(April 17, 2012 | CNN) Blood test for early-onset depression promising. — How does a parent know if their child or teen is experiencing normal adolescent sadness or moodiness or – a more serious form of depression? The answer may one day lie in a simple blood test, if the results of a new early study are confirmed in larger populations. Redei’s research team discovered eleven blood biomarkers for early-onset majordepression. The results are published in Translational Psychiatry. Early-onset major depressive disorder is a mental illness that affects people under 25.  “Not diagnosed, depression affects how teens relate to others. The No. 1 cause of death among the depressed is suicide,” explains Redei. “If teens are depressed and not treated, there can be drug abuse, dropping out of school.

- Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11 and Wings of Love 1/4/12

(April 12, 2012 | ScienceDaily) Engineered Stem Cells Seek out and Kill HIV in Living Mice — Expanding on previous research providing proof that human stem cells can be genetically engineered into HIV-fighting cells, a team of UCLA researchers have now demonstrated that these cells can actually attack HIV-infected cells in a living organism. The study, published April 12 in the journal PLoS Pathogens, demonstrates for the first time that engineering stem cells to form immune cells that target HIV is effective in suppressing the virus in living tissues in an animal model, said lead investigator Scott G. Kitchen, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a member of the UCLA AIDS Institute. “We believe that this study lays the groundwork for the potential use of this type of an approach in combating HIV infection in infected individuals, in hopes of eradicating the virus from the body,” he said. In this current study, the researchers similarly engineered human blood stem cells and found that they can form mature T cells that can attack HIV in tissues where the virus resides and replicates. In a series of tests on the mice’s peripheral blood, plasma and organs conducted two weeks and six weeks after introducing the engineered cells, the researchers found that the number of CD4 “helper” T cells — which become depleted as a result of HIV infection — increased, while levels of HIV in the blood decreased. CD4 cells are white blood cells that are an important component of the immune system, helping to fight off infections. These results indicated that the engineered cells were capable of developing and migrating to the organs to fight infection there

- Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11 and Wings of Love 1/4/12 

(January 5, 2012 | Psych Central) Deep Brain Stimulation Effective For Depression, Bipolar Disorder — A new study shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression. The study, led by researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, found that DBS works in patients with either unipolar major depressive disorder or bipolar II disorder. “Depression is a serious and debilitating medical illness,” says Helen S. Mayberg, MD. Participants received single-blind stimulation for four weeks, not knowing if the DBS system was on or off. A significant decrease in depression and an increase in function were associated with continuing stimulation, the researchers note.

Update 4/13/12: Dr. Sanjay Gupta on CNN called this treatment brand new and “very effective.”

- Predicted on HayHouse Radio 12/12/11 and Wings of Love 1/4/12

(March 30, 2012 | Vancouver Sun) Stem cell treatment could repair heart damage. CHICAGO – Patients with advanced heart disease who received an experimental stem cell therapy showed improved heart function, researchers said at a major U.S. cardiology conference on Saturday. The clinical trial involved 92 patients, with an average age of 63, who were picked at random to get either a placebo or a series of injections of their own stem cells, taken from their bone marrow, into damaged areas of their hearts.

The patients all had chronic heart disease, along with either heart failure or angina, and their left ventricles were pumping at less than 45 per cent of capacity. Those who received the stem cell therapy saw a significant boost in the heart’s ability to pump blood. Study authors described the trial as the largest to date to examine stem cell therapy as a route to repairing the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Heart disease is the leading killer in the United States, claiming nearly 600,000 lives per year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

– Predicted on Wings of Love 1/4/12 and Beyond the Gate 2/19/12

(March 31, 2012 | Reuters) Vaccine to prevent heart attacks could hit shelves in five years. Scientists discover way to make immune system prevent fat from building up in arteries. — A vaccine delivered in an injection or nasal spray to prevent heart attacks could be available within five years. Swedish scientists have discovered a way to make a vaccine that stimulates the body’s immune system to produce antibodies that prevent heart disease by stopping fat building up in the arteries. The vaccine can cut the build-up of fat in arteries by 60 to 70 per cent, in tests on mice by researchers at Lund University in Sweden. Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said the vaccine was “very promising.”

- Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11, Wings of Love 1/4/12 and Beyond the Gate 2/19/12

(March 31, 2012 | HealthDay News) Diabetes Drug Might Also Help Fight Cancer. – A diabetes medication used by millions is now showing promise against a variety of different cancers. Two new clinical studies to be presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, in Chicago, found that metformin appeared linked to a slowing in the rate of prostate cancer growth and in prolonging life for early-stage pancreatic cancer patients. Other studies, done either in the lab or in animals, also hint that the drug might have an effect against liver or oral tumors, as well as certain forms of melanoma.

“There are very exciting clues from laboratory studies and population studies that metformin . . . may improve cancer outcomes or lower cancer risk,” said Dr. Michael Pollak, professor of oncology and of medicine at McGill University in Montreal. Metformin has also shown promise against colon and breast cancer, noted Pollak.

– Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11, Wings of Love 1/4/12 and Beyond the Gate 2/19/12

(March 30, 2012 | Drugs.com News) Drugs May Stop Spread of Cancer. — Two drugs previously thought to be too toxic for human cancer treatment may stop the growth of cancer cells without killing healthy cells and damaging DNA when used in small doses, researchers have found. Unlike conventional chemotherapy drugs, which poison and kill any rapidly dividing cells by damaging cellular machinery and DNA, these drugs — azacitidine (AZA) and decitabine (DAC) — specifically target cancer stem cells, which cause cancer to spread and are resistant to most drugs.

“Low doses of AZA and DAC may reactivate genes that stop cancer growth without causing immediate cell killing or DNA damage,” Dr. Stephen Baylin, a professor of oncology and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore, said in a news release from Hopkins. The drugs have been effective in treating a small number of patients with advanced lung cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome. Based on those positive clinical outcomes, the Johns Hopkins researchers decided to re-evaluate the drugs for use in cancer treatment.

– Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11, Wings of Love 1/4/12 and Beyond the Gate 2/19/12

(March 26, 2012 | AP) CHICAGO. Studies: Weight loss surgery can put diabetes into remission — New research gives clear proof that weight-loss surgery can reverse and possibly cure diabetes.

The two studies are the first to compare stomach-reducing operations to medicines alone for “diabesity” — Type 2 diabetes brought on by obesity. Millions of Americans have this and can’t make enough insulin or use what they do make to process sugar from food. Both studies found that surgery helped far more patients achieve normal blood-sugar levels than medicines alone did.

The results were dramatic: Some people were able to stop taking insulin as soon as three days after their operations. Cholesterol and other heart risk factors also greatly improved. Doctors don’t like to say “cure” because they can’t promise a disease will never come back. But in one study, most surgery patients were able to stop all diabetes drugs and have their disease stay in remission for at least two years. None of those treated with medicines alone could do that.

- Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11, ‘Wings of Love’ 1/4/12 and ‘Beyond the Gate’ 2/19/12

(March 20, 2012 | WebMD Health News) Daily Aspirin May Help Prevent and Treat Cancer. New Research Shows Aspirin Appears to Slow Cancer Growth, May Add to Drug’s Uses – Millions of Americans who take an aspirin every day to lower their risk for heart attack and stroke may also be lowering their cancer risk. New research adds to the growing evidence that daily aspirin may help prevent certain cancers from occurring. On top of that, daily aspirin may also be an effective treatment for people who already have cancer. In a series of studies published in The Lancet, researchers in the UK expanded on previous research linking daily low-dose or full-strength aspirin use to a reduced risk of death from cancer over a decade of follow-up. In their latest work, the researchers examined the short-term impact of aspirin therapy on cancer, finding a reduction in cancers after about three years of daily aspirin use, says University of Oxford professor of medical neurology Peter M. Rothwell, MD, PhD, who led the studies. People taking aspirin for as few as five years had a lower risk of dying from cancer and of having their disease spread once it had been diagnosed.

Daily Aspirin Reduced Cancer Deaths
In one of the new studies, Rothwell and colleagues analyzed data from 51 trials originally designed to examine the impact of daily aspirin on heart attack and stroke risk. According to the analysis, taking a low-dose aspirin every day reduced the risk of death from cancer by 37% after at least five years of use.

- Predicted on Hay House Radio 12/12/11, Wings of Love 1/4/12, and Beyond the Gate 2/19/12

(March 8, 2012 | Daily Mail) New Genetic Tweak Could Make Us ‘Cancer-Free’ And Stay Slim Regardless Of Food Intake — Scientists have made a potential breakthrough against both cancer and obesity after identifying a way of modifying a gene that controls cell growth. Mice given an extra copy of the anti-cancer gene Pten were less prone to weight gain and were more resistant to the disease. The Pten gene is key in controlling cell growth in both mice and humans. Giving mice more than the naturally-recommended amount of Pten appeared to keep them cancer free.

http://widk.com/2012/03/08/new-study-new-genetic-tweak-could-make-us-cancer-free-and-stay-slim-regardless-of-food-intake/

- Predicted on ‘Wings of Love’ January 4, 2012

( 2/22/2012 | msnbc ) FDA panel backs weight loss drug Qnexa. — A panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration overwhelmingly backed approval for a highly anticipated anti-obesity pill called Qnexa, a drug which the FDA previously rejected. The medication could become the first new prescription drug to treat obesity in 13 years.

The FDA panel of outside physicians voted 20-2 Wednesday in favor of the weight loss drug from Vivus Inc. A majority of panelists ultimately backed the drug due to its impressive weight loss results, with most patients losing nearly 10 percent of their overall weight after a year on the drug.  “Right now there aren’t any good treatments out there besides dieting and bariatric surgery, clearly there’s a huge gap.” With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent among adults, doctors and public health officials say new weight-loss therapies are desperately needed. This drug could have blockbuster potential. Analysts expect a new weight loss pill to garner at least 10 million users within a few years.

- Predicted on ‘Wings of Love’ Radio with host Allie Cheslick January 4, 2012