Health News

Depression in patients with type 2 diabetes associated with cognitive decline

Date: Aug-15-2013
Depression in patients with type 2 diabetes was associated with greater cognitive decline in a study of almost 3,000 individuals who participated in a clinical trial, according to a report published by JAMA Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.  Depression and diabetes are among the most common illnesses in older primary care populations. Up to 20 percent of adult patients with type 2 diabetes meet the criteria for major depression. Both depression and diabetes appear to be associated with an increased risk for dementia, Mark D. Sullivan, M.D., Ph.D...

Given Imaging Receives FDA Clearance for Next Generation PillCam® SB 3

Date: Aug-15-2013
Given Imaging Ltd, (NASDAQ: GIVN) have announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance for the next generation PillCam, SB 3, to detect and monitor small bowel abnormalities associated with Crohn's disease, obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and iron deficiency anemia. "With more than 2 million procedures conducted since the first generation of the product was introduced, PillCam SB has had a significant impact on patient care in the U.S. and across the globe," said Homi Shamir, President and CEO, Given Imaging...

Get your children's sleep schedule on track for school

Date: Aug-15-2013
Back to school preparations include shopping for supplies, backpacks and clothing, but at the top of your list should be adjusting your child's sleep schedule. If they've been staying up late and sleeping in the next morning, the first day of school will be a rude awakening if you don't help them make the transition smoothly. You can help your children get ready for the start of the new school year by gradually adjusting their sleep schedule.  Starting about two weeks before school begins, set a slightly earlier bedtime and wake-up time...

Decellularized mouse heart beats again after regeneration with human heart precursor cells in Pitt project

Date: Aug-15-2013
For the first time, a mouse heart was able to contract and beat again after its own cells were stripped and replaced with human heart precursor cells, said scientists from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, reported online in Nature Communications, show the promise that regenerating a functional organ by placing human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - which could be personalized for the recipient - in a three-dimensional scaffold could have for transplantation, drug testing models and understanding heart development...

Link between race consciousness and blood pressure in black patients

Date: Aug-15-2013
Black patients preoccupied with racial concerns have higher blood pressure than those who aren't, according to results of new Johns Hopkins-led research. The findings suggest that heightened race consciousness could at least in part account for the disproportionately high rate of hypertension in black Americans - the highest prevalence of any group in the United States and one of the highest rates in the world...

AGAP3 may turn out to be central to controlling the strength of synapses

Date: Aug-15-2013
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have uncovered a protein switch that can either increase or decrease memory-building activity in brain cells, depending on the signals it detects. Its dual role means the protein is key to understanding the complex network of signals that shapes our brain's circuitry, the researchers say. A description of their discovery appears in the Journal of Neuroscience...

HPV-related tonsillar cancer on the rise in Canada

Date: Aug-15-2013
American and European research shows an alarming increase in the rate of tonsillar cancer related to the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus. Experts suggest a similar trend has emerged in Canada, but it had yet to be confirmed through scientific analysis. In a new study published in Current Oncology, a group of researchers from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University have produced evidence confirming this epidemic. Orophararyngeal cancer impacts part of the throat, including the tonsils and the base of the tongue...

Care may be improved for LGBT's by recording sexual orientation and gender identity in their medical records

Date: Aug-15-2013
Recording the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) of individuals in their health records would greatly facilitate identifying the unique health needs and health disparities of LGBT individuals, leading to improved quality and outcomes of their health care. The advantages of reporting this information and the growing support for including it in electronic health records (EHRs) are described in an article in LGBT Health, a new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, launching in fall 2013. The article is available free on the website...

Brain functioning in HIV-infected adults improved by Exercise

Date: Aug-15-2013
Regular exercise is not only good for health, but can give people living with HIV a significant mental boost. This is according to a study by Dr. David J. Moore and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), published in Springer's Journal of NeuroVirology. The study found that HIV-infected adults who exercise suffered significantly less neurocognitive impairment compared to patients who do not exercise...

Patients suffering from potentially fatal forms of vasculitis could benefit from first ever licensed treatment, UK

Date: Aug-15-2013
MabThera (rituximab) is now licensed as the first and only treatment for two potentially life-threatening auto-immune diseases, GPA and MPA, which result in the inflammation and damage of small blood vessels and frequently involve multiple organs. The two diseases affect over 13,000 people in the UK and are characterised by the decaying inflammation of specific areas of tissue in the body that, if not treated, can lead to organ damage, organ failure and even death...