Health News

Acute chest syndrome development associated with hemin and sickle cell disease

Date: Oct-03-2013
Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a complication of sickle cell disease that is characterized by sudden pain and difficulty breathing. Sickle cell disease can also cause red blood cells to suddenly breakdown and release their contents, which may trigger the onset of ACS. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Solomon Fiifi Ofori-Acquah and colleagues at Emory University asked if hemin, a product released by red blood cells during lysis, triggers ACS in a mouse model of sickle cell disease...

ATS and ERS publish policy statement on disparities in respiratory health

Date: Oct-03-2013
To address the global phenomenon of disparities in respiratory health, the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society have released an official policy statement in which each pledges its commitment to reducing health disparities between the lowest and highest socioeconomic groups by continuing or initiating work with leaders from governments, academia, and other organizations to promote scientific inquiry and training, disseminate medical information and best practices, and monitor and advocate for public respiratory health...

Ghana trial of oxytocin injection by health workers to prevent bleeding after delivery

Date: Oct-03-2013
Community health officers (health workers who are not trained midwives) can safely give injections of the drug oxytocin to prevent severe bleeding after delivery (postpartum hemorrhage) when attending home births in rural areas of Ghana, according to a study by US and Ghanaian researchers in this week's PLOS Medicine...

Scientists move closer to 'grow-your-own' brain cell cultures

Date: Oct-03-2013
Scientists from the University of Western Ontario and the Lawson Health Research Institute have successfully grown large numbers of patients' own brain cells following a small biopsy. And not only are these cells "healthy," but also they demonstrate a number of powerful attributes to protect and preserve the brain from future injury, toxins and disease...

Eating more calories in the morning, rather than evening, assists in overcoming reproductive difficulties

Date: Oct-03-2013
A new study by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University reveals that eating a good breakfast can have a positive impact on women with problems of infertility. In recent years, nutritional research has found that our weight is affected not only by the level of calorie intake, but also by the question of when to consume large amounts of calories. Now, research, conducted by Prof. Oren Froy, director of the Nutrigenomics and Functional Foods Research Center at the Robert H...

Longer use of statins may prevent dementia and memory loss

Date: Oct-03-2013
A review of dozens of studies on the use of statin medications to prevent heart attacks shows that the commonly prescribed drugs pose no threat to short-term memory, and that they may even protect against dementia when taken for more than one year. The Johns Hopkins researchers who conducted the systematic review say the results should offer more clarity and reassurance to patients and the doctors who prescribe the statin medications...

How pain pathways connect to the brain in gastric reflux

Date: Oct-03-2013
University of Adelaide researchers have made advances in the understanding of one of the world's most common medical conditions, gastric reflux, and how patients experience pain from it. Gastric reflux affects as many as one in five people in Western countries and is on the increase in Asia. Diet and lifestyle, as well as genetic and hormonal issues, are commonly considered to be major causes of gastric reflux. In laboratory studies, researchers have identified the nerve pathways in the spinal cord that transmit pain signals associated with gastric reflux to the brain...

Type 2 diabetes and mitochondrial function

Date: Oct-03-2013
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that is characterized by resistance to or insufficient production of insulin, a hormone that controls sugar movement into cells. In certain tissues, insulin resistance has been associated with dysfunction of mitochondria, which supply most of the cell's chemical energy. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, C. Ronald Kahn and colleagues at Harvard Medical School evaluated mitochondrial involvement in insulin resistance...

Common mechanisms in fragile x and down syndrome: new theory in neuroscience

Date: Oct-03-2013
A new common mechanism in Fragile X and Down syndrome has been identified by scientists at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Korea and published in the world leading science journal, Trends in Neurosciences (Cell Press). Title : Meeting at the crossroads: Common mechanisms in Fragile X and Down syndrome* Emerging evidence shows that the regulation of local protein synthesis in dendritic spines plays a crucial role in controlling synaptic morphogenesis and synaptic efficacy...

Variation in metabolic rates between individuals can explain dramatic differences in information use when it comes to food

Date: Oct-03-2013
New research has revealed that individuals with the highest metabolic rates within populations should be the least pre-occupied with keeping track of changes in their environments that could lead them to sources of food. Individuals with slower or average metabolisms however should be constantly monitoring their opportunities for higher gain when they are looking for food. The study shows that variation in metabolic rates between individuals can explain dramatic differences in information use when it comes to food...