"Paint Coatings"

Only about 50 % of adults survive cancer by undergoing radical (or alternative) treatments but this statistic in itself indicates why cancer is such a dreaded disease, and also partially reveal why it is so difficult to find an adequate (and more importantly, successful) treatment of the disease.

Even though the United States has spent over $ 200 billion over the last fifty years in cancer research, it has seen a mere 5 % decrease in the cancer death rate. One reason for the inability of research to produce results that could be used to treat cancer (in all its forms) as a whole, is because of the complex genetic pathways that each of its ‘variants’ seem to possess.

However, as discouraging as this may sound (not only to cancer patients but to the medical community), a recent development which involved the complete genomic sequencing of a brain cancer cell line (also known as the U87) performed by US scientists might provide further food for thought, and could thus enable researchers to take this to the next level based on their findings.

According to the report that was published in PLoS Genetics, the research took less than a month to be completed and cost just about $ 35,000 (as opposed to the aforementioned figures).What this could mean for patients with brain cancer is that better ways to monitor, test while also preventing overtreatment (with harmful side effects) could become a reality over the next few years.

In the words of the study’s senior author Dr. Stan Nelson, a professor of human genetics and director of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Gene Expression Shared Resource, “This is very exciting because we, as scientists, can now move forward with revealing complete cancer genomes,”

With the emphasis on diseases related to cancer, especially breast cancer, it is intriguing to note that the largest cause of death among women in the United States today is cardiovascular disease. Although this statistic will raise well-threaded eyebrows everywhere, the good news is that all is not lost, as the secret to preventing heart disease rests solely in taking care of your health on a daily basis.

Dr. Karla Kurrelmeyer, a cardiologist at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston, considers female heart health close to her ‘heart’ as she is also subjected to the same health risks as her patients are, being a woman herself.

So, here are a few of her tips that can prevent strokes and heart disease in women:

Tip #1: Check for cholesterol, especially if there is a family history with cardiovascular disease and stroke. Abnormal readings can be early warning signals that can be corrected by making suitable lifestyle changes and treated with medication well before disaster strikes.
Tip #2: Every woman should do her best to stay as fit as possible by incorporating exercises that they enjoy into their daily routine.
Tip #2: The Mediterranean diet, high in fish and fresh vegetables as well as low in processed carbohydrates, is the ideal diet to follow.
In addition to these tips, the doctor has also designed clinical trials to research new treatments and diagnostic tools in heart care for women, so that her patients can take advantage of her research in order to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in their lives.

Obesity, as discovered recently, is not only damaging to one’s self-esteem but can also increase your healthcare costs. A recent study published by the Value in Health magazine has found that abdominal obesity (an increased waistline) can worsen metabolic and cardiovascular diseases leading to an increase in health care costs, much more than people who have a smaller waistline but are in the same overweight and obesity classification.

In Germany, the statistics that validate this claim of greater health care costs annually showed a difference in costs by over 16 % to 18 %, while in the United States that figure was about 20% to 30% higher. These consistent results in tests do tell you a thing or two about the impact of an increased waistline on healthcare costs regardless of whether your body mass index (BMI) is in the healthy range or not.

Interestingly, the subjects chosen for this study were Internet panels consisting of 10,816 individuals from the United States and Germany who were from 30 to 70 years of age with BMI scores between 20 and 35, who were then classified into healthy weight, overweight and obese categories. Using online questionnaires, the individuals then provided details such as their weight, waist circumference, and health-care resource use at 0, 3 and 6 months consecutively.

This finally led to the conclusion that if overweight or obese people were provided with expertise and assistance to manage their weight effectively, one would see a decrease in expenditure on annual health care costs.

Casein is a phosphor protein that makes up for almost 80% of the proteins in milk and in other dairy products. Cheese has the largest percentage of casein protein. Cottage cheese contains the second highest percentage of casein protein.

The biological value of casein is 77. A serving of casein protein contains 110 calories. It has 4% fat, 3% cholesterol, 10% sodium, 1% carbohydrates, 4% dietary fiber, 50% calcium and 2% iron. This protein source takes a long time to digest because it forms a gel when reacting with amino acids in the stomach.

Casein strengthens muscles. It increases protein synthesis and maintains the amino-acids count in the blood stream. A glass of milk in the morning gives sustained amount of protein to begin the day. It is also recommended to take them before going to sleep as the body can sustain protein synthesis during the five to eight hours of sleep.

Casein is rich in glutamine and amino acids, which is instrumental in the growth of muscles as well as the functioning of the immune system. Its movement in the digestive tract is slow which helps the inner walls to absorb more. Due to the high protein content in casein, it is used in baby foods, dairy and dietary products. It is also used to make glue, plastics, paints, paper coating, adhesives etc.

Casein Protein is of three types:

1. Calcium Caseinate
2. Micellar Casein
3. Milk protein isolate

Some people are allergic to casein. General symptoms are stomach cramps, headaches, hives, rashes and bloating. Make sure you are not allergic to casein protein before including it in your daily diet.

A recent study published on bmj.com states that people who have been diagnosed with early stage lung cancer, stand to increase their chances of survival for over five years if they give up smoking in comparison to those who continue to smoke.

Lung cancer is the most predominantly diagnosed form of cancer in the world. In the United Kingdom, around 39000 cases are diagnosed with lung cancer every year, second only to breast cancer.

In reviewing this study’s results, they were encouraging enough to provide patients smoking cessation treatment for those who were diagnosed with early stage lung cancer.

It is a well-known fact that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and lifelong smokers have that risk 20 times more than non-smokers do. What was unknown was how much effect does quitting smoking have on patients after being diagnosed with early stage lung cancer.

The researchers at the University of Birmingham wanted to analyze this and combined the results of 10 patients. To minimize the bias they took into account the differences in quality and study design.

The analysis showed that people diagnosed with early stage lung cancer had a significantly higher risk of life when they continued smoking. Continual smoking also helps the progress of cancer while resulting in an increased risk of death. The data also provided evidence that people who quit would live five years or more than those who do not quit. The results also provide strong evidence for doctors to offer smoking cessation treatments to their patients.