Health News

Pressure Ulcer Risk May Be Increased By Gastric Feeding Tubes

Date: May-15-2012
A new study led by Brown University researchers reports that percutaneous endoscopic gastric (PEG) feeding tubes, long assumed to help bedridden dementia patients stave off or overcome pressure ulcers, may instead make the horrible sores more likely to develop or not improve. The analysis of thousands of nursing home patients with advanced dementia appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine. "This study provides new information about the risks of feeding tube insertion in people with advanced cognitive impairment," said lead author Dr. Joan Teno, a gerontologist and professor of health...

Sleepwalking More Prevalent Among US Adults Than Previously Suspected

Date: May-15-2012
What goes bump in the night? In many U.S. households: people. That's according to new Stanford University School of Medicine research, which found that about 3.6 percent of U.S. adults - or upward of 8.4 million - are prone to sleepwalking. The work also showed an association between nocturnal wanderings and certain psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety. The study, the researchers noted, "underscores the fact that sleepwalking is much more prevalent in adults than previously appreciated." Maurice Ohayon, MD, DSc, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is the lead...

Identification Of A MicroRNA Prognostic Marker In Acute Leukemia

Date: May-15-2012
A study has identified microRNA-3151 as a new independent prognostic marker in certain patients with acute leukemia. The study involves patients with acute myeloid leukemia and normal-looking chromosomes(CN-AML). The study by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC - James) found that when microRNA-3151 (miR-3151) is overexpressed in CN-AML, the disease responds poorly to treatment and patients experience shorter remissions and survival periods. This effect is independent of other...

Study Suggests Nature Walks Improve Cognitive Abilities For People With Clinical Depression

Date: May-15-2012
A walk in the park may have psychological benefits for people suffering from depression. In one of the first studies to examine the effect of nature walks on cognition and mood in people with major depression, researchers in Canada and the U.S. have found promising evidence that a walk in the park may provide some cognitive benefits. The study was led by Marc Berman, a post-doctoral fellow at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute in Toronto, with partners from the University of Michigan and Stanford University. It is published online this week, ahead of print publication, in the Journal of...

Biomarkers Discovered For Prostate Cancer Detection, Recurrence

Date: May-15-2012
Alterations to the "on-off" switches of genes occur early in the development of prostate cancer and could be used as biomarkers to detect the disease months or even years earlier than current approaches, a Mayo Clinic study has found. These biomarkers - known as DNA methylation profiles - also can predict if the cancer is going to recur and if that recurrence will remain localized to the prostate or, instead, spread to other organs. The study, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, is the first to capture the methylation changes that occur across the entire human genome in prostate...

Any And All Toxic Materials Identified By "Dip Chip" Technology On-The-Go

Date: May-15-2012
From man-made toxic chemicals such as industrial by-products to poisons that occur naturally, a water or food supply can be easily contaminated. And for every level of toxic material ingested, there is some level of bodily response, ranging from minor illness to painful certain death. Biosensors have long been used to safeguard against exposure to toxic chemicals. Food tasters employed by the ancients acted as early versions of biosensors, determining if a meal had been poisoned. More modern examples include the use of fish, which may alter their swimming characteristics if a toxic material is...

Groundbreaking Discovery Of Mutation Causing Genetic Disorder In Humans, Birth Defects

Date: May-15-2012
Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), in collaboration with doctors and scientists in Jordan, Turkey, Switzerland and USA, have identified the genetic cause of a birth defect known as Hamamy syndrome[1]. Their groundbreaking findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics. The work lends new insights into common ailments such as heart disease, osteoporosis, blood disorders and possibly sterility. Hamamy syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which is marked by abnormal facial features and defects in the heart, bone, blood and reproductive cells. Its exact...

Hospitals In Large Cities May Act As Breeding Grounds For The Superbug MRSA Prior To It Spreading To Smaller Hospitals

Date: May-15-2012
Hospitals In Large Cities May Act As Breeding Grounds For The Superbug MRSA Prior To It Spreading To Smaller Hospitals Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance Also Included In: Public Health Article Date: 15 May 2012 - 3:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Hospitals In Large Cities May Act As Breeding Grounds For The Superbug MRSA Prior To It Spreading To Smaller Hospitals' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: 5 (1 votes) Hospitals in large cities act as breeding grounds for the superbug MRSA prior to it spreading to...

Accurate Prediction Of Renal Failure In Sepsis Patients Via Urine Dipstick Test

Date: May-15-2012
Henry Ford Hospital researchers have found that the presence of excess protein in a common urine test is an effective prognostic marker of acute renal failure in patients with severe sepsis. Researchers analyzed data from 328 sepsis patients with no previous history of protein in the urine and found the urine dipstick test predicted the presence of renal failure in 55 percent of these patients. A urine dipstick test is routinely done as part of a urinalysis to help diagnose urinary tract infections, kidney disease, diabetes and sepsis, the deadly bloodstream infection. After a urine sample is...

10-Year Roadmap To Prevent, Fight Depression

Date: May-15-2012
Major depressive episodes can be prevented, and to help ensure that they are, the health care system should provide routine access to depression-prevention interventions, just as patients receive standard vaccines, according to a new article co-authored by UCSF researcher Ricardo F. Munoz, PhD. The article builds on a 2009 Institute of Medicine report on prevention of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders, which provided presented evidence that mental disorders can be prevented. The article, "Major Depression Can Be Prevented," will appear in a special section of the May-June 2012 issue...