Health News

Boys More Affected By Mutations In Autism Susceptibility Gene

Date: Jul-15-2012
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified five rare mutations in a single gene that appear to increase the chances that a boy will develop an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mutations in the AFF2 gene, and other genes like it on the X chromosome, may explain why autism spectrum disorders affect four times as many boys as girls. The mutations in AFF2 appeared in 2.5 percent (5 out of 202) boys with an ASD. Mutations in X chromosome genes only affect boys, who have one X chromosome. Girls have a second copy of the gene that can compensate...

Why The Human Body Cannot Fight HIV Infection

Date: Jul-15-2012
University of Washington researchers have made a discovery that sheds light on why the human body is unable to adequately fight off HIV infection. The work, directed by Dr. Michael Gale, Jr., a professor in the Immunology Department, will be featured in the August print issue of the Journal of Virology. The researchers discovered that the viral protein vpu, which is created by HIV during infection, directly interferes with the immune response protein IRF3 to dampen the ability of the immune system to protect against virus infection...

Period Drama! Pop Culture Makes Menstruation 'overly Traumatic'.

Date: Jul-15-2012
Researcher Dr Lauren Rosewarne, from the University's School of Social and Political Sciences, has analyzed hundreds of representations of menstruation in film and television. "The presentation of menstruation on screen is an overwhelmingly negative one," she said. The analysis included jokes, plotlines and references from popular TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Mad Men, Friends and Grey's Anatomy, and blockbuster films like Annie Hall, Anchorman and Monty Python's The Meaning of Life...

Discovery Opens Door To Attacking Biofilms That Cause Chronic Infections

Date: Jul-15-2012
A clever new imaging technique discovered at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals a possible plan of attack for many bacterial diseases, such as cholera, lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients and even chronic sinusitis, that form biofilms that make them resistant to antibiotics. By devising a new fluorescent labeling strategy and employing super-resolution light microscopy, the researchers were able to examine the structure of sticky plaques called bacterial biofilms that make these infections so tenacious...

One Fifth Of Breast Conserving Surgeries Require Reoperation

Date: Jul-14-2012
About one fifth of female breast cancer patients who chose breast conserving surgery instead of mastectomy eventually need another operation, British researchers reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal). The authors explained that their findings should help patients when deciding on how to go forward; whether to surgically remove the whole breast (mastectomy) or undergo breast conserving surgery (to have just part of the breast removed). Of the 45,000 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in England in 2008, 58% opted for breast conserving surgery instead of mastectomy...

Effective Weight Loss - Keep A Food Journal, Don't Skip Meals, Don't Eat Out

Date: Jul-14-2012
If you want to really succeed in losing weight you should never skip meals, you should avoid eating out, and ideally, you should keep a food journal, especially if you are an overweight or obese postmenopausal woman, researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reported in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The authors added that eating out in restaurants during lunchtime especially, should be avoided...

Veterans With PTSD Need Better Access To Care And Monitoring Of Treatments

Date: Jul-14-2012
Veterans and service personnel with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) must have proper and prompt access to evidence-based care, and their treatments should be tracked, including their outcomes, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IoM) that was mandated by Congress. Programs on offer should be thoroughly researched to make sure they are effective, the authors added; their findings should become freely available to the public immediately. The report directed its message to the US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs...

One In Four Disabled Children Likely To Be Victims Of Violence

Date: Jul-14-2012
According to a systematic review and a meta-analysis published Online First in The Lancet, children with disabilities tend to be 3 to 4-times more likely to become victims of violence as compared to those without disabilities. It is estimated that one in four children with disabilities experience violence during their lifetime. Worldwide, 93 million children (5%) suffer from moderate or severe disability. Even though it is believed that kids with disabilities are exposed to a greater risk of violence, this study is the first that quantifies the prevalence and magnitude of that risk...

Vitamin D Deficiency And Lung Function In Asthmatic Children

Date: Jul-14-2012
A new study from researchers in Boston has found that poorer lung function in asthmatic children, treated with inhaled corticosteroids, is linked with vitamin D deficiency...

Children Suffering Anxiety And Depression Benefit From Emotion Detectives Treatment Protocol

Date: Jul-14-2012
Emotional problems in childhood are common. Approximately 8 to 22 percent of children suffer from anxiety, often combined with other conditions such as depression. However, most existing therapies are not designed to treat co-existing psychological problems and are therefore not very successful in helping children with complex emotional issues. To develop a more effective treatment for co-occurring youth anxiety and depression, University of Miami (UM) psychologist Jill Ehrenreich-May and her collaborator Emily L...