Health News

International study provides new genetic clue to anorexia

Date: Sep-14-2013
The largest DNA-sequencing study of anorexia nervosa has linked the eating disorder to variants in a gene coding for an enzyme that regulates cholesterol metabolism. The finding suggests that anorexia could be caused in part by a disruption in the normal processing of cholesterol, which may disrupt mood and eating behavior. "These findings point in a direction that probably no one would have considered taking before," said Nicholas J. Schork, a professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)...

Trauma centers serving mostly white patients have lower death rates for patients of all races

Date: Sep-14-2013
Nearly 80 percent of trauma centers in the United States that serve predominantly minority patients have higher-than-expected death rates, according to new Johns Hopkins research. Moreover, the research shows, trauma patients of all races are 40 percent less likely to die - regardless of the severity of their injuries - if they are treated at hospitals with lower-than-expected mortality rates, the vast majority of which serve predominantly white patients...

Radiotherapy in girls and the risk of breast cancer later in life

Date: Sep-14-2013
Exposing young women and girls under the age of 20 to ionizing radiation can substantially raise the risk of their developing breast cancer later in life. Scientists may now know why. A collaborative study, in which Berkeley Lab researchers played a pivotal role, points to increased stem cell self-renewal and subsequent mammary stem cell enrichment as the culprits. Breasts enriched with mammary stem cells as a result of ionizing irradiation during puberty show a later-in-life propensity for developing ER negative tumors - cells that do not have the estrogen receptor...

Low dose antibiotic treatment of C-difficile as effective as high dose in hospital setting

Date: Sep-14-2013
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) treatment in a hospital setting using low dose oral vancomycin showed similar effectiveness compared to high dose, according to a new study by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. These data were presented yesterday at the 53rd Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy meeting in Denver...

AIDS vaccine candidate appears to completely clear virus from the body in SIV cases - HIV form of the vaccine to be developed

Date: Sep-14-2013
An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University appears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body. The promising vaccine candidate is being developed at OHSU's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute. It is being tested through the use of a non-human primate form of HIV, called simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV, which causes AIDS in monkeys. Following further development, it is hoped an HIV-form of the vaccine candidate can soon be tested in humans...

Chest pain duration can signal heart attack - less than than 5 minutes unlikely to be a heart attack, but further study is needed

Date: Sep-14-2013
Patients with longer-lasting chest pain are more likely having a heart attack than those with pain of a shorter duration, according to a study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. The study is published in the September issue of Critical Pathways in Cardiology. Every year, eight to 10 million people in the U.S. go to emergency departments for chest pain. But only 15 - 30 percent of them are having a heart attack. The characteristics of chest pain are important to diagnosing the cause...

Discovery of cell division 'master controller' may improve understanding and treatment of cancer

Date: Sep-14-2013
In a study to be published in the journal Nature, two Dartmouth researchers have found that the protein cyclin A plays an important but previously unknown role in the cell division process, acting as a master controller to ensure the faithful segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Cell division is the process in which cells reproduce by splitting into two identical copies. This process happens trillions of times in an average person's lifetime...

Researchers discover two linked risk factors of preeclampsia

Date: Sep-14-2013
Researchers have discovered how one genetic and one sexual risk factor can combine to increase the risk of preeclampsia, according to a study published in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology. Elizabeth Triche and colleagues at Brown University say their findings suggest there could be new ways for couples to plan pregnancy with improved awareness of the disorder, as well as improved management of the risks. Preeclampsia is a common condition that can occur during pregnancy, most typically during the postpartum period...

How to lose weight quickly?

Date: Sep-14-2013
How to lose weight quickly is one of the most popular health questions on the internet, according to Yahoo. Losing weight can be done quickly, however, it needs to be done in a healthy way too...

Cruel behavior has reward value for 'everyday sadists'

Date: Sep-14-2013
Researchers from the University of British Columbia conducted studies about the pleasure and excitement sadists get from causing pain or displeasure, and the findings reveal that what they term "everyday sadism" is more common than we might think. Psychological scientist Erin Buckels led the studies, which showed that people who were classed as sadists (based on specific measurements) gained pleasure from hurting others. She also found that they were willing to put in extra effort to make someone else suffer. The findings were published in the journal Psychological Science...