Generally, environmental events of a challenging sort as well as the body’s response to such events. Of particular interest has been the relationship between stress and the body’s adaptation to it on the one hand and the body’s susceptibility to disease on the other. Both outcomes involve behavioral and brain changes as well as psychosomatic events, that is, changes in body function arising from the ability of the brain to control such function through neural output as well as hormones.
Vitamin E or Metformin May Not Be Effective for Treating Liver Disease in Children and Teens – In contrast to previous preliminary data, use of vitamin E or the diabetes drug metformin was not superior to placebo on a measured outcome for treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children and adolescents.
Low carbohydrate diet may reverse kidney failure in people with diabetes – Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time determined that the ketogenic diet, a specialized high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, may reverse impaired kidney function in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Spring-cleaning the mind? — Concordia study shows a cluttered brain doesn’t remember – Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.
Stanford research moves nanomedicine one step closer to reality – A class of engineered nanoparticles — gold-centered spheres smaller than viruses — has been shown safe when administered by two alternative routes in a mouse study led by investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Moderate sleep and less stress may help with weight loss — Kaiser Permanente study finds people who slept 6-8 hours a night and reported lower stress levels lost more weight – A new Kaiser Permanente study found that people trying to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to reach that goal if they had lower stress levels and slept more than six hours but not more than eight hours a night.
Coffee drinking linked to reduced stroke risk in women — American Heart Association rapid access journal report – Drinking more than a cup of coffee a day was associated with a 22 percent to 25 percent lower risk of stroke, compared with those who drank less, in a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Essential oil pill prevents PMS – A pill containing a mix of essential oils has been shown to significantly reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), revealed by researchers in BioMed Central’s journal Reproductive Health.
Human protein improves muscle function of muscular dystrophy mice – A novel potential therapy based on a natural human protein significantly slows muscle damage and improves function in mice who have the same genetic mutation as boys with the most common form of muscular dystrophy, according to a paper published online Dec._27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Parents favor genetic testing for melanoma in their children – The vast majority of parents who tested positive for a genetic mutation that increases the risk of melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) support genetic testing of their children or grandchildren. Results of the two-year study at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) appear in the December issue of the journal Genetics in Medicine. The data could lead to the establishment of formal, evidence-based guidelines for genetic testing of people younger than 18 years.
New report: Employer health insurance premiums increased 41 percent from 2003 to 2009 — Effective Affordable Care Act implementation could save up to $3,000 per year for family policies by 2020 – Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Yet, insurance is buying less.
Allotment gardeners reap healthy rewards – People who have an allotment, especially those aged over 60, tend to be significantly healthier than those who do not, reveales researchers in BioMed Central’s journal Environmental Health.
Having severe acne may increase suicide risk — Research: Association of suicide attempts with acne and treatment with isotretinoin: Retrospective Swedish cohort study – Individuals who suffer from severe acne are at an increased risk of attempting suicide, revealed by researchers in a paper published in BMJ.
