Health News

Gene expression analysis shows bird brain an even better model for research

Date: Sep-19-2013
Explorers need good maps, which they often end up drawing themselves. Pursuing their interests in using the brains of birds as a model for the human brain, an international team of researchers led by Duke neuroscientist Erich Jarvis and his collaborators Chun-Chun Chen and Kazuhiro Wada have just completed a mapping of the bird brain based on a 10-year exploration of the tiny cerebrums of eight species of birds...

Immune function likely enhanced by red grapes, blueberries

Date: Sep-19-2013
In an analysis of 446 compounds for their ability to boost the innate immune system in humans, researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University discovered just two that stood out from the crowd - the resveratrol found in red grapes and a compound called pterostilbene from blueberries. Both of these compounds, which are called stilbenoids, worked in synergy with vitamin D and had a significant impact in raising the expression of the human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, or CAMP gene, that is involved in immune function...

Medical imaging self-referral increases unnecessary MRI exams for patients

Date: Sep-19-2013
Patients having knee MRI examinations are significantly more likely to receive a negative finding if referred by physicians who have a financial interest in the imaging equipment being used, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology. Imaging self-referral, whereby a non-radiologist physician refers their own patients for imaging to facilities in which they or their partners have a financial interest, is a growing trend in medicine and a significant driver of healthcare costs. Medical imaging self-referral leads to higher utilization and unnecessary imaging examinations...

Tackling racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes

Date: Sep-19-2013
A new UMMS study concludes that all postmenopausal women with diabetes, regardless of race, have the same high mortality risk, so diabetes prevention is the key to eliminating racial disparities in diabetes deaths Despite higher rates of diabetes in black and Hispanic women, the rate at which women die of diabetes-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer is the same for all postmenopausal women, regardless of race or ethnicity, according to a new UMass Medical School study...

Possible antidote discovered for tamoxifen-related mental fog

Date: Sep-19-2013
A team from the University of Rochester Medical Center has shown scientifically what many women report anecdotally: that the breast cancer drug tamoxifen is toxic to cells of the brain and central nervous system, producing mental fogginess similar to "chemo brain." However, in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers also report they've discovered an existing drug compound that appears to counteract or rescue brain cells from the adverse effects of the breast cancer drug. Corresponding author Mark Noble, Ph.D...

Workers involved in Gulf oil spill cleanup show hematological and hepatic abnormalities

Date: Sep-19-2013
A new study reports that workers exposed to crude oil and dispersants used during the Gulf oil spill cleanup display significantly altered blood profiles, liver enzymes, and somatic symptoms compared to an unexposed control group. Investigators found that platelet counts were significantly decreased in the exposed group, while both hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were notably increased. Their findings, reported in The American Journal of Medicine, suggest that oil spill cleanup workers are at risk for developing hepatic or blood-related disorders...

Insight into protective mechanisms for hearing loss suggests potential gene therapy or medicine

Date: Sep-19-2013
Researchers from the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School have created a new mouse model in which by expressing a gene in the inner ear hair cells -- the sensory cells that detect sound and sense balance -- protects the mice from age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), the two most common forms of deafness...

Analysis suggests saline shots may do just as well as steroids for lower back pain

Date: Sep-19-2013
New research from Johns Hopkins suggests that it may not be the steroids in spinal shots that provide relief from lower back pain, but the mere introduction of any of a number of fluids, such as anesthetics and saline, to the space around the spinal cord. For decades, epidural steroid injections have been the most common nonsurgical treatment for lower back pain even though extensive research shows mixed results...

Volasertib* receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia

Date: Sep-19-2013
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have announced the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to volasertib*, an investigational inhibitor of polo-like kinase (Plk), being evaluated for the treatment of patients aged 65 or older with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia (AML), ineligible for intensive remission induction therapy...

Study provides data to focus diarrheal disease response in remote, resource-strapped area of Africa

Date: Sep-19-2013
Using a simple survey tool, a team of researchers has done what complex studies have failed to do - provide data that identifies starting points for preventing diarrheal disease outbreaks in at least one region of Africa. Diarrheal illness is a leading cause of disease and death in children under 5, and in HIV-plagued Botswana, it is a significant issue for those over 5 as well...