Health News

Study Offers New Insight Into Dogs Fear Responses To Noise

Date: Feb-20-2013
A study has gained new insight into domestic dogs' fear responses to noises. The behavioural response by dogs to noises can be extreme in nature, distressing for owners and a welfare issue for dogs. The research by academics from the School of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Bristol, and funded by the RSPCA, is published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science. The study provides an important insight into dogs' fear of noises, and could improve our understanding of behavioural signs of fear or anxiety...

A Change Needed In The Criteria For Weight-Loss Surgery

Date: Feb-20-2013
Weight-loss surgery is currently only offered to patients who exceed a certain BMI. However, surgical intervention could improve the health of many more people. This is shown by the Swedish Obese Subjects study carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, involving 104 patients who were operated on despite their BMI being "too low". As a result, the risk of developing diabetes was reduced by 67 percent...

Drug Resistance Greater In Young Malaria Parasites

Date: Feb-20-2013
New research has revealed that immature malaria parasites are more resistant to treatment with key antimalarial drugs than older parasites, a finding that could lead to more effective treatments for a disease that kills one person every minute and is developing resistance to drugs at an alarming rate. University of Melbourne researchers have shown for the first time that malaria parasites (Plasmodium falciparum)in the early stages of development are more than 100 times less sensitive to artemisinin-based drugs, which currently represent a last line of defense against malaria...

Study Examines Family Struggles With Anger And Forgiveness When Relative Is Dying

Date: Feb-20-2013
Watching a loved one die tests some family members' relationships with God or the higher being of one's faith. And the spiritual anger and resentment grow with the level of pain and suffering their family member endures, according to researchers at Case Western Reserve University. Psychologist Julie Exline and palliative care advanced practice nurse Maryjo Prince-Paul surveyed 147 family members with a hospice patient under home care...

The Gene TP63 Linked To Worse Outcomes For Melanoma

Date: Feb-20-2013
Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have identified a gene present in some melanoma which appears to make the tumour cells more resistant to treatment, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The scientists discovered that the gene TP63 is unexpectedly expressed in some melanoma and correlates significantly with a worse prognosis. It is hoped this new understanding of what makes some melanoma cells so difficult to kill will help inform the development of new therapies...

New Gene Identified That Causes Inherited Spinal Meningiomas

Date: Feb-20-2013
Genetic medicine experts from Manchester Biomedical Research Centre at Saint Mary's Hospital and The University of Manchester have identified a new gene responsible for causing an inherited form of tumour, known as spinal meningioma. Professor Richard Marias, Director of the Paterson Institute Meningiomas are the commonest form of tumour affecting the brain and spine. Usually meningiomas can be removed by surgery and do not recur. Occasionally people can develop more than one meningioma or many members of the same family can be affected...

Time Spent Sitting Related To Risk Of Chronic Diseases

Date: Feb-20-2013
The more you sit, the higher your risk of chronic diseases. Kansas State University researcher Richard Rosenkranz, assistant professor of human nutrition, examined the associations of sitting time and chronic diseases in middle-aged Australian males in a study that is published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Collaborators include University of Western Sydney researchers Emma George and Gregory Kolt. The study's sample included 63,048 males ages 45-65 from the Australian state of New South Wales...

Hope For New Ways To Treat Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease Following Discoveries Linking Gut Bacteria With Cholesterol Metabolism

Date: Feb-20-2013
Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, show that cholesterol metabolism is regulated by bacteria in the small intestine. These findings may be important for the development of new drugs for cardiovascular disease. It is well established that cholesterol is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol - which is mainly synthesized in the body but also obtained from dietary sources - is converted to bile acids in the liver, which are then secreted into the intestine and either removed from the body or recycled back to the liver...

Innovative Infectious Disease Research On The International Space Station

Date: Feb-20-2013
Performing sensitive biological experiments is always a delicate affair. Few researchers, however, contend with the challenges faced by Cheryl Nickerson, whose working laboratory aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is located hundreds of miles above the Earth, traveling at some 17,000 miles per hour. Nickerson, a microbiologist at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, is using the ISS platform to pursue new research into the effects of microgravity on disease-causing organisms...

Pioneering Stem Cell-Based Transplant Technology Is Being Developed And Tested On New Organs And Tissues

Date: Feb-20-2013
Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has made his name by successfully transplanting bioengineered stem cell-based trachea, composed of both artificial and biological material. He now plans to use the technique to recreate more complex tissues, such as the oesophagus and diaphragm or organs such as the heart and lungs. He has also made an experimental attempt to regenerate brain in mice and rats. This is part of the news he presented during his seminar at the scientific AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston...