Vitamin C helps stop diabetes damage

Good morning friends. Diabetes patient should not worry this time. Researchers found the Vitamin C helps stop diabetes damage.

Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center researchers have found a link between taking vitamin C with insulin and stopping blood vessel damage caused by type 1 diabetes.

While neither therapy produced desired results when used alone, the combination of insulin to control blood sugar together with the use of Vitamin C, stopped blood vessel damage caused by the disease in patients with poor glucose control, said researchers. – The Times of India

The findings appear this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

"We had tested this theory on research models, but this is the first time anyone has shown the therapy's effectiveness in people," said Michael Ihnat, Ph.D., principal investigator and a pharmacologist at the OU College of Medicine Department of Cell Biology. Ihnat said they are now studying the therapy in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The goal of the work being done by Ihnat and British scientists from the University of Warwick led by Dr. Antonio Ceriello is to find a way to stop the damage to blood vessels that is caused by diabetes. The damage, known as endothelial dysfunction, is associated with most forms of cardiovascular disease such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, peripheral artery disease, diabetes and chronic renal failure.

By reducing or stopping the damage, patients with diabetes could avoid some of the painful and fatal consequences of the disease that include heart disease, reduced circulation and amputation, kidney disease and diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness.

Insulin and many other drugs have long been used to control blood sugar, but Ihnat - in an earlier project with scientists in Italy and Hungary - found that cells have a "memory" that causes damage to continue even when blood sugar is controlled. By adding antioxidants like Vitamin C, Ihnat found that cell "memory" disappeared and cell function and oxidation stress were normalized.

"We have speculated that this happens with endothelial dysfunction, but we did not know until now if it was effective in humans. We finally were able to test it and proved it to be true," Ihnat said.

"For patients with diabetes, this means simply getting their glucose under control is not enough. An antioxidant-based therapy combined with glucose control will give patients more of an advantage and lessen the chance of complications with diabetes," the expert added. While researchers do suggest diabetic patients eat foods and take multivitamins rich in antioxidants like Vitamin C, they warn that additional study is needed.

A cancer drug that won't cause hair loss

Good morning friends. I don’t say it’s a good news for all cancer patient, but I may say that cancer patient will not be worry now for that they found a new drug that won’t cause hair loss.

Researchers have developed a way to deliver cancer drugs, which they claim will not cause the usual sickness and hair loss by just using a fat-rich coating.

Until now, treatment of cancer has relied mainly on surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Though these strategies have benefited millions of cancer patients to date, the lack of tumor specificity of some of these agents make patients feel sick or result in significant hair loss.

Now, an international team, led by Queensland University, has developed the way which can specifically shut down cancer-causing genes in tumor cells while sparing normal healthy tissues.

According to lead researcher Sherry Wu, the new method which involves the use of coatings rich in fats, will hasten the application of RNA interference or gene-silencing, a technology which can inactivate individual genes.

Using this technology, the team observed a 70% reduction in tumor size in a cervical cancer mouse model.

"The traditional ways of packaging these drugs into suitable carriers are often complex and labor-intensive. The resulting products are also unstable at room temperature which is obviously not ideal for their clinical use.

"In order to deliver these gene-silencing drugs safely and efficiently into tumor tissues in the body, we have to package them in lipid-rich carriers," Wu said. Added co-researcher Nigel McMillan: "We are excited about our findings and we are currently investigating the feasibility of combining this gene-silencing technology with low dose chemotherapeutic agents in cancer treatments." –The Times of India

Cherry juice hottest new sports drink

Cherry juice is the hottest new sports drink that helps ease the pain for runners, a new study says. The study showed that people who drank tart cherry juice while training for a long distance run reported significantly less pain after exercise than those who didn't.

Sixty healthy adults aged 18-50 years, who drank 10.5 ounces cherry juice twice daily for seven days prior to and on the day of a long-distance relay, had significantly less muscle pain after the race than those who drank another fruit juice beverage.

On a scale from 0 to 10, the runners who drank cherry juice as their "sports drink" had a two point lower self-reported pain level at the completion of the race, a clinically significant difference.

While more research is needed to fully understand the effects of tart cherry juice, early finding indicate cherries may work like common medications used by runners to alleviate post-exercise inflammation.

"For most runners, post-race treatment consists of RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) and traditional NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)," said Kerry Kuehl, sports medicine physician at Oregon Health and Science University and principal study investigator.

"But NSAIDS can have adverse effects - negative effects you may be able to avoid by using a natural, whole food alternative, like cherry juice, to reduce muscle inflammation before exercise," he said.

Researchers suggest cherries' post-exercise benefits are likely because of the fruit's natural anti-inflammation power - attributed to antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins, which also give cherries their bright red colour, said an Oregon release.

Whether elite athletes or weekend warriors, this natural anti-inflammation power of cherry juice could have far-reaching benefits for the millions currently taking over-the-counter medication to reduce muscle pain.

A growing body of research suggests cherries could reduce inflammation related to heart disease, arthritis and may even help maintain muscle strength for those suffering from fibromyalgia (a common, chronic widespread pain disorder).

Eat oily fish to keep brain healthy

Good morning friends. Some people a don’t want to eat fish. I know it’s a healthy food, but If they will be given a chance, they will not choose a fish to eat. But as per reference of The Times of India fish can help our brain to be healthy, specially oily fish. It will help our brain.

Eating oily fish, rich in vitamin D, may be vital in keeping your brain healthy as you age, according to a new study.

University of Manchester scientists and other researchers have found that higher levels of vitamin D, synthesized in the skin following sun exposure, is also found in oily fish. The study assessed the cognitive performance of more than 3,000 men aged 40 to 79 years at eight test centers in Europe. It was found that men with higher levels of vitamin D performed consistently better in a simple and sensitive neuro-psychological test that assesses an individual's attention and speed of information processing.

"Previous studies exploring the relationship between vitamin D and cognitive performance in adults have produced inconsistent findings. But we observed a significant, independent association between a slower information processing speed and lower levels of vitamin D," said study author David Lee of Manchester's School of Translational Medicine.

"The main strengths of our study are that it is based on a large population sample and took into account potential interfering factors, such as depression, season and levels of physical activity," Lee said.

Low Vit-D ups infection in pregnancy

Good morning friends. Pregnant women with low vitamin D, may increase infection in their pregnancy.

Expectant women with low levels of vitamin D are at an increased risk of developing a common vaginal infection that raises the risk of preterm delivery, finds a new study.

University of Pittsburgh researchers have revealed that pregnant women with vitamin D deficiency may suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common vaginal infection.

"Bacterial vaginosis affects nearly one in three reproductive aged women, so there is great need to understand how it can be prevented," said Dr Lisa M Bodnar, assistant professor of epidemiology, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Pittsburgh.

"It is not only associated with a number of gynecologic conditions, but also may contribute to premature delivery, the leading cause of neonatal mortality, making it of particular concern to pregnant women," she added.

During the study, the researchers looked at 469 pregnant women, sought to determine whether poor vitamin D status played a role in predisposing women to BV. They also found that the prevalence of BV decreased as vitamin D levels rose.

Vitamin D may play a role in BV by regulating the production and function of antimicrobial molecules, which in turn may help the immune system prevent and control bacterial infection. "Although this is a preliminary study, it points out an interesting connection between vitamin D and BV," said Dr. Bodnar.

"We don't recommend pregnant women take mega doses of vitamin D based on these findings, but they should talk with their doctor if they have concerns about their vitamin D status.

"All women should be encouraged to eat a healthy diet and take a prenatal vitamin before they become pregnant or as soon as they find out they are pregnant," she added. The study appears in the Journal of Nutrition. –The Times of India

Gel made from radium weed sap can remove sun spots, prevent skin cancers

Good morning friends. Good news to those who wants to remove a sun spot. There is this kind of gel made from radium weed sap that can remove that spot, which prevent skin cancers.

An Australian drug-maker claims that sun spots can be removed, and potentially deadly skin cancers prevented, with the aid of a gel it has made from the radium weed sap, a common folk remedy for cancer.

Peplin, the Queensland-based pharmaceutical company, says that its gel can remove sun spots, which can develop into invasive skin cancers if left untreated.

Dr. Peter Welburn, General Manager of the company, has revealed that human trials have shown that the gel can treat sun spots and lesions in just two days.

He revealed that the trial involved 125 patients, who were made to apply gel once a day for two days.

According to him, the gel successively removed every sun spot on 27 per cent of patients, with 44 per cent having partial success.

"This is the first product that has demonstrated benefit in treating sun spots on the face, neck and difficult areas to treat like the arms and back of hands," News.com.au quoted him as saying.

Dr. Welburn also revealed that no major side effects were noticed during the study, apart from temporary redness and flaking skin.

He, however, conceded that the gel did not treat melanomas.

Dr Jim Aylward, the founder of Peplin, revealed that he conceived the idea of developing this treatment when his job was on the line at the CSIRO more than 10 years ago.

"I needed to pull out a trump card and I relied on some folklore," he said.

"My mother knew radium weed had some great effects on skin cancer.

"I said one day when I lose my job I will find the active (ingredient), and that's what I did," he added.
The gel is expected to be on the market in the United States by 2011 and in Australia soon after. (ANI) - Yahoo

Breast feeding to newborns can prevent epilepsy: Study

Good morning friends. As all says that breast feeding is the best thing to do for a child. Some mothers don’t want to do that, but they don’t know what will be the good result of having a breast feed baby. Not only breast feeding is good, also it can prevent epilepsy. And that could be a good thing for the children.

Immediate breast feeding to newly born babies, especially those born with low weight, is vital in preventing childhood epilepsy and other forms of brain diseases, a recent study has said.

When new born babies are not fed within few hours of birth due to various reasons, they are exposed to low blood glucose which leads to convulsions on the second or third day.

"It was observed that after the babies were discharged, they developed epilepsy in the first few years which was often resistant to treatment and also had other major issues like mental retardation, autism, learning problems and visual impairment," said Vrajesh Udani, Head, Child Development department of PD Hinduja hospital.

The study, published in the journal 'Indian Paediatrics', which was carried out to ascertain the cause of epilepsy in 100 children, found low blood glucose condition in the brain due to non-availability of mothers' milk in the first few hours, he said.

The babies developed symptoms like irritability, lethargy and even convulsions on the second or third day, said Udani and his colleagues P Munotam M Ursekar and S Gupta. – The Times of India