Category Health/Medical

Celecoxib

Scientists from Florida campus of TSRI have found that one of the most widely prescribed pain and anti-inflammation drugs slows the growth rate of a specific kind of cancer in animal models and suggests the medication could have the same effect on other types of tumors. The new study focused on the effects of celecoxib (Pfizer’s Celebrex®) which targets “cyclooxygenase-2” (COX-2). This enzyme is also critical in the creation of prostaglandins, compounds that act like hormones and play a role in promoting tumor growth. COX-2 expression is typically low in normal tissue, but high in multiple types of cancers.

COX-2, Gordian knot or Achilles heel? (A) Physiological processes with significant COX-2 involvement...

How do you react to disagreements? It did not take the researchers long to guess which spouses would develop ailments down the road based on how they reacted to disagreements. Credit: © kmiragaya / Fotolia

Study suggests how you argue predicts health problems later in life. If you rage with frustration during a marital spat, watch your blood pressure. If you keep a stiff upper lip, watch your back. New research from the UC, Berkeley, and NW University, based on how couples behave during conflicts, suggests outbursts of anger predict cardiovascular problems. Conversely, shutting down emotionally or “stonewalling” during conflict raises the risk of musculoskeletal ailments such as a bad back or stiff muscles.

The study, published today in the journal Emotion, is based on 20 years of data...

Canine electrode locations and data segments. (A) For the canine subjects, bilateral pairs of 4-contact strips were implanted oriented along the anterior-posterior direction. Electrode wires were tunnelled through the neck and connected to an implanted telemetry device secured beneath the latissimus dorsi muscle. (B) An hour of data with a 5-min offset before each lead seizure was extracted and split into 10-min segments for analysis. (C) The expanded view illustrates a ∼35-s long seizure.

It might sound like a riddle: What do you get when you combine 1 online contest, 2 patients, 5 five dogs and 654 data scientists? The answer: Hope for patients with epilepsy that their seizures can be reliably predicted, and perhaps prevented...

Risks associated with low-sodium intake — less than three grams per day — are consistent regardless of a patient’s hypertension status. Credit: © Sebastian Studio / Fotolia

Salt reduction only important in some people with high blood pressure. A large worldwide study has found that, contrary to popular thought, low-salt diets may not be beneficial and may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to average salt consumption. The only people who need to worry about reducing sodium in their diet are those with hypertension and have high salt consumption.

The study, involving more than 130,000 people from 49 countries, was led by investigators of the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences...