*Scientists at the University of East Anglia have discovered a rogue gene which – if blocked by the right drugs – could stop cancer in its tracks.*
Published on January 24, 2011, by the journal Oncogene, the discovery is a breakthrough in our understanding of how cancer spreads. It is hoped the research will lead to new drugs that halt the critical late stage of the disease when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body. (more…)
Around one in four Montrealers take some kind of anti-depressant, and according to new research, the drugs are passing into the waterways and affecting fish. The findings are internationally significant as the city’s sewage treatment system is similar to that in use in other major cities, and moreover, it is reputed to be the third largest treatment system in the world. Lead by Dr. Sébastien Sauvé at the University of Montreal’s Department of Chemistry and André Lajeunesse, a PhD candidate, the research team found that the drugs accumulate in fish tissues and are affecting the fish’s brain activity. (more…)
Adult children of divorce are more likely to have seriously considered suicide than their peers from intact families, suggests new research from the University of Toronto. (more…)
Energy drinks are a recent invention of mankind, even though their ingredients have long been used to stimulate the nervous system. They have become the salvation for students during the exams and office workers that have to meet the deadlines. Yet, are these products as good as they seem? (more…)
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Researchers have identified how the hormones progesterone and estrogen interact to increase cell growth in normal mammary cells and mammary cancers, a novel finding that may explain why postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy with estrogen plus progestin are at increased risk of breast cancer. (more…)
Migraines are a chronic brain condition characterized by attacks of a throbbing headache, of medium or strong intensity, possibly associated with nausea, vomiting, photophobia and intolerance to sounds (phonophobia). In about a third of cases, seizures are accompanied by neurological symptoms, usually visual, known as auras. The disorder occurs in those who are genetically susceptible. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide there are 324 million people who suffer from in this condition. (more…)
New drug shows promise for treating chronic pain
A team of researchers at the University of Toronto has developed a new drug targeted at parts of the brain and spinal cord associated with pain perception, which may more effectively control chronic pain caused by nerve injuries. (more…)
*Researchers discover molecular mechanism behind drink’s prophylactic effect*
Coffee, that morning elixir, may give us an early jump-start to the day, but numerous studies have shown that it also may be protective against type 2 diabetes. Yet no one has really understood why.
Now, researchers at UCLA have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee’s protective effect. A protein called sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) regulates the biological activity of the body’s sex hormones, testosterone and estrogen, which have long been thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. And coffee consumption, it turns out, increases plasma levels of SHBG. (more…)
