Cancer Research:'Smart fat cells' cross blood-brain barrier to catch early brain tumors ♦ Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer

'Smart fat cells' cross blood-brain barrier to catch early brain tumors An MRI contrast agent that can pass through the blood-brain barrier will allow doctors to detect deadly brain tumors called gliomas earlier, say researchers. This ability opens the door to make this fatal cancer treatable.

Multiple-dose, targeted radiation more effective for treating pituitary tumors Multiple small doses of highly focused radiation therapy is safer and more effective than a single larger dose of radiation at destroying pituitary gland tumors.

Immunotherapy breakthrough now approved as standard of care for advanced melanoma A first-of-its-kind (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as first-line treatment for metastatic melanoma—allowing greater access to this therapy for patients without having to previously receive other prior treatments.

Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer Researchers have found that magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer. Using information from the VITamins and Lifestyle study, the study analyzed data on more than 66,000 men and women, between the ages of 50 and 76, looking at the direct association between magnesium and pancreatic cancer.

Brain Research: Mosquito-borne virus may lead to severe brain infection ♦ Link found between early-stage brain and heart disease ♦ Study 'opens gate' to understanding depression

Mosquito-borne virus may lead to severe brain infection The mosquito-borne virus chikungunya may lead to severe brain infection and even death in infants and people over 65.

Study 'opens gate' to understanding depression A new scientific model that incorporates the myriad drivers of depression could lead to more precise treatment for an illness that affects 350 million worldwide.

Magnesium ions show promise in slowing progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice In mouse models Alzheimer's disease, oral administration of magnesium-L-threonate (MgT) alleviated cognitive decline.

Contact sports played by amateurs increase risk of degenerative disorder Scientists have recently found evidence that professional football players are susceptible to a progressive degenerative disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repetitive brain trauma. Now, researchers have discovered a significant and surprising amount of CTE in males who had participated in amateur contact sports in their youth.

Link found between early-stage brain and heart disease A connection between very early stages of brain and heart disease has been identified by researchers in the Netherlands .

Women's Health: Most healthy women would benefit from light meal during labor ♦ Magnesium during labor may reduce risk of fever in mothers and complications in babies

Physical activity has greater impact on body composition in postmenopausal women Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, regardless of your age. But a new study shows that some types of physical activity have a greater impact on body composition in postmenopausal compared to premenopausal women.

Unhealthy pregnancy weight gain tips the scales for mothers seven years later For the first time, researchers studied the association between gestational weight gain and long-term weight retention among a multiethnic urban population. Results show that mothers with excessive weight gain during pregnancy weighed more and had greater body fat seven years after delivery if they began pregnancy at normal or at slight overweight and suggest that excessive gestational weight gain has long-term consequences for women who are normal weight or a little overweight before pregnancy.

Most healthy women would benefit from light meal during labor Most healthy women can skip the fasting and, in fact, would benefit from eating a light meal during labor, suggests new research. Improvements in anesthesia care have made pain control during labor safer, reducing risks related to eating, researchers note.

Magnesium during labor may reduce risk of fever in mothers and complications in babies Women who received magnesium sulfate during labor were less likely to develop maternal fever, a condition that can lead to a variety of complications in newborns including difficulty breathing, seizures, cerebral palsy and a condition known as “floppy baby syndrome,” characterized by inadequate muscle tone.