Health Conditions

Subjects who took Zocor, lipitor or similar statins are more likely to get cataracts than non-statin users.¹  A number of studies assessing data with different mathematical models find that the risk is increased by 27% to 34%.

Cholesterol can build up in the arteries, clogging them and causing strokes and heart attacks. A popular type of drug calls “statins” reduce cholesterol by blocking a substance that body needs to make cholesterol. Around 25% of Americans over the age of 45 take statin drugs to
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In a new study that examined the association of cerebrovascular disease with a wide variety of neurodegenerative diseases, the strongest correlation was found to be with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that the link was strongest in younger Alzheimer’s patients, in whom the effects of cerebrovascular disease were most pronounced.

Cerebrovascular disease, which affects the circulation of blood in the brain, has previously
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Most people are aware that diabetics are at risk for This is because high blood glucose, or high blood sugar levels, puts people at risk for these problems. Yet, many of us don’t realize that we all need to be concerned about the dangers of high blood sugar levels to our overall health.

High blood sugar levels produce advanced glycation end products or AGEs. AEGs have been linked to the aging process, heart disease, and dementia, as well as serious eye diseases. And, while AGEs are more
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Researchers at Ohio State University examined the effect of high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood of postmenopausal women. The study found that this showed a lower risk of hip fractures in the patients.

Hip fracture and bone loss issues are often increased by inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids are already known to lower inflammation. The study thus posed the question of whether omega-3 fatty acid intake might lower fracture risk.
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Immunocore, a UK-based biotechnology company, has been exploring this area using T-cells. T-cells are responsible for identifying and destroying pathogens. A protein protruding from the cell called the “T-cell receptor” binds itself to cells recognized as a threat. While T-cells are not naturally expert at identifying cancer cells, it is possible to engineer them to do so.

This is what chief scientific officer Bent Jakobsen and his team at Immunocore have been working on over 20 years of study. They engineered a form of treatment that works at the level of cellular immunity. Using the T-cell receptor as a model, researchers at Immunocore have created a small protein molecule called ImmTAC. These molecules have two binding ends. One attaches to T-cells. The other sticks to cancer cells, without affecting any healthy cells.
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The success of the study indicates the potential for using the drug to improve heart function in humans.

The Buck Institute study used laboratory mice at an age comparable to humans in their 70s. After three months of treatment with rapamycin, the mice showed improved heart function. Ultrasound images indicated their hearts were more efficient in pumping blood. The mice also spent more of their time on running wheels.

Cardiovascular disease (heart disease) is the leading cause of death in Americans, claiming approximately 600,000 lives and costing $109 billion each year.
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In patients with multiple sclerosis, the immune system incorrectly reacts to myelin, the insulating sheath that covers nerves in the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord, and then destroys it, disrupting normal transmission of electrical signals. This results in symptoms from partial limb numbness to paralysis and blindness.

The new human trial is part of a collaboration between Northwestern’s Feinberg School, University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany.
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 The study appeared in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Schools of Public Health reported that the risk is especially high for older women. They connect lower levels of  the hormone DHEAS, or dehydroepiandrosterone  sulfate, with this higher stroke risk.

The study’s subjects included women from the Nurses’ Health Study of 1976. They had no reported history of strokes when they joined that study.  The levels of DHEAS of these women were tested between 1989 & 1990. The 461 stroke patients were matched up for age, race,
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 OSA requires proper diagnosis and management. This ailment often goes untreated, despite being recognized nearly 50 years ago.

With a 9% incidence rate among the female Caucasian population of the United States and 24% in the male Caucasian population, more than 80% of those affected by OSA are believed to be undiagnosed, or untreated even if they are.

So what does obstructive sleep apnea have to do with proper eye care?
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A recent study linking cholesterol and macular degeneration may shed light on a highly significant problem caused by aging and potentially illuminates hope for a treatment or perhaps even a cure.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause in partial or complete blindness of adults over 60 in the United States. The disease targets the macula in the eyes which in large part is what enables us to perceive the fine detail that allows us do things like reading and driving.

A new study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism on April 2 2013, involved the study of macrophages from old mice and humans with macular degeneration. Macrophages, white blood cells that deconstruct cholesterol, have been found in higher than normal concentration in subjects with macular degeneration. In previous studies, this cellular build up has been shown
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