Achy Breaky Heart
Your heart can be damaged after a sad event and it may be your brain’s doing. Swiss researchers have been studying people with a rare and unusual condition called broken heart syndrome, a condition that can be brought on by shock. This weakening and failing of the heart happens suddenly, often after a stressful or emotional event such as bereavement. It is little understood but the work in the European Heart Journal suggests the mind’s response to stress plays a part. It’s different to a heart attack caused by blocked blood vessels, but has similar symptoms, including breathlessness and chest pain. It can be temporary, with the heart muscle recovering over days, weeks or months, but for some it can be deadly.
www.bbc.com
No Pain All Gain
Osteoarthritis sufferers currently have to rely on painkillers to combat their excruciating pain. But Oxford University researchers have developed a vaccine which blocks the cause of the agony – nerve growth factor (NGF). The vaccine triggered the immune system to work against the naturally occurring NGF in mice, numbing their pain. Figures estimate nearly nine million people suffer with osteoarthritis in the UK and 30 million in the US. There is currently no cure for the condition.
www.dailymail.co.uk
Prediction of Breast Cancer Recurrence
The genetic and molecular make-up of individual breast tumours holds clues to how a woman’s disease could progress, including the likelihood of it coming back after treatment, and in what time frame, according to a Cancer Research UK-funded study, a first of its kind. Scientists examined the patterns of genetic changes within tumours from nearly 2,000 women with breast cancer and followed their progress – including whether the disease returned – over 20 years. The information was used to create a statistical tool that can better predict if and when women’s breast cancers could come back. Although not available to patients yet, this means that in the future, treatments and follow-up can be tailored, improving women’s chances of survival.
www.sciencedaily.com
Can mushrooms halve cognitive decline?
Scientists in Singapore have found that people who eat more than two portions of mushrooms a week may reduce their chances of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Six types of mushroom were referenced in the study, including the likes of shiitake, oyster and the white button mushroom. The researchers believe the clue may lie in one specific ingredient found in all mushrooms, the amino acid ergothioneine (ET). The compound is also found in other foods, including crab, but is most plentiful in mushrooms.
www.dailystar.co.uk
E-Cigarettes Also Harmful
Researchers at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita say that when you’re vaping, it’s not just your lungs you have to worry about. It’s also your heart — and your mental health. They say that when you smoke e-cigarettes, you are much more likely to have an MI [myocardial infarction or heart attack], coronary artery disease, stroke and are more prone to suffer from depression. The scientists found that, compared with non-users, e-cigarette smokers were 56 per cent more likely to have a heart attack and 30 per cent more likely to have a stroke. Coronary artery disease and blood clot rates were also much higher. Vapers are also twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and emotional problems.
www.healthline.com
