Health News

Children With Neurologic Disorders At High Risk Of Death From Flu

Date: Aug-29-2012
A team of experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that during the 2009 H191 pandemic, an excessive number of kids with neurologic disorders died from influenza-related complications. The report, in the journal Pediatrics, explains how important it is for parents to protect their children with neurologic disorders by getting them the flu vaccine...

Is Internet Addiction Due To A Genetic Mutation?

Date: Aug-29-2012
According to researchers from the University of Bonn and the ZI Mannheim, internet addiction is not just something we've made up in society, but may actually be due to our genetics. During the last years, the researchers has asked 843 people about their internet usage. After looking at their responses, the authors determined that 132 of these individuals, both men and women, have problems regarding their internet behavior. This was determined by how the volunteers reacted when told they maybe have to be without internet and how they felt they were benefitting from being online...

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome Kills Two In Yosemite National Park

Date: Aug-29-2012
Four cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome have been identified so far at Yosemite National Park, two of the infected people have died, according to an announcement by the National Park Service Office of Public Health. All the current infections occurred in people who visited that park in June of this year and stayed at Curry Village in "Signature Tent Cabins". Park officials say they are getting in touch with everyone who stayed in that part of the park from mid-June to the end of August - over 1,700 people...

Normal Weight People With Belly Fat More Likely To Die

Date: Aug-29-2012
A person of normal body weight who has excess belly fat is more likely to die prematurely than an obese person with a fair spread of fat around the body, researchers from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. explained at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2012 in Munich, Germany. Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez said that people with a high waist-to-hip ratio, i.e. those with big bellies, but whose BMI (body mass index) are of normal weight, are more likely to die from a cardiovascular event or any cause than anybody else...

A New Look At Proteins In Living Cells

Date: Aug-29-2012
Proteins adorning the surfaces of human cells perform an array of essential functions, including cell signaling, communication and the transport of vital substances into and out of cells. They are critical targets for drug delivery and many proteins are now being identified as disease biomarkers - early warning beacons announcing the pre-symptomatic presence of cancers and other diseases. While study of the binding properties of membrane proteins is essential, detailed analysis of these complex entities is tricky...

Humira Gets Green Light For Ulcerative Colitis Treatment

Date: Aug-29-2012
An FDA Advisory Panel has recommended that the US regulatory body authorizes Humira (adalimumab) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. In a 15 to 2 vote in favor of approval, a large majority of the Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee believe that Humira's benefits outweigh the risks. Although the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not have to abide by the Panel's recommendations, it nearly always does. Abbott Laboratories, the makers and sellers of Humira, say a final decision should be made by the FDA by the end of 2012...

Low And Comparable Rates Of Stent Thrombosis Found With Zotarolimus- And Sirolimus-Eluting Stents: The PROTECT Study

Date: Aug-29-2012
Rates of stent thrombosis at three years were low and comparable between zotarolimus-eluting and sirolimus-eluting stents, according to findings from the PROTECT study described at ESC Congress 2012...

Tumor Formation Blocked By Turning On Key Enzyme

Date: Aug-29-2012
Drug-like molecule restores normal cell metabolism, preventing cancer cells from growing. Unlike ordinary cells, cancer cells devote most of their energy to reproducing themselves. To do this, they must trigger alternative metabolic pathways that produce new cellular building blocks, such as DNA, carbohydrates and lipids. Chemical compounds that disrupt an enzyme critical to this metabolic diversion prevent tumors from forming in mice, according to an MIT-led study appearing online in Nature Chemical Biology on Aug. 26...

Intraaortic Balloon Pump Fails To Improve Mortality Rate In Cardiogenic Shock Patients: The IABP-SHOCK II Study

Date: Aug-29-2012
A balloon pump inserted in the aorta is currently the most widely used support device in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and, since its introduction in 1968, has been used in several million people. However, there is still only limited evidence that the intraaortic balloon pump (IABP), one of the oldest medical devices in cardiology, is actually beneficial for the patient. Only a few registry studies and clinical trials have shown that the IABP can improve blood pressure and the perfusion of the coronary arteries...

Decrease In Early Mortality In STEMI Attributed To Changing Patient Profile And Behavior, And Improved Organization Of Care

Date: Aug-29-2012
Data from four French nationwide registries of STEMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction) patients initiated five years apart and covering more than 15 years show that mortality rate decreased by 68% over this period, from 13.7% to 4.4%. Around one quarter of this mortality reduction could be attributed to a change in patient characteristics...