sciencetolife | May 9, 2007The American Cancer Society is in search of half a million volunteers who do not currently have cancer and are willing to let researchers watch them over the next 20 years to see whether they get the disease. The idea is to try and identify the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that cause or prevent cancer. Similar studies have confirmed the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Read more here.
Technorati Tags: American Cancer Society, Cancer
sciencetolife | May 7, 2007 I was recently sent a book for review-Carved in Sand: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife. It's an informative book by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin chronicling her struggle with memory loss and subsequent journey to explore drug and non-drug treatments. I found it a good read and even witty at times. It highlights a condition that many people struggle with as they age: memory loss and attention failure.
When signs of memory loss and attention failure manifest in midlife most people fear an onset of Alzheimer's disease is at hand.
Alzheimer's is a complex disease afflicting more…
sciencetolife | April 28, 2007 The latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that 94% of physicians in the U.S. receive gifts and benefits from pharmaceutical companies in the form of free food, drug samples and sports tickets, to name a few. Despite efforts by several organizations to regulate these relationships they appear to be quite common and may underscore doctors' professional decisions.
The authors of the study sent out a survey to which over 1500 physicians responded.
Most physicians (94%) reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, and most of these relationships…
sciencetolife | April 26, 2007Among some of the latest stories from Science Daily comes two articles highlighting new treatment information for stroke victims.
The first article describes a potential new drug for stroke victims.
The research published in the American Journal of Hypertension confirms the safety of a drug, Lisinopril, that lowers [stroke victims'] blood pressure-without reducing the blood flow to the brain. Now a larger Leicester trial is under way to investigate the drug's benefits for victims of strokes.
The second article provides information for stroke patients in rural areas.
Stroke patients in rural…
sciencetolife | April 19, 2007Researchers from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England are using the nitrogen content of fruits and vegetables to detect falsely labeled organic produce.
The demand for organic produce has been increasing. This Discovery News article explains that "the higher prices obtained by [organic food] producers provides an economic incentive for a few unscrupulous traders to pass off conventionally grown produce as organic."
Several industry-accepted organic food tests exist (organic certification and inspection) but this new test is the first to assess whether produce has been grown…
sciencetolife | April 14, 2007In this blog post from Trusted.MD Network Keshav Chander MD asks "Why Do We Hesitate To Use Generic Drugs?" Among the responses he heard are:
-Concerns about generic drug quality
-Lower familiarity with generic drugs due to less marketing of such drugs
-Association of drug quality with drug price
According to the FDA a generic drug is identical, or bioequivalent to a brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use. Generic drugs are cheaper, however, because the manufacturers do not have the investment costs of…
sciencetolife | April 13, 2007There is no scientific evidence that dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, herbs) can improve your health.
This recent CNN Health article, for example, explains that there is no scientific evidence to show that diet supplements can slow the aging process.
Some dietary supplement manufacturers have done studies, however there is little research from independent academic professionals to provide evidence that dietary supplements can improve your health.
From the small collection of studies by independent academic scientists, the CNN article highlights several.
In one study…
sciencetolife | April 9, 2007 I was asked this question a while ago and found it quite interesting.
Can eating grilled meat cause cancer?
The idea that eating the charred part of grilled meat can increase your risk of certain cancers has been around for several years.
The science behind this is that when meat is exposed to high temperatures for long periods of time natural compounds in the meat form heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and these compounds have been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers in animal studies.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research,…
sciencetolife | March 29, 2007Yesterday I wrote about a research team that has developed a protein to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria by boosting the immune system.
Now another research team from Rockefeller University has developed a modified viral protein called lysin to directly combat bacteria that thrive on a weakened immune system (such as that found in flu patients).
They have developed forms of lysin to target bacteria that cause middle ear infections, strep throat, pneumonia and meningitis.
The main idea here is to bypass the need to use antibiotics which run the more dangerous risk of producing antibiotic…
sciencetolife | March 28, 2007Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, aka superbugs, are a big problem in homes and hospitals everywhere.
Scientists from the University of British Columbia are tackling this problem from a different angle-by enhancing the immune system.
They have developed a small protein that, at least in mice, has been shown to boost the immune system and protect against drug-resistant bacteria. Read more.
sciencetolife | March 22, 2007 We should all be so luck to do what we love, help make a difference in the world and make a million dollars while doing it.
Dennis Liotta Ph.D. has done just that.
I had the pleasure of interviewing him and was inspired by his journey to discover some of the most important drugs of our time.
I hope others can likewise find inspiration in knowing that science can indeed translate from the lab bench to the real world and make a positive difference in people's lives.
Looking at Dr. Dennis Liotta it is hard to imagine that he is worth almost 80 million dollars. Dressed in an unassuming grey…
sciencetolife | March 20, 2007 Science is at its best when it can be translated into useful technologies to improve human wellbeing.
On the dawn of World Water Day (March 22) comes news from Auburn University where chemistry professor Dave Worley has used his research to develop an easily renewable water filtration system ideal for use in developing countries.
According to the Auburn University press release the filtration system, which uses the patented N-halamine technology, contains polystyrene beads that hold oxidative chlorine or bromine atoms for long periods of time.
To activate the filters, chlorinated or…
sciencetolife | March 14, 2007Autism is a complex and mysterious condition. It is a brain disorder that can affect a person's communication or social development skills but can also be related to extraordinary mental abilities such as those found in autistic savants.
With the creation of the Autism Genome Project in 2002, researchers around the world set out to collaborate and identify autism susceptibility genes.
In preliminary findings published in Nature Genetics Yale School of Medicine researchers Fred Volkmar, M.D. and Ami Klin have identified a gene called neurexin 1.
Neurexin 1 is part of a family of genes…
sciencetolife | March 8, 2007
I was recently invited to the screening of a new HBO documentary series called "Addiction". I had the pleasure of meeting the filmmakers as well as some of the medical experts, like Nora D. Volkow M.D. and Mark Willenbring M.D., who helped shed light on this phenomenon. I was quite amazed at what I learned about the science of addiction, its new perception as a 'chronic but treatable brain disease' and the many misconceptions surrounding it.
If addiction is a brain disease, I wondered: how does one 'get' the disease and why are some people more prone to 'get' it than others?
According to…
sciencetolife | March 6, 2007 Engineer Joseph Longo has found a way to turn almost any type of trash into a synthetic gas called syngas. For almost 20 years the Bristol, Connecticut-based founder and CEO of Startech Environmental Corporation has been developing a plasma converter-a machine about the size of a two-car garage that can consume nearly any type of waste-from dirty diapers to chemical weapons. It uses a process called plasma gasification which, as explained in an article published by Popular Science Magazine, works a bit like the big bang, only backward (you get nothing from something):
A 650-volt current…
sciencetolife | February 26, 2007 Scientists have known for a long time that the HIV virus, upon entering a cell, can lie dormant for some time before becoming active.
Researchers from Princeton University are trying to understand the biology behind this On/Off switch for HIV and how to exploit it for use in developing anti-HIV treatments.
In an article published in the journal PLoS Biology the researchers, Leor Weinberger and Thomas Shenk, explain that the HIV virus becomes dormant by turning off its genes and shutting of protein synthesis.
The Tat protein (encoded by the HIV Tat gene) was a likely target for this…
sciencetolife | February 19, 2007
1.Vreni Gurd of Trusted.MD writes about the involvement of dietary sugar in the development of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.
2.Researchers contradict previous U.S. government advice by declaring the importance of eating seafood during pregnancy.
3.NASA Mars Orbiter finds evidence for ancient underground fluids on the planet.
Image from NASA
sciencetolife | February 12, 2007 Ever listen to a piece of music and get that "shiver-down-the-spine" feeling? Scientists in Canada are trying to understand this and other phenomena that connect music and the brain.
The researchers, based at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS) in Montreal, have set out to understand how and why the human brain allows us to create and respond to music.
The relationship between music and language is one area the research team, headed by Dr. Isabelle Peretz, a neuropsychologist at the University of Montreal, and Dr. Robert Zatorre, an experimental…
sciencetolife | February 8, 2007 The FDA recently approved diet pill Orlistat for sale as a non-prescription over-the-counter medication.
Amidst the buzz surrounding the FDA's decision and what it may do for our over-weight society, I would like to know what the science of this drug's action is.
According to MedicineNet.com Orlistat (which is also sold under the brand name Xenical) works by preventing the digestion and absorption of fat from the food we eat. The enzyme lipase metabolizes fats so they can be absorbed by the body. Orlistat blocks the action of lipase, thereby preventing the body from absorbing fat.
There…
sciencetolife | February 7, 2007Scientists have discovered that the bacterium that causes most cases of stomach ulcers has been hanging around in human guts for over 60,000 years. Read more.