http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The impact of the amyloid plaques that appear in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease may extend beyond the deposits' effects on neurons - the cells that transmit electrochemical signals throughout the nervous system. In an article in the Feb. 27 issue of Science, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MGH-MIND) report that amyloid plaques may also increase the activity of astrocytes, star-shaped nervous system cells traditionally considered to provide a supporting role in normal brain function. They also show that amyloid-induced astrocyte hyperactivity extends throughout the brain rather than being confined to regions directly adjacent to plaques. http://www.physorg.com/news154881070.html Medicine & Health Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:32:52 EST news154881070 Actor and pancreatic cancer patient Patrick Swayze's recent hospitalization with pneumonia as a result of his compromised immune system underscores the sensitivity of the lungs: many patients die from lung complications of a disease, rather than the disease itself. http://www.physorg.com/news151931051.html Medicine & Health Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:05:11 EST news151931051 A new and insidious environmental threat has been detected in North American lakes by researchers from Queen's and York universities. http://www.physorg.com/news147015868.html Biology Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:44:28 EST news147015868 A medication called cinacalcet -an important part of treatment to control high levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in patients receiving dialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) -works by resetting the balance between calcium and PTH levels, according to a study in the November Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). http://www.physorg.com/news135493805.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:10:05 EST news135493805