Beta Blocker May Halt Spread of Breast Cancer

In the United Kingdom and across the globe, researchers are excited about the prospect that a common blood pressure medication may halt the spread of Breast Cancer in patients. The Cancer experts are looking to host a major study to evaluate the potential of beta blockers to stop the spread of the deadly disease.

The results of data from over 700 patients in the UK show promise that the drugs have had an impact on patients. Patients with breast cancer that previously had beta blockers showed one half the incidence of their cancer spreading as women that had not had the medication. Cancer that spreads from the initial area to surrounding tissue carries a higher potential for mortality than those whose cancer has not spread.

Patients with breast cancer have seen the spread of the disease to other parts of the body in about 30 percent of the patients. These 30% account for greater than 85% of the deaths that result from breast cancer, so the findings from the initial studies show promising results.

The United Kingdom plans the extensive study to evaluate the potential effects of beta blockers on the spread of cancer from the Breast into surrounding tissues. The cancer study will evaluate approximately 30,000 patients and expects results next year. Early work on beta blocker show that cancer related deaths decreased by approximately 70%. The researchers hope that the beta blockers will stop the cells from moving which will inhibit the spread of cancer cells.

This study of how blood pressure medication affects breast cancer has had similar results around the world. In Ireland, women that were taking a beta blocker, propranolol were much less likely to have advanced breast cancer than those not on the drug. Women given the drug after diagnosis also fared better. After five years, only nine percent had died compared to twenty seven percent that were not taking the drug.

The doctors at MD Anderson in Houston examined the tumors of women having surgery and did not see an appreciable difference between those on beta blocker and those that were not, however, the women on beta blockers fared better afterward. After three years, eighty seven percent of those on the drugs were alive compared to seventy seven percent not taking the meds. As beta blockers are already a known drug, this development has the potential to save a large number of lives.

Coffee Linked to Anti-Depressant Effects

Millions of people drink coffee consistently every single day of the year and despite the high caffeine levels in coffee it seems there may be some additional health benefits that nobody knew about before. Coffee has successfully been proven to have a significant impact on depression in women that drink between one and three cups a day which means millions of women worldwide are feeling some positive benefits from coffee.

Depression and coffee are an unlikely connection according to many health experts, especially since caffeine usually has the opposite effect. According to the researchers there is clearly some chemical found in nearly all types of coffee that help reduce stress while also reducing the risk for depression. At this time additional research is being done to determine exactly what that chemical is but for now it is simply amazing news that coffee has this effect on women.

Of course there is a limit at which the benefits wear off according to researchers. More than 3 or 4 cups of coffee per day can reduce or eliminate the anti-depressant effects of the coffee. Because of this it is suggested that women try to stay between one and three cups per day in order to minimize depression. More research is being conducted to see if the coffee has a similar affect on men but at this point it is still too early in the study for researchers to know if the results will carry over or not.

Millions of Young Americans to Receive Obamacare Coverage

Ever since Obama was elected president the healthcare budget and healthcare plans have been a big topic for thousands of people. President Obama has made significant revisions in healthcare and now another major healthcare change has taken place. Under a new medical act sponsored by President Obama millions of young Americans will finally be able to draw medical coverage that they have needed for quite some time.

The new Affordable Care Act was designed specifically to help young Americans that are not currently covered by either their parents or another government sponsored program. Thanks to this millions of people are finally receiving the healthcare they have been missing for quite some time. This is simply great news for millions in need of help.

Analysts say this new Obamacare program is by far the most successful and most important healthcare addition thus far. Young Americans have traditionally been the most neglected in terms of healthcare and as such it has always been difficult for politicians to agree on a medical plan that would work while still fitting within the budget. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act the amount of uninsured young Americans that are not covered by healthcare or health insurance has essentially dropped by about 5% which is approximately 1 million less uninsured young Americans. Overall the Affordable Care Act has been quite successful thus far and numerous reports indicate that it is still improving and offering more and more coverage as the program begins to expand.

Scientists at Queens University at Belfast have made a remarkable discovery in the treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in Ireland as well as around the world.Treatments for prostate cancer are dependent upon several factors: age, health and whether or not the cancer is localized or have spread to other parts of the body.Localized tumors are typically treated with radiation therapy or in extreme cases, a radical prostatectomy.Radiation therapy involves the use of radiation similar to an x-ray that bombards the area and kills the cancer cells.

Tumors that have grown beyond the boundaries of the prostate into the surrounding area cannot be treated with traditional radiation therapy but can be treated with hormones to slow the growth or a radical prostatectomy. A radical prostatectomy removes the entire prostate gland and nearby lymph nodes. This is a pretty intense surgery and the lingering effects can be as traumatic. There are other types of surgery if the prognosis of the disease allow for it. One other possible surgery type, which is less invasive, is laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic surgery allows smaller incisions, less trauma to the body and shorter healing times.

A team of scientists in Belfast may have made a discovery that will revolutionize prostate cancer treatment. A new combination treatment is in the first trial phase and it treats aggressive prostate cancers.This is a type of cancer that has spread beyond the borders of the prostate, is in the surrounding tissues, and cannot be treated with traditional surgeries with as much success. The new technique combines two types of chemotherapy and the first trial results are encouraging.

This new therapy has the potential for increasing the survival outcomes of more advanced prostate cancer.This is significant news in the fight against prostate cancer. The combination has to go through two sets of trials to find out if the combination is truly effective, safe and feasible. Traditional therapies work well, but as the cancer reaches the more advanced stages, become less effective. This new therapy offers a welcome alternative and increases the chance of better outcomes for patients in more advanced stages.

The new therapy was specifically created in an attempt to combat the aggressive nature of the cancer as it spread beyond the gland and got near the bone. In the first trial, the scientists were pleased with the outcomes,the survival rates and the prognosis of the patient. The second trial, which will involve up to 100 patients, will be the proving ground to see if the treatment will become a common treatment for sufferers of advanced prostate cancer. If the second tests prove to be successful, then patients with advanced prostate cancer have a brighter future.

Stem Cells Treat Diabetes

Endometrial Cells or reproductive cells may one day provide a treatment for Women who have Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 Diabetes is the condition that occurs when the pancreas does not produce or produce enough of the hormone insulin. In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s natural immune system recognizes beta cells as invaders. The immune system then attacks the beta cells until the beta cells are completely destroyed. The resulting insufficiency of insulin causes many endocrine disorders. The hormone insulin performs a series of necessary functions in the body and the lack can affect the growth in adolescents and cognitive ability found in the patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The primary function of insulin is having a key role in the metabolic process. Insulin is the catalyst allowing glucose to be used as fuel by the cells.

Researchers at Yale University have taken stems cells from the lining of the uterus and converted them into beta cells. These cells are the type of cells that produce insulin. Insulin producing cells or beta cells are found in the
pancreas and are highly specialized in nature. Stem cells are the body’s master cells. Master cells are the base cell type that makes up the cellular structure o f our entire body. Stem cells, given the correct stimulation and enviornment can become any type of cell in the body. Endometrial stem cells have been taken and converted into the beta cells of the pancreas. The newly created cells have been transplanted into mice that have been engineered to have Type 1 diabetes.

Currently, the transplanted cells do not cure the disease. While the endometrial cells can be grown into beta cells, the chemical process that makes sufficient insulin is missing. Blood sugar levels in mice treated with the newly created beta cells remained elevated which indicated that insufficient insulin was being produced. The challenge for scientists today is to figure out how to get the newly-created beta cells to produce more insulin.
Women suffering from Type 1 diabetes would benefit from this variation of stem cell treatment when the technique has been perfected.

Another noteworthy development of using endometrial cells as replacements for beta cells is the potential to not need immunosuppressive drugs. Immunosuppressive drugs are used to prevent the body from rejecting artificial organs or tissue that is not the body’s own. Long term usage of these drugs can have side effects of weight gain, increased susceptibility to disease and others so the potential to circumvent the need for these drugs by using stem cells is promising.

A small pilot study was performed at the University of Washington in Seattle that looked at people with early onset Alzheimer’s. The results showed that insulin administered through the nasal passage might provide some relief from the disease. In an encouraging trial, 100 people with recent onset Alzheimer’s were tested using a blind study. One group was given the insulin spray every day for around four months and the control group did not receive the hormone. The patients that that received the hormone showed improvement in both memory and brain function.

Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for the metabolism of sugar in our bodies. The breakdown of food into sugar is responsible for our energy levels. Studies have shown that people with impaired brain function such as is exhibited in Alzheimer’s dementia also suffer from abnormal glucose function as well. The theory is that the disease actually prevents the insulin from acting on the glucose properly and inhibiting the proper amount into the brain causing the cognitive issues.

Nasal Insulin is not yet ready for patient use as symptom relief or as a cure for Alzheimer’s sufferers. There are a few things that have to occur before inhaled insulin becomes standardized treatment. Insulin is an extremely potent hormone that regulates the blood sugar levels for the body. If a patient does not suffer from increased blood glucose levels, the result of extra insulin in the body can result in dangerously low blood sugar levels which can have serious consequences. Alzheimer’s disease is a complex process that involves more than just impaired glucose function. Alzheimer’s is affected by heredity, brain trauma, multiple concussions, high blood pressure, obesity and the list goes on.

Science has to determine how to capitalize on the evidence of the connection between Alzheimer’s and impaired glucose function. Physicians are going to have to continue to study the interaction between cognitive function, Alzheimer’s and the ability of the body’s insulin to process glucose properly. Once the processes have been studied and the negative effects insulin can have on a non-diabetic person are fully realized, then testing can be performed. Understanding by the scientific community of the relationship between the actions of nasal insulin on the cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients is good news that progress towards a cure is being made.

Life Experience Helps Develop Brain

A study released this week is shedding some light on the development of the human brain through the early years of life. We have known for quite some time that the brain develops quickly early on but what scientists discovered is that life experiences that can be tied to memories help develop the brain quickly and accurately in both humans and chimpanzees.

Obviously humans and chimpanzees are often studied together in order to find similarities and links between the two species but researchers say it was quite astonishing to find such an interesting link. More importantly researchers were surprised to find that children that interacted with others and experienced many things in the early few years of life had quicker and more pronounced brain development. This means that once again science has found a way to hopefully help increase the intelligence of the average population by encouraging parents to educate their children immediately after birth.

A follow up study is being planned right now in order to pinpoint exactly what kind of interactions help develop children’s brains the quickest but either way researchers are simply happy to have found this information. Each and every day more and more is being discovered about the human brain and through research like this more things are constantly being discovered about the brain; some time in the future this could be used as a major indicator of intelligence or other important features.

Study Confirms Cellphones Are Not A Cancer Risk

For quite some time doctors and medical officials have believed that the radiation from cell phones would in some way cause cancer in children and young adults as the use of cell phones became more widespread. Fortunately today the most advanced and in depth study yet has confirmed that cell phones are in fact no risk to children’s health.

Previous medical studies have focused almost entirely on the affect cell phones have on adults in terms of radiation, this is the first extensive study that focused on children. The results were not incredibly shocking to some though it is still good news to know that the world is safe from a once unknown threat.

According to the European research team cell phone usage in children and teenagers showed absolutely no link to any development of cancer in the brain. This is once again proof, according to the researchers, that while cell phones do emit a small amount of radiation they are not causing cancer in any way. Of course multiple follow up tests are scheduled in order to confirm with absolute certainty the results of this test but for now medical officials are happy to report that children of the world are safe when using cell phones. Even more important is the fact that the study showed that the amount of usage is not important as well as prolonged use did not show any increase or decrease in results as far as the research was concerned.

Donor Saves Low Income Gym

Healthworks is a gym that has focused entirely on helping low income women lose weight and get in shape. The concept behind Healthworks was that helping women get in better shape would help their self-esteem and confidence and eventually that could change their lives. Unfortunately because of financial issues the gym was set to close this month; at least it was until a secret donor came in and rescued the entire operation.

Healthworks has always given out free or nearly free memberships to homeless and other severely underprivileged women so it is not surprising that someone out there was willing to help out and keep the organization alive. The gym staff was preparing to close up shop on their final day of business before closing up for good when a phone call came in from an anonymous donor. The donor had truly saved the gym as the money given was more than enough to keep the gym running for quite some time.

Many members of the gym have expressed their gratitude towards the anonymous donor. Dozens of women have had their lives changed thanks to the free or nearly free services provided by the Healthworks Gym and now that a kind and gracious donor has agreed to help keep the gym going even more will receive that opportunity. Healthworks will continue to operate as normal in Boston and they say they will continue to expand the program to help even more women in need as often as they can.

A report released by the United States Center for Disease Control indicates that a very large majority of high school students are leading healthier lifestyles when it comes to their beverage choices. The report showed a number of improvements over previous survey results, all of which show that students and teenagers are in fact making healthier decisions in some ways.

The primary focus of this study was to determine what most teenagers drink on a daily basis. All of the popular drinks, including: soda, water, milk, juice, and others, were included to ensure a fair report. Astonishingly the report indicates that only approximately 1 out of 4 students drank a sugary soda each day which is a significant improvement. In the past this statistic has been as high as 1 out of 2.

Of course when other sugary drinks like Gatorade are included the percent goes up but according to experts it is still down when compared to data from around 10 years ago. Nearly all aspects of the study confirm that teenagers are simply not drinking as many unhealthy beverages today as they had been in the past.

Along with the praise for the healthy choices the CDC and other health experts also say that more still needs to be done in order to maximize the benefit. Currently childhood weight gain is still a big issue in American and while this is a step in the right direction much more work must be done before the battle will be over.