Health News

Cancer suppressing gene identified

Date: Nov-20-2013
Adelaide researchers have found that a specific gene plays an important role in suppressing lymphoma, a type of blood cell cancer.The caspase-2 gene is related to a family of proteins that are essential for the self-destruction of cells in the body, a process known as apoptosis.

Lethal cytotoxins employed by bacteria to evade antibiotic treatment

Date: Nov-20-2013
Bacteria that cause infectious diseases produce a number of cytotoxins, and an international research team has now found the mechanism behind one of these toxins. The new results could make it possible in future to develop new treatment methods to impair the cytotoxic activity and thereby reduce the severity of infectious diseases.In spite of the fact that the first antibiotics were discovered almost a century ago, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, encephalitis and meningitis are still serious diseases for humans in the twenty-first century.

'Anti-ketamine' to treat depression

Date: Nov-20-2013
Thirteen years ago, an article in this journal first reported that the anesthetic medication, ketamine, showed evidence of producing rapid antidepressant effects in depressed patients who had not responded to prior treatments. Ketamine works by blocking one of the targets for the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor.Now, a new study in Biological Psychiatry reports that enhancing, instead of blocking, that same target - the NMDA glutamate receptor - also causes antidepressant-like effects.

Anti-clotting medication dabigatran successfully reversed by newly developed antidote

Date: Nov-20-2013
For the first time, an antidote developed specifically for dabigatran successfully reversed the effects of the anti-clotting medication in healthy volunteers, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.New oral anti-clotting medications such as dabigatran (Pradaxa) are easier to take than warfarin. However, up until now, there have been no specific antidotes available to reverse the effects of these new anti-clotting medications when managing life-threatening bleeding or performing emergency surgery.

Structure captured of key part of deadly Nipah virus

Date: Nov-20-2013
What began as a summer internship project designed for an undergraduate student evolved into a one-year study of one of the deadliest, but little known viruses. Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have now solved the structure of a key protein in the Nipah virus, which could pave the way for the development of a much-needed antiviral drug."This structure shows how key pieces of the virus's machinery are oriented and tethered together," said TSRI Professor Erica Ollmann Saphire, senior author of the study.

Aggressive prostate cancer charted by novel study

Date: Nov-20-2013
Many patients diagnosed with prostate cancer have indolent, slow-growing forms of the disease that are not life-threatening. However, more than 30,000 American men will die from aggressive prostate cancer this year alone. This sharp contrast between low-risk and aggressive disease presents a challenge for many researchers and physicians as they diagnose patients and also determine the prognosis of the men with the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

Glaucoma risk double for long-term oral contraceptive users

Date: Nov-20-2013
Research presented at the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in New Orleans, has found that women who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years are twice as likely to suffer from glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness which affects nearly 60 million worldwide. The researchers caution gynecologists and ophthalmologists to be aware of the fact that oral contraceptives might play a role in glaucomatous diseases, and inform patients to have their eyes screened for glaucoma if they also have other risk factors.

Temporary employment linked to childbirth later in life

Date: Nov-20-2013
Today's women are having their first child later in life. According to the CDC, women in the US bear their first child at an average age of 25.6. But a new study suggests a woman's employment status may influence the age of first childbirth, with prolonged temporary employment causing a woman to be childless up to the age of 35.

The influence of media on youth smoking

Date: Nov-20-2013
Exposure to a single pro-smoking media message increases college-aged students' risk of using tobacco for seven days, providing new clues about the influence of media on smoking, according to a new RAND Corporation study.The novel project is the first to attempt to quantify the persistence that cigarette advertising and other pro-smoking media messages have on consumers. The study is published online by the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Cancer risk warning from higher than normal levels of vitamin B12

Date: Nov-20-2013
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin [Cbl]) is essential for maintaining healthy bodily function but higher than normal levels (reference range 200-600 pmol/L) may indicate that a patient is at risk of developing certain cancers, according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies had suggested an association between high Cbl levels and specific cancers.