Tea tree oil and silver together make more effective antiseptics

Tea tree oil and silver together make more effective antiseptics In the fight against infected skin wounds, mixing tea tree oil and silver or putting them in liposomes, (small spheres made from natural lipids), greatly increases their antimicrobial activity and may minimise any side effects.

Wan Li Low and colleagues from the University of Wolverhampton presented research at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate today (30 March) which showed that although both tea tree oil and silver (in the form of silver nitrate) were effective against a range of micro-organisms, when low concentrations of the two agents were combined, their antimicrobial activity increased. They carried out laboratory tests on pathogens that are involved in skin infections. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (which is a common cause of skin infections and abscesses), and the yeast Candida albicans, which causes thrush, were killed.  Read on

Enzyme and vitamin define the yin and yang of asthma

Enzyme and vitamin define the yin and yang of asthma The allergen breathed in by a person with asthma triggers a proteinase or enzyme called MMP7 that activates a cascade of events to prompt an allergic reaction,   said a consortium of researchers led by Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online in the journal Nature Immunology. In particular, MMP7 activates interleukin 25, a key mediator of the allergic response in the lung said Drs. Farrah Kheradmand and David B. Corry, associate professors of medicine-pulmonary at BCM, and senior authors of the report. Read on

Should all women be screened for domestic violence

Should all women be screened for domestic violence A screening programme which would require doctors and nurses to ask all women whether they have experienced domestic violence,

whatever their reason for seeking medical attention, is not justified, according to a new report by researchers at the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme. However, doctors and nurses need better training to respond to domestic violence and the NHS should consider commissioning specialist domestic violence services to which doctors can refer women, the lead author of the report says.  Read on

Depression may Cause Heart Disease and Related Death

	Depression may Cause Heart Disease and Related Death Previous research has already suggested that there a two-directional link between depression and health conditions of the heart.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has added to the body of evidence, having found that being depressed could increase the likelihood that a person gets hit or killed by heart disease. Read on

Fructose metabolism by the brain increases food intake and obesity

Fructose metabolism by the brain increases food intake and obesity The journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ybbrc) (BBRC), published by Elsevier,

will publish an important review this week online, by M. Daniel Lane and colleagues at Johns Hopkins, building on the suggested link between the consumption of fructose and increased food intake, which may contribute to a high incidence of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Over the past four decades life-styles have gravitated toward the excessive consumption of ‘high energy’ foods and sedentary behavior that has resulted in a high incidence of obesity and its pathological consequences. This scenario has led to the increased occurrence of insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. At present, approximately thirty percent of adult Americans can be classified as obese. Moreover, these changes now extend into the younger age group.  Read on

Eating red and processed meat associated with increased risk of death

Eating red and processed meat associated with increased risk of death Individuals who eat more red meat and processed meat appear to have a modestly increased risk of death from all causes and also from cancer or heart disease over a 10-year period,

according to a report in the March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In contrast, a higher intake of white meat appeared to be associated with a slightly decreased risk for overall death and cancer death.“Meat intake varies substantially around the world, but the impact of consuming higher levels of meat in relation to chronic disease mortality [death] is ambiguous,” the authors write as background information in the article.  Read on

Study Shows That Exercise Reduces Migraine Suffering

	Study Shows That Exercise Reduces Migraine Suffering While physical exercise has been shown to trigger migraine headaches among sufferers, a new study describes an exercise program that is well tolerated by patients.
The findings show that the program decreased the frequency of headaches and improved quality of life. The study is published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. The study used a sample of migraine sufferers who were examined before, during and after an aerobic exercise intervention. Read on

Hormone-mimics in plastic water bottles – just the tip of the iceberg?

	Hormone-mimics in plastic water bottles – just the tip of the iceberg? Study shows drinking water contaminated with potent estrogen
Plastic packaging is not without its downsides, and if you thought mineral water was ‘clean’, it may be time to think again. According to Martin Wagner and Jörg Oehlmann from the Department of Aquatic Ecotoxicology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, plastic mineral water bottles contaminate drinking water with estrogenic chemicals. Read on

Therapists still offering treatments for homosexuality despite lack of evidence

	Therapists still offering treatments for homosexuality despite lack of evidence A significant minority of psychiatrists and therapists are still attempting to help lesbian, gay and bisexual clients become heterosexual despite lack of evidence that such treatment is beneficial or even safe, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust.
The research, published today in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry, coincides with the launch of the website www.treatmentshomosexuality.org.uk. The website gathers together oral histories from lesbian, gay and bisexual people who have undergone treatment as well as from professionals who developed and conducted such treatments.  Read on

Fit women much less likely to die from breast cancer

Fit women much less likely to die from breast cancer Physically fit women are less likely to die from breast cancer, according to a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health.

The findings are published in the April issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.The study of more than 14,000 women found that those with moderate or high aerobic fitness levels were much less likely to die from breast cancer, said Dr. Steve Blair, an Arnold School researcher and a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine.  Read on