Abstracts & Commmentary
Manual Lymph Drainage to Treat Lymphedema in Breast Cancer
09-03-2014 Lymphedema affects many breast cancer patients. In this randomized trial, complete congestion therapy with a focus on manual lymph drainage was tested vs the use of compression garments to reduce lymphedema in 95 women being treated for breast cancer.
Antidiabetic Effects of Ginseng Extract
08-28-2014 After an 8-week intervention of ingesting 480 mg of panax ginseng twice daily, study participants demonstrated a statistically significant difference in their fasting glucose level while other glucose measures showed a slight, if not statistically significant, improvement over placebo.
Vitamin D Status and In-Vitro Fertilization Outcomes
08-28-2014 In a study of 99 recipients of egg donation at the University of Southern California Fertility Center, Los Angeles, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 50% reduction in pregnancy and live-birth rates in recipients of donor eggs compared to patients who had adequate vitamin D levels.
Polycystic Ovarian Spectrum
08-28-2014 For this prospective, cohort study, 507 menstrual cycles of 259 eumenorrheic women without a self-reported history of infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or other endocrine disorders were tracked over 1 to 2 menstrual cycles. The wide-ranging results support the theory that PCOS can be redefined as polycystic ovary spectrum, with even healthy menstruating women experiencing occasional hormonal dysfunction.
Horses Lead the Way to Stress Reduction in Dementia Sufferers
08-06-2014 In a recent study involving Alzheimer's patients, horse therapy improved behavior and stress measures. This research echoes existing literature about how animals can help dementia sufferers.
Is Avoiding Sun Exposure Lethal?
08-06-2014 A 20-year follow-up study based on the Melanoma in Southern Sweden study concluded that all-cause mortality was inversely related to sun-exposure habits—but why do the authors not consider vitamin D supplementation, which is proven to enrich the body while not causing skin cancers?
Should Curcumin Be Used with Chemotherapy?
08-06-2014 In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, participants were randomized to receive either curcuminoids (curcumin) or matched placebo for 8 week. The curcumin group demonstrated improvement in biomarkers and quality of life measures, but more studies are needed to prove curcumin’s efficacy as an adjunct to chemotherapy.
Honey and Coffee Better Than Oral Steroids for Persistent Cough
07-23-2014 An Iranian double-blind randomized controlled trial compared the effectiveness of 3 treatments for reducing severity of persistent coughs that follow upper respiratory infections (the treatment groups were the honey-coffee group, steroid group, and control [guaifenesin] group). The decrease in cough frequency for the honey-coffee group was statistically significant and significantly greater than in the steroid or control groups.
Bacterial Growth in Arteries Implicated in Heart Attacks
07-18-2014 Using diseased carotid artery samples from 15 patients, the authors of this study found eubacterial rRNA hiding in the arterial tissue, bacteria that may trigger heart disease. This finding represents the beginning of a paradigm shift in how clinicians view bacteria, biofilms, and cardiovascular disease.
Probiotic Treatment of Sensitive Skin
07-02-2014 After 2 months of use in this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, Lactobacillus paracasei showed a positive effect on skin sensitivity and skin barrier function recovery.
Nut Consumption and Mortality
07-02-2014 Data from 2 large, long-term, prospective cohort studies were analyzed, and they proved that nut consumption was inversely associated with total mortality among both women and men, with those who reported consuming nuts daily 20% less likely to have died during the study.
Exposure to Residential Green Space Improves Mental Health
07-02-2014 A recent analysis of a 6-year survey of 1,064 urban British adults tracked a significant improvement in mental health status when participants moved to a location with more surrounding urban green space.
Cinnamon and Blood Sugar Revisited
07-02-2014 A recent meta-analysis examined 10 randomized controlled trials that provided data on the effect of cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp) on type-2 diabetes. Findings were mixed, with certain diabetes biomarkers alleviated by cinnamon and others unaffected.
Lycopene, Tomatoes, and Prostate Cancer
06-04-2014 A prospective study seeks to elucidate the relationship between lycopene and its potential role in the prevention or treatment of prostate cancer.
Obesity a Significant Comorbid Concern With Statins
06-04-2014 New findings indicate that increase in BMI is faster in the group of individuals taking statins as compared to non–statin users, and over time, calorie and fat intake increase in people taking statin medications.
Do Statins Increase Risk of Breast Cancer?
06-04-2014 Women currently using statins who had been taking them for 10 years or longer had an 83% higher risk of getting invasive ductal carcinoma and nearly double the risk of invasive lobular carcinoma compared with women who never used statins.
Systematic Review of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Clostridium difficile
06-04-2014 A systematic review of studies on fecal microbiota transplantation for Clostridium difficile infection found that the treatment results in significant clinical resolution of symptoms.
High-Protein Diets and Longevity
05-07-2014 This study looked at overall and disease-specific mortality in relation to dietary protein consumption. The results suggest that low protein intake during middle age followed by moderate to high protein consumption in older adults may optimize health and longevity.
Topical Curcumin for the Prevention of Oral Mucositis in Pediatric Patients
05-07-2014 Oral mucositis can significantly compromise a patient’s quality of life. Due to the strong need to find an effective treatment for this condition, the use of topical curcumin, as this study hints, might offer benefit to this end.
Marijuana in the Management of Diabetes
05-07-2014 Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 4,657 participants found marijuana use to be associated with a decreased prevalence of diabetes mellitus. The current study further examines the NHANES data.