Food Research: Proof-of-concept for low-cost drug made in lettuce ♦ One in three Americans to need more vitamin E ♦ Soda tax boosts retail prices of sugary drinks

Proteins from rice: raw materials instead of waste Proteins remain after starch is extracted from rice. Until now, this valuable raw material was disposed of by rice starch producers at great expense. A new process is being developed to split proteins into smaller pieces, or peptides, and then clean them. The peptides can be put to good use in products such as cosmetics or nutritional supplements.

Proof-of-concept for low-cost drug made in lettuce Scientists have used a plant-based system to make shelf-stable drugs. The researchers confirmed the viability of their method for FDA approval and human use, producing an effective drug that promotes tolerance to clotting factors, which could be taken by hemophilia patients, using freeze-dried lettuce leaves

Soda tax boosts retail prices of sugary drinks, A new study addresses questions about the efficacy of a voter-approved soda tax passed in 2014. Voters in Berkeley approved the first excise tax in the country on sugar-sweetened beverages, but questions soon arose about whether the move would have its desired effect by increasing the retail price of soda. The latest signs say yes.

Metabolic syndrome leads one in three Americans to need more vitamin E One-third of Americans who have a cluster of health problems that add up to metabolic syndrome don't absorb dietary vitamin E as effectively as healthy people.

Health Research: Synthetic drugs that can cause cancer ♦ Exploring the ADHD-Autism link ♦ Protein that boosts immunity to viruses and cancer

Exploring the ADHD-Autism link A licensed clinical psychologist is focusing on the ADHD-autism link to better understand why people with ADHD and autism may be more prone to substance abuse and to develop more effective behavioral therapies

Scientists discover protein that boosts immunity to viruses and cancer Scientists have discovered a protein that plays a central role in promoting immunity to viruses and cancer, opening the door to new therapies. Experiments in mice and human cells have shown that the protein promotes the proliferation of cytotoxic T cells, which kill cancer cells and cells infected with viruses.

Difficult to break the soda habit? Sugar-sweetened beverages suppress body's stress response Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can suppress the hormone cortisol and stress responses in the brain, but diet beverages aspartame do not have the same effect,.

Increasing evidence points to inflammation as source of nervous system manifestations of Lyme disease About 15 percent of patients with Lyme disease develop peripheral and central nervous system involvement, often accompanied by debilitating and painful symptoms. New research indicates that inflammation plays a causal role in the array of neurologic changes associated with Lyme disease. The investigators also showed that the drug dexamethasone prevents many of these reactions.

Synthetic drugs: evidence that they can cause cancer  Almost weekly, a new synthetic psychoactive drug comes onto the market that can be ordered legally and easily, for example as an incense blend, via the Internet. Synthetic cannabinoids are difficult to identify chemically and the possible unwanted toxic effects that can occur following their consumption have so far rarely been investigated. As part of the international EU project "SPICE II Plus", researchers have now also found evidence that synthetic substances damage the DNA of human cells and can therefore possibly have cancer-causing effects.

Cancer Research: Popular Soda Ingredient Ups Cancer Risk--Milk proteins to treatment cancer-- Cancer treatment with new laser tech-- Drug target in certain breast and ovarian cancers

Popular Soda Ingredient Ups Cancer Risk  Public health researchers have analyzed soda consumption data in order to characterize people's exposure to a potentially carcinogenic by product of some types of caramel color. Caramel color is a common ingredient in colas and other dark soft drinks. Continue Reading

Milk proteins show promise in prevention and treatment of cancer  In a review of existing research, a team of Australian researchers found that milk proteins, consisting of short sequences called peptides, are potential candidates for the development of anticancer agents and can be generated by enzymatic action, such as those experienced during digestion or food processing, including fermentation. Their findings are in the recent issue of … Continue Reading

Potentially faster and more accurate mode of cancer treatment with new laser technology  Surgeons rely on 200-year-old technology when removing cancer -- sight and touch -- to determine how much to remove and what to leave alone. Laser technology has the promise to help a surgeon better determine if an area is cancer or healthy tissue. Moreover, when combined with laser treatment for cancer, this work lays the groundwork for laser robotic treatment of cancer.Continue Reading

Promising drug target in certain breast and ovarian cancers Scientists indicate that the pool of patients who can benefit from the drug olaparib is potentially much wider – and offers a ready means of identifying them. Continue Reading

Novel strategy to prevent progression of inflammation-associated cancers  By targeting the specific pathological function of the 'culprit' molecule rather than inhibiting its gene expression, new approach facilitates development of cancer drugs with fewer side effects  Continue Reading

10/25/14 Health News: LAWSUIT FILED TO BLOCK APPROVAL OF ENLIST DUO HERBICIDE ♦ Soda Making You Age Faster ♦ Should Hospitals Withholding Care to Ebola Patients

ANOTHER LAWSUIT FILED TO BLOCK EPA APPROVAL OF ENLIST DUO HERBICIDE

The Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) challenging the approval of Dow Chemical’s Enlist Duo herbicide, a blend of 2,4-D and glyphosate. The suit was filed in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of Beyond Pesticides, Center for Biological Diversity, Center... Continue Reading

Your Afternoon Soda Could Be Making You Age Faster

If the threat of heart disease, diabetes, or obesity wasn’t enough to make you put down your afternoon cola, this might: A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health reports that drinking one sugary soda a day may speed up the rate at which your body ages. Continue Reading

U.S. Hospitals Weigh Withholding Care to Ebola Patients

The Ebola crisis is forcing the American healthcare system to consider the previously unthinkable: withholding some medical interventions because they are too dangerous to doctors and nurses and unlikely to help a patient. U.S. hospitals have over the years come under criticism for undertaking measures that prolong dying rather than improve patients… Continue Read