Health & Medicine Week back issues from May 2008:
Adolescent rats help prove that early alcohol exposure alcohol can quickly lead to heavy drinking.
May 19, 2008 ... No one can become alcohol dependent (AD) without repeatedly drinking alcohol, but not everyone who does so will become AD. Certain characteristics u adolescence, novelty seeking, reaction to stress, and response to first alcohol exposure u are believed to influence the vulnerability of ...
Alcoholism is not just a 'man's disease' anymore.(Survey)
May 19, 2008 ... A new examination of data on similarly aged groups, compared across decades, has found substantial increases in drinking and alcohol dependence among women. Increases were particularly notable among white and Hispanic women u beginning with those born in the United States after World War ...
Scientists identify genomic 'fingerprint' for alcohol-induced heart failure.
May 19, 2008 ... A person with dilated cardiomyopathy has an enlarged and stretched heart cavity, usually too weak to pump normally; most people will go on to develop heart failure. While clinicians know that up to 36 percent of all cases of dilated cardiomyopathy may be due to excessive drinking, it has ...
Ibuprofen linked to reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease.
May 19, 2008 ... Long-term use of ibuprofen and other drugs commonly used for aches and pains was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the May 6, 2008, issue of Neurology [R], the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies have ...
Short arms and legs linked to risk of dementia.
May 19, 2008 ... People with shorter arms and legs may be at a higher risk for developing dementia later in life compared to people with longer arms and legs, according to a study published in the May 6, 2008, bonus issue of Neurology [R], the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology ....
News briefs: May issue of the journal Chest.
May 19, 2008 ... LATEST REVIEW SUGGESTS LABAs ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR COPD Previous research has linked the use of long-acting & #946;2-agonists (LABA) to increased risk for adverse events or respiratory-related death in patients with stable, moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary ...
Women 80 and older benefit from mammography, but few are screened.(Clinical report)
May 19, 2008 ... In the first study to assess mammography in women 80 and older, researchers found that having regular mammograms significantly decreases the risk of being diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, but only about one-fifth of women in this age group receive them regularly. The study, which ...
Pilot study reinforces use of portable anteroom HEPA filtration.(high-efficiency particulate air )
May 19, 2008 ... Amidst an increase in new tuberculosis cases, researchers have begun investigating the effectiveness of new operating room filtration systems designed to protect staff and patients. According to pilot study findings published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, a ...
Break it down.
May 19, 2008 ... The model fungus Podospora anserina (P. anserina) has undergone substantial evolution since its separation from Neurospora crassa, as revealed from the Podospora draft genome sequence published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Genome Biology. The study also shows that the Podospora ...
Breast cancer tumors grow faster in younger women.
May 19, 2008 ... A new approach to estimating tumour growth based on breast screening results from almost 400,000 women is published BioMed Central's open access journal, Breast Cancer Research. This new model can also estimate the proportion of breast cancers which are detected at screening (screen test ...
Cells lining milk ducts hold key to spread of common form of breast cancer.
May 19, 2008 ... BOSTON--When a form of cancer that begins in the milk ducts of the breast invades neighboring tissue to spread to other parts of the body, the cause lies not in the tumor cells themselves but in a group ofabnormal surrounding cells that cause the walls of the duct to deteriorate ...
Improving anxiety treatment through the help of brain imaging: a potential future treatment strategy.
May 19, 2008 ... Wouldn't it be nice if our doctors could predict accurately whether we would respond to a particular medication" This question is important because research studies provide information about how groups of patients tend to respond to treatments, but inevitably, differences among groups of ...
Previously unseen switch regulates breast cancer response to estrogen.
May 19, 2008 ... A tiny modification called methylation on estrogen receptors prolongs the life of these growth-driving molecules in breast cancer cells, according to research by scientists at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute (see also <a ...
Platypus genome sequence published.
May 19, 2008 ... UK-based researchers at the Medical Research Council Functional Genomics Unit in Oxford and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge have revealed the genetic makeup of the one of the world's strangest mammals. They have analysed the DNA ...
Major shift in HIV prevention priorities needed.
May 19, 2008 ... According to a new policy analysis led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of California, Berkeley, the most common HIV prevention strategies ucondom promotion, HIV testing, treatment of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), vaccine and ...
Gene sequence that can make half of us fatter is discovered.
May 19, 2008 ... A gene sequence linked to an expanding waist line, weight gain and a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes has been discovered as part of a study published in the journal Nature Genetics (see also Imperial College ...
Corticosteroids not linked with reduced risk of death for children with bacterial meningitis.
May 19, 2008 ... Use of corticosteroids in addition to other treatment for children with bacterial meningitis is not associated with a decreased risk of death or shorter hospital stay, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA (see also <a ...
Folic acid, B vitamins not linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular events in high-risk women.
May 19, 2008 ... Women at high-risk of cardiovascular disease who took a daily supplement of folic acid and vitamin B6 and B12 for seven years did not have an overall reduced rate of cardiovascular events, despite a significant lowering of homocysteine levels, according to a study in the May 7 issue of ...
Much of the increased risk of death from smoking reduced within several years after quitting.
May 19, 2008 ... Women who quit smoking significantly reduce their risk of death from coronary heart disease within 5 years and have about a 20 percent lower risk of death from smoking-related cancers within that time period, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA (see also <a ...
Study in 7,000 men and women ties obesity, inflammatory proteins to heart failure risk.
May 19, 2008 ... Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere report what is believed to be the first wide-scale evidence linking severe overweight to prolonged inflammation of heart tissue and the subsequent damage leading to failure of the body's blood-pumping organ (see also <a ...
Not all fat created equal.
May 19, 2008 ... May 6, 2008 -- It has long been known that type 2 diabetes is linked to obesity, particularly fat inside the belly. Now, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have found that fat from other areas of the body can actually reduce insulin resistance and improve insulin sensitivity (see ...
Prisoner HIV program leads to continuum of medical care after release.
May 19, 2008 ... By linking HIV positive prisoners to community-based medical care prior to release through an innovative program called Project Bridge, 95 percent of ex-offenders were retained in health care for a year after being released from incarceration, according to researchers from The Miriam ...
MGH researchers report successful new laser treatment for vocal-cord cancer.
May 19, 2008 ... An innovative laser treatment for early vocal-cord cancer, developed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), successfully restores patients' voices without radiotherapy or traditional surgery, which can permanently damage vocal quality. This new option for patients, which has now been ...
Genetic breakthrough explains dangerously high blood glucose levels.
May 19, 2008 ... This release is available in French (see also McGill University ). Canadian, French and British researchers have identified a DNA sequence that controls the variability of blood glucose levels in people ....
Mental disorders cost society billions in unearned income.
May 19, 2008 ... Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193 billion annually in lost earnings alone, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the American Journal of ...
Does the brain control muscles or movements?
May 19, 2008 ... One of the major scientific questions about the brain is how it can translate the simple intent to perform an action usay, reach for a glass uinto the dynamic, coordinated symphony of muscle movements required for that action. The neural instructions for such actions originate in the ...
EGFR protects cancer cells from starvation via a kinase-independent mechanism.
May 19, 2008 ... Scientists have uncovered a previously unrealized mechanism by which the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a tyrosine kinase, promotes survival of cancer cells through a kinase-independent mechanism. The research, published by Cell Press in the May issue of the journal Cancer Cell, ...
Fat transplantation can have metabolic benefits.
May 19, 2008 ... When transplanted deep into the abdomen, fat taken from just under the skin comes with metabolic benefits, or at least it does in mice, reveals a new study in the May issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication (see also <a ...
Scientists identify 'gatekeepers' of breast cancer transition to invasive disease.
May 19, 2008 ... Scientists have made a significant discovery that clarifies a previously poorly understood key event in the progression of breast cancer. The research, published by Cell Press in the May issue of the journal Cancer Cell, highlights the importance of the microenvironment in regulating ...
Study suggests caution on a new anti-obesity drug in children.
May 19, 2008 ... A new class of anti-obesity drugs that suppresses appetite by blocking cannabinoid receptors in the brain could also suppress the adaptive rewiring of the brain necessary for neural development in children, studies with mice have indicated. One such drug, rimonabant (trade name Acomplia) ...
Prions show their good side.
May 19, 2008 ... Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, also have a helpful side. According to new findings from Gerald Zamponi and colleagues, normally functioning prions prevent neurons from working themselves to death. The findings appear ...
Bacterial slime helps cause serious disease.
May 19, 2008 ... Leptospirosis is a serious but neglected emerging disease that infects humans through contaminated water. Now research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology shows for the first time how bacteria that cause the disease survive in the environment (see also <a ...
Scientists discover why plague is so lethal.
May 19, 2008 ... Bacteria that cause the bubonic plague may be more virulent than their close relatives because of a single genetic mutation, according to research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology (see also <a ...
Sexual harassment at school -- more harmful than bullying.
May 19, 2008 ... Schools' current focus on bullying prevention may be masking the serious and underestimated health consequences of sexual harassment, according to James Gruber from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Susan Fineran from the University of Southern Maine in the US. Their research (1), ...
Apples, apple juice shown to prevent early atherosclerosis.
May 19, 2008 ... Vienna, VA (May 2, 2008) - A new study shows that apples and apple juice are playing the same health league as the often-touted purple grapes and grape juice. The study was published in the April 2008 issue of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research (see also <a ...
Researchers report the cloning of a key group of human genes, the protein kinases.
May 19, 2008 ... Although the human genome has been sequenced, research into mechanism of action of genes has been hampered by the fact that most human genes have not been isolated. This is true for even the most common class of cancer-associated genes, the protein kinases, which mediate the majority of ...
Discovery has implications for heart disease.
May 19, 2008 ... A study, led by University of Iowa researchers, reveals a new dimension for a key heart enzyme and sheds light on an important biological pathway involved in cell death in heart disease. The study, published in the May 2 issue of Cell, has implications for understanding, and potentially ...
New discovery on role of vital protein that fights meningitis.
May 19, 2008 ... A University of Leicester researcher has discovered how a protein in the blood u linked to defence against meningitis - plays a more vital role than previously understood in the body's immune defence system (see also <a ...
Mental disorders in parents linked to autism in children.
May 19, 2008 ... Parents of children with autism were roughly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, than parents of other children, according to an analysis of Swedish birth and hospital records by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher ...
Too much or too little weight gain poses risks to pregnant mothers, babies.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... Women who gain more or less than recommended amounts of weight during pregnancy are likely to increase the risk of problems for both themselves and their child, according to a new report by the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center ...
When statins aren't enough: New trial drug points to better management of coronary heart disease.(Clinical report)
May 19, 2008 ... (PHILADELPHIA) u Despite widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, a significant number of cardiac patients continue to suffer heart attacks and stroke. Researchers theorize that high levels of an enzyme found in coronary plaques may be to blame, by making plaques more likely to ...
Immune system pathway identified to fight allergens, asthma.
May 19, 2008 ... For the first time, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified genetic components of dendritic cells that are key to asthma and allergy-related immune response malfunction. Targeting these elements could result in more effective drugs to treat allergic ...
Environment key early: Genes' role expands in alcohol dependence.
May 19, 2008 ... The influence of genetics increases as young women transition from taking their first drink to becoming alcoholics. A team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that although environment is most influential in determining when girls begin to drink, ...
Obesity can increase dementia risk by up to 80 percent.
May 19, 2008 ... Being obese can increase the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by as much as 80 per cent, according to a study in the May issue of Obesity Reviews (see also Wiley-Blackwell ). But it's not just weight gain that poses a ...
Studies conducted at C.C. Hsu et al on abdominal aortic aneurysm recently published.(Case study)
May 19, 2008 ... According to a study from Kitakyushu, Japan, "Infected aortic aneurysm is an uncommon life-threatening disease. A 68-year-old man had a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and repeated urinary tract infections." "He presented with fever, chills, low back pain, leukocytosis, and ...
Investigators at State University of New York have published new data on abscess.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... "Infection involving the cerebrum is a true neurosurgical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and appropriate surgical and medical intervention to achieve good clinical outcome. Because of the potential for devastating neurological sequelae, it is imperative that neurosurgeons be ...
New actinic keratosis study results from Henry Ford Hospital described.
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research from the United States, "Actinic keratosis (AK) and Bowen's disease (BD) are common patterns of in situ squamous cell carcinoma of the epidermis. In AK, atypical keratinocytes proliferate in the lower portion of the epidermis including the basal layer." ...
Study data from Soochow University update understanding of acute lymphocytic leukemia.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... According to a study from Suzhou, People's Republic of China, "The cytogenetic anomaly der(20)del(20)(q11.2q13.3)idic(20)(p11), or idic(20q-) in short form, has been reported in 13 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome, one case of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and one case of acute myeloid ...
Investigators at University of Oklahoma have published new data on acute myeloid leukemia.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... "No chromosomal rearrangements have been identified as specifically associated with minimally differentiated acute myeloid leukemia (AML-M0). Several research groups studied the cytogenetic features of kML-M0 and found that as much as 81% of patients with AML-M0 had chromosomal ...
Researchers from Azabu University report recent findings in adenocarcinoma.
May 19, 2008 ... According to a study from Fuchinobe, Japan, "The expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic endometrium in rabbits was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The tissues evaluated were 27 normal uteri, 19 cases with ...
Scientists at Polytechnic University report research in adenocarcinoma.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... According to a study from Ancona, Italy, "To develop a Bayesian belief network (BBN) for Gleason grading of prostate adenocarcinoma. A shallow network was developed for Gleason grading with open-tree topology, with a root node containing 5 subjective diagnostic alternatives and 8 ...
Study data from K.B. Stitzenberg and co-authors update knowledge of adenocarcinoma.
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research from the United States, "Absence of major arterial tumor involvement has generally been regarded as a major criterion for resectability of pancreatic tumors. We hypothesize that resection of a tumor-involved hepatic artery (HA) or celiac artery (CA) with ...
Study findings from F. Ninomiya et al provide new insights into adenocarcinoma.(Brief article)
May 19, 2008 ... "Tumors of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses of 18 dogs were examined histopathologically, immunohistochemically, and histochemically," scientists in Tokushima, Japan report (see also Adenocarcinoma ). ...
New adenomatous polyposis coli study findings have been reported by M. Brocardo and co-researchers.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research from Westmead, Australia, "The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein tumor suppressor is mutated in the majority of colon cancers. Most APC gene mutations cause deletion of the C terminus and disrupt APC regulation of beta-catenin turnover, microtubule ...
New adenovirus research from Innsbruck Medical University outlined.(Report)
May 19, 2008 ... "In this study, the alternative splicing product of vasohibin 1 (VASH1B) was analyzed in direct comparison to the major isoform (VASH1A) for antiangiogenic effects on endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) from peripheral blood and on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) ....
Scientists at Harvard University release new data on adipose tissue.
May 19, 2008 ... "The orphan nuclear receptor chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII; Nr2f2) is expressed in adipose tissue in vivo and declines during differentiation. Overexpression of COUP-TFII prevents adipogenesis, whereas shRNA-mediated reduction of COUP-TFII promotes ...
Reports from E.O. Meltzer and co-researchers add new data to research in allergies.
May 19, 2008 ... According to a study from the United States, "Product attributes influence patient preference for intranasal corticosterold therapy in allergic rhinitis (AR). The aim of the study was to compare the product sensory attributes and patient preferences of fluticasone furoate (FF) and ...
Research data from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases update understanding of allergies.
May 19, 2008 ... "We previously identified unusual variants of Moloney and Friend ecotropic mouse gammaretroviruses that have altered host range and are cytopathic in cells of the wild mouse species Mus dunni. Cytopathicity was attributed to different amino acid substitutions at the same critical env ...
Scientists at RIKEN publish research in Alzheimer disease.
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research from Wako, Japan, "The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1 beta is up-regulated in microglial cells surrounding amyloid plaques, leading to the hypothesis that IL-1 beta is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, we unexpectedly found that IL-1 ...
New findings from D. Santini and co-authors in the area of ampullary cancer published.
May 19, 2008 ... "Gemcitabine is an acceptable alternative to best supportive care in the treatment of advanced biliary tract cancers. The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1) is a ubiquitous protein and is the major means by which gemcitabine enters human cells," scientists in Rome, Italy ...
New anal cancer data have been reported by scientists at Federal University, Medical Department.
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research from Manaus, Brazil, "Backgound: Renal graft recipients are one of the population groups known to be at high risk of developing anal cancer. This study investigated the presence of subclinical anal squamous intraepithelial lesions and the diagnostic ability of ...
Recent findings from B.H. Ko and co-authors highlight research in anesthesia.
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research published in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging , " Small animal imaging with meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) allows characterization of animal models, optimization of tumor treatment strategies, and monitoring of gene ...
Studies by M. Clayer and co-authors describe new findings in aneurysm.
May 19, 2008 ... "Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) are a rare condition in adolescents and teenagers but may result in pain, fracture and growth abnormalities. The gold standard of open curettage carries the risk of surgical complications and still a local recurrence rate of 20-30%," scientists in Australia ...
Data from University of Erlangen advance knowledge in angiogenesis.
May 19, 2008 ... According to recent research from Erlangen, Germany, "The arteriovenous loop (AV loop) model is gaining importance as a means of initiating and sustaining perfusion in tissue engineering constructs in vivo. This study represents an attempt to dissect the morphology of early arterialization ...
Data on angiogenesis discussed by researchers at Medical University of South Carolina.
May 19, 2008 ... "This study explored the novel strategy of hypoxic preconditioning of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells before transplantation into the infarcted heart to promote their survival and therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation after myocardial ischemia. Mesenchymal stem ...