Health News

Policy Recommendation Approved For Immunizations For All Health Care Providers

Date: Jan-16-2013
The American College of Physicians (ACP) has approved a policy recommendation that all health care providers (HCPs) be immunized against influenza; diphtheria; hepatitis B; measles, mumps, and rubella; pertussis (whooping cough); and varicella (chickenpox) according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Adult Immunization Schedule. ACP's policy exempts HCPs for medical reasons or a religious objection to immunization...

Should A Patient's Weight Affect Kidney Transplant Decisions?

Date: Jan-16-2013
In a research review article published in the American Journal of Nephrology, Saint Louis University investigators examined data from multiple studies to better understand how obesity, an epidemic in the U.S., impacts kidney transplant patients. The authors report that, even as some connections between weight and health outcomes are unknown or contradictory, there is evidence that obese kidney transplant patients don't do as well after surgery, experiencing more adverse outcomes, including wound infections, delayed graft function, graft failure, cardiac disease and increased costs...

Acupuncture May Improve Exercise Performance And Post-Exercise Recovery

Date: Jan-16-2013
The effects of acute acupuncture applied during exercise on performance factors such as power and blood pressure and on the body's ability to recover post-exercise were evaluated in a review article published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal website...

In Autism, Local And Long-Range Signaling Involved In Impaired Coordination Of Brain Activity

Date: Jan-16-2013
A study based at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) finds that the local functional connectivity of the brain - the extent to which the activity of within a small brain region appears to be coordinated - is reduced in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although it has been recognized for several years that functional connectivity between separate areas of the brain was reduced in ASD, it had been assumed that local functional connectivity was actually higher in the brains of autistic individuals...

New Clinical Targets Suggested For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Date: Jan-16-2013
Researchers have shown that transplanting stem cells derived from normal mouse blood vessels into the hearts of mice that model the pathology associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) prevents the decrease in heart function associated with DMD. Their findings appear in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the gene for dystrophin, a protein that anchors muscle cells in place when they contract. Without dystrophin, muscle contractions tear cell membranes, leading to cell death...

24 New Autism-Related Gene Variants Identified

Date: Jan-16-2013
University of Utah (the U) researchers, in collaboration with several groups from around the country, published a paper following one of the biggest studies of its kind, that extends our understanding of genes related to autism spectrum diseases (ASDs) and advances methods for early detection and treatment. Nori Matsunami, M.D., Ph.D., a research scientist in the Department of Human Genetics at the U, was one of the three lead authors who contributed equally to the paper and worked with Mark Leppert, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the Department of Human Genetics...

Molecular 'Switch' May Play Role In Tumor Suppression

Date: Jan-16-2013
Newly published research by Indiana University structural biologist Joel Ybe and colleagues identifies a "topology switch" in the protein clathrin, the function of which may shed light on molecular processes involved in tumor suppression. The paper, available in and featured on the front cover of the Jan. 16, 2013, issue of FEBS Letters, a journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies, could broaden scientists' understanding of the importance of clathrin and potentially lead to new strategies for controlling cancer...

Giving Up Sugar Has A Small But Significant Impact On Body Weight

Date: Jan-16-2013
Decreasing sugar consumption has a small but meaningful impact on body weight in adults. The finding, published online in the BMJ, established that although the impact is somewhat small (an average of 0.8 kg decrease), the results give support for international recommendations to cut sugar consumption to less than 10 percent of total energy in order to address the international obesity epidemic. Too much sugar in the diet has been associated with obesity and a greater risk of chronic illnesses. The most consistent link is a relationship between sugary drinks and becoming obese...

Identification Of Protein That Can Disrupt Embryonic Brain Development And Neuron Migration

Date: Jan-16-2013
Interneurons - nerve cells that function as 'dimmers' - play an important role in the brain. Their formation and migration to the cerebral cortex during the embryonic stage of development is crucial to normal brain functioning. Abnormal interneuron development and migration can eventually lead to a range of disorders and diseases, from epilepsy to Alzheimer's. New research by Dr. Eve Seuntjens and Dr...

Dopamine-Enhancing Drugs For Parkinson's Treatment Can Trigger Creativity

Date: Jan-16-2013
Parkinson's experts across the world have been reporting a remarkable phenomenon - many patients treated with drugs to increase the activity of dopamine in the brain as a therapy for motor symptoms such as tremors and muscle rigidity are developing new creative talents, including painting, sculpting, writing, and more. Prof. Rivka Inzelberg of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine first noticed the trend in her own Sheba Medical Center clinic when the usual holiday presents from patients - typically chocolates or similar gifts - took a surprising turn...