Environmental toxins may cause body's defenses to worsen lung disease
The University of Cincinnati (UC) has received $2.4 million to study whether environmental toxicants can stimulate the body's natural defense system to cause additional damage in people with chronic lung diseases. Michael Borchers, PhD, believes long-term exposure to certain environmental toxicants may activate a specific receptor--known as NKG2D--in lung cells that causes the immune syst...Stress Found To Worsen Acne In Teenagers
Acne is a condition of the skin that affects more than 80 percent of teenagers and up to 25 percent of adults. While stress has often been cited // as a source of acne, these claims have been unsubstantiated until now. Twenty-two university students participated in this study. Each participant had at least one academic examination within the time of the study. Exam sessions are common so...Embryonic Cells Might Prevent Parkinson’s Disease From Worsenin
Patients with Parkinson’s disease may be able to stop or even slightly improve the progression of the disease if they undergo a surgical procedure to implant // embryonic cells into their brains, say researchers. The cells work by producing dopamine, a neurochemical that helps control movement. People with Parkinson’s don’t produce enough dopamine, which leads to the movement problems com...Caffeine Found To Worsen Diabetes
A cup of coffee at breakfast may be making an individuals diabetes worse, report researchers who conducted a study to determine how caffeine impacts blood sugar control and insulin levels. Early studies done suggest, // drinking two cups of instant coffee a day significantly impaired glucose tolerance in men with type 2 diabetes. More recent studies have associated caffeine with decreased...Depression Can Worsen Heart Disease
Depression in people may accelerate the heart conditions by releasing the levels of a protein that causes inflammations. In a study of 32 people with heart failure, the 14 patients who felt the most depressed had nearly twice// the levels of this protein in their blood. The protein, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), is one member of a large family of proteins called c...