Health News

Obesity Epidemic Likely Cause Of Huge Increase In Kidney Stones

Date: May-25-2012
The number of Americans suffering from kidney stones between 2007 and 2010 nearly doubled since 1994, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and RAND. "While we expected the prevalence of kidney stones to increase, the size of the increase was surprising," says Charles D. Scales, Jr., MD, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Clinical Scholar in the departments of urology and medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our findings also suggested that the increase is due, in large part, to the...

Bone Repair Using Stem-Cell-Growing Surface

Date: May-25-2012
University of Michigan researchers have proven that a special surface, free of biological contaminants, allows adult-derived stem cells to thrive and transform into multiple cell types. Their success brings stem cell therapies another step closer. To prove the cells' regenerative powers, bone cells grown on this surface were then transplanted into holes in the skulls of mice, producing four times as much new bone growth as in the mice without the extra bone cells. An embryo's cells really can be anything they want to be when they grow up: organs, nerves, skin, bone, any type of human cell....

Breast Cancer Patients' Survival Influenced By Their Cardio Fitness Levels

Date: May-25-2012
Women receiving care for breast cancer have significantly impaired cardio-pulmonary function that can persist for years after they have completed treatment, according to a study led by scientists at Duke University Medical Center. The findings, reported online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, also provide initial evidence that poor cardio-pulmonary function may be a strong predictor of survival among women with advanced breast cancer. "We know that exercise tolerance tests, which measure cardiopulmonary function, are among some of the most important indicators of health and longevity in...

Food Choices, Eating Patterns Likely Influenced By "Obesity Genes"

Date: May-25-2012
Blame it on your genes? Researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center say individuals with variations in certain "obesity genes" tend to eat more meals and snacks, consume more calories per day and often choose the same types of high fat, sugary foods. Their study, published online by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and appearing in the June issue, reveals certain variations within the FTO and BDNF genes - which have been previously linked to obesity - may play a role in eating habits that can cause obesity. The findings suggest it may be...

Fever During Pregnancy More Than Doubles The Risk Of Autism Or Developmental Delay

Date: May-25-2012
A team of UC Davis researchers has found that mothers who had fevers during their pregnancies were more than twice as likely to have a child with autism or developmental delay than were mothers of typically developing children, and that taking medication to treat fever countered its effect. "Our study provides strong evidence that controlling fevers while pregnant may be effective in modifying the risk of having a child with autism or developmental delay," said Ousseny Zerbo, lead author of the study, who was a Ph.D. candidate with UC Davis when the study was conducted and is now a...

Skin Cells From Heart Failure Patients Made Into Healthy New Heart Muscle Cells

Date: May-25-2012
For the first time in medical science, Israeli scientists have successfully turned skin cells from heart failure patients into healthy new heart muscle cells.  This achievement is significant, as it opens up the prospect of treating heart failure patients with their own, human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to fix their damaged hearts. Furthermore, the cells would avoid being rejected as foreign as they would be derived from the patients themselves. The study is published in the European Heart Journal. However, the researchers state that it could take a minimum of 5 to 10 years before...

What Is Albinism? What Causes Albinism

Date: May-25-2012
Albinism is a genetic condition also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis. It is characterized by a deficit in the production in melanin and by the partial or complete absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. This hereditary disease can be found in humans (affecting all races), mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians.  Even though it is a hereditary condition, in most cases, there's no family history of albinism. People with albinism often have vision problems and are susceptible to sunburns and skin cancers if they do not protect themselves from direct sunlight. According to The...

Infants' Bodies Absorb Phthalates In PVC Floors

Date: May-25-2012
A new study at Karlstad University in Sweden shows that phthalates from PVC flooring materials is taken up by our bodies. Phthalates are substances suspected to cause asthma and allergies, as well as other chronic diseases in children. The study shows that children can ingest these softening agents with food but also by breathing and through the skin. Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds that occur in construction materials and a great number of common consumer goods such as toys, cleaning solvents, packaging, etc. Phthalates are suspected of disrupting hormones and may be related to...

Brains That Maintain Healthy Nerve Connections As We Age Help Keep Us Sharp In Later Life

Date: May-25-2012
Well-connected brains make you smarter in older age Older people with robust brain 'wiring' - that is, the nerve fibres that connect different, distant brain areas - can process information quickly and that this makes them generally smarter, the study suggests. According to the findings, joining distant parts of the brain together with better wiring improves mental performance, suggesting that intelligence is not found in a single part of the brain. However a loss of condition of this wiring or 'white matter' - the billions of nerve fibres that transmit signals around the brain - can...

Researchers Detect Predictive Biomarkers Of The Fertilizing Capacity Of Sperm Donors

Date: May-25-2012
The study represents a breakthrough in understanding the causes of unexplained infertility The diagnosis of male fertility is usually performed through the observation of the sperm in the microscope. However, normal quality semen does not guarantee adequate fertility. In fact, there is a considerable proportion of cases of unexplained infertility and data suggest that abnormal sperm function may have a genetic or molecular origin. A study performed by scientists at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Puigvert Foundation has identified a gene expression fingerprint...