Health News: Petition launched to remove Propyl Paraben from food ♦ Working up a sweat: It could save your life ♦ re-engineered to improve surgery outcomes

Petition launched to remove Propyl Paraben from food  Propyl paraben is the latest focus in the debate concerning additives that are “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS. The overall concern of the Environmental Working Group and other food safety advocates is that ingredients get defined as GRAS without pre-market review and approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration .

Working up a sweat: It could save your life  Physical activity that makes you puff and sweat is key to avoiding an early death, a large study of middle-aged and older adults has found. The researchers followed 204,542 people for more than six years, and compared those who engaged in only moderate activity (such as gentle swimming, social tennis, or household chores) with those who included at least some vigorous activity (such as jogging, aerobics or competitive tennis)

New blood signature analysis may help diagnose Parkinson’s disease earlier  A new blood test may more accurately identify blood signatures, or biomarkers, for Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. While biomarkers -- such as bad cholesterol level in the case of heart disease -- hasten diagnoses by offering accurate measures of disease progression, there are currently no fully validated biomarkers for Parkinson's disease.

Discovery of communication link between brain areas implicated in schizophrenia  An inhibitory connection between two brain areas has been discovered in mice that can control the timing of information flow into PFC. This insight may help explain what goes wrong in schizophrenia and indicate a path to new treatments.

Common drug is re-engineered to improve surgery outcomes  A gas molecule has been attached to protamine sulfate by a research team, creating a new nitric oxide generator that could potentially reduce bleeding complications during surgery. During open-heart procedures, physicians administer large doses of a blood-thinning drug called heparin to prevent clot formation. When given too much heparin, patients can develop complications from excessive bleeding. A common antidote is the compound protamine sulfate, which binds to heparin to reverse its effects.