Health News

More Effective, Safer Protection Against Osteoporosis?

Date: Aug-22-2012
A new study suggests that a polyclonal antibody that blocks follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in mice without ovaries might offer a more effective way to prevent or arrest osteoporosis than currently available treatments. The study used a mouse model of menopause to show that an injection of a polyclonal antipeptide antibody enhances bone regeneration by simultaneously slowing bone destruction and building bone, say researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York...

Vitamin D Supplements May Lower Risk Of Respiratory Problems In Kids

Date: Aug-21-2012
A study published online in the journal Pediatrics, shows that the risk of respiratory infections in winter might be reduced in Mongolian schoolchildren by giving them a daily supplement of vitamin D. This supports the findings of previous research. A team of international researchers discovered that vitamin D supplementation decreased the risk of respiratory infections in children whose blood showed low levels of vitamin D at the beginning of the study...

Strokes Mix Up Brain And Muscle Coordination

Date: Aug-21-2012
Numerous muscles are involved and use coordination just to perform simple actions like picking up a pen. For instance, the eyes and head need to turn towards the object, the hand needs to reach towards the pen and the fingers need to pick it up. This complex coordination of muscles is managed as a series of shortcuts in the brain's motor cortex to make these actions more manageable...

LPA1 Inhibition Induces Metastatic Dormancy In Mouse Models Of Breast Cancer

Date: Aug-21-2012
A lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1) inhibitor, known as Debio-0719, suppresses the development of metastases in mice by inducing cancer cell dormancy, according to a study published August 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Metastasis is a main contributor to mortality in cancer patients. Patients with "triple negative" breast cancer (tumor cells that are hormone receptor negative and express normal levels of the HER2 oncogene) are known to be at high risk for metastatic progression...

Heart Failure Rates In Ontario Have Decreased By 33% Over A Decade

Date: Aug-21-2012
Over the last decade the number of new heart failure cases in Ontario has decreased by 33%, which indicates that preventive efforts may be working even though the mortality rate for those with the disease is still high. The study is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. One of the main reasons of hospital admissions is heart failure. Heart failure has a high death rate and over the last few decades, incidences have increased...

What Determines Risks Of Kidney Failure?

Date: Aug-21-2012
New research appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) has discovered the likelihood of middle-aged adults to develop kidney failure during their lifetime, which could potentially lead to an increase in public interest in the prevention of kidney disease while setting priorities related to kidney care. Kidney failure is when the kidney is suddenly not able to remove waste and concentration urine without losing electrolytes, to regulate water, and to promote red blood cell production...

Researchers Reveal How The Female Brain And Sex Are Connected

Date: Aug-21-2012
A study published in the August 20 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reveals that an international team of scientists at Saskatchewan University discovered a protein in semen, which influences the female brain to prompt ovulation and that this molecule also regulates the growth, maintenance, and survival of nerve cells. The accessory sex glands in male mammals contribute seminal fluid to semen, yet so far there is little knowledge about the fluid's role and that of the glands that produce it...

Vanderbilt University Seeks To Increase Exclusive Breast Feeding In Hospitals

Date: Aug-21-2012
Vanderbilt University is participating in a new statewide project designed to improve the health of infants and mothers in Tennessee by increasing exclusive breast-feeding in hospitals and delivery centers. The Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) recently started the project at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center with 16 hospital teams from across the state. Hospitals and centers in Tennessee who wish to participate in the project have until September 2012 to apply...

Photographic Cholesterol Test - A New Noninvasive Way To Test Cholesterol

Date: Aug-21-2012
In India, researchers have developed a noninvasive approach to test cholesterol levels in patients who are at a greater risk for heart disease. The total cholesterol test uses a digital camera to take a photo of the back of the patient's hand. The image is then cropped and compared in a database with images of known cholesterol levels. The approach, developed by N.R...

Green Tea And Chocolate Compounds Can Reduce Brain Complications Associated With HIV

Date: Aug-21-2012
Current HIV drug therapies are not able to control the virus' complete replication in the brain and are therefore ineffective against complications linked to neurocognitive impairment in HIV patients. However, a new study published online in the Journal of NeuroVirology has revealed that a group of plant polyphenols known as catechins that occur naturally in green tea and the seed of the cacao tree may help to prevent these neurological complications...