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Can ‘toxic’ bilirubin treat a variety of illnesses?
Generations of medical and biology students have been instilled with a dim view of bilirubin. Spawned when the body trashes old red blood cells, the molecule is harmful refuse and a sign of illness. High blood levels cause jaundice, which turns the eyes and skin yellow and can signal liver trouble. Newborns can’t process the compound, and although high levels normally subside, a persistent surplus can cause brain damage. Yet later this year up to 40 healthy Australian volunteers may begin receiving infusions of the supposedly good-for-nothing molecule. They will be participating in a phase 1 safety trial, sponsored ...
Source: ScienceNOW - June 8, 2023 Category: Science Source Type: news

Straight from the heart: Mysterious lipids may predict cardiac problems better than cholesterol
Stephanie Blendermann, 65, had good reason to worry about heart disease. Three of her sisters died in their 40s or early 50s from heart attacks, and her father needed surgery to bypass clogged arteries. She also suffered from an autoimmune disorder that results in chronic inflammation and boosts the odds of developing cardiovascular illnesses. “I have an interesting medical chart,” says Blendermann, a real estate agent in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Yet Blendermann’s routine lab results weren’t alarming. At checkups, her low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol hovered around the 100 milligrams-per-...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - March 16, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

The Jekyll and Hyde of Statins
By Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, Medical Discovery News Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are the most prescribed drug ever. About 30 percent of Americans are currently taking statins such as Crestor, Lipitor, Mevacor and Zocor. Overall, statins can be good thing, but as with all drugs, there are some negative effects. Statins lower cholesterol by inhibiting a protein called HMG-CoA reductase. Since high cholesterol levels are linked to heart disease, statins can reduce the risks of heart attack and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States. Recent reports from the American Heart Assoc...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - February 3, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news