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Injectable devices may allow for organ regeneration Injectable medical devices are now reaching a new level. Researchers at the University of Chicago are now reporting they have come up with a light-activated injectable device that could be used to stimulate nerve cells and manipulate the behavior of muscles and organs. The new material is soft and tiny and less than the width of a human hair. It degrades naturally inside the body after a few months. Each particle is built of two types of...
Fiber may pack some hidden health benefits Most people know that a diet high in fiber helps keep a person “regular.” Now, Australian researchers have uncovered a surprising benefit of this often-undervalued dietary component. They have found that eating the right amount of fiber from breads, cereals, and fruits can help us avoid disease and disability into old age. Using data compiled from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, which included more than 1,600 adults aged 50 years and older, the res...
Artificial vision device helping those with low vision A new portable artificial vision device is now helping those who are blind to read a message on an electronic device, a newspaper article or a menu. The promise of new software technology has now gone from the scientists’ bench to helping the blind in a way never before possible. The new device is called OrCam and it is capable of recognizing text, monetary denominations and faces, and can be programmed to recognize other objects. It i...
Some Alaska Boroughs could improve health Juneau Borough ranks healthiest in Alaska and Wade Hampton Census Area is the least healthy place in the state, according to the seventh annual County Health Rankings. These rankings are done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). They are meant to be an easy-to-use snapshot comparing the health of nearly every county in the nation. The local-level data allows each state to see...
Combating prostate cancer in a new way Investigators in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Queen’s University are now testing a whole new approach to treating aggressive prostate cancer. They are conducting the world’s first ever trial of a new combination of cancer therapies for men with advanced prostate cancer with the hope of prolonging their lives. If the trial goes well, this two-pronged approach may be adopted for men in Alaska. The researchers are conducting a trial with 30 patients and it...
Calcium carbonate nanoparticles may help combat cancer Researchers have now found a way to keep a cancerous tumor from growing by using nanoparticles of the main ingredient in common antacid tablets (calcium carbonate). Investigators at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, have created nanoparticles from calcium carbonate and injected them intravenously into an animal model to treat solid tumors. The compound changed the pH of the tumor environment from acidic to more alkaline. It also...
Benefits from eating chocolate Historically, chocolate has been recognized as a vasodilator, meaning that it widens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure in the long run. However, chocolate also contains some powerful stimulants. Now, researchers are reporting that adults who eat chocolate receive immediate brain benefits. They have found that the brain is more alert and attentive after consumption of chocolate and blood pressure also increased for a short time. “Chocolate is indeed a s...
Diabetes drug may help combat fatty liver disease New research published in The Lancet is showing that a drug currently used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes can be effective in clearing fatty liver disease from some patients. The researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK believe that the findings present the possibility of new therapies for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Currently, there are no licensed treatments. The trial was the first of its type t...
Combating the holiday blues For some individuals the holidays can be a very difficult time emotionally. For some it is just the blues but for others it can result in serious depression. Recently a new study showed that in older adults a combination therapy was able to help those who were clinically depressed. More than half of older adults with clinical depression don’t get better when treated with an antidepressant. However, results from a multicenter clinical has found that adding an a...
Lowering your risk of catching a cold The common cold occurs approximately two to three times a year in adults. If you get that many, you are in the norm. However, if you get more than that you need to think about getting more sleep. New research suggests that a lack of sleep and walking around with a sleep deficit can significantly increase your risk of catching a cold. Studies also suggest that handwashing and zinc may help with prevention. A review of 67 randomized controlled trials found...
No more reading glasses? It may now be possible to get rid of your reading glasses permanently. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now approved a new inlay procedure that can correct presbyopia. This is a condition that develops around age 40 and involves the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Until now, you had to wear reading glasses, bifocals or undergo surgical procedures. The problem with the surgical procedures were that they could compromise a person’s d...
You are not getting older, you are getting better New research is suggesting that blood vessels can actually get better with age and arteries adapt to oxidative stress caused by aging. These new findings contradict earlier theories and they may point to new ways to improve heart health and extend successful aging. Oxidative stress is thought to be the main cause of many age-related diseases. It has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and...
Eating eggs may help prevent development of type-2 diabetes Researchers in Finland are reporting that eating eggs may benefit blood sugar metabolism. In the past, egg consumption has either been associated with an elevated risk of diabetes or no association has been found. The findings from this new study suggest that some compound or combination of compounds in eggs may help combat diabetes through an anti-inflammatory effect. The researchers looked at the dietary habits of 2,332 men between...
New dissolving electronic heart stents Researchers have now come up with an electronic stent that can provide innovative therapy and then dissolve. It is now estimated that every year a half-million Americans undergo surgery to have a stent prop open a coronary artery narrowed by plaque. However, a major drawback with stents has been that sometimes the mesh tubes get clogged. Scientists are now reporting in the journal Nano that they have come with a new kind of multi-tasking stent that could...
Living to celebrate your 100th birthday It is believed that more and more people will be living to the age of 100 and so scientists have been studying what may be the key to successful aging and longevity. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden for the past 50 years have followed the health of 855 Gothenburg men born in 1913. The study now is being wrapped up and it turns out that 10 of the individuals lived to 100. The volunteers in this study were surveyed at the age of 54, 60, 65, 75,...
Can eating eggs help prevent type-2 diabetes? Researchers in Finland are reporting that eating eggs may benefit blood sugar metabolism. In the past, egg consumption has either been associated with an elevated risk of diabetes or no association has been found. The findings from this new study suggest that some compound or combination of compounds in eggs may help combat diabetes through an anti-inflammatory effect. The researchers looked at the dietary habits of 2,332 men between the ages of...
News worth toasting Drinking red wine may help lower your risk for dementia, according to researchers at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. However, they warn that moderation is the key. The researchers just published a study that showed a compound found in common foods such as red grapes and peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory. Resveratrol is an antioxidant that is found in the skin of red grapes, as well as in red wine, peanuts and some berries. It has...
Holy guacamole! An avocado a day may keep the doctor away It is believed that eating avocados may provide many important health benefits, and now you can add lowering your cholesterol levels to the list. A new study has found that individuals on a moderate-fat diet who ate an avocado every day had lower bad cholesterol (LDL ) levels than those on a similar diet without an avocado a day or on a lower-fat diet. The study, which was just published in the Journal of the American Heart Association,...
Yoga may help boost brain function in older adults A simple yoga program may be good for the brain in unexpected ways. University of Illinois researchers are now reporting that practicing hatha yoga three times a week for eight weeks may help improve sedentary older adults’ performance on cognitive tasks that are relevant to everyday life. The findings involved 108 adults between the ages of 55 and 79 years of age. Among the 108 adults, 61 attended hatha yoga classes. The others met for the s...
Attitudes about marijuana and its use are changing nationwide. Alaska, along with Washington, Colorado and Oregon, has lifted the prohibition on its use. The voter-approved changes in each state are expected to bring in millions of dollars through taxes. However, the real windfall may be for Alaska residents and others with chronic health problems. The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is now showing promise for treating chronic pain conditions, nerve pain and nausea...
Breast cancer vaccine showing promise The New Year is ushering in new hope for women who have advanced breast cancer. Researchers are now reporting success with a novel breast cancer vaccine that appears to be safe and effective for helping women with metastatic breast cancer. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the vaccine specifically primes the patients’ immune systems to attack tumor cells and help slow the cancer’s progression. The vaccine causes the body’s immune system to hone in on...
Healthy Christmas party choices This Christmas season the nutritionists say think red wine, dark chocolate and berries for heart health. New studies show you need to watch for the calorie counts and added sugars but these foods in particular may help fight heart disease and protect the brain. Berries, including blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries are a good source of beta carotene and lutein, polyphenols, vitamin C, folate, potassium and fiber. Red wine contains resveratrol,...
Prehabilitation may benefit hip and knee replacement patients All hip and knee replacement patients have physical therapy after their surgery. However, a new study is suggesting that prehabilitation may be highly beneficial to some patients. Researchers found prehabilitation could significantly diminish the need for postoperative care. In some cases, postoperative care was cut by nearly 30 percent, resulting in a significant cost savings. The study included more than 4,700 patients and it found...
Higher dose flu vaccine may benefit older adults For older adults, it may be better to go with the high dose when it comes to the flu vaccine this year. A new study has found that the high dose influenza vaccine is 24 percent more effective than the standard dose vaccine in protecting adults 65 and older against influenza illness and its complications. The Fluzone high dose vaccine is an inactivated influenza vaccine that contains four times the amount of antigen in the standard dose Fluzone...
Stroke rates decreasing in older adults A new analysis has found that there has been a 40 percent decrease in the incidence of stroke in adults over the age of 65. The decline is much greater than researchers had expected and the decline occurred in both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. In addition, deaths due to strokes are also steadily declining in older adults. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 795,000 strokes occurring each year. In the...
