| Good, Bad Blood Cells: They Form Clots, Fight Inflammation | | Posted Friday, October 13, 2006 6:57:03 AM by Blog57 Team | | Two human blood cells that help fight blood loss, infection, and inflammation are responsible as well for starting a series of molecular events that results in overproduction of Cox-2, an enzyme involved in heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, and other inflammatory diseases. The finding by researchers at the University of Utah and University of South Carolina means scientists may be able to develop drugs to prevent or lessen the severity of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis and heart attack. Discovery of the signaling mechanism will be invaluable in sorting out the roles Cox-2 plays in those diseases, according to Guy A. Zimmerman, M.D., University of Utah School of Medicine professor of internal medicine, senior author of the study detailing the research. "This discovery has immediate clinical relevance," said Zimmerman, director of the medical school's Program in Human Molecular Biology and Genetics.... | |
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| | | Immune Cells Destroy Bone In Gum Disease | | Posted Friday, September 01, 2006 9:04:20 AM by Blog57 Team | | Immune cells play a big role in the bone loss that results due to periodontal or gum disease, according to researchers at The Forsyth Institute. Earlier researchers had speculated that the immune system was involved in destruction of bone in periodontal disease, but this is the first time it has been confirmed in human gum tissue. Forsyth researchers hope that the finding would help create new ways to stop bone loss in gum disease. The study, led by Toshihisa Kawai, D.D.S., Ph.D., examined whether immune response to periodontal bacteria is protective or pathogenic in the context of gum disease. Periodontal disease is an infection of the teeth, and their supporting structures, which results in soft tissue and bone destruction, leading to tooth loss. Dr. Kawai and his colleagues had found that B cells (B and T lymphocytes are immune cells) can contribute to increased periodontal bone loss coordinating with activated T-cells.... | |
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| | | Oral cancers - smoke and drink and up goes the risk! | | Posted Thursday, August 03, 2006 7:00:39 AM by Blog57 Team | | Scientists in the UK have discovered that mouth cancer develops in two distinct ways which decides just how the serious the disease will be. Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the world and at least 30,000 new cases of oral and oralpharyngeal cancers are diagnosed each year and are more common in men over age 40. Oral cancer is a malignant growth that affects any part of the oral cavity, including the lips, upper or lower jaw, tongue, gums, cheeks, and throat. The first symptoms are usually a red or white patch or a lump anywhere in the mouth that lasts for more than a month, or a sore that bleeds easily or doesn't heal. Symptoms such as difficulty in chewing, swallowing or moving the tongue and jaw come later. Researchers at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, Scotland found the differences while conducting laboratory experiments using healthy, early and advanced cancer cells differences that determined the aggressiveness of the cancer.... | |
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| | | Oral Conditions, Dental Caries Worldwide | | Posted Sunday, July 02, 2006 8:56:19 AM by Blog57 Team | | Even with dramatic advances in the armamentarium for fighting oral and dental diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal (gum) disease, these conditions remain prevalent in many parts of the world, without regard for geopolitical boundaries. During the 84th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, in a session entitled "Oral Health Research", scientists from Australia (studies in Australia and Fiji), Bangladesh, Canada, China, Germany (a study in The Gambia), Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States presented a wide variety of findings: * Risk of dental caries is very high in rural Fijian children, but there is promise of improvement via a Maternal and Child Health Clinic.... | |
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