Turmeric Component Fights Head and Neck Cancer

Curcumin in Turmeric Kicks Off Cancer-Killing Mechanisms in Human Saliva

Curcumin, the main component in the spice turmeric, suppresses a cell signaling pathway that drives the growth of head and neck cancer, according to a pilot study using human saliva by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Curcumin has a significant inhibitory effect, blocking two different drivers of head and neck cancer growth:

It binds to and prevent an enzyme known as IKK, an inhibitor of kappa β kinase, from activating nuclear factor kappa β (NFκβ), a transcription factor that promotes cancer growth.

It also affected the cancer by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines within the saliva.

In this study, 21 patients with head and neck cancers gave samples of their saliva before and after chewing two curcumin tablets totaling 1,000 milligrams. One hour later, an additional sample of saliva was taken and proteins were extracted and IKKβ kinase activity measured. Thirteen subjects with tooth decay and five healthy subjects were used as controls.

"We believe curcumin could be combined with other treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation, to treat head and neck cancer. It also could perhaps be given to patients at high risk for developing head and neck cancers — smokers, those who chew tobacco and people with the HPV virus — as well as to patients with previous oral cancers to fight recurrence," said senior study author Dr. Marilene Wang, a professor of head and neck surgery and a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher.

“While this is a promising pilot study, it's important to expand our work to more patients to confirm our findings," adds Wang.

“To be effective in fighting cancer, the curcumin must be used in supplement form. Although turmeric is used in cooking, the amount of curcumin needed to produce a clinical response is much larger. Expecting a positive effect through eating foods spiced with turmeric is not realistic,” Wang cautioned.

The study appears Sept. 15 in Clinical Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Cancer Research.

Story Source:

This summary is prepared by The Zestzfulness Team from materials provided by the University of California Newsroom. You can view the press release HERE.

Journal Reference:

S. G. Kim, M. S. Veena, S. K. Basak, E. Han, T. Tajima, D. W. Gjertson, J. Starr, O. Eidelman, H. B. Pollard, M. Srivastava, E. S. Srivatsan, M. B. Wang. Curcumin Treatment Suppresses IKK Kinase Activity of Salivary Cells of Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Pilot Study. Clinical Cancer Research, 2011; DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-11-1272

UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center has more than 240 researchers and clinicians engaged in disease research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson Center is dedicated to promoting research and translating basic science into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2011, the center was named among the top 10 cancer centers nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for 10 of the last 12 years.

HEAD AND NECK CANCER PREVENTION

The University of Iowa offers Head and Neck Cancer Prevention Tips.

Turmeric has many uses in our recipes; it is easy to include it in our daily meal as a health maintenance measure.

Narcox is a tablet with a patented purified form of curcumin that is reputed to be 4000x better absorbed into the blood stream than raw curcumin. It is taken once or twice for moderate to severe joint pains without the severe side effects of NSAIDS such as cardiovascular problems, strokes and gastrointestinal injuries or bleeding.

The following are our other recent posts on curcumin:

Zestzfulness: NSAID Alternatives - CURCUMIN, Mar 12, 2011 Tumeric (Curcuma longa) and its main biologically active constituent, a polyphenol called curcumin, have remarkable, multiple health benefits as supported by an extensive body of clinical science. CLICK HERE to read about ...

Zestzfulness: Curry Spice Could Offer Treatment Hope for Tendinitis, Aug 13, 2011 In a paper published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the researchers at The University of Nottingham and Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich have shown that curcumin, which also gives the spice turmeric its ...

Zestzfulness: Curcumin: getting back to the roots, Mar 27, 2010 Modern science has revealed that curcumin mediates its effects by modulation of several important molecular targets, including transcription factors (e.g., NF-kappaB, AP-1, Egr-1, beta-catenin, and PPAR-gamma), ...

Petua Kesihatan: Pengurusan Penyakit Jantung Diabetik

Pengurusan Penyakit Jantung Diabetik

Risiko pembentukkan penyakit jantung diabetik (DHD) adalah berkaitan secara langsung dengan paras gula dalam darah seseorang, menurut Institut Jantung, Paru-paru dan Darah Negara.

Semakin tinggi gula dalam darah seorang pesakit diabetes, semakin tinggi risikonya terhadap penyakit jantung diabetik.

Penyakit jantung diabetik boleh termasuk penyakit jantung koronari (Coronary Heart Disease - CHD), juga dikenali sebagai penyakit arteri koronari, kegagalan jantung dan / atau kardiomiopati diabetik.

Penyakit jantung koronari adalah satu keadaan di mana bahan yang dipanggil plak terbentuk di dalam arteri koronari. Plak menyempitkan arteri dan mengurangkan pengaliran darah ke otot jantung anda. Ia juga menjadikannya lebih berkemungkinan terbentuknya darah beku di dalam arteri anda. Darah beku sebahagian atau sepenuhnya boleh menyekat aliran darah. CHD boleh menyebabkan sakit dada atau ketidakselesaan yang dikenali sebagai angina, degupan jantung yang tidak teratur yang dikenali sebagai aritmia, serangan jantung, ataupun kematian.

Kegagalan jantung adalah satu keadaan di mana jantung anda tidak boleh mengepam darah yang mencukupi untuk memenuhi keperluan badan anda. Ia tidak bermakna bahawa jantung anda telah berhenti atau berhenti kerja. Walau bagaimanapun, kegagalan jantung adalah satu keadaan serius yang memerlukan rawatan perubatan. Jika anda mempunyai kegagalan jantung, anda mudah menjadi letih dan perlu menghadkan aktiviti anda. CHD boleh membawa kepada kegagalan jantung dengan melemahkan otot jantung dari masa ke semasa.

Kardiomiopati diabetik adalah penyakit yang merosakkan struktur dan fungsi jantung. Penyakit ini juga boleh membawa kepada kegagalan jantung dan aritmia, walaupun pada mereka yang mempunyai kencing manis tetapi tidak mempunyai CHD.

Ikuti Pelan Rawatan Anda






Institut Jantung, Paru-paru dan Darah Negara menawarkan cadangan-cadangan untuk membantu pengurusan penyakit jantung diabetik:

• Pastikan anda melakukan aktiviti fizikal yang kerap.
• Menikmati diet yang sihat untuk hati.
• Pastikan berat badan anda di bawah kawalan.
• Mengekalkan kawalan gula darah anda.
• Mencari jalan untuk mengurangkan tahap tekanan anda.
• Jika anda merokok, segera berhenti.
• Ikut pelan rawatan doktor anda untuk menguruskan kesihatan anda.
• Dapatkan secara tetap, penjagaan berterusan daripada doktor, termasuk pemeriksaan dan ujian biasa.

Nasi Lemak 2.0

An Anthonian Baby Boomer was inspired to write a review of Nasi Lemak 2, in Chinese. It took another SPS, and a Banana to translate his work into English, see below for definition. In case we had interpreted inaccurately, will the author please forgive us.

从吉隆坡回来北马也快一个星期了(九月九日至十四日)！本来想在十日记述一下吉隆坡的婚宴，但是天不作美，整天豪雨，忙着洗车，洗衣和洗地。孤身寡人，做起事来，好像需要更多时间；虽然无人打扰，但是乏味无聊。昨天，花了三小时写了“外甥的婚宴”。辣死你妈2.0这一套戏，在九月八日就开始在全国隆重开演。很想先睹为快，可是还是压后观赏。

I came home after spending a week in Kuala Lumpur. I had intended to write about my nephew’s wedding dinner in Kuala Lumpur but was distracted by the bad weather, raining heavily all day. So I ended up washing my car, doing my laundry and cleaning the floor. Being alone, it seemed more time was needed to complete the chore; though there was nobody to distract me, I found the work was monotonous and boring. Yesterday, I managed to devote 3 hours writing up on the wedding.

“Nasi Lemak 2.0” is in the cinemas nationwide starting from the 8th of September. I was very keen to attend premiere but had to abort my plan.

九月十日清晨，带着轻快的脚步到附近的早市买东西时，发现整个安乐园已被雨水和河水泛滥，奇怪的是我住的这条路没有被淹及。相信是这条路尾端河边大水泵的功劳吧！庆幸毫雨转细，太阳也显露。过后我就和一位马来同事到他的黄梨园，采了好多粒黄梨回来。晚餐后，同我的好友去观赏黄明志(黄大侠)自导自演的处女创作电影。

It was early in the morning of 10^th September, while walking light heartedly to the nearby morning market that I realized that most of the whole housing estate was flooded by the swollen river. Strangely, the road along my house was not affected at all. I believed tthe huge water pump installed at the river bank towards the end of the road had saved us. Luckily, the rain had turned into a drizzle and the sun started to shine. So I decided to accompany a Malay colleague to his pineapple farm and came home later with some of the fruit. After dinner, I went out with another friend to catch the Namewee or Wee Meng Chee's maiden film which he created and directed and even acted in it.

我不是电影评论家，也从来没有写过影评。在这里，只是想追忆这部据说是支持一个大马概念的电影。黄明志是一个敢怒敢言，敢做敢当的热血爱国华裔大马人。他创写了很多歌曲，也创作了不少短片。我们可以在youtube看到他的杰作。他的一首NegaraKu Ku (鸟国家), 震醒了大众，惊动了巫统(UMNO)，激怒了“斯文又纯洁”文化部长Rais Yatim. 他的父亲曾向警局调查部求情，有些华人政治家和社会领袖也为他辩护，终于，在会见首相部部长Nasri之后，政府不再追究。 他也一举成名！

I am not a film commentator and I have never published any film commentary. I only wish here to recall what I believe is a film that explores the concept of 1Malaysia which has thus far been allowed to remain a fuzzy slogan. Namewee is a daring and outspoken patriotic Malaysian of Chinese origin. He has written many songs and created numerous videos. We can see his masterpieces in Youtube. His song “Negara Ku Ku: (country of birds) had awakened the public, shakened UMNO, and even angered the “polite and pure” Rais Yatim, the Minister of Information, Communication and Culture. Namewee’s father was pressured to plead with the authorities after several police reports were lodged against him by shallow minded political and non-governmental groups on the supposedly anti-government undertones of this song. A few Chinese politicians and community leaders were compelled to defend him. Eventually, after a meeting with Nazri, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, the government stopped pursuing the case further and Namewee became famous overnight!

经过这场风波后，这个血气方干的台湾大学毕业生并没有退缩。为了正义，当然也为了饭碗，他再接再力的制作了他的第一部电影，辣死你妈2.0。。。。辣死你妈(NasiLemak)是椰酱饭。饭是以米加椰酱(最好加一些姜丝)煮成，然后加上另外煮调的辣料，可用江鱼，咸鱼，鲜鱼，虾，鸡和各种肉类。辣死你妈是又香又辣的食物，大马各民族都喜欢吃。我觉的黄明志以此片要大马各民族明了和睦相处的香 ，和感受到政府行政不公以及社会歪风的辣。。。

The energetic Taiwan graduate was not deterred by this stormy encounter. For the sake of justice and, of course, for his livelihood, he produced his first film “Nasi Lemak 2.0” …….Nasi Lemak (translated literally as "hot till your mother die") is coconut flavoured rice. It is cooked with coconut milk (and is best with slices of ginger thrown in), and then garnished with other cooked spicy ingredients such as ikan bilis (crispy anchovies), salted fish, fresh fish, prawns, chicken and other meats. Nasi lemak is a spicy and fragrant food enjoyed by all races in Malaysia. I feel that,Namewee hopes, via Nasi Lemak 2.0, to tease the various races in Malaysia into appreciating the “fragrance” of living in harmony and to feeling “hot” about our unhealthy society and bad government.

此片一开始，就看到一批游手好闲的非华裔年轻人明目张胆的抢劫一位华妇小贩，来来往往的行人看了也不伸出援手，好像不关己事，还是避免惹事上身，自讨苦吃。这时，一个小学生经过而看到了。他的脚前的地上，刚好有一

个空水罐。犹疑一阵后，他终于将它踢向那班流氓。被击中后，这班流氓便追逐这个小孩。在后巷追逐时，很多人都开后门看热闹，当小孩求救时，个个立刻关门息事，不给他进。看了会辣吗？这个小侠，就是长大后的黄大侠---黄明志(Namewee)咯！。。。。。。。

At the beginning of the show, a group of idle non-Chinese youths were seen openly robbing an ethnic Chinese lady hawker. Passersby did not give her a helping hand, acting as if that was none of their business. But then, a school boy happened on the scene. Hesitating for a while, he spied an empty can on the road and decided to kick it towards the rogues. It hit them. Annoyed, the rogues charged at the boy. They pursued him to a back lane where many people opened their back doors to gawk. When the boy screamed for help, the doors were closed on him. Won't anyone get not “hot” with this callous behaviour? This small hero grew up to be none other than Namewee.

片内有很多令人欢笑的情节，对话与歌曲中隐藏着特别讯息。这是一部好电影，有几首动听的歌曲。对我来说，最好听的是那首咖哩咧(Curry Neh!)，我是福建人。 我感受到黄大侠一面在推销辣死你妈，一面戴歌戴舞的骂人。(应该是骂政府吧！)。。.让我们一起吃Curry Neh! Kan Lin Neh! Kan Lin Neh!...........

There were many comical scenes in this film, the dialogues and songs had special hidden messages. This was a good film with a number of beautiful songs. To me, “Curry Neh” was the best song. I am Hokkien, I could feel that Namewee was not only selling “Nasi Lemak”, but he also sang and danced while 'bombarding' others. (aiming at the government, I presume!)….. Together let's eat Curry Neh! Kan Lin Neh! Kan Lin Neh!........

写到这里为止。读者最好亲自去戏院看。这部片的确值得看。有的人看了又看。还在等什么？快！赶紧去看辣死你妈2.0！

I will stop here. It is better for readers to catch the show in the cinema. This show is worth watching. There were people who watched the show more than once. What are you waiting for? Hurry up, go and watch “Nasi Lemak 2.0” NOW!

Definition

Chew Wah Yeong, Chee Sai Gnow and Khoo Joo Lee completed their secondary education at the St Anthony’s School in Telok Anson (since renamed asTeluk Intan) in 1967. While Wah Yeong and Sai Gnow had the benefit of primary education in Chinese, Joo Lee spent all his 11 school years in the same building that housed St. Anthony’s

A 'BANANA' is a Chinese Malaysian who, while conversant in at least one Chinese dialect, mostly Hokkien or Cantonese, is illiterate in Mandarin, speaks better in English and Bahasa Melayu and tends to be Anglo-centric, a kind of WOC (as distinguished from WOGs, the C standing for Chinaman) You can get other and "more generous" interpretations of a 'banana man' HERE

SPS (是或否, yes or no). This is what 'bananas' frequently hear those folks from the remove class utter after each sentence; thus they came to be identified as 'SPS'. Remove class is where students with vernacular primary education had to spend a year orientating themselves to the national medium of instruction (Bahasa Melayu and a sprinkling of English); this practice was stopped many years ago when it was found to be redundant.

High Cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease

New Study Reveals Link Between High Cholesterol and Alzheimer's Disease

Lowering cholesterol early in life may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

People with high cholesterol may have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the latest issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

"We found that high cholesterol levels were significantly related to brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease," said study author Kensuke Sasaki, MD, PhD, of Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan.

For the study, the cholesterol levels were tested for 2,587 people age 40 to 79 who had no signs of Alzheimer's disease. Then they examined 147 autopsied people who died after a long observation period (10 to 15 years). Of those, 50 people, or 34 percent, had been diagnosed with dementia before death.

The autopsies looked for plaques and tangles in the brain, both known to be trademark signs of Alzheimer's disease. Plaques are an accumulation of a form of the protein amyloid, which occurs between nerve cells. Tangles are an accumulation of a different protein, called tau, which occurs inside nerve cells.

People with high cholesterol levels, defined by a reading of more than 5.8 mmol/L, had significantly more brain plaques when compared to those with normal or lower cholesterol levels. A total of 86 percent of people with high cholesterol had brain plaques, compared with only 62 percent of people with low cholesterol levels.

The study found no link between high cholesterol and the tangles that develop in the brain with Alzheimer's disease.

In addition to high cholesterol increasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease, Sasaki previously found that insulin resistance, a sign of diabetes, may be another risk factor for brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.

"Our study clearly makes the point that high cholesterol may contribute directly or indirectly to plaques in the brain," Sasaki said, "but failed treatment trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs in Alzheimer's disease means there is no simple link between lowering cholesterol and preventing Alzheimer's."

This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by The Zestfulness Team) from the September 12, 2011 press release by American Academy of Neurology.

Journal Reference:

T. Matsuzaki, K. Sasaki, J. Hata, Y. Hirakawa, K. Fujimi, T. Ninomiya, S. O. Suzuki, S. Kanba, Y. Kiyohara, T. Iwaki. Association of Alzheimer disease pathology with abnormal lipid metabolism: The Hisayama Study. Neurology, 2011; 77 (11): 1068. CLICK HERE for the full text.

Health Tip: When You're Under Stress...

Picture source: http://www.kraseybeauty.com

When You're Under Stress...

... Suggestions to keep it under control

The first task toward keeping stress under control is recognizing the early symptoms of stress, such as muscle tension, headache or anxiety.

The American Academy of Family Physicians says managing stress depends on how you react to it. Recognizing that you're under stress may be easy, compared to changing your response.

Here are the academy's suggestions:

• Don't fret about things over which you have no control, such as the weather.
• Solve little issues or conflicts first -- this may help you tackle bigger ones.
• Think of change in a positive way.
• Discuss your stress with a trusted friend or family member.
• Avoid tackling too much at once.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat a healthy diet, and get enough rest.
• Engage in activities that tend to ease your stress.
• Prepare yourself for activities that you know will lead to stress.

Zestz for LAUGHS? 4-Hour Erection

What happens when you ask for help with an erection lasting more than 4 hours?

Beng walked into a drug store in Klang and asked to talk to a male pharmacist. The woman he was talking to said that she was the only pharmacist and as she and her sister owned the store, there were no male employees. She then asked if she could help him.

Beng said that it was something that he would be much more comfortable discussing with a male pharmacist. The lady pharmacist assured him that she was completely professional and whatever it was that he needed to discuss, he could be confident that she would treat him with a high level of professionalism.

Beng then agreed and began by saying, 'This is tough for me to discuss, but I get erections every day that last more than four hours. It causes me a lot of problems and severe embarrassment, and I was wondering what you could give me for it.'

The pharmacist said, 'Just a minute, I'll talk to my sister...'

When she returned, she said, "We discussed it at length and this is the absolute best we can do. 1/3 ownership in the store, a company Benz, a king size bed and $3,000 a month in living expenses

Story adapted from a recently netted flotsam.

Certainly, our Poh Ching, Mahfuza, Fooi Mee, Jacqueline don’t look anywhere like these old birds.

We post the hypothetical question to them and got this answer:

'Persistent, painful, erection that lasts for more than four hours and occurs without sexual stimulation is called priapism. This happens when blood in the you-know-what becomes trapped and unable to drain. It can occur in all age groups, including newborns. However, it usually affects men between the ages of 5 to 10 years and 20 to 50 years.'

'Painful spontaneous and nocturnal erections are a common complaint of patients after penile and urethral reconstructive surgery.'

They added that old-cocks (actually, they said adults) considering elective circumcision or other surgeries involving their you-know-what can talk to their doctors about the oral antifungal ketoconazole (Fungazol, Nizoral).

Here’s the basis for their potent advice:

Evans, Peterson, Ruiz, and Costabile working on patients at the US Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington found that ketoconazole effectively prevents painful postoperative erections with minimal side effects.

Oral ketoconazole works by inhibiting testosterone production…. reversibly (grateful thanks to you-know-who)

The 38 patients had undergone penile and urethral reconstructive surgery.

Analgesics and topical agents ineffectively inhibit painful erections after penile and urethral surgery. Ice-cold refrigerant sprays (eeeee!), narcotics, and dorsal nerve blocks, to prevent painful postoperative erections frequently provide incomplete relief, and their effects are short lived.

31 patients received 400 mg of ketoconazole three times daily for 10-14 days postoperatively (the study group) and 7 patients did not receive ketoconazole (the control group).

Of the control group, 71% reported erections in the immediate postoperative period, and all these patients reported the erections were painful. Only 23% of the patient taking ketoconazole reported postoperative erections, and only 16% reported the erections were painful.

Journal reference:

Evans KC, Peterson AC, Ruiz HE, Costabile RA. Use of oral ketoconazole to prevent postoperative erections following penile surgery. Int J Impot Res. 2004 Aug;16(4):346-9.

Your doctor may be interested to read the full text of this paper HERE.

Health Tip: Recognizing Asthma in Children

Picture credit: http://asthma.gratis.lc

Here are common warning signs

Asthma is a chronic disease that causes the airways - the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs - to become sore and swollen.

Asthma can develop in children of any age, but symptoms typically begin by age 5. Children have smaller airways than adults, which makes asthma especially serious for them.

The Cleveland Clinic says parents should watch for:

• Frequent coughing spells that occur during playtime, laughing or at night.
• Lack of energy during playtime.
• Breathing rapidly, shortness of breath or wheezing.
• Discomfort or pain in the chest.
• A perceived tightness of the neck or chest muscles.
• Feeling tired often.

The Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education.

Read related posts on asthma here:

Secondhand Smoke May Increase Vulnerability to Nicotine Addiction

May 04, 2011 ... in 2006 that secondhand smoke causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and many serious health conditions in children, including sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory infections, and more severe asthma.

Zestz Calling All Broccoli Enthusiasts

Jan 06, 2010 It may also help protect against respiratory inflammation that causes conditions like asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease4. If you are still not motivated, you should know that researchers at UCLA5, ...

Stress May Alter Gut Bacteria to Hinder Immune System

Mar 30, 2011 Because gut bacteria have been linked to diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, and even to asthma, a future goal of the study is to determine whether alterations of gut bacteria is the reason why these diseases tend to be worse ...

Zestzfulness: Inflammatory Responses To Social-Stress

Aug 11, 2010 As such, they have implications for understanding how social stressors may promote susceptibility to diseases with an inflammatory component; these includes asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, ...