VIDEO: 23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

A Doctor-Professor answers the old question "What is the single best thing we can do for our health" in a completely new way. Dr. Mike Evans is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital.

Conceived, written, and presented by Dr. Mike Evans
Illustrated by Liisa Sorsa
Produced, directed, and filmed by Nick De Pencier
Picture and sound edit by David Schmidt
Gaffer, Martin Wojtunik
Whiteboard construction by James Vanderkleyn
Production assistant, Chris Niesing
©2011 Michael Evans and Mercury Films Inc.

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Reminder: Protect Your Family from the Sun

Protect them from UVB that causes sunburn and UVA that causes long-term skin damages. MORE INFO

You can now have fun in the Sun!

How Does the Sun Cause Skin Cancer?

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. This type of cancer usually develops on the head and neck in the skin's basal cells, which are just below its surface. Basal cell carcinoma forms when excessive sunlight damages the skin's DNA, which is called thymine dimers. As the DNA damage multiplies, mutations occur. This, combined with the immune system suppression that occurs naturally from sunlight, allows tumor cells to form and eventually take over certain areas of the skin.

Squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer occurs most frequently on the lips, mouth, tongue and nose. Though two-thirds of basal cell carcinomas are attributed to excessive sun exposure, with no UVA or UVB protection, nearly all squamous cell carcinoma cases are attributed to the sun. This is why this type of skin cancer is almost always found on areas of the skin that gets the most sun exposure, whether that be your face, arms, legs or back. Many people also develop squamous cell carcinoma on hard-to-see areas of the skin, including behind the ears or between the toes. This is why it is especially important to get your yearly skin check by your dermatologist. Like basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma also develops when the skin undergoes mutations in the squamous skin layer, which, combined with immune suppression from the sun, can lead to skin cancer.

Melanoma

Caucasians, particularly those with very light skin, freckles or blond or red hair, are at a higher risk for developing this type of skin cancer than other ethnicities. Though there are plenty of instances of melanoma that occur despite one's level of sun exposure, there are also plenty of cases that have directly been linked to the sun damaged caused by sunburns. According to Cancer Research UK, individuals who develop melanoma are twice as likely as others to have developed at least one very bad sunburn in their lifetimes. As the amount of sunburns increase, so does the risk of melanoma.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY FROM THE SUN?

Read more: How Does the Sun Cause Skin Cancer? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5003290_sun-cause-skin-cancer.html#ixzz1ucbWThF4

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Legalize it or not?

State of the Nation is a nightly newscast anchored by award-winning broadcast journalist, Jessica Soho. It airs Mondays to Fridays at 9:00 PM (PHL Time) on GMA News TV Channel 11. For more videos from State of the Nation, visit http://www.gmanetwork.com/stateofthenation.

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Regular jogging may add "years to your life"

If you're aiming to add a few more years to your lifespan, researchers suggest lacing up your running shoes and taking regular, gentle jogs a few times a week.

According to new data, men who regularly jog can add 6.2 years to their life while women can tack on 5.6 years.

Presented last week at a heart health symposium in Dublin, the preliminary findings come from the Copenhagen City Heart study, which has been monitoring the health of more than 19,000 men and women since 1976 to increase knowledge about preventing heart disease and stroke.

The research is part of the work of cardiologist Dr. Peter Schnohr, who has been investigating whether or not jogging is healthy or hazardous, due to the fact some believe it is too strenuous for ordinary middle aged people and can put unnecessary strain on the heart.

"The results of our research allow us to definitively answer the question of whether jogging is good for your health," he said, adding: "We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity. The good news is that you don't actually need to do that much to reap the benefits."

How much jogging is necessary? The investigators found that between one hour and two and a half hours a week, broken down into two to three sessions, delivered the optimum benefits, especially when performed at a slow or average pace.

As for your pacing, "aim to feel a little breathless, but not very breathless," Schnohr added.

Aerobic activities such as jogging were also found to be better than resistance training for reducing belly fat, which poses a serious threat to your health, researchers say.

Maintaining aerobic fitness through middle age and beyond has also been found to delay your biological aging by up to 12 years and prolong independence during old age, according to a study a few years ago published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

SOURCE: YAHOO PH

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Brain cell death in diseased mice could be "switched off": study

LONDON, May 7 (PNA/Xinhua) -- British scientists reported on Sunday that they have identified a major path leading to brain cell death in mice with neurodegenerative disease, and by blocking the pathway, the team could prevent brain cell death and increase survival in the mice. Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers at the University of Leicester, UK reported their study of mice with neurodegeneration caused by prion disease. These mouse models currently provide the best animal representation of human neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In those diseases, proteins "mis-fold" in a variety of different ways resulting in the build- up of mis-shapen proteins, which activates a natural defense mechanism in cells that would switch off the production of new proteins. That would normally switch back "on" again, but in these mice, the continued build-up of mis-shapen protein keeps the switch turned "off". This is the trigger point leading to brain cell death, as those key proteins essential for nerve cells are not made. In this study, the scientists were able to restore protein production by injecting a protein that blocks the "off" switch of the pathway. The brain cells were protected, protein levels and synaptic transmission (the way in which brain cells signal to each other) were restored and the mice lived longer. Because human diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have a similar underlying mechanism, the team's results suggest that treatments focused on this pathway could be protective in a range of neurodegenerative diseases. "What's exciting is the emergence of a common mechanism of brain cell death, across a range of different neurodegenerative disorders, activated by the different mis-folded proteins in each disease," said Professor Giovanna Mallucci who led the team at the University of Leicester. "The fact that, in mice with prion disease, we were able to manipulate this mechanism and protect the brain cells means we may have a way forward in how we treat other disorders." (PNA/Xinhua) FPV/ebp

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