http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Two enzymes that are elevated in prediabetes could hold clues to helping the 79 million Americans with the condition avoid serious vascular complications and maybe even identify those most at risk for full-blown diabetes, researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-enzymes-therapies-prediabetes.html Diabetes Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:41:57 EST news274621310 Two proteins are in a tug of war that determines how much the body makes of superoxide, a highly reactive and potentially destructive product of oxygen that's dramatically elevated in cardiovascular disease, researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-protein-war-therapies-cardiovascular-disease.html Cardiology Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:26:09 EST news272204746 Levels of the protein appoptosin in the brain skyrocket in Alzheimer's disease and traumatic brain injury. Appoptosin is known for helping the body make heme, the molecule that carries iron in the blood. In a study published Oct. 31 in the Journal of Neuroscience, Huaxi Xu, Ph.D. and his group at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute discovered that excess heme leads to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and triggers apoptosis, causing neurons to die. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-neuron-killers-alzheimer-traumatic-brain.html Neuroscience Fri, 09 Nov 2012 10:03:14 EST news271677782 Low antioxidant levels contribute to increased blood pressure during exercise for people with peripheral arterial disease, according to researchers at Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-antioxidants-ease-pad-blood-pressure.html Cardiology Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:06:09 EST news271613163 Exposure to cigarette smoke has long been associated with increased frequency of respiratory infections—which are harder to treat in smoke-exposed people than in those who lack such exposures. Now Ritwij Kulkarni of Columbia University, New York, NY, and colleagues show that cigarette smoke actually boosts virulence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Their study appears in the November 2012 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-cigarette-boosts-virulence-staphylococcus-aureus.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:45:02 EST news271611884 Compounds that affect respiratory health have been found in biodiesel exhausts. This might lead to restrictions on the use of this form of biofuel as an alternative to fossil fuel, according to researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-biodiesel-emissions-shown-respiratory-disease-linked.html Health Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:41:23 EST news269674875 A molecule thought to limit cell proliferation also helps cancer cells survive during initial tumor formation and when the wayward cells spread to other organs in the body, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-key-enzyme-roles-friend-foe.html Medical research Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:55:53 EST news258882913 Current thinking about Parkinson's disease is that it's a disorder of mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles inside cells, causing neurons in the brain's substantia nigra to die or become impaired. A study from Children's Hospital Boston now shows that genetic mutations causing a hereditary form of Parkinson's disease cause mitochondria to run amok inside the cell, leaving the cell without a brake to stop them. Findings appear in the November 11 issue of Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-neurons-die-parkinson-disease.html Medical research Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:32:20 EST news240157693 Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that the infiltration of white blood cells into an expectant mother's blood vessels may explain high blood pressure in pregnancy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-high-blood-pressure-pregnancy.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:38:56 EST news239290730 In an experiment on rats, European researchers have proved that eating strawberries reduces the harm that alcohol can cause to the stomach mucous membrane. Published in the open access journal Plos One, the study may contribute to improving the treatment of stomach ulcers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-strawberries-stomach-alcohol.html Other Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:18:23 EST news238760291 There is a reason exercise becomes more difficult with age. A report in the August Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, ties the weakness of aging to leaky calcium channels inside muscle cells. But there is some good news: the researchers say a drug already in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of heart failure might plug those leaks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-weakness-aging-tied-leaky-muscles.html Medical research Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:21:32 EST news231506441 New information has come to light explaining how injured skin cells and touch-sensing nerve fibers coordinate their regeneration during wound healing. UCLA researchers Sandra Rieger and Alvaro Sagasti found that a chemical signal released by wounded skin cells promotes the regeneration of sensory fibers, thus helping to ensure that touch sensation is restored to healing skin. They discovered that the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, which is found at high concentrations at wounds, is a key component of this signal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-power-hydrogen-peroxide.html Medical research Tue, 24 May 2011 17:47:20 EST news225478022 Bitter cumin is used extensively in traditional medicine to treat a range of diseases from vitiligo to hyperglycemia. It is considered to be antiparasitic and antimicrobial and science has backed up claims of its use to reduce fever or as a painkiller. New research published in BioMedCentral's open access journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows that this humble spice also contains high levels of antioxidants. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-traditional-remedy-bitter-cumin-great.html Health Fri, 20 May 2011 02:37:37 EST news225077828 (Medical Xpress) -- The gut may need bacteria to provide a little bit of oxidative stress to stay healthy, new research suggests. Probiotic bacteria promote healing of the intestinal lining in mice by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-beneficial-bacteria-intestinal-injury-reactive.html Medical research Tue, 10 May 2011 15:07:00 EST news224258764