Health News

DNA regulator stops cancer cells in their tracks

Date: Nov-20-2013
Understanding how and why cancer cells move away from their original location is important to find ways to stop the spread of the disease. New findings, published in the Nature journal Oncogene, reveal how a protein, called 'PRH', is normally able to prevent cells from unnecessary migration. It is likely that this protein is less effective in cancer cells allowing the cells to venture away.

Costs soar in United States for atrial fibrillation hospitalizations

Date: Nov-20-2013
U.S. hospitalizations and costs of care for atrial fibrillation nearly doubled from 1998 to 2010, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.Over 4.6 million hospitalizations occurred nationwide for atrial fibrillation during the decade, said researchers who found the progressive percentage increase reached 46 percent.Researchers projected a similar trend in hospitalizations and costs over the next decade and concluded that 541,000 hospitalizations can be expected by 2020, a 28 percent relative increase from 2010.

Link discovered between red cell distribution width levels and depression in heart patients

Date: Nov-20-2013
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute have discovered a link between elevated red cell distribution width levels and depression in patients being treated for heart disease. This new discovery can help physicians provide earlier diagnosis and treatment for possible depression in heart patients.Red cell distribution width or RDW is a parameter that measures variation in red blood cell size or red blood cell volume. A high RDW (over 14.5%) means that the red blood cells vary a lot in size. A normal RDW is 11.6 to 14.

Consensus statement: antibody-mediated rejection in heart transplantation

Date: Nov-20-2013
Antibody-mediated rejection of the transplanted heart is a recognized clinical complication and a major limitation to survival of patients who have undergone heart transplantation. Experts have now developed a new working formulation for the pathologic diagnosis, grading, and reporting of cardiac antibody-mediated rejection. Their consensus statement is published in the December issue of The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation and is freely available online.Heart transplantation is the definitive therapy for eligible patients with end-stage heart failure.

News from Annals of Internal Medicine: Nov. 19, 2013

Date: Nov-20-2013
1. Experts weigh cancer screening strategy based on life expectancyCalculating comorbidity-adjusted life expectancy may help physicians determine whether to continue or stop cancer screening in elderly patients, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The benefits of early cancer detection decline sharply with age because older patients are more likely to die of comorbid conditions or other causes. Published guidelines differ on when to stop screening elderly patients for cancer. For example, the U.S.

Innovative way to study body glucose regulation

Date: Nov-20-2013
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found an innovative way to study glucose regulation in the body: by transferring the vital insulin-producing cells from the pancreas to the eye, the latter can serve as a kind of window through which health reports can be obtained from the former. The results, which are expected to have a significant impact on diabetes research, are published in scientific journal PNAS.The endocrine part of the pancreas, the Islets of Langerhans, produces and secretes insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

Peripheral artery disease, exercise and blood growth factor

Date: Nov-20-2013
A blood cell growth factor can boost the effects of exercise in improving mobility for patients with peripheral artery disease, a clinical study has shown.The results were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting in Dallas (Session CS-01).Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine were testing whether GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor), already used to restore white blood cell numbers during cancer treatment, could help heal blood vessels damaged by atherosclerosis.

Cancer's family tree mapped by fingerprinting single cancer cells

Date: Nov-20-2013
A new method to take the DNA fingerprint of individual cancer cells is uncovering the true extent of cancer's genetic diversity, new research reveals.The technique can identify the founding mutations from which a tumour evolved and then uses computer software to draw a map of the cancer's family tree.Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute used DNA sequencing to identify a panel of mutations present across thousands of cancer cells in three patients with leukaemia.

Should general practices open for longer? UK

Date: Nov-20-2013
The government wants general practices to open longer for scheduled care. Two doctors with opposing views discuss this on bmj.com.Dr James Kingsland, President of the National Association of Primary Care and Senior Partner at St Hilary Group Practice in Merseyside, agrees with the proposal and says that it will reduce pressure on emergency services.

Risky heart rhythm may be identified via small vessel changes in eye, kidney

Date: Nov-20-2013
People with damage in the small blood vessels of the retina and kidneys are at increased risk to develop the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2013.Atrial fibrillation raises the risk of stroke and causes heart-related chest pain or heart failure in some people.Researchers in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) followed 10,009 middle-aged people for an average 13.6 years. Atrial fibrillation developed at a rate of: 5.