Many people assume that stress contributes to the development of cancer, but it is far from proven.

Not only is the evidence mixed on general psychological stress, but there's almost no research on whether work-related stress plays a role in cancer risk. Now, a large review of the literature, has found no link between work stress and a number of common cancers.

Stress has been implicated in cancer because stress hormones can contribute to chronic inflammation, which has been shown to play a role in the promotion and progression of cancer.

Plus, stressed out people are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and be overweightlifestyle factors that have also been associated with an increased risk of some cancers.

Led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and University College London, a consortium of researchers analyzed the results of 12 European studies conducted between 1985 and 2008 involving 116,000 participants aged 17 to 70. This is the largest study of its kind.

The authors measured levels of job stress, using four categories: high strain job (high demands and low control), active job (high demands and high control), passive job (low demands and low control) and low strain job (low demands and high control).

None of the participants had cancer when they entered the study. They were followed for an average of 12 years, with most studies lasting more than 10 years, and two studies lasting ,more than 20 years. The researchers collected data on cancer diagnoses during the course of the studies.

The good news: The meta-analysis found no evidence of an association between job stress and overall cancer risk or risk of colorectal, lung, breast, or prostate cancers. The authors suggested that many of the previously reported associations between work related stress and risk of cancer could have been influenced by chance or by small study size or other flaws in the study designs.

Certain factors such as shift work (there is some evidence of an association with risk of breast cancer) or other sources of psychological stress, may combine with work stress to increase cancer risk, but this was not examined in this study.

Prior research, for instance, has found a link between stress from adverse life events and an increased risk of breast cancer. In addition, work stress may contribute to other problems, like cardiovascular disease, so it's important to try to reduce your level of work stress to improve your general health and well-being.

Zinc helps control infections by gently tapping the brakes on the immune response, says a new study.

Scientists found in human cell culture and animal studies that a protein lures zinc into key cells that are the first responders against infection.

The metallic element then interacts with a process that is vital to the fight against infection and by doing so helps balance the immune response.

Zinc`s activity was studied in the context of sepsis, a devastating systemic response to infection that is a common cause of death in intensive-care unit patients, according to the journal Cell Reports.

But scientists say these findings might also help explain why taking zinc tablets at the start of a common cold appears to help stem the effects of the illness.

"We do believe that to some extent, these findings are going to be applicable to other important areas of disease beyond sepsis," said Daren Knoell, senior study author and professor of pharmacy and internal medicine at Ohio State University.

"Without zinc on board to begin with, it could increase vulnerability to infection. But our work is focused on what happens once you get an infection - if you are deficient in zinc you are at a disadvantage because your defence system is amplified, and inappropriately so, says Konell.

"The benefit to health is explicit: Zinc is beneficial because it stops the action of a protein, ultimately preventing excess inflammation," adds Konell, according to an Ohio statement.

The researchers also found that if there is not enough zinc available at the time of infection, the consequences include excessive inflammation, which is the body`s way of responding to an infection or illness.

According to new research from the University of Leeds Natural, chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer`s disease pathway.

In early-stage laboratory experiments, the researchers identified the process that allows harmful clumps of protein to latch on to brain cells, causing them to die. They were able to interrupt this pathway using the purified extracts of EGCG from green tea and resveratrol from red wine.

The findings offer potential new targets for developing drugs to treat Alzheimer`s disease.

Alzheimer`s disease is characterised by a distinct build-up of amyloid protein in the brain, which clumps together to form toxic, sticky balls of varying shapes. These amyloid balls latch on to the surface of nerve cells in the brain by attaching to proteins on the cell surface called prions, causing the nerve cells to malfunction and eventually die.

"We wanted to investigate whether the precise shape of the amyloid balls is essential for them to attach to the prion receptors, like the way a baseball fits snugly into its glove," said co-author Dr Jo Rushworth.

"And if so, we wanted to see if we could prevent the amyloid balls binding to prion by altering their shape, as this would stop the cells from dying," he added.

The team formed amyloid balls in a test tube and added them to human and animal brain cells.

Lead researcher Professor Nigel Hooper of the University`s Faculty of Biological Sciences said: "When we added the extracts from red wine and green tea, which recent research has shown to re-shape amyloid proteins, the amyloid balls no longer harmed the nerve cells. We saw that this was because their shape was distorted, so they could no longer bind to prion and disrupt cell function.

"We also showed, for the first time, that when amyloid balls stick to prion, it triggers the production of even more amyloid, in a deadly vicious cycle," he added.

Professor Hooper says that the team`s next steps are to understand exactly how the amyloid-prion interaction kills off neurons.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Living in a sunnier climate may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to US researchers.

Their study of more than 200,000 women, published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, suggested a link between sunlight and the risk of developing the disease.

They speculated that vitamin D, which is produced in sunlight, may protect the body.

Experts warned that people should not spend all day in the sun.

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body's own immune system attacking the joints and it can be intensely painful.

It is more common in women, but the reason why a patient's own defences turn against them is unknown.
Sunny side

Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed two groups of more than 100,000 women. The first were monitored from 1976 onwards, the second from 1989.

Their health was then compared with estimates of the levels of UV-B radiation they were exposed to, based on where they lived.

In the 1976 group, those in the sunniest parts of the US getting the highest levels of sunshine were 21% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those getting the least UV radiation.

However, UV levels had no affect upon the risk of rheumatoid arthritis is the 1989 group.

The report's authors said: "Our study adds to the growing evidence that exposure to UV-B light is associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis."

They suggested that "differences in sun protective behaviours, eg greater use of sun block" could explain why the younger group of women showed no benefit from living in sunnier climes.

One theory is that difference in levels of vitamin D, which is produced when UV radiation hits the skin, could affect the odds of developing the disease. Low levels of vitamin D have already been implicated other immune system disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Dr Chris Deighton, the president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said it was an "interesting study" which "gives us more clues" about how the environment can affect the chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis.

He added: "We cannot advocate everybody sitting in the sunshine all day to protect from rheumatoid arthritis, because UV-B burns people and increases the risk of skin cancer.

"The treatment options in rheumatology have transformed the lives of patients with this crippling disease in recent years and anything that adds to our knowledge is welcomed."
Sunshine vitamin

Prof Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said: "Studies that have been undertaken have not shown, thus far, that vitamin D is a useful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

"We know that many people with arthritis have low levels of vitamin D and this can have a powerful effect on the types of immune cells which may cause this condition.

"We're currently doing research to find out how this happens and are performing lab studies to find out whether vitamin D can alter the aggressive immune response found in rheumatoid arthritis and turn it into a less harmful or even a protective one.

"In the meantime, until we know more, the best thing that people can do is to go out in the sunshine for up to 15 minutes in the summer months and expose their face and arms to the sun to top up their vitamin D levels."

Pregnant women aged over 40 should be given the option of being induced early to reduce the risks of losing their baby, says a Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists paper.

Inducing these women at 39 weeks instead of the normal 41 could prevent 17 stillbirths in the UK each year, the authors said.

And this would not lead to increased numbers of caesarean sections.

A stillbirth charity said induction could save many babies' lives.

Dr Mandish Dhanjal, a clinical senior lecturer from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Dr Anna Kenyon, from University College London Hospital, looked at a number of studies that explored the impact of the rising age of mothers on the health of the foetus and the mother.
Good argument

The data showed that at 39-40 weeks pregnant, women over 40 double their risk of stillbirth compared with women under 35 - two in 1,000 compared with one in 1,000.

But at 39 weeks, the risk is lowered for the older group - becoming similar to women in their late 20s at 41 weeks pregnant.

As a result, Dr Kenyon said, there was a good case for inducing labour early.

"It is justifiable for experts to conclude that inducing labour at an earlier stage of gestation (39-40 weeks) in older mothers (40+ years) could prevent late stillbirth and any maternal risks of an ongoing pregnancy, without increasing the number of operative vaginal deliveries or emergency caesarean sections."

She added that further research was required to find out how induction affects pregnant women "of advanced maternal age".

The authors calculated that an extra 550 women would have to be induced at 39 weeks in the UK each year to prevent one stillbirth.

Inducing at 40 weeks could prevent seven stillbirths a year, if an extra 4,750 women were induced, they said.
Complications

Statistics show that between 1997 and 2008 the proportion of pregnant women in the UK that are aged 35 and over increased from 8% to 20%, and that of women aged 40 and over rose from 1.2% to 3.6%.

In their paper, the authors said there was a proven link between advancing maternal age and increased risk of complications during pregnancy - and a strong link with increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal death.

For women over 40 in the UK, the rate of unexplained stillbirths - defined as losing a baby after 24 weeks of pregnancy - is 7.6 per 1,000 pregnancies compared with 5.5 in women aged 35-39.

In women aged 30-34, it is 4.7. And for 25-29-year-olds, the rate is 4.6.

This equates to an absolute risk of one in 132 for the over-40s and one in 182 for 35-39-year-old women.

Research published in the Lancet in 2011 indicated that the UK had higher stillbirth rates than almost every other high-income country.

Charlotte Bevan, from the stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, said hundreds of stillbirths were potentially avoidable.

"It is with enormous frustration and sadness that Sands too often hears from mums whose seemingly perfect baby dies at or beyond term.

"Sometimes it's a first baby, in some cases it's an IVF pregnancy and because of her age, that bereaved mum may not now go onto to have any more children.

"The offer of induction at term for older mums could save many families from the indescribable devastation of losing a precious child."