Health News

Mild HIV Type Slows Development Of AIDS And Makes New Preventive Treatments Possible

Date: Jul-23-2012
A new study from Lund University in Sweden has opened the way for new approaches to slowing the development of AIDS in HIV-1-infected patients. It is hoped that this could lead to better treatment methods and preventive measures to combat HIV and AIDS. The findings have just been published in the distinguished scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine.* The most common type of the virus that causes AIDS - HIV-1 - is less aggressive when it infects a person already carrying the milder HIV-2...

How Fat Influences Flavour Perception

Date: Jul-23-2012
A joint study carried out by The University of Nottingham and the multinational food company Unilever has found for the first time that fat in food can reduce activity in several areas of the brain which are responsible for processing taste, aroma and reward. The research, now available in the Springer journal Chemosensory Perception, provides the food industry with better understanding of how in the future it might be able to make healthier, less fatty food products without negatively affecting their overall taste and enjoyment...

Scientists Develop Way To Detect Superparasites

Date: Jul-23-2012
Belgian scientists of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium made a breakthrough in bridging high tech molecular biology research on microbial pathogens and the needs of the poorest of the poor. After sequencing the complete genome of Leishmania donovani (a parasite causing one of the most important tropical diseases after malaria) in hundreds of clinical isolates, they identified a series of mutations specific of 'superparasites' and developed a simple assay that should allow tracking them anywhere...

What Is Psychosis? What Causes Psychosis?

Date: Jul-23-2012
Psychosis is a generic psychiatric term for an abnormal sign or symptom that affects the mind, causing people to change the way they think, feel, perceive things, and behave. When a person suffers from psychosis they are not able to tell the difference between reality and what is in their imagination - a loss of contact with reality. Experts say psychosis is a symptom which is detected in several different mental illnesses, including Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, Delusional Disorder, Brief Psychotic Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Schizoaffective Disorder...

Promising Therapeutic Target For The Treatment Of Traumatic Brain Injury

Date: Jul-23-2012
New treatments to lessen the severity of the more than 21,000 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) cases that occur in Australia each year are on the horizon. Published in the leading neurology journal, Brain, a study led by researchers from Monash University's Australian Centre for Blood Diseases (ACBD) revealed how inhibiting certain enzymes decreased the severity of TBI, providing a target for future treatments. Caused by a blow to the head, often suffered during falls or road crashes, severe TBI can result in long-term disability or death...

Rapid Diagnostic Test Developed For Pathogens, Contaminants

Date: Jul-23-2012
Using nanoscale materials, researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a single-step method to rapidly and accurately detect viruses, bacteria and chemical contaminants. In a series of studies, the scientists were able to detect compounds such as lactic acid and the protein albumin in highly diluted samples and in mixtures that included dyes and other chemicals. Their results suggest that the same system could be used to detect pathogens and contaminants in biological mixtures such as food, blood, saliva and urine...

Healthier Options Now Available At Chain Restaurants With Menu Labeling

Date: Jul-23-2012
The recent Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has cleared the way for national requirements about posting nutritional information at chain restaurants. Listing calories, fat content, and sodium levels of menu items at the point of purchase has been promoted as a way to address the obesity epidemic. Increased awareness may lead to healthier consumer choices, and may encourage restaurants to adapt their menus to meet demand...

Diesel Exhaust Exposure In The Womb A Possible Risk Factor For Obesity

Date: Jul-23-2012
Pregnant mice exposed to high levels of air pollution gave birth to offspring with a significantly higher rate of obesity and insulin resistance in adulthood than those that were not exposed to air pollution. This effect seemed especially prevalent in male mice, which were heavier regardless of diet. These findings, published online in the FASEB Journal, suggests a link between diesel exhaust exposure in utero and bulging waistlines in adulthood. "It is becoming clearer that our environment profoundly affects our health in ways that are little understood," said Jessica L. Bolton, Ph.D...

Melanoma-Driving Genetic Changes Caused By Sun Damage

Date: Jul-23-2012
It's been a burning question in melanoma research: Tumor cells are full of ultraviolet (UV)-induced genetic damage caused by sunlight exposure, but which mutations drive this cancer? None have been conclusively tied to melanoma. The sheer abundance of these passenger mutations has obscured the search for genetic driver mutations that actually matter in melanoma development and progression...

Farmers And Ranchers Have Unique Prosthetic Needs After An Amputation

Date: Jul-23-2012
When a farmer or rancher is injured on the job, there's an 11 percent chance that an amputation will occur. That's two and a half times more likely than in any other industry. Most of these amputations involve fingers or toes. But the artificial hands, arms, legs, feet and other prostheses used by agricultural workers with a major limb amputation don't seem to be durable, affordable or adaptable enough for their lifestyles, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study...