Health News

Multiple Vaccines Not Linked To Autism Risk, CDC

Date: Mar-29-2013
There is no casual link between certain vaccine types and autism, says a new study carried out by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and published in The Journal of Pediatrics. Parental concerns that vaccines might be related to a higher risk of developing autism were initially related to the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and thimerosal-containing immunizations. In 2004, the Institute of Medicine (IoM) carried out a study which concluded that according to all evidence, there is no casual link between these vaccines and ASDs (autism spectrum disorders)...

Hunger-Spiking Neurons May Control Multiple Sclerosis And Other Autoimmune Diseases

Date: Mar-29-2013
If appetite-promoting AgRP neurons are chronically suppressed, resulting in less appetite and a lighter body weight, T-cells tend to promote inflammation-like processes resulting in autoimmune responses that may lead to multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, scientists at Yale School of Medicine discovered...

High Fiber Diets Protect From First Time Stroke

Date: Mar-29-2013
If you eat more fiber you will probably have a lower risk of first time stroke, researchers from the University of Leeds' School of Food Science & Nutrition in Leeds, United Kingdom, reported in the journal Stroke. Dietary fiber comes from plants, the part that our body does not absorb when digesting food. Fiber can be insoluble or soluble (dissolves in water). No fiber can be digested. However, soluble fiber as it goes through the digestive tract, changes its form when it is fermented by bacteria. Soluble fiber absorbs water and becomes gelatinous as it does so...

Multidisciplinary Teamwork Contributes To Significantly Improved Outcomes In Advanced Colon Cancer

Date: Mar-29-2013
In co-operation with the European Society of Digestive Oncology (ESDO) Modern multidisciplinary approaches to the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) have led to dramatic improvements in patient survival, and brought the possibility of achieving a cure within reach for some late-stage patients...

Student Develops Software To Support Treatment Decisions For Prostate Cancer Patients

Date: Mar-29-2013
A student project at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Scotland has resulted in the creation of new software which can be used by medical staff to support treatment decisions for prostate cancer patients. Alin Rohnean (22), who graduated from the University's School of Computing Science and Digital Media last year, undertook the project during his final year of study in Aberdeen...

Parkinson's Book Geared Toward Helping Families Across The Globe

Date: Mar-29-2013
University of Florida neurologist Michael Okun, M.D., has answered more than 20,000 questions from patients with Parkinson's disease, typically not about cures or the latest treatments, but about something much simpler -- how to live well with the disease. Now Okun has written a book that he hopes will help patients everywhere. "The more I talk to Parkinson's patients, the more I realized a couple of things," said Okun, co-director of UF Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration. "Almost nothing is available to patients about basic lifestyle things in any language but English...

UCLA Scientists Identify Genetic Link To Post-Treatment Fatigue In Breast Cancer Patients

Date: Mar-29-2013
UCLA Scientists led by Julienne E. Bower, associate professor of psychology and psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and member of Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) and Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, have identified a possible genetic risk factor for post-treatment fatigue in breast cancer patients in a study published this week online ahead of print in Journal of Clinical Oncology. Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing side effects of cancer treatment and may persist for years after treatment is over...

New Research Looks At Novel Ways To Combat Drug Resistance

Date: Mar-29-2013
University of Southampton biological scientists are leading a major research project aimed at making drugs more effective. They are investigating a group of proteins called 'multidrug transporters', which remove unwanted and toxic material from cells. Normally these proteins protect cells from toxins, but multidrug transporters also prevent anticancer drugs from killing cancer cells, particularly since the amount of these proteins is increased in cancer cells when they encounter such drugs...

"New" Infectious Diseases: Successful Vaccine Developments At Themis Bioscience

Date: Mar-29-2013
Pasteur Institute Technology Proves its Effective Potential The Viennese biotech boutique Themis has reported rapid progress in the development of two highly efficient vaccines against Dengue and Chikungunya fever. In the just concluded preclinical studies, the two vaccine candidates, based on a technology by the Parisian Pasteur Institute, displayed exceedingly good efficacy. With a single vaccination against Chikungunya it was possible to develop full vaccination protection. The Dengue fever vaccine candidate proved effective against all of the four known serotypes of this infection...

Unique Study Reveals Genetic Spelling Mistakes That Increase The Risk Of Common Cancers

Date: Mar-29-2013
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...