Yogurt, the New Cancer Fighter?

April 19, 2010 | Filed Under alternative therapy, cancer, research | No Comments

A team of Irish scientists at University College Cork have found that probiotic yogurt could change the battle against breast cancer.

Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Center say harmless bacteria from probiotic yogurt travels through the body and can grow inside tumors.

Scientists believe that the breakthrough could one day rule out the need for chemotherapy drugs and reduce the toxic effect current cancer therapies have on healthy cells.

Investigators say the "bacteria can leak out from the gut into the blood and grow inside tumors throughout the body where they can produce whatever we want."

According to the scientists the findings are exciting because the main goal of cancer treatment is to focus therapy on tumors without harming healthy cells and future treatment "could be as simple as handing someone a yogurt suspension containing millions of bacterium."

Patient Zero’s Blog Carnival #6

April 19, 2010 | Filed Under alternative therapy, cancer, health, health insurance, musings, nutrition, radiology, research | No Comments

Welcome to the April 19, 2010 edition of patient zero’s blog carnival.

williamsshelly34 presents Indian Spices increase risk of Lead Poisoning: Study posted at Breaking News Online.

Jimmy Hagans presents Everything You Need to Know About the Male Birth Control Pill posted at Online Ultrasound School, saying, "A latest study conducted by the Institute of Education, University of London, women have better memories than men. The study included 9,600 people in their 50s. Women scored almost 5% more than men in the first test and nearly 8% more in the second test to prove that they are the better and stronger, when it comes to intelligence and memory."

Alisha Harmann presents Everything You Need to Know About Mobile Usage & Your Health posted at Online Radiology Technician Schools, saying, "If you believe that cell phones have a harmful effect on your health, then it is up to you to take up the precautionary principle and take appropriate action to protect your own health."

Raymond Fernandez20 presents 25 Little Known Ways Everyday Technologies Are Affecting Your Health posted at Online BSN, saying, "Did you know that workers were hospitalized while making mobile phones? Additionally, did you realize that you are at increased risk of dying from surgery fire created by increased technology usage in hospitals?"

John Laugherton presents How Healthy Is Your State? 10 Enlightening Infographics posted at BSN to MSN, saying, "The following ten infographic links lead to a variety of information about nationwide health including obesity, mental health and health expenditures."

Glory Scott presents 25 Notable Start-ups Changing the Medical Information Industry posted at Masters in Health Informatics, saying, "Information technology is building in the medical sector, along with new jobs in many of the start-ups mentioned in this list. These 25 notable start-ups are changing the medical information industry."

Frederick Yarmy presents How to Research Your State’s Healthcare Stats for Free posted at MPH Degree, saying, "With the National healthcare debate in full swing, there has never been a more important time to become informed about how your state’s stats stack up. But, up-to-date statistics are notoriously difficult to find. Here are the best websites to help you find and understand your state’s healthcare statistics for free."

Diane Steward presents 49 Fascinating YouTube Videos to Learn About the Human Body posted at online nurse practitioner degree, saying, "There is a lot to learn about the body and how it works, as well as how its different systems interact to create a larger system. Here are 49 interesting YouTube videos that can help you learn about the human body."

mrs laughton presents Top 25 Pediatric Nursing blogs posted at MSN Degree, saying, "If you are interested in pediatric nursing, here are 25 top blogs you can read to learn more about caring for the smallest of patients."

John Laugherton presents 17 Ways Mobile Computing Is Changing Medicine and Healthcare posted at Online Radiology Technician Schools, saying, "No matter your career in health care, you are likely to find that technology is changing health care and the way things are done. Here are 17 ways that mobile computing is changing medicine and health care."

Aaliyah Williams presents 17 Infographics Explaining Obamacare and Health Care Reform posted at Masters in Health Administration, saying, "With the health care reform bill passed, many are now debating the merits of so-called “Obamacare.” The debate over care vs. cost continues, and many are looking for answers about what the health care reform bill will actually do."

Diane Laine presents 25 Free Online TV Shows that Are Good for Your Health and Wellness posted at MSN Degree, saying, "While NBC and ABC lead CBS in the number of health and wellness shows among those networks, you can find more full-length video programming at PBS or the Discovery Channel, where entire sections are devoted to health and wellness."

Rugbygirl Crosby presents 50 Essential Web Resources for Health Educators posted at Masters in Health Education, saying, "If you are a health educator, you can look online for support, advice and helpful hints. Here are 50 web resources that can help health educators."

aratimishra95 presents 6 reasons to read to your child everyday posted at Masters in Elementary Education.

ogimasmith presents 6 reasons to read to your child everyday posted at Masters in Elementary Education.

Savvyrobert presents 6 reasons to read to your child everyday posted at Masters in Elementary Education.

Baily Hayden presents Masters in Health Administration (MHA) Average Salary | Master Of Health Administration posted at The Health Express, saying, "By getting an advanced degree in health administration, you’ll be qualified for higher-paying jobs that come attached with more responsibilities and a more fulfilling career overall."

Hoven Keith presents 9 Pervasive Myths About Biotechnology posted at Masters in Biotechnology, saying, "Biotechnology is a controversial subject, and depending on your point of view, these myths might be dangerous or hold the seeds of truth."

Elisha Knackwood presents Everything You Need to Know About Sleep and Your Health posted at Online Nurse Practicioner Programs, saying, "When most people think about their health, they consider how they should eating and exercising. Some might even considering switching to a greener lifestyle in order improve health. However, while thinking about exercising and eating right, many people neglect another important aspect of their health: Sleep."

Raymond Fernandez20 presents Top 50 Health Care Pundits Worth Following on Twitter posted at Nurse Practitioner Degree, saying, "One way for citizens and health care professionals to stay on top of the news is to follow health care news correspondents, health publications and Health 2.0 advocates on Twitter. To that end, this list of top 50 health care pundits worth following includes individuals and news publications that focus on various health issues."

John Laugherton presents 10 Essential Web Tools for Nurse Practitioners posted at Nurse Practitioner Education, saying, "Nurse Practitioners have difficult jobs, however, with the proliferation of the internet, there are several web tools that can be quite useful for nurses."

Herbert Aitken presents 50 Authoritative Public Health Experts Worth Following on Twitter posted at MPH Degree, saying, "The following 50 authoritative public health experts tweet the news as fast as they receive it, often beating mainstream media to the punch."

exercise

Dr. Armughan Riaz presents Is Excess Heaviness or Weightlifting increasing Your Blood Pressure? | High Blood Pressure Symptoms Treatment Diet posted at High Blood Pressure Symptoms Treatment Diet.

Maria Clara presents 100 Best Blogs for Weight Loss Support posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Rowena Hebert presents 10 Healthy Exercises That Make You Better in Bed posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Jerry Rogers presents 100 Essential Health Hacks for Surviving Dorm Life posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

medical news

suzane153 presents Use of Condoms goes down, Women prefer Pills posted at Breaking News Online.

Tisha Dotson presents 100 Reasons to Become a Nurse posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Faithe Jamse presents 50 Essential Web Resources Every Nurse Should Bookmark posted at Top 50 Nursing Specialty Blogs, saying, "No matter your nursing education level, or what nursing program you attended, it always helps to have resources on hand to help you improve the level of care you provide your patients."

Walter presents Alzheimer’s Disease May Protect Against Cancer and Vice Versa posted at Highlight HEALTH, saying, "Note that this article was written by Diana Gitig."

Andrew Edgington presents Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps Guide On How To Quit Drinking posted at Quit Alcohol Today, saying, "Discover How To Quit Drinking and the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps – Proven At Home Alcohol System. Just 10 Min/Day For 21 Days. Guaranteed!!!"

Glory Scott presents 25 Unbelievable X-Ray Pics Showing Objects Lodged Inside the Human Body posted at ultrasound tech school, saying, "Do you ever run with pencils, work with 15-inch drill bits or tend to not duck when people hurl butter knives at you? Some of the images listed here may convince you to change your ways."

Andrew Edgington presents The Devastating Effects Of Alcohol Abuse On The Brain posted at Quit Alcohol Today, saying, "Terminate The Effects Of Alcohol Abuse – Proven At Home Alcohol System. Just 10 Min/Day For 21 Days. Guaranteed!!!"

nutrition

Peggy Stoppelmoor presents 25 Facts You Never Knew About Michelle Obama’s Public Health Campaign posted at Online Nurse Practicioner Programs, saying, "You may have heard about first lady Michelle Obama’s "Let’s Move" pulbic health program that intends to combat childhood obesity in the U.S. What you may not know is that Mrs. Obama had to confront the possibility of childhood obesity in her own children as a working parent."

Aaliyah Williams presents 10 Disgusting & Delicious Breakfast Sandwiches Destroying the Country’s Public Health posted at Online CNA Degree Programs, saying, "It’s easy to stop by the fast-food joint in the morning before work to down a cup of latte and a sausage and egg biscuit. But, how many calories are you consuming before you sit before your desk?"

Diane Steward presents 25 Infographics & Research Studies to Learn About Sleep & Your Health posted at Nursing Assistant Guides, saying, "If you lose too much sleep, your immune system suffers, and you’re more susceptible to colds and viral infections. In the following 25 research studies that focus on sleep and your health, you’ll learn why napping is good — sometimes — and why a steady sleep pattern is best for your health."

JohnQ Stakes presents 10 Best Brain Foods (and the 10 Worst, Too) posted at Online CNA Degree Programs, saying, "What you put into your body really does affect how you function and how you feel. It can even affect how you think. There are foods that research shows are good for your brain. And, on the flip side, foods that are not so good for your brain."

Edna bhacker presents Everything You Need to Know About Diet Soda, Soft Drinks and Your Health posted at online MHA degree, saying, "While we may enjoy the taste of soda, the truth of the matter is that it can be very bad for your health. Indeed, no matter your salary level, degree attained or how healthy you think you are, drinking soda — even diet soda — can be bad for your health."

Jennifer Meyer presents 25 Intriguing Web Start-Ups Disrupting the Healthcare Hegemony posted at online MHA degree, saying, "We’ve pulled together 25 start-ups across a wide range of medical fields to show that next-generation medical technology is disrupting the healthcare hegemony with new technologies that may prove safer, faster and less expensive than current technologies."

Baily Hayden presents 33 Essential Sites & Apps to “X-Ray” Any Food You Eat posted at Online BSN, saying, "Foods today have a number additives, artificial ingredients, and chemicals with long and confusing names. With all the processing that goes on, and with all the health problems that can come with eating foods that could be unfamiliar, it is little surprise that, in the midst of a growing obesity epidemic and growing food-related health concerns, that many are becoming interested in having a better idea of what is in their food."

Susan Howe presents 17 Great Blogs and Webites To Help You Eat Healthier posted at The Budget Life Blog, saying, "Blogs that inspire and celebrate healthy eating offer something for everyone, whether you’re in the gung-ho-health-food camp or the semi-reluctant camp. Check out these healthy-eating blogs for a few new ideas, recipes, tips, and tricks."

Maureen Fitzsimmons presents 7 Little Known Ways to Improve Your Family?s Health posted at Master of Public Health, saying, "With today’s escalating health care costs, families need to be more proactive in managing their health. Preventative medicine is an integral part of ensuring that your family stays healthy."

Arati Mishra55 presents Flat Shoes with Flexible Soles good for Arthritis Patients posted at Breaking News Online, saying, "A recent study conducted by the Rush Motion Analysis Lab revealed that flatter shoes with more flexible soles may provide big relief to the Osteoarthritis patients."

Eadwine Walter presents Top 50 Public Health Blogs posted at Masters of Public Health, saying, "We assigned many different topics as categories as we built this top 50 public health blog list for you to stay on top of public health issues from a local to global basis."

Dr. Armughan Riaz presents WaterMelon Helps in Reducing High Blood Pressure. posted at High Blood Pressure Symptoms Treatment Diet.

Linda@NHE presents How Cinnamon And Honey Can Help Your Health posted at Natural Health Ezine, saying, "Who knew that eating a little honey and cinnamon everyday could have so many benefits!"

Lazy Man and Money presents Are You Down with KFC’s Double Down? posted at Lazy Man and Health, saying, "This post deals with nutrition in fast foods."

wellness

Leonard Gilhooley x presents 17 Educational Infographics to Learn About Smoking & Public Health posted at Online Nurse Practicioner Programs, saying, "While the hazardous news about smoking cigarettes has made its rounds from generation to generation, people still purchase cigarettes and they still smoke them."

Edna bhacker presents 9 Little Known Secrets to Living Past 90 posted at BSN to MSN, saying, "In a world of technological advancements, it which medicine benefits a great deal from new developments, it is little surprise that the human lifespan is increasing. However, it is not as long as it could be."

AndrosenDsouza presents 25 Painless Tips to “Cheat” Your Way to Happiness, Health and Wellness posted at Nursing Assistant Guides, saying, "It is possible to "cheat" your way to better health and even happiness if you know how to do a few of the little things that can add up to big changes."

Delmy Martin presents Top 50 Free YouTube Videos to Help You Through Your Pregnancy posted at Online Ultrasound School, saying, "Some people learn better through visuals rather than through book learning. This is why free YouTube videos about conception, pregnancy and birth are rewarding for those who are want to conceive or for those who want to work work in obstetrics."

Ehrich Weiss presents 17 Educational Infographics to Learn About Reproductive Health posted at Online Ultrasound School, saying, "Reproductive health is something of a taboo in American society. People in the U.S. don’t really want to have discussions about reproductive health and sexual well-being. However, ignoring the issue of reproductive health isn’t going away."

Angela Martin presents 50 Best Sports Psychology Blogs posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Andrew Edgington presents How To Quit Alcohol Through The Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps posted at Stop Drinking Advice, saying, "Discover How To Quit Drinking and the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps – Proven At Home Alcohol System. Just 10 Min/Day For 21 Days. Guaranteed!!!"

Engelbert Hudson presents 17 Disgusting Parasites That (Might) Live Inside You Right Now posted at Online Surgical Technician Courses, saying, "If you swim in fresh water during the summer, drink unfiltered water or travel to Africa or Asia for any length of time, you may have picked up a few worms or amoebas. While some parasites show no symptoms, others can prove deadly within weeks."

Tisha Dotson presents 50 Sleep Hacks for the Ultimate Insomniac posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Jocelyn Harris presents 25 Health Hazards Hidden in a Restaurant Near You posted at Radiography Schools, saying, "Sanitation, allergy, infections, and additives both intentional and unintentional can all lurk undetected in restaurant food – waiting for unsuspecting consumers to chomp down so they can spread their ugliness further."

Leslie Brown presents 25 Intriguing Scientific Studies About Faith, Prayer and Healing posted at Online Surgical Technician Courses, saying, "It may seem strange to devote so much time to looking for the connection between faith and medicine, but there are plenty who devote their time, talents and intellect to answering such questions. Here are 25 intriguing scientific studies about faith, prayer and healing."

Juliana Torres presents 100 Blogs To Help You Live a Longer Life posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Delmy Martin presents 50 Enlightening Graduate-Level Open Courseware Classes posted at Online PhD in Nursing, saying, "The following courses were gathered from colleges and universities that offer Open Courseware. The list is categorized and each link leads straight to the course. The university connection is added to each course description."

Alba Cherry presents 100 Incredible Yoga Teachers Who Blog posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Divinelysmile presents 50 Best Blogs for Midwives posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Andrew Edgington presents Understanding The Effects Of Alcohol Abuse posted at Stop Drinking Advice, saying, "Terminate The Effects Of Alcohol Abuse – Proven At Home Alcohol System. Just 10 Min/Day For 21 Days. Guaranteed!!!"

Edward Phillips presents 100 Health Hacks Every Mom Should Know posted at Nursing School Search Blog.

Andrew Edgington presents The Overwhelming Effects Of Alcohol Abuse posted at Stop Drinking Advice, saying, "Terminate The Effects Of Alcohol Abuse – Proven At Home Alcohol System. Just 10 Min/Day For 21 Days. Guaranteed!!!"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of patient zero’s blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Nanotechnology Used to Destroy Tumors

April 17, 2010 | Filed Under cancer, research | No Comments

One of the promises of nanoparticles as delivery agents for cancer therapeutics is that they will attack tumors while sparing healthy tissue from the damage normally associated with today’s anticancer therapies. That promise is closer to realization thanks to the results of a study in which tumor-bearing mice were treated with a single dose of radioactive gold nanoparticles. The results of this study, which was led by Kattesh Katti and Raghuraman Kannan, both of the University of Missouri at Colombia, were published in the journal Nanomedicine. Dr. Katti is the principle investigator of the Hybrid Nanoparticles in Imaging and Therapy of Prostate Cancer project, a National Cancer Institute Cancer Nanotechnology Platform Partnership.

For this study, Dr. Katti’s research group prepared their gold nanoparticles using the radioactive isotope gold-198. They then coated the resulting nanoparticles with gum Arabic glycoprotein to create biocompatible nanoparticles capable of escaping the blood stream and accumulating in tumors. Studies in mice showed that these nanoparticles, when injected into the blood stream, only accumulate in implanted human prostate tumors, with minimal or no leakage of radioactivity into other organs.

Tumor-bearing animals injected with a single dose of the nanoparticles were followed for three weeks. At the end of that time, tumor volume in the treated animals was 82% smaller compared to tumors in animals that received non-radioactive nanoparticles coated with gum Arabic glycoprotein. In addition, the treated animals did not lose weight during the three-week period, while the untreated animals experienced significant weight loss. The researchers also examined various blood cells for signs of radiation damage and found none, an encouraging sign that these nanoparticles are only toxic to tumors.

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