Healthy News

Thestar.com reported on a cancer breakthrough by Toronto scientists: Its spread relies on surrounding normal cells, which communicate with the cancer cells via a “protein vocabulary” that not only tells them to metastasize, it tells them how to do it. Researchers are now investigating ways to interrupt that communication. Other medical breakthroughs on the horizon, as reported by Fox News:

• MRI may help in diagnosing dementia;
• Telescoping titanium rods controlled by a magnetic field may be effective in treating uneven limbs;
• Universal red blood cells might replace O-negative blood, the current universal donor;
• A new handheld device for easier detection of melanoma, which afflicts more than 76,000 Americans and causes 9,600 deaths every year;
• Lab-grown replacement organs from stem cells harvested from a patient’s bone marrow;
• Joint replacement sensors that monitor load, strain, temperature, and pressure of the implant as it is installed to avoid problems down the road
• Automatically-dispensed medications via a wireless chip implanted in a patient’s hip, which will be especially helpful for patients who have chronic diseases and must remember to take daily pills at specified times.

Health.com reported on 14 foods that are under 40 calories:

• arugula (4 per cup)
• asparagus (27 per cup)
• broccoli (31 per cup)
• broth (10 per cup)
• brussel sprouts (38 per cup)
• cabbage (22 per cup)
• lettuce (22 per cup)
• beets (37 per ½-cup)
• cauliflower (25 per cup)
• coffee (0 per cup)
• grapefruit (39 per half)
• mushrooms (15 per cup)
• tomatoes (22 per medium tomato)
• turnips (36 per cup).

Plenty of studies have suggested that keeping mentally active in old age appears to keep the mind sharp, but medicalnewstoday.com reported on a study that revealed activities such as reading, writing, playing games, and doing puzzles may protect the physical brain in one’s later years.

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