Showing posts with label HealthTips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HealthTips. Show all posts

Sunday, October 25, 2026

Scientists May Have Discovered Why Men’s Prostates Enlarge With Age

(Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library RF/Getty Images)

Scientists have discovered a distinct subtype of cell in the prostate, and it could help solve the mystery of why the gland enlarges with age. This natural phenomenon is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and it tends to occur in just one region of the prostate. But scientists still don’t understand why. Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found a possible culprit hiding around the urethra. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the team has identified a population of prostate cells that are particularly abundant in this region, especially in cases of BPH………Continue reading…

By Carly Cassella

Source:  ScienceAlert

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Critics:

With early diagnosis and treatment, prostate cancer is often highly curable. Many people diagnosed when the cancer hasn’t spread beyond their prostate go on to live normal, cancer-free lives for several years following treatment. Almost 100% of those who have local or regional prostate cancer will survive more than 5 years after diagnosis. Metastatic prostate cancer survival rate.

Fewer people (about 7%) have more advanced prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis. Prostate cancer is among the most successfully treated types of cancer, especially when it’s detected and treated in the early stages. Based on a definition of “cure” that refers to how long a patient treated for prostate cancer remains disease-free, some physicians may tell individuals they’re cured.

Hormone therapy is often used to treat advanced prostate cancer to shrink the cancer and slow its growth. Hormone therapy is sometimes used before radiation therapy to treat cancer that hasn’t spread beyond the prostate. It helps shrink the cancer and increases the effectiveness of radiation therapy. Stage IVB cancers have spread to distant organs such as the bones when the cancer is found. Most stage IVB cancers can’t be cured, but they are treatable.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. About 1 in 44 men will die of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. Other possible early signs of prostate cancer include unusually weak urine flow and unexplained pain around the prostate while sitting.

If cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland, men may experience swelling in the lower body, back, hip or bone pain, abnormal bowel or urinary habits or unexplained weight loss. Switzerland is synonymous with quality healthcare. Prostate cancer patients in Switzerland can expect personalized treatment plans and access to the latest advancements in medical technology.

For men in their 40s and 50s: A PSA score greater than 2.5 ng/ml is considered abnormal. The median PSA for this age range is 0.6 to 0.7 ng/ml. For men in their 60s: A PSA score greater than 4.0 ng/ml is considered abnormal. The normal range is between 1.0 and 1.5 ng/ml. One to 3 coffee cups a day can lower your odds of aggressive prostate cancer by nearly a third — no matter what your health condition is. If you have or used to have prostate cancer, the news could be good for you, too.

Researchers also found that 4 or more cups of coffee a day may help delay the disease’s progression. Allium vegetables: This group includes garlic, onions, leeks, and chives, have been shown to help kill prostate cancer cells. Tomatoes: Contain lycopene, which slows prostate cancer growth and metastasis. Your body absorbs more lycopene from cooked tomatoes and those consumed with oils.

Generally speaking, many patients with prostate cancer undergo surgery to remove tumors or the entire prostate. Surgery may also be performed with radiation therapy to eliminate cancer cells. In other cases, men with early-stage cancer may opt for an “active surveillance” approach. Of men in this study who died of prostate cancer, 54.6% were diagnosed at high (>10 ng/mL) PSA levels, and 39.0% were diagnosed at very high PSA levels (>20 ng/mL).

This suggests that some men were unscreened prior to diagnosis, which is consistent with national screening rates at VA hospitals and clinics (25). This data suggests that men up to the age of 80 are being advised appropriately to receive radiation treatment for prostate cancer. Men older than 80 may still benefit from radical radiation treatment if they have non-indolent prostate cancer. Doctors can often cure early stage prostate cancer.

The 5-year relative survival rate for local or regional prostate cancer is nearly 100% . If the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, or bones, the 5-year relative survival rate can drop to 31%. Natural remedies, such as soy, green tea, pygeum, grass pollen, and saw palmetto, may help to naturally shrink the prostate in some people. Other strategies, such as behavioral changes may also help to shrink the prostate naturally.

Absolute and relative change in serum PSA concentration, as well as the time to return to baseline PSA concentration following ejaculation, were assessed. Results: The serum PSA concentration increased following ejaculation in 87% of the subjects. People without prostates can live full and healthy lives. However, there are side effects to be aware of. Prostate removal surgery is sometimes done to treat prostate cancer.

Removing the prostate can cure prostate cancer and dramatically improve survival odds. Pancreatic cancer has the lowest rate of survival once diagnosed, claiming the lives of over 80 percent of those diagnosed, making it the most fatal type of cancer. This is in part due to delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of this type of cancer.

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Saturday, October 17, 2026

How Psychological Stress Can Trigger Arthritis Flares Via An Inflammatory Pathway

How psychological stress triggers arthritis flares via an IL-6-dependent pathway

Psychological stress has long been associated with worsening symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the underlying mechanism connecting psychological stress to the occurrence of joint inflammation has remained poorly understood. In particular, how psychological stress can trigger inflammation in joints that were previously affected, even after the disease has gone into remission, remains an important unanswered question………Continue reading….

By Chiba University

Source: Medical Xpress

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Critics: 

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involved, with the same joints typically involved on both sides of the body. The disease may also affect other parts of the body, including skin, eyes, lungs, heart, nerves, and blood. This may result in a low red blood cell count, inflammation around the lungs, and inflammation around the heart.

Fever and low energy may also be present. Often, symptoms come on gradually over weeks to months. While the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not clear, it is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The underlying mechanism involves the body’s immune system attacking the joints. This results in inflammation and thickening of the joint capsule. It also affects the underlying bone and cartilage.

The diagnosis is made mostly on the basis of a person’s signs and symptoms. X-rays and laboratory testing may support a diagnosis or exclude other diseases with similar symptoms. Other diseases that may present similarly include systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis, and fibromyalgia among others.

The goals of treatment are to reduce pain, decrease inflammation, and improve a person’s overall functioning. This may be helped by balancing rest and exercise, the use of splints and braces, or the use of assistive devices. Pain medications, steroids, and NSAIDs are frequently used to help with symptoms. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate, may be used to try to slow the progression of disease.

Biological DMARDs may be used when the disease does not respond to other treatments. However, they may have a greater rate of adverse effects. Surgery to repair, replace, or fuse joints may help in certain situations. RA affects about 24.5 million people as of 2015. This is 0.5–1% of adults in the developed world with between 5 and 50 per 100,000 people newly developing the condition each year. Onset is most frequent during middle age and women are affected 2.5 times as frequently as men.

It resulted in 38,000 deaths in 2013, up from 28,000 deaths in 1990. The first recognized description of RA was made in 1800 by Dr. Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais (1772–1840) of Paris. The term rheumatoid arthritis is based on the Greek for watery and inflamed joints. RA primarily affects joints, but it also affects other organs in more than 15–25% of cases. Associated problems include cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, interstitial lung disease, infection, cancer, feeling tired, depression, mental difficulties, and trouble working.

Arthritis of joints involves inflammation of the synovial membrane. Joints become swollen, tender and warm, and stiffness limits their movement. With time, multiple joints are affected (polyarthritis). Most commonly involved are the small joints of the hands, feet and cervical spine, but larger joints like the shoulder and knee can also be involved. Synovitis can lead to tethering of tissue with loss of movement and erosion of the joint surface causing deformity and loss of function.

The fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), highly specialized mesenchymal cells found in the synovial membrane, have an active and prominent role in these pathogenic processes of the rheumatic joints. RA typically manifests with signs of inflammation, with the affected joints being swollen, warm, painful and stiff, particularly early in the morning on waking or following prolonged inactivity. Increased stiffness early in the morning is often a prominent feature of the disease and typically lasts for more than an hour.

Gentle movements may relieve symptoms in early stages of the disease. These signs help distinguish rheumatoid from non-inflammatory problems of the joints, such as osteoarthritis. In arthritis of non-inflammatory causes, signs of inflammation and early morning stiffness are less prominent. The pain associated with RA is induced at the site of inflammation and classified as nociceptive as opposed to neuropathic.

The joints are often affected in a fairly symmetrical fashion, although this is not specific, and the initial presentation may be asymmetrical. As the pathology progresses the inflammatory activity leads to tendon tethering and erosion and destruction of the joint surface, which impairs range of movement and leads to deformity. The fingers may develop almost any deformity depending on which joints are most involved.

Specific deformities, which also occur in osteoarthritis, include ulnar deviation, boutonniere deformity (also “buttonhole deformity”, flexion of proximal interphalangeal joint and extension of distal interphalangeal joint of the hand), swan neck deformity (hyperextension at proximal interphalangeal joint and flexion at distal interphalangeal joint) and “Z-thumb.”

“Z-thumb” or “Z-deformity” consists of hyperextension of the interphalangeal joint, fixed flexion and subluxation of the metacarpophalangeal joint and gives a “Z” appearance to the thumb. The hammer toe deformity may be seen. In the worst case, joints are known as arthritis mutilans due to the mutilating nature of the deformities. Worldwide, RA affects approximately 1% of the adult population and occurs in one in 1,000 children. Studies show that RA primarily affects individuals between the ages of 40–60 years and is seen more commonly in females.

A family history of RA increases the risk around three to five times; as of 2016, it was estimated that genetics may account for 40–65% of cases of seropositive RA, but only around 20% for seronegative RA. RA is strongly associated with genes of the inherited tissue type major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen. HLA-DR4 is the major genetic factor implicated – the relative importance varies across ethnic groups. Genome-wide association studies examining single-nucleotide polymorphisms have found around one hundred alleles associated with RA risk. 

Risk alleles within the HLA (particularly HLA-DRB1) genes harbor more risk than other loci.The HLA encodes proteins that control recognition of self- versus non-self molecules. Other risk loci include genes affecting co-stimulatory immune pathways—for example CD28 and CD40, cytokine signaling, lymphocyte receptor activation threshold (e.g., PTPN22), and innate immune activation—appear to have less influence than HLA mutations.

Despite the strong genetic components of the disease, identical twin studies have shown only 12-15% concordance for twins raised in separate households. This indicates that rheumatoid arthritis most likely results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, in a majority of cases.

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Friday, October 16, 2026

Medications To Avoid With Strawberries: Doctor’s Warning

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16/10/2026

Which Medications Should Not Be Combined with Strawberries: Warnings from Doctors

Juicy strawberries, which appear on tables in June, can be dangerous for people taking certain medications. Doctors urge caution, as some substances found in this berry may interact undesirably with medications. Strawberries contain natural components, including vitamin K and salicylates, which can alter the effects of some medications. People taking the following groups of medications should exercise the greatest caution……..Continue reading.

Source: AgroReviews

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Critics:

Some people experience an anaphylactoid reaction to eating strawberries. The most common form of this reaction is oral allergy syndrome, but symptoms may also mimic hay fever or include dermatitis or hives, and, in severe cases, may cause breathing problems. Proteomic studies indicate that the allergen may be tied to a protein for the red anthocyanin biosynthesis expressed in strawberry ripening, named Fra a1.

Homologous proteins are found in birch pollen and apple, suggesting that people may develop cross-reactivity to all three species. White-fruited strawberry cultivars, lacking Fra a1, may be an option for strawberry allergy sufferers. Since they lack a protein necessary for normal ripening by anthocyanin synthesis of red pigments, the mature berries do not turn red like other cultivars.

They ripen but remain white, pale yellow or “golden”, appearing like immature berries; this also has the advantage of making them less attractive to birds. A virtually allergen-free cultivar named ‘Sofar’ is available. Strawberries are often grouped according to their flowering habit. Traditionally, this has consisted of a division between “June-bearing” strawberries, which bear their fruit in the early summer and “ever-bearing” strawberries, which often bear several crops of fruit throughout the season.

 One plant throughout a season may produce 50 to 60 times or roughly once every three days. Strawberries occur in three basic flowering habits: short-day, long-day, and day-neutral. These describe the day-length sensitivity of the plant and the type of photoperiod that induces flower formation. Day-neutral cultivars produce flowers regardless of the photoperiod.

Strawberry cultivars vary widely in size, color, flavor, shape, degree of fertility, season of ripening, liability to disease and constitution of plant. On average, a strawberry has about 200 seeds on its external membrane.Some vary in foliage, while others vary materially in the development of their sexual organs. In most cases, the flowers appear hermaphroditic in structure, but function as either male or female.

In addition to being consumed fresh, strawberries can be frozen or made into jam or preserves, as well as dried and used in prepared foods, such as cereal bars. Strawberries and strawberry flavorings are a popular addition to dairy products, such as strawberry milk, strawberry ice cream, strawberry milkshakes/smoothies and strawberry yogurts. In the United Kingdom, “strawberries and cream” is a popular dessert consumed at the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

Strawberries and cream is also a staple snack in Mexico, usually available at ice cream parlors. In Sweden, strawberries are a traditional dessert served on Midsummer’s Eve. Depending on area, strawberry pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, or strawberry shortcake are also common. In Greece, strawberries may be sprinkled with sugar and then dipped in Metaxa, a brandy, and served as a dessert. In Italy, strawberries are used for various desserts and as a common flavoring for gelato (gelato alla fragola).

Fresh strawberries are used as cocktail garnishes to add flavor and texture to a drink. Polyphenol extracted from strawberries have been used in Kanazawa, Japan, to create melting-resistant popsicles. In 2022, world production of strawberries was 9.6 million tonnes, led by China with 35% of the total and the United States and Turkey as other significant producers (table).

Due to the relatively fragile nature of the strawberry, approximately 35 percent of the $2.2 billion United States crop was spoiled in 2020. This led to an Idaho company planning to launch gene-edited strawberries in the near future in an effort to make them more durable. In the U.S., as of 2021, it cost growers around $35,000 per acre to plant and $35,000 per acre to harvest strawberries, with more durable berries potentially reducing the rate of spoilage.

For purposes of commercial production, plants are propagated from runners and, in general, distributed as either bare root plants or plugs. Cultivation follows one of two general models—annual plasticulture, or a perennial system of matted rows or mounds. Greenhouses produce a small amount of strawberries during the off season. The bulk of modern commercial production uses the plasticulture system.

In this method, raised beds are formed each year, fumigated, and covered with plastic to prevent weed growth and erosion. Plants, usually obtained from northern nurseries, are planted through holes punched in this covering, and irrigation tubing is run underneath. Runners are removed from the plants as they appear, to encourage the plants to put most of their energy into fruit development.

After harvesting, the plastic is removed and the plants are plowed into the ground. Strawberry plants produce more and better fruit when they are young. After a year or two, they decline. Replacing them annually improves yields and enables denser planting. However, this necessitates a longer growing season, for the plants to establish themselves. It also costs more to annually purchase plants, form new mounds, and cover them with (new) plastic.

The other major method retains plants for multiple years. This is most common in colder climates. The plants are grown in rows or on mounds. This method requires lower investment and lower maintenance, overall. Yields are typically lower than in plasticulture. Another method uses a compost sock. Plants grown in compost socks have been shown to produce significantly more flavonoids, anthocyanins, fructose, glucose, sucrose, malic acid, and citric acid than fruit produced in the black plastic mulch or matted row systems.

 Similar results in an earlier study conducted by USDA confirms how compost plays a role in the bioactive qualities of two strawberry cultivars. Strawberries may also be propagated by seed, though this is primarily a hobby activity, and is not widely practiced commercially. A few seed-propagated cultivars have been developed for home use, and research into growing from seed commercially is ongoing.

Seeds (achenes) are acquired either via commercial seed suppliers, or by collecting and saving them from the fruit. Strawberries can also be grown indoors in strawberry pots. Strawberries will not grow indoors in winter unless aided by a combination of blue and red LED lights. In Florida, winter is the natural growing season and harvesting begins in mid-November. The Kashubian strawberry is the first Polish fruit to be given commercial protection under EU law.

In the United States in 2017, the collective commercial production of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries was a $6 billion industry dominated by the California growing and marketing company Driscoll’s. In 2017, strawberries alone were a $3.5 billion market of which 82% was for fresh fruit.

To increase consumer demand in the 21st century, commercial producers of strawberries cultivated them mainly for favorable aroma characteristics similar to those of wild strawberries, in addition to having large size, heart-shape, glossy red exterior, firmness, and slow ripening for long shelf-life favorable to ship by ground transportation from farms to stores nationwide for consumption within two weeks of harvest.

In US and Canadian grocery stores, fresh strawberries are typically sold in plastic clamshells, and are among the top fresh produce items in grocery revenues. One marketing analysis identified strawberries and other berries as a source of “happiness” for consumers.

Seasonal allergies: ‘This is by far the worst I’ve ever felt out of nowhere’ Boston.com 23:39 Mon, 20 May In the last 4 hours

Experts, beekeepers weigh in on local honey for seasonal allergies Cronkite News 22:03 Mon, 20 May In the last 8 hours

Philadelphia is one of the worst cities for summer allergies, report finds NBC10, Pennsylvania 17:55 Mon, 20 May Yesterday

Does Dupixent Help With Food Allergies? Dibesity 05:10 Sun, 19 May unday

Are your seasonal allergies worse this year? Here’s why—plus tips for symptom relief CNBC 18:38 Sat, 18 May Saturday

Long-Term Outcomes Associated With β-Lactam Allergies Journal of American Medical Associations 19:16 Fri, 17 May

2.4m UK adults suffer from food allergies FoodManufacture.co.uk 17:59 Fri, 17 May

Check Your Work: Understanding Food Allergies Drug Topics 15:34 Fri, 17 May

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Strawberries ,Allergy ,StrawberryAllergy ,FoodAllergies ,FruitRelatedAllergy ,AllergicReaction ,SafeEating ,HealthTips ,GardenFresh ,SummerBites ,NaturallyGood,HealthyEating #,YummyAndSafe ,AllergyAwareness ,OrganicStrawberries ,StrawberrySeason ,Nutrition ,AllergyFriendly ,FoodPreventiveCare ,HealthyLifestyle

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Crypto ETF Rules In The US: How a Fund Gets Listed Now

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