Health News

'Prehabilitation' exercise training effective before surgery in an elderly population

Date: Nov-19-2013
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) assessment and exercise training in an elderly population is safe and well tolerated, according to the results of a new feasibility study, conducted in the UK.CPET is a non-invasive measurement of the cardiovascular and respiratory system during exercise to assess exercise capacity and cardiopulmonary fitness. According to the researchers, the role of exercise training or 'prehabilitation' for optimising preoperative physiological function to counter catabolic effects of surgery has received little attention in cancer patients.

Brain surgery technique 'effective' for spinal surgery

Date: Nov-19-2013
Researchers have discovered that a technique commonly used in brain surgery could be useful to determine whether surgery is needed for patients who suffer from lower back problems, and to what extent surgery is required.The investigators from Australia and Germany say the technique, called the sedimentation sign (SedSign) - which involves measuring pressure in the spinal canal - proved more successful in determining the lower back problems of patients, compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical examination alone.According to Prof.

New research presented by population council at the International Conference on Family Planning

Date: Nov-19-2013
The Population Council presented findings from more than 40 research studies at the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Council experts showcased new research during panel sessions, oral presentations, roundtable discussions, a press conference, and poster presentations.

Retinal implant system research provides positive results for people with genetic eye disease

Date: Nov-19-2013
Research presented at the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology shows promising data about a device that helps people who have lost their vision due to a blinding genetic disease to recognize common objects. In the study, the researchers found when the objects' outlines had been enhanced, there was increased recognition. The device, called the Argus II, is the first FDA-approved retinal implant for adults with retinitis pigmentosa.Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic disorders that affect the retina's ability to respond to light.

Tumor suppressor proteins activate damaged cell's own suicide program

Date: Nov-19-2013
New study suggests that selective blockade of CRM1-dependent nuclear export represents a completely novel, tumour metastasis-selective approach for the treatment of advanced metastatic prostate cancers.According to the researchers, the human nuclear export protein chromosomal region maintenance/exportin 1/Xpo1 (CRM1) is the sole exportin mediating transport of many multiple tumor suppressor proteins out of the nucleus.

Results in screening for celiac disease among young people considered ambiguous

Date: Nov-19-2013
Most children who undergo screening to detect gluten intolerance, celiac disease, can handle it well. However, many people feel that the discovery of the disease and the treatment they receive does not provide a better quality of life. Katrina Nordyke addressed this topic as she defended her thesis at Umea University.Celiac disease is a chronic disease attributable to genetic susceptibility which causes damage to the small intestine by the intake of gluten in the diet.

Chronic diseases hinder good cancer survival rates

Date: Nov-19-2013
For bowel cancer patients with several other diseases, the one-year survival rate is 46 percent. For those without other diseases it is 80 percent. The same disparity characterizes other major types of cancer, shows new research based on figures from the Central Denmark Region.There are many people in this position and the number is increasing; cancer patients who not only have to fight against cancer, but also suffer from other diseases.

Reducing food insecurity and improving the nutritional quality of SNAP participants' diets

Date: Nov-19-2013
Millions of families in the United States struggle to provide nutritionally adequate meals due to insufficient money or other resources. To combat food security issues, over one in seven Americans currently rely upon the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the largest federal nutrition program, to provide monetary support for nutrition. In the past, SNAP has been shown to reduce poverty among the poorest Americans and generate economic activity.

Immunosuppression may not be necessary for persistent gene therapy in muscle

Date: Nov-19-2013
Successful gene therapy is based on the effective delivery and maintained expression of healthy copies of a gene into tissues of individuals with a disease-associated genetic mutation. Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have shown promise in early clinical trials as effective therapies for several genetic diseases, including Leber congenital amaurosis, Parkinson disease, and hemophilia. Unfortunately, delivery of rAAV vectors to tissues other than the retina and CNS often results in development of an immune response against the viral capsid.

New genome sequence data indicates world's most common species of malaria may be evolving to become bigger threat

Date: Nov-19-2013
Provocative new research shows that the Plasmodium vivax parasite, responsible for nearly 20 million cases of malaria in 2010, may be "rapidly evolving" to overcome the natural resistance conferred by a blood type found in millions of Africans, scientists reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).In large swaths of sub-Saharan Africa, some 95 percent or more of the population have been considered protected from vivax malaria because of something they lack on their red blood cells: the "Duffy blood group protein.