NewsRx Health back issues from October 2008:
Topical use of estradiol may stimulate collagen production in aging skin.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Applying the hormone estradiol to skin protected from the sun appears to stimulate production of the protein collagen in older men and women, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, it may not have the same effect ...
Colorful spy tactics track live cells supporting cancerous tumors.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A new advance in cellular imaging is allowing scientists to better understand the movement of cells in the area around tumors, also known as the tumor microenvironment. In a recent article published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), dmm.biologists.org, Zena Werb and colleagues used ...
Inflammatory response to infection and injury may worsen dementia.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Inflammation in the brain resulting from infection or injury may accelerate the progress of dementia, research funded by the Wellcome Trust suggests. The findings, published this week in the journal Biological Psychiatry, may have implications for the treatment and care of those living ...
Is re-emerging superbug the next MRSA?
Oct 05, 2008 ... Dr. Ed Corboy had no idea what was afflicting his 80-year-old mother, Joan Corboy. All he knew for certain was that since being treated for what was a routine diarrheal infection, she seemed to be wasting away and none of her doctors or other health specialists could explain ...
Link between nationality and cervical cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... [PRESS RELEASE, 3 September 2008] Gynaecological screening tests for cervical cancer have been available to all women in Sweden for almost four decades. Despite this, many immigrant women have a higher risk of developing the disease than Swedish-born women, according to a new study from ...
Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin beneficial in metastatic breast cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Spanish researchers led by Dr. Emilio Alba have been studying the effects of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in a group of 155 women who had already been treated with chemotherapy. At the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm, they ...
Significant benefits in non-small-cell lung cancer from customizing erlotinib treatment.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Lung cancer patients whose tumors carry specific genetic mutations can achieve significantly longer survival when treated with targeted therapies such as erlotinib, Spanish researchers report. Investigators from the Spanish Lung Cancer Group conducted the largest-ever study to ...
Penn researchers use honeybee venom toxin to develop a new tool for studying hypertension.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have modified a honeybee venom toxin so that it can be used as a tool to study the inner workings of ion channels that control heart rate and the recycling of salt in kidneys. In general, ion channels selectively allow the ...
Cutting calories could limit muscle wasting in later years.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Chemical concoctions can smooth over wrinkles and hide those pesky grays, but what about the signs of aging that aren't so easy to fix, such as losing muscle mass? Cutting calories early could help, say University of Florida researchers who studied the phenomenon in rats. A ...
Looking vs. seeing.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The superior colliculus has long been thought of as a rapid orienting center of the brain that allows the eyes and head to turn swiftly either toward or away from the sights and sounds in our environment. Now a team of scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown that ...
Promising new treatment option for women with recurrent ovarian cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Combining the new drug trabectedin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin provides clinical benefit to women with relapsed ovarian cancer, according to new results presented at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm. The combination, ...
Mother's flu shot protects newborns.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Newborns can be protected from seasonal flu when their mothers are vaccinated during pregnancy, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The researchers observed a 63 percent reduction in proven influenza illness among infants born to ...
UNC scientists turn human skin cells into insulin-producing cells.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have transformed cells from human skin into cells that produce insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes. The breakthrough may one day lead to new treatments or even a cure for the millions of ...
Surgical technique halts cell loss, Parkinson's researchers find.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Deep brain stimulation, a surgical technique often viewed as a last resort for people with Parkinson's disease, halts the progression of dopamine-cell loss in animal models, according to preliminary research by scientists at the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati (UC) ...
A breakthrough in contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The present brief clinical report showed that Contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography (CE-IOUS) using a new microbubble agent, Sonazoid, can allow surgeons to investigate the whole liver with enough time and to find new metastases intraoperatively. Contrast-enhanced ...
UT Southwestern specialist leads effort to craft first professional guidelines for regarding earwax.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The age-old advice to routinely clean out earwax is discouraged under the first published guidelines from health care professionals about removing wax from the ear. "Unfortunately, many people feel the need to manually remove earwax, called cerumen, which serves an important ...
Expert urges FDA to take action to reduce BPA exposure.
Oct 05, 2008 ... In the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers report a significant relationship between urine concentrations of the environmental estrogen bisphenol A (BPA) and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities. In an ...
Immediate action needed to prevent 'industrial manslaughter,' says expert.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Jeanne Mager Stellman, PhD, professor and chair of environmental and occupational health sciences at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, told the President's Cancer Panel that government policy and a "lack of the will to prevent occupational disease, death and disability" are responsible for ...
1 in 2 adults at risk for painful knee arthritis.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A landmark government study suggests nearly one in two people (46%) will develop painful knee osteoarthritis over their lifetime, with the highest risk among those who are obese. According to the Arthritis Foundation, the study underscores the immediate need for the public to understand ...
Oxidative stress: Mechanism of cell death clarified.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This press release is available in German. Life processes in cells require a reducing environment that needs to be sustained with the help of a large number of antioxidative enzymes. This may sound abstract and incomprehensible, but everyone knows the phenomenon that a piece of cut apple ...
Fantastic photographs of fluorescent fish.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Scientists have discovered that certain fish are capable of glowing red. Research published in BMC Ecology includes striking images of fish fluorescing vivid red light. Due to absorption of 'red' wavelengths of sunlight by sea-water, objects which look red under normal ...
UNC, WPIC to conduct Internet-based study of cognitive behavioral therapy for bulimia.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is leading a novel clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy, delivered through a Web site and augmented with therapist-moderated, weekly online chat sessions, to face-to-face group therapy for the ...
UC Davis researchers find decrease in hysterectomy complications.
Oct 05, 2008 ... UC Davis researchers who studied hospital discharge records for nearly 650,000 California women over a 13-year period have found that complications from hysterectomies have significantly declined. The study appears in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, published by the ...
Taking back-to-school to heart.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This release is available in French. Montreal, 15 September 2008 - With a new environment, new friends and new activities, the first day of school is a big step in the lives of young school-age children and one that requires all their cognitive, motor and social-emotional ...
Older problem gamblers may face greater suicide risk than younger counterparts, study finds.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Compared to their younger counterparts, older problem gamblers who ask casinos to bar them from returning are three to four times more likely to do so because they fear they will kill themselves if they don't stop betting, according to a new study. Researchers Lia Nower, JD, ...
Social psychology can be used to understand nuclear restraint.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Social psychology is the study of how people and groups interact. A new study in the journal International Studies Review shows how social psychology can help us better understand the puzzle of nuclear restraint and uses the case of Japan to illustrate social psychology on nuclear ...
European disparities in access to cancer drugs.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... New research has highlighted stark disparities in access to the latest cancer drugs across European Union nations, according to data presented at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm. While countries like France, Spain, Austria and ...
Bisexual community reports need for improvements in mental health services.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... New research by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Sherbourne Health Centre sheds light on the mental health of bisexual people in Ontario by looking at the context of mental health issues in this group. The Bisexuality, Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being ...
Study establishes role for gefitinib in Asian nonsmokers with lung cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The targeted therapy gefitinib should be considered a first-line therapy for non-smoking Asian patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung, one of the most common types of lung cancer, suggests a presentation at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in ...
New results help predict treatment response in colorectal cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Genetic testing can identify a group of patients with advanced colorectal cancer who are likely to survive on average twice as long if treated with the drug cetuximab, late breaking results show. At the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in ...
New gene variant identified for nondiabetic end stage renal disease in African-Americans.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Scientists at Johns Hopkins schools of Public Health and Medicine have, for the first time, identified variants in the gene MYH9 that are associated with increased risk for non-diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD,) which is the near-loss of kidney function leading to either dialysis of ...
More than skin deep: There's no such thing as a 'safe' suntan, researchers warn.
Oct 05, 2008 ... There may be no such thing as a 'safe' tan based on ultraviolet (UV) radiation, according to a series of papers published in the October issue of Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, the official journal of The International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies (IFPCS) and the Society for ...
Help for shopaholics: New test determines who's at risk for compulsive buying.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Shopaholics are the butt of many jokes, but obsessive or compulsive shopping can ruin lives. Compulsive shopping can lead to financial problems, family conflicts, stress, depression, and loss of self-esteem. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, there may ...
Scientists pioneer new treatment for prostate cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Scientists at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) are developing and commercializing a promising novel therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer that may offer patients a faster and more precise treatment than existing clinical alternatives, with fewer side effects. The new ...
International TGen-led team finds link between brain protein and Alzheimer's disease.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) announced a link between the brain protein KIBRA and Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could lead to promising new treatments for this memory-robbing disorder. The new discovery builds on a previous ...
UVA reports promising method for reducing MRSA infections in hospitals.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Doctors at the University of Virginia Health System have significantly reduced MRSA infections among surgical intensive care patients by using antibiotic cycling, a method of rotating drugs at regular intervals. In a study published in the September 3, 2008 issue of Surgical ...
New data on melanoma treatment.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... People who carry a particular genetic variant are at significantly increased risk of developing malignant melanoma, new research shows. Melanomas are known to be caused by exposure to the ultraviolet light in sunlight, but the precise mechanisms involved are complex. In a ...
Ovarian cancer drug trial reveals promising new treatment.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Women with recurrent ovarian cancer can be helped by an experimental therapy using a drug already touted for its ability to fight other cancers, a finding that provides hope for improved treatment of this deadly disease. Dr. Bradley Monk, a UC Irvine gynecologic oncologist who ...
Acting Surgeon General issues 'call to action to prevent DVT and pulmonary embolism'.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., issued a Call to Action to reduce the number of cases of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the United States. Galson urged all Americans to learn about and prevent these treatable conditions. Deep ...
The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Patients with IBD have high risk of infection by hepatitis viruses B or C because during the course of their disease, they need blood transfusions, and sometimes surgical and endoscopic procedures for diagnosis and treatment. It is important to alert health professionals about prevention ...
Pneumatosis cystoids intestinalis after fluorouracil chemotherapy.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The mechanism of pneumatosis cystoids intestinalis (PCI) is unclear. The mechanical and bacterial factors are most predominant causes of PCI. Several chemotherapeutic agents recently have been reported to be associated with PCI. Fluorouracil-related PCI has not been described previously ....
Ondansetron reduces vomiting, hospital admissions in children with gastroenteritis.
Oct 05, 2008 ... University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have demonstrated that a drug called ondansetron helps reduce vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids and hospital admissions in children with acute gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is an infection, often caused by a ...
Key protein molecule linked to diverse human chronic inflammatory diseases.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Liwu Li, associate professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, has revealed a common connection between the cellular innate immunity network and human chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Type 2 Diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. The finding presents a ...
Kids with obese friends and family more likely to misperceive weight.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This release is available in French. Montreal, September 17, 2008 u Kids and teens surrounded by overweight peers or parents are more likely to be oblivious to their own extra pounds than kids from thin entourages, according to a new study by researchers from the Universite de ...
Monitoring outcomes of suicide attempts in pregnancy can better assess drug dangers.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (17 September, 2008) u Monitoring the health of children born to women who attempted suicide while pregnant can shed light on which medicines and what doses are particularly dangerous to developing fetuses, according to ...
ESF study helps stop drugs slipping through safety net.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Recent advances in genetic screening will lead to safer pharmaceutical drugs, with reduced adverse side effects, if the methods are incorporated in clinical development. A rallying call to bring key scientists into this growing field of pharmacogenics, the application of genetics to drug ...
Study examines function of prosthetic ears in improving hearing, speech recognition.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Prosthetic ears appear to improve hearing and speech recognition in noisy environments, according to a report in the September/October issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Some patients require prosthetic ears because their pinna (outer ...
NC State first university in nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting. Dr. Steven Suter, ...
Study points to 1 cause of higher rates of transplanted kidney rejection in blacks.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A Johns Hopkins research team reports it may have an explanation for at least some of the higher organ rejection rates seen among black - as compared to white - kidney transplant recipients. In a study of 50 healthy adult men, 25 black and 25 white, significantly different ...
Unusual case of a woman who suffered stroke during sex.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Minutes after having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suddenly felt her left arm go weak. Her speech became slurred and she lost feeling on the left side of her face. She was having a stroke. Doctors later concluded the stroke probably was due to ...
TGen investigators devise faster, cheaper way of analyzing the human genome.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) announced a faster and less expensive way for scientists to find which genes might affect human health. Using bar-codes, not unlike what shoppers find in grocery stores, TGen researchers found a way to index ...
New cannabis-like drugs could block pain without affecting brain, says study.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A new type of drug could alleviate pain in a similar way to cannabis without affecting the brain, according to a new study published in the journal Pain on Monday 15 September. The research demonstrates for the first time that cannabinoid receptors called CB2, which can be ...
Connolly tells Manchester conference: Tutankhamen fathered twins.(Conference news)
Oct 05, 2008 ... Two foetuses found in the tomb of Tutankhamen may have been twins and were very likely to have been the children of the teenage Pharaoh, according to the anatomist who first studied the mummified remains of the young King in the 1960s. Professor Robert Connolly, who is working ...
'Biological clock' genes control plant growth.
Oct 05, 2008 ... More than 125 years ago Charles Darwin first reported that most plants grow in a spurt during the night, not the day u and this week, scientists are reporting the discovery of the genes that control this phenomenon. These rhythmic growth spurts, and the ability of plants to move ...
Adding taxotere to chemotherapy regimen improves survival in early breast cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... For patients with early stage breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, adding four cycles of docetaxel (Taxotere) into a sequential regimen of epirubicin followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF) reduces the risk of recurrence and death, updated long-term ...
Seize the day! New research helps tightwads 'live a little'.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Some people have trouble indulging, and they regret it later. There's hope for those people, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. While many people have no trouble treating themselves to luxury items or relaxing vacations, others have trouble spending on ...
Joining forces against cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... In cancer therapy, the best results are often achieved by combining treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. This multidisciplinary approach is the focus of special symposia at the meetings of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the European Society for ...
New study will make criminals sweat.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The inventor of a revolutionary new forensic fingerprinting technique claims criminals who eat processed foods are more likely to be discovered by police through their fingerprint sweat corroding metal. Dr John Bond, a researcher at the University of Leicester and scientific ...
New tool to speed cancer therapy approval available.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Although cancer remains a leading cause of death in America, it can take up to 12 years to bring a new anti-cancer agent before the FDA and the success rate for approval is only five to 10 percent. That means many research hours and dollars are wasted chasing avenues that will not bring ...
Protecting those who heal.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Patients are not the only ones at risk during cardiac procedures. Doctors performing heart surgery also face health risks, namely to their eyes. The IAEA is helping to raise awareness of threats, through training in radiation protection related to medical uses of X-ray imaging ...
Newer antipsychotics no better than older drug in treating child and adolescent schizophrenia.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Two newer atypical antipsychotic medications were no more effective than an older conventional antipsychotic in treating child and adolescent schizophrenia and may lead to more metabolic side effects, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute ...
Pictures of hot fudge sundaes arouse: Understanding emotions improves our food choices.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Menus and advertising affect our emotions, and if we understand those emotions, we make better food choices, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. Authors Blair Kidwell, David M. Hardesty, and Terry L. Childers (all University of Kentucky) examined the ...
Hopkins Children's study: Parents of dying newborns need clearer explanation of options.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Parent-doctor discussions about whether to maintain or withdraw life support from terminally ill or severely premature newborns are so plagued by miscommunication and misunderstanding that they might as well be in different languages, according to a small but potentially instructive new ...
Viral 'magic bullet' targets cancer cells with help of new compound.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This press release is available in French. Researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Research Institute of the Jewish General Hospital u along with colleagues at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) ureport a significant breakthrough ...
Avoid coupon redeemers: Their stigma is contagious unless they're attractive.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Less than 2 percent of Americans use coupons, likely because of fear of being viewed as cheap or poor. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research demonstrates that not only do coupon users face stigmatization; people who stand near them do too. Authors Jennifer J. Argo ...