Health News

Tool Created To Track Real-Time Chemical Changes In Brain

Date: Jul-17-2012
Mayo Clinic researchers have found a novel way to monitor real-time chemical changes in the brains of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS). The groundbreaking insight will help physicians more effectively use DBS to treat brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease, depression and Tourette syndrome. The findings are published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Researchers hope to use the discovery to create a DBS system that can instantly respond to chemical changes in the brain...

Researchers Isolate Gene Mutations In Patients With Inherited Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Date: Jul-17-2012
A new genetic mutation that causes familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, has been identified by a team of scientists led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). Mutations to the profilin (PFN1) gene, which is essential to the growth and development of nerve cell axons, is estimated to account for one to two percent of inherited ALS cases...

Children With Persistent Asthma Being Treated With Inhaled Corticosteroids Should Be Checked For Vitamin D Deficiency

Date: Jul-17-2012
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poorer lung function in asthmatic children treated with inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study from researchers in Boston...

Increased Risk For Groin Pain, Sports Hernia With Common Athletic Hip Disorder

Date: Jul-17-2012
A sports hernia is a common cause of groin pain in athletes, however until lately little has been known as to why they occur. Researchers presenting their study at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Baltimore suggest that a type of hip condition (Femoral Acetabular Impingement (FAI) might be a contributing cause. "Our study illustrated that those patients with FAI tend to have a change in hip biomechanics which in turn leads to increased stress across the groin...

Critical Cell In Fighting E. coli Infection Identified

Date: Jul-17-2012
Despite ongoing public health efforts, E. coli outbreaks continue to infiltrate the food supply, annually causing significant sickness and death throughout the world. But the research community is gaining ground. In a major finding, published in the scientific journal Nature, researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have discovered a molecule's previously unknown role in fighting off E. coli and other bacterial infections, a discovery that could lead to new ways to protect people from these dangerous microorganisms...

Sophisticated Technique For Delivering Multiple Cancer Treatments May Solve Frustrating Hurdle For Combinatorial Drug Therapies

Date: Jul-17-2012
Cancers are notorious for secreting chemicals that confuse the immune system and thwarting biological defenses. To counter that effect, some cancer treatments try to neutralize the cancer's chemical arsenal and boost a patient's immune response - though attempts to do both at the same time are rarely successful...

What Is Plavix (Clopidogrel Bisulfate)?

Date: Jul-17-2012
Plavix (clopidogrel disulfate) is a medication that prevents platelets from clumping together and forming blood clots. This prescription drug helps blood flow more easily, and reduces the chances of a future stroke or heart attack. Plavix is an oral, thienopyridine class antiplatelet agent. Antiplatelet agents decrease the accumulation of platelets, thus inhibiting thrombus (clot) formation. Antiplatelet agents are effective in the circulation of the arteries, where anticoagulants are not...

Study Shows Little Connection Between The Onset Of Osteoarthritis And Single Or Double Bundle ACL Surgeries

Date: Jul-17-2012
Osteoarthritis progression is not more likely in patients who have undergone single-bundle ACL reconstruction, says researchers presenting their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Baltimore. "While previous studies have shown the benefits of double bundle ACL reconstruction compared to single bundle, none have focused on the long-term effects of osteoarthritis(OA)," noted Jongkeun Seon, MD, corresponding author from Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital. "A final follow-up in our study showed 9...

Obesity May Affect Response To Breast Cancer Treatment

Date: Jul-16-2012
Experts have been questioning if hormone-suppressing drugs is the best treatment for obese women because they still have higher levels of estrogen than normal weight women even after treatment. The Institute of Cancer Research in London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, conducted a study and found that hormone-suppressing drugs did greatly decrease estrogen levels in obese women, however those levels still more than doubled a normal weight woman's level...

Relationships Between Living Kidney Donors And Their Recipients Vary By Ethnicity

Date: Jul-16-2012
PARIS -- British investigators have documented significant differences among UK ethnic minorities in the relationships between living kidney donors and their recipients. Rishi Pruthi, MD, clinical research fellow in nephrology at the UK Renal Registry (UKRR) in Bristol, and colleagues reviewed the demographic characteristics of all living renal transplant recipients and their respective donors between 2001 and 2010 in the UK and analyzed the relationships between recipients and their donors as well as ethnicity and gender...