Grapefruit's Bitter Taste Holds a Sweet Promise for Diabetes Therapy

A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) report that naringenin activates a family of small proteins, called nuclear receptors, causing the liver to break down fatty acids. In fact, the compound seems to mimic the actions of other drugs, such as the lipid-lowering Fenofibrate and the anti-diabetic Rosiglitazone, offering the advantages of both. If the results of this study extend to human patients, this dietary supplement could become a staple in the treatment of hyperlipidemia, type-2 diabetes, and perhaps metabolic syndrome. The report appears in this week issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.

"It is a fascinating find," says Yaakov Nahmias, PhD, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem the paper's senior author. "We show the mechanism by which naringenin increases two important pharmaceutical targets, PPARα and PPARγ, while blocking a third, LXRα. The results are similar to those induced by long periods of fasting."

Autism and Schizophrenia: Family History May Not Always Be a Good Indicator

An international study led by University of Montreal scientists suggests family history may not be a good predictor of the presence of mutations predisposing to autism or schizophrenia.

The findings show how new or de novo gene mutations -- alterations of the cell's DNA -- play a role in these devastating conditions. Published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, this study has implications for disease prevalence and severity.

"This study emphasizes the importance of de novo mutations as genetic factors predisposing to autism and schizophrenia. We found an increased frequency of severe de novo mutations in critical brain genes in both of these diseases," says senior author and University of Montreal professor, Guy Rouleau.

Baby's First Full Diaper Can Reveal Mother's Smoking

Meconium, the dark and tarry stools passed by a baby during the first few days after birth, can be used to determine how much the mother smoked, or if she was exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy.

Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health measured tobacco smoke metabolites in meconium samples from 337 babies, finding that they correlated well with reported smoke exposure and other markers of tobacco smoke exposure.

Joe Braun, from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA, worked with a team of researchers to carry out the study. He said, "Prenatal active and secondhand tobacco smoke exposure is a prevalent environmental exposure that is associated with adverse infant and childhood health outcomes. Biomarkers of exposure, like serum and meconium tobacco smoke metabolites, are useful to enhance the measurement of tobacco smoke exposure, which is often under-reported."

Mumps Vaccine Coverage Should Be Improved, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2010) — Although immunity to mumps is high in the United States, mumps vaccine coverage must be maintained and improved to prevent future outbreaks, according to a new study, now available online, in the September 1, 2010 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Mumps -- a viral illness found in most parts of the world -- can cause serious complications, including deafness, sterility, meningitis, and encephalitis. Since 1977, mumps vaccination has been recommended in the U.S. and is given as part of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine. Two doses are currently recommended for children. By 2000, the annual number of reported U.S. mumps cases had declined to less than 500. But in 2006, the country's largest mumps outbreak in 20 years began on college campuses in Iowa and resulted in more than 6,000 reported cases. This event raised questions about how to prevent future outbreaks and about the feasibility of eliminating mumps.

Tongkat Ali medication for the treatment of prostatitis

Probably not many people know that there is such a drug as Tongkat Ali has successfully used for treatment of prostatitis for many years. The said drug is derived from the root Evrikomy dlinnolistoy, which grows in Malaysia, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia. In these countries, the root has long been a traditional medicine for treatment of prostatitis, hypertension, fever, and also used as a means to improve potency, treatment of disorders of sexual function, etc. Tongkat - is a fine tree, which grows to a height of 10 meters, and means "reed Ali.
During the research conducted by many scientists, Malaysian drug has shown excellent results. In the treatment of prostatitis root of Tongkat Ali has become irreplaceable as has a huge abundance of different mineral components. In addition, the root has protective antioxidants that prevent cellular aging earlier. This drug has so many useful medicinal elements, even at times they were simply difficult to enumerate.

The concept of homeopathy

1775 marked the emergence of science of homeopathy, which is the father of Samuel Hahnemann, a resident of the town of Meissen, in Germany.
Homeopathy - science, a way of healing, based on the principle of "similar cures similar". That is, that would cure this or that disease, the body is brought to the state, like illness symptoms, which is experienced by the patient at the moment.

Like any other method of treatment, homeopathy was faced with controversy - there are supporters, there are opponents. Proponents are convinced that homeopathy awakens processes of self-regulation, which was endowed with a man before the arrival of civilization and teaches the body to cope with the disease.

 

Laparoscopy

Although surgery is injury to the body, even if it is necessary. Therefore, both doctors and patients are so appreciated the possibility of laparoscopy, effective diagnostic and surgical method developed in 70-80 years of 20 century.

The fact that laparoscopy avoids several centimeter holes instead of the traditional incision across the abdominal wall. This allows you to minimize blood loss, postoperative stress and risk of infection. After a laparoscopy there is less scarring - this means that the outside will be intact skin without cosmetic defects, but the inside will not be actively developed adhesions.