Medicine and Cures

This is an NSF-funded multi-institutional project that is developing metabolomics as a functional genomics tool for elucidating the functions of Arabidopsis genes. The Consortium has established metabolomic platforms that detect approximately 1,800 metabolites, of which 900 are chemically defined. Initial studies have focused on investigating the robustness of the Arabidopsis metabolome, and defining the conditions that minimize the environmental and developmental effects on the metabolome. Subsequently, the consortium is applying metabolomic analyses on Arabidopsis mutant lines in genes whose functions are currently not fully understood. The consortium is profiling the metabolome of specific T-DNA knockout alleles for these targeted genes, some of which have been generated by independent NSF 2010 projects. These data will be integrated with phenotypic data and data concerning protein function, transcription and other studies to help users generate hypotheses concerning the functions o

Cornelius Barry, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University Suman Chandra, National Center for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi Natalia Dudareva, Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture, Purdue University Mahmoud A. ElSohly, Thad Cochran Natl Ctr for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi Heike Hoffmann, Department of Statistics, Iowa State University Ikhlas A. Khan, Thad Cochran Natl Ctr for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi Tom McKnight, Department of Biological Sciences, Texas A&M University Troy Smillie, Thad Cochran Natl Ctr for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi Aruna D. Weerasooriya, Thad Cochran Natl Ctr for Natural Products Research, University of Mississippi

Drug Uses Rosmarinus officinalis L. had been used in traditional systems of medicine throughout the world, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, derives from its use in ancient Greek medicine. Rosemary leafs contains contain 20-30 different monoterpenes with antifungal and antimicrobial activity. Rosemary is grown specifically for its diterpenoid carnosic acid, which is used as an anti-oxidant. Carnosic acid (CA) can protect the brain from stroke and neurodegeneration that is due to injurious chemical free radicals. Studies have shown that carnosic acid also stimulates Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) synthesis and may be a treatment modality for Alzheimer's disease. Pentacyclic triterpenes of rosemary included betulinic acid, a very promising new chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of HIV infection and cancer; ursolic acid stopped the movement of all T. cruzi epimastigotes at the minimum concentration (MC100) of 40mg/ml (88mM) after 48 h of incubation. A multitude of biological a

Natural products from plants serve as rich resources for drug development with almost 100 plant-derived compounds in clinical trials in 2007. Plant derived natural products have had a profound and lasting impact on human health and include compounds successfully used for decades such as digitalis, Taxol, vincristine, and morphine isolated from foxglove, periwinkle, yew, and opium poppy, respectively. The enormous structural diversity and biological activities of plant-derived compounds suggest that additional, medicinally relevant compounds remain to be discovered in plants. While plant natural products continue to be a prime target for drug development, as evidenced by the number of ongoing clinical trials, the clinical potential of these compounds is often curtailed due to low production levels in plant species. For example, use of the blockbuster drug Taxol almost stopped in the early 1990's because the primary source, yew tree bark, could not be used as a sustainable source of

The Medicinal Plant Consortium (MPC) is a NIH supported project (GM092521) consists of 13 collaborating research units from 7 institutions focused on providing transcriptomic and metabolomic resources for 14 key medicinal plants to the worldwide research community for the advancement of drug production and development. The Principal Investigators of the MPC are Cornelius Barry1, C. Robin Buell1, Joe Chappell2, Dean DellaPenna1, Natalia Dudareva3, Mahmoud A. ElSohly4, A. Daniel Jones1, Ikhlas A. Khan4, Tom McKnight5, Basil J. Nikolau6, Sarah E. O’Connor7, Troy Smillie4, and Eve Syrkin Wurtele6 1Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; 2University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; 3Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; 4University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS; 5Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; 6Iowa State University, Ames, IA; 7The John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK This announcement from the MPC pertains to the release of the first metabolomic dataset for Atropa Bellad

(NaturalNews) Are plant-based therapies, including potential natural cures for cancer, mostly pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking promoted by "health nuts" and old hippies? Not at all -- and the evidence for the validity of the healing power of plants is coming from none other than mainstream science. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has finally accepted the reality and importance of the therapeutic properties in plants and funded a $6 million initiative for an international team of scientists to study how plants produce a rich diversity of chemical compounds, many of which are medicinally important. The results of that research so far, which includes the genetic blueprint of medicinal plants and what beneficial properties are encoded by the genes that have been identified, are now being officially released for the first time to the public. "Most people are familiar with the natural products we derive from plants," Joe Chappell, professor of plant bioc

What Is Testosterone? Testosterone may be the most notorious of hormones. It conjures up thoughts of muscles and masculinity. In fact, testosterone does fuel sex drive and muscle mass, but it also regulates mood and bone strength. When a man's level falls below normal, a doctor may prescribe shots, gels, or patches. But there is some debate over who needs treatment.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. People with CFS most often function at a substantially lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness. In addition to these key defining characteristics, patients report various nonspecific symptoms, including weakness, muscle pain, impaired memory and/or mental concentration, insomnia, and post-exertional fatigue lasting more than 24 hours. In some cases, CFS can persist for years. The cause or causes of CFS have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available. Moreover, since many illnesses have incapacitating fatigue as a symptom, care must be taken to exclude other known and often treatable conditions before a diagnosis of CFS is made.

Pregnancy is measured in trimesters from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP) and normally lasts about 40 weeks from conception to the birth of a baby. This time is roughly divided into 3 periods: the first trimester, second trimester and third trimester.

Ringworm is a common skin disorder otherwise known as tinea. While there are multiple forms of ringworm, the most common affect the skin on the body (tinea corporis), the scalp (tinea capitis), the feet (tinea pedis, or "athlete's foot"), or the groin (tinea cruris, or "jock itch").

Type 2 diabetes strikes people of all ages, and early symptoms are subtle. In fact, about one out of three people with type 2 diabetes don't know they have it. This chronic condition thwarts the body's ability to use the carbohydrates in food for energy. The result is elevated blood sugar. Over time, this excess sugar raises the risk for heart disease, loss of vision, nerve and organ damage, and other serious conditions.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain, stiffness, and tenderness of muscles, tendons, and joints. It is also characterized by restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disturbances in bowel function. The condition is non-life-threatening and does not cause body damage, deformity, or injury to internal body organs. Fibromyalgia is sometimes referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome and abbreviated FMS. Fibromyalgia was formerly called fibrositis.

Sexual Health When you're in the mood, it's a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more. That's a surprise to many people, says Joy Davidson, PhD, a New York psychologist and sex therapist. "Of course, sex is everywhere in the media," she says. "But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people." Sex does a body good in a number of ways, according to Davidson and other experts. The benefits aren't just anecdotal or hearsay -- each of these health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.

FRIDAY, Dec. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The recent rash of mass shootings is raising pointed questions about why America is experiencing such carnage. And, while the answers are complex, policymakers are capitalizing on public fervor over last week's massacre in Newtown, Conn., to muster support for new initiatives to prevent future tragedies. President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced plans to revisit the nation's gun and mental health laws, tapping Vice President Joseph Biden to lead an effort to bring "concrete proposals" to the table for quick action in January. In part, the president supports reinstating the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition cartridges. These prohibitions expired in 2004 with the sunset of the 10-year-old Federal Assault Weapons Ban. In the past two years alone, killing sprees have claimed dozens of lives and left many injured and disabled: Six perished and 13 were injured in front of a Tucson, Ariz., grocery store in January

Obesity in mice with adipocyte-specific deletion of clock component  Arntl Georgios K Paschos , Salam Ibrahim , Wen-Liang Song , Takeshige Kunieda , Gregory Grant , Teresa M Reyes , Christopher A Bradfield , Cheryl H Vaughan , Michael Eiden , Mojgan Masoodi , Julian L Griffin , Fenfen Wang , John A Lawson &  Garret A FitzGerald Affiliations Contributions Corresponding author Article tools Citation Reprints Rights & permissions Metrics Abstract Abstract Accession codes   Author information   Supplementary information Adipocytes store excess energy in the form of triglycerides and signal the levels of stored energy to the brain. Here we show that adipocyte-specific deletion of  Arntl  (also known as  Bmal1 ), a gene encoding a core molecular clock component, results in obesity in mice with a shift in the diurnal rhythm of food intake, a result that is not seen when the gene is disrupted in hepatocytes or pa

What is asthma? Asthma is an episodic constriction of the bronchial tubes. It is a common disorder of both children and adults, often regarded as mysterious and frustrating to treat. What are the symptoms of  asthma ? The condition is marked by wheezing (especially on expiration), coughing, and difficulty in breathing. Asthma can appear and disappear without warning. If an attack is severe enough, it can kill. What are the causes of  asthma ? The immediate cause of an asthmatic attack is tightening of the muscular bands that regulate the size of the bronchial tubes. These muscles are controlled by nerves, but what triggers the nerves to make airways constrict inappropriately is not clear. The triggers for asthma can be primarily allergic or primarily emotional or induced by exercise or respiratory infection, or it can occur with no obvious causes. It is now being considered an inflammatory disorder. The "hygiene hypothesis" is a proposed explanation for why allergie

Malaria Treatment If treatment is delayed, malaria can be a severe, potentially fatal disease. Examples of medications used to treat the disease include chloroquine, mefloquine, doxycycline, and quinine. In some cases, treatment may also involve primaquine, a medication that is used to help prevent relapses of malaria. Malaria Treatment: An Overview The key to malaria treatment is starting early. With early treatment, malaria can be cured and the serious effects of malaria can be prevented. If treatment is delayed, it can be a severe, potentially fatal disease (especially when caused by Plasmodium falciparum). The specific malaria treatment recommended will depend on: The type (species) of the infecting parasite The area where the infection was acquired The severity of malaria symptoms The patient's age Any other illnesses or conditions Pregnancy Drug allergies Other medications taken by the patient. Treating malaria involves malaria medication. The specific medicine used to

There is medicine that may be used as to cure malaria if the disease is treated early enough. Examples of these medications include chloroquine, mefloquine, and quinine. These medicines work by killing the parasite that causes the disease. Of course, it's better to prevent the disease from developing in the first place. Prevention strategies, such as eliminating places around the home where mosquitoes breed, are particularly helpful for people in areas where the malaria risk is high. Is There a Malaria Cure? Malaria is a leading cause of death and disease worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that each year 300 to 500 million cases of malaria occur, and more than 1 million people die of malaria annually. Although it can be a fatal disease, illness and death from malaria are largely preventable. In fact, for patients diagnosed early, a cure is possible because one of several medicines that kill the malaria parasite (Plasmodium) can be prescribed. Curing Ma

By Kate Kelland LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - A United Nations report said on Tuesday that eradicating AIDS was in sight, owing to better access to drugs that can both treat and prevent the incurable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes the disease. An aim to eventually end the worldwide AIDS epidemic is not "merely visionary" but "entirely feasible", the report said. Success in fighting the disease in the past decade has allowed the "foundation to be laid for the eventual end of AIDS" by cutting the death toll and helping stabilise the number of people infected in the pandemic, UNAIDS said its annual report. Some 34 million people had HIV at the end of 2011. Worldwide, the number of people newly infected with the disease, which can be transmitted via blood and by semen during sex, is falling. At 2.5 million, the number of new infections in 2011 was 20 percent lower than in 2001. Deaths from AIDS fell to 1.7 million in 2011, down from a peak of 2.

When Sarah Gardner was 34, she started getting really worried about whether she'd ever have kids. "I bought this kit online that said that they could tell you your ovarian reserve," Gardner, now 40, says. These kits claim they can tell women how long their ovaries will continue producing eggs and how much time they have left to get pregnant. "Well, mine said, 'we advise really you have a baby now.' Well, sadly that letter arrived three weeks after I just split up with my long-term partner. So, yeah, it opened a massive can of worms really," she says. That can of worms eventually led Gardner to Sherman Silber, a surgeon at the Infertility Center of St. Louis. Silber offers women a procedure that he claims will basically put their biological clocks on ice. "It stops the clock, which is an incredible power to have," Gardner says. "You know, the biological clock is every woman's demon, really." What Silber offers is a surgical pr

The so-called Berlin patient is famously the only person in the world who has been cured of HIV. But he may soon have company. Two people in Boston also seem to be free of HIV after undergoing bone marrow transplants for cancer, just as the Berlin patient did five years ago. The crucial difference is that the Boston patients have not yet stopped taking anti-HIV drugs — although that may happen in the coming months. Harvard researchers got an enthusiastic response from an overflow crowd when they presented the first report on the patients at the19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. "As far as we've been able to measure, we can't find evidence of HIV infection in the patients' blood or blood plasma, and their antibody levels against HIV are dropping," Dr.Daniel Kuritzkes of Brigham and Women's Hospital told Shots. "The antibody evidence tells us there is little if any persisting HIV protein to trigger an anti-HIV response." Kuritzke

Hiccups are little more than a reflex. You get them when the vagus nerve or one of its branches, which runs from the brain to the abdomen, is irritated. Experts say hiccups are most often a reaction to common digestive disturbances. And they're usually more a nuisance than anything else. Even infants hiccup, and the reflex continues, about three to five times a year, throughout life. The home remedies used to stop hiccups are believed to work on two principles. One way to stifle hiccups is to overwhelm the vagus nerve with another sensation. The vagus nerve signals the brain that more important matters have arisen, so it's time to knock off the hiccups. Other methods interfere with breathing, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. This probably causes the body to become more concerned with getting rid of the carbon dioxide than making hiccups. Here are some tried-and-true remedies for hiccups from both "camps."

Pinkeye, also called conjunctivitis, is an extremely contagious bacterial or viral infection of the outermost layer of the eye and the inside surface of the eyelid. It is a common condition this time of year, when pollen counts are high, allergies are running rampant, and immunity for most people is very low from moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency (from being inside all winter out of the sun). Symptoms of pinkeye include redness, itching, tearing, swelling, and/or mucous production that can firmly cement the eyelids together while sleeping. I remember getting pinkeye as a child and feeling a bit of panic upon waking in the morning and being unable to open one or both eyes! If this happens to you or a loved one in your home, a warm, wet washcloth compress gently applied to the infected eye (do not rub) quickly dissolves the mucous allowing the eyes to open. Pinkeye can spread rapidly through a household, which is why action is needed immediately to stop the initial infection. Mos

Dead Zones Dark spots in the brain of a former football player correspond to the buildup of tau protein. Courtesy Ann C McKee, M.D./VA Boston/Boston University School of Medicine THE DISEASE For decades, the term “punch-drunk” has been used to describe boxers left permanently loopy after a career of fighting. The clinical name for the condition is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and it can happen to any athlete who suffers frequent blows to the head. CTE has no known treatment, and doctors can only diagnose it postmortem, by physically examining the brain for symptoms. WHAT CAUSES IT? At its most basic, CTE is a cumulative effect from repetitive head trauma—not just concussive blows but also weaker ones. Impacts damage the brain’s neural pathways, and as a result a protein called tau builds up. The more tau along the pathways, the less easily brain signals can move around, which can lead to memory loss, lack of impulse control, aggression, and depression. HOW COMMON IS IT? Scie

Popular medicine, also known as folk medicine, is any form of medical treatment that does not fall within the bounds of professional medical services. Popular medicine usually includes remedies that families have passed down over several generations. With the advent of modern medicine, popular medicine has become less common in many nations and is often considered to lack legitimacy, but prior to the 20th century, it was far more common than treatment by a medical professional.> Popular medicine was very common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Trained professionals often were too far away or too expensive, so many people relied on friends and relatives, as well as their own knowledge, to provide treatments for their illnesses. There were many printed texts whose aim was to assist people in treating themselves when they were ill. The quality of care varied tremendously, but there were practitioners of popular medicine who were quite well versed in the medical knowledge of the time.