Interventions that may alter the course of epilepsyEarly diagnosis and therapy that quickly achieves seizure freedom with nominal side effects is the key goal to epilepsy management. Three studies highlighted at the AES annual meeting address this goal from different vantage points:
The course to seizure freedom? Identifying factors that may change the landscape of epilepsy therapy to improve patients' quality of life.
New EEG technology that may facilitate accurate seizure screening........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 12/6/2008 3:57:31 PM)
Solving piece of large-scale gene silencing mysteryA team led by Craig Pikaard, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, has made a breakthrough in understanding the phenomenon of nucleolar dominance, the silencing of an entire parental set of ribosomal RNA genes in a hybrid plant or animal.
Since the machinery involved in nucleolar dominance is some of the same machinery that can go haywire in diseases such as cancer, Pikaard and his collaborators'........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 12/4/2008 7:42:00 PM)
Routine HIV screening for all patientsPhiladelphia, December 1, 2008 -- On World AIDS Day, the American College of Physicians (ACP) is giving doctors a call-to-action to routinely encourage HIV screening to all of their patients older than 13 years. This new practice guideline appears on the Annals of Internal Medicine Web site at www.annals.org.
HIV affects more than one million people in the United States. Every year, about 20,000 new infections are caused by individuals who........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 12/1/2008 6:09:37 PM)
Fragile X testing throughout the lifespanWriting in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute scientists urge physicians to test for mutations of the fragile X gene in patients of all ages. That's because, after decades of research, it is clear that mutations in this gene cause a range of diseases, including neurodevelopmental delays and autism in children, infertility in women and neurodegenerative disease in elderly adults.
"We want to........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/25/2008 9:53:22 PM)
COPI complex is a regulator of lipid homeostasisMagazine articles describing ways to burn fat, lose weight, etc. are omnipresent in Western culture, but science's understanding of the way fat is stored in the cells of the human body is rather slimmer. In this week's issue of PLoS Biology, a new paper by Dr. Mathias Beller, Carole Sztalryd, and his colleagues investigates some of the mysteries surrounding how our bodies store and release fat. Understanding lipid storage and use is important........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/24/2008 9:47:37 PM)
Heart patients are often not treated in accordance with guidelinesA number of patients with cardiovascular disease are not given adequate drug treatment. This is the result of an international study. In the current edition of Deutsches rzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2008; 105[45]: 769-75), Uwe Zeimer et al. present the German results of this prospective, one-year survey.
512 doctors in Gera number of participated in the study. They enrolled 5594 patients in all, of whom 89.2% suffered from one........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/21/2008 8:42:02 PM)
Ability to quit smoking may depend on ADHD symptomsTobacco use is more prevalent and smoking cessation less likely among persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.) In a study of smokers with attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, those who exhibited elevated hyperactivity and impulsivity, with or without inattention, showed lower quit rates after 8 weeks than those with inattention symptoms alone or those without the A.D.H.D. symptoms. The study, now available........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/21/2008 8:40:37 PM)
Adults Need VaccinesA number of adults are unaware of the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases, the need for booster doses to maintain maximum protection, and the availability of newer vaccines.
Philadelphia, November 19, 2008 - The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) have released a joint statement on the importance of adult vaccination against an increasing number of vaccine-preventable........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/19/2008 8:18:43 PM)
Esophageal, stomach cancer subtypes linked to smokingScientists who have been following the health of more than 120,000 residents of the Netherlands for more than two decades have observed that smoking is linked to two forms of esophageal cancer as well as a form of stomach cancer, and that drinking alcohol is strongly associated with one form of esophageal cancer.
Scientists say that while their findings, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 11/18/2008 5:24:05 AM)
Key contributor to Alzheimer's disease processAssociate Professor of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the lead author of a paper identifying, for the first time, a specific function of a fragment of ribonucleic acid (RNA), once believed to be no more than a byproduct, in regulating inflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease. The paper, An NF-kB-sensitive micro RNA-146a-mediated inflammatory circuit in Alzheimer's disease and in........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/14/2008 5:32:41 AM)
Wide public support for nationwide study of genesFour in five Americans support the idea of a nationwide study to investigate the interactions of genes, environment and lifestyle, and three in five say they would be willing to take part in such a study, as per a survey released recently. The research was conducted by the Genetics and Public Policy Center at Johns Hopkins University with funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes of Health........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/12/2008 10:38:41 PM)
Hormones and brain activityResearchers have long known that women's preferences for masculine men change throughout their menstrual cycles. A new study from Indiana University's Kinsey Institute is the first to demonstrate differences in brain activity as women considered masculinized and feminized male faces and whether the person was a potential sexual partner.
The scientists identified regions of the brain that responded more strongly to masculine faces and........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/12/2008 10:31:24 PM)
How Body Determines Optimal Amount of Germ-Fighting B CellsScientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine can now explain how the body determines whether there are enough mature B-cells in the blood stream at any one time. These are the cells that produce antibodies against germs to fight infections.
"There is a steady state number of B cells that is considered normal for humans," says senior author Michael P. Cancro, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. "We observed........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 11/4/2008 9:58:27 PM)
Molecular Regulation of Fat-Cell GeneticsA research team led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular "master regulator" of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these cells. The findings appear online this week in Genes & Development.
The international obesity epidemic........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/4/2008 9:46:19 PM)
Candidate markers for gastric cancerThe sequencing of the human genome has opened the door for proteomics by providing a sequence-based framework for mining proteomes. As a result, there is intense interest in applying proteomics to foster a better understanding of cancer processes, develop new biomarkers for diagnosis and early detection of cancer. Gastric carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and is the most common cause of cancer-related death in China.........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 10/29/2008 10:09:01 PM)
Stress may make you itchBerlin, Gera number of Current research suggests that stress may activate immune cells in your skin, resulting in inflammatory skin disease. The related report by Joachim et al., "Stress-induced Neurogenic Inflammation in Murine Skin Skews Dendritic Cells towards Maturation and Migration: Key role of ICAM-1/LFA-1 interactions," appears in the recent issue of The American Journal of Pathology
Skin provides the first level of defense to........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/27/2008 10:33:29 PM)
UK teen suicide rates on the declineSuicide rates in those aged 10-19 in the UK declined by 28% in the seven year period from 1997-2003, shows a study published recently in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry The study, carried out by scientists at the University of Manchester, showed that the decline was especially marked in young males, where rates declined by 35%.
Despite the decline, however, suicide remains more common among young males than young females. ........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/23/2008 5:33:14 AM)
Depression, health care services and heart attacksDepression symptoms are linked to significantly higher use of healthcare services following a heart attack, as per a new study released recently by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). With approximately 70,000 Canadians experiencing a heart attack each year, this new data may help thousands of people get the care they need and reduce hospital visits.
"While we know that the use of health services is higher for people with........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/21/2008 9:11:45 PM)
Unnecessary regulation harming clinical researchIncreasing bureaucracy is the biggest single threat to clinical research in the UK and urgent action needs to be taken, argue experts on bmj.com today.
European legislation introduced in 2001 was intended to simplify and harmonise the regulation of trials across the European Union. But it has led to long delays in approval, is "poorly coordinated, lacks inconsistency at all levels, and at times is completely illogical", write Professors........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/16/2008 10:48:07 PM)
Hurricane Ike triggers Mental Health ResearchDartmouth scientists with the National Center for Disaster Mental Health Research are preparing to visit the Galveston, Texas area on their first field mission in early November to study the impact of Hurricane Ike, which hit in late September.
The NCDMHR, established last year with funding from the National Institutes of Health, aims to study long-term recovery from disasters, focusing on mental health. Hurricane Ike is the first........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/16/2008 10:44:03 PM)
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First childhood obesity symposiumOn Tuesday, November 25, 2008, the Obesity Institute at Children's National Medical Center gathered experts from a number of disciplines to share ideas, failures and successes, and the future promise of prevention and intervention strategies to fight childhood obesity, both in the District of Columbia and nationwide.
Through the Obesity Institute, Children's National seeks to reduce childhood obesity using a multidisciplinary approach that........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 12/6/2008 3:55:25 PM)
Exploring gene therapy to fight AIDSThe apparent success of a case in which German doctors cured a man of AIDS using a bone marrow transplant comes as no surprise to Gerhard Bauer, a UC Davis stem cell researcher. Bauer has been working for more than 10 years on a similar cure for AIDS based on replacing the devastated immune system of an HIV-infected patient with stem cells that have been engineered to resist human immunodeficiency syndrome.
Bauer plans to present the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 12/6/2008 3:51:03 PM)
MRI machines may damage cochlear implantsAlexandria, VA Patients with cochlear implants may want to steer clear of certain magnetic imaging devices, such as 3T MRI machines, because the machines can demagnetize the patient's implant, as per new research reported in the December 2008 issue of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. It is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 12/1/2008 6:04:52 PM)
How mosquitoes avoid succumbing to viruses they transmitMosquitoes are like Typhoid Mary. They can spread viruses which cause West Nile fever, dengue fever, or yellow fever without themselves getting sick. Researchers long thought that the mosquito didn't care whether it had a virus hitchhiker, but have now discovered, "There is a war going on," said Zach Adelman, assistant professor of entomology at Virginia Tech.
The war is at the cellular level, between the host and invading RNA the strands........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 12/1/2008 6:03:13 PM)
Sperm size isn't everythingContrary to common scientific belief, the length of a sperm's tail does not always determine how fast it can swim. Research reported in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology has shown that in the counter-intuitive microscopic world in which sperm operate, streamlining and longer tails don't always provide a speed advantage.
Stuart Humphries, from the University of Sheffield, and collaborators from the University of Western........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/24/2008 9:37:39 PM)
Stomach ulcer bug causes bad breathBacteria that cause stomach ulcers and cancer could also be giving us bad breath, as per research reported in the recent issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology For the first time, researchers have found Helicobacter pylori living in the mouths of people who are not showing signs of stomach disease.
The mouth is home to over 600 different species of bacteria, some of which can cause disease. Helicobacter pylori has recently been shown........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/24/2008 9:36:31 PM)
Report finds extensive use of illicit alcoholThe consumption of illicit or noncommercial alcohol is widespread in a number of countries worldwide and contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, as per a new report released recently by the International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP). The report focuses on the use of noncommercial alcohol, defined as traditional beverages produced for home consumption or limited local trade and counterfeit or unregistered products, in........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 11/19/2008 8:36:48 PM)
Early HIV testing and treatment for infected infantsTesting very young babies for HIV and giving antiretroviral treatment (ART) immediately to those found infected with the virus dramatically prevents illness and death, as per a report in the New England Journal (NEJM) The study observed that giving ART to HIV-infected infants beginning at an average age of 7 weeks made them four times less likely to die in the next 48 weeks, compared with postponing ART until signs of illness or a weakened........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/19/2008 6:21:49 PM)
Exercise and rest reduce cancer riskExercise is good for more than just your waistline. A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that regular physical activity can lower a woman's overall risk of cancer but only if she gets a good night's sleep. Otherwise, lack of sleep can undermine exercise's cancer prevention benefits.
"Greater participation in........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 11/18/2008 5:22:11 AM)
Novel regulatory step during HIV replicationA previously unknown regulatory step during human immunodeficiency (HIV) replication provides a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS treatment, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Their study, published in this week's early online edition of the Public Library of Science, PLoS Pathogens, describes a new biological function for sulfonationa type of chemical........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/14/2008 5:41:15 AM)
'Cascading effect' of childhood experiencesAdverse experiences early in life can lead to minor childhood behavior problems, which can grow into serious acts of teen violence, as per new research. This "cascading effect" of repeated negative incidents and behaviors is the focus of an article in the November/December edition of the journal Child Development
Using a novel approach that went beyond simply identifying risk factors, a research team led by a Duke University psychology........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/14/2008 5:31:13 AM)
Cancer drugs my build and not tear down blood vesselsResearchers have thought that one way to foil a tumor from generating blood vessels to feed its growth a process called angiogenesis was by creating drugs aimed at stopping a key vessel growth-promoting protein. But now the opposite seems to be true.
Scientists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla have found evidence that blocking that protein target, called VEGF, or vascular endothelial........Go to the Cancer-blog (Added on 11/9/2008 10:01:18 PM)
Simple brain mechanisms explain arbitrary human visual decisionsMark Twain, a skeptic of the idea of free will, argues in his essay "What Is Man?" that humans do not command their minds or the opinions they form.
"You did not form that [opinion]," a speaker identified as "old man" says in the essay. "Your [mental] machinery did it for youautomatically and instantly, without reflection or the need of it".
Twain's views get a boost this week from scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 11/9/2008 9:58:40 PM)
Therapeutic potential of stem cellsBOSTON, Mass. (Oct. 31, 2008) Adult stem cells resemble couch potatoes if they hang out and divide in a dish for too long. They get fat and lose key surface proteins, which interferes with their movement and reduces their therapeutic potential. Now, via a simple chemical procedure, scientists have found a way to get these cells off the couch and over to their therapeutic target.
To do this, they simply added a molecule called SLeX to the........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/31/2008 5:09:31 AM)
Obesity, other health problems delay MS diagnosisPeople with pre-existing medical conditions, such as obesity, and vascular problems such as diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol, may experience a delay in being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), or experience an increase in severity of the disease at diagnosis, as per a research studyreported in the October 29, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"Our study suggests that........Go to the Health-articles (Added on 10/29/2008 10:20:54 PM)
High dose of flu vaccine boosts immune response in elderlyGiving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases.
The higher dose of vaccine generally resulted in approximately 30 percent to 80 percent more........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/27/2008 5:38:28 AM)
Gene find sheds light on motor neuron diseases like ALSResearchers have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons.
The study is the result of a collaboration by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center who normally focus on the eye, working together with a developmental neuroscientist at........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/23/2008 5:34:52 AM)
RSV may hide in the lungs, lead to asthmaDALLAS Oct. 21, 2008 Conventional wisdom has been that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) a common virus that causes infection in the lungs comes and goes in children without any long lasting impact.
A study conducted in mice by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers, however, suggests that RSV may hide in the lungs even after other symptoms abate, ultimately resurfacing to cause recurrent wheezing and chronic airway disease.
"This........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/21/2008 9:16:32 PM)
Scientists identify role of fatty acids in Alzheimer's diseaseResearchers at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) and the University of California have observed that complete or partial removal of an enzyme that regulates fatty acid levels improves cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Their findings, which will be published in today's issue of Nature Neuroscience, identified specific fatty acids that may contribute to the disease as well as a novel therapeutic........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/20/2008 5:51:13 AM)
Improving health and lowering costsINDIANAPOLIS Across the nation concerns about health-care quality and costs are growing. For the first time, both candidates aspiring to the nation's highest office are looking to greater reliance on electronic medical records as critical to any remedy.
In Indianapolis, they and the nation can see first-hand how significant a part of the solution electronic medical records can be, say Indiana University School of Medicine........Go to the Health-blog (Added on 10/15/2008 5:48:30 PM)
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