Health News

Statistical Model Used To Create Cardiac Map

Date: Feb-28-2013
Researchers at Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) have created a high resolution atlas of the heart with 3D images taken from 138 people. The study demonstrates that an average image of an organ along with its variations can be obtained for the purposes of comparing individual cases and differentiating healthy forms from pathologies. "This atlas is a statistical description of how the heart and its components - such as the ventricles and the atrium - look," as explained to SINC by Corné Hoogendoorn, researcher at the CISTIB centre of the Pompeu Fabra University...

Development Of Life-Saving Tools Against Major Killers Could Be Jeopardized By US Budget Cuts

Date: Feb-28-2013
Across-the-board cuts to US R&D programs could have a devastating impact on efforts to develop new drugs for tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS, the world's first malaria vaccine, and other vital global health products in development, according to a new report from a coalition of nonprofit groups focused on advancing innovation to save lives. "We know that policymakers are currently facing difficult budget decisions...

Breast Cancer Stem Cells Express HER2, Even In 'Negative' Tumors, Study Finds

Date: Feb-28-2013
New research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds that the protein HER2 plays a role even in breast cancers that would traditionally be categorized as HER2-negative - and that the drug Herceptin, which targets HER2, may have an even greater role for treating breast cancer and preventing its spread. About 20 percent of women with breast cancer have tumors labeled HER2-positive...

Pregnant Women Infected With Syphilis Estimated At Over A Million World-Wide

Date: Feb-28-2013
Syphilis still affects large numbers of pregnant women world-wide, causing serious health problems and even death to their babies, yet this infection could be prevented by early testing and treatment, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. Researchers, led by Lori Newman from the World Health Organization, estimate that in 2008, 1.4 million pregnant women around the world were infected with syphilis, 80% of whom had attended antenatal care services...

Guiding Healthier Behavior While Preserving Choices - Libertarian Paternalism And School Lunches

Date: Feb-28-2013
The term 'libertarian paternalism' is a peculiar phrase because it invokes feelings about two seemingly contradictory philosophies. Yet, as a principle of the behavioral sciences, this phrase actually implies gentle guidance, without force. Recently, the USDA passed regulations designed to make school lunches more nutritious. Schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are required to increase whole grain offerings, cap the fat of milk at 1% for white and non-fat for flavored, and ensure that students take either a fruit or a vegetable with their purchased lunch...

New Super-Nutritious Puffed Rice For Breakfast Cereals, Snacks: American Chemical Society Podcast

Date: Feb-28-2013
The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series reports a new process for blowing up grains of rice to produce a super-nutritious form of puffed rice, with three times more protein and a rich endowment of other nutrients. That makes it ideal for breakfast cereals, snack foods and nutrient bars for school lunch programs. Based on a report by Syed S.H. Rizvi, Ph.D., and colleagues in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes* and from Global Challenges...

Heading A Soccer Ball Could Impact Cognitive Performance

Date: Feb-28-2013
Sports-induced head injuries are a rising concern, while new studies suggest that even less powerful actions - like heading a soccer ball - could cause changes in performance on specific cognitive tasks. This new finding was published in the journal PLoS ONE, and outlines a tablet-based experiment that showed sub-concussive head impacts in soccer affect athletes' performance on cognitive tasks...

FDA Suspends Sensipar Trials Following Death Of Teenager

Date: Feb-28-2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced it has stopped all pediatric clinical trials of the drug Sensipar, following the death of a 14 year old patient who took part in one of the studies. Sensipar is a drug, developed by Amgen Inc, that reduces the levels of calcium in the blood by decreasing the release of parathyroid hormone (PTH) from the parathyroid gland. Having high levels of calcium can be the cause of a number of health problems, it has been associated with an increased risk of heart attack...

First Signs Of Heart Disease Seen In Newborns Of Overweight/Obese Mums

Date: Feb-28-2013
Artery wall thickening already present at birth The walls of the body's major artery - the aorta - are already thickened in babies born to mums who are overweight or obese, finds a small study published online in the Fetal and Neonatal Edition of Archives of Disease of Childhood. Importantly, this arterial thickening, which is a sign of heart disease, is independent of the child's weight at birth - a known risk factor for later heart disease and stroke...

Every Degree Fall In Winter Air Temperature Equals 1% Drop In Ambulance Response Time, UK

Date: Feb-28-2013
Climate change likely to prompt further extremes of weather and add to pressures Every one degree fall in outside air temperature during the winter corresponds to a drop in ambulance response time of more than 1 per cent, reveals research published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. Increased demand and treacherous road conditions during the winter months combine to stretch ambulance services in England, which have a target of reaching 75% of immediately life-threatening (category A) calls within eight minutes, say the authors...