Findings published on August 29, 2017 in the journal Scientific Reports support the ability of garlic to combat undesirable bacteria. Professor Michael Givskov of the University of Copenhagen and colleagues found that ajoene from garlic interferes with communication systems in the bacteria Staphylococcus aureusand Pseudomonas aeruginosa byinhibiting small regulatory RNA molecules. The sulfur-rich compound also inflicted damage on the bacteria’s protective biofilm, rendering it more susceptible to attack. “The two types of bacteria we have studied are very important,” noted first author Tim Holm Jakobsen of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Immunology and Microbiology. “They are called Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They actually belong to two […]
The ancient medicinal healing herb yarrow goes by many names including Achilee, Devil’s Nettle, Noble Yarrow, Nosebleed, Old Man’s Pepper, and Soldier’s Wound Wort among others. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has been most famously used as an herbal remedy used for wounds, cuts and abrasions. It’s genus name comes from the Greek character, Achilles, who was reported to carry it with his army to treat battle wounds. It grows naturally in sunny locations on thin, sandy soils. You may even see it growing along roadsides, in fields or on lawns. Yarrow is native to Eurasia but now grows all over the world in North […]
Extended use of acid-reflux medications such as Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid is linked to an increased risk of kidney disease, according to a new study led by a resident doctor at Bassett Medical Center. These heartburn pills, known as protein pump inhibitors, are among the most widely prescribed medications in the world, and several are available over the counter. They work by reducing stomach acid production so the esophagus can heal, and are intended for short-term use. “I think the awareness has not been made public so patients will know,” said Dr. Raquel Rosen, head of nephrology at Bassett Medical Center. “When you’re […]
In August 2016, the New England Journal of Medicine published a striking report on cancer and body fat: Thirteen separate cancers can now be linked to being overweight or obese, among them a number of the most common and deadly cancers of all — colon, thyroid, ovarian, uterine, pancreatic and (in postmenopausal women) breast cancer. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added more detail: Approximately 631,000 Americans were diagnosed with a body fat-related cancer in 2014, accounting for 40 percent of all cancers diagnosed that year. Increasingly, it seems not only that we are losing the war on cancer, but […]
Dying heart cells cause an immune response that increases heart attack fatality, according to a study in
Research involving a potent antioxidant, described on September 19, 2017 in Scientific Reports, suggests that the compound could help protect cells in several conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cell transplants. In their report, a team from the University of Edinburgh observe that the flavonoids quercetin and myricetin are among the most potent dietary antioxidants. Structural modification of myricetin has resulted in the development a new compound known as Proxison. In the current research, Proxison demonstrated 10 times the ability to protect against oxidative stress induced by the compound tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) in neuroblastoma cells compared to quercetin, while several other antioxidants […]
An article appearing August 21, 2017 in Nature Medicine reveals a potential role for senolytic compounds, including quercetin and the drug dasatinib, in the targeting of senescent cells to help maintain bone. “While we know from previous work that the accumulation of senescent cells causes tissue dysfunction, the role of cell senescence in osteoporosis up to this point has been unclear,” noted researcher Sundeep Khosla, MD, of the Mayo Clinic’s Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging. “The novelty of this work for the bone field lies in the fact that, rather than targeting a bone-specific pathway, as is the case for all current […]
Inflammation is traditionally thought of as a symptom of sleep apnea, but it might actually precede the disorder,
The August 10, 2017 issue of Cell reported an ability for calorie restriction to prevent the impact of aging on circadian rhythms. “The process of aging and circadian rhythms are intimately intertwined, but how peripheral clocks involved in metabolic homeostasis contribute to aging remains unknown,” the authors write in their introductory remarks. For the current investigation, researchers at the University of California, Irvine fed calorie restricted or unrestricted diets to young and old mice. At 6 and 18 months, liver tissue samples were analyzed. Although calorie restriction did not affect the 24-hour cycle of the older group’s circadian-controlled metabolic system, older cells showed signs […]
An article appearing on August 21, 2017 in Nature describes research conducted at the University