Health Research: Pesticide found in milk decades ago may be associated with signs of Parkinson’s ♦ Using 'big data' to fight flu ♦ Preventing diabetes at the office

Pesticide found in milk decades ago may be associated with signs of Parkinson’s A pesticide used prior to the early 1980s and found in milk at that time may be associated with signs of Parkinson's disease in the brain.

Using 'big data' to fight flu Thanks to 'big data', researchers have identified new molecules that are instrumental in the replication of the flu virus. If these host proteins are blocked, influenza viruses are unable to multiply as effectively. The international study therefore makes a significant contribution towards the development of new treatments and flu drugs.

Preventing diabetes at the office For people who already have high blood sugar, preventing diabetes could amount to just another day at the office. Employees enrolled in a workplace intervention program as a group lost more weight, showed greater reductions in fasting blood sugar and ate less fat than employees who received only written health guidelines for diabetes prevention.

Potential treatment for cirrhosis discovered by scientists Cirrhosis is the main risk factor for liver cancer. The same target may be the key to preventing and treating this condition, suggests researchers at the conclusion of a recent study. Cirrhosis is among the top 20 causes of death from disease worldwide.

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.

12/17/14 Health News: Decoding fat cells: Why we gain weight ♦Taiwan recalls tainted tofu ♦ Energy efficient homes linked to asthma ♦ Gut microbiota Linked to Parkinson’s disease

Decoding fat cells: Discovery may explain why we gain weight

Researchers believe they're on track to solve the mystery of weight gain -- and it has nothing to do with indulging in holiday eggnog. They discovered that a protein, Thy1, has a fundamental role in controlling whether a primitive cell decides to become a fat cell, making Thy1 a possible therapeutic target, according to a study  Continue Reading

Taiwan recalls tainted dried tofu in fresh food scare

Taiwanese authorities ordered more than two tonnes of tofu be removed from shelves Wednesday over fears it could contain a banned industrial dye, in the island's latest food scandal. Almost 40 types of flavoured dried tofu involving ten different companies are suspected to have become contaminated with dimethyl yellow, which is linked to cancer in animals, the Food and Drug …Continue Reading

Energy efficient homes linked to asthma

The drive for energy efficient homes could increase asthma risks, according to new research that has found that a failure by residents to heat and ventilate retrofitted properties could lead to more people developing the respiratory condition. Continue Reading

Gut microbiota and Parkinson’s disease: Connection made

Parkinson’s disease sufferers have a different microbiota in their intestines than their healthy counterparts, according to a study.  Researchers are now trying to determine what the connection between intestinal microbes and Parkinson’s disease is.Continue Reading

4/23/14 Artificial Blood 'Will Be Manufactured in Factories' ♦ Doctors Implant Lab-grown Vagina ♦ Protein May Kill Brain Cells as Parkinson’s Progresses ♦ Flu Drugs May do More Harm Than Good

'Will Be Manufactured in Factories'

Wellcome Trust-funded stem cell research has produced red blood cells fit for transfusion into humans, paving the way for the mass production of blood. But the production of blood on an industrial scale could become a reality once a trial is conducted in which artificial blood made from human stem cells is tested in patients for the first time. Continue Reading

Doctors Implant Lab-grown Vagina

Four women have had new vaginas grown in the laboratory and implanted by doctors in the US. A tissue sample and a biodegradable scaffold were used to grow vaginas in the right size and shape for each woman as well as being a tissue match. They all reported normal levels of "desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction" and painless intercourse. Continue Reading

Too Much Protein May Kill Brain Cells as Parkinson’s Progresses

Scientists may have discovered how the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease destroys brain cells and devastates many patients worldwide.  The study was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); the results may help scientists develop new therapies. “This may be a major discovery for Parkinson’s disease patients,” said Ted Dawson, M.D., Ph.D.Source: Continue Reading

Flu Drugs May do More Harm Than Good, Researchers Find

Tamiflu and Relenza, antiviral drugs stockpiled by governments to tame influenza outbreaks, haven’t been proven to prevent pandemics and may cause more harm in some patients than good, researchers said after reviewing 170,000 pages of clinical-trial data.: Continue Reading

Too Much Protein may Kill Brain Cells as Parkinson’s Progresses

NIH-funded study on key Parkinson’s gene finds a possible new target for monitoring the disease

Scientists may have discovered how the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease destroys brain cells and devastates many patients worldwide. The study’s results may help scientists develop new therapies.

Parkinson’s killer lurks within NIH-funded scientists show that the deadly Parkinson’s gene LRRK2 can kill nerve cells (green) by tagging the s15 ribosomal protein (purple), a cog in a cell’s protein-making machinery.Courtesy of Dawson lab, JHU Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease.

The investigators found that mutations in a gene called leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2; pronounced “lark two” or “lurk two”) may increase the rate at which LRRK2 tags ribosomal proteins, which are key components of protein-making machinery inside cells. This could cause the machinery to manufacture too many proteins, leading to cell death.

“For nearly a decade, scientists have been trying to figure out how mutations in LRRK2 cause Parkinson’s disease,” said Margaret Sutherland, Ph.D., a program director at NINDS. “This study represents a clear link between LRRK2 and a pathogenic mechanism linked to Parkinson’s disease.”

Affecting more than half a million people in the United States, Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder that attacks nerve cells in many parts of the nervous system, most notably in a brain region called the substantia nigra, which releases dopamine, a chemical messenger important for movement. Initially, Parkinson’s disease causes uncontrolled movements; including trembling of the hands, arms, or legs. As the disease gradually worsens, patients lose ability to walk, talk or complete simple tasks.

“Our results support the idea that changes in the way cells make proteins might be a common cause of Parkinson’s disease and possibly other neurodegenerative disorders,” said Dr. Dawson.

3/23/14 Health News • Delaware didn’t inspect Cheese Plant that caused Listeria Infections ♦ Vitamin D Helps Breast Cancer Survival ♦ Coffee Fuels Drive for Drugs for Parkinson’s to Dementia

Delaware didn’t inspect Cheese Plant that caused Listeria Infections

The Delaware News Journal reported the reason not to inspect cheese producers like Roos Foods before it was shut down for Listeria was Delaware never sought expanded food safety inspection powers.

State rules kept blinders on local inspectors who made quarterly sanitation and compliance checks in a separate section where sour cream was produced in the same plant building that sent cheese to 10 eastern states, Texas and California. Continue Reading

Vitamin D Enhances Breast Cancer Survival

Women with high levels of vitamin D in their blood when they are diagnosed with breast cancer are almost twice as likely to survive as those with low levels of vitamin D, according to a meta-analysis published in the March issue of Anticancer Research. The meta-analysis looked at 5 studies of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) that reported hazard ratios for mortality from breast cancer by quintiles of the vitamin. Combined, the studies involved 4443 patients with breast cancer. Continue Reading

Coffee Fuels Drive for Drugs for Parkinson’s to Dementia

For clues to treatments for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, scientists are looking at their morning cup of joe. What they’ve found is that caffeine, the world’s most widely used drug, does more than wake people up. It’s been linked to improvements in memory and appears to protect against the destruction of brain cells. One study found that people who drank two or more cups of coffee a day had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s. Emboldened by these findings, some companies have been designing drugs to replicate those benefits.Continue Reading.