Health News

Teenage Boys Who Are Obese Have Up To 50 Percent Less Testosterone Than Lean Boys

Date: Oct-19-2012
A study by the University at Buffalo shows for the first time that obese males ages 14 to 20 have up to 50 percent less total testosterone than do normal males of the same age, significantly increasing their potential to be impotent and infertile as adults. The paper was published online as an accepted article in Clinical Endocrinology...

Potential New Drug Therapy For Crohn's Disease

Date: Oct-19-2012
Ustekinumab, an antibody proven to treat the skin condition psoriasis, has now shown positive results in decreasing the debilitating effects of Crohn's Disease, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego, School of Medicine. The study will appear in the October 18, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)...

Adult Stem Cells Harvested From Bone Marrow May Be Best For Reducing The Risk Of Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Date: Oct-19-2012
One of the world's leading bone marrow transplant experts is recommending a significant change to current transplant practice for patients who need marrow or adult stem cells from an unrelated donor to treat hematologic malignancies. Fred Appelbaum, M.D., director of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, asserts that bone marrow - not circulating, peripheral blood, which is the current norm - should be the source for unrelated donor adult stem cells for most patients who require a transplant...

Mortality Reduced In Elderly Female Cancer Survivors By Adherence To Lifestyle Guidelines

Date: Oct-19-2012
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, staying physically active and maintaining a healthy diet improved survival after cancer diagnosis in an elderly female cancer survivor population, according to data presented at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, being held Oct. 16-19, 2012. Researchers examined cancer survivors' adherence to the 2007 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) guidelines for body weight, physical activity and diet...

Treating Triple-Negative Breast Cancer With Vegetable-Derived Compound

Date: Oct-19-2012
A new compound created from a rich source in vegetables including broccoli and brussel sprouts has been developed to combat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This research was presented at the 2012 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition, the world's largest pharmaceutical sciences meeting, in Chicago, Ill., during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. TNBC accounts for approximately 15-20 percent of all breast cancer cases in the U.S...

Robotic-Assisted Cardiac Stent System Enhances Control And Improves Visualization

Date: Oct-19-2012
Innovative System a Big Leap Forward for Patients and Physicians Alike Thousands of cardiac stent procedures are successfully performed every year, but a key challenge is positioning the stent, guidewires, and catheter at the precise location of the blockage. In addition, even with the most sophisticated X-ray technology, the complex shape of the heart and the twists and turns of the coronary arteries make the exact size of the blockage difficult to visualize and measure...

Highly Selective Anticancer Strategy That Specifically Targets Cancer Cells Without Significantly Affecting Normal Tissues

Date: Oct-19-2012
In what they say is a promising and highly selective treatment strategy, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have safely shut down breast cancer and a form of leukemia in mice by targeting abnormal proteins to which the cancers are "addicted," according to a new study. Even though the investigators genetically silenced the proteins or blocked them with a drug in normal as well as cancerous tissues, the animals remained healthy, they report in the journal Cancer Cell. Peter Sicinski, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber is the paper's senior author...

Non-infected Babies Born To HIV Mothers Have Decreased Resistance For Measles

Date: Oct-19-2012
Newborns without the HIV virus who have infected mothers need to be vaccinated immediately against measles, a new study says, in order to prevent the obtainment and transmission of the virus. This study, published in Acta Paediatrica, has found that despite being born without HIV, babies born to infected mothers still have weakened protection against measles due to their mother's positive HIV status...

Genes & Immune System Affected By Poverty & Stress

Date: Oct-19-2012
Childhood poverty, adults stress, and demographics, including sex, age, and ethnicity, leave a mark on individuals' genes, which may contribute to their immune response. A previous study from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden suggested that genes linked to the immune system can have an influence on healthy individuals' personality traits, chance of developing mental illness, and risk of suicidal behavior...

Cancer Diagnosis Does Not Change Religious Beliefs Of Patients

Date: Oct-19-2012
Contrary to popular belief, young people who are diagnosed with life-threatening cancer and do not already have religious beliefs, do not turn to religion during this hard time. However, the happenings may solidify the beliefs they already had, according to researchers from the University of Copenhagen. Nadja Ausker commented:  "My research shows that young cancer patients' views on existential issues show consistency before and after the diagnosis: Their faith and their religious practices remain the same...