Category Health/Medical

>>according to the findings of a preliminary study presented today at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh. Vitamin D, which is both a vitamin and a hormone, helps control levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood and is essential for the formation of bones and teeth. Sources of Vitamin D include oily fish and eggs, but it can be difficult to get enough through diet alone. Most people generate vitamin D by exposing their skin to UVB rays in sunlight.

Previous studies suggest that vitamin D can block the action of enzyme 11-βHSD1, which is needed to make cortisol. High levels of cortisol may raise blood pressure by restricting arteries, narrowing blood vessels and stimulating the kidneys to retain water...

Spontaneous knee effusion, also known as ‘water on the knee,’ can be a primary symptom of Lyme disease, even when patients do not exhibit a ‘bull’s eye’ rash, another common Lyme disease symptom. According to a literature review, early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment can prevent the development of Lyme disease’s more severe symptoms.

Lyme borreliosis, or Lyme disease–the most common vector-borne illness transmitted by insects–is prevalent in the Northeast and upper Midwest regions of the United States. Over 30,000 cases are reported to CDC each year and likely over 300,000 new cases occur but go unreported.

“It is important to catch and treat Lyme disease early because the symptoms get progressively worse over time,” said Elizabeth Matzkin, MD...

The gene Prkci promotes the generation of differentiated cells (red). However if Prkci activity is reduced or absent, neural stem cells (green) are promoted. Credit: In Kyoung Mah

When it comes to stem cells, too much of a good thing isn’t wonderful: producing too many new stem cells may lead to cancer; producing too few inhibits the repair and maintenance of the body. Medical researchers now describe a key gene in maintaining this critical balance between producing too many and too few stem cells.

Prkci is the gene influences whether stem cells self-renew to produce more stem cells, or differentiate into more specialized cell types, such as blood or nerves. In their experiments, the team grew mouse embryonic stem cells, which lacked Prkci, into embryo-like structures in the laboratory...

Image: Dr Nuno Reis demonstrates how the disposable microfluidic test strip works.

Academics hope to boost early detection rates of cancer in developing countries with their portable lab-in-a-briefcase that can operate even at high temperatures. Believed to be the 1st kit of its kind dedicated to the portable measurement of cancer biomarkers, the concept is the brainchild of Dr Nuno Reis, a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering.

The number of people dying from cancer in developing countries is on the increase, partly due to steadily ageing populations, but also due to limited access to proper diagnostic tools. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for >8 million deaths/ yr, and 70% of the world’s cancer deaths occur in Africa, Asia and Central and South America...