Scientists discover how to 'switch off' autoimmune diseases
Scientists have made an important breakthrough in the fight against debilitating autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis by revealing how to stop cells attacking healthy body tissue. Rather than the body's immune system destroying its own tissue by mistake, researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered how cells convert from being aggressive to actually protecting against disease. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, is published (3 September) in Nature Communications.
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Wine only protects against CVD in people who exercise
Wine only protects against cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people who exercise, according to results from the In Vino Veritas (IVV) study presented at ESC Congress by Professor Milos Taborsky from the Czech Republic. Professor Taborsky said: "This is the first randomised trial comparing the effects of red and white wine on markers of atherosclerosis (1) in people at mild to moderate risk of CVD. We found that moderate wine drinking was only protective in people who exercised. Red and white wine produced the same results."
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Fighting prostate cancer with a tomato-rich diet
Men who eat over 10 portions a week of tomatoes have an 18 per cent lower risk of developing prostate cancer, new research suggests. With 35,000 new cases every year in the UK, and around 10,000 deaths, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Rates are higher in developed countries, which some experts believe is linked to a Westernised diet and lifestyle. To assess if following dietary and lifestyle recommendations reduces risk of prostate cancer, researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford looked at the diets and lifestyle of 1,806 men aged between 50 and 69 with prostate cancer and compared with 12,005 cancer-free men.
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A novel pathway for prevention of heart attack and stroke
Finnish researchers have found that the low-expression variant of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), which is particularly common among Finns, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. The finding revealed a promising new way to customise a potentially preventive drug for atherosclerosis. Led by Professor Perttu Lindsberg, the long-term research project of the Department of Neurology at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) focuses on carotid atherosclerosis. It is a joint effort involving the University of Helsinki, the Helsinki University Central Hospital, the Wihuri Research Institute and the National Institute for Health and Welfare.
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Community pharmacies could play bigger part in tackling poor health
Community pharmacies could play a vital role in tackling major public health concerns such as obesity and smoking because the vast majority of people in England live within easy walking distance, say researchers. The Durham University study, published in BMJ Open, is the first to show that most people can get to a community pharmacy easily with the greatest access in deprived areas. The findings show that the often-quoted inverse care law, where good medical care is most available to those who need it least, does not apply to pharmacies.
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Aspirin: Scientists believe cancer prevention benefits outweigh harms
New research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) reveals taking aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of developing - and dying from - the major cancers of the digestive tract, i.e. bowel, stomach and oesophageal cancer. For the first time, scientists have reviewed all the available evidence from many studies and clinical trials assessing both the benefits and harms of preventive use of aspirin. Conclusions of the study, funded by Cancer Research UK among others, are published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology.
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Potential basis for the treatment and prevention of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson’s disease affects neurons in the Substantia nigra brain region – their mitochondrial activity ceases and the cells die. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics show that supplying D-lactate or glycolate, two products of the gene DJ-1, can stop and even counteract this process: Adding the substances to cultured HeLa cells and to cells of the nematode C. elegans restored the activity of mitochondria and prevented the degeneration of neurons. They also showed that the two substances rescued the toxic effects of the weed killer Paraquat. Cells that had been treated with this herbicide, which is known to cause a Parkinson's like harm of mitochondria, recovered after the addition of the two substances.
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