Health News

Study finds new moves in protein's evolution: Findings point to new approach to drug design

Date: Oct-01-2013
Highlighting an important but unexplored area of evolution, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found evidence that, over hundreds of millions of years, an essential protein has evolved chiefly by changing how it moves, rather than by changing its basic molecular structure. The work has implications not only for the understanding of protein evolution, but also for the design of antibiotics and other drugs that target the protein in question. "Proteins are machines that have structures and motions," said TSRI Professor Peter E. Wright, who is the Cecil H. and Ida M...

Huge increase in emergency room visits for pediatric concussions

Date: Oct-01-2013
Researchers report a skyrocketing increase in the number of visits to the emergency department for kids with sports-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI), such as concussions. The study, conducted by emergency physicians at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, shows that emergency visits for sports-related TBI increased 92 percent between 2002 and 2011. The number of children and teens admitted to the hospital with the same diagnosis also increased. That increase was proportionate to the increase in emergency department visits - about 10 percent...

Melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab can survive up to 10 years

Date: Oct-01-2013
Patients with advanced melanoma, who have been treated with the monoclonal antibody, ipilimumab, can survive for up to ten years, according to the largest analysis of overall survival for these patients, presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) [1]. Professor Stephen Hodi (MD), Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, USA), told the congress: "Our findings demonstrate that there is a plateau in overall survival, which begins around the third year and extends through to the tenth year...

Tumor genetics, cancer cell signaling discoveries pave way for use of new therapies for thyroid cancer

Date: Oct-01-2013
For many years, patients with advanced thyroid cancer faced bleak prospects and no viable treatment options. But now, building on recent discoveries about the genetics and cell signaling pathways of thyroid tumors, researchers are developing exciting new weapons against the disease, using kinase inhibitors that target tumor cell division and blood vessels. Two recent clinical trials led by a researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania showcase the great promise of these new approaches...

Commonwealth Fund Health Insurance Marketplace survey

Date: Oct-01-2013
As the key components of the Affordable Care Act roll out this week, more than three-quarters (76%) of U.S. adults are aware of the law's individual mandate, while only four of 10 are aware of the new health insurance marketplaces opening on October 1, or the financial assistance that is available to help people with low or moderate incomes pay their health insurance premiums, according to a new Commonwealth Fund survey...

The risk of developing and dying from breast and colon cancer increased by diabetes

Date: Oct-01-2013
Diabetes is linked to an increased risk of developing cancer, and now researchers have performed a unique meta-analysis that excludes all other causes of death and found that diabetic patients not only have an increased risk of developing breast and colon cancer but an even higher risk of dying from them. Dr Kirstin De Bruijn told the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) [1], that previous studies have examined the association between diabetes and dying from cancer but death from specific types of cancer has not been well-studied...

Insomnia in menopause may improve with Yoga

Date: Oct-01-2013
Taking a 12-week yoga class and practicing at home was linked to less insomnia - but not to fewer or less bothersome hot flashes or night sweats. The link between yoga and better sleep was the only statistically significant finding in this MsFLASH (Menopause Strategies: Finding Lasting Answers for Symptoms and Health) Network randomized controlled trial. "Many women suffer from insomnia during menopause, and it's good to know that yoga may help them," said lead author Katherine Newton, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Research Institute...

Patients benefit when infectious diseases physician is involved in treatment for severe infections

Date: Oct-01-2013
In a first-of-its-kind study to evaluate the impact of a medical specialty on patient outcomes, researchers found that hospitalized patients with severe infections such as meningitis and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) are significantly less likely to die if they receive care from an infectious diseases specialist. The study, which analyzed nearly 130,000 Medicare patient cases, is now available online and will be published in the December 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases...

In advanced papillary kidney cancer, everolimus slows disease progression

Date: Oct-01-2013
The first Phase II study to investigate the use of the anti-cancer drug, everolimus, for the initial treatment of advanced papillary kidney cancer has shown that it is successful in slowing or preventing the spread of the disease, according to research presented at the 2013 European Cancer Congress (ECC2013) [1]...

The search for cancer genes could be aided by new survey of DNA alterations

Date: Oct-01-2013
Scanning the DNA of nearly 5,000 tumor samples, a team led by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute has identified 140 regions of scrambled genetic code believed to contain many undiscovered cancer genes. The researchers said the mapping of the abnormal regions gives cancer scientists a starting point from which to search for as-yet undiscovered oncogenes and broken tumor-suppressor genes, which allow cells to divide and grow uncontrollably...