Health News

First genetic study of stretch marks

Date: Aug-26-2013
23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, has conducted the first genetic study of striae distensae (stretch marks). Researchers at the company identified four genetic markers significantly associated with the development of stretch marks that inform why some individuals are more susceptible to the skin condition. Estimates of the prevalence of stretch marks range from 50-80 percent, however the exact causes of stretch marks are still widely unknown...

Even after onset of vascular dementia, art preserves skills: Remarkable case of a Canadian sculptor

Date: Aug-26-2013
The ability to draw spontaneously as well as from memory may be preserved in the brains of artists long after the deleterious effects of vascular dementia have diminished their capacity to complete simple, everyday tasks, according to a new study by physicians at St. Michael's Hospital. The finding, in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, looked at the last few years of the late Mary Hecht, an internationally renowned sculptor, who was able to draw spur-of-the moment and detailed sketches of faces and figures, including from memory, despite an advanced case of vascular dementia...

Fruits and vegetables may reduce bladder cancer risk in women

Date: Aug-26-2013
Women who increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables probably reduce their risk of developing invasive bladder cancer, researchers from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center reported in The Journal of Nutrition1. The authors explained that fruits and vegetables have been extensively studied for their possible effects on the risk of cancer, including bladder cancer. Fruits and vegetables contain several nutrients, phytochemicals, as well as antioxidants which potentially protect from cancer...

Eating disorder anorexia may be linked to brain size

Date: Aug-26-2013
Scientists have discovered that the size of our brains may indicate the risk of developing an eating disorder, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado say that a bigger brain may be a reason as to why people with anorexia are able to starve themselves, therefore presenting the possibility to predict onset of the disorder. The researchers studied 19 adolescent females with anorexia nervosa, alongside 22 adolescent girls without the disorder...

Hormones and microbes may cooperate with each other to protect males against autoimmune diseases

Date: Aug-26-2013
Females can mount more powerful immune responses than males, but the flip side of this enhanced protection against infections is a greater risk for autoimmune disorders. Shedding light on the underlying causes of the gender bias in autoimmune diseases, a study published by Cell Pres in the journal Immunity reveals that certain gut microbes prevalent in males can help protect them against type 1 diabetes. The study demonstrates that these microbes cooperate with sex hormones to cause this gender bias and provides an important framework that could lead to better treatments...

Depression an increased risk for grandmothers who raise their grandchildren

Date: Aug-26-2013
Grandmothers who care for their grandchildren full-time need help for depression and family strains, report researchers from the Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. Carol Musil, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor of nursing, recently conducted one the longest-running studies on grandmothers in various family situations, from serving as their grandkids' full-time caregivers to those not caring for their grandchildren as a comparison...

Future screening test could detect ovarian cancer earlier

Date: Aug-26-2013
Scientists have developed a new screening strategy for ovarian cancer, which could detect the disease in its early stages, according to a study published in the journal Cancer. Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston have created a "two-stage" ovarian cancer screening method that measures changes in a blood protein called CA125, a protein known as a marker for tumors. The scientists say that if this new screening strategy is accepted for clinical trial, it could help save the lives of thousands of women in the US alone...

Gene variants identifed that may cause kidney problems in lupus patients

Date: Aug-26-2013
Variants in a particular gene are linked with an increased risk for kidney complications in patients with lupus, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings could lead to better treatments to protect the kidney health of patients with the disease. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects many different body systems, including the central nervous system, joints, skin, heart, lungs, and kidneys...

Decitabine for blood cancers may stop spread of breast cancer cells

Date: Aug-26-2013
A drug used to treat blood cancers may also stop the spread of invasive breast cancer, researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have discovered. Their study, published online in Breast Cancer Research, found that in the lab and in animals, the drug decitabine turns on a gene coding for protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) that halts the ability of cancer cells to separate from a tumor and spread to distant organs...

New way to improve internal clock function may treat sleep disorders

Date: Aug-26-2013
Some sleep disorders may become a thing of the past, according to a study published in the journal Neuron. Researchers from McGill University and Concordia University say they have found how protein synthesis is controlled within the body's circadian clock - an internal mechanism that controls our daily rhythms. Many of us are robbed of a good night's sleep because of stress-induced insomnia, graveyard shifts and long-haul flights. In this latest study, the investigators believe they may have found how to eventually put these common sleep disturbances to bed...