Hormone News and Research

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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.

Bisphenol A may cause heart disease in women

New research by a team of scientists at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that bisphenol A (BPA) may be harmful for the heart, particularly in women.

10 Jun 2009

Hormone therapy may confer more aggressive properties to prostate tumours

Hormone therapy is often given to patients with advanced prostate cancer. While it is true that the treatment prevents growth of the tumour, it also changes its properties. Some of these changes may result in the tumour becoming more aggressive and more liable to form metastases. This is one of the conclusion of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

10 Jun 2009

A new method for breast cancer biomarker discovery

Three researchers from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have developed and evaluated a new one-step bioanalytical approach that allows them to profile in detail complex cellular extracts of proteins. The method has allowed the scientists to look at how the levels of proteins change in breast cancer cells when they are treated with hormones or cancer drugs like tamoxifen.

9 Jun 2009

Irritability in menopause

Irritability is frequently the main presenting complaint of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women; yet, studies specifically researching on irritability in this population are lacking.

9 Jun 2009

Prevalence and predictors of antioxidant supplement use during breast cancer treatment

A new study finds that many women with breast cancer take antioxidant supplements while undergoing cancer treatment, even though the consequences of doing so are unknown.

9 Jun 2009

Cisplatin doubles lung cancer survival time in mice

A lung cancer treatment that inhibits nicotine receptors was shown to double survival time in mice, according to Italian researchers.

9 Jun 2009

Researchers find clues to improve breast cancer survival

Checking lymph nodes during surgery and assessing the hormone status of tumours could help improve breast cancer survival in the UK, according to research published in Annals of Oncology.

8 Jun 2009

Diabetic medication 'glibenclamide' may prevent nicotine-induced SIDS

According to researchers at McMaster University, exposure of the fetus to nicotine results in the inability to respond to decreases in oxygen - known as hypoxia - which may result in a higher incidence of SIDS.

3 Jun 2009

Women with heavy periods may have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder

According to researchers in the United States many women suffer from bleeding disorders, but are unaware they have one because doctors are not looking for the condition.

3 Jun 2009

Why does dishing with a girlfriend do wonders for a woman's mood?

A University of Michigan study has identified a likely reason: feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.

2 Jun 2009

Greater understanding on leptin's role in brain neurocircuitry

In investigating the complex neurocircuitry behind weight gain and glucose control, scientists have known that the hormone leptin plays a key role in the process. But within the myriad twists and turns of the brain's intricate landscape, the exact pathways that the hormone travels to exert its influence have remained a mystery.

2 Jun 2009

Bleeding disorders going undiagnosed; new guidelines to help

Nearly one percent of the population suffers from bleeding disorders, yet many women don't know they have one because doctors aren't looking for the condition, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

2 Jun 2009

Blue light goggles improve sleep quality in the elderly

Sleep disturbances increase as we age. Some studies report more than half of seniors 65 years of age or older suffer from chronic sleep disturbances. Researchers have long believed that the sleep disturbances common among the elderly often result from a disruption of the body's circadian rhythms - biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours.

1 Jun 2009

Taking a break from hormones doesn't improve mammograms

Some women take a short break from using postmenopausal hormone therapy before getting their breasts screened for cancer with mammography. They hope to lower their risk of being called back afterward for unnecessary extra breast imaging. But taking a short break from hormones doesn't actually work for this purpose, according to the first large-scale randomized controlled trial to address the question. The READ (Radiological Evaluation and Breast Density) trial of more than 1,700 Group Health women is in the June 2, 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine.

1 Jun 2009

Overweight male teenagers with normal blood pressures showing signs of heart damage

Even while their blood pressures are still normal, overweight male teens may have elevated levels of a hormone known to increase pressures as well as early signs of heart damage, researchers say.

1 Jun 2009

Inflammatory bowel disease on the rise in specific populations

Researchers are making great strides in understanding the development and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive tract that affects more than a half million Americans, according to several studies being presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2009 (DDW®). DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

1 Jun 2009

Popular antidepressants taken with tamoxifen can increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence

A new study found that taking tamoxifen with certain antidepressants more than doubled the risk of breast cancer recurrence in women taking both medications. The antidepressants inhibit an enzyme, CYP2D6, which helps tamoxifen work effectively.

1 Jun 2009

Genetic profiling reveals genes active in the earliest brain circuit construction

Long before the brain's neurons can facilitate life's big decisions, they have to find their own destiny in the rapidly developing embryo.

31 May 2009

$Vitamin D and Calcium supplements help prevent bone fracture in the elderly$

Vitamin D and Calcium supplements help prevent bone fracture in the elderly

We all know that vitamin D and calcium are good for bones, but research teams in Europe and USA have shown that both taken daily reduces the rate of hip fracture in older people by 20%.

27 May 2009

Discovery of biological markers that may indicate poor breast cancer prognosis

A team of researchers has found an association between breast cancer survival and two proteins that, when present in the blood in high levels, are indicators of inflammation.

26 May 2009