SOTT
SIGNS
OF THE
TIMES
OF THE
TIMES
Welcome to Sott.net
The World for People who Think
Health & WellnessS
People have long prized silver as a precious metal. Now, silver-coated endotracheal tubes are giving critically ill patients another reason to value the lustrous metal. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the NASCENT Investigation Group, report that the silver-coated tubes led to a 36 percent reduction of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Jackie Reid doesn't have much faith in new research that shows many people who have contracted West Nile virus from infected mosquitoes will fully recover.
Her 67-year-old husband, Ron, contracted the virus in 2002 from a mosquito bite while in Toronto. It soon developed into a neurological condition - encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. Six years later, the city man still requires around-the-clock care.
Her 67-year-old husband, Ron, contracted the virus in 2002 from a mosquito bite while in Toronto. It soon developed into a neurological condition - encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. Six years later, the city man still requires around-the-clock care.
Singapore - Women are their own workplace enemies when it comes to cracking the glass ceiling, with an international study finding they are less likely to promote themselves and network than their male counterparts.
The 2008 study, part of U.S. behavioral scientist Shannon L. Goodson's new book The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance, compared almost 11,500 professional women with 16,700 men from 34 countries.
The 2008 study, part of U.S. behavioral scientist Shannon L. Goodson's new book The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance, compared almost 11,500 professional women with 16,700 men from 34 countries.
You may think you know that person over in the next cubicle. You know what position his kid plays on his Little League team. You know he makes a mean guacamole for the company picnic. And you know he always remembers to send his wife flowers on her birthday.
At least 110 people have now been affected by an outbreak of norovirus in a Cornish seaside village.
A female veterinarian who euthanased a racehorse infected with the potentially deadly Hendra virus has a nervous wait to be cleared of the virus after a needlestick injury.
Scientists and consumers have known for years that grapefruit juice can increase the absorption of certain drugs - with the potential for turning normal doses into toxic overdoses. Now, the researcher who first identified this interaction is reporting new evidence that grapefruit and other common fruit juices, including orange and apple, can do the opposite effect by substantially decreasing the absorption of other drugs, potentially wiping out their beneficial effects.
The study provides a new reason to avoid drinking grapefruit juice and these other juices when taking certain drugs, including some that are prescribed for fighting life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, cancer, organ-transplant rejection, and infection, the researcher says. These findings - representing the first controlled human studies of this type of drug-lowering interaction - were described today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
"Recently, we discovered that grapefruit and these other fruit juices substantially decrease the oral absorption of certain drugs undergoing intestinal uptake transport," says study leader David G. Bailey, Ph.D., a professor of clinical pharmacology with the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. "The concern is loss of benefit of medications essential for the treatment of serious medical conditions."
|
| ©The Florida Department of Citrus |
The study provides a new reason to avoid drinking grapefruit juice and these other juices when taking certain drugs, including some that are prescribed for fighting life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, cancer, organ-transplant rejection, and infection, the researcher says. These findings - representing the first controlled human studies of this type of drug-lowering interaction - were described today at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
"Recently, we discovered that grapefruit and these other fruit juices substantially decrease the oral absorption of certain drugs undergoing intestinal uptake transport," says study leader David G. Bailey, Ph.D., a professor of clinical pharmacology with the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. "The concern is loss of benefit of medications essential for the treatment of serious medical conditions."
Two new studies showing that vaccines increase the risk of diabetes have been published in the Open Pediatric Medicine Journal.
Bacterial pneumonia may have killed most people during the 1918 flu pandemic, and antibiotics may be as crucial as flu drugs to fight any new pandemic, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
Samples of lung tissue taken from soldiers who died in the pandemic, the worst of the 20th century, showed evidence of damage both by the flu virus and by pneumonia-causing bacteria.
Such so-called co-infections also cause many influenza-related deaths today.
"In essence, the virus landed the first blow while bacteria delivered the knockout punch," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which conducted the study, said in a statement.
Samples of lung tissue taken from soldiers who died in the pandemic, the worst of the 20th century, showed evidence of damage both by the flu virus and by pneumonia-causing bacteria.
Such so-called co-infections also cause many influenza-related deaths today.
"In essence, the virus landed the first blow while bacteria delivered the knockout punch," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which conducted the study, said in a statement.
A new study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland shows that a century-old drug, methylene blue, may be able to slow or even cure Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Used at a very low concentration - about the equivalent of a few raindrops in four Olympic-sized swimming pools of water - the drug slows cellular aging and enhances mitochondrial function, potentially allowing those with the diseases to live longer, healthier lives.
A paper on the methylene blue study, conducted by Hani Atamna, PhD, and a his team at Children's, was published in the March 2008 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal. Dr. Atamna's research found that methylene blue can prevent or slow the decline of mitochondrial function, specifically an important enzyme called complex IV. Because mitochondria are the principal suppliers of energy to all animal and human cells, their healthy function is critical.
"The results are very encouraging," said Dr. Atamna. "We'd eventually like to try to prevent the physical and cognitive decline associated with aging, with a focus on people with Alzheimer's disease. One of the key aspects of Alzheimer's disease is mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically complex IV dysfunction, which methylene blue improves. Our findings indicate that methylene blue, by enhancing mitochondrial function, expands the mitochondrial reserve of the brain. Adequate mitochondrial reserve is essential for preventing age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease."
|
| ©iStockphoto/Silke Dietze |
| A century-old drug, methylene blue, has been found to slow cellular aging and enhances mitochondrial function, potentially allowing those with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's to live longer, healthier lives. |
A paper on the methylene blue study, conducted by Hani Atamna, PhD, and a his team at Children's, was published in the March 2008 issue of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal. Dr. Atamna's research found that methylene blue can prevent or slow the decline of mitochondrial function, specifically an important enzyme called complex IV. Because mitochondria are the principal suppliers of energy to all animal and human cells, their healthy function is critical.
"The results are very encouraging," said Dr. Atamna. "We'd eventually like to try to prevent the physical and cognitive decline associated with aging, with a focus on people with Alzheimer's disease. One of the key aspects of Alzheimer's disease is mitochondrial dysfunction, specifically complex IV dysfunction, which methylene blue improves. Our findings indicate that methylene blue, by enhancing mitochondrial function, expands the mitochondrial reserve of the brain. Adequate mitochondrial reserve is essential for preventing age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease."
