Health News

Maturitas Publishes Clinical Guide On Low-Dose Vaginal Estrogens For Vaginal Atrophy

Date: Sep-17-2012
Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the publication of a position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) in the journal Maturitas. The society published a clinical guide on low-dose vaginal estrogens for postmenopausal vaginal atrophy also including a summary of recommendations. Vaginal atrophy is common after menopause and adversely affects quality of life in one out of every two women...

Low Ghrelin - Reducing Appetite At The Cost Of Increased Stress?

Date: Sep-17-2012
Ghrelin is a hormone released by the lining of the stomach that promotes feeding behavior. Decreasing ghrelin levels could potentially help combat obesity -- in fact, a vaccine that lowers ghrelin levels in order to reduce appetite is being studied as a treatment for obesity. However, many people eat as a way to relieve stress. If low ghrelin levels increase stress, its effectiveness as a treatment for obesity may be reduced. In the current issue of Biological Psychiatry, researchers led by Dr...

Immune System Compensates For 'Leaky Gut' In Inflammatory Bowel Disease Susceptibility

Date: Sep-17-2012
New research could clarify how inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), conditions that include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are triggered and develop. Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have shown how the immune system can compensate for a "leaky gut" and prevent disease in mice that are susceptible to intestinal inflammation. These findings could explain why some individuals who are susceptible to developing IBD do or do not get the disease. The results were published online Sept. 13 in the journal Immunity...

URMC Geneticists Verify Cholesterol-Cancer Link

Date: Sep-17-2012
University of Rochester Medical Center scientists discovered new genetic evidence linking cholesterol and cancer, raising the possibility that cholesterol medications could be useful in the future for cancer prevention or to augment existing cancer treatment. The data, published in the online journal Cell Reports, support several recent population-based studies that suggest individuals who take cholesterol-lowering drugs may have a reduced risk of cancer, and, conversely that individuals with the highest levels of cholesterol seem to have an elevated risk of cancer...

Under-Twisted DNA Origami Delivers Cancer Drugs To Tumors

Date: Sep-17-2012
Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden describe in a new study how so-called DNA origami can enhance the effect of certain cytostatics used in the treatment of cancer. With the aid of modern nanotechnology, scientists can target drugs direct to the tumour while leaving surrounding healthy tissue untouched. The drug doxorubicin has long been used as a cytostatic (toxin) for cancer treatment but can cause serious adverse reactions such as myocardial disease and severe nausea...

Effects Of Stopping Alcohol Consumption On Subsequent Risk Of Esophageal Cancer

Date: Sep-17-2012
Cancer of the oesophagus is becoming more common in Europe and North America. Around 7,800 people in the UK are diagnosed each year. The exact causes of this cancer aren't fully understood. It appears to be more common in people who have long-term acid reflux (backflow of stomach acid into the oesophagus). Other factors that can affect the risk of developing cancer of the oesophagus include: Gender - It is more common in men than in women. Age - The risk of developing oesophageal cancer increases as we get older. It occurs most commonly in people over 45...

U-M Guidelines Help Family Physicians Evaluate, Manage Urinary Incontinence For Women

Date: Sep-17-2012
Millions of women experience a loss of bladder control, or urinary incontinence, in their lifetime. It's a common and often embarrassing problem that many patients don't bring up with their doctors - and when they do, it may be mentioned as a casual side note during a visit for more pressing medical issues. Now, new guidelines from doctors at the University of Michigan Health System offer family physicians a step-by-step guide for the evaluation of urinary leakage, to prevent this quality-of-life issue from being ignored...

Increased Dietary Fructose Linked To Elevated Uric Acid Levels And Lower Liver Energy Stores

Date: Sep-17-2012
Obese patients with type 2 diabetes who consume higher amounts of fructose display reduced levels of liver adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-a compound involved in the energy transfer between cells. The findings, published in the September issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, indicate that elevated uric acid levels (hyperuricemia) are associated with more severe hepatic ATP depletion in response to fructose intake...

Parental Divorce Linked To Stroke In Males

Date: Sep-17-2012
Men with divorced parents are significantly more likely to suffer a stroke than men from intact families, shows a new study from the University of Toronto. The study, to be published this month in the International Journal of Stroke, shows that adult men who had experienced parental divorce before they turned 18 are three times more likely to suffer a stroke than men whose parents did not divorce. Women from divorced families did not have a higher risk of stroke than women from intact families...

Laser-Powered 'Needle' Promises Pain-Free Injections

Date: Sep-17-2012
From annual flu shots to childhood immunizations, needle injections are among the least popular staples of medical care. Though various techniques have been developed in hopes of taking the "ouch" out of injections, hypodermic needles are still the first choice for ease-of-use, precision, and control. A new laser-based system, however, that blasts microscopic jets of drugs into the skin could soon make getting a shot as painless as being hit with a puff of air...