C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein produced by the liver when there is inflammation somewhere in the body. People with high levels of CRP may be at higher risk for an acute coronary event (heart attack) and death but not stroke, according to a study published in the October 20, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
According to the scientists, testing for this protein – which is released into the bloodstream when the blood vessels leading to the heart are damaged – adds to the predictive value of screening blood samples for both total and HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Thus C-reactive protein testing may improve doctors’ ability to predict heart disease risk.
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What is influenza A virus H1N1 also known as swine flu?
Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (swine flu) is a new influenza virus causing illness in humans. This new virus was first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas in early April 2009. This virus is spreading from one person to another all over the world, just like the regular seasonal influenza viruses spread.
A (H1N1) has been called swine flu because it has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia, but the virus also has avian genes and human genes.
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Nanotechnology has reached critical mass. Nowhere is this more evident than in medicine. Rising medical costs, demands for less-invasive procedures and pressures for immediate feedback of medical conditions, all point to nanotechnology as offering a new approach in healthcare.
When a person suffers from eye ailments today, nine times out of ten, he will be prescribed eye drops to treat his illness or relieve his discomfort. However, 95 percent of the medication administered in this manner flows to where it is not needed. Most eye medications are delivered by drops. The drops usually mix with tears and drain into the nasal cavity, where they can flow through the blood stream to other organs and cause serious side effects. In addition, dosage through eye drops is inconsistent and difficult to regulate, as most of the drugs are released in an initial burst of concentration.
To counter these problems, researchers have been studying the use of contact lenses to deliver eye medication.
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Nanotechnology is the creation of functional materials, devices and systems. Nanotechnology makes use of minuscule objects – whose width can be 10,000 times narrower than a human hair – known as nanoparticles. A scientific and technical revolution has just begun based upon the ability to systematically organize and manipulate matter at nanoscale.
An atom has a diameter of about 0.1 nm. An atom’s nucleus is much smaller – about 0.00001 nm. Atoms are the building blocks for all matter in our universe. You and everything around you are made of atoms. Nature has perfected the science of manufacturing matter molecularly. For instance, our bodies are assembled in a specific manner from millions of living cells. Cells are nature’s nanomachines. At the atomic scale, elements are at their most basic level. On the nanoscale, we can potentially put these atoms together to make almost anything.
You might be surprised to find out how many products on the market are already benefiting from nanotechnology. Upwards of 600 products on store shelves today contain them, including transparent sunscreen, lipsticks, anti-aging creams etc.
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Many breast cancer patients have low levels of vitamin D, which could lead to weaker bones and increased risk of fractures.
Vitamin D is essential to maintaining bone health, and women with breast cancer have accelerated bone loss due to the nature of hormone therapy and chemotherapy. It’s important for women and their doctors to work together to boost their vitamin D intake.
Peppone and colleagues studied 166 women undergoing treatment for breast cancer and found that nearly 70 percent had low levels of vitamin D in their blood. The average level among the women was 27 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood. Levels of 32 nanograms per milliliter are adequate, according to the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
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