Health News

Head And Neck Cancers: Common Genetic Alteration May Not Be Key To Effective Treatment

Date: Jan-31-2013
Although a large majority of head and neck cancers have a deregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, data recently published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, indicated that deregulation of this pathway does not necessarily signify that the tumor is dependent on it for survival and progression. Cancer, particularly of the head and neck, is highly heterogeneous, with a large number of genetic alterations rendering it resistant to specific targeted treatments...

Blue Light Destroys Skin, Soft Tissue Infections

Date: Jan-31-2013
Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard Medical School, Boston. The research is published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy "Blue light is a potential non-toxic, non-antibiotic approach for treating skin and soft tissue infections, especially those caused by antibiotic resistant pathogens," says Hamblin...

Mice With Mitochondrial Mutation Live Longer, Have Less Fat

Date: Jan-31-2013
If findings of a new study in mice are any indication, it might be possible to fine-tune cellular powerhouses called mitochondria, tweaking one aspect to increase insulin sensitivity, reduce body and fat mass, and even extend life. Exploiting this target could one day lead to novel treatments for type 2 diabetes - an endocrine system disease that affects 8 percent of the U.S. population. The research also points to promising new avenues of investigation in the biology of aging...

Leafy Green Vegetables Rank Among Top Causes Of Food Poisoning

Date: Jan-31-2013
Leafy green vegetables such as lettuce and spinach have been found to be one of the top sources of food poisoning, according to a new report released by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Each year, nearly 48 million Americans, roughly 1 in 6, catch a food-borne illness. These numbers include 128,000 hospitalizations and 2,000 deaths. This new report reveals which foods are to blame for these stomach illnesses, based on a decade of data...

Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk Of Heart Disease By A Third

Date: Jan-31-2013
A vegetarian diet can reduce a person's risk of heart disease by a third. Vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of hospitalization or death from cardiovascular disease than people who consume meat and fish. The finding came from new research from the University of Oxford and was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study is the largest yet to compare cardiovascular disease rates between vegetarians and meat eaters. Heart disease is the biggest cause of death in developed countries and accounts for 65,000 deaths in the UK each year...

Risk Of Unwarranted Pregnancies With Morning After Pill Conscience Clauses

Date: Jan-31-2013
Ban or enhance clauses, but don't leave this muddle, say pharmacists Conscience clauses, which allow pharmacists to opt out of providing the "morning after pill" without a prescription, risk unwanted pregnancies and undermine the principle of universal healthcare in the NHS, say pharmacists in the Journal of Medical Ethics. These clauses should either be banned or enhanced so that pharmacists and patients know exactly where they stand, rather than the current "fudge", which serves nobody well, the authors conclude...

Patients Can Emit Small, Influenza-Containing Particles Into The Air During Routine Care, Study Finds

Date: Jan-31-2013
A new study suggests that patients with influenza can emit small virus-containing particles into the surrounding air during routine patient care, potentially exposing health care providers to influenza. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings raise the possibility that current influenza infection control recommendations may not always be adequate to protect providers from influenza during routine patient care in hospitals. Werner E...

Culturing Central Nervous Cells Outside The Body To Treat Patients With Neurodegenerative Diseases

Date: Jan-31-2013
A protein associated with neuron damage in Alzheimer's patients provides a superior scaffold for growing central nervous system cells in the lab. The findings could have clinical implications for producing neural implants and offers new insights on the complex link between the apoE4 apolipoprotein and Alzheimer's disease. Results appear in the journal Biomaterials. A protein associated with neuron damage in people with Alzheimer's disease is surprisingly useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab, according to a new study by engineering researchers at Brown University...

RNA Interference Reveals Gene That Turns Up Effect Of Chemotherapy

Date: Jan-31-2013
Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer patients. However, many patients suffer from serious side-effects and a large proportion do not respond to the treatment. Researchers from the Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) and Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, now show that the gene FBH1 helps turn up the effect of chemotherapy. The results are published in the Journal Nature Communications. "Our results show that the gene FBH1 is crucial in order for some chemotherapeutics to become active in the body and kill the cancer cells...

Warning For Men: Erection Problems May Signal 'Silent' Heart Disease And Early Death

Date: Jan-31-2013
Men with erection problems now have an extra reason to see their doctor: even relatively minor erectile difficulties could signal 'silent' heart disease and may indicate an increased risk of dying early from any cause, a major new study shows. An Australian study - the world's largest to investigate the link between erectile dysfunction and heart disease - has found that men with erectile dysfunction have a higher risk of hospital admission for heart disease, even if they have no history of heart problems. They are also at greater risk of premature death from any cause...