British scientists have found a way to treat stroke
The group of British scientists has completed a successful experiment that could dramatically change the destiny of millions of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Researchers from Imperial College in London used revolutionary technology with the use of stem cells.

Scientists have found a way to draw, to grow in the laboratory and then transplant the patient of his own cells to become heart muscle tissue. This will lead to the rejuvenation of the heart and increase its capacity pump blood.

New technology could eventually lead to a transplant donor organs become useless. This will allow each year to save 238 thousand Britons are dying due to cardiovascular disease.

Moreover, new technology could improve the quality of life of approximately 1 million people - each year just from so many people in Britain is heart attack.

The study, which was a group of scientists led by Professor Schneider has already received an award for future medical innovation (The Medical Futures Innovation Award) - analog Prize «Oscar» medicine.

The President of the British cardiovascular societies and one of the judges who awarded the award, Dr Nicholas Boon believes that technology can transform the treatment of patients, a heart attack or other diseases.

«As the therapy based on stem cells using the patient's own cells, it nullifies the risk or likelihood of complications, which are usually associated with tissue rejection after transplantation», - he said.

In turn, the founder of the Prize, Andy Goldberg expects the results of the study will soon manifest itself. «This will be the biggest breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease», - said Goldberg.

In cardiac arrest the heart muscle cells die, and the existing methods of treatment to date can not restore them. Currently, a full cure is not possible, because the heart is unable to recover, although the use of various drugs can ease symptoms of the disease.

The team of scientists from the British National Institute for the heart and lungs have found a way to rejuvenate the heart through the variety of stem cells - the so-called prodzhenitornyh cells that are precursors of cardiac tissue. These cells are in small quantities in the human heart.

Professor Schneider, who heads the cardiology unit of the British charity Cardiological Foundation, was among the first who showed that the stem or prodzhenitornye, cells exist in the heart muscle tissue. In addition, he created the technology with which prodzhenitornye cells are cleared from cells of the patient's cardiac tissue for the subsequent cultivation in the laboratory.

For every one million normal cells of cardiac tissue accounts for no more than 300 prodzhenitornyh. The researchers believe that their purpose - to help the heart recover from everyday stresses. However, scientists managed to make these specialized cells and clone them in the laboratory. Then, using the appropriate equipment to make copies of non-toxic.

Tests on mice showed that the cells leads to the formation of cardiac muscle tissue. Professor Schneider said that now I would like to try out work prodzhenitornyh cells in pigs, whose anatomy is similar to human anatomy. «After about three years, we could conduct clinical trials on people, - he adds. - It may be that patients with a heart ailment reversed, because they will grow healthy tissue ».

Antioxidants are not rescued from aging
Food and cosmetic products with the content of antioxidants does not prevent the aging of the body, say scientists at the University College London.

Free radicals - oxygen molecules that cause an imbalance of electrons with protons - are formed naturally in the body metabolism. These free radicals can cause oxidative processes, similar to rust when iron is exposed to oxygen. Biological systems in our body, usually able to restrict or to heal the damage.

In 1956, Denhem Harman proposed the theory that aging is caused by the accumulation of molecular damage to cells caused by "oxidative stress", with the active oxygen species such as free radicals. For 50 years this theory has dominated research on the causes of aging. However, British experts refute this view: in the experiment, they examined the activity of key genes involved in removing free radicals from the body of the worm with nematodnogo. elegans. Manipulating these genes, experts are able to monitor the ability of cells to limit the potential damage caused by oxidation. It turned out that the worm's life expectancy did not increase due to the protection of tissues and cells against free radicals.

It was concluded that oxidative damage is not the driving force behind the aging and antivozrastnye products with antioxidants are unlikely to be effective to prevent the impending process. "A healthy, balanced diet is very important to reduce the risk of many diseases associated with aging, including cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis," - said Professor David James of the University of California / USA. - "But there is no clear evidence that dietary antioxidants to slow or prevent aging. Even less evidence - against   cosmetics.

Discovered a gene that protects the lungs from cancer
Genetics of the University of Nottingham have found a gene that protects human lung tissue from malignant tumors. That lung cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer.

And, as a rule, people turn to a doctor at a late stage of the disease, when the help is already very difficult. British scientists have found that gene LIMD1, suppresses the changes in the cells of the lungs, which can lead to degeneration of tissues in the tumor. However, the gene is vulnerable when subjected to a certain chemical substances. In particular, the gene gradually degrades with exposure to tobacco smoke. Degradation of the gene is the first signal to the possible development of lung cancer, monitoring will enable them to diagnose disease at an early stage.

Low calorie diet is dangerous in the cold season
Scientists from the University of Michigan (United States) found that people are adhering to the diet, and those who eat low-calorie food, the most at risk of falling ill ARI.

In the experiment, mice receiving low food, in the first days after infection died from the disease more frequently than mice receiving a normal diet. Caloric food restriction consider reducing calories by 40% compared with a normal diet, while maintaining the normal amount of vitamins and minerals.

«If you met with your body to strangers virus, the immune system has no antibodies to it, so the body is protected with the help of special cells that kill germs. These cells, called natural killer, it is very important in the early stages of infection control. Calculate the body infected cells, they quickly come to the fight. According to our data, loses calories animals are especially vulnerable to influenza infection, their immune system can not work out enough to combat the number of natural killer », - said nutritsiolog Elizabeth Gardner.

During the infection mouse initially received little calories, more pain, stronger than losing weight and often die of infection.
«From this experiment it can be concluded that prepared for the meeting with a virus the body faster and with fewer losses to cope with infection. Adults can limit their calorie food for eight months of the year, but in those four months, which coincide with the season of colds, it is better to return to nutritious food. To cope with the additional stress, such as infection, the body needs additional reserves », - explains Elizabeth Gardner.

According to other studies, scarce food prolongs the life of all organisms, from yeast and fungi to primates. The authors of the experiment believed that the received data can be transferred to certain groups of people such as children and elderly people who eat little but often take vitamins.

Immunization, of course, protect against influenza, but they are designed only for certain types of virus, while a person may encounter a completely different variety.

Currently, Elizabeth Gardner is studying the mechanisms underlying the deterioration of immunity with low nutrition. Her research in the field of immunology nutritsionnoy may help in understanding how food affects the human immune system and in what circumstances, the organism most resistant to infection.

Italian doctors are seeking new methods for the treatment of epilepsy
Epilepsy is known since ancient times. Seizures suffered many prominent people such as Paul and Buddha, Julius Caesar and Napoleon, Handel, and Dante, Van Gogh, Nobel, Dostoevsky and others.

The Italian researchers seem to feel a "key" to the brutal treatment of the disease. They discovered the dangerous link between the white calves blood leukocytes / performing protective functions in the body, blood vessels and brain. This relationship is likely, and underlies the origin of "Saint Vitus Dance" - epilepsy. Experiments on mice conducted by doctors Gabriela Constantin and in laboratories Fabene Paolo Verona University, showed that blocking this regard, specific antibody significantly reduces the number of attacks and hinder the development of disease.

This discovery may lead to the renewal of treatment of epilepsy, the journal "Nature Medicine" / "Nature Medicine" /.

Epilepsy - a chronic psychiatric disorder that is characterized by a tendency to recurrent sudden seizures, which are of different types, but the basis of any of them is anomalous, excessive activity of the brain nerve cells, sending nerve impulses / type of electrical discharge / motor to the muscles. To denote strength and duration of seizures doctors usually use terms such as "convulsions," "attacks", "episodes".

Actual number of patients with epilepsy is difficult because many of its victims either do not know about his disease, or hide it. In the United States, according to recent studies, suffered from epilepsy for at least 4 million people, and its prevalence is 15-20 cases per 1000 people. In other countries, these figures probably about the same as the incidence does not depend on sex, race, socio-economic status or place of residence. Some importance, in the opinion of doctors, has a factor of inherited predisposition to the disease. Radical treatment of epilepsy is not yet there, but now with the help of medication could be reduced substantially the number of seizures in 60-80 percent of cases. According to European sources, in Italy, as in the rest of the world, the number of patients with epilepsy is one percent of the population. Of these, one third did not receive any relief from existing medications and to prevent the attacks had to resort to surgical intervention. However, the disease rarely leads to death or of serious violations of physical condition or mental capacity of a patient.

Opening of the Italian doctors may become a turning point in the struggle with epilepsy medicine.

Our new blog has been launched today. Stay focused on it and we will try to keep you informed. You can read new posts on this blog via the RSS feed.