Hormone News and Research

RSS

A hormone is a chemical released by one or more cells that affects cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. It is essentially a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another.

Fighting the flab? it could be that hormone!

Fighting the flab? well take heart it could all be down to your hormones - or it seems down to one in particular.

5 Dec 2005

Brain memory modifies wiring during the female menstrual cycle

Researchers at Northwestern University and Columbia University have found that "wiring" in female rat brain memory area expands and retracts in relation to the amount of estrogen present during the estrous/menstrual cycle.

5 Dec 2005

Dialysis patients may be overmedicated

Changes in a widely used assay (blood test) for parathyroid hormone (PTH) have made its use with the established guidelines for end stage renal disease clinical management both inappropriate and potentially harmful to patients. This research is published in the journal Seminars in Dialysis.

5 Dec 2005

Aldosterone shows promise as stroke treatment

A bi-polar hormone that can contribute to strokes and minimize their damage is emerging as a therapeutic target in the battle against these brain attacks, researchers say.

5 Dec 2005

Depressed heart patients skip medications

Recent studies conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center suggest two possible mechanisms for the widely recognized link between depression and adverse outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease: lack of adherence to medication regimens and increased levels of norepinephrine, a stress hormone.

2 Dec 2005

Childcare helps reduce stress levels for mums and children

Low job satisfaction in working mothers increases the stress levels of their children, but spending longer in childcare can help overcome these effects, new research has shown.

2 Dec 2005

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been linked to damage in developing brain tissue

The chemical bisphenol A (BPA), widely used in products such as food cans, milk container linings, water pipes and even dental sealants, has now been found to disrupt important effects of estrogen in the developing brain.

2 Dec 2005

Why we put weight back on

You've successfully dropped those extra pounds only to discover that they creep back on again. Columbia University researchers may have now worked out why.

2 Dec 2005

Under-active thyroid can increase heart failure risk

According to a new study older adults people who have an under active thyroid, or hypothyroidism, but with no symptoms, have an increased the risk of congestive heart failure.

30 Nov 2005

Exercise in moderation best for the brain

Exercise is good for your physical health. We have known this for a long time. We also know that physical activity is good for the brain and alleviates depression and stress.

28 Nov 2005

Stress can raise a person's lipid levels

There is good evidence to show that stress can increase a person's heart rate, lower the immune system's ability to fight colds and increase certain inflammatory markers but can stress also raise a person's cholesterol?

28 Nov 2005

GRK2 protein - potential drug target for heart failure

A protein that plays an important regulatory role in heart failure in the heart also exerts powerful effects on the adrenal gland, Jefferson Medical College researchers have found. The protein, GRK2, is a potential drug target for heart failure.

28 Nov 2005

Kidney disease may be a more important risk factor for heart disease than is cholesterol

Jefferson researchers have found that mice with low levels of the protein hormone adiponectin may also have high levels of a protein called albumin which, in humans, may be a sign of kidney disease.

28 Nov 2005

Megestrol acetate may combat weight loss during radiation treatments

A new study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues shows that a drug originally used to treat breast cancer may help combat the severe weight loss that can plague patients undergoing radiation treatment for lung and head and neck cancer.

28 Nov 2005

Sugary drinks push Latino kids toward type 2 diabetes

Overweight Latino children who consume lots of sugar-especially in sugary drinks-show signs of beta cell decline, a precursor of type 2 diabetes, according to researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.

26 Nov 2005

Early neglect has a physical as well as psychological effect

A team of researchers in the United States has found that children who suffer neglect in their early years are left with physical as well as psychological effects.

22 Nov 2005

Seasonal depression affects hamsters

A new study suggests that hamsters may suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression during the dark days of winter, just as some humans do.

21 Nov 2005

When Mum's stressed at work kids feel it too

Researchers say that children whose mothers do not enjoy their jobs also suffer increased stress.

21 Nov 2005

Being a D cup at 20 could mean breast cancer at 40

According to researchers, women with a large bra size at a young age are more likely to develop pre-menopausal breast cancer.

21 Nov 2005

Women more sensitive to chronic stress than men

"It's generally understood that females respond more strongly to acute (immediate, short-term) stress than males," said Helmer Figueiredo, PhD, of UC's department of psychiatry. "Our research shows that this may also be the case in more clinically relevant chronic-stress conditions."

20 Nov 2005