Health News

Increased Risk Of Prostate Cancer In Human Stem Cells Following Exposure To Low Doses Of BPA

Date: Jun-19-2013
Exposing developing tissue to low levels of the plastic bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is linked to a greater incidence of prostate cancer in tissue grown from human prostate stem cells, a new study finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. BPA is a synthetic estrogen that is used to add flexibility to many common products, including food cans and containers, compact discs, eyeglasses, and even baby bottles. It is universally prevalent, and tests indicate that almost everyone has measurable levels of the chemical in their bodies...

In Children With Autism, Voices May Not Trigger Brain's Reward Centers

Date: Jun-19-2013
In autism, brain regions tailored to respond to voices are poorly connected to reward-processing circuits, according to a new study by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The research could help explain why children with autism struggle to grasp the social and emotional aspects of human speech. "Weak brain connectivity may impede children with autism from experiencing speech as pleasurable," said Vinod Menon, PhD, senior author of the study, which was published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

'Undruggable' To Druggable: A New Target For Cancer Drug Development

Date: Jun-19-2013
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have identified in the most aggressive forms of cancer a gene known to regulate embryonic stem cell self-renewal, beginning a creative search for a drug that can block its activity. The gene, SALL4, gives stem cells their ability to continue dividing as stem cells rather than becoming mature cells...

Sleep Could Be Key To Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Date: Jun-19-2013
Men who don't have enough sleep during the working week and catch up at the weekend could be reducing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This was the message from a US study presented at a scientific meeting this week. Peter Liu, a lead researcher at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed), and colleagues, tested men whose lifestyles meant they had chronic sleep restriction during the working week...

Strong Link Between Bullying And Suicide

Date: Jun-19-2013
Bullying and suicide among youth are a serious public health problem, a CDC expert panel reported in the Journal of Adolescent Health today. The authors explained that bullying can have long-lasting and damaging effects which can persist for months and even years. Several studies over the last few years have associated bullying with depression. The media has covered the theme extensively. In view of this, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) decided to gather a group of experts (Panel) to focus on bullying, its causes and consequences, and how to address it...

Obese Women Who Skip Breakfast At Greater Risk For Insulin Resistance

Date: Jun-19-2013
Overweight women who skip breakfast experience acute, or rapid-onset, insulin resistance, a condition that, when chronic, is a risk factor for diabetes, a new study finds. The results, which were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, suggest that regularly skipping breakfast over time may lead to chronic insulin resistance and thus could increase an individual's risk for type 2 diabetes...

Discovery Of A Mutant Gene In Rett Syndrome

Date: Jun-19-2013
Discovery of a mutant gene responsible for a disease is a milestone, but for most conditions, it may be only a first step towards a treatment or cure. Understanding Rett Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, is further complicated by the fact that the implicated gene controls a suite of other genes. Two papers, published in Nature Neuroscience and Nature, reveal key steps in how mutations in the gene for methyl CpG-binding protein (MECP2) cause the condition...

The Importance Of A Father's Diet Before Conception

Date: Jun-19-2013
When fathers eat a high-fat diet before conception of offspring, the male offspring have increased body weight after weaning and high body fat in midlife despite eating a low-fat diet, a new study in mice finds. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "Many researchers have studied the effects of maternal diet on the risk of obesity in their children. We found that the father's diet also affects the offspring in ways that are inherited," said the study's principal investigator, Felicia V...

Relationship Between Short-Term Antidepressant Use, Stress, High-Fat Diet And Long-Term Weight Gain

Date: Jun-19-2013
Short-term use of antidepressants, combined with stress and a high-fat diet, is associated with long-term increases in body weight, a new animal study finds. The results were presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco...

Implantable Defibrillators Benefit The Elderly Too

Date: Jun-19-2013
The elderly may benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators as much as younger people, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small battery-powered device placed under the skin of the chest which delivers electrical impulses to restore a normal heartbeat if it detects a dangerous abnormal rhythm. Overall health - not age alone - should determine how well patients will do after getting an ICD and help guide decisions about who should receive one, researchers said...