Health News

Health, Life Expectancy And Lifestyles Examined By Largest Ever European Health Study

Date: Sep-18-2012
Researchers have announced the results of the largest ever health and lifestyle survey of cities and conurbations across Europe- including five British urban centres. The research examined and compared the health, life expectancy and lifestyles of the populations of 26 European cities (the Euro-26) and found major differences, not only between cities, but within individual urban areas too. The pan-European study, led in the UK by the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, identified key priority areas for each city studied that the researchers hope policymakers will address...

Scientists Discover MVK Mutations Associated With DSAP

Date: Sep-18-2012
A Chinese research team, led by Anhui Medical University and BGI, has found the strong genetic evidences of mevalonate kinase gene (MVK) mutations link to disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP). It is a major step toward discovering the genetic pathogenesisof DSAP, and sheds an eye-opening insight into its further molecular diagnosis and treatment. The latest study was published online in Nature Genetics. DSAP is a rare, non-cancerous, non-contagious skin disorder that causes dry, itchy lesions on the arms and legs...

Speaking The Same Language On Noise Exposure

Date: Sep-18-2012
Quantifying noise exposure will be significantly easier thanks to a new set of common noise assessment methods. Comparable data on noise exposure in Europe is a prerequisite to set up EU policies to reduce noise pollution, a growing health and economic concern all over Europe. The new methods - known as Common Noise Assessment Methods in Europe (CNOSSOS-EU) - were drawn up by the European Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre...

Unique Insight Into How Bacteria Control The Amount Of Toxin In Their Cells

Date: Sep-18-2012
Many pathogenic bacteria are able to go into a dormant state by producing persister cells that are not susceptible to conventional antibiotics. This causes serious problems in the treatment of life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis, where the presence of persister cells often leads to a resurgence of infection following medical treatment. At the molecular level, the formation of persister cells is due to the presence of toxins that are produced by the bacteria themselves, and which enable them to enter the dormant state...

Possible Gap In Treatment Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Teens Revealed By Study

Date: Sep-18-2012
California's pediatricians-in-training are not adequately educated about the methods to prevent recurrent sexually transmitted infections in teenagers. That's the conclusion of a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital examining pediatric residents' knowledge of laws governing treatment of their patients' sexual partners. "Unless you treat the partner, your patient gets re-infected," Neville Golden, MD, an adolescent medicine specialist at Packard Children's and professor of pediatrics at Stanford. "We call this the 'ping-pong effect...

In Alzheimer's Animal Model Surgery Has A More Profound Effect Than Anesthesia On Brain Pathology And Cognition

Date: Sep-18-2012
A syndrome called "post-operative cognitive decline" has been coined to refer to the commonly reported loss of cognitive abilities, usually in older adults, in the days to weeks after surgery. In fact, some patients time the onset of their Alzheimer's disease symptoms from a surgical procedure. Exactly how the trio of anesthesia, surgery, and dementia interact is clinically inconclusive, yet of great concern to patients, their families and physicians...

Using Ultrasound Waves, Researchers Boost Skin's Permeability To Drugs

Date: Sep-18-2012
Using ultrasound waves, MIT engineers have found a way to enhance the permeability of skin to drugs, making transdermal drug delivery more efficient. This technology could pave the way for noninvasive drug delivery or needle-free vaccinations, according to the researchers...

A Step Closer To Universal Flu Vaccine, New Therapies

Date: Sep-18-2012
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Sea Lane Biotechnologies have solved the co-crystal structure of a human antibody that can neutralize influenza viruses in a unique way. The antibody recognizes the crucial structure that flu viruses use to attach to host cells, even though previously this structure had been thought too small for an antibody to grab effectively. The immune protein manages to hit this precise spot by using just a small part of its target-grabbing apparatus. In so doing, it can neutralize a broad range of dangerous flu viruses...

Tackling Childhood Obesity Through Clinic-Based Community Program

Date: Sep-18-2012
Could a clinic-based intervention that assists in dealing with childhood obesity be scaled down into an easily-taught, community-based program? Yes, according to a new feasibility study conducted by researchers at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education and published in the journal, Pediatrics. Working in partnership with UnitedHealth Group and the Greater Providence YMCA, the Temple researchers conducted a six-month program on weight loss and management for 155 children and their parents or guardians in Providence, R.I...

Disabling Cough In Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Relieved By Thalidomide

Date: Sep-18-2012
In the first clinical trial to demonstrate an effective treatment for constant, disabling cough among people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that taking thalidomide significantly reduced the cough and improved quality of life. Results of their study are scheduled to be published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Sept. 18 in an article titled "Thalidomide for the Treatment of Cough in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis...