Health News

Zebrafish help researchers improve human muscle stem cell therapy prospects

Date: Nov-11-2013
Harvard Stem Cell Scientists have discovered that the same chemicals that stimulate muscle development in zebrafish can also be used to differentiate human stem cells into muscle cells in the laboratory, an historically challenging task that, now overcome, makes muscle cell therapy a more realistic clinical possibility...

Dialysis machine components may be contaminating blood with BPA

Date: Nov-11-2013
Levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in components of dialysis machines may be toxic to the immune cells circulating in kidney failure patients' blood, according to a study presented at ASN Kidney Week 2013 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. The hormone disruptor BPA is found in various components of dialysis machines - or dialyzers - that filter kidney failure patients' blood...

Kidney disease patients who consume more vegetable protein may live longer

Date: Nov-11-2013
Increased consumption of vegetable protein was linked with prolonged survival among kidney disease patients in a new a study. The findings were presented at ASN Kidney Week at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. Due to poor kidney function, toxins that are normally excreted in the urine can build up in the blood of individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Research shows that compared with animal protein, vegetable protein intake in patients is linked with lower production of such toxins...

Tissue damage repaired in adult mice by fountain-of-youth gene

Date: Nov-11-2013
Young animals recover from tissue damage better than adults, and from Charles Darwin's time until now, scientists have puzzled over why this is the case. A study published by Cell Press in the journal Cell has revealed that an evolutionarily conserved gene called Lin28a, which is very active in embryos but not in adults, enhances tissue repair after injury when reactivated in adult mice. The findings open up new avenues for the treatment of injuries and degenerative diseases in adult humans...

Hyper-connected neurons may cause social symptoms in autistic children

Date: Nov-11-2013
The brains of children with autism show more connections than the brains of typically developing children do. What's more, the brains of individuals with the most severe social symptoms are also the most hyper-connected. The findings reported in two independent studies published in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports challenge the prevailing notion in the field that autistic brains are lacking in neural connections. The findings could lead to new treatment strategies and new ways to detect autism early, the researchers say...

Salt restriction might prevent kidney failure and protect against heart disease

Date: Nov-11-2013
Reducing salt intake provides clear benefits for the heart and kidney health of patients with chronic kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings point to the power of salt restriction in potentially prolonging kidney disease patients' lives. Excessive salt intake is consistently linked to increased risk of heart disease and worsening kidney function...

Acute kidney injury patients may not be receiving sufficient care after discharge

Date: Nov-11-2013
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the most common in-hospital diagnosis seen by US nephrologists, but patients with the condition may not be receiving sufficient follow-up care. That's the conclusion of a study presented at ASN Kidney Week at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. AKI, an abrupt decline in kidney function, is an increasingly prevalent and potentially serious condition in hospitalized patients. It sometimes arises after major surgery because the kidneys can be deprived of normal blood flow during such procedures...

Poor women experience delays in breast cancer diagnosis

Date: Nov-11-2013
Researchers say that young women with breast cancer who are of a poorer financial status may experience delays in seeking medical care and advice for the disease. This is according to a study published in the journal Cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer is diagnosed in less than 1 in 200 women under the age of 40. However, the ACS states breast cancer is the leading cause of death in this age group, and the 5-year survival rate as a result of breast cancer is slightly lower in women diagnosed with the disease before the age of 40...

When exercising, women have greater shortness of breath than men

Date: Nov-11-2013
The reason women find it harder to breathe than men during exercise is due to greater electrical activation of their breathing muscles, shows a new study published today [8 November] in the journal Experimental Physiology. It is well established that women experience greater shortness of breath during physical activity, from stair climbing to long-distance running, than men of a similar age. This is true in healthy young and older adults, as well as in patients with chronic heart and lung disease. This study is the first to explain why this happens...

A clinical perspective on breastfeeding and autism

Date: Nov-10-2013
In an article appearing in Medical Hypotheses, a New York-based physician-researcher from the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine has called for the testing of umbilical cord blood for levels of a growth protein that could help predict an infant's propensity to later develop autism. Based on an analysis of findings in prior published studies, Touro researcher Gary Steinman, MD, PhD, proposes that depressed levels of a protein called insulin-like growth factor (IGF) could potentially serve as a biomarker that could anticipate autism occurrence...