Health News

Adding Omega-3 Fatty Acids And Lutein/Zeaxanthin To Formulation Does Not Further Reduce Risk Of Progression To Advanced AMD

Date: May-08-2013
In a large, multicenter, randomized clinical trial that included persons at high risk for progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), adding the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, or both to a formulation of antioxidant vitamins and minerals that has shown effectiveness in reducing risk did not further reduce risk of progression to advanced AMD, according to a study published by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting...

Customizable, Three-Dimensional Bone Grafts Created From Skin Cells

Date: May-08-2013
A team of New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute scientists report the generation of patient-specific bone substitutes from skin cells for repair of large bone defects. The study, led by Darja Marolt, PhD, a NYSCF-Helmsley Investigator and Giuseppe Maria de Peppo, PhD, a NYSCF Research Fellow, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, represents a major advance in personalized reconstructive treatments for patients with bone defects resulting from disease or trauma...

Deadly Intestinal Problem In Preemies May Be Prevented By Breast Milk Ingredient

Date: May-08-2013
An ingredient that naturally occurs in breast milk might be used to prevent premature babies from developing a deadly intestinal condition that currently is largely incurable, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in this week's online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The story begins with a baby who is born too early, meaning before 36 weeks gestation, said senior author David Hackam, M.D., Ph.D...

Slowdown In Health Care Spending Growth Could Save Americans $770 Billion

Date: May-08-2013
A slowdown in the growth of U.S. health care costs could mean that Americans could save as much as $770 billion on Medicare spending over the next decade, Harvard economists say. In a paper published in Health Affairs, David Cutler, the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, and co-author Nikhil Sahni, a senior researcher in Harvard's Economics Department, point to several factors, including a decline in the development of new drugs and technologies and increased efficiency in the health care system, to explain the recent slowdown...

In HIV Vaccine Trial In Thailand, Competing Antibodies May Have Limited The Protection Achieved

Date: May-08-2013
Continuing analysis of an HIV vaccine trial undertaken in Thailand is yielding additional information about how immune responses were triggered and why the vaccine did not protect more people. In a study appearing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of researchers led by the Duke Human Vaccine Institute describe a previously unknown interaction between antibodies that worked to block the vaccine's protective powers...

New Technique Developed To Track Cell Interactions In Living Bodies

Date: May-08-2013
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a new technique to see how different types of cells interact in a living mouse. The process uses light-emitting proteins that glow when two types of cells come close together. Using the technique, the team was able to pinpoint where in the body metastatic cancer cells ended up after they broke off from an initial tumor site, using readily available lab reagents. The team chose chemicals that are easily available in most life sciences laboratories because they wanted to develop a technique that could be widely used...

Heroin Vaccine Blocks Relapse In Preclinical Study

Date: May-08-2013
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have reported successful preclinical tests of a new vaccine against heroin. The vaccine targets heroin and its psychoactive breakdown products in the bloodstream, preventing them from reaching the brain. "Heroin-addicted rats deprived of the drug will normally resume using it compulsively if they regain access, but our vaccine stops this from happening," said George F. Koob, who chairs TSRI's addiction research group, the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders...

Progerin's 'Discrimination' May Contribute To Fatal Disease That Resembles Premature Aging

Date: May-08-2013
A mutant protein responsible for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome (HGPS) bars large proteins from entering the nucleus, according to a study in The Journal of Cell Biology. The culprit in HGPS, a fatal disease that resembles premature aging, is a protein variant called Progerin. This defective protein impairs cells in many ways, including reducing nuclear levels of the RanGTPase. Ran is crucial for nuclear import and export, as it stimulates unloading of cargo that has just entered the nucleus and loading of cargo that's ready to exit...

Link Between Anti-Depressants And Clostridium difficile Infection

Date: May-08-2013
Certain types of anti-depressants have been linked to an increase in the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) finds a study in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine. Awareness of this link should improve identification and early treatment of CDI. CDI is one of the most common hospital acquired infections and is responsible for more than 7000 deaths annually in the USA alone...

Hydrocarbons In Cleaners And Fuels Pose Major Risk To Children

Date: May-08-2013
Hydrocarbons, a chemical compound commonly found in household items from cleaning products to gasoline, are among the top 10 causes of pediatric poisoning deaths in the United States. A new study by researchers at the Central Ohio Poison Center and the Center for Injury Research and Policy, both at Nationwide Children's Hospital, found these injuries are most likely to occur during months when the weather is warm and are associated with activities such as mowing lawns, use of Tiki torches and use of lighter fluid for outdoor cooking...