Cancer, Purely a Man-made Disease in Modern Society

Is the common nature of cancer worldwide purely a man-made phenomenon. That is what some researchers now suggest.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, however, scientists have only found one case of the disease in investigations of hundreds of Egyptian mummies, researcher Rosalie David of the University of Manchester in England said in a statement.

"This might be related to the prevalence of carcinogens in modern societies," write Rosalie David and Michael Zimmermann of Villanova University, Pennsylvania. Cancers are "limited to societies that are affected by modern lifestyle issues, such as tobacco use and pollution resulting from industrialization".

In a review of published analyses of tens of thousands of ancient skeletons and hundreds of mummies, David and Zimmermann found only a handful of cases of cancer. One recent finding, of colorectal cancer, was identified as the first ever discovered in a mummy. They also examined ancient texts and literature from Egypt and Greece, and say that there's little sign that cancer was a common ailment.

A quote from David put out by the University of Manchester saying "there is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. So it has to be a man-made disease, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle" caused particular consternation.

Still, other specialists in cancer and in human fossils have strong doubts about this view. "Cancer is very rare in modern societies in humans under age 30," said oncologist John Glaspy at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "In ancient times, people rarely lived to be much older than that. So cancer was rare. The 'sin' of modern societies is having people live to be much older."

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

New Study: Lactate Level May Detect CNS Aging

The study test on small mice found that, scientists may finally have the possibility to monitor the aging process of human through measuring the lactate level of the brain.

Scientists have long suspected that it is the gradual damage of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) resulted in aging. But at present, there are few means to track symptomatic stages of CNS aging.

Thus, although metabolic changes are implicated in mtDNA mutation-driven aging, the manifestations remain unclear. Here, we used normally aging and prematurely aging mtDNA mutator mice to establish a molecular link between mitochondrial dysfunction and abnormal metabolism in the aging process.

Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and HPLC, we found that brain lactate levels were increased twofold in both normally and prematurely aging mice during aging. To correlate the striking increase in lactate with tissue pathology, we investigated the respiratory chain enzymes and detected mitochondrial failure in key brain areas from both normally and prematurely aging mice.

We used in situ hybridization to show that increased brain lactate levels were caused by a shift in transcriptional activities of the lactate dehydrogenases to promote pyruvate to lactate conversion. Separation of the five tetrameric lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzymes revealed an increase of those dominated by the Ldh-A product and a decrease of those rich in the Ldh-B product, which, in turn, increases pyruvate to lactate conversion. Spectrophotometric assays measuring LDH activity from the pyruvate and lactate sides of the reaction showed a higher pyruvate → lactate activity in the brain.

We argue for the use of lactate proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy as a noninvasive strategy for monitoring this hallmark of the aging process. The mtDNA mutator mouse allows us to conclude that the increased LDH-A/LDH-B ratio causes high brain lactate levels, which, in turn, are predictive of aging phenotypes.

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

Taking Too Much Soft Drinks May Speed Up Aging

Aside from being damaging for our figure and our bones, it turns out that fizzy drinks are also bad for our skin, for they contain phosphate, which speeds up the aging process, a recent study cited.

The study reported :“Research shows that soft drinks may not only break our body fit, damages our bones, but also hurt our skins, which is because phosphate, which gives many soft drinks their tangy taste, can accelerate ageing”.

The findings of the study shows that the mineral, phosphate, which is also added to processed meats, cakes and breads, was found to make the skin and muscles wither and could also damage the heart and kidneys. Although the experiments were carried out in mice only, the researchers from Harvard University believe the results show the potential consequences of high doses of the mineral” .

“Humans need a healthy diet and keeping the balance of phosphate in the diet may be important for a healthy life and longevity. Avoid phosphate toxicity and enjoy a healthy life.” Researchers said additionally.

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

Study: The World in Eyes of People with Depression is Really "Grey"

The World in Eyes of People with Depression is Really "Grey"



The world literally fades to grey when we feel depressed, scientists have discovered.

To investigate links between mood disorders and vision, Emanuel Bubl at the University of Freiburg, Germany, and colleagues ran an electrode along one eye in each of 40 people with depression, and 40 people without. The electrodes measured activity in the nerves connecting photoreceptors to the optic nerve, but not the brain.

Participants sat in a dimly lit room and watched a black and white chequered screen which became greyer in six distinct stages, reducing the contrast between each square. Each stage was presented for 10 seconds.

The team found that electrical signals to the optic nerve were lower in people with depression. For example, when viewing the stage containing black and white squares, healthy volunteers had three times the nerve activity of those with depression, indicating that depression diminishes the ability to detect contrast. The more severe a person's depression suffered, the worse their perception of contrast.

Bubl believes that a similar technique could be used to aid diagnosis of clinical depression.

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

New Way for Diabetes Treatment - An Artificial Pancreas

Diabetes in the United States is an epidemic, there are upwards of 30 million people with diabetes, among which upwards of 3 million people with type 1 diabetes. It’s a huge problem. People with type 1 diabetes don’t have a normal functioning pancreas to regulate blood sugar levels with insulin.

Scientists are committed to developing an artificial pancreas for diabetes patients, thus diabetics could lead a more healthy and relaxed life.

Aaron Kowalski, comes from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the U.S., who is working to develop an artificial pancreas.

Aaron Kowalski said: Ideally, what we’re trying to do is replicate what the pancreas does. Beta cells in the pancreas sense glucose levels, they sense the glucose levels changing and they secrete the right amount of insulin at the right time.

Kowalski said the artificial pancreas works with a cell-phone sized insulin pump – a small patch on the skin that continuously monitors glucose levels – and computer software that communicates glucose levels to the insulin pump.

Obviously when a diabetic are sleeping, it’s very difficult to monitor his blood sugar concentration (if impossible). So we think maybe we could have a machine doing it, it could restore much better glucose control, reduce the risk for those complications.

Most people don’t realize the burden of daily diabetes management. Managing diabetes can be just a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week grind that’s hard on people and their families. So this technology bode well for making people with diabetes healthier and making their lives easier.

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

Acupuncture Beauty, The Latest Crazy in Japan

The so-called acupuncture beauty is a way that using acupuncture and moxibustion methods to benefit organs, reduce swellings and eliminating stagnation, as well as regulating Qi and blood, thereby reducing or eliminating some physiological and pathological diseases that has impacted appearance, and thus to achieve the purpose of improving physical fitness, anti-aging, as well as beautify and benefit face.

Now forget cosmetic surgery. The ancient treatment of acupuncture is gaining new popularity as a beauty secret in Japan about 1,500 years after it first came there from China.

As aesthetic sessions increasingly go organic or employ traditional remedies, women at the "Beauty World Japan" exhibition this week lined up to try acupuncture, long known for its health advantages.

Inserting tiny needles into faces, boosts natural facial healing powers, says therapist Takeshi Kitagawa.

"This is not a medicalor surgical procedure," said Kitagawa, acupuncture therapist and owner of Yojo spa.

"We use the healing powers that a person's body naturally possesses, and within the general trend toward a more 'natural beauty' our acupuncture is very well accepted."

Japan is the world's number two market for beauty products and services, with sales estimated at over $15 billion last year alone. Now Japan has an estimated 40,000 registered acupuncturists and over 150 schools, mainly focused on traditional uses.

Acupuncturist licensing began during Japan's Meiji Era, about 130 years ago, and Kitagawa says his clients, mainly in their 30s, are increasingly pinning their hopes onthe treatment, seeing cosmetics or faceliftsas pricey and not as healthy.

"It's different from plastic surgery, it doesn't have the risk of failure. Besides, it uses the innate power of human body to create beauty, and that's the reason I like it," said Rie Hayashida.

The way using acupuncture for beauty is one of important methods of beautification. This is a way that can be operated easily, safe and reliable and the same time has no side effects, and therefore it is welcomed by people in general.

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

Did Smallpox Vaccine Limit HIV?

That’s the question posed by researchers in the journal BMC Immunology, who think that the vaccine might have offered partial protection against HIV. As smallpox was wiped out, fewer people received the vaccine. The HIV explosion followed.

In this small study, the researchers exposed immune cells from 10 smallpox-vaccinated people to HIV. Cells from 10 people never vaccinated against smallpox were also exposed. And HIV did replicate much more successfully in the cells from the non-vaccinated subjects.

Is this a good news?Could the eradication of smallpox have been a factor in the spread of HIV? You should not count your chickens before they are hatched.

Further research confirming the relationship between stopping the smallpox vaccine and the rise of HIV would not surprise William McNeill. The author of the classic book Plagues and Humans who also wrote a chapter titled "Patterns of Disease Emergence in History" for the 1993 book Emerging Viruses, in this chapter, he mused on our ability to “insulate ourselves from local and frequent diseases.” But doing so comes at the cost of “creating a new vulnerability to some larger diseases.”

McNeill concluded: “Perhaps what we face as humans is a conservation of catastrophe.”

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis

ViewSonic Ultra-clear LCD Diagnosis

In February this year, excellent manufacturer of global video technology ViewSonic Co. launched an ultra high DPI liquid crystal display (VP2290b) with 9,220,000 pixel and 22.2 inch size in the market.

In just two months after the new product release show, with its excellent super clear and true display function, VP2290b make all medical experts who witnessed it themselves astonished greatly, and they believe this new medical diagnosis apparatus will trigger a visual ‘revolution” in the medical diagnosis field soon.

Originally Posted: Top Diagnosis