wiping out tooth decayToday, during the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, Forsyth Institute researchers are reporting that they have developed an effective program for eliminating cavities. This program, called ForsythKids, is an innovative school-based cavity prevention program, which provides elementary school children with oral health education, dental exams, cleanings and preventive care. For children enrolled in the........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 3/22/2007 5:13:31 AM)
phase III clinical trial of creatine for Parkinson's diseaseThe NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) today is launching a large-scale clinical trial to learn if the nutritional supplement creatine can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). While creatine is not an approved treatment for PD or any other condition, it is widely thought to improve exercise performance. The potential benefit of creatine for PD was identified by Parkinsons scientists through a new........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/22/2007 4:57:02 AM)
Radiation-resistant BacteriumRecent discoveries by scientists at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) could lead to new avenues of exploration for radioprotection in diverse settings. Michael J. Daly, Ph.D., an associate professor in USU's Department of Pathology, and colleagues have uncovered evidence pointing to the mechanism through which the extremely resilient bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans protects itself from high doses of ionizing........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 3/20/2007 10:07:30 PM)
Biosand filter reduces diarrheal diseaseA simple, affordable household filtration device can reduce the occurence rate of diarrhea, one of the leading causes of disease and death in developing countries, by up to 40 percent, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown.
"This technology has the potential to bring safe drinking water to a number of people in developing countries around the world who don't have access to it now," said Mark Sobsey, Ph.D.,........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/19/2007 9:36:17 PM)
Smart Therapies For Breast, Ovarian CancerNew non-toxic and targeted therapies for metastatic breast and ovarian cancers may now be possible, thanks to a discovery by a team of researchers at the University of British Columbia.
In a collaboration between UBC stem cell and cancer scientists, it was found that a protein called podocalyxin which the researchers had previously shown to be a predictor of metastatic breast cancer changes the shape and adhesive quality of tumour cells,........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/19/2007 5:11:03 AM)
Elevated autoantibodies and preeclampsiaWomen who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop certain dangerous autoantibodies than women with normal pregnancies, and these autoantibodies are still present two years after childbirth in about 20 percent of women who had the disorder, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh report in the recent issue of Hypertension, the journal of the American Heart Association.
Also known as toxemia, preeclampsia affects........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/15/2007 9:18:57 PM)
Chemical cues for embryonic stem cellsIn order to differentiate and specialize, stem cells require very specific environmental cues in a very specific order, and researchers have so far been unable to prod them to go through each of the necessary steps. But now, for the first time, a study in mice by Rockefeller University researchers shows that embryonic stem cells implanted in the brain appear to develop into fully differentiated granule neurons, the most plentiful neuron in the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/14/2007 10:26:47 PM)
Periodontal diseases may aggravate pre-diabetesCHICAGO- Periodontal diseases may contribute to the progression to pre-diabetes, according to a new study that appears in the recent issue of the Journal of Periodontology.
Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates 54 million people in the United States have pre-diabetes, and a significant portion of those........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/13/2007 9:19:30 PM)
Which Breast Cancer Patients Need Chemotherapy?Most postmenopausal women with small breast tumors don't need chemotherapy to reduce their recurrence risk after lumpectomy.
To try to determine who does, a test that measures a tumor's aggressiveness based on its DNA will be tested nationally in more than 10,000 of these women.
"The dilemma physicians have with these patients is, because they have such small tumors, it's hard to tell who needs chemotherapy," said Dr. Thomas A. Samuel,........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/12/2007 9:58:42 PM)
Probe To Detect Spread Of Breast CancerHigh-temperature superconductors hold the key to a handheld tool for surgeons that promises to be more accurate, cost-effective and safer than existing methods for staging and treating various cancers, including breast cancer.
Audrius Brazdeikis, research assistant professor of physics in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston, and Quentin Pankhurst, a professor of physics from the University College of........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/6/2007 3:44:43 PM)
Poor Development Of Over 200 Million ChildrenInadequate intellectual stimulation and poor nutrition, particularly iodine and iron deficiencies, are likely to blame for hindering more than 200 million children in developing countries from meeting their full potential, says a Purdue University researcher."These problems are robbing children under age 5 of full development, contributing to a cycle of low educational attainment and poverty during the later part of life," said Theodore Wachs,........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 3/5/2007 9:49:22 PM)
Designs For Clean WaterAn MIT engineer working toward clean drinking water in Nepal describes in a recent issue of the Journal of International Development how people from developed and developing countries can work together to solve key humanitarian problems, ultimately meeting the basic human needs for security, broadly defined.
Such a collaboration "begins with a relationship among partners in the global village, taking into consideration the specific........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/5/2007 4:39:06 PM)
Hot tubs hurt fertilityExposure to hot baths or hot tubs can lead to male infertility, but the effects can sometimes be reversible, as per a new study led by a University of California, San Francisco urologist.
Results from a three-year study analyzing data from infertile men who had been repeatedly exposed to high water temperatures through hot tubs, Jacuzzis or hot baths are published in the March-April 2007 issue of "International Braz J Urol," the official........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/2/2007 5:08:34 AM)
Few Primary Care Practitioners Offer HIV Tests Even as the AIDS epidemic in Los Angeles County has shifted largely to Hispanics, primary care practitioners serving this segment of the population often fail to offer either HIV testing or safer sex advice to their patients, as per a new UCLA AIDS Institute study.
The study, reported in the recent issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association, observed that only 41 percent of these primary care providers including doctors,........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/1/2007 5:02:53 AM)
Internet Does Not Provide Behavioral CounselingA national survey of commercial health plans has found that most plans provide online information regarding mental health and substance abuse but few provide clinical services such as counseling via the Internet. The nationally representative health plan survey, published in Psychiatric Services, and led by Dr. Constance Horgan at Brandeis University, is one of the first to examine the prevalence of health plan-sponsored online resources for........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 2/28/2007 9:39:55 PM)
regenerating failing mouse heartsMayo Clinic researchers have safely transplanted cardiac preprogrammed embryonic stem cells into diseased hearts of mice successfully regenerating infarcted heart muscle without precipitating the growth of a cancerous tumor -- which, so far, has impeded successful translation into practice of embryonic stem cell research.
The Mayo study is the first known report establishing a successful, tumor-resistant approach to growing new heart tissue........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 2/27/2007 9:34:03 PM)
To Differentiate Human Embryonic Stem CellsMolecular researchers at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM) - which is part of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - have developed a new procedure for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells, with which they have created the first transplantable source of lung epithelial cells.
The process, created in the laboratory of Rick A. Wetsel, Ph.D., a........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 2/27/2007 8:21:45 PM)
Common Ingredient In Big Macs And SodasThe future of cancer detection and therapy may be in gold nanoparticles - tiny pieces of gold so small they cannot be seen by the naked eye. The potential of gold nanoparticles has been hindered by the difficulty of making them in a stable, nontoxic form that can be injected into a patient. New research at the University of Missouri-Columbia has observed that a plant extract can be used to overcome this problem, creating a new type of gold........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 2/26/2007 7:57:04 PM)
Early Sex May Lead Teens To DelinquencyTeens who start having sex significantly earlier than their peers also show higher rates of delinquency in later years, new research shows.
A national study of more than 7,000 youth observed that adolescents who had sex early showed a 20 percent increase in delinquent acts one year later in comparison to those whose first sexual experience occurred at the average age for their school.
In contrast, those teens who waited longer than........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 2/26/2007 7:46:42 PM)
Barnyard Emissions And AsthmaReducing barnyard emissions is one way to help reduce the harmful effects of tiny atmospheric air particles that can cause severe asthma in children, and lung cancer and heart attacks in some adults.
Carnegie Mellon University researcher Peter J. Adams argues that improved control of ammonia emissions from farm barnyards is more economical and efficient than trying to control the effects of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution from........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 2/26/2007 6:34:17 PM)
|
|
Does TV contribute to autism?The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article today about a Cornell economist, Michael Waldman, who has done some fancy math linking TV use to autism [orig. paper here]. Whether Waldman is on to something remains to be seen. His statistics don't come close to proving that early TV watching causes autism. He has only observed that rates of autism diagnosis tend to be higher when kids are raised in periods of heavy rain and snowy weather,........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/22/2007 7:14:19 PM)
Dental Visits Determinants Of UnderservedChildren's dental insurance and caregivers' preventive dental care visits play a significant role as determinants of underserved African-American children seeing a dentist, as per a research studyin this month's Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA).
The objective of the study, as per University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) researchers, was to investigate determinants of dental care visits among young, low-income African-American........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/20/2007 10:14:17 PM)
Small Molecule Cancer TherapeuticA small molecule derived from the spacer domain of the tumor-suppressor gene Rb2/p130 has demonstrated the ability to inhibit tumor growth in vivo and could be developed into an anti-cancer therapeutic, as per scientists at Temple University's Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine.
The researchers reported their findings, "A small molecule based on the pRb2/p130 spacer domain leads to inhibition of cdk2 activity, cell........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/20/2007 10:09:50 PM)
Do feelings matter?Providence, RI According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), adolescents and young adults currently account for fifty percent of new HIV infections on an annual basis. As a result, ongoing research and information on HIV prevention has become a high priority for this age group. Now a new study reveals that helping adolescents manage their emotions may be just as important as providing them with information on the practical side of safe........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/20/2007 10:00:35 PM)
Clinical Trials Necessary For New TreatmentsA University of Missouri-Columbia study has observed that newspapers' front page and section stories about clinical trials are overwhelmingly negative and that exposure to these stories may decrease people's willingness to participate in medical trials.
"We studied the tone and prominence of news stories about clinical trials and how that appeared to affect participation in trials," said Maria Len-Rios, assistant professor at the Missouri........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 3/19/2007 9:34:05 PM)
Risk Factors for Spread of Respiratory InfectionsThe 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China has lessons to teach hospitals on how to prevent the spread of other respiratory diseases, as per new research appearing in the April 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, currently available online.
Hospitals were epicenters of SARS transmission in Guangzhou province and Hong Kong in 2003. In hospitals with particularly severe outbreaks, the scientists looked at........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/15/2007 8:54:58 PM)
Poliovirus To Destroy Neuroblastoma TumorsThe cause of one notorious childhood disease, poliovirus, could be used to treat the ongoing threat of another childhood disease, neuroblastoma. In the March 15 issue of Cancer Research, researchers from Stony Brook University report that an attenuated -- or non-virulent -- form of poliovirus is effective in obliterating neuroblastoma tumors in mice, even when the mice had been previously vaccinated against the virus.
By its nature,........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/15/2007 6:26:37 PM)
Radiation After Surgery In Women Over Age 65Although women over 65 make up more than half of women diagnosed with breast cancer, the effects of treatment on this group have not been widely studied.
Studies show older women are less likely than younger women to receive common adjuvant (post-surgical) therapies like hormonal treatments or radiation therapy following surgery.
Some researchers have argued that radiation therapy is not necessary in women over 65 who have surgery and........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 3/13/2007 9:57:01 PM)
Stem cells act through multiple mechanismsHuman embryonic stem cells (hESCs) hold great promise for benefiting degenerative diseases, and do so by invoking multiple mechanisms. Such cells can be grown in a manner compatible with clinical use (i.e., without animal feeder layers) and even without the need for immunosuppression. These were a few of many conclusions arrived at by an international collaboration led by Evan Y. Snyder, M.D., Ph.D., and spearheaded by a member of his lab,........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/11/2007 8:29:20 PM)
New Way to Fight Autoimmune DiseasesMultiple sclerosis, diabetes, and arthritis are among a variety of autoimmune diseases that are aggravated when one type of white blood cell, called the immune regulatory cell, malfunctions. In humans, one cause of this malfunction is when a mutation in a gene called FOXP3 disables the immune cells' ability to function. In a new study published online next week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at the University........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/6/2007 3:54:16 PM)
Photodynamic therapy for periodontal diseasePhotodynamic treatment (PDT) may be an effective way to treat the bacteria linked to periodontal diseases, and could provide a better option than antibiotics or other mechanical methods for treating periodontal diseases, as per a new study reported in the recent issue of the Journal of Periodontology.
Scientists at So Paulo State University observed that using PDT was an effective method to minimize destruction of periodontal tissue which........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/6/2007 3:27:27 PM)
Severe PTSD damages children's brainsSevere stress can damage a child's brain, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. The researchers found that children with post-traumatic stress disorder and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol were likely to experience a decrease in the size of the hippocampus - a brain structure important in memory processing and emotion.
Although similar effects have been seen in animal........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/5/2007 5:08:14 AM)
Preemie Lung Treatments Turn Out To Be SafePreemies between 28 and 32 weeks are not harmed by a therapy no longer used to help their lungs mature before birth, as per findings of a study in this months Pediatrics. Even though prior findings based on observation suggested that repeated courses of steroids in the womb may result in brain damage, this study shows that the babies brains are virtually unaffected.
"The consensus in recent years has been to no longer give women in preterm........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/5/2007 4:53:33 AM)
Steroid Use Fails To Boost Pregnancy RatesThere is no clear benefit from a hormone commonly prescribed to enhance the effectiveness of infertility treatments, according to a new review of studies.
The steroid hormones called glucocorticoids have potent effects on the bodys inflammatory and immune responses, so many fertility specialists prescribe them in hopes of making the lining of the uterus more receptive to embryo implantation. But lead review author Carolien Boomsma says that........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/1/2007 9:55:18 PM)
New details in schizophrenia trialTwo new studies from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials for Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) provide more insights into comparing therapy options, and to what extent antipsychotic medications help people with schizophrenia learn social, interpersonal and community living skills. The new studies are reported in the March 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. CATIE, a $42.6 million, multi-site study, was funded by the National........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 3/1/2007 4:56:22 AM)
Larger women risk womb cancerCancer Research UK says that the dramatic increase in cases of womb cancer could be associated with rising obesity levels in Britain. Dr Lesley Walker, from the charity said, "As per the National Sizing Survey conducted in 2004 the average British woman now has a 34in waist, which is over 6ins bigger than the average size of a woman in the 1950s, when it was 27.5ins. Women are larger than they were when they existed on a wartime diet and were........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 2/27/2007 8:37:37 PM)
Taxotere Improves Survival in Prostate CancerOne step forward in prostate cancer:
According to a press release by Sanofi-Aventis, long-term results indicate that Taxotere (docetaxel) improves survival in patients with metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is second only to non-melanoma skin cancers as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the U.S. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that is located between the bladder and rectum. It is responsible........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 2/27/2007 8:31:07 PM)
How T lymphocytes attackOur immune system finds it difficult to eliminate tumours effectively. Deciphering the strategies it implements may increase the immune system's effect on tumour cells and thus improve the clinical perspectives for anticancer immune treatment. At the Institut Curie, INSERM and CNRS scientists have used two-photon microscopy to demonstrate, for the first time in vivo and real-time, how T lymphocytes infiltrate a solid tumour in order to fight........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 2/26/2007 8:57:11 PM)
Genes That Can Slow Cell DivisionCancer cells differ from normal cells in, among other things, the way they divide. When a normal cell complies with a signal telling it to divide, it also begins to activate a "braking system" that eventually stops cell division and returns the cell to a resting state. When that braking system is faulty, uncontrolled cell division and the growth of cancer can result. Weizmann Institute scientists studied this system of brakes, and identified a........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 2/26/2007 7:00:46 PM)
Fruit Flies And Age-related Heart DiseaseLa Jolla, CA, February 26, 2007 -- The tiny Drosophila fruit fly may pave the way to new methods for studying and finding treatments for heart disease, the leading cause of death in industrialized countries, according to a collaborative study by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, UC San Diego (UCSD) and the University of Michigan.
The study reports that mutations in a molecular channel found in heart muscle cell membranes caused........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 2/26/2007 6:50:39 PM)
|
