Health News

UEA researchers pioneer first patient-specific 3D virtual birth simulator

Date: Nov-22-2013
Computer scientists from the University of East Anglia are working to create a virtual birthing simulator that will help doctors and midwives prepare for unusual or dangerous births.The new programme will take into account factors such as the shape of the mother's body and the positioning of the baby to provide patient-specific birth predictions.The research will be presented at the International Conference on E-Health and Bioengineering in Romania today (November 22nd).Dr Rudy Lapeer from UEA's school of Computing Sciences is leading the project.

UF study shows medical management prevents strokes in high-risk patients

Date: Nov-22-2013
A nationwide stroke prevention study shows that medication and lifestyle changes remain safer and more effective at preventing strokes than stenting in patients with narrowed brain arteries. The study analyzed long-term health outcomes from a multicenter clinical trial, which included University of Florida Health researchers Brian Hoh, M.D., the James and Newton Eblen associate professor of neurosurgery, radiology and neuroscience, and Michael Waters, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of neurology and neuroscience and UF Health Stroke Program director. The findings appeared in the Oct.

Genetic origins of Native Americans revealed by ancient Siberian genome

Date: Nov-22-2013
The genome sequence of a 24,000-year-old Siberian individual has provided a key piece of the puzzle in the quest for Native American origins. The ancient Siberian demonstrates genomic signatures that are basal to present-day western Eurasians and close to modern Native Americans. This surprising finding has great consequences for our understanding of how and from where ancestral Native Americans descended, and also of the genetic landscape of Eurasia 24,000 years ago.

Cannabis use among teens is on the rise in some developing countries

Date: Nov-22-2013
It's common to associate cannabis use with affluent youth in wealthy societies. But the relationship between societal and family affluence and cannabis use appears to be changing. A study published online in the scientific journal Addiction reveals that cannabis use is declining in rich countries but stable or increasing in developing countries.The study looked at cannabis use among 15-year-old adolescents in thirty European and North American countries in 2002, 2006, and 2010. The overall results showed a significant decline in cannabis use.

Accelerated aging found in long-term unemployed men

Date: Nov-22-2013
Men who are unemployed for more than two years show signs of faster ageing in their DNA, a new study has found.Researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Oulu, Finland studied DNA samples from 5,620 men and women born in Finland in 1966.They measured structures called telomeres, which lie at the ends of chromosomes and protect the genetic code from being degraded. Telomeres become shorter over a person's lifetime, and their length is considered a marker for biological ageing.

After a c-section, almost two-thirds of women who attempt natural delivery are successful

Date: Nov-22-2013
Almost two-thirds of women who attempt a natural delivery after having a caesarean section for their first birth are successful, according to a new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.The study, conducted by the Office for Research and Clinical Audit (ORCA) at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, aimed to investigate the factors that determine the uptake and success rate of vaginal birth after caesarean.

Alcohol, sprouts and dark meat fish can be a significant source of arsenic in the diet

Date: Nov-22-2013
Diet alone can be a significant source of arsenic exposure regardless of arsenic concentrations in drinking and cooking water, a Dartmouth College-led study finds.The study also confirms that toenail clippings are a good biomarker of long-term exposure to arsenic from consuming alcohol, Brussels sprouts and dark meat fish. Exposure to arsenic has been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, vascular diseases and low birth weight.The findings appear in Nutrition Journal.

Introducing protective variant into brain appears to halt, even reverse progression of Alzheimer's disease in mouse models

Date: Nov-22-2013
Carrying a particular version of the gene for apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the major known genetic risk factor for the sporadic, late-onset form of Alzheimer's disease, but exactly how that variant confers increased risk has been controversial among researchers.

Caffeine in coffee improves small blood vessel function

Date: Nov-22-2013
The caffeine in a cup of coffee might help your small blood vessels work better, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.A study of 27 healthy adults showed - for the first time - that drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee significantly improved blood flow in a finger, which is a measure of how well the inner lining of the body's smaller blood vessels work. Specifically, participants who drank a cup of caffeinated coffee had a 30 percent increase in blood flow over a 75-minute period compared to those who drank decaffeinated coffee.

New ancestral enzyme identified that facilitates DNA repair

Date: Nov-22-2013
Every day, the human body produces new cells to regenerate tissues and repair those that have suffered injury. Each time this happens, the cells make copies of their DNA that they will pass on to the resulting daughter cells. This process of copying the DNA, also called replication, is very delicate, given that it can generate severe alterations in the DNA that are associated with malignant transformation or ageing.