Health News

Protein Uses Multiple Means To Help Cells Cope When Oxygen Runs Low

Date: Feb-26-2013
A protein known for turning on genes to help cells survive low-oxygen conditions also slows down the copying of new DNA strands, thus shutting down the growth of new cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report. Their discovery has wide-ranging implications, they say, given the importance of this copying - known as DNA replication - and new cell growth to many of the body's functions and in such diseases as cancer. "We've long known that this protein, HIF-1α, can switch hundreds of genes on or off in response to low oxygen conditions," says Gregg Semenza, M.D., Ph.D...

Children Respond Better To Anti-Drug Messages When Parents Don't Disclose Past Drug Use

Date: Feb-26-2013
Parents know that one day they will have to talk to their children about drug use. The hardest part is to decide whether or not talking about ones own drug use will be useful in communicating an antidrug message. Recent research, published in the journal Human Communication Research, found that children whose parents did not disclose drug use, but delivered a strong antidrug message, were more likely to exhibit antidrug attitudes. Jennifer A. Kam, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Ashley V...

Stivarga Approved By FDA For Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST)

Date: Feb-26-2013
Stivarga (regorafenib), a cancer medication, has had its usage expanded to include patients suffering from advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The drug is marketed by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. GIST occurs when cancerous cells build up inside the gastrointestinal tract. There are between 3,000 to 6,000 new cases of GIST every year in the U.S, according to data published by the National Cancer Institute. As a multi-kinase inhibitor, Stivarga prevents cancer growth by blocking the key enzymes that make the cancer spread...

FDA Permits Production Of Generic Heroin Drug Against Bid Of Reckitt

Date: Feb-26-2013
Two generic forms of Reckitt Benckiser's heroin addiction medication have been approved by U.S. regulators, rejecting the company's bid to prevent rival products based on their belief that stricter regulations were needed on packages to better protect children. Reckitt Benckiser, a British consumer health products company, makes a good portion of its earnings from Suboxone, a medication that has buprenorphine and helps people who are addicted to opiates deal with withdrawal symptoms when they quit...

Intervention Reduces Pregnancy Risk In Teen Girls

Date: Feb-26-2013
Teen girls at increased risk of pregnancy reported more regular use of condoms, oral contraception, or both after participating in a youth development intervention. The finding came from a randomized controlled trial published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics. Among the industrialized countries, the highest rates of teen pregnancy and childbearing continue to be registered in the U.S. Every year, over 750,000 young females between 15 and 19 years old become pregnant, which results in the birth of over 400,000 babies...

Tanning Salons Allowing Children To Use Facilities

Date: Feb-26-2013
Despite the ever-increasing evidence of the health risks associated with using indoor tanning beds, a recent survey conducted on tanning salon operators in the state of Missouri revealed that 65 percent continue to allow kids as young as 10 to use their facilities. The finding was published in the journal Pediatrics. The use of tanning beds has been shown to increase one's risk of developing all forms of skin cancer - even melanoma, which is the deadliest...

Cockroach-Inspired Robotics Could Aid In Gait Pathology And Stabilization Of Gait

Date: Feb-26-2013
Running cockroaches start to recover from being shoved sideways before their dawdling nervous system kicks in to tell their legs what to do, researchers have found. These new insights on how biological systems stabilize could one day help engineers design steadier robots and improve doctors' understanding of human gait abnormalities. In experiments, the roaches were able to maintain their footing mechanically - using their momentum and the spring-like architecture of their legs, rather than neurologically, relying on impulses sent from their central nervous system to their muscles...

Study Documents Head And Neck Cancer Molecular Tumor Subtypes

Date: Feb-26-2013
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the seventh most common form of cancer in the United States, but other than an association with the human papillomavirus, no validated molecular profile of the disease has been established. By analyzing data from DNA microarrays, a UNC-led team has completed a study that confirms the presence of four molecular classes of the disease and extends previous results by suggesting that there may be an underlying connection between the molecular classes and observed genomic events, some of which affect known cancer genes...

Ischemic Brain Injury Ameliorated ByActivation Of Cortical Type 2 Cannabinoid Receptors

Date: Feb-26-2013
A new study published in the March issue of The American Journal of Pathology suggests that cortical type 2 cannabinoid (CB2) receptors might serve as potential therapeutic targets for cerebral ischemia. Researchers found that the cannabinoid trans-caryophyllene (TC) protected brain cells from the effects of ischemia in both in vivo and in vitro animal models. In rats, post-ischemic treatment with TC decreased cerebral infarct size and edema...

Airborne Pathogens, Viruses Effectively Trapped By New Device

Date: Feb-26-2013
Washington University engineering researchers have created a new type of air-cleaning technology that could better protect human lungs from allergens, airborne viruses and ultrafine particles in the air. The device, known as the SXC ESP, was created by a team led by Pratim Biswas, PhD, the Lucy & Stanley Lopata Professor and chair of the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science...