Health News

Calcium-rich diet may reduce female mortality

Date: Aug-22-2013
A calcium-rich diet, whether from supplements or high-calcium foods, may increase lifespans for women, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Researchers from McGill University in Canada analyzed data from a large-scale study called the Canadian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (CaMos). The researchers monitored the health of 9,033 men and women between 1996 and 2007 and then analyzed whether calcium supplements had any beneficial effects on their health...

Crohn's and colitis drug effective in trials

Date: Aug-22-2013
Two studies published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine could bring relief to people suffering from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. They report two international phase 3 clinical trials called GEMINI I and GEMINI II that found the investigational drug vedolizumab is an effective treatment for patients with the inflammatory bowel conditions for whom other treatments have not worked...

A human antibody that neutralizes 4 different viruses and has the potential to prevent and treat severe lower respiratory tract infections

Date: Aug-22-2013
A publication in the renowned scientific journal Nature describes a unique human monoclonal antibody (MPE8) discovered by the Swiss Biotech company Humabs BioMed SA in collaboration with the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) which is affiliated to the Universita della Svizzera Italiana (USI). Humabs, a privately owned spin-off company of the IRB, is focusing on the discovery of next-generation human monoclonal antibodies to treat infectious and inflammatory diseases...

Separation anxiety: More than just the back-to-school blues

Date: Aug-22-2013
Most children experience some degree of apprehension and excitement as the first day of school approaches, but what does it mean when a child is overcome with fear at the thought of separating from parents and caregivers to go to class?  This overwhelming fear may be a sign of separation anxiety disorder, a condition characterized by a school-aged child's extreme fear and nervousness of separating from loved ones. "Upwards of 5 percent of children between the ages of 7 and 11 years old suffer from separation anxiety disorder in the United States...

Family history of diabetes increases the risk of prediabetes by 26%, with effect most evident in non-obese

Date: Aug-22-2013
A study involving more than 8,000 participants has shown that people with a family history of diabetes see their risk of prediabetes increase by 26%. The research is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and is by Dr Andreas Fritsche and colleagues from the German Center for Diabetes Research*.  Prediabetes is a condition most often described as the 'state between normal blood sugar control and full diabetes', and indeed prediabetes progresses to full blown diabetes in up to 20% of individuals affected per year...

In pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, gene amplification indicates more aggressive treatment

Date: Aug-22-2013
A recent study by members of the Children's Oncology Group reports results of a large trial showing that children whose leukemia cells have amplification of a portion of chromosome 21 may require more aggressive treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) than children without this gene amplification...

Multiple myeloma cells destroyed by ingredient in turmeric spice when combined with thalidomide

Date: Aug-22-2013
In a laboratory, preclinical study recently published by the journal Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers combined structural features from anti-nausea drug thalidomide with common kitchen spice turmeric to create hybrid molecules that effectively kill multiple myeloma cells. Thalidomide was first introduced in the 1950s as an anti-nausea medication to help control morning sickness, but was later taken off the shelves in 1962 because it was found to cause birth defects...

The role of scene context on object processing

Date: Aug-22-2013
Researchers from the University of Trento replicated 'scene-context' effect in two experiments by showing that participants identified pictures of objects more accurately when presented in a consistent scene background (a barbecue in a garden) compared to when presented in an inconsistent scene background (barbecue in a living room). Current research shows that the human skill of rapidly and accurately identifying everyday objects is due in part to the context in which they are presented. This well-known scene-context effect was found to be independent of the focus of attention...

How people taste sweeteners is managed by multiple genes

Date: Aug-22-2013
Genetics may play a role in how people's taste receptors send signals, leading to a wide spectrum of taste preferences, according to Penn State food scientists. These varied, genetically influenced responses may mean that food and drink companies will need a range of artificial sweeteners to accommodate different consumer tastes. "Genetic differences lead to differences in how people respond to tastes of foods," said John Hayes, assistant professor, food science and director of the sensory evaluation center...

NIST and USAMRIID propose new explanation for key step in anthrax infection

Date: Aug-22-2013
A new hypothesis concerning a crucial step in the anthrax infection process has been advanced by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) at Fort Detrick, Md. The research teams have explored the behavior of the toxins that rapidly overwhelm the body as the often-fatal disease progresses. Their findings suggest a new possible mechanism by which anthrax bacteria deliver the protein molecules that poison victims...