Health News

Older Patients With Central Vision Loss Benefit From 'Preferred Retinal Location'

Date: May-29-2013
Perceptual learning techniques may provide a useful new approach to rehabilitation in patients with central vision loss - taking advantage of visual plasticity that persists even in old age, according to a special article in the June issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The paper by Susana T.L. Chung, OD, PhD, FAAO, 2012 recipient of the prestigious Glenn A...

Patients With Traumatic Spinal Injuries Benefit From Cell Replacement Therapy With Fetal Human Stem Cells

Date: May-29-2013
Human foetal stem cell grafts improve both motor and sensory functions in rats suffering from a spinal cord injury, according to research published this week in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy. This cell replacement therapy also improves the structural integrity of the spine, providing a functional relay through the injury site. The research gives hope for the treatment of spinal cord injuries in humans. Grafting human neural stem cells into the spine is a promising approach to promote the recovery of function after spinal injury...

Sugar Polymer Found On Cell Surface Of Multiple Pathogens Could Be Key To Developing Broad-Spectrum Vaccine

Date: May-29-2013
Developing new vaccines to protect against diseases that plague humans is fraught with numerous challenges - one being that microbes tend to vary how they look on the surface to avoid being identified and destroyed by the immune system. However, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered a sugar polymer that is common on the cell surface of several pathogens. This common sugar molecule makes it a promising target for the development of a broad-spectrum vaccine that can protect against numerous deadly microbes expressing this sugar on their cell surface...

Neurons Grown From Stem Cells Show Signature Problems In Down Syndrome

Date: May-29-2013
Down syndrome, the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, results from an extra copy of one chromosome. Although people with Down syndrome experience intellectual difficulties and other problems, scientists have had trouble identifying why that extra chromosome causes such widespread effects. In new research published this week, Anita Bhattacharyya, a neuroscientist at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reports on brain cells that were grown from skin cells of individuals with Down syndrome...

Protective Switch Used By Salmonella During Infection Suggests Metabolic Changes That Researchers Might Exploit To Fight Systemic Illness

Date: May-29-2013
For the first time, researchers have found a particular kind of molecular switch in the food poisoning bacteria Salmonella Typhimurium under infection-like conditions. This switch, using a process called S-thiolation, appears to be used by the bacteria to respond to changes in the environment during infection and might protect it from harm, researchers report this week online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. S-thiolation protects proteins from irreversible chemical changes when a cell is stressed...

Valuable Alternative To Animal Models Predicts Reactions To Novel Drugs And Cosmetics

Date: May-29-2013
A simple lab-based skin test which eliminates the risk of adverse reactions to new drugs, cosmetics and household chemicals has been developed by a Newcastle University, UK team. It uses real human skin and immune cells to show any reaction such as a rash or blistering indicating a wider immune response within the body. The development is timely as it offers a reliable alternative for the cosmetic industry as a ban on the sale of any cosmetic product tested on animals came into effect across Europe in March...

Novel Target For Developing Drugs That Block The Induction Of Tinnitus

Date: May-29-2013
An epilepsy drug shows promise in an animal model at preventing tinnitus from developing after exposure to loud noise, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, reported this week in the early online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal for the first time the reason the chronic and sometimes debilitating condition occurs...

News From The Annals Of Internal Medicine: May 28, 2013

Date: May-29-2013
1. Evidence Suggests Screening for Gestational Diabetes Can Improve Maternal and Fetal Outcomes Evidence review will inform recommendations on screening for gestational diabetes The oral glucose challenge test (OGCT) and testing for fasting plasma glucose levels may be the best way to rule out gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in women who are at about 24 weeks' gestation. The OGCT may be better for diagnosing women who have GDM. GDM puts babies at risk for having a high birth weight, low blood sugar, and jaundice. GDM is also associated with seizures or still birth...

Strong Support For The Ongoing Development And Implementation Of Regional Systems Of Organized Stroke Care Delivery

Date: May-29-2013
An integrated system of stroke care delivery in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in fewer deaths from stroke and fewer discharges to long-term care facilities because of better access to optimal stroke care, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Stroke care requires specialized resources such as neuroimaging, treatments to dissolve blood clots and other therapies delivered by skilled health care professionals...

Anti-Obesity Studies Find Sea Anemone Venom-Derived Compound To Be Effective

Date: May-29-2013
Scientists at UC Irvine have reported that a synthetic compound ShK-186, originally derived from a sea anemone toxin, has been found to enhance metabolic activity and shows potential as a treatment for obesity and insulin resistance. The findings published the week of May 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveal that ShK-186 selectively blocks the activity of a protein that promotes inflammation through the Kv1.3 potassium channel...