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How the humble hydrangea shrub could hold the key to curing MS, diabetes and arthritis By FIONA MACRAE 05th June 2009 It's bright and beautiful flowers bring a splash of colour to gardens all over Britain. But it seems the hydrangea is more than just a pretty bloom. A drug made from its roots could be used to treat a raft of common diseases, researchers say. The colourful shrub - a staple of Chinese medicine - has the power to 'revolutionise' the treatment of multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and some forms of diabetes and arthritis, scientists claimed yesterday. Hydrangea: The common...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Dec. 30, 2008) — Two Female Marines from the 2nd Marine Logistics Group came together this holiday season to donate more than 26 inches of hair to financially disadvantaged children. Cpl. Kendra Hernandez, a legal clerk with Headquarters and Service Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd MLG, and Cpl. Kimberly Pike, an administrative clerk with the 2nd MLG Administrative Section, cut off 14 and 12 inches of their hair respectively to give to Locks for Love. The non-profit organization provides hair pieces to children under the age of 18 who suffer from long-term medical...

Patients with common immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis could one day be treated with bone marrow transplants, scientists claimed yesterday. Hopes for the new treatment follow the development of a more efficient transplant technique which avoids the need for radio- or chemotherapy, both of which have potentially dangerous side-effects. Traditional bone marrow transplants are used to treat only life-threatening conditions, such as leukaemia or lymphoma. The treatment infuses healthy adult stem cells into the patient, which then form fresh blood and immune cells. But before the transplant can be done, patients must receive a course of...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorOctober 2, 2007Seattle, WA (LifeNews.com) -- Researchers at a cancer center in Seattle have confirmed what previous studies have shown: women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer. They say fetal cells “transplanted” to the mother before birth are a source of this protective effect. That's something that abortion denies.Scientists at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center presented their results in the October 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.They studied a concept called fetal microchimerism, which is the ability of cells...

Create a back-up copy of your immune system 22 June 2007 NewScientist.com news service Andy Coghlan Imagine having a spare copy of your immune system on ice, ready to replace your existing one should you fall victim to AIDS, an autoimmune disease, or have to undergo extensive chemotherapy for cancer. An Anglo-American company called Lifeforce has received permission from the US Food and Drug Administration to do just that. The firm collects 480-millilitre samples of blood from healthy individuals, extracts the white blood cells and stores them as an insurance policy against future disease. The service comes at a price,...

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1152AP_Military_Antrax.html Thursday, December 1, 2005 · Last updated 10:01 a.m. PT _Anthrax shots may be required in military_ By PETE YOST ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER * WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration asked a federal appeals court Thursday to reinstate mandatory anthrax inoculations for many military personnel, while a lawyer for soldiers who refused the shots said anti-anthrax vaccine was never intended for the purpose the Pentagon is using it. * The government is appealing a decision by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who suspended anthrax vaccinations after he found fault in the Food and Drug Administration's process for...

An excessive immune reaction appears to be the fatal factor in patients who die of SARS, according to medical data from Hong Kong. The best estimate of the fatality rate of SARS is rising steadily and so understanding how the disease causes death is critical to finding the best treatments. Scientists have also discovered that the SARS virus can remain viable for at least 24 hours after being deposited in a droplet on a plastic surface - a simulation, for example, of an infected person coughing on to the wall of a lift. The new information was revealed by Klaus...