Friday, September 30, 2011
Dr Oz: September 30, 2011: In Case You Missed It
Dr Oz’s ?In Case You Missed It? segment and recaps for September 30, 2011 are below. Don?t forget to pass the recaps on to friends and family to spread Dr Oz?s advice! Before I get to what Dr Oz covered today, I also want to remind you to visit our sister site (Opinion Queen) [...]
Rivaroxaban Shows Promise For Acute Coronary Syndrome Treatment
A Phase III trial for blood thinner Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for individuals with acute coronary syndrome met its primary endpoint for efficacy. Rivaroxaban compared to placebo, significantly reduced the rate of myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death and stroke in patients with acute coronary syndrome, German pharmaceutical company Bayer informed. Risk of major bleeding events not linked to coronary artery bypass graft surgery was higher among those on Rivaroxaban compared to participants on placebo. Bayer is co-developing Xarelto with Johnson & Johnson...
Doctors' support for MMR key to halting measles in EU
LONDON (Reuters) - With almost 30,000 cases of measles and eight deaths from the disease recorded in the European Union so far this year, a leading health official is urging doctors to do more to ensure parents have their children vaccinated with MMR.
New Stem Cell Activity Identified In Human Brain
Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center have identified a new pathway of stem cell activity in the brain that represents potential targets of brain injuries affecting newborns. The recent study, which raises new questions of how the brain evolves, is published in the current issue of Nature, one of the world's most cited scientific journals...
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Dr Oz: Climb the Natural Beauty Pyramid
Dr�Oz:� How to Climb the Natural Beauty Pyramid� With a little help from members of his audience, Dr Oz helped his audience and his fans during this segment learn how to climb the natural beauty pyramid.� Dr Oz assured everyone that this would not cost a lot of money and that everything they would need [...]
Allergists Present Latest Research On Allergic Diseases ACAAI Hosts 69th Annual Meeting In Boston Nov. 3-8
Be among the first to hear the latest research from the world's leading allergists presented at the 2011 annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), Nov. 3-8, in Boston. The meeting, to be held at the Hynes Convention Center, will be attended by more than 4,000 physicians, medical personnel and exhibitors in the field of allergy, asthma and immunology...
Toning Shoes: Can Shoes Tone Your Butt and Legs?
You've seen the athletic shoes with the odd-shaped soles that promise big results. Now find out if these toning shoes actually deliver.
Improved Survival Following Living Donor Liver Transplantation Over Deceased Donor Transplants
New research shows liver transplantation candidates without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) derive a greater survival benefit from a living donor liver transplant (LDLT) than waiting for a deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT). The study now available in the October issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, reports that survival benefit from LDLT remains significant across the range of model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, but this benefit was not apparent for low MELD candidates with HCC...
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Dr Oz: Secrets to Best Orgasm Ever!
Dr Oz:� 3 Secrets to Best Orgasm Ever For this segment, Doctor Oz sits down with sex expert Doctor Laura Berman to reveal the 3 secrets for the best orgasm ever.� To make this a more comfortable situation, Dr Oz sets up a game with two couples, similar to the newlywed game.� Dr Oz put [...]
Higher Death Risk For Underweight Patients With COPD
A new study presented at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam, shows that underweight chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients have a higher risk of mortality risk. According to predictions made by The World Health Organization, COPD will be the third major cause of mortality worldwide by 2030. COPD is often accompanied by a several co-morbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting, type-2 diabetes and asthma...
Mega Brands reaches deal on class action
(Reuters) - Mega Brands Inc said it has reached a preliminary settlement to a class-action suit stemming from the sale of toys that allegedly contained defective magnets.
Improved Optical Tweezers Eliminate A Barrier To Handling Nanoscale Particles
Engineers at Harvard have created a device that may make it easier to isolate and study tiny particles such as viruses. Their plasmonic nanotweezers, revealed this month in Nature Communications, use light from a laser to trap nanoscale particles. The new device creates strong forces more efficiently than traditional optical tweezers and eliminates a problem that caused earlier setups to overheat...
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
ACP Raises Concerns About MedPAC Proposal And Proposes An Alternative Plan
In a response made to last week's MedPAC proposal, Virginia L. Hood, MPPS, MPH, FACP, president of ACP (American College of Physicians) voiced ACP's concern on behalf of 132,00 internal medical physicians and medical student members that the MedPAC proposal offers no adequate protection and does not ensure access to primary care, reducing access to other essential physician services...
COPD Patients At Increased Risk Of Developing Cardiovascular Disease
According to a new investigation, individuals who suffer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or those with reduced lung function have a serious risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Presented at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam, the discoveries indicate that because individuals with COPD and reduced lung function appear to be at a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, they should be routinely screened for it...
New Study Adds Guidance On When To Start Antiretroviral Therapy For HIV
One of the key decisions faced by people living with HIV, and by their health-care providers, is when to start treatment. Some recent studies have found that starting highly active antiretroviral therapy earlier is better. Now a new study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds that there may be a limit to how early the therapy, known as HAART, should start. The new results could help determine where the starting line for antiretroviral therapy should be drawn, said Michele Jonsson Funk, Ph.D...
Mice Stem Cells Guided Into Myelinating Cells By The Trillions
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found a way to rapidly produce pure populations of cells that grow into the protective myelin coating on nerves in mice. Their process opens a door to research and potential treatments for multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other demyelinating diseases afflicting millions of people worldwide. The findings were published in the online issue of Nature Methods, Sunday, Sept. 25...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Childless Men May Have Higher Heart Risk
Men who remain childless throughout their lives may be more likely to die from heart disease and stroke than men who become fathers, a new study suggests.
How to Avoid Hair Damage
Can your hair use a little help? Protect your hair and scalp against damage from hot styling appliances and other hair care hazards. Try these tips from hair experts.
Regular Biopsies Needed To Ensure Correct Treatment In Breast Cancer Patients Who Relapse
New research has found that breast cancer tumours change their hormonal status throughout the course of disease, whereas the decision about the most effective treatment for the patient is usually only based on one biopsy of the primary tumour. For some patients, biopsy verifications of any relapse will be very important because it may completely change their clinical management, a Swedish researcher will tell the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress [1] today (Monday 26 September). Dr...
How safe is your indoor pool?
Chlorine has been linked to asthma, cancer and testicular damage. As competitive swimmers head back indoors, researchers are trying to determine the chemical's full effects.
Hospital For Special Surgery Has Lowest Infection Rate For Total Hip Replacement In New York State
For the third year in a row, Hospital for Special Surgery is the only hospital in New York State with an infection rate that is significantly lower than the state average for hip replacement or revision surgeries, according to the 2010 report on hospital infection rates just released by the State Department of Health. "It is vital to a patient's well-being that they are aware of a center's infection rate when choosing where to have surgery," said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO...
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Breast cancer study shows benefits of double therapy
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Giving breast cancer patients radiotherapy and chemotherapy at the same time significantly cuts the risk their tumors will come back and should be considered as a new treatment approach across the world, cancer experts said on Sunday.
Can Family Dinners Help Keep Teens Safe?
Family meals are getting another big thumbs-up today, this time thanks to a new study examining the link between dinnertime and lower rates of risky behavior in teenagers.
Why We Yawn
People yawn more easily in cooler temperatures, supporting the idea that yawning cools the brain.
BPA Not Found To Harm Mice Testes In Utero
Male mice whose mothers were exposed to either moderate or high levels of bisphenol A while pregnant did not grow up to show any adverse effects to their reproductive systems by several measures, according to a new study. Data on female mice is still forthcoming but less encouraging. Bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of plastic used in many consumer products, has recently become infamous - and banned in some places - because it can mimic natural estrogen in the body...
Hospital For Special Surgery Has Lowest Infection Rate For Total Hip Replacement In New York State
For the third year in a row, Hospital for Special Surgery is the only hospital in New York State with an infection rate that is significantly lower than the state average for hip replacement or revision surgeries, according to the 2010 report on hospital infection rates just released by the State Department of Health. "It is vital to a patient's well-being that they are aware of a center's infection rate when choosing where to have surgery," said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Positive Phase III Data On Bayer's Investigational Drug Radium-223 Chloride Show Significant Increase In Overall Survival
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals announced that the investigational drug radium-223 chloride showed positive data in the Phase III ALSYMPCA (ALpharadin in SYMptomatic Prostate CAncer) trial. The study met its primary endpoint by significantly improving overall survival by 44% (p=0.00185, HR=0.695) in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and symptomatic bone metastases. All of the main secondary efficacy endpoints analyzed to date were met, including delay in skeletal-related events (SREs)...
New Plastics For Baby Bottles, Shopping Bags, And Much More
With most of the plastics that define modern life dating to the1930s-1960s, a new breed of these ubiquitous materials are starting to gain a foothold in products ranging from teapots to potato chip bags to plastic plant pots that biodegrade right in the soil. That's the topic of the covers story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. In the article, C&EN Senior Editor Alexander H...
How Diet Affects Your Hair
Does your hair break? Is it dull and lifeless? A healthy diet can help improve the condition of your hair.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Men And Women Cooperate Equally For The Common Good
Stereotypes suggest women are more cooperative than men, but an analysis of 50 years of research shows that men are equally cooperative, particularly in situations involving a dilemma that pits the interests of an individual against the interests of a group. Additionally, men cooperate better with other men than women cooperate with each other, according to the research, published online by the American Psychological Association in Psychological Bulletin. Women tend to cooperate more than men when interacting with the opposite-sex, the analysis found...
Privacy Curtains Commonly Contaminated With Harmful Bacteria
Curtains that go around a patient's hospital bed to provide privacy - privacy curtains - are often tainted with harmful bacteria, such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococcus), researchers ftom the University of Iowa reported at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Chicago. The scientists added that there is growing concern about the role hospital environments play in causing potentially life-threatening infections. Dr...
Vaccinating Infants Against Rotavirus Resulted In Dramatic Decrease In Health Care Use And Treatment Costs For Diarrhea-Related Illness
According to the CDC's (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) new study that is published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, vaccinating infants against rotavirus resulted in a dramatic decrease in health care use and treatment costs for diarrhea-related illness in U.S. infants and young children. Dr. Umesh Parashar, medical epidemiologist and team leader for the Viral Gastroenteritis Team in CDC's Division of Viral Diseases commented: "This is good news for parents and our health system overall...
Viable Strain Of Bacteria Created That May Help Fight Disease And Global Warming
A strain of genetically enhanced bacteria developed by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may pave the way for new synthetic drugs and new ways of manufacturing medicines and biofuels, according to a paper published in Nature Chemical Biology. For the first time, the scientists were able to create bacteria capable of effectively incorporating "unnatural" amino acids - artificial additions to the 20 naturally occurring amino acids used as biological building blocks - into proteins at multiple sites...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Day Care Centers Using GPS To Track Kids On Outings, Sweden
Some day care centers in Sweden are starting to use GPS and other electronic devices to keep track of kids when they go on supervised outings, according to an Associated Press report from Stockholm on Wednesday. Some have welcomed the idea as a practical solution, while others say it raises ethical concerns and invades children's privacy...
Patients With Fatalistic Attitudes Have Lower Cancer Screening Rates
According to a study published in a recent issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, colorectal cancer screening rates among people without financial means remain to be low despite free health care being offered. Psychologists suggest the cause may be an idea called 'cancer fatalism'. Anne Miles, Ph.D., a lecturer in psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, stated that people who believed that the cancer screenings wouldn't help or they were going to die of cancer anyway, often ignore screening recommendations...
Dad Goes on All-Breast-Milk Diet
After the birth of her daughter, an Illinois mother has an excessive amount of stored breast milk. Rather than donating it, the father has decided to experiment by going on a diet entirely made up of breast milk.
Better heart, better sex
Middle-aged men who take steps to improve their heart health by eating better, getting more exercise, or taking cholesterol-lowering drugs may end up improving their sex lives as well, according to a new analysis of existing research.
Deadly Link Between High Salt Intake And Obesity May Be Explained By Abnormal Activation Of A Protein
Dietary salt intake and obesity are two important risk factors in the development of high blood pressure. Each packs its own punch, but when combined, they deliver more damage to the heart and kidneys than the sum of their individual contributions...
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
American Association For Cancer Research Report Asks Congress To Increase Federal Funding Of Biomedical And Cancer Research
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), will release its AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011, in which its calls on Congress to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The report urges Congress to provide the NIH and NCI with sustained budget increases of at least 5 percent above the biomedical inflation rate. AACR says this level of support will ensure the future scientific advances needed to capitalize on past research investments, spur innovation, and make a difference in the lives of people worldwide...
Smoking Cessation Improves Prospective Memory Considerably
People who give up smoking generally experience a significant improvement in memory, apart from enjoying substantial overall health benefits, researchers from Northumbria University, England reported in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The authors explained that when the majority of smokers quit, their pre-smoking everyday memory can eventually be restored fully. Dr Tom Heffernan from the Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research Group, and team tested 27 individuals who were current regular smoker, 18 non-smokers who used to smoke, and 24 people who were lifetime non-smokers...
Needle-Free Shots Make Vaccines Less Scary
Needle-free vaccines may soon be coming to your neighborhood -- if they?re not already there.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
States still unclear on health insurance exchanges
CRYSTAL CITY, Virginia (Reuters) - State health officials weighing the 2014 arrival of insurance exchanges heard little about the federally run option in a two-day meeting with U.S. health regulators.
Under 16's Not Being Included In NHS Feedback Surveys, UK
According to a new study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, children under the age of 16 years make up for less than 1% of participants in national NHS patient surveys. The authors explain that this issue is very important as young adults who were asked about their NHS experiences were not as satisfied with the care they received compared to older adults. The Kennedy Report concluded in 2010 that services for children and young individuals receive disproportionately lower priority in the NHS and that frequently these services provide average care...
Doorknobs May Be 'Reservoirs' for MRSA
If a member of your household has drug-resistant staph infection, be aware that doorknobs, light switches, and other seemingly harmless items may serve as reservoirs for the bacteria to multiply and spread.
Gamers Crack AIDS Puzzle
In what might be a significant breakthrough in HIV/AIDS research, online gamers playing a game called Foldit have cracked a key protein structure problem that has had scientists scratching their heads for years. And the gamers did it in three weeks. You can read a scientific account of how researchers recruited Foldit players to work on the modeling problem and ultimately solve the crystal structure of M-PMV retroviral protease in a paper published online this week in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Foldit invites players to predict protein structures...
Why Women Cheat: Emotional & Physical Reasons
WebMD explores the most common reasons women have an affair.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Shark-Derived Drug May Treat Viruses
A unique compound originally isolated from sharks could prove to be a promising treatment for hepatitis B and C and other viral conditions, researchers say.
Dr Oz: Contagion The Movie: Are We At Risk For Global Pandemic?
Dr Oz: Pandemic Preparation Dr Oz’s Show on September 16, 2011 is called “The Movie Contagion: Are We At Risk For A Global Pandemic?”� Doctor Oz will discuss one of his biggest fears in life – the movie Contagion coming true.� Could it really happen to us?� Dr Oz in his preview clip seems to [...]
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Prevention And Treatment Of Flu In Children And Teens Detailed In CDC Report
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even though it's not often that children and teenagers die from flu-related causes, had the child been vaccinated against the flu several of these deaths could have been prevented. The report is published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. From September 2010 to August 2011, 115 influenza connected deaths of individuals younger than 18 years of age were reported in the study, which also highlights the importance of both yearly vaccination and rapid antiviral treatment. Dr...
Novartis Study Showed ACZ885 Provided Substantial Symptom Relief In 84% Of Patients With The Most Serious Form Of Childhood Arthritis
Novartis announced positive results of the first pivotal Phase III trial of ACZ885 in patients with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), a rare and serious childhood auto-inflammatory disease[3]. The results, presented at the 2011 European Pediatric Rheumatology Congress in Bruges, Belgium, showed all primary and secondary endpoints of the study were met[2]. Most ACZ885 patients (83.7%) experienced at least a 30% improvement in symptoms vs. 9.8% for placebo (p "SJIA is the most severe form of juvenile arthritis...
Advanced Bionics Announces FDA Approval For U.S. Market Re-Entry Of The HiRes 90K Cochlear Implant
Advanced Bionics (AB), the only U.S.-based manufacturer of cochlear implants and a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Sonova, announced today the approval of the FDA for immediate market re-entry of the HiRes 90K cochlear implant in the United States. In recent months, Advanced Bionics received approval from several other regulatory agencies, including Health Canada and the European Notified Body, TUV, to resume distribution of the HiRes 90K implant to Canada and countries accepting the CE Mark. "Everyone at AB and Sonova is excited that we are back on the market globally...
Power of suggestion affects heart arteries
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Simply suggesting that a treatment will ease chest pain may not only dampen the pain, but directly alter heart arteries, a small study concludes.
Cancer That Kills More Women Than Childbirth
Breast and cervical cancer deaths are on the rise worldwide, and now outstrip deaths attributed to childbirth, according to the first global analysis of incidence and mortality trends for the two cancers.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Dr Oz: Vitamin B12 Foods: Octopus & Cheese
Dr Oz: Octopus & Cheese Have Vitamin B12! Dr Oz played a game called Win Your Daily Dose of Vitamin B12 to teach all of us how to get Vitamin B12 into our diets.� Doctor Oz said that Vitamin B12 is important for our metabolism, memory and it can even help to prevent dementia.� He [...]
Brain Structures Adversely Affected By Chronic Drinking
Researchers already know that chronic misuse of alcohol can cause widespread damage to the brain. While previous studies examined cortical atrophy in individuals with alcoholism, none examined alcohol-associated atrophy using cortical thickness measurements to obtain a regional mapping of tissue loss across the full cortical surface. This study does so, finding that alcohol damage occurs in gradations: the more alcohol consumed, the greater the damage...
Birth-Control Recall: What You Need to Know
Women who are taking birth-control pills by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals should get in touch with their physicians immediately in the wake of a company recall because of a packaging error, doctors recommend.
Common Treatments Can Lead To Antibiotic Resistance
Overexposure to antibiotics has long been a concern in the medical community most specifically the development of antibiotic resistant infections as a result of repeated use. According to a study released this week in the Archives of Ophthalmology, ophthalmologic antibiotics promote antimicrobial resistance too, prompting a call from Vanderbilt Eye Institute physicians to be more judicial in the administration of certain classes of antibiotics. "The use of topical antibiotics is promoting antimicrobial resistance, prompting an emergence of resistant strains," said Stephen Kim, M.D...
Friday, September 16, 2011
Calif. Schools Turn Away Unvaccinated Students
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that roughly 2,000 of the city?s middle and high school students were barred from attending class Thursday because they had�yet to be immunized against pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, and they can?t return until they get the shot. The...
Women and Masturbation: 5 Things You Didn?t Know
WebMD explores common concerns women have about masturbation and self-pleasure.
New York Smokers Lowest Ever Recorded
At 14 out of every 100, the proportion of people who smoke in New York City is the lowest on record, according to new figures released by the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Thursday. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, himself a former smoker, and other city leaders said nearly half a million New Yorkers have quit smoking since 2002, with rates among teenagers city-wide showing some of the steepest decline. The new figures come from the latest Community Health Survey, which polls 10,000 New Yorkers via telephone every year...
Breast Cancer Growth May Be Suppressed By Protein Discovered At LSUHSC
Research led by Dr. Suresh Alahari, the Fred Brazda Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and its Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, has found that a protein discovered by his laboratory can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. The research was published September 14, 2011 online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Building upon Dr...
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Biomaterial Performance Can Be Predicted And Programmed - MIT Team Shows How
In medicine biomaterials, in particular biodegradable materials are being increasingly used. On their own they serve as structural support and replacement, and as platforms for drug release, embedding of cells and tissue engineering. However, several materials and devices are unsuccessful in clinical tests as they do not function as anticipated from in vitro experiments. There has not been concise method of predicting in vivo performance from in vitro experiments, restricting the development of novel materials and evaluation of safety, effectiveness and applicability of existing materials...
Dr Oz: Anti-Ovarian Cancer Meal: Branzino Sea Bass Recipe
Dr Oz: Anti-Ovarian Cancer Recipe Dr Oz did a segment with Dr William Li to teach us how to incorporate all of the ingredients in the Anti-Ovarian Cancer Diet into a healthy and delicious meal.� Dr Li taught Doctor Oz (and the rest of us too!) how to make a steamed Branzino Sea Bass with [...]
World Diabetes: 366 Million Cases and Counting
Worldwide, 366 million people have diabetes -- 50 million more people than the entire U.S. population. This year, diabetes killed 4.6 million people, far more than the population of Los Angeles.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Study Links 23 MicroRNAs To Laryngeal Cancer
A Henry Ford Hospital study has identified 23 microRNAs for laryngeal cancer, a discovery that could yield new insight into what causes certain cells to grow and become cancerous tumors in the voice box. The role of microRNA (miRNA), the small, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate human genes, has recently come into greater focus as researchers continue to understand the cellular mechanics of cancer development, says Kang Mei Chen, M.D., the study's lead author. "While they may be small, miRNAs are no longer being viewed as just molecular noise," says Dr...
Light Shed On Infection Control Practices By Polonium Poisoning Case
A study published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, uses a famous case of international intrigue and murder to shed new light on the risks health care workers face while treating patients with radiation poisoning. The study focused on hospital staff involved in the care of Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian dissident and former KGB operative who died from Polonium-210 poisoning in a London hospital in 2006...
Do teen driving restrictions save lives?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Programs that keep young drivers from taking the wheel at night, or with a car full of teens, may reduce the risk of fatal crashes in some drivers -- but increase that risk in others.
Discovery Of Stable RNA Nano-Scaffold Within Virus Core
With the discovery of a RNA nano-scaffold that remains unusually stable in the body, researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have overcome another barrier to the development of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology. Peixuan Guo, PhD, Dane and Mary Louise Miller Endowed Chair and professor of biomedical engineering, and his colleagues in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences report the construction of a thermodynamically stable RNA nanoparticle online in the journal Nature Nanotechnology...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Heart Disease Results From High-Fat Diet And Lack Of Enzyme In Mice
It's no secret that a high-fat diet isn't healthy. Now researchers have discovered a molecular clue as to precisely why that is. Writing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, the Sylvan Eisman Professor of Medicine and director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues, describe that mice lacking a gene-expression-controlling enzyme fed a high-fat diet experience rapid thickening of the heart muscle and heart failure...
Day Care Owner Accused of Doping Kids
ABC News? Mikaela Conley reports: Kimberly Lane, owner of Luv n Learning Child Development Center, in Van Alstyne, Texas,��has been accused of drugging kids so that they?ll fall asleep. Lane was arrested Wednesday on 16 counts of child endangerment after an employee told�police that Lane...
Duke Sued Over Cancer Trials
A lawsuit filed in North Carolina?s Durham County Superior Court accuses Duke University, Duke University Heath System and five doctors of exposing patients to unnecessary chemotherapy during fraudulent clinical trials. The trials, which began in 2007 and 2008, were based on work by Dr. Anil...
Monday, September 12, 2011
High Levels Of Toxic PCBs Discovered In Indiana Harbor And Ship Canal
University of Iowa researchers have found high levels of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the deep sediments lining the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago, Ind. Scientists say the discovery is cause for concern because the IHSC is scheduled to be dredged in spring 2012 to maintain proper depth for ship traffic in this heavily industrialized area of southern Lake Michigan. The study, published online in the journal Chemosphere, builds upon a previous UI study that found the release of PCBs from the sediment floor to the water above, and then, to the air...
Research Could Pave The Way For Development Of Better Drugs To Target Neurodegenerative Diseases
For the first time, USC scientists have mapped out a neuroreceptor. This scientific breakthrough promises to revolutionize the engineering of drugs used to treat ailments such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. The team produced the world's first high-resolution images of the α7 (Alpha 7) receptor, a molecule responsible for transmitting signals between neurons - particularly in regions of the brain believed to be associated with learning and memory...
Health Research Funding In US Remains Stagnant
The U.S. public and private sectors invested $140.5 billion in 2010 on research to find new ways to treat, cure and prevent disease and disability, according to Research!America's latest annual estimate*. Health research spending accounted for only 5.5% of the $2.6 trillion the U.S. spent on health care in 2010. Health research as a percentage of health care spending has hovered around 5.5% since 2005, remaining essentially stagnant. Investment in health research experienced only a 1% growth over 2009 levels, from $139 billion in 2009 to $140.5 billion in 2010...
Moderate drinking linked to healthy aging
Middle-aged women who drink alcohol in moderation have a better chance than nondrinkers of staying healthy as they age, a new study suggests.
Listeria outbreak probe expands to three states
DENVER (Reuters) - An investigation into a listeria outbreak that has killed at least one person has expanded to include three states where possibly tainted cantaloupe was consumed, Colorado health officials said on Friday.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Proposed National Criminal Justice Commission Analyzed By Leaders In The Field
Being "tough on crime" might sound like a great campaign platform, but the consequences of it in actuality are real and reaching. Overcrowded prisons and increases in large correctional budgets have prompted many watchdog groups to ask for a governmental review of the criminal justice system. Congress has responded with a proposed National Criminal Justice Commission (NCJC). A new issue of The Prison Journal (published by SAGE) examines the key issues of the NCJC and offers recommendations from some key figures in criminal justice. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 7...
Under-Insured Adults Skip Needed Care, Struggle With Medical Debt: Affordable Care Act Reforms Could Have Substantial Impact
Insured and still at risk: Number of under-insured increased 80 percent between 2003 - 2010 The number of underinsured adults - those with health insurance all year, but also with very high medical expenses relative to their incomes - rose by 80 percent between 2003-2010, from 16 million to 29 million, according to a new Commonwealth Fund study published in the September issue of Health Affairs. Nearly half (44%) of U.S. adults - 81 million people - were either underinsured or uninsured in 2010, up from 75 million in 2007 and 61 million in 2003...
Dr Oz: Compression Underwear & Heart Attack Prevention Plan
Dr Oz: Heart Attack Prevention Plan Dr Oz’s Show on September 7, 2011 gave a 4-week Heart Attack Prevention Plan.� Doctor Oz said that 1,300 people die every single day in America from Heart Attacks, so he put together a fabulous 28 day plan to help all of us prevent having Heart Attacks.� Some of [...]
The death of a friend -- and an empowered patient
One of the first people profiled in Empowered Patient, Marci Smith beat cancer not just in the length of the time she survived, but in how she lived these last 4� years.
Sleep Disorders Affect 40 Percent Of Canadians
Sleep disorders affect 40% of adult Canadians according to a study conducted by Universite Laval researchers under the supervision of Dr. Charles M. Morin. The work of Dr. Morin and his colleagues will be presented at the 4th World Congress on Sleep Medicine which runs September 10-14 in Quebec City, Canada. Dr. Morin's team surveyed a sample of 2,000 people across the country to draw a portrait of Canadians' sleep quality. Their data revealed that 40% of respondents had experienced one or more symptoms of insomnia at least three times a week in the preceding month, i.e...
Saturday, September 10, 2011
How to Babyproof a Nursery
A WebMD baby care expert shares her top tips for making the bedroom safe for baby.
White House's Childhood Obesity Task Force Must Focus On Providing Treatment For Minority Children
The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, created by the president as part of the first lady's "Let's Move" campaign, aims to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation, returning the country to a rate of 5 percent by 2030, which was the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s. In a recent U-M study, published online ahead of print in Obesity Journal, researchers evaluated the balance of prevention and treatment required for achieving goals laid out by the Task Force's May 2010 report...
Rhythm Is It Ion Channels Ensure The Heart Keeps Time
Electrical signals regulate the rhythmic contractions of the heart muscle and thus control heartbeat. If the signals go awry, the consequences can be lethal. LMU researchers have now delineated how specific ion channels in the membranes of cardiomyocytes ensure that the heart beats in and on time. The heartbeat is the result of rhythmic contractions of the heart muscle, which are in turn regulated by electrical signals called action potentials...
Friday, September 9, 2011
?My Life?s Calling Is Dying?: Remembering Jim
ABC News? Mikaela Conley reports: When I first interviewed Jim Stanicki in November 2010, I was writing about the�ways in which social media has�made it possible for people�to find support�at their most difficult times. Jim was dying of lung cancer, and there was no reversing...
Pregnant Women At High Risk Of Death If They Have Severe Pandemic Flu
Out of 347 pregnant women in 2009 with severe pandemic flu, 75 died, and 272 were admitted to an ICU and survived the illness, according to a MMWR report by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The authors stressed that pregnant mothers with influenza have a higher risk of being hospitalized and dying. For the last seven years ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) has recommended that all pregnant women receive the inactivated influenza vaccine, no matter what trimester they are in...
Illegal Drug Use on the Rise in U.S.
The use of illicit drugs and the nonmedical use of prescription medications is increasing, and this is largely driven by an increased rate of marijuana use, a survey shows.
Marshall Edwards Announces Initiation Of Phase I Clinical Trial Of Lead Oncology Drug Candidate ME-143
Marshall Edwards, Inc. (Nasdaq: MSHL), an oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapeutics targeting cancer metabolism, announced today the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial of the Company's lead drug candidate ME-143 in patients with refractory solid tumors. The trial is being conducted in collaboration with the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, following the approval of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month...
Porn Actor Tests HIV-Neg. After Shutdown
An adult film performer whose positive HIV test promtped the shutdown of Los Angeles' billion-dollar porn industry last week has been retested and does not have the virus, an industry trade group announced Saturday.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Genome Evolution May Be Influenced By A 'Jumping Gene's' Preferred Targets
The human genome shares several peculiarities with the DNA of just about every other plant and animal. Our genetic blueprint contains numerous entities known as transposons, or "jumping genes," which have the ability to move from place to place on the chromosomes within a cell. An astounding 50% of human DNA comprises both active transposon elements and the decaying remains of former transposons that were active thousands to millions of years ago before becoming damaged and immobile...
Medical Management Alone May Be Best Treatment Course For Stroke Prevention
Patients with narrowed arteries in the brain who received intensive medical treatment had fewer strokes and deaths than patients who received a brain stent in addition to medical treatment, according to the initial results from the first, nationwide stroke prevention trial to compare the two treatment options. The results of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study called Stenting versus Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) are published in the online first edition of the New England Journal of Medicine...
College students take ADHD drugs for better grades
Jared Gabay is like many other college students. When he has a big test coming up, he turns to what's called a "study drug" for a little extra boost.
Medical Acoustics, UB Reaching COPD Patients With New Lung Flute
An easy-to-use device developed by a local biomedical company is providing relief to Buffalo-area patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The Lung Flute, one of Popular Science magazine's best 100 innovations of 2009, is a hand-held device that employs sound-wave technology to break up mucus in the lungs. The device is distributed by Medical Acoustics, a Western New York firm that has partnered with the University at Buffalo for years on research and development...
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Touch Screen Device Helps GPs Detect Early Alzheimer's Disease - CANTAB Mobile
A new 10-minute test doctors can perform with, for example an iPad, is to be tested by GPs in the United Kingdom. It is a new CE approved Class II medical device. GPs will be able to test patients at their offices, rather than having to refer them to specialists. Experts say this could considerably increase diagnostic rates. It is estimated that of the 750,000 individuals in Britain with dementia, only about 40% receive any kind of treatment or help - simply because so many have not been diagnosed. Identifying dementia, and especially Alzheimer's is not easy...
Healthier living could cut 2.8 million cancer cases
LONDON (Reuters) - Healthier lifestyles and better diets could prevent up to 2.8 million cases of cancer each year, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) said on Wednesday, calling on governments to "avoid a public health disaster."
Exclusive: Healthcare group wants debt committee to fail
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The powerful healthcare industry hopes a congressional "super committee" tasked with slashing America's debt will fail and is lobbying instead for automatic spending cuts that will kick in if the panel deadlocks.
Asbestos Warning - Mesothelioma Cases Reported In Home Renovators
According to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia a new study revealed that home renovations in Australia are causing an alarming number of asbestos-related disease in men and women. The study discovered that home renovation in Western Australia was responsible for 35.7 per cent of female mesothelioma cases and 8.4 per cent male cases between 2005 and 2008...
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
New Strategy For Treating Cancer
Using a strategy based on treating cancer cells that carry a specific genetic signature hyper-expression of the protein Myc with therapy that affects the stability of the cell's DNA, more effective results can be achieved. This was discovered by Andreas Höglund in his dissertation to be publicly defended at Umeå University on September 9. Today cancer is a public health disease that statistically afflicts every third Swede some time during their lifetimes...
Chad, Somalia "worst places for child to fall ill"
LONDON (Reuters) - Chad and Somalia are the worst countries in the world for a child to fall sick while Switzerland and Finland rank as the best, according to a new index of health worker provision devised by the global health charity Save the Children.
New Tactic For Controlling Blood Sugar In Diabetes Contradicts Current View Of The Disease
Increased low-grade inflammation in the body resulting from obesity is widely viewed as contributing to type 2 diabetes. Going against this long-held belief, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston report that two proteins activated by inflammation are actually crucial for maintaining good blood sugar levels and that boosting the activity of these proteins can normalize blood sugar in severely obese and diabetic mice. The research, led by Umut Ozcan, MD, in the Division of Endocrinology at Children's, is reported in the October issue of Nature Medicine, published online September 4...
NHL Deaths Put Spotlight on Mental Health
Three of hockey's hard-hitting "enforcers" have been found dead since May, highlighting the emerging link between head trauma and mental illness.
Monday, September 5, 2011
JCI Online Early Table Of Contents: Sept. 1, 2011
Activating your ABCs might help prevent AD (Alzheimer disease) Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among older people. One of the main features of AD is the presence in the brain of abnormal clumps of the protein fragment beta-amyloid, which are known as amyloid plaques. A team of researchers, led by Jens Pahnke, at the University of Rostock, Germany, has now identified a way to reduce the amount of beta-amyloid in the brains of mice with a disease that models AD, providing hope that a similar approach might be possible in patients...
Ozone in smog damages health even at current level
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health experts lamented a move by U.S. President Barack Obama to halt rules on limiting smog pollution, saying the decision could endanger many people already susceptible to respiratory problems.
World's Smallest Man Stands 27 Inches Tall
Former Guinness World Records champ enjoyed fame, then exploitation in tender TLC documentary.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Glucocorticoid Treatment May Prevent Long Term Damage To Joints
Joint injury can result in irreversible damage of cartilage which, despite treatment and surgery, often eventually leads to osteoarthritis (OA) in later life. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy demonstrates that short term treatment of damaged cartilage with glucocorticoids can reduce long term degenerative changes and may provide hope for prevention of OA after injury...
Venus Williams: What Is Sjogren's Syndrome?
The rare autoimmune disease that forced tennis star Venus Williams out of the U.S. Open caused debilitating joint pain, swelling, numbness and fatigue, she told Good Morning America.
Snip Snip? STD Preventing Circumcisions Way Down Says CDC
Circumcision rates have gone way down. Researchers found that the procedure is somewhat less common today than it was 10 years ago. The report was written in light of research that proves circumcision greatly reduces the risk of contracting HIV and numerous other STDs during penile-vaginal sex...
Alzheimer's Brains Found To Have Lower Levels Of Key Protein
Researchers have found that a protein variation linked by some genetic studies to Alzheimer's disease is consistently present in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. In further biochemical and cell culture investigations, they have shown that this protein, known as ubiquilin-1, performs a critical Alzheimer's-related function: it "chaperones" the formation of amyloid precursor protein, a molecule whose malformation has been directly tied to Alzheimer's pathology...
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Fibromyalgia: Living a Balanced Life
Here?s how to get past chronic pain and fatigue to live a full life with fibromyalgia.
Wistar Researchers Find Signals That Preserve The Production Of Anti-Viral Antibodies
Our immune system is capable of a remarkable feat: the ability to remember infections for years, even decades, after they have first been encountered and defeated. While the antibodies we make last only about a month, we retain the means of making them for a lifetime. Until now, the exact mechanism behind this was poorly understood, but researchers at The Wistar Institute have discovered some of the protein signals responsible for keeping the memory of distant viral infections alive within our bodies...
First Lizard Genome Sequenced
The green anole lizard is an agile and active creature, and so are elements of its genome. This genomic agility and other new clues have emerged from the full sequencing of the lizard's genome and may offer insights into how the genomes of humans, mammals, and their reptilian counterparts have evolved since mammals and reptiles parted ways 320 million years ago. The researchers who completed this sequencing project reported their findings August 31 online in the journal Nature...
Don't Let Backpacks Become Back-to-School Back Pain
While backpacks are an essential and stylish way for children to express their personal taste as they head back to school, these over-the-shoulder carriers for books, lunches and supplies can also injure a child's back. Dr. Danielle Cooley, an osteopathic family physician and hands-on pain care specialist from the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine, has advice on picking the best backpack and using it properly to avoid pain or injuries. "Children often choose backpacks that reflect their style, but parents need to be sure the one they select doesn't also have the potential for harm," Dr...
Leicester Scientists Deploy Space-Age Technologies At Science-Fiction Style 'Sick Bay'
A new hi-tech £1million-plus non-invasive disease detection facility, developed by the University of Leicester, has been unveiled (Sept 1st 2011) for use in Leicester Royal Infirmary's A&E department. It is designed to detect the "sight, smell and feel" of disease without the use of invasive probes, blood tests, or other time-consuming and uncomfortable procedures. Scientists use three different types of cutting-edge technology in combination under a range of situations. All the methods are non-invasive, and could speed up diagnosis...
Friday, September 2, 2011
Researchers Share Discoveries About Aging-Related Changes In Health And Cognition
Critical life course events and experiences - in both youth and middle adulthood - may contribute to health and cognition in later life, according to a new supplemental issue of the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Furthermore, the authors find that the processes of aging linked to cognition and those linked to health should be studied simultaneously, as part of the same set of processes. There also is an emerging consensus that a multidisciplinary theoretical approach is necessary to understand the nature of the processes of cognitive aging...
Ozone in smog damages health even at current level
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health experts lamented a move by U.S. President Barack Obama to halt rules on limiting smog pollution, saying the decision could endanger many people already susceptible to respiratory problems.
Gut bacteria picky about what we eat: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Gut bacteria -- colonies of bacteria that live in the human digestive tract -- appear to have fairly picky dining habits, with one type preferring high-fat, fast-food fare, and another preferring a high-fiber feast, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Social Media Found To Be A Valuable Tool To Recruit Study Participants For Rare Diseases
Mayo Clinic has identified a new benefit of social media and online networking: a novel way to study rare diseases. Through patient-run websites dedicated to heart conditions and women's heart health, a team of cardiologists led by Sharonne Hayes, M.D., is reaching out to survivors of spontaneous coronary artery dissection, also known as SCAD, a poorly understood heart condition that affects just a few thousand Americans every year...
Young Children With Initial Urinary Tract Infections, New Guidelines By American Academy Of Pediatrics
A new approach for diagnosing and treating initial urinary tract infections (UTI) in infants and toddlers will affect thousands of children each year. The Indiana University School of Medicine, which conducted the research on request of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), analyzed their findings based on a decade of scientific studies, and argues against the AAP's current guideline for the diagnosis and management tools for UTI infections in children, established in 1999...
UTHealth Launches Study On New Depression Medication
A new medication to treat major depressive disorder in patients who have not responded to other antidepressants is being studied in a Phase II clinical trial by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The drug, identified as BMS-820836 by its maker Bristol-Myers Squibb, affects the brain's neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, said the study's principal investigator Jair Soares, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UTHealth Medical School...
ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction And Optimal Reperfusion
Primary PCI is the best reperfusion therapy for patients presenting with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. CJ Terkelsen and co-workers used the Western Denmark Heart Registry to describe the implementation of primary PCI in Denmark. Their study (including almost 10,000 patients) showed that a strategy with early diagnosis based on ECG recording in the ambulance and directing the patients straight to the catherization laboratory in the Primary PCI Centre, was associated with a lower mortality. Direct access to PPCI is unfortunately still not possible in many European countries...
Mishap Leaves Man Impaled With Shears
?It was excruciating. I can?t tell you how much it hurt.? � That?s what 86-year old Leroy Luetscher of Green Valley, Ariz., had to say about a grisly gardening injury that very easily could have resulted in blindness, brain damage or worse, according to a...
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