Cottonseed for Cancer

No, it is not the whole cottonseed, it is a purified derivative of its extract called Gossypol. When this compound was tested against human prostate cancer in mice, the cancer was completely wiped out.

Cancer cells express proteins to resist chemotherapy and radiation, so that it can prevent cell death (apoptosis). There are 6 varieties of these anti-apoptotic proteins and they are expressed differently in different cancers. Targeting the right one protein may not be enough to kill cancer cells, as they often express more than one and can select for an "escape" protein and continue to prosper.

The new compound inhibits all six anti-apoptotic proteins. Its broad spectrum activity could make current cancer treatment more effective by preparing malignant cells to die.

Read the details ...
Cancer: Trapping the escape artist

Eating Nuts Associated with Improvements in Cholesterol Levels

Nuts are Alternative to Mediterranian Diet

Consuming more nuts appears to be associated with improvements in blood cholesterol levels.
According to the pooled analysis of 25 trials, participants who consumed an average of 67 grams (about 2.4 ounces) of nuts per day, were found to have an average 5.1 percent reduction in total cholesterol concentration, a 7.4 percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol) and an 8.3 percent change in ratio of LDL cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol). In addition, triglyceride levels declined by 10.2 percent among individuals with high triglyceride levels (at least 150 milligrams per deciliter), although not among those with lower levels.

the lipid-lowering effects of nut consumption were greatest among subjects with high baseline LDL-C and with low body mass index and among those consuming Western diets.

Read the details ....

Eating nuts associated with improvements in cholesterol levels

Flaxseed and Ovarian Cancer Prognosis

Flaxseed-fed chickens shed light on ovarian cancer
It has been recently discovered that a diet enriched with flaxseed decreases severity of ovarian cancer and increases survival in hens.

Janice Bahr, a professor emerita in the U of I Department of Animal Sciences said "In hens fed flaxseed, we found that more tumors were confined to the ovary and they had less metastatic spread,".
She added "This is an important finding as the metastases that accompany late-stage ovarian cancer are the main cause of death from this disease. If the cancer is found at an early stage, when the tumor is still confined to the ovary, women have a much better prognosis and more treatment options."

2-year-old laying hens (hens that have ovulated as many times as a woman entering menopause) were submitted to the clinical trial, since "The chicken is the only animal that spontaneously develops ovarian cancer on the surface of the ovaries like humans" according to Professor Bahr.

It is thought that inflammation associated with continuous ovulation leaves ovarian surface epithelial cells susceptible to malignant transformation. The observation that egg-laying domestic hens frequently develop ovarian cancer supports this hypothesis.

According to Bahr, 25,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and 15,000 die. The incidences of death in other cancers have dropped recently, but ovarian cancer death rates have remained the same.

Risks of Missuse of Potent Drugs

C. diff Infections, Fractures Linked to Acid Reflux Drugs
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) like Aciphex, Dexilant, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix are  the most powerful class of antacid drugs.  The drugs do a great job of reducing stomach acids. PPIs are supposed to be used only for serious conditions, but often they are taken for simple heartburn, and doctors tend to overprescribe PPIs for hospitalized patients, they write 113,4 million prescriptions for the drugs. Two, Prevacid and Prilosec, are available without prescription.

Now Boston Medical Center researcher Amy Linsky, MD, and colleagues find that hospital patients treated for C. difficile infections (hard-to-cure bacteria that causes severe diarrhea) are 42% more likely to have their C. diff infection come back if they take PPIs (a 25.2% risk vs. an 18.5% risk). Another study found that the risk for patients taking PPIs is higher is higher than for those taking H2 Receptor Antagonists or no antacids.

Although the risk is not so great ( a little below 2 percent), but about 60% of U.S. hospital patients get antacids.

Other researchers found that there is a risk of developing fractures.

The benefits of PPIs may not justify their risks for many people, suggests Mitchell H. Katz, MD, of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.