Health News

How Metformin Prevents Aging And Cancer Progression

Date: Mar-30-2013
University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slows the aging process and may prevent the progression of some cancers. In a recent online edition of the prestigious journal Aging Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal explain how they found that the antidiabetic drug metformin reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines that normally activate the immune system, but if overproduced can lead to pathological inflammation, a condition that both damages tissues in aging and favors tumor growth...

Electroencephalogram Is Underused Tool For Diagnosis Of Seizures In Hospital Patients

Date: Mar-30-2013
Electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures and records electrical activity in the brain, is a quick and efficient way of determining whether seizures are the cause of altered mental status (AMS) and spells, according to a study by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco. The research, which focused on patients who had been given an EEG after being admitted to the hospital for symptoms such as AMS and spells, appears in Mayo Clinic Proceedings...

Higher Rates Of Delayed Medical Care Likely Due To Restrictive Medicaid Eligibility Criteria Especially In Florida And Texas

Date: Mar-30-2013
Effective health screening and preventive care is known to reduce health care costs and improve health outcomes, yet new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) shows that restrictive Medicaid policies are associated with patients delaying needed medical care due to cost. States and counties with the most restrictive Medicaid eligibility criteria (where individuals must be far below the federal poverty level to qualify for Medicaid) have the highest rates of delayed care. This research appears in the New England Journal of Medicine. "The causes of delaying care are complex...

Changes To Gut Microbiota May Play A Role In Weight Loss

Date: Mar-30-2013
Scientists at Harvard may have new hope for anyone who's tried to fight the battle of the bulge. New research, conducted in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, has found that the gut microbes of mice undergo drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery. Transfer of these microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss. The study is described in a paper in Science Translational Medicine...

Novel Method By Which Probiotic Beats Bad Bacteria In Poultry

Date: Mar-30-2013
A strain of probiotic bacteria that can fight harmful bacterial infections in poultry has the ability to change its coat, according to new findings from the Institute of Food Research...

Risk Of Breast, Prostate And Ovarian Cancer Increased By Genetic 'Spelling Mistakes'

Date: Mar-30-2013
More than 80 genetic 'spelling mistakes' that can increase the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have been found in a large, international research study within the framework of the EU Network COGS. For the first time, the researchers also have a relatively clear picture of the total number of genetic alterations that can be linked to these cancers. Ultimately the researchers hope to be able to calculate the individual risk of cancer, to better understand how these cancers develop and to be able to generate new treatments...

Analysis Of HPV Vaccination Disparities Among Girls From Low-Income Families

Date: Mar-30-2013
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of Florida studied health care providers to determine the factors associated with disparities in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among girls, ages 9 to 17, from low-income families. They found that physician vaccination strategies and the type of practice play a role in whether or not girls were vaccinated. The study results were published in a recent issue of Cancer. "The HPV vaccine has made cervical cancer preventable...

Interaction Between Respiratory Syncytial Virus And Genes Determines Childhood Asthma Risk

Date: Mar-30-2013
About 90 percent of children with two copies of a common genetic variation and who wheezed when they caught a cold early in life went on to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine. These children, all from families with a history of asthma or allergies, were nearly four times as likely to develop the disease as those who lacked the genetic variation and did not wheeze. The effects of each - the genetic variation and wheezing illness caused by a human rhinovirus infection - are not merely additive but also interactive, the authors say...

Mixed Results On Computer-based Support For Diabetes

Date: Mar-30-2013
Cell phones and computer programs give specific advice and support to people with diabetes, but do not do much to improve their health or quality of life, new research suggests. The outcomes, published in The Cochrane Library, were based on an analysis of 16 previous studies that assessed a different type of interactive intervention. A few of the programs gave access to social networking and peer support groups from home - some were readily available to patients when they visited a clinic...

New Test Could Help Detect Pancreatic Cancer Early

Date: Mar-30-2013
A new diagnostic test that uses a scientific method called metabolomic analysis could help detect pancreatic cancer early, and therefore, improve the prognosis of patients with the disease. This new screening method is safe and easy, according to new research published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. In the study, the investigators looked at the effectiveness of metabolomic analysis as a diagnostic method for pancreatic cancer. The novel technique was proven successful in the results. Masaru Yoshida, M.D...