Health News

Tooth Loss Due To Periodontal Disease More Likely In Postmenopausal Women Who Smoked

Date: Mar-05-2013
Postmenopausal women who have smoked are at much higher risk of losing their teeth than women who never smoked, according to a new study published and featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Dental Association by researchers at the University at Buffalo. The study involved 1,106 women who participated in the Buffalo OsteoPerio Study, an offshoot of the Women's Health Initiative, (WHI), the largest clinical trial and observational study ever undertaken in the U.S., involving more than 162,000 women across the nation, including nearly 4,000 in Buffalo...

Safety Of Colonoscopy Confirmed By Study

Date: Mar-05-2013
Colon cancer develops slowly. Precancerous lesions usually need many years to turn into a dangerous carcinoma. They are well detectable in an endoscopic examination of the colon called colonoscopy and can be removed during the same examination. Therefore, regular screening can prevent colon cancer much better than other types of cancer. Since 2002, colonoscopy is part of the national statutory cancer screening program in Germany for all insured persons aged 55 or older. However, only one fifth of those eligible actually make use of the screening program...

Role Of Malignant Brain Tumor Domains Investigated By New Chemical Probe

Date: Mar-05-2013
In an article published as the cover story of the March 2013 issue of Nature Chemical Biology, Lindsey James, PhD, research assistant professor in the lab of Stephen Frye, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor in the UNC School of Pharmacy and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, announced the discovery of a chemical probe that can be used to investigate the L3MBTL3 methyl-lysine reader domain. The probe, named UNC1215, will provide researchers with a powerful tool to investigate the function of malignant brain tumor (MBT) domain proteins in biology and disease...

Shelf Life Of Blood Nearer 3 Than 6 Weeks, Study

Date: Mar-04-2013
Blood banks consider six weeks to be the standard shelf life of blood for use in transfusion. Now a new small study from the US adds further evidence to suggest this timescale should be shortened to three weeks, because after that red cells in stored blood lose their ability to deliver oxygen where it is most needed. Cells in tissue stay alive because they continually receive oxygen from red blood cells that have to squeeze through the tiniest capillaries in the body to reach them. Study leader Steven M...

Exercise Is The Key To Good Sleep

Date: Mar-04-2013
Hitting the gym close to bedtime could be the key to a decent night of sleep, according to a new study carried out by the National Sleep Foundation. The annual 2013 Sleep in America poll was conducted with a sample of 1,000 adults ranging in age from 23 to 60 years. The most complete data available was determined using U.S. Census data from 2010...

Over Three Million Diabetics In The UK

Date: Mar-04-2013
There are three million diabetics in the UK, accounting for 4.6% of the nation's population, according to recent analysis by Tesco and Diabetes UK.  Over the last year 132,000 more people have been diagnosed with diabetes. There are an estimated 850,000 people with type 2 diabetes who haven't been diagnosed living in the UK. There are serious public health implications associated with the country's growing diabetes problem and the NHS could see a huge increase in costs if there isn't more done to prevent the disease...

ADHD Often Continues Into Adulthood

Date: Mar-04-2013
ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) often continues into adulthood, and children with the disorder are also more likely to have other psychiatric conditions later in life, according to a new study. The research was conducted by experts from Boston Children's Hospital and the Mayo Clinic, and was published in the journal Pediatrics. Children with ADHD also have a higher probability of committing suicide and being put in prison as adults, according to the authors. William Barbaresi, M.D...

Single Combined Asthma Inhaler Better Than Recommended Treatment

Date: Mar-04-2013
Using two asthma medications combined in a single inhaler provides superior rescue and preventive treatment than guideline-based treatments among adults whose asthma symptoms are not well controlled, according to two large, randomized clinical trials that were published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. This new therapy is known as SMART (Single Inhaler Maintenance and Reliever Therapy). The findings in these two studies challenge national (USA) and international asthma guidelines, especially in the United States, where this combined inhaler approach has not yet been approved...

Skin Patch Shows Promise Against Prostate Cancer

Date: Mar-04-2013
Delivering oestrogen through skin patches may offer a safer and easier way to treat prostate cancer than current hormone therapies, says new research from the UK. The study, published online in Lancet Oncology this week, finds that HRT (hormone replacement therapy) patches normally given to women to treat symptoms of menopause, lowered testosterone in men with prostate cancer to the same extent as LHRHa injections. The Cancer Research UK trial was led by researchers at Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit in London...

Recon 2 - Virtual Reconstruction Of Human Metabolism Built By International Consortium

Date: Mar-04-2013
Building on earlier pioneering work by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, an international consortium of university researchers has produced the most comprehensive virtual reconstruction of human metabolism to date. Scientists could use the model, known as Recon 2, to identify causes of and new treatments for diseases like cancer, diabetes and even psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Each person's metabolism, which represents the conversion of food sources into energy and the assembly of molecules, is determined by genetics, environment and nutrition...