Health News

Not So Fast: PPAR Beta/delta Slows Insulin Secretion

Date: Sep-12-2012
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high plasma glucose levels, insulin resistance, and inadequate insulin production. Insulin is secreted by pancreatic beta islets and the number of beta islets strongly influences the body's ability to process glucose. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Walter Wahli and colleagues at the University of Lausanne report that PPARbeta/delta, a protein that regulates gene expression, is a critical mediator of beta islet insulin secretion in mice...

New Team Models Could Provide Care For Panel Sizes Achievable With The Available Primary Care Workforce

Date: Sep-12-2012
Primary care is facing the dilemma of excessive patient panel sizes - the average primary care physician's panel size of 2,300 is too large for delivering good care under the traditional practice model - in an environment of primary care workforce shortage, which means panel size will only increase. This mismatch has given rise to a delegated team model of primary care whereby an interdisciplinary mix of team members is responsible for patient care...

A Perspective On The Dramatic Increase In Pharmaceutical Management Of Chronic Illness In Primary Care: Underlying Influences And Unintended Outcomes

Date: Sep-12-2012
With 45 percent of the U.S. population having been diagnosed with a chronic condition and 40 percent of people older than 60 taking five or more medications, researchers raise questions about the nature of the relationship between the expanding definition of chronic illness and the explosion in pharmaceutical use in the United States...

Study Shows Women Are Starting Families Later In Life Because They Are Spending Longer In Education

Date: Sep-12-2012
A study by the University of Southampton has shown that women are having children later in life mainly because they are spending longer in education. Research by Professor Maire Ni Bhrolchain and Dr Eva Beaujouan of the ESRC Centre for Population Change at the University reveals that finishing full-time education and training at an older average age is the main reason why people are having their first child later in life - both in Britain and in France...

Cancer-Causing Gene Alone Doesn't Trigger Pancreatic Cancer, Mayo-Led Study Finds

Date: Sep-12-2012
More than a cancer-causing gene is needed to trigger pancreatic cancer, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. A second factor creates a "perfect storm" that allows tumors to form, the researchers say. The study, published in the Sept. 10 issue of Cancer Cell, overturns the current belief that a mutation in the KRAS oncogene is enough to initiate pancreatic cancer and unrestrained cell growth. The findings uncover critical clues on how pancreatic cancer develops and why few patients benefit from current therapies...

Researchers Reveal A Chemo-Resistant Cancer Stem Cell As Cancer's 'Achilles' Heel'

Date: Sep-12-2012
Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a subpopulation of cells that display cancer stem cell properties and resistance to chemotherapy, and participate in tumor progression. This breakthrough could lead to the development of new tests for early cancer diagnosis, prognostic tests, and innovative therapeutic strategies, as reported in Cancer Cell. Resistance to chemotherapy is a frequent and devastating phenomenon that occurs in cancer patients during certain treatments...

Computer Being Taught To Interpret Human Emotions Based On Lip Pattern

Date: Sep-12-2012
A computer is being taught to interpret human emotions based on lip pattern, according to research published in the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing. The system could improve the way we interact with computers and perhaps allow disabled people to use computer-based communications devices, such as voice synthesizers, more effectively and more efficiently...

Influenza-Infected Lung Cells Send An SOS To The Immune System

Date: Sep-12-2012
Influenza can cause viral pneumonia in humans, leading to lung failure. The virus damages the alveolar epithelial cells, which release molecular attractants to bring immune cells to the site of infection. Until recently, the identity of these immune attractants was unknown. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Suzanne Herold at the University of Giessen report that alveolar cells produce granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to drive the accumulation of immune cells in a mouse model of influenza-associated pneumonia...

Deep Sleep Is Important During Puberty

Date: Sep-12-2012
Deep sleep is an important factor in the onset of puberty, therefore it is extremely important to be sure that adolescents are getting an adequate amount of sleep-time per night. Puberty, or adolescence, is when the human can first start reproducing. When this occurs varies considerably from person-to-person. Factors that may influence when puberty commences include the individuals genetic makeup, nutritional habits, their environment, some social factors, and according to this study, their sleeping habits...

GEN Reports On Ocular Therapeutics Targeting The Retina

Date: Sep-12-2012
Therapies for retinal diseases are expected to overtake those for glaucoma by 2014, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). Because current retinal disease treatments only improve vision for six to eight weeks, there is a critical need for new remedies, according to a recent issue of GEN. "As increasing numbers of baby-boomers continue to grow older, many will have to deal with eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration," said John Sterling, Editor-in-Chief of GEN...