A new study from the University of Chicago¹ comparing the effects of estrogen and retinoic acid on breast cancer cell genes shows that they have inverse effects- estrogen tips the scales towards cell proliferation and retinoic acid inhibits cellular growth.

The findings, reported in the June 25, 2009, issue of the journal Cell, may lead researchers to a whole new set of drug targets for breast cancer. The most widespread forms of breast cancer are driven by the female estrogen hormone. Estrogen and retinoic acid modify the expression of many of the same genes, and this control of gene expression regulates basic cellular processes, say the report’s authors. When regulation is unbalanced, it can lead to cancer.

Drink a diet soda and get a headache. Sip a cup of tomato soup and suddenly you feel numbness in your arms and back. You wolf down a small bag of chips and later get a stomach ache.

It is believed that since World War II more than 80,000 new man-made chemicals have been created. These chemicals are used in our cars, homes and on our jobs. But many of them appear as additions to our foods. Research has suggested that many of these food additives are making us sick.

Along with aspartame in our diet sodas, research suggests, we’re getting a carcinogen. That piping hot soup comes with a dollop of Monosodium glutamate (MSG) which causes numbness to some. That Olestra in your fat-free potato chip may be causing your severe stomach cramps.

Following up last week’s story on Metformin’s effect on memory cells, Rapamycin, also known as Sirolimus, has recently been shown to stimulate the formation of memory CD8 T cells. Rapamycin is an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent rejection in organ transplantation; particularly kidney transplants. The discovery by scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center is reported online ahead of print June 21 in Nature¹.

Frequent snoring during pregnancy increases the likelihood of developing gestational diabetes, according to a recent study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The study also found pregnancy raises the chances that a woman will snore. This is the first study to report a link between snoring and gestational diabetes, which is a condition that may cause health problems for both mother and baby.

"Sleep disturbances during pregnancy may negatively affect your cardiovascular system or metabolism," said lead investigator Francesca Facco, M.D, of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "If snoring is bothering a woman who is pregnant, she should seek a consultation with a sleep specialist," Facco said.

The widely used anti-diabetic drug Metformin is able to boost the immune system and increase the potency of vaccines and cancer treatments, says a new study¹ published in the June 3 2009 issue of Nature. Researchers at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania made the discovery that metformin increases the efficiency of the immune system's T-cells.