Health News

Genomics May Help Identify Organisms In Outbreaks Of Serious Infectious Disease Without Requiring Laboratory Culture

Date: Apr-09-2013
Researchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) using metagenomics (the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples), according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue. The findings highlight the potential of this approach to identify and characterize bacterial pathogens directly from clinical specimens without laboratory culture...

Genetic Variants Of Heart Disorder Discovered In Some Cases Of Stillbirth

Date: Apr-09-2013
In a molecular genetic evaluation involving 91 cases of intrauterine fetal death, mutations associated with susceptibility to long QT syndrome (LQTS; a heart disorder that increases the risk for an irregular heartbeat and other adverse events) were discovered in a small number of these cases, preliminary evidence that may provide insights into the mechanism of some intrauterine fetal deaths, according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue. "Intrauterine fetal death is a major public health problem...

New Approaches To Molecular Diagnosis

Date: Apr-09-2013
"Advances in understanding the molecular basis of rare and common disorders, as well as in the technology of DNA analysis, are rapidly changing the landscape of molecular genetic and genomic testing," writes Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Heidi L. Rehm, Ph.D., of the Partners Healthcare Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine, Cambridge, Mass., in a Special Communication. "Genomic testing may be used to identify risk factors for common disorders, although the clinical utility of such testing is unclear...

Research Examines Association Between Genetic Mutation And Risk Of Death For Patients With Thyroid Cancer

Date: Apr-09-2013
Presence of the genetic mutation BRAF V600E was significantly associated with increased cancer-related death among patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC); however, because overall mortality in PTC is low and the association was not independent of tumor characteristics, how to use this information to manage mortality risk in patients with PTC is unclear, according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue...

Walking For 20 Minutes A Day Can Help Teens Quit Smoking

Date: Apr-09-2013
Walking for just 20 minutes a day can help teenage smokers cut down on their smoking habit. Teens are even more likely to quit altogether if they participate in a smoking cessation/fitness program and increase the days on which they get at least 30 minutes of exercise. The finding came from a new study conducted by a team of researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) and was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health...

Size Does Matter: Women Find Large Penises More Attractive

Date: Apr-09-2013
Finally the debate is over: size matters, and women prefer men with larger packages because it predicts a man's sex appeal, according to a new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study, conducted by the Australian National University, revealed that the taller the man, the bigger the effect his penis size had on his sex appeal. The group of researchers showed life-size, computer-generated figures of men that varied in body shape, height, and penis size to 105 women. The females then rated the figures' sexual attractiveness...

Morning Sickness Drug "Diclegis" Approved By The FDA

Date: Apr-09-2013
Diclegis (doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride) has just been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of nausea and vomiting, commonly known as "morning sickness", among pregnant women. The drug, marketed by Duchesnay Inc., based in Blainville, Québec, Canada, is intended to be used when women don't respond to dietary and lifestyle modifications, such as eating several smaller meals and avoiding smells that can trigger nausea. Sometimes these measures aren't enough to prevent vomiting and nausea...

How 'Free Will' Is Implemented In The Brain And Is It Possible To Intervene In The Process?

Date: Apr-09-2013
Researchers have been able to identify the precise moment when a network of nerve cells (neurons) in the brain creates the signal to perform an action, before a person is even aware of deciding to take that action. Now they are building on this work to make initial attempts to interfere with consciously made decisions by decoding the pattern of brain activity in real time before an action is taken...

UCLA Researchers Link Auto Pollution Exposure And Some Childhood Cancers

Date: Apr-09-2013
Researchers at UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, led by Julia Heck, assistant researcher in the department of epidemiology and member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, have found a possible link between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and several childhood cancers. These results were presented in an abstract today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC...

Artificial Ovary Offers More Natural Hormone Replacement

Date: Apr-09-2013
Researchers in the US have bioengineered an artificial ovary that makes sex hormones in the same proportions as a healthy one. They report that in the lab setting at least, the bioengineered ovary shows sustained released of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, and suggest it may provide a more natural option for women than hormone replacement therapy. Ovaries produce eggs and also secrete sex hormones that are important for women's bone and heart health...