Health News

Dexmedetomidine Before Surgery May Reduce Remifentanil-Induced Hyperalgesia

Date: Apr-15-2013
Surgical patients who demonstrated heightened pain sensitivity, or hyperalgesia, induced by high doses of a synthetic opioid had their symptoms alleviated by co-treatment with dexmedetomidine, according to new research. Study investigators, who presented their results at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, concluded that dexmedetomidine may be a new and effective treatment option for opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). OIH refers to increased pain sensitivity due to high-dose or prolonged opioid exposure...

New Protein Target For Glycemic Control In Diabetes

Date: Apr-15-2013
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a previously unknown biological mechanism involved in the regulation of pancreatic islet beta cells, whose role is to produce and release insulin. The discovery suggests a new therapeutic target for treating dysfunctional beta cells and type 2 diabetes, a disease affecting more than 25 million Americans. Writing in the journal Cell, Jerrold M...

Targeting Components Of The Endocannabinoid Signaling System May Help Reverse Autism Symptoms

Date: Apr-15-2013
Mutations found in individuals with autism block the action of molecules made by the brain that act on the same receptors that marijuana's active chemical acts on, according to new research reported online in the Cell Press journal Neuron. The findings implicate specific molecules, called endocannabinoids, in the development of some autism cases and point to potential treatment strategies. "Endocannabinoids are molecules that are critical regulators of normal neuronal activity and are important for many brain functions," says first author Dr...

Enhancing Memory During Sleep Using Sound Stimulation

Date: Apr-15-2013
Slow oscillations in brain activity, which occur during so-called slow-wave sleep, are critical for retaining memories. Researchers reporting online in the Cell Press journal Neuron have found that playing sounds synchronized to the rhythm of the slow brain oscillations of people who are sleeping enhances these oscillations and boosts their memory. This demonstrates an easy and noninvasive way to influence human brain activity to improve sleep and enhance memory...

Genetic Blueprint Could Lead To New Therapies For Liver Disease

Date: Apr-15-2013
Chronic liver failure is a major health problem that causes about one million deaths around the world each year. A study published by Cell Press in the journal Cell reveals a new type of screen for identifying genes that promote liver repair in mouse models of both acute and chronic liver disease. The study shows that the MKK4 gene could be a promising therapeutic target to enhance liver regeneration and provides a blueprint for future studies aimed at discovering new therapies for liver disease...

Microwave Ablation Shows Promise For Relief Of Painful Bone And Soft-Tissue Tumors

Date: Apr-15-2013
First-of-its-kind research showed microwave ablation (MWA) therapy cut pain in half for patients with painful bone and soft-tissue tumors and took less time to complete than radiofrequency ablation. Pain relief lasted over 4 months on average and up to 15 months in some patients, according to results reported at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. Approximately 10,600 new cases of soft-tissue sarcoma and 2,570 new cases of bone sarcoma were diagnosed in the United States in 2009, according to statistics published through the American Cancer Society...

For US Dialysis Patients, Racial Disparities Exist In End-Of-Life Care

Date: Apr-15-2013
More than 590,000 Americans in 2010 were treated for kidney failure. At the end of life, black patients with kidney failure receiving chronic dialysis are less likely to be referred to hospice and to discontinue dialysis compared with white patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Racial differences in care are especially pronounced in parts of the country that spend the most on end-of-life care...

Spinal Cord Stimulator Implants For Chronic Pain: New Techniques Reduce Complications

Date: Apr-15-2013
Two innovative techniques in the placement of an implanted spinal cord stimulator (SCS) are expected to reduce common complications at the implant site, according to new research. Results from a case series highlighted an advanced lead anchoring technique and the emerging technology of using large single-port introducers, which enable placement of multiple neurostimulation leads through a single needle-entry point. Neurostimulation leads are used in SCS therapy for the management of chronic pain...

Similarities In The Brains Of Man And Fly Enable Study Of Disease Mechanisms Underlying Mental Health Problems

Date: Apr-15-2013
A new study by scientists at King's College London and the University of Arizona (UA) published in Science reveals the deep similarities in how the brain regulates behaviour in arthropods (such as flies and crabs) and vertebrates (such as fish, mice and humans). The findings shed new light on the evolution of the brain and behaviour and may aid understanding of disease mechanisms underlying mental health problems...

The Effects Of Opioids On Patients With Sickle Cell Disease

Date: Apr-15-2013
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) sought to shed light on the biopsychosocial and spiritual effects of taking prescribed opioids to treat noncancer pain. Such questions have received little examination and impact the challenging decision of when and how to use opioids, the study authors wrote in a scientific poster presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. They found that taking opioids had many and diverse consequences for patients in terms of biological, psychological, social and spiritual functioning...