Health News

How a sugar-rich mucus barrier traps flu virus -- and frees it to infect

Date: Nov-26-2013
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown for the first time how influenza A viruses snip through a protective mucus net to both infect respiratory cells and later cut their way out to infect other cells.The findings, published online in Virology Journal by principal investigator Pascal Gagneux, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues, could point the way to new drugs or therapies that more effectively inhibit viral activity, and perhaps prevent some flu infections altogether.

Mexican diet more dangerous than fast food chains: CVD expert calls for mandatory screening of 18 year-old Mexicans

Date: Nov-26-2013
A cardiovascular disease (CVD) expert is calling for mandatory screening of 18 year-old Mexicans to halt the CVD epidemic plaguing the nation. Cardiovascular risk factors will be a key theme at the Mexican Congress of Cardiology, held in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Congress is organised by the Mexican Society of Cardiology (MSC) and features a collaborative programme with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).Dr Enrique C.

Half of patients in Cedars-Sinai glioblastoma study still alive after 5 years

Date: Nov-26-2013
Eight of 16 patients participating in a study of an experimental immune system therapy directed against the most aggressive malignant brain tumors - glioblastoma multiforme - survived longer than five years after diagnosis, according to Cedars-Sinai researchers, who presented findings at the Fourth Quadrennial Meeting of the World Federation of Neuro-Oncology.Seven of the 16 participants still are living, with length of survival ranging from 60.7 to 82.7 months after diagnosis.

Discovery of chemical signature for 'fast' form of Parkinson's could lead to earlier detection, more effective disease management

Date: Nov-26-2013
The physical decline experienced by Parkinson's disease patients eventually leads to disability and a lower quality of life. Depending on the individual, the disorder can progress rapidly or slowly.Scientists at UCLA and colleagues have now, for the first time, identified a biochemical signal in the blood associated with the faster-progressing form of Parkinson's. Such a biomarker could help doctors predict early on, just after the onset of motor symptoms, how rapidly the disease will progress.

TV exposure in early childhood can stall cognitive development

Date: Nov-26-2013
Television is a powerful agent of development for children, particularly those in preschool. But when could too much TV be detrimental to a young child's mind? A recent paper published in the Journal of Communication found that preschoolers who have a TV in their bedroom and are exposed to more background TV have a weaker understanding of other people's beliefs and desires.

ADHD diagnoses and treatment with medication continues to increase among US children

Date: Nov-26-2013
A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) found that an estimated two million more children in the United States (U.S.) have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between 2003-04 and 2011-12. One million more U.S. children were taking medication for ADHD between 2003-04 and 2011-12. According to the study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): 6.4 million children in the U.S.

Autism study zeroes in on when and where disrupted genes exert effects

Date: Nov-26-2013
A team led by UC San Francisco scientists has identified the disruption of a single type of cell - in a particular brain region and at a particular time in brain development - as a significant factor in the emergence of autism.The finding, reported in the journal Cell, was made with techniques developed only within the last few years, and marks a turning point in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) research.

Steroid injections during pregnancy for premature babies linked to mental health risk

Date: Nov-26-2013
Steroid injections given to pregnant women before premature birth may increase the child's risk of later behavioural and emotional difficulties, a study has found.Mothers who are expected to give birth prematurely are often given an infusion of glucocorticoids, which mimic the natural hormone cortisol. This treatment is vital for helping the baby's lungs mature, but the new research suggests it may also increase the risk of mental health problems including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is the most common behavioural disorder in young people in the UK.

Gender differences in gene expression in male and female brains

Date: Nov-26-2013
UCL scientists have shown that there are widespread differences in how genes, the basic building blocks of the human body, are expressed in men and women's brains.Based on post-mortem adult human brain and spinal cord samples from over 100 individuals, scientists at the UCL Institute of Neurology were able to study the expression of every gene in 12 brain regions. The results are published in Nature Communications.They found that the way that the genes are expressed in the brains of men and women were different in all major brain regions and these differences involved 2.

Risk of autism not increased by antidepressant medication in pregnancy

Date: Nov-26-2013
New research cannot establish a close connection between the use of antidepressant medication - the so-called SSRIs - during the course of pregnancy and the risk of having a child with autism:"More and more women are given antidepressant medication while they are pregnant. And an increasing number of children are diagnosed with autism. This has given rise to concern over a possible connection.