Novartis Blood Pressure Medication Runs into Trouble by Gary Pepper, M.D. Editor, Metabolism.com 
In 2007 a new type of blood pressure lowering medication was brought to market by Novartis Pharmaceutical Company. This medication by the brand name Tekturna (aliskiran) works by blocking hormones that make up a circuit from the kidney to the blood vessels know as the RAAS system. This mechanism is distinct from all other blood pressure lowering medications available. By working via a completely novel pathway to lower blood pressure doctors were given another potent weapon in the war on high blood pressure.
Boost your immunity
Women fight off colds better when they are young, according to an Australian study. No wonder my daughter used to say she never wanted to grow up. Unfortunately, youth only protects us up to a point. As we grow older, we produce fewer new immune cells. At the same time, our stressful lives lead us to adopt poor habits which make us even more vulnerable to getting infections and catching viruses. That doesnt mean we need to throw in the towel. We still can have strong immune systems if we adopt healthy habits. Healthy habit No. 1: Get moderate exercise We may hate hearing it but regular, moderate exercise is the best thing we can do for our immune systems. Read full post…
Hybrid silkworms spin stronger spider silk
Research was published this week showing that silk produced by transgenically-engineered silkworms in the laboratory of Malcolm Fraser Jr., professor of biological sciences at University of Notre Dame, exhibits the highly sought-after strength and elasticity of spider silk. This stronger silk could possibly be used to make sutures, artificial limbs and parachutes.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and highlighted for their breakthrough in the long search for silk with such mechanical properties. The manuscript was published after an in-depth peer review process, and was deemed by the publishers as a newsworthy article of the issue in which it appears, further indicating its relative importance to science and technology.
“It’s something nobody has done before,” Fraser says. The p
Group therapy delays progression of dementia
Dementia describes a set of progressive neurodegenerative symptoms resulting in serious impairment of cognitive ability beyond what might be expected from the normal ageing process. Several conditions and diseases may cause dementia, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia mainly affects people over the age of 65 and the prevalence of this condition in our ageing population is increasing. Estimates suggest a global dementia prevalence of 24.3 million, with 4.6 million new cases of dementia every year. This number is speculated to double every 20 years to 81.1 million cases by 2040. Currently, there are no preventative or curative treatments for dementia, although medications (e.g. a Read full post…
Most Stillbirths Caused by Placental, Pregnancy Conditions
Half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy disorders and conditions that affect the placenta, according to a new report. Risk factors already known at the start of pregnancysuch as previous pregnancy loss or obesityaccounted for only a small proportion of the overall risk of stillbirth.
Stillbirth is the death of a baby during the second half of pregnancy—at or after the 20th week of gestation. It occurs in 1 out of 160 pregnancies nationwide. Some risk factors had previously been linked to stillbirth, including maternal diabetes or high blood pressure. But
Study: Leafy Green Vegetables May Boost Your Immune Defenses
Heated battles have raged across the world’s dinner tables for about as long as anyone can remember. The topic of this unending debate? Vegetables.
Despite their most valiant efforts many parents still struggle with their kids about eating their nightly serving of greens. Visiting your local farmers markets, fresher produce and more interesting/flavorful recipes have been helping to slowly turn the tide, but arming yourself with a little extra knowledge before going into battle doesn’t usually hurt either.
According to newly presented research, eating green vegetables may be an even better way to our bodies healthy than we could have possibly guessed. In