Minerals and Vitamins

New research shows that one of the most common types of skin cancer has learned such a trick, finding a way to disable apparently healthy dendritic cells, which then allow cancer cell nests to spread around them without calling T cells to the fight.
The work was led by Michelle Lowes, an assistant professor of clinical investigation in the Laboratory for Investigative Dermatology at Rockefeller University, and John Carucci, associate professor of dermatology and director of Mohs Micrographic and Dermatologic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. Their research shows that dendritic cells taken from squamous cell carcinomas have most of the known genetic and physiologic hallmarks of their able-bodied fellows in healthy skin tissue. But they do not behave the same at all, says Carucci, a former postdoc in the lab of Rockefeller professor Ralph M. Steinman, who discovered dendritic cells in 1973. “They are impotent,” he says. “They just can’t be turned on.”
Curucci is an expert in surgical treatment of aggressive carcinomas and an immunologist who focuses on tumor biology. Lowes, whose usual focus is psoriasis, an inflammatory skin disorder in which dendritic cells are implicated, helped Carucci and colleagues adapt her methods for the detailed study of dendritic cells in squamous cell carcinoma. It is the second most common type of skin cancer, afflicting about 250,000 people in the United States in 2007. The work, funded by a Dana Foundation grant supporting collaborative immunological research likely to lead to clinical treatments, involved genetic and biochemical testing of dendritic cell samples from carcinoma nests, bordering tissue and healthy skin.
Under normal circumstances, mature dendritic cells present pathogens to T cells, stimulating the production of an army of T cells specialized to neutralize the threat. Certain kinds of immunoregulatory proteins called cytokines are known to normally increase dendrtic cells’ ability to muster that army. But Lowes and Carucci found that dendritic cells from the squamous cell carcinomas, although appearing mature and ready, could not be boosted with a cytokine cocktail to do much of anything at all. Similar-looking dendritic cells from healthy skin responded positively to the booster, and dendritic cells from skin bordering the cancer nests fell somewhere in between. The researchers do not yet know why; they’re investigating that now. “First we need to find out what switched the dendritic cells off, then we’ll look at how to turn them on,” Lowes says. “If you can stimulate the right T cell response, you could mount a robust antitumor response,” says Carucci. “If we can do that, we might actually be able to treat so-called inoperable cancers. This could truly have some clinical applications.”

Researchers at The University of Manchester, working in collaboration with nine other centres across the world, will ask men in stable relationships to take part in the trial of the hormonal contraceptive.

The research, which follows a similar trial in China published earlier this month involving testosterone injections, will involve male volunteers aged 18 to 45 being given injections of testosterone along with a second hormone that has been shown to reversibly suppress sperm production.

The combination of two hormones means the trial will require half the frequency of injections as the Chinese study. The two hormones – Norethisterone enantate and Testosterone undecanoate – have already undergone trials to test their safety and were shown to have only mild side-effects in a small number of individuals.

The trial will initially involve up to four courses of injections over six months, during which time the men’s sperm count will be measured to ensure it is below fertility levels.

The couples – 60 in Manchester and a further 340 internationally – will then be asked to rely solely on the hormonal method for 12 months while the male partner continues to receive the injections every eight weeks.

At the end of the trial period, the men’s sperm count will continue to be monitored to assess how quickly fertility levels return to normal.

Lead researcher Frederick Wu, Professor of Medicine and Endocrinology, said: “There is currently a great imbalance of contraceptive methods between men and women with almost 20 different female methods compared to only condoms and vasectomy for men.

“The World Health Organisation wants to provide more male contraceptive choices – especially reversible methods – to allow couples to better plan their families.

“We know from previous studies that any side-effects are minor, while the risk of pregnancy with this hormonal treatment is similar to that of the female pill and far less than the risks posed by using barrier methods alone.

“Couples taking part in the trial are likely to be married or in long-term relationships and may be looking for alternatives to their existing methods of contraception.’’

The study is being funded by the World Health Organisation and the Contraceptive Research and Development (CONRAD) Programme at the Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Associate Professor Åsa Lankinen and doctoral candidate Josefin Madjidian work at the Division of Plant Ecology at Lund University. They are studying sexual conflicts and pollen competition among plants. Their research shows that conflicts between the sexes do arise.

“We have shown that some grains of pollen can influence the pistil in ways that give an advantage. But at the same time this strategy is to the detriment of the plant,” says Åsa Lankinen.

When pollen grains from different individuals land on the surface of a pistil, competition arises over which pollen grains will have the opportunity to fertilize the ovule in the pistil. This ovule is hidden at the very bottom of the pistil. Pollen grains need to have a pollen tube that can quickly penetrate the surface of the pistil and grow down to the ovule.

Lankinen and Madjidian have examined a North American flower plant called Collinisa heterophylla.  Normally, pollen grains in this species sit and wait on the pistil for several days before the pistil surface can be penetrated. However, research shows that some pollen grains can influence the surface in a way that allows their own pollen tubes to successfully penetrate the pistil ahead of other pollen tubes. This means that they can be the first to reach the ovule in the pistil.

This manipulation on the part of the pollen grain constitutes an advantage for the individual pollen grain, but at the same time it has a negative effect on the total number of seeds that are formed. It might be said that the pistil marshals countermeasures to try to prevent this manipulation, which can lead to an arms race between the sexes. This research study offers indirect evidence of such a race, but the researchers are not yet in a position to say exactly what it looks like.

“It can be difficult to discover sexual conflicts such as these and to pinpoint the properties that are involved. Generally speaking, female plants can affect pollen competition by developing longer pistils or larger receptive area of the pistil, for example, but here we would guess that the explanation has to do with how the chemistry of the pistil influences pollen,” says Åsa Lankinen.

The four-step procedure will give you a simple massage technique that can be done, by yourself, in the privacy of your own home. Although almost any gentle massage technique will be of benefit, these four techniques should be a part of your personal regimen.
More specifically, step One is a gentle draining motion designed to drain the breasts lymphatic system and is possibly the most important of the four steps. Steps number Two and Four are to assist in the movement of venous fluids. Feel free to experiment with these to movements and find what is comfortable for you. Step Three is simply to help keep your support ligaments in good health and assist in the fight against gravity.
This procedure should be done at least twice a week. Apply Breast Cream before doing Breast Massage.
breast massage
Step one :Use your fingers to gently smooth away from the nipple. These movements travel from the nipple and directly away using no more pressure than what you would apply to your eyelid. Any more pressure would flatten the lymphatic vessel and stop the flow of toxins and fluids. Also, make this stroke slow, not fast, for it to be effective.
Step Two: Gently massage the breast with a kneading-like motion, using lifting and pressing movements.
Step Three: Slowly and carefully use your hands to twist the breast in a clock-wise and anticlockwise direction, being careful not to put too much tension on the breast.
Step Four: Use both hands as shown to apply several, moderate pressure, compressions to move out more pressure fluids.

During puberty, estrogens unique to breast tissue development are produced naturally by a woman’s body. Ultimately, the size, shape, and fullness of the breasts are completely dependent upon the duration of puberty and the overall amount of the unique breast tissue hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Commonly women experience a shortened period of pubescence and/or a reduced production of these and other hormones critical to breast development. The result is underdeveloped, misshapen, and/or sagging breasts.. conditions that are sadly experienced by a majority of today’s women.
As a woman ages, her body naturally tapers of the production of these hormones. However, when pregnant, a woman’s body again begins producing the hormones synonymous with breast development, specifically to enable the retention of milk and other fluids. However, this cell growth is only temporary. Perfect Woman safely stimulates mammarial tissue growth, without promoting milk production. Because Perfect Woman is simply encouraging the body’s natural growth process, the product is safe and the results are real!
As featured on National television, Perfect Woman is a soothing, all-natural topical cream designed to give you larger, firmer breasts by stimulating new cell growth in the mammary glands. Manufactured in the USA by an FDA regulated laboratory, this safe and affordable alternative to cosmetic surgery can provide measurable results within weeks, has no adverse side-effects, and actually helps regulate female hormones and reduces the symptoms of PMS.

A skin patch could one day provide a less-invasive alternative for diabetics who need to take regular samples of their own blood to keep glucose levels in check. The common method of drawing blood from fingertips and using glucose testing strips and metres can be painful, inconvenient and time-consuming.
Electrical engineers at the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary have patented a device called the Electronic Mosquito. The patch is approximately the size of a deck of cards and contains four micro-needles that “bite” sequentially at programmed intervals. The needles are electronically controlled to penetrate the skin deep enough to draw blood from a capillary, but not deep enough to hit a nerve. This means patients would experience little or no pain. The patch could be worn anywhere on the body where it could obtain accurate readings of capillary blood.
A sensor in each cell of the e-Mosquito measures sugar levels in the blood. This data can then be sent wirelessly to a remote device such a computer or a monitoring instrument worn on the wrist. The system could even be connected to an alarm to alert patients or doctors when blood sugar levels enter the danger zone.
“This is a dramatic improvement over manual poking, particularly for children and elderly patients,” says Martin Mintchev, director of the Low Frequency Instrumentation Lab at the Schulich School of Engineering. “Our approach is radically different and offers a reliable, repeatable solution with the minor inconvenience of wearing something similar to an adhesive bandage.”
Mintchev spent three years designing the e-Mosquito along with Karan Kaler, director of the Schulich School’s Bio-Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) Laboratory. Their next step is to make the components of the e-Mosquito smaller to fit more needles on the patch. Currently, there are four needles, so the patch would need to be changed at least once a day. Adding more needles would allow patients to wear the patch for longer periods of time or test their blood more frequently, even while they’re asleep.
Eventually, Mintchev and Kaler hope to integrate a pump system so insulin injections can also become autonomous based on data from the e-Mosquito, thus converting the device into an external artificial pancreas.
“It’s important to find an industry partner for this project,” says David Reese, project manager with University Technologies International, the university’s technology transfer, commercialization and incubation centre that works with U of C researchers to commercialize their technologies. “Industry has the resources and expertise to speed up the process of product development and bring this technology to market for the benefit of patients.”
Diabetes has been described as a global epidemic. Approximately 246 million people around the world are affected by the disease. More than two million Canadians have diabetes, a number that is increasing because of the aging population and rising obesity rates, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. The two main varieties are Cinnamomum cassia and Cinnamomum zeylanicum.
Medical Use
American scientists have claimed that a teaspoon of cinnamon a day may help prevent the onset of diabetes. Scientists at the US Agricultural Research Services’ nutrition laboratories in Beltsville, Md., found that an extract of cinnamon can actually revitalize the body’s ability to be far more responsive to insulin in peripheral tissues, e.g. adipose and muscle tissue. In fact, in laboratory experiments, glucose processing was increased by up to 20 times. The chemical responsible is called methylhydroxy chalcone polymer. Experiments on mice found that abnormally high glucose concentrations fell dramatically when given this cinnamon derivative.
The results of another study from 2003 in Pakistan showed lower levels of fasting glucose, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol after 40 days with levels continuing to drop for 20 days after that.
The study was made up of 60 people with Type 2 diabetes who were divided into 6 groups of 10. Three groups received cinnamon in the form of capsules totaling 1, 3 or 6 grams of cinnamon a day. The other three groups received placebo capsules. The capsules were taken three times a day, after meals. All three levels of cinnamon showed results, leading researchers to believe that as little as 1 gram a day of cinnamon may benefit people who have Type 2.
Type II diabetics should take a quarter to one full teaspoon of cinnamon per day.
Cinnamon has long been known as an “energizing” spice, and it is likely that increasing the intake of this common and cheaply available food will benefit even non-diabetics, if used as a daily energizing tonic.
Cinnamon is also a rich source of magnesium, which is essential for maintaining bone density, electrolyte balance, certain enzyme functions and many other crucial biochemical processes. Magnesium is also linked to the more dramatic forms of diabetes that occur earlier in life.

Bitter Melon
Momordica charantia is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown for edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all vegetables. English names for the plant and its fruit include bitter melon or bitter gourd. It is widely grown in India (Karela करेला in Hindi), Pakistan (Karela کریلا in Urdu, اردو),(komboze کمبوزه in Persian), South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, Africa and the Caribbean.

Medical Use
Bitter melon has been observed to have blood sugar-lowering effects, but there is only limited research specifically using bitter melon in humans. Clinical studies show that bitter melon increases the production of beta cells in the pancreas which leads to improvement in the insulin production of the body.
Many studies show that bitter melon is able to reduce the blood sugar levels in the body. Charantin, polypeptide P, and oleonolic acid glcosides are some of the ingredients of bitter melon that are essential in diabetes treatment. Charantin consists of mixtures of natural steroids which are shown to reduce blood sugar levels in the body. Polypeptide P, contains alkaloids that can also promote healthy blood sugar levels. Oleanolic acid glycosides, on the other hand, may prevent the retention of sugar from the intestines. Improvements in these area leads to improved insulin levels in the body.
Fresh juice of two karelas (approximately 20ml) should be taken on empty stomach in the early morning daily. The regular practice of this gives enormous benefits to the diabetics.
Amla or Emblica Officinalis
It is a natural, efficacious, an antioxidant with the richest natural source of Vitamin C.
Medical Use
Amalaki is a carminative and stomachic. It is used in Ayurveda as a cardiotonic, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, antidiabetic, cerebral and gastrointestinal tonic. It raises the total protein level and increases the body weight due to positive nitrogen balance. It has been found to have an anabolic effect.
Fresh amla juice of 10ml and 2 grams pure haldi (turmeric) powder well mixed and taken twice a day, effectively maintains the sugar level and imparts many side benefits like strength and vitality.
Besides, this herb, due to its high vitamin C content, is effective in controlling diabetes. A tablespoon of its juice mixed with a cup of bitter gourd juice, taken daily for two months. Will stimulates the pancreas and enable is to secrete insulin, thus reducing the blood sugar in the diabetes. Diet restrictions should be strictly observed while taking this medicine. It will also prevent eye complication in diabetes.

Herbal Management of Diabetes
Many studies have been performed on various naturally occurring herbs and other compounds, demonstrating their ability to lower blood sugars.
While many of these compounds decrease the blood glucose level by stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin, one particular herb, Goat’s Rue or French Lilac, chemically known as guianidine, is particularly effective in reducing the blood glucose level utilizing a different mechanism.
Galega officinalis
(also known as Goat’s Rue, French Lilac, Italian Fitch or Professor-weed) is a plant from the Galega genus of the Faboideae.
Medical Use
Galega officinalis has been known since the Middle Ages for relieving the symptoms of diabetes mellitus. Upon analysis, it turned out to contain guanidine, a substance that decreases blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance.
Chemical derivatives from the biguanide class of medication include metformin (Glucophage, commonly prescribed for diabetics) and the older, withdrawn agent phenformin.
This herb actually decreases the cellular resistance to insulin, allowing the cells to utilize the insulin more efficiently in metabolizing glucose. It also decreases the absorption of glucose from the small intestine. It reduces the formation of glucose in the liver, and it increases the uptake and utilization of glucose in the fat and muscle cells throughout the body. Non-insulin dependent diabetics are able to better maintain blood glucose levels closer to the normal range, while insulin dependent diabetics are often able to reduce their insulin dosage and more easily maintain stable levels of the blood glucose.
Ginseng
Ginseng refers to species within Panax, a genus of 11 species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. They grow in the Northern Hemisphere in eastern Asia (mostly northern China, Korea, and eastern Siberia), typically in cooler climates.
Medical Use
Both American and Panax (Asian) ginseng rhizomes are taken orally as adaptogens, aphrodisiacs, nourishing stimulants, and in the treatment of type II diabetes, including sexual dysfunction in men. It appears that ginseng increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin, a hormone that sends the signal to cells to reduce blood sugar by taking up glucose. Ginseng may also increase the secretion of insulin.
In a randomized, placebo-controlled study published in the September issue of Diabetes Care, researchers gave capsules of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to diabetic subjects who were already receiving treatment for diabetes in the form of diet or prescription drugs. In their analysis, the researchers found that subjects receiving a 3g dose of ginseng had a blood sugar level that was 59.1% less than subjects who had received the placebo treatment.
Ginseng should be used therapeutically only with the advice of a trained health practitioner. Although subjects in the study did not report major side effects, ginseng can potentially augment the effect of prescription drugs used to lower blood sugar, causing a dangerous decrease in blood sugar. Adverse effects with concurrent use of oral anti-diabetic drugs, such as Warfarin, heparin, aspirin, and NSAIDS are another possibility.
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Cinnamon

Herbal Management of Diabetes
Many studies have been performed on various naturally occurring herbs and other compounds, demonstrating their ability to lower blood sugars.
While many of these compounds decrease the blood glucose level by stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin, one particular herb, Goat’s Rue or French Lilac, chemically known as guianidine, is particularly effective in reducing the blood glucose level utilizing a different mechanism.
Galega officinalis
(also known as Goat’s Rue, French Lilac, Italian Fitch or Professor-weed) is a plant from the Galega genus of the Faboideae.
Medical Use
Galega officinalis has been known since the Middle Ages for relieving the symptoms of diabetes mellitus. Upon analysis, it turned out to contain guanidine, a substance that decreases blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance.
Chemical derivatives from the biguanide class of medication include metformin (Glucophage, commonly prescribed for diabetics) and the older, withdrawn agent phenformin.
This herb actually decreases the cellular resistance to insulin, allowing the cells to utilize the insulin more efficiently in metabolizing glucose. It also decreases the absorption of glucose from the small intestine. It reduces the formation of glucose in the liver, and it increases the uptake and utilization of glucose in the fat and muscle cells throughout the body. Non-insulin dependent diabetics are able to better maintain blood glucose levels closer to the normal range, while insulin dependent diabetics are often able to reduce their insulin dosage and more easily maintain stable levels of the blood glucose.
Ginseng
Ginseng refers to species within Panax, a genus of 11 species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, in the family Araliaceae. They grow in the Northern Hemisphere in eastern Asia (mostly northern China, Korea, and eastern Siberia), typically in cooler climates.
Medical Use
Both American and Panax (Asian) ginseng rhizomes are taken orally as adaptogens, aphrodisiacs, nourishing stimulants, and in the treatment of type II diabetes, including sexual dysfunction in men. It appears that ginseng increases the sensitivity of cells to insulin, a hormone that sends the signal to cells to reduce blood sugar by taking up glucose. Ginseng may also increase the secretion of insulin.
In a randomized, placebo-controlled study published in the September issue of Diabetes Care, researchers gave capsules of North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) to diabetic subjects who were already receiving treatment for diabetes in the form of diet or prescription drugs. In their analysis, the researchers found that subjects receiving a 3g dose of ginseng had a blood sugar level that was 59.1% less than subjects who had received the placebo treatment.
Ginseng should be used therapeutically only with the advice of a trained health practitioner. Although subjects in the study did not report major side effects, ginseng can potentially augment the effect of prescription drugs used to lower blood sugar, causing a dangerous decrease in blood sugar. Adverse effects with concurrent use of oral anti-diabetic drugs, such as Warfarin, heparin, aspirin, and NSAIDS are another possibility.
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Cinnamon

The first step to skin care is to identify your skin type and then follow the prescribed medication and method to care for it.
If you desire a good skin, you really need to make a concerted effort towards the same. It should become a habit. Besides a healthy diet, composed of cereals, fruits and vegetables along with exercise and adequate sleep is essential for a healthy skin.
Do avoid going out in the sun and if you need to, begin using a sunscreen to protect your skin from getting damaged.
Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily, to keep your skin hydrated.
As a guideline your skin needs two staples: Cleanser and Moisturizer.
Other products might include-toner, exfoliator and eye cream or gels.
Avoid using more than three or four products daily to protect your skin from breaking out and reacting. Simplify your routine (it should not take more than 10 minutes to do twice a day) and use basic formulas.
The following is the basic skin care which a women can follow:-
CLEANSING
This is the first step, in caring for your skin depending on your skin type. Throughout the day, sweat, grease, dust, stale make-up, dirt and bacteria tends to collect on your skin and needs to be removed.
Soap and water do tend to remove the impurities but are incapable of removing make up completely, hence proper cleansing is required.
Use water soluble emulsions or gels (with tepid-not hot water) or cleansing wipe pH -balanced soap-free bars.
While cleansing the skin with a cream, lotion
or milk, it must be massaged into the skin with a light upward and outward movement, paying particular attention to the grease of the nose, under chin area, neck and ear lobes.
If using a cotton wool for cleansing moist if first or the day cotton wool will absorb the moisture from the skin. You might need to repeat the cleansing process 2-3 times until the cotton wool or tissue is clean.
As we proceed, you will learn about specific cleansing tips according to your individual skin types and also about various cleansing creams and lotions.
(a) Steaming:- Steaming is beneficial for cleansing all types of skin. It helps in cleaning the skin of all surface dirt, stimulates, the circulation and unclogs blocked pores.
To make steaming more beneficial you can add a tablespoon of herbs in the water. Herbs like lavender, thyme and rosemary can be used as stimulants while cleansing.
(b) Massage:- This routine consists of a thorough cleaning. After removing the cleanser completely, the next step that follows is massage. The purpose of the massage is to relax the facial muscles and stimulate blood circulation. The massage should not extend beyond 5-10 min and should be done with clean hands. Take care not to stretch your skin while massaging.
(c) Cold Treatment:- The last step that follows cleansing is application of ice-cold water or masks to draw out the impurities and close the open pores.
This purpose of cleansing varies with various skin types. You will learn about the specific cleansing type and products as we proceed in our beauty section. We will also inform you about easy tips and masks that can be prepared at home without making any extra effort.