Will Eating eggs every day raise cholesterol?

Eating more than two eggs does not lead to higher serum cholesterol in teens, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Granada analyzed the egg intake in adolescents and the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, such as lipid profile, excess fat, insulin resistance and high blood pressure.

“Health professionals insisted that eating eggs increased cholesterol levels, so in recent decades various public health organizations restrict the intake of egg” Alberto Soriano Maldonado, , said.

However, the recent research suggests that increased serum cholesterol is more affected by intake of saturated fats and trans fats – present in red meat, baked goods, etc The results involves nine countries, demonstrated that eating larger amounts of egg is neither linked to higher serum cholesterol nor to worse cardiovascular health, regardless of their physical activity.

“The conclusions, published that an intake of up to seven eggs a week is not an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases,” said Soriano.

Researchers suggest reviewing dietary recommendations; it would be useful to conduct similar research on a sample group with higher egg intake.

“Egg is a cheap food that is rich in very high-quality proteins, minerals, foliates and B vitamins. Thus it can provide a large quantity of nutrients necessary for optimum development in adolescents,” researchers said. A medium-size egg contains 200 milligrams of cholesterol but has more unsaturated fats and has 70 calories.

 

Deadly Cancers Respond to New Treatment Strategy

A way to treat cancers caused by a tumor-driving protein called “myc,” paving the way for patients with myc-driven cancers was found by UC San Francisco researchers.
Myc acts somewhat like a master within cells to promote uncontrolled growth. This has been impossible to target with drugs.

The discovery of biochemical link within tumor cells lead to clinical trials for experimental drug treatments that indirectly target myc and that are being evaluated in human studies, the researchers said.

UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center scientists led by Davide Ruggero, PhD, and Kevan Shokat, PhD, used one such drug to stop tumor growth in a mouse model of myc-driven lymphoma and multiple myeloma types of blood cancer.

Their study is published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Previous Drug Therapies Unrestrained myc activity results in poor treatment including death.

Although other cancer-associated proteins have been successfully attacked with targeted therapies in recent years, the myc protein has continued to elude efforts to develop drugs that target it. In the PNAS paper, the UCSF researchers describe how they found a way too.

The researchers discovered that cancerous myc can be thwarted by treatment that targets a specific function performed by another protein, called mTOR. Protein Production in Cancer Is Promising Target Ruggero has for several years been probing the ability of tumor cells to make extraordinary amounts of protein to sustain their rapid growth and immortality. He also explores ways to target this excess protein production in cancer.

“One of the major effects of myc activation is a dramatic increase in the capacity of affected cells to make protein,” Ruggero said “This, in turn, leads to increased cell survival and proliferation, and to unstable genomes that foster additional mutations that turn these abnormal cells into tumor cells.” In his earlier studies that myc not only drives protein production, but also that myc-driven cancer cells become absolutely dependent upon this ability to make abnormal amounts of protein. When he genetically manipulated myc-driven cancer cells to slow protein production, they committed suicide, as abnormal cells are supposed to do for the greater good. Also he added “Tumors become addicted to excessive protein production, and mutant myc itself seems to depends on it,”

In the new study, the UCSF team discovered that mTOR disables a protein that acts as a tumor suppressor, called 4EBP1. The disabling of 4EBP1 releases normal constraints on protein production within the cell.

The researchers targeted mTOR with an experimental drug based on a prototype first designed by Shokat, an expert in designing molecules, called a kinase. Our discovery may provide a novel solution for these patients.”

“We are excited by the work of Dr. Pourdehnad and believe these results are an important advance in understanding the role of myc pathway dysregulation in multiple myeloma, and allow for the development of therapeutic strategies,” said Jeffrey Wolf, MD, a UCSF blood disorder specialist, a sponsor of the research.

The drug used in the study, called MLN0128, is made by Millennium, an independently operated subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., based in Cambridge, Mass., and it is being evaluated in clinical trials to treat a variety of cancers. It had not previously been viewed as a weapon against myc-driven tumors, according to the UCSF researchers.

Currently sold drugs directed against mTOR do not inhibit its ability to target 4EBP1, which Ruggero refers to as a “master regulator” of protein production.

“This is a unique therapeutic approach to make myc druggable in the clinic,” Shokat said

 

FDA warns the flammability risk of sunscreen sprays

The US Food and Drug Administration have warned that applying some sunscreen sprays in an open flame will cause a serious danger of catching fire.

The health agency reported with five such incidents. One person was lighting a cigarette; another was standing too close to a lit citronella candle, and someone else walked near a grill.

These people have applied the sunscreen near open flame and suffered significant burn injuries and they are under emergency treatments.

The products that were involved in these incidents have been banned by the FDA. However there are a number of sunscreen products that contain flammable ingredients such as alcohol.

so people should avoid using such products near open flame, the FDA’s lead medical officer Dr Narayan Nair said, we recommend that after you have applied a sunscreen spray labeled as flammable, avoiding being near an open flame, sparks or an ignition source.”

For this reason, you should avoid applying a product near any source of a flame. The agency also advised consumers to consider daily plans before choosing which sunscreen to apply. If you’re heading to a barbeque or bonfire on the beach, for example, stick with the cream products.

“This recommendation is particularly important when it comes to choosing a product for children,” the FDA added, “since they are frequently active and may get near a flame source.”

For added summer safety, avoid these 5 other grilling mistakes that could be hazardous to your health.

 

How to expose the magic of dietary Supplements

A pediatrician finds childhood vaccines by spending few years an assault on vitamins and dietary supplements.

“If you take dietary supplements of vitamin A, vitamin E, beta carotene [or] selenium every day or excess amount then you will have the risk of heart disease says, a researcher at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Many studies have shown that vitamins and dietary supplements rarely help and often hurt, Offit says. Still a huge number of people believe that supplements will improve their health. So, Offit decided to challenge the false beliefs of “the church of vitamins and supplements.”

Offit says a big problem with this is a 1994 law that the FDA applies to its regulation of medicines. Meanwhile, patients clearly benefit from a range of FDA-approved statin drugs that actually do what garlic supplements claim to do.

These supplements are claimed as “natural,” even though it is not true. For example, almonds are a natural source of vitamin E. But you would have to eat 17 pounds of almonds to get the amount of vitamin E in a single capsule then how it would be a natural thing?”

Many hospitals provide unproved supplements in their list of medicines but he says in his own institution, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, plans to remove nearly all supplements from its list later this month.

More often than not, these claims are simply designed to pressure you into buying right away without stopping and asking yourself some serious questions about just how efficient a product is. You should also note that “limited quantities” is a weasel word, because you could have 100,000,000 units of a product in stock and still claim that the quantities are actually “limited” in some way. If a product is legitimately helpful, people will spread the word around on their own, so there is really no need for a company to use deceptive marketing practices to try to pressure consumers into making a decision right away.

How lack of sleep can harm mental health?

Sleepless nights could lead to serious mental health problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a new research has claimed.

The study, conducted by Oxford University, has found that circuits in the brain are shared by mechanisms that control sleep and mental health, and therefore if your sleep is disrupted, your mental health could be too, the Daily Express reported.

Professor Russell Foster told the publication that the appalling sleep-wake cycle in schizophrenia is independent of medication and social constraints and is something fundamentally wrong with the body clock of patients with the disease.

The research also identified a genetic mutation that triggers schizophrenia-like symptoms in mice, which also appears to disrupt their body clocks.

According to Foster, young people are at high risk of bipolar because of their abnormal sleep-wake pattern.

 

As a precaution, TB tests urged for students, staff at Virginia High School

The Fairfax County Health Department is recommending that students and staff at a northern Virginia high school be tested for tuberculosis.

The health department said Monday that 1,900 letters were sent to affected staff and students at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield. Tests will be done at the school in August.

Last month, the county reported three active TB cases at the school. At the time, the county recommended only a limited

number of people be tested.

But those tests showed a higher number than expected tested positive for exposure to the disease on their skin, so the county is recommending a wider testing as a precaution.

Health department spokesman Glen Barbour said no additional active TB cases have been found beyond the three cases already reported

Heart Attack Risk may rise if you continuously skip break fast

Skipping breakfast may increase chances of a heart attack. A study of older men found who continuously skipped breakfast had a 27 percent higher risk of a heart attack than those who have a morning meal. There’s no reason why the results wouldn’t apply to other people, too, the Harvard researchers said.

Other studies suggested a link between breakfast and obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health problems seen as symptoms to heart problems.

Why would skipping breakfast be a heart attack risk?

People who don’t take breakfast are hungrier later in the day and eat larger meals in the afternoon. This means the body gets a larger amount of calories in a shorter amount of time. By eating so the sugar levels in the blood will increase and perhaps clogged arteries.

But eating syrupy pancakes, eggs and bacon really better than eating nothing? “We don’t know whether it’s the timing or content of breakfast that’s important. It’s probably both,” said Andrew Odegaard, a University of Minnesota researcher who has studied a link between skipping breakfast and health problems like obesity and high blood pressure.

The new research was released Monday by the journal Circulation. It was an observational study, so it’s not designed to prove a cause and effect. But when done well, such studies can reveal important health risks.

The researchers surveyed nearly 27,000 men about their eating habits in 1992. About 13 percent of them said they regularly skipped breakfast. They all were educated health professionals — like dentists and veterinarians — and were at least 45.

Over the next 16 years, 1,527 suffered fatal or non-fatal heart attacks, including 171 who had said they regularly skipped breakfast.

In other words, over 7 percent of the men who skipped breakfast had heart attacks, compared to nearly 6 percent of those who ate breakfast.

The researchers calculated the increased risk at 27 percent, taking into account other factors like smoking, drinking, diet and health problems like high blood pressure and obesity.

18 percent of U.S. adults regularly skip breakfast, according to federal estimates. So the study could be important news for many, Rimm said.

“It’s a really simple message,” he said. “Breakfast is an important meal.”

 

Alcohol deaths in young women on rise

Deaths in young women from alcohol-related disease are rising, a study says. Experts study about deaths in men and women of all ages in Glasgow, Liverpooland Manchester from 1980 to 2011.

They said the results for women born in the 1970s should be a “warning signal” about their drinking habits.

Almost 9,000 people die from conditions related to alcohol each year in the UK. This study, detailed in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, of alcohol-related mortality in the three cities, which all have similar patterns of deprivation, poor health and industrialization.

It compared alcohol-related deaths born between 1910 and 1979.

Men were much more likely to die from alcohol-related disease than women – and the age range most affected was people in their 40s and 50s.

But this rate even fallen for the youngest group of women – those born in the 1970s – this death rate increased in all three cities.

‘Cultural influences’

The team behind the report suggests that cheaper alcohol, and longer drinking hours will all have played their part in fuelling the problem.

Dr Shipton told the BBC it was “a shame” minimum pricing had been rejected in England and Wales. Lucy Rocca: “Heavy drinking was glamorized and became a habit”

She said it was one measure which would help tackle the problem, although it would not address the “deep-rooted cultural influences at play”.

He added: “We know that more action is needed to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol.

“That’s why we’re banning alcohol sales below the level of duty plus VAT to tackle the worst cases of cheap and harmful alcohol. “We’re also strengthening the ban on irresponsible promotions in pubs and clubs and challenging industry to increase its efforts through the responsibility deal.”

Avoiding estrogen therapy proved deadly for nearly 50, 000 women

Doctors believe that misconceptions about the risks of estrogen therapy have led to the premature deaths of nearly 50,000 women in the past 10 years, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Estrogen therapy has long been a controversial topic in the medical world. Before 2002, more than 90 percent of women who underwent a hysterectomy were treated with some type of hormone therapy, to help manage symptoms related to early menopause triggered by the procedure.

However, in 2002, a Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study suggested that combination estrogen-progesterone treatments could potentially increase women’s risk for cancer and other health issues.

In the 10 years after that study was published, the numbers of women choosing to receive any type of hormone treatment post-hysterectomy dropped dramatically.

Now, in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers are arguing that misconceptions about hormonal treatments also led women to reject estrogen-only treatments, which have numerous health benefits including reduced mortality and lower incidences of breast cancer and heart disease.

Using data to analyze a population of women ages 50 to 59 who had undergone hysterectomies, researchers estimated that up to 48,835 women died prematurely between 2002 and 2011 because they failed to use estrogen therapy treatments, the Los Angeles Times reported.

“What has happened is an avoidance of use of estrogen, not because of the [study] findings, but because of the way they were communicated and understood,” lead study author Dr. Philip Sarrel said, in a video interview released Thursday by Yale. “None of those women lived to be 70 years old. They were all women aged 50 to 59 who would have used estrogen but did not use it,” because of unfounded fears, he added.

 

Polio: The outbreak in the Horn of Africa is expanding

Somalia hadn’t had a case of polio for nearly six years. But in the past few months the East African country has the worst polio outbreak anywhere in the world.

Twenty new cases of polio were identified this week by the Global Polio Eradication. That brings the total number of cases in the Horn of Africa to 73. The rest of the world combined has tallied only 59 cases so far this year.

Health workers are worried that the virus could gain a foothold in the Horn of Africa and jeopardize the multibillion-dollar effort to wipe out the virus worldwide. Last year the number of children paralyzed by polio hit a record low at 223.

This year it was looking like there were going to be even fewer cases. The last significant pockets of the virus appeared to be isolated in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Then in May, 2-year-old girl in Mogadishu became the first confirmed case of polio in Somalia in more than six years.

The number of polio cases in Somalia is increasing by the day, says Dr. Nasir Yusuf, who leads UNICEF’s immunization efforts in eastern and southern Africa.

In response to this, there have been five emergency polio immunization campaigns in Somalia since May. The women had been working in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, where eight new polio cases were in May.

The current outbreak is forcing governments throughout the region, including parts of the Middle East, to launch supplemental vaccination drives, Yusuf says, because polio is capable of spreading quickly.

“After a week, one of the viruses got into the Somali refugee camp in the most eastern part of Kenya,” he says. “So that tells you how fast this virus made it.”

The virus reproduces inside the human gut, and many people carry it but show no symptoms. This gives the virus the opportunity to travel long distances inside people and then get shed into the environment through feces.

The World Health Organization traced the poliovirus in Somalia to one in West Africa. Nigeria is the only place there where polio is still endemic.

The Somali outbreak is now forcing UNICEF, the WHO and other international agencies to dedicate vast resources to boost polio vaccination coverage throughout East Africa and parts of the Middle East. Those are resources that can’t be used to attack the virus in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria — which appeared, until now, to be the last few places where polio had a foothold.