WebMD.

Psoriasis and Death

As many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis, according to the National Institutes of Health.

About 80% to 85% of patients have mild to moderate psoriasis, while 15% to 20% have more extensive skin involvement. These patients generally require treatment with systemic medications like the drugs methotrexate and cyclosporine or newer biologics such as Enbrel, Remicade, and Humira.

Using a national medical records database from the U.K., Gelfand and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine identified 133,568 patients with mild psoriasis, defined as having a diagnosis of psoriasis but no history of treatment for the condition.

An additional 3,951 patients were identified with severe psoriasis.

For each patient, up to five people without psoriasis who visited doctors for other causes were used for comparison.

During the study period, the death rate among patients with severe psoriasis was almost twice as high as in patients without psoriasis (21.3 deaths per 1,000 individuals per year vs. 12 deaths per 1,000 individuals per year).

During the study period, patients with severe psoriasis had a 50% increased risk of death compared with those without psoriasis. Those with milder psoriasis didn't have an increased risk of death compared to those without psoriasis.

The study appears in the December issue of the Archives of Dermatology.

Is Inflammation to Blame?

Earlier research by Gelfand and others found that people with severe psoriasis are at increased risk for a wide range of chronic conditions, including heart disease.

Psoriasis is now widely believed to be an autoimmune disease involving inflammation and the accelerated growth of skin cells and blood vessels, which produce the swollen, red lesions characteristic of the condition.

"One theory is that this chronic inflammation impacts other organs and systems within the body," Elizabeth Horn, PhD, of the International Psoriasis Council tells WebMD.

Inflammation within the body is increasingly recognized as a major contributor to a host of life-threatening conditions.

"We know that chronic inflammation is bad for a variety of organs and that it is probably involved in a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes," Gelfand says.

Horn says the latest research should serve as a wake-up call to patients and their doctors that severe psoriasis is a serious disease.

"We are learning that there is something happening in people with severe psoriasis that may not be happening with milder forms of the disease," she says.

Horn and Gelfand agree that patients with severe psoriasis need to be especially vigilant about taking care of their overall health.

"It is very important for these patients to see their internist regularly, to have age-appropriate screenings, and to have their cardiovascular risks assessed and treated, if necessary," Gelfand says.

Source: www.webmd.com

10 'Healthy' Foods That Aren't So Healthy

Ever wonder why you can’t lose weight even though you’re eating “healthy?”

More than likely it’s because you’re misinformed as to what really constitutes healthy food, nutritionist and dietician Tanya Zuckerbrot told Foxnews.com.

“When I see some of the food choices people make I wonder if it’s just that people don’t care,” said Zuckerbrot, author of the F-Factor Diet. “But I really think it’s just that people don’t know what’s good for them and what’s not.”

Here are 10 healthy foods that aren’t:

Olive oil: Sure it’s a heart-healthy monounsaturated oil, but it’s also rich in calories and fat. “Oil is oil,” Zuckerbrot said.

“Whether it’s olive oil or some other kind of oil, it still has 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon. You’re better off using a pat of butter (for bread) than dipping it in olive oil because the bread sops up the oil like a sponge. So a little bit of butter is better than a lot of olive oil.”

Tuna fish: Think that tuna sandwich is a light lunch? Think again. The average overstuffed tuna sandwich served in a restaurant contains 700 calories and 43 grams of fat.

The reason? The mayo. “Tuna fish has just 35 calories per ounce and it’s full of omega-3s, but mayonnaise has 100 calories per tablespoon,” Zuckerbrot said. “You’re better off having a turkey or even a roast beef sandwich. Even chicken salad is better than tuna salad, because tuna is so fine there’s a lot more surface area for the mayonnaise to fill.”

Granola: The term granola may be used to describe health-conscious people, but the cereal itself is actually quite fattening. That’s because granola cereals often contain oils, including high in saturated fat coconut oil, sugar, nuts and other high calorie foods.

“Something like Fiber One has 60 calories per half cup and 14 grams of fiber versus a half cup of granola, which was 240 calories, 5 to 10 grams of fat and just 3 grams of fiber,” Zuckerbrot said, adding that fiber is the key to feeling full and satiated.

Organic food: Organic food may be preservative and pesticide free, but that doesn’t mean it’s also calorie-free, said Zuckerbrot. “I mean they make organic potato chips so what does that tell you,” she said.

Sushi: Tuna sashimi is very healthy. A California roll or tempura roll, not so much, said Zuckerbrot.

“Japanese food is inherently healthy, but when you Americanize it and start adding things like cream cheese and avocado, that’s when you run into problems,” she said.

Tuna sashimi, for example, has about 35 calories and 1 gram of fat per ounce. But a spicy tuna roll has 290 calories and 11 grams of fat, and a tempura roll has 320 calories and 17 grams of fat. “You’re better off going with tuna sashimi, miso soup (36 calories) and a salad (35 calories with a tablespoon of non-creamy ginger dressing).”

Pizza: “Yes the sauce is high in lycopene, but all the lycopene in the world is not going to convince me pizza is a heart-healthy food,” Zuckerbrot said. “And mozzarella cheese is a good source of calcium, but it’s also high in calories.”

An average slice of pizza sold in New York City has between 600 and 700 calories. A more traditional slice, about one-twelfth of a pie, has between 300 and 400 calories, said Zuckerbrot. “And most people eat at least two slices to feel satisfied,” she said. “Your best bet is to eat one slice and get a salad or a cup of minestrone soup on the side so that you feel satisfied and save on the calories.”

Frozen diet meals: Sure Lean Cuisine and Weight Watcher frozen entrees are fairly low in calories and convenient, but they’re also highly processed and high in sodium.

“I understand the convenience factor, but most of these meals have more than 600 milligrams of sodium and the portions are really small and they’re not really satisfying,” Zuckerbrot said. “So you eat one for dinner and then by 9:00 you’re hungry again. You’re better off eating a slice of whole wheat bread with some light sauce and light mozzarella or an egg white omelet with some vegetables.”

Protein bars: Another convenient food, but not very nutritious. Zuckerbrot describes protein bars as her least favorite food and said they are basically glorified candy bars. They’re also often high in calories, fat and do little to satisfy a person’s hunger.

A better choice, said Zuckerbrot, is hitting the salad bar and grabbing lots of lettuce, artichokes and broccoli, topped with plain balsamic vinegar. For 100 to 200 calories, you get a lot more for a lot less calories.

Pretzels: They’re low in fat and low on nutrition. “They’re basically empty calories,” Zuckerbrot said. “Inherently, pretzels themselves are not unhealthy, but they’re basically all sugar so they’ll make you hungrier and you’ll gain weight as a result of over-eating."

Fat-free, sugar-free muffins: Regardless of whether a muffin is fat free or sugar free, they still usually have around 600 calories, according to Zuckerbrot.

“It’s nothing but cake in disguise, especially these double chocolate chip-type muffins,” she said. “But even bran muffins, they’re very dense, very high in calories. The same thing goes for scones. People think that because they’re not sweet, they’re healthy. But scones are full of butter.”

Source: www.foxnews.com

Japanese Doctor Makes Stem Cell Breakthrough

The debate about using embryonic stem cells for medical research has been known to be a very passionate topic for millions of people, both of whom are for and those who are against the research. There have been many proven positive results from the previous exams that have been created, that is was important to Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese doctor, to create a stem cell reproduction that did not involve actual stem cells.

For the last eight years, Dr. Yamanaka has been searching for a means in seeing is such a result would be feasible. Today, Dr. Yamanaka is pleased to announce that he is indeed one of the many new researchers that have found that there is new evidence to support that there can be reproduction and healing for millions of people through adult skin cells versus embryonic skin cells. The function of the adult skin cells is known to work just the same, and have the same healing properties. This is thought to believe that it will be helpful for those that will not be able to receive medical attention otherwise, especially with all of the large debates that are always at hand for the embryonic stem cells.

This new revelation is said to be one of the best revelations in medical history in the last few years, as it will be able to assist those that need the medical attention, but all without having to be a hassle on others. This discovery is said to not only be of benefit for the United States people, but for also the county of Japan, where the doctor is from. This is because the country has fallen behind on medical advancements, and such a discovery is though to be not only beneficial for all, but a step ahead for Japan.

Source: www.dbtechno.com

Six Reasons to Have Sex Every Week

Studies show that regular sex (with all due precautions taken) provides a host of surprising health benefits.

Sex is good for adults. Indulging on a regular basis—at least once a week—is even better. Research links sex (with all safer-sex precautions taken) to an astonishing array of physiological benefits, from longevity to pain relief. Many studies don't address whether the health bonus comes from the act itself or from the corresponding emotional intimacy, but the bottom line is that getting physical has some great side effects—especially for women. Here are six ways that sex boosts your health:

1. It Fights Colds and Flu. Sexual intercourse once or twice a week raises the body's level of the immune-boosting antibody immunoglobin A by a third, according to research at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.

2. It's a Beauty Treatment. In a study at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, a panel of judges viewed participants through a one-way mirror and guessed their ages. Those who looked seven to 12 years younger than their age (labeled "superyoung") were also enjoying lots of sex—four times a week, on average. OK, maybe they were having so much fun because they looked young. But it's likely the sex was helping, researchers say. One reason is that it raises a woman's estrogen level, which helps make hair shiny and skin supple.

3. It Burns Calories. A little over four calories a minute, or the equivalent of four Hershey's kisses in a half hour of love. Think of it as part of your weekly exercise regime, and burn, baby, burn.

4. Yes, Honey, I Have a Headache. For a woman a migraine might actually be a reason for making love rather than avoiding intercourse: the increase in endorphins and corticosteroids during arousal and orgasm is analgesic.

5. It Promotes Regular Menstrual Cycles. A series of studies by behavioral endocrinologist Winnifred Cutler and colleagues at Columbia and Stanford universities found that women who have intercourse at least weekly (except during their period) cycle more regularly than abstainers or the sporadically active. (Related research found that lesbian lovemaking also smoothes out menstrual cycles.) Cutler argues that intimacy is essential, not orgasms: "Regular exposure to a loving partner has extraordinary effects on health and well-being."

6. It Can Prevent Accidents. Women use the muscles of the pelvic floor to stem the flow of urine. As they age, they need to keep these strong to avoid peeing accidentally. The same muscles are exercised during intercourse, and as with all muscle-building programs, the benefits require consistency.

And if you're too tired to have sex, check out our By the Numbers on napping for tips on getting a little extra shut-eye during the day.

Source: www.newsweek.com

Try Honey For Kids' Coughs, Study Says

www.cbsnews.com

Maybe Grandma Was Right: New Study Says Honey At Bedtime Can Calm A Child's Cough

A little bit of honey, taken before bedtime, may ease coughing in children.

Pennsylvania State University researchers reported that news based on 130 children with coughs.

On average, the kids were 5 years old (age range: 2 to 18) and had had a cough from colds for about four days.

When the kids saw a doctor about their cough, the parents rated the severity of the kids' cough symptoms, including frequency of coughing and effects on sleep.

Ian Paul, MD, and colleagues sent the parents home with one of three treatments:

• A dose of dextromethorphan, a drug used in many over-the-counter cough suppressants
• A dose of buckwheat honey
• No treatment

The parents gave the children their assigned treatment half an hour before bedtime. The next morning, the parents again rated their children's symptoms.

Honey ranked highest, followed by dextromethorphan, and the placebo was in last place in terms of cough relief.

A closer look at the data shows that honey trumped no treatment. But honey's slim lead over dextromethorphan may have been due to chance.

Honey's benefits may be due to its antioxidants and microbe-fighting effects, Paul's team notes. They add that dark honeys, such as buckwheat honey, tend to be rich in antioixdants and that further studies are needed to check their findings.

Few kids had side effects from the treatments, though mild hyperactivity, nervousness, and insomnia were reported in five kids in the honey group, two children in the over-the-counter medicine group, and none in the placebo group.

Children less than 12 months old should not be fed honey since it can cause botulism in infants.

The study, funded by the National Honey Board, appears in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.