Iodine is an essential element for synthesizing thyroid hormones. A team of researchers has studied the consequences of pregnant women consuming it in their diet and in supplements. The results suggest the need to evaluate their iodine nutritional status before systematically recommending taking it during pregnancy.
Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity — a major health issue.
Around the time of menopause, studies have shown the threat for heart disease intensifies drastically and detecting cardiovascular disease in women is very difficult.
Here’s more evidence that “safe” plastics are not as safe as once presumed: New research suggests that exposure to bisphenol A during pregnancy leads to epigenetic changes that may cause permanent reproduction problems for female offspring. BPA, a common component of plastics used to contain food, is a type of estrogen that is ubiquitous in the environment.
Biomedical scientists have identified a new way to treat castrate resistant cells in prostate cancer sufferers.
The incidence of diabetes is rising worldwide. Using genetic engineering techniques in pigs, scientists at in Germany have created a new model of this metabolic disorder, which recapitulates many features of the disease, and promises to contribute significantly to improvements in diagnosis and therapy.
Stress raises the risk of memory loss and cognitive decline among older people with diabetes, research suggests. Researchers have studied more than 900 men and women aged between 60 and 75 with type-2 diabetes, which tends to be common after the age of 40. They found that brain function slowed in participants with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Spanish researchers determined that rats treated with recombinant ghrelin displayed a reduction in liver fibrosis. Ghrelin, a stomach hormone, reduced the amount of fibrogenic cells by 25 percent in the treated rodents. Research further showed ghrelin prevented acute liver damage and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation in the animal models.
New research has identified four aspects of immune system disturbance which lead to the development of celiac disease. Nearly 40 different inherited risk factors which predispose to the disease have now been identified. These latest findings could speed the way towards improved diagnostics and treatments for the autoimmune complaint that affects 1 in 100 of the population, and lead to insights into related conditions such as type 1 diabetes.
Women who take some types of bone-building drugs used to prevent and treat osteoporosis may be at lower risk of breast cancer, according to a new study.
The benefits of using insulin to treat diabetes far outweigh the risks, but a new review suggests that people with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, may face an increased risk of cancer and that their cancer may be modified by treatment choices. The review showed that: diabetic patients are 30 percent more likely to develop colorectal cancer and have an 82 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Female diabetics face a 20 percent greater risk of breast cancer.
Men who visit a radiation oncologist appear more likely to receive radiation therapy for prostate cancer, whereas men who consult with a urologist with or without a medical oncologist are treated more frequently with hormone therapy, watchful waiting or a radical prostatectomy, according to a new study.
One function of thyroid hormones is to control energy availability and expenditure. Some individuals have mutations in their thyroid hormone receptor-beta (THRB) gene and are resistant to the effects of thyroid hormones. This causes their levels of circulating thyroid hormones to become elevated, but the effects of this have not been completely determined. However, researchers now determined that adults and children with THRB mutations have markedly increased resting energy expenditure.
Scientists have known for several years that Hepatitis C, a common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer, also makes people three to four times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. In studying the insulin resistance of 29 people with Hepatitis C, Australian researchers have confirmed that they have high insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. However, almost all insulin resistance was in muscle, with little or none in the liver, a very surprising finding given that Hepatitis C is a liver disease.
Older men with high levels of the hormone IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1) are at increased risk of cancer death, independent of age, lifestyle and cancer history, according to a new study.
Diet and aerobic exercise are highly effective for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but not for obese subjects that have developed the disease when very young. A new study demonstrates that obese subjects between 18 and 25 years of age carry mitochondrial proteins and genes that work abnormally and that these anomalies contribute to generating insulin resistance and a reduced response to physical exercise.
People whose “bad” cholesterol and risk of future heart disease stay too high despite cholesterol-lowering statin therapy can safely lower it by adding a drug that mimics the action of thyroid hormone.
A clinical research trial of a new treatment to restore brain cells damaged by stroke has passed an important safety stage, according to the neurologist who led the effort.
Women’s responsiveness to the second-line breast cancer drug fulvestrant may depend on whether the cancer cells are expressing two key proteins, scientists report.
Two new studies reveal that patients with a rare autoimmune disease produce antibodies that attack microbe-fighting immune proteins called cytokines. These findings may help explain why these patients suffer recurrent yeast infections.
Fat tissue in women with polycystic ovary syndrome produces an inadequate amount of the hormone that regulates how fats and glucose are processed, promoting increased insulin resistance and inflammation, glucose intolerance and greater risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a study.
According to a new study, women taking commonly used forms of antidepressant drugs may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Scientist have discovered a mechanism for regulating the hormone prolactin. The finding may be significant for conditions and functions such as breast-feeding, sexual libido, and metabolism.
Researchers have shown that measuring the fetal zone of the adrenal gland is a better predictor of pre-term birth than measuring cervical length.
Researchers have found a mechanism by which a hormone responsible for milk production blocks an oncogene that makes breast cancer more aggressive.
