Health News

New Study Highlights Pesticide Application As Potential Source Of Noroviruses In Fresh Food Supply Chains

Date: Mar-13-2013
Contaminated water used to dilute pesticides could be responsible for viruses entering the food chain, warn scientists Human norovirus (hNoV), also known as the winter vomiting bug, is one of the most common stomach bugs in the world. The virus is highly contagious, causing vomiting and diarrhea, and the number of affected cases is growing. Currently there is no cure; sufferers have to let the virus run its course for a few days...

Obesity And Osteoporosis Are Genetically Linked

Date: Mar-13-2013
When it comes to body shape, diet and exercise can only take us so far. Our body shape and geometry are largely determined by genetic factors. Genetics also have an impact on our body composition - including soft fat tissue and hard bone tissue - and can lead to excess fat or osteoporosis. Now Prof. Gregory Livshits of Tel Aviv University's Department of Anatomy and Anthropology at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, working alongside Dr. Michael Korostishevsky, has uncovered a clear genetic link between fat and bone mass...

In Earliest Stages Of Life, Tiny Piece Of RNA Keeps 'Clock' Running

Date: Mar-13-2013
New research shows that a tiny piece of RNA has an essential role in ensuring that embryonic tissue segments form properly. The study, conducted in chicken embryos, determined that this piece of RNA regulates cyclical gene activity that defines the timing of the formation of tissue segments that later become muscle and vertebrae. Genes involved in this activity are turned on and off in an oscillating pattern that matches the formation of each tissue segment...

Home-Based DVD Exercise Program Benefits Older Adults

Date: Mar-13-2013
Fitness DVDs are a multimillion-dollar business, and those targeting adults over the age of 55 are a major part of the market. With names like "Boomers on the Move," "Stronger Seniors" and "Ageless Yoga," the programs promise much, but few have ever been rigorously tested...

Significant Improvement In Performance On Metrics For Quality Oncology Care

Date: Mar-13-2013
Summary of a study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, analyzing self-reported data from 156 outpatient oncology practices participating in the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®) showing significant improvements in performance on certain measures for quality oncology cancer care over a four-year period...

Comparison Of Combination Therapy And Single Drug Treatment In MS Finds Similar Clinical Benefit

Date: Mar-13-2013
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were treated with combination therapy did not see significant clinical benefit over those treated with single drug therapy, but combination therapy did reduce the development of new lesions, according to an international research team led by The Mount Sinai Medical Center. The findings, part of the largest-ever MS trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, are published in the Annals of Neurology...

DNA 'Supercoiling' Caused By Protein Abundant In Cancerous Cells

Date: Mar-13-2013
A team of USC scientists has identified a protein that can change DNA topology, making DNA twist up into a so-called "supercoil." The finding provides new insight about the role of the protein - known as mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) - in cancer cells, which have high levels of MCM. Think about twisting one end of a rubber band while holding the other end still. After a few turns, it forms a neatly twisted rope. But if you keep on turning, the twisted band will twist back upon itself into an increasingly coiled-up knot...

Educational Tool To Reduce Stress Among Teenagers

Date: Mar-13-2013
Families with a child completing elementary school this year are now preparing their registration for high school, a transition that is often stressful for children. A new program has demonstrated that it is possible to significantly reduce stress in some of these children thanks to a new educational tool designed under the leadership of Sonia Lupien, Director of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) and professor at the University of Montreal...

Mortality Risk No Higher Than In General Population For Patients With Well-Controlled HIV

Date: Mar-13-2013
For HIV-infected patients whose disease is well-controlled by modern treatment, the risk of death is not significantly higher than in the general population, according to a study published in AIDS, official journal of the International AIDS Society. AIDS is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. The study suggests that patients with undetectable viral loads and near-normal levels of immune cells on state-of-the art antiretroviral therapy (ART) can expect to have about the same risk of death as people without HIV...

Gender Differences In Symptoms And Care Of Irregular Heartbeats

Date: Mar-13-2013
Women with atrial fibrilation have more symptoms and lower quality of life than men with the same heart condition, according to an analysis of patients in a large national registry compiled by the Duke Clinical Research Institute. The finding adds to a growing body of research that highlights gender disparities in how cardiovascular disease is managed, and serves as a caution to doctors to be alert to treatment decisions that might perpetuate the differences...