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Sunday, 30 April 2017
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Goggles give Charlie new sight
Motherhood in the time of Zika
Saturday, 29 April 2017
Three vloggers talk directly to their mental illnesses.
Smartphone 'orders' body to treat diabetes
Friday, 28 April 2017
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
The Only Recipe You Need to Make a Perfect Skinny Margarita
There's a lot to love about a classic margarita. Hey, it's classic for a reason, right? But juicy grapefruit, mango or blood orange margaritas sound pretty good too. This margarita formula allows you to mix up a pitcher with whatever fruit flavor you're in the mood for. We use just a touch of simple syrup and add fresh fruit juice for sweetness, flavor and color. Plus, these margaritas taste so good no one will miss the cloying sweetness of a restaurant-style or premade-mix margarita—which can have 10 to 15 teaspoons of added sugar.
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
DIY gun control: The people taking matters into their own hands
Debbie Douglas on her breast surgeon Ian Paterson
No Excuses: Exercise Can Overcome the 'Obesity Gene'
Physical activity appears to lower effects of key DNA linked to weight gain, study finds
Source: HealthDay via Exercise and Physical Fitness New Links: MedlinePlus RSS Feed Read More Here..
Defying dementia: Live better for longer after a diagnosis
Creative people physically see and process the world differently
Creative people physically see and process the world differently
Creative people physically see and process the world differently
Poorna Bell on the addiction and suicide of her husband
GPs fear sexual health will become ‘Cinderella service of NHS’
Bureaucratic, financial and training barriers are in danger of reversing major improvements Related items from OnMedica 4% fewer patients accessed sexual health services last year Access to UK sexual health clinics has worsened over past few years Sexual health ‘savings’ are a false economy Fragmented sexual health system is failing users |
MPs say NHS must be at the heart of Brexit talks
Commons Health Committee calls for guarantees to ensure continuity for staff and patients Related items from OnMedica Brexit white paper unveiled: what next for the NHS? Grant EU doctors permanent residence now, BMA urges government Brexit business has become real – the NHS must keep watch Brexit: what’s next for UK science and patients? NHS should be ‘at the forefront’ of general election debate, RCGP says |
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drugs Fund ‘wasteful and harmful’
Damning analysis found only one in five treatments was beneficial Related items from OnMedica Expensive cancer drugs have little impact on survival UK patients losing out in access to cancer drugs Cancer drug access in England is a ‘debacle’ MPs slam government for its poor management of Cancer Drugs Fund 75% of reappraised CDF drugs approved for NHS |
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Too many terminally ill patients still dying in hospital
Charity urges people to be more open in talking about death and dying Related items from OnMedica Palliative care Plea for greater GP role in end-of-life care Palliative/end-of-life care provision a ‘postcode lottery’ in England Care of the dying compromised by NHS pressures |
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Hopes for early warning glaucoma detector
New test could reveal signs of change a decade before damage is done Related items from OnMedica Eye problems Eye problems: the eyelids Eye test may reveal signs of dementia Infective conjunctivitis cases ‘clogging up’ GP appointments system STPs can help CCGs deliver eye care at scale |
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Cancer Drug Fund didn’t deliver value ‘to patients or society’
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Thousands of lives at risk as Gaza public hospitals face fuel and electricity crisis
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
Did Goya get an autoimmune disease before his art went scary?
3 Mother's Day Breakfast-in-Bed Menus to Make Mom Feel Like a Queen
I'm a working mother of two kids under 5. What do I want for Mother's Day? Breakfast in bed. I want to sleep in till 7 (gasp!). I want my hubby to bring me a cup of coffee and that stack of magazines I've been meaning to read for months years. And I want my family to make me breakfast while I sit lazily in the comfort of that lovely piece of furniture that doesn't see enough of me: bed.
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Addicted to love? Craving comes in two forms, and both can hurt
Your inner hoarder: Why letting go is so hard to do
Psychedelic drugs push the brain to a state never seen before
Defying dementia: How to keep your brain fighting fit
Defying dementia: How to keep your brain fighting fit
Unstable chromosomes in lung tumours linked to heightened relapse risk
Finding could help predict disease return before standard tests can, say researchers Related items from OnMedica Survival rates rise for lung cancer surgery UK lung cancer survival rates are improving Major boost for lung cancer diagnosis Blood test could help predict response to lung cancer treatment |
Better Care Fund ‘ruse’ to hide lack of funds for adult social care
And it has failed to achieve any of its stated objectives, says highly critical report Related items from OnMedica Major reform of social care funding and provision needed Set up independent ‘Office for Health and Care Scrutiny,’ Lords demand Integrated health and social care workforces is the future Better Care Fund ‘built on flawed logic’ NHS to have protected slice of the joint health/social care fund |
Government still clueless on GP extended access issues, say MPs
No understanding of current provision or how to maximise existing resources Related items from OnMedica It ‘beggars belief’ that seven-day NHS plans are uncosted, say MPs Poor GP access ‘not chief reason for A&E winter pressures’ Pressure increases on CCGs to meet GP access targets To improve GP access, we all need to step out of the trenches The incredible invisible bed crisis |
Paediatrician shortfall jeopardising child health services
Workforce data reveal widespread vacancy rates for senior doctors and trainees Related items from OnMedica Children’s services at ‘breaking point’ survey reveals Three quarters of CCGs miss child mental health target New child care standards could cut hospital admissions Neonatal staff shortage warning Staff survey results ‘alarming’, say health leaders |
Plain cigarette packs may be helping to drive down smoking prevalence
Cochrane review finds that emerging evidence seems to back the measure Related items from OnMedica Smoking cessation Cancer charity calls for a ‘tobacco levy’ to save quit services Hospitals 'must' become tobacco-free Report claims plain packaging has cut smoking rates Global tobacco treaty cuts smoking rates by 2.5% |
Cheap and accessible drug tackles death in childbirth
Postpartum haemorrhage: Cheap lifesaver 'cuts deaths by a third'
Wednesday, 26 April 2017
'Exciting' blood test spots cancer a year early
Anne-Marie Slaughter: A year's maternity leave is too long for mothers
American woman gives birth during family trip to a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska
Pollution nanoparticles may enter your blood and cause disease
Vital that parties tackle NHS funding shortfall
Politicians must show how they will address £30bn funding gap in the NHS, says BMA Related items from OnMedica GP politician makes direct plea to Chancellor on NHS funding Doctors make plea to PM over NHS funding |
Defying dementia: It is not inevitable
Air pollution: 'Heart disease link found'
Put patients before Brexit, College tells politicians
RCGP urges all parties to put general practice and patient care at the centre of manifestos Related items from OnMedica Unmanageable GP workload threatens safety of patient care, warns GP leader GP Forward View has had ‘patchy’ first year Brexit: what’s next for UK science and patients? |
Health system complexities holding back HIV progress
Services need to focus on quality of life in older people, not just on viral suppression Related items from OnMedica Preventing HIV GPs should offer HIV tests in routine appointments UK HIV diagnosis rates twice as high as western Europe HIV infection may make patients vulnerable to diabetes Scotland first country in UK to fund PrEP through NHS |
Long delay after FIT linked to higher risk of cancer
Increased risk of colorectal cancer when colonoscopy delayed after positive screening test Related items from OnMedica Developing and using a tool to improve outcomes in colorectal cancer Early stage bowel cancer more likely to be picked up by screening Fifth of emergency bowel cancer cases had red flag symptoms Nearly a third of hospitals failing bowel cancer patients |
Real food and brisk daily walk best for heart health
Common belief that saturated fats clog arteries and cause CHD ‘plain wrong’, say experts Related items from OnMedica Advice to eat more fat, sparks major health row Diet for lowering blood pressure also reduces risk of kidney disease Mediterranean diet reduces brain shrinkage in elderly May be time for Britons to switch to Mediterranean diet, study suggests Nutrition more important than calories, say experts |
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Artificial womb helps premature lamb fetuses grow for 4 weeks
'500kg' Egyptian woman's sister accuses Indian doctors of lying
Mid-Life Exercise Could Jog Your Memory
Combination of aerobic, resistance training best for boosting brain health, study finds
Source: HealthDay via Exercise and Physical Fitness New Links: MedlinePlus RSS Feed Read More Here..
Exercise Benefits Aging Hearts, Even Those of The Obese
Physical activity helps ward off heart damage in middle age and beyond, study finds
Source: HealthDay via Exercise and Physical Fitness New Links: MedlinePlus RSS Feed Read More Here..
Premature lambs kept alive in 'plastic bag' womb
Doctors concerned over talking to DVLA about patients
New GMC guidance on doctors disclosing information to DVLA comes into effect today Related items from OnMedica Driving errors double due to mild dehydration Lower drink-drive limit, says police GPs tell DVLA about patients who should not be driving |
GP Forward View has had ‘patchy’ first year
BMA has grave workforce concerns, and demands urgent delivery of promised funding Related items from OnMedica GP leader urges caution over ‘super-hub’ general practice Things to look forward to GP leaders warn against ‘imposing’ services The incredible invisible bed crisis BMA calls for maximum number of patients per GP |
WHO Director-General’s statement to high-level pledging event for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen
Since the conflict intensified, some 325 attacks have been verified on health facilities, schools, markets, roads, and other infrastructure, added to the challenges and the population’s many causes of misery. via WHO news Read More Here..
Ted 2017: Frugal scientist offers malaria tools
Third of emergency cancer presenters never saw GP
Emergency cancer diagnosis doesn’t signal missed GP diagnosis, but more help still needed Related items from OnMedica Variation in GP cancer referrals identified GP cancer guidelines should be 'liberalised' for easier referrals Labour to invest in GP cancer equipment in ‘every town’ Early diagnosis needed to improve ovarian cancer survival rates |
Medical marijuana may be a salve for the US opioid epidemic
Hungry stomach hormone promotes growth of new brain cells
Abused babies sicker and younger than those accidentally injured
Most babies severely injured by abuse present late and arrive by car at non-trauma hospital Related items from OnMedica New ambition to halve infant deaths by 2030 in England Abused children unable to access mental health services |
Moderate exercise improves over-50s’ brain health
Tell over-50s to take 45-60 min aerobic and resistance exercise to improve cognition Related items from OnMedica Aerobic exercise benefits moderate to severe asthma |
Inside a neonatal intensive care unit
Exercise 'keeps the mind sharp' in over-50s, study finds
The volunteers helping ambulances to get to Syria
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Monday, 24 April 2017
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg on grief: It does get better
Google’s new project will gather health data from 10,000 people
Zika outbreak may have led to fewer births in Rio de Janeiro
Targeting Alzheimer’s: New Unorthodox Approaches
Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5 million individuals in the US and causes a devastating loss of cognitive function due to the buildup of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain. Previous efforts to combat this disease have focused on developing drugs that target beta-amyloid, but such treatments have been unsuccessful in patients so far. Several exciting new approaches for treating Alzheimer’s are currently being tested in clinical trials in the US and Europe. These trials will assess the efficacy of an anti-viral drug that is normally used to treat herpes, and a new vaccine that generates antibodies against tau protein.
Alzheimer’s disease was first identified in 1906 and is the most common cause of dementia, responsible for an estimated 60–70 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer’s predominantly affects the elderly, but approximately 5 percent of cases involve early-onset disease (prior to the age of 65). The predominant symptoms of Alzheimer’s are a loss of memory and other intellectual capacities, which must be severe enough to interfere with everyday functioning. Mood swings and behavioral difficulties are also predominant symptoms. As the disease progresses, motor functions can also be impacted, inhibiting the ability of patients to speak, swallow, and even walk. Affected individuals typically survive between 4–20 years beyond the time that their symptoms become noticeable to others, with an average survival time of 8 years.
Research into the causes of Alzheimer’s has revealed that two proteins, beta-amyloid and tau, play a key role in disrupting the neural processes that underlie memory and other cognitive abilities. Beta-amyloid normally acts to combat oxidative stress, regulate cholesterol transport, and fight off bacteria in the brain. In Alzheimer’s, however, beta-amyloid is overproduced. The excess protein forms clumps, or plaques, around neurons that can interfere with the transmission of nerve impulses. Tau is found in abundance in neurons and normally acts to stabilize cell proteins called microtubules in neuronal axons. In Alzheimer’s disease, defective forms of tau are produced, often containing large numbers of attached phosphate groups, termed hyperphosphorylated tau. Defective tau fails to stabilize microtubules, and instead binds together into insoluble aggregates or “tangles” of protein. The buildup of these neurofibrillary tangles inside of neurons, combined with amyloid plaques surrounding neurons, disrupts cell-to-cell communication in the brain.
Current therapies for Alzheimer’s include drugs that treat the symptoms of dementia by regulating neurotransmitter levels; however, none of these treatments directly addresses the cause of the disease. Research efforts have focused on finding a drug that can prevent the buildup of plaques by interfering with beta amyloid synthesis and aggregation. Unfortunately, despite promising preclinical data from animal studies, these drugs failed to produce results in humans or had devastating side effects. For example, one anti-beta-amyloid vaccine caused meningoencephalitis or inflammation of the brain tissue and surrounding membranes. This side effect may have resulted from the reaction of the vaccine with beta-amyloid normally present in the walls of blood vessels. Such serious side effects were cause for cessation of the trial, and researchers have subsequently turned their attention to other possible treatments.
A research team led by Hugo Lövheim from the Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Unit of Geriatric Medicine at UmeÃ¥ University in Sweden is piloting the first clinical study to address the effect of a herpes virus drug on Alzheimer’s disease. Lövheim’s group previously showed that infection with herpes virus was correlated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. People who tested positive for antibodies associated with the reactivated form of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1 anti-IgM) had double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Thus, the researchers surmised that brain signaling pathways activated by the virus might trigger the disease, and conversely, that anti-viral drugs might reverse disease symptoms.
The VALZ-Pilot study is currently recruiting participants with Alzheimer’s to investigate the effects of Valaciclovir, sold by the brand name Valtrex, a drug typically prescribed to treat genital herpes, cold sores, and shingles. Thirty-six participants will receive four weeks of drug treatment. Markers in the spinal fluid will be examined to assess the effect of the drug on several Alzheimer’s disease parameters, including levels of tau protein. A subset of subjects will also undergo positive emission tomography (PET) brain imaging analysis. By using a tracer that accumulates in cells with active herpes infection, this methodology can potentially detect this infection in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
A second new approach for treating Alzheimer’s, spearheaded by Petr Novak and colleagues at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, is the generation of a vaccine that targets the tau protein. Previous vaccine treatments for Alzheimer’s, which have thus far proven unsuccessful, focused only on beta-amyloid. The new vaccine, AADvac1, will prompt the body to generate antibodies against tau. The production of anti-tau antibodies will hopefully direct the immune system to clear tau protein from inside brain cells, similar to the way it fights off viruses and bacteria.
Developing a tau vaccine wasn’t easy; tau is a protein also found in healthy brains, and thus the removal of “healthy tau” by a vaccine could have negative side effects. The researchers compared differences in the structure of the healthy and pathological tau proteins, and identified what they call the “Achilles heel” of the abnormal protein. They were then able to create a vaccine that recognizes this feature of the abnormal protein, yielding treatment specificity for the disease-causing tau.
So far the AADvac1 vaccine is in phase 1 of clinical trials, which involves administration of the drug to healthy volunteers to assess side effects, but does not address efficacy. No serious side effects have been observed thus far, and volunteers have experienced only minor reactions at the injection site, similar to other types of vaccines. The lack of side effects is a promising first step. Moreover, the trial has also demonstrated the effectiveness of the drug to elicit an immune response, which is a critical factor for its success. These promising preliminary data provide much-needed hope for Alzheimer’s patients and their families.
References
Hippius H, Neundörfer G. (2003) The discovery of Alzheimer’s disease. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 5(1):101-8. PMID: 22034141.
Marciani D. (2016) A retrospective analysis of the Alzheimer’s disease vaccine progress – The critical need for new development strategies. J Neurochem. 137(5):687-700. doi: 10.1111/jnc.13608.
Novak P, RSchmidt R, Kontsekova E, Zilka N, Kovacech B, Skrabana R, Vince-Kazmerova Z, Katina S, Fialova L, Prcina M, Parrak V, Dal-Bianco P, Brunner M, Staffen W, Rainer M, Ondrus M, Ropele S, Smisek M, Sivak R, Winblad B, Novak M. (2016) Safety and immunogenicity of the tau vaccine AADvac1 in patients with Alzheimer’s disease: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial. The Lancet Neurology. S1474-4422(16)30331-3. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(16)30331-3.
Lövheim H, Gilthorpe J, Adolfsson R, Nilsson L, Elgh F. (2014) Reactivated herpes simplex infection increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimers Dement. 11(6):593-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2014.04.522.
via Brain Blogger Read More Here..Zika outbreak may have led to fewer births in Rio de Janeiro
Timing of Lunch, Recess May Determine What Kids Eat
Study found children who ate first consumed more vegetables, while those who played first wasted less food
Source: HealthDay via Exercise for Children New Links: MedlinePlus RSS Feed Read More Here..
Your true self: When the self breaks
New test identifies antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Technique uses current hospital equipment Related items from OnMedica Use of antimicrobial sutures saves money Point-of-care CRP tests could save NHS millions Antibiotic research programme launched Patient safety alert issued on antimicrobial resistance Point-of-care diagnostics needed to curb antimicrobial resistance |
New laws to tackle sexual abuse introduced in Scotland
Juries to better understand victims’ responses Related items from OnMedica Domestic violence linked to pregnancy termination Sexual assault found to include young age and alcohol consumption New support to help identify domestic abuse |