Health News

Droplet Digital PCR enables reproducible quantification of microRNA biomarkers

Date: Sep-03-2013
A study published online in Nature Methods demonstrated that Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR™) technology can be used to precisely and reproducibly quantify microRNA (miRNA) in plasma and serum across different days, paving the way for further development of miRNA and other nucleic acids as circulating biomarkers. "In the field of circulating microRNA diagnostics, droplet digital PCR enables us to finally perform biomarker studies in which the measurements are directly comparable across days within a laboratory and even among different laboratories," said Dr...

Collagen clue reveals new drug target for untreatable form of lung cancer

Date: Sep-03-2013
Collagen, the stuff of ligaments and skin, and the most abundant protein in the human body, has an extraordinary role in triggering chemical signals that help protect the body from cancer, a new study reveals. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, have uncovered a series of chemical signals sent out by collagen that appear to protect against cancer's growth. Boosting those signals could act as an effective treatment for cancers that grow in the presence of collagen, including squamous cell lung cancer, for which no targeted treatments currently exist...

US obesity rates on the rise: 113 million by 2022

Date: Sep-03-2013
The US has been called out in the past for having the most obese population. And based on a new report, which estimates that the US will hold the highest population of overweight people in 2022, it looks like tackling obesity will be an important issue over the next decade. The report, compiled by researchers at GlobalData, was created using data and information from several databases, as well as in-house analysis by industry experts...

Preventive percutaneous coronary intervention results in better outcomes than culprit artery PCI alone in ST elevation myocardial infarction

Date: Sep-03-2013
Heart attack patients with ST elevation who undergo a preventive procedure to unblock additional coronary arteries have significantly better outcomes than those whose treatment is confined to the culprit blockage only, according to the results of the Preventive Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (PRAMI) Trial...

Magnetic resonance imaging before ablation for atrial fibrosis helps predict success of treatment

Date: Sep-03-2013
In patients with atrial fibrillation, delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) performed before ablative treatment can stage the degree of damaged heart tissue (atrial fibrosis) and help predict whether treatment will be successful or not, according to results of Delayed Enhancement - MRI determinant of successful Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation (DECAAF) trial...

Hokusai-VTE study suggests certain sub-groups of venous thromboembolism patients may need review

Date: Sep-03-2013
In the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE), the oral anticoagulant edoxaban resulted in equal efficacy and better safety compared to standard warfarin when either drug was used with initial low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), according to the results of the Hokusai-VTE trial...

Family history doubles aortic stenosis risk

Date: Sep-03-2013
Aortic stenosis is the most common heart valve disease in the elderly. It is associated with congenital bicuspid aortic valve and previous rheumatic heart disease, but is also often caused by calcification of a normal valve. Calcification of a normal valve may be associated with atherosclerotic changes in the portion of the aorta closest to the valve. Dr Ranthe said: "Genetic factors may play a role in the development of aortic stenosis. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the lipoprotein(a) locus has been associated with aortic valve calcification and aortic stenosis...

Brain development altered by learning a new language

Date: Sep-03-2013
The age at which children learn a second language can have a significant bearing on the structure of their adult brain, according to a new joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro at McGill University and Oxford University. The majority of people in the world learn to speak more than one language during their lifetime. Many do so with great proficiency particularly if the languages are learned simultaneously or from early in development. The study concludes that the pattern of brain development is similar if you learn one or two language from birth...

The relationship between chronic illness and food insecurity

Date: Sep-03-2013
Research findings provide direct evidence that people with chronic diseases are more likely to be food insecure - that is suffering from inadequate, insecure access to food as a result of financial constraints. Previous research has shown that food insecurity rates are highest among low-income households, in households reliant on social assistance, reporting Aboriginal status, renting rather than owning their dwelling, and lone-parent female-led (see recent annual report from PROOF)...

Stroke systems of care essential to reducing deaths, disabilities

Date: Sep-03-2013
Several key elements in systems of care can reduce stroke deaths and disabilities, according to a new American Heart Association/American Stroke Association policy statement published in its journal Stroke. Stroke is the number four cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, every 4 minutes someone dies of a stroke. The policy statement addresses patients' care from the time stroke symptoms are identified, to the emergency medical services' (EMS) response, to the transport and treatment in the hospital and rehabilitation...