Tag Archives: diabetes

Older Lesbians, Gays Have Higher Rates of Chronic Disease, Mental Distress, Isolation

By Guest PostMarch 30, 2011Healthaids, bisexual, california, california lesbians, chronic conditions, chronic health conditions, cycles of data, diabetes, epidemiology, gay, good health, heterosexual population, heterosexual women, hiv, hypertension, lesbian, lgb, life threatening health conditions, physical disability, poor mental health, steven wallace, susan cochran, ucla

*California’s aging LGB population is set to double in next 20 years*

Members of California’s aging lesbian, gay and bisexual population are more likely to suffer from certain chronic conditions, even as they wrestle with the challenges of living alone in far higher numbers than the heterosexual population, according to new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Half of all gay and bisexual adult men in California between the ages of 50 and 70 are living alone, compared with 13.4 percent of heterosexual men in the same age group. And although older California lesbians and bisexual women are more likely to live with a partner or a family member than their male counterparts, more than one in four live alone, compared with one in five heterosexual women. (more…)

A Dose of Safflower Oil Each Day Might Help Keep Heart Disease at Bay

By Guest PostMarch 22, 2011Health, Scienceabdominal fat, adiponectin, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, diabetes, glycemic control, inflammation, insulin sensitivity, linoleic acid, lipid control, metabolic syndrome, omega-3 pufas, omega-6 pufas, postmenopausal, safflower oil, triglycerides

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A daily dose of safflower oil, a common cooking oil, for 16 weeks can improve such health measures as good cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in obese postmenopausal women who have Type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

This finding comes about 18 months after the same researchers discovered that safflower oil reduced abdominal fat and increased muscle tissue in this group of women after 16 weeks of daily supplementation.

This combination of health measures that are improved by the safflower oil is associated with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that can increase risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. (more…)

Researcher Aims to Improve Effectiveness of Radiation Therapy for Cancer

By Guest PostMarch 7, 20112 commentsHealth, Scienceanticancer drugs, biology of tumor cells, cancer therapy, cancer treatment, characterize the tumors, chemotherapy, ct, diabetes, heart attacks, hypoxia, hypoxia induced pathways, hypoxic cells, localiz, malignant cells, methods for imaging tumors, microscopic tumors, mri, oxygen deficiency, oxygen deficiency in tissues, PET, pharmacology, radiation, sara rockwell, stroke, therapeutic radiology, yale

Sara Rockwell is a leader in her field. A professor of therapeutic radiology and pharmacology at the School of Medicine, Rockwell was among the first researchers to study the effects of oxygen deficiency on the response of malignant cells to radiation and anticancer drugs, and was among the first to consider the implications of this deficiency in microscopic tumors for the development of solid malignancies.

Rockwell, who is also associate dean for scientific affairs, joined the faculty of Yale School of Medicine in 1974, and teaches radiation biology, pharmacology, cancer biology, ethics and career development skills. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Penn State University in 1965. She went on to earn her doctorate degree in biophysics from Stanford University in 1971. (more…)

Why Coffee Protects Against Diabetes

By Guest PostJanuary 13, 2011Health, Scienceamerican diabetes association, biological activity, body, brian chen, cancer, cardiovascular disease, coffee, coffee consumption, david geffen, decaffeinated coffee, diabetes, estrogen, gene, julie buring, molecular mechanism, morning elixir, mutation, non coffee drinkers, plasma levels, protective effect, protein, sex hormone binding globulin, sex hormones, shbg, simin liu, testosterone, tolerance to insulin, type 2 diabetes

*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…)

How Pathogens Hijack Host Plants

By Guest PostNovember 27, 20101 commentSciencearabidopsis, bacteria, cell membrane, cells, diabetes, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, frank white, fret, fungi, global crop, infestation, li-qing chen, mustard, mutation, novel transporters, organism, pathogen infection, pathogenic bacteria, pathogens, plant nutrients, pore proteins, protein genes, sensor-based technology, sugar efflux, sugar-pumping mechanism, sweets

Palo Alto, CA — Infestation by bacteria and other pathogens result in global crop losses of over $500 billion annually. A research team led by the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology developed a novel trick for identifying how pathogens hijack plant nutrients to take over the organism. They discovered a novel family of pores that transport sugar out of the plant. Bacteria and fungi hijack the pores to access the plant sugar for food. The first goal of any pathogen is to access the host’s food supply to allow them to reproduce in large numbers. This is the first time scientists have a direct handle on controlling the food supply to pathogens and thus a new means to prevent a wide range of crop diseases and losses. (more…)

Obesity: Yale Researcher Explains Why It’s All in Our Heads

By Guest PostOctober 28, 20101 commentHealth, Sciencealzheimer, appetite, diabetes, environmental factors, estrogen, genetic, higher brain functions, human brain imaging, hungary, hypothalamus, metabolic disorders, metabolism, neurodegenerative diseases, obesity, parkinson, pioneer award, tamas horvath, type 2 diabetes, veterinary medicine, yale daily bulletin

Tamas Horvath. Image credit: Yale University

Tamas Horvath is the first to tell you that he doesn’t study obesity. But his research on the effects of metabolism on higher brain functions could provide deeper understanding of the brain’s link to appetite, weight and to metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity.

His lab was the first to provide evidence that the brain uses fat as fuel. Horvath has also studied how endocrine signals in the brain regulate neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Horvath followed his father and grandfather into veterinary medicine in his native Hungary, but his training sparked a passion for basic research. His achievements have earned him a long title that speaks to his varied research interests. He became chair of the Department of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in 2005, and he is also a professor in the Departments of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and Neurobiology. Horvath also heads the Program on Integrative Cell Signaling and the Neurobiology of Metabolism. (more…)

Walnuts: Its Amazing Health Benefits

By PravdaJuly 4, 20102 commentsHealth40 nuts, amino acids, anna protsenko, anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, Avicenna, b, black currants, blood pressure, blood sugar, c, calcium, cancer center, cardiovascular, chocolate, cholesterol, cobalt, colitis, constipation, copper, davis, diabetes, diseases, e, enteritis, fatty acids, gastro-intestinal tract, hippocrates, iodine, irina shlionslaya, iron, kernels, magnesium, medpulse, metabolism, minerals, nutritionist, omega-3, p, phosphorus, potassium, prostate cancer, protein, ru, sodium, teaspoon, thyroid, university of california, usa, vitamin c, vitamins a, walnuts

Health benefits of walnuts have been known since time immemorial. Hippocrates and Avicenna mentioned them in the treatment of various diseases. In addition, the ancients thought that they stimulate mental activity. Anna Protsenko, a nutritionist, told MedPulse.ru.

“Walnuts contain a great deal of minerals,” the expert explains. “They include iron, copper, cobalt, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and iodine. Many of them are antioxidants.

(more…)

Violent Video Games May Increase Aggression in Some But Not Others, Says New Research

By Guest PostJune 10, 20101 commentTechnologyagreeableness, american psychological association, asthma attacks, behavior problems, christopher j. ferguson, cognitive skills, commercial video games, conscientiousness, diabetes, diabetes treatment, Europe, extraversion, five-factor model, neuroticism, openness, pain, pain management, pamela kato, patrick markey, perfect storm, personality trait, psychological model, psychotherapy, review of general psychology, Social networking, t. atilla ceranoglu, texas a&m international university, therapy, united states, violent video games

*Bad effects depend on certain personality traits; games can offer learning opportunities for others*

WASHINGTON – Playing violent video games can make some adolescents more hostile, particularly those who are less agreeable, less conscientious and easily angered. But for others, it may offer opportunities to learn new skills and improve social networking.

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