Health News

Fracture risk predicted by quality of bone as well as bone density

Date: Aug-07-2013
In a study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland, bone histomorphometry and infrared spectroscopy revealed abnormal bone properties in children with vertebral fractures and in children after solid organ transplantation. Bone compositional changes in children with vertebral fractures and after different types of organ transplantation have not been reported previously. Bone samples were investigated using bone histomorphometry, a microscopic method that provides information about bone metabolism and remodelling...

New model helps clinicians to prioritize recommended preventive care methods

Date: Aug-07-2013
With physicians facing increasing demands on their time, it can be extremely difficult to prioritize which preventive care methods should be used for their patients. Now, two researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have developed a mathematical model that will save time, lead to enhanced care, and potentially save lives. The two researchers, Glen Taksler, PhD and Scott Braithwaite, MD, MSc, have co-authored the lead article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, entitled "Personalized Estimates of Benefit from Preventive Care Guidelines: A Proof of Concept...

Some glioblastoma patients would benefit from personalized treatment with drugs currently used in other cancers

Date: Aug-07-2013
A team of researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center has identified 18 new genes responsible for driving glioblastoma multiforme, the most common - and most aggressive - form of brain cancer in adults. The study was published in Nature Genetics. "Cancers rely on driver genes to remain cancers, and driver genes are the best targets for therapy," said Antonio Iavarone, MD, professor of pathology and neurology at Columbia University Medical Center and a principal author of the study...

Telephone coaching does not reduce hospital use and related costs, UK

Date: Aug-07-2013
One-to-one telephone health coaching did not seem to reduce hospital use and related costs for patients with long term conditions - and may even lead to increased use, finds a study published on bmj.com. The study adds weight to the view that health coaching by itself does not appear to reduce hospital activity. The authors suggest that it may be more effective if it were better integrated into the respective care pathways for these groups of patients or were coupled with other interventions...

Breast cancer association with blood pressure drug

Date: Aug-07-2013
Postmenopausal women who take a class of medicine for high blood pressure may be at a greater risk for developing breast cancer, according to a recent study by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first of its kind to analyze long-term use of the antihypertensive drugs known as calcium-channel blockers and to associate their use to a risk of breast cancer...

The brain's motor cortex made more efficient by practice

Date: Aug-07-2013
Not only does practice make perfect, it also makes for more efficient generation of neuronal activity in the primary motor cortex, the area of the brain that plans and executes movement, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Their findings, published online in Nature Neuroscience, showed that practice leads to decreased metabolic activity for internally generated movements, but not for visually guided motor tasks, and suggest the motor cortex is "plastic" and a potential site for the storage of motor skills...

Cataract prevention hope from new close-up view of protein

Date: Aug-07-2013
Researchers have discovered atomic-scale views of an eye protein that maintains transparency of the lens in the human eye, which could potentially lead to new ways of treating and preventing cataracts. A study, published in the Nature journal Structural and Molecular Biology, shows how scientists have achieved dynamic views of a protein found only in the lenses of mammalian eyes - aquaporin zero (AQP0)...

Tidy or messy desk? 'Both have benefits'

Date: Aug-07-2013
Tidying the desk is something we rarely get around to, until your boss complains about the 5-foot-high pile of paperwork threatening to fall over. But next time they do, you can tell them that the mess is promoting creative thinking and stimulating new ideas, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Minnesota have discovered that although a tidy desk can encourage healthy eating, generosity and conventionality, an untidy desk can also be beneficial...

First probable person to person transmission of new bird flu virus in China

Date: Aug-07-2013
The first report of probable person to person transmission of the new avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in Eastern China is published on bmj.com . The findings provide the strongest evidence yet of H7N9 transmission between humans, but the authors stress that its ability to transmit itself is "limited and non-sustainable." Avian influenza A (H7N9) virus was recently identified in Eastern China. As of 30 June 2013, 133 cases have been reported, resulting in 43 deaths...

Oxytocin, the 'love hormone' may have relevance in autism

Date: Aug-07-2013
In a loud, crowded restaurant, having the ability to focus on the people and conversation at your own table is critical. Nerve cells in the brain face similar challenges in separating wanted messages from background chatter. A key element in this process appears to be oxytocin, typically known as the "love hormone" for its role in promoting social and parental bonding...