A mutation in a recently discovered gene is believed to be the most common cause of inherited forms of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study in The Lancet last January.
Researchers say the mutation on the LRRK2 gene is responsible for five percent of inherited Parkinson’s disease cases. “Our results suggest that the mutation is the most common cause of Parkinson’s disease identifies to date,” says Tatiana Foroud, an American associate professor of medical and molecular genetics and principal investigator on the multi-site study.

For years it was believed that environmental factors were the primary cause of Parkinson’s. It wasn’t until 1997 that the first gene associated with the disease was identified.

“While a great deal of work remains to be done,” says Foroud, “it is clear that any future genetic testing for Parkinson’s disease must include studies of the LRRK2 gene.”

The study focused on 767 Parkinson’s patients from 358 families. The patients were recruited by specialists from 59 medical centres associated with the Parkinson Study Group, a nonprofit, co-operative group of Parkinson’s experts form the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more about the study, visit http://progeni.in.edu

"Keeping your lymph on the go"

Brimming with disease-fighting white blood cells, plasma and antibodies, lymph bathes your cells and carries away anything foreign or potentially harmful, such as bacteria and viruses, says Kent Hay Glass, an immunologist. Your job is to keep it moving for maximum efficiency.
Deep breathing is a simple way to help your immune-system highway, says Ann Louise Gittleman, a US nutrition expert. The negative pressure in your chest as you inhale helps push lymph through the body.
A long stretch with your arms out or up also opens your chest cavity for maximum breathing capacity.

A hot and cold shower will also of our look,” says Dr Tibrewala. “Apart from the demand for good looks in the hospitality, film, modeling, television and airline industries, many middle-aged executives and businessmen ask me to make them look younger. Middle-aged housewives, too, come to me to satisfy their long-standing desire to shape their noses or contour their bodies. ‘Looks good, feel good’ is the modern-day mantra.”

And looking younger is looking a whole lot easier without having to undergo surgery. Ongoing break-throughs in the anti-aging industry have made turning back the hands of time easy, inexpensive and relatively painless. Says Chennai-based dermatologist and cosmetologist, Dr Maya Vedamurthy. “The non-invasive procedures we use today are much better than those in the past. You can get a new look without even having to take time off work.”

These cosmetic innovations fend off the years without scalpels and anaesthetics. “Generally people dislike going for surgeries,” says Delhi cosmetic dermatologist Dr Vandana Chatrath. Her clients are so keen to try the minimally invasive approach that she performed nearly 250.

Your veins and arteries represent your cardiovascular superhighway, pumping about five litres of blood through your body every minute. But because many of us still love fat-laden ice cream and French fries or refuse to get off our behinds, there’s also artery-clogging sludge in there, such as LDL or “bad” cholesterol; homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease; and triglycerides, fats that build up if you don’t burn them off with exercise. Certain crud busters can help keep problems in your blood system to a minimum.

Lipoprotein lipase. This body enzyme cleans the arteries by breaking down triglycerides, says Dr Ruth McPherson. a leading Canadian expert on cardiovascular diseases. Boost it with exercise such as a brisk 30- minute walk, five to six times a week. Most important, exercise burns off excess fat.

“Fatty acids and cholesterol give our muscles energy to burn,” says Dr William Kraus, an American cardiologist. The problem is, we’re not using our muscles enough. “It’s like storing up tones of coal without ever putting it in the furnace. You could wind up with an environmental hazard.”

HDL cholesterol-your good cholesterol-cleans out triglycerides and bad cholesterol, then dumps them off at your liver for processing and excretion. The more HDL you have, the lower your risk of heart disease. Research suggests you can increase HDL with a daily glass of wine-but no more than one glass, otherwise you’ll raise your triglycerides. Other HDL boosters include exercise (again) and niacin, a nutrient found in meat, nuts and whole grains.

Then there’s folate. From oranges, it helps your body clean up excess homocysteine, says Jim Joseph, an American neuroscientist. And preliminary animal research from Japan has found that a diet rich in hesperidin-a compound also found in oranges-could lower total cholesterol and triglycerides. Fatty acids in walnut and flaxseed oils and cold-water fish such as salmon will also help flush triglycerides from your pipes.