The power of love: how relationships benefit body and mind

"All you need is love," sang the Beatles. When one considers the widely documented health benefits of being in a happy relationship, they might have been on to something. In this spotlight, we take a look at the health reasons for celebrating being with someone.

Fecal matters: treating infection with stool transplants

Having someone else's stool placed inside your body sounds more like grounds for treatment rather than treatment itself. Yet fecal microbiota transplant is a procedure that has been found to be a particularly effective for treating Clostridium difficile infection from the transplantation that currently exist, it is safe to say that a transplant of fecal matter - also known as stool - is one of the strangest that a patient can have. But at the same time, it could also be one of the most important, representing a solution to the problem of antimicrobial resistance that affects many areas of medicine.

Menopausal hormone therapy associated with ovarian cancer risk

A new study has found that use of hormone replacement therapy for the menopause is associated with an increased risk of developing the two most common forms of ovarian cancer, even if it is used for just a few years.

CANCER AND PREVENTION

Cancers(malignant tumor) are a large family of diseases which involve abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body(metastasis). They form a subset of neoplasms.
A neoplasm or tumor is a group of cells that have undergone unregulated growth, and will often form a mass or lump, but may be distributed diffusely.

KNOW YOUR 12 CRANIAL NERVES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.

CRANIAL NERVES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS.

 There are total 12 pairs of cranial nerves that originate from our brain and brain stem. Each of them carries different functions related to different senses of body. Apart from sensory functions there are also some that work as motor nerves or mixed nerves.

First organ transplants from a newborn baby performed in UK

The UK has performed its first successful organ transplants from a newborn baby. The donor was a 6-day-old baby girl who was born with severe brain damage. The doctors say thanks to the "extreme generosity" of the parents; a patient with kidney failure has received their baby's kidneys and another sick patient has received her liver cells.

Alcohol intake good or bad for the body?

Alcohol is one of the most consumed beverage in the world, some people believe that alcohol is good for the body, and so believe is dangerous to the body.

The question is;
Q. Do you think alcohol is bad or good.
If yes, or No state reasons.
 And lets come to a conclusion.

Six Americans die from alcohol poisoning each day

Six Americans die each day from alcohol poisoning - more than 2,200 per year - according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC report notes that 38 million American adults report binge drinking four times per month on average, consuming an average of eight drinks per binge.
Alcohol poisoning is caused by drinking an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time. Very high levels of alcohol in the body can result in death if critical areas of the brain responsible for controlling breathing, heart rate and body temperature shut down. Life-threatening signs of alcohol poisoning include:

medical Joke of the week.

woman accompanied her husband to the doctor’s office.
After his checkup, the doctor called the wife into his office alone. He said, “Your husband is suffering from a very severe stress disorder. If you don’t follow my instructions carefully, your husband will surely die.
“Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast. Be pleasant at all times. For lunch make him a nutritious meal. For dinner prepare an especially nice meal for him.
“Don’t burden him with chores. Don’t discuss your problems with him; it will only make his stress worse. Do not nag him. Most importantly, make love to him regularly.
“If you can do this for the next 10 months to a year, I think your husband will regain his health completely.”
On the way home, the husband asked his wife, “What did the doctor say?”
“He said you’re going to die,” she replied.

NEW TREATMENT TO POPULAR DEALY DISEASE "EBOLA VIRUS"

A new report published in The Lancet reveals how a male doctor who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone survived the disease after being treated with a drug that is being tested for use against vascular leakage syndrome.

A new report reveals how a doctor who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone was successfully treated with a drug called FX06, which has been shown to reduce vascular leakage in animal trials.
The 38-year-old man was managing an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone when he developed fever and diarrhea on September 28th of this year. The same day, it was confirmed he had contracted Ebola.

A new report reveals how a doctor who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone was successfully treated with a drug called FX06, which has been shown to reduce vascular leakage in animal trials.

Shape of antibody makes a difference in fighting cancer.

Using antibodies to boost the immune system's ability to tackle disease is a relatively new approach that is transforming cancer treatment. Now a new study shows that the shape of an antibody can make a big difference to the effectiveness of so-called cancer immunotherapy.

Researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK found a particular naturally occurring antibody called IgG2 is much more effective at stimulating the immune system to fight cancer than other types of antibody.

Tamoxifen has reduced breast cancer rates 'by a third'

Tamoxifen is a well-established and effective treatment for certain breast cancers, but  evidence of its very long-term preventive benefits," says lead author Prof. Jack Cuzick, head of the Centre for Cancer Prevention at Queen Mary University of London, UK.

"The preventive effect of tamoxifen is highly significant with a reduction in breast cancer rates of around a third," he adds, "and this impact has remained strong and unabated for 20 years."

The estimated risk of developing breast cancer after 20 years of follow-up was found to be 8% among the tamoxifen group, compared with 12% in the placebo group.

DOES SLEEP INCREASE RISK OF DEMENTIA?

The study, published in Neurology, discovered that people with lower levels of oxygen in their blood during sleep - found in patients with sleep apnea - were more likely to have brain tissue lesions called microinfarcts, an abnormality linked to the development of dementia.

The researchers also found that spending less time in deep sleep - referred to as slow wave sleep - increased the likelihood of losing brain cells. Loss of brain cells has also previously been associated with dementia.

Slow wave sleep is key to the processing of newly acquired memories and remembering facts. People typically spend less time in slow wave sleep as they get older.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) report that sleep plays a vital role in keeping physically healthy, with sleep deficiency associated with increased risks of heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, stroke and obesity. Sleep is involved in healing, growth, hormonal balance and maintaining a strong immune system.

FRONTO-TEMPORAL DEMENTIA

Frontotemporal dementia is estimated to account for around 10-15% of all dementia cases in the US, with the majority of patients only surviving an average of 6-8 years after diagnosis. But in a new study, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham say they may have uncovered a potential drug target for the disease.

Researchers found that mutated tau impairs the connections between neurons by reducing the size of anchoring sites for NMDA receptors crucial for brain signaling.
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is characterized by rapid deterioration of language skills, movement and changes in personality, behavior and social skills. Onset of FTD most commonly occurs during mid-late 50s - significantly earlier than the average age of Alzheimer's disease onset.

Cycloserine is believe to boost NMDA receptor or the brain responsible for
Signaling 

SMOKING Vs CANCER

Smoking is widely recognized as one of the biggest risk factors for cancer. A new study has now demonstrated that smoking is associated with the loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells, potentially explaining why smoking is more of a risk factor for cancer among men.

Smoking was found to have an association with the loss of the Y chromosome in male smokers, which was affected by the frequency of smoking.
Only men have the Y chromosome, which "may in part explain why men in general have a shorter life span than women, and why smoking is more dangerous for men," says lead researcher Prof. Jan Dumanski, of Uppsala University in Sweden.

                                                         
      Smoking was found to have an association with the loss of the Y chromosome in                          .                     male smokers, which was affected by the frequency of smoking.

MEDLINE JOKE OF THE WEEK.

• Doctor: I have some bad news and some very bad news.

• Patient: Well, might as well give me the bad news first.

• Doctor: The lab called with your test results. They said you have 24 hours to live

• Patient: 24 HOURS! That's terrible!! WHAT could be WORSE? What's the very bad news?

• Doctor: I've been trying to reach you since yesterday.

ANOTHER IMPRESIVE STEP TOWARDS THE CURE TO HIV/AIDS

AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease caused by a virus called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The illness alters the immune system, making people much more vulnerable to infections and diseases. This susceptibility worsens as the disease progresses.

HIV is found in the body fluids of an infected person (could be semen and vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk). The virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact.
 In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their babies during pregnancy, delivering the baby during childbirth, and through breast feeding.

HIV can be transmitted in many ways, such as vaginal, oral sex, anal sex, blood transfusion, and contaminated hypodermic needles.
Both the virus and the disease are often referred to together as HIV/AIDS. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. As a result, some will then develop AIDS. The development of numerous opportunistic infections in an AIDS patient can ultimately lead to death.

Placebo boosts brain activity in Parkinson's patients

Parkinson's disease is a motor disorder that occurs when the brain loses cells that produce dopamine - a brain chemical that helps control reward and pleasure and also regulates movement and emotional responses.

Sleep apnea linked to impaired exercise capacity

A Sleep apnea linked to impaired exercise capacity


A new study shows that compared to people who do not have the disorder, those who suffer from sleep apnea may not be capable of burning sufficiently high levels of oxygen during strenuous aerobic exercise.

Facts About Willow Bark

WILLOW BARK

• The chemical that gives willow bark its therapeutic effects is salicin. Experts believe that when the body processes salicin, it turns it into salicylic acid, which is the chemical precursor to aspirin. 
• In 1928, European chemists figured out how to extract salicin and turn it into salicylic acid. It became popular as a pain reliever and fever reducer, and was then modified to become acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin.