Health News

The final nail in the Jurassic Park coffin: Next generation sequencing reveals absence of DNA in sub-fossilized insects

Date: Sep-16-2013
It is hardly possible to talk about fossil insects in amber without the 1993 movie Jurassic Park entering the debate. The idea of recreating dinosaurs by extracting DNA from insects in amber has held the fascination of the public for two decades. Claims for successful extraction of DNA from ambers up to 130 million-years-old by various scientists in the early 1990s were only seriously questioned when a study at the Natural History Museum, London, was unable to replicate the process...

New mutation identified, associated with better survival in lung cancer patients

Date: Sep-16-2013
Japanese researchers have identified a mutation associated with a higher incidence of lung cancer in Japanese women who do not smoke, but better survival in lung cancer patients. In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, the team from the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies shows that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in a gene that protects cells from oxidative stress is found four times more frequently in women than in men. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in many industrialized countries...

What is Gynecomastia? What are man boobs?

Date: Sep-16-2013
Gynecomastia, informally known as "man boobs", is a common condition in men and boys. The breasts swell and become abnormally large. Gynecomastia is more common in newborn males, boys during puberty, and older men. In the vast majority of cases, gynecomastia is not a serious problem. However, it may be psychologically difficult to cope with. Apart from affecting self-confidence and causing embarrassment, some men and boys may also experience pain in their breasts...

Tiny diamonds to boost treatment of chemoresistant leukemia

Date: Sep-16-2013
By binding multiple molecules of a common leukemia drug with nanodiamonds, scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) managed to boost the delivery of the drug to leukemic cells and retain the drug within the cells to combat the cancer. This novel discovery, reported for the first time, addresses one of the major challenges in the treatment of leukemia where the cancer cells develop ways to pump drugs out of the body before they can do their job, particularly after they are exposed to chemotherapeutics...

Americans 'healthier and living longer'

Date: Sep-16-2013
Americans are living longer and leading healthier lives compared to 20 years ago, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) analyzed data from multiple government-sponsored health surveys that had been conducted over the last 21 years. The researchers say that for the first time, they were able to measure how the quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) of all Americans had changed over time. "QALE tells us more than how long a person can expect to live...

Researchers discover crucial pathway to fight gut infection

Date: Sep-15-2013
The researchers found virulent E. coli bacteria blocked a pathway that would normally protect the gut from infection. These infections are particularly serious in young children and can result in diarrhoea and other complications such as kidney damage. The role of this pathway in fighting gut infection was previously unknown but defects in it are associated with inflammatory bowel disease. The research, published in Nature, provides much needed insight into how the gut fights infection...

'Tingling' Asian spice could help with chronic pain

Date: Sep-15-2013
A tasty new study analyzing the effects of Szechuan pepper, a commonly used spice in Asian cooking, uncovers the intricate dynamic between the senses of taste and touch, and researchers say their findings could lead to a better understanding of what causes tingling sensations for patients with chronic pain. Though Szechuan pepper is not actually a pepper - it is the dried berries of a type of ash tree - it is used in many dishes, such as Szechuan chicken stir-fry. The spice is not particularly spicy, but it causes a tingling sensation on the lips. The researchers, led by Dr...

Breakthrough mosquito technology Kite Patch™ moves one step closer to market roll-out

Date: Sep-15-2013
Innovation Economy Crowd (ieCrowd), a company focused on transforming innovations into global solutions, today released details of its recently concluded top-ranked Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign and the next stage of development for the Kite Mosquito Patch ("Kite Patch") and the Kite technology platform. ieCrowd's 45-day crowdfunding campaign, designed to enable the crowd to participate in the development of a new approach in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases, raised over 740% of its $75,000 funding goal with the support of 11,254 financial backers from around the world...

Scientists determine high-resolution structure of 1 of 2 co-receptors used by HIV

Date: Sep-15-2013
Scientists have gotten the first close look at one of two co-receptors HIV uses to get its foot in the door of the immune system, a new study reports. Their insights could lead to better HIV drugs. CCR5, a receptor on the surface of human cells, is one of two main entry points the HIV virus uses to initiate its attack on the human immune system; by binding to it, an HIV protein can fuse to the cell membrane beneath, ultimately digging its way inside the cell. The other receptor that HIV uses to perform this feat is CXCR4...

Testing child's urine may help doctors identify risk for high blood pressure

Date: Sep-15-2013
Measuring sodium in a child's urine may help doctors identify those at risk for having high blood pressure later in life, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2013. In a small study, researchers used a new protocol to quickly screen 19 children who were 10-19-year-olds. Researchers found that of the eight who retained sodium seven had high blood pressure...