Abstract: For more than 50 years, Framingham Heart Study has produced over 1,000 scientific papers and identified major risk factors associated with heart disease, stroke, and others. It changed America's heart. Cigarettes were no longer advertised as "your doctor's favorite brands." We knew, from the Study, that LDL is a "bad" cholesterol and HDL is a good one. ... Read more

Abstract: Obesity afflicts 300 million people worldwide, a condition described by the World Health Organization as a major chronic disease of pandemic proportion. Obesity invites many health hazards, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. In addition to advocating a controlled energy intake, there is an urgent need to develop new drugs to prevent and treat obesity, as the only few drugs currently available have side effects that limit their long-term use. ... Read more

Abstract: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is primarily caused by smoking, but it does not afflict all smokers. Studies indicate that genes may determine whether or not a smoker will develop COPD. Genetic profiles of smokers who have COPD and those who don't are compared by genomic analysis. ... Read more

Abstract: Pulmonary hypertension is a disease that eventually leads to lung and/or heart failure. Because the causes were largely unknown, it has been called "idiopathic" pulmonary hypertension. Armed with new research tools and technologies, such as genetic and genomic analyses, scientists are now uncovering the causes and pathogenesis of the disease. New understandings of mechanisms of the disease are summarized. ... Read more

Abstract: Nanotechnology is all the rage these days. In medicine, nanotechnology is being studied for, among other uses, effective drug delivery, which would serve both diagnosis and therapy. When nearly insoluble drugs are made into nano-sized particles and delivered orally or intravenously, they are dissolved faster because of their greater surface-to-mass ratio and hence the bigger exposure to "solvents" in the body. ... Read more

Abstract: Mitochondria are a cell's fuel generators, providing ATP which power cellular activities. Drugs that target mitochondria are less likely to be compromised by drug resistance because mitochondria do not offer alternatives for cells to bypass drugs' therapeutic effects. A number of promising drugs are currently being developed to attack cancer cell mitochondria, sparing those in normal cells. ... Read more

Abstract: Rheumatic diseases vary by season in severity. Of course, environmental factors, such as temperature and moisture, contribute to the seasonality of some diseases. But other important factors, including as levels of hormones, antibodies, inflammatory factors, and immune response readiness, could greatly contribute to disease seasonalities. ... Read more

Abstract: HIV-1 is tough virus to beat. It invades and disables the body's primary defense system; it hides; it integrates itself into the host cell's genome; and it mutates. "The path towards the development of an effective therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of HIV-1 infection is littered with disappointments." Scientists keep trying. ... Read more

Abstract: For women who are diagnosed with breast cancer while still in the early stages without spreading to nearby lymph nodes, treatment can be very effective. Cancer treatment in these cases is usually a combination of lumpectomy, radiation, and tamoxifen. Radiation reduces the chance of recurrence and should be used for patients who can overcome its side effects and its inconvenience. ... Read more

Abstract: The discovery of BRCA1 and BRCA2 is one of those events that immediately change people's lives. Women who test positive for one or both of the genes have options to confront the high probability of developing breast cancer. Dr. Narod gives an update. ... Read more