Health News

Identification Of Genetic Mutations That Cause Intestinal Obstruction

Date: May-06-2012
A research group from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center led by Prof. Ohad Birk has discovered genetic mutations that lead to intestinal blockages in newborns from two Bedouin tribes in Israel. The new paper published in the American Journal of Human Genetics identifies mutations in gene GUCY2C that abrogates its function. The mutations were identified in two different Negev Bedouin tribes where there were instances of intestinal obstructions in newborns without any of the other effects of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The GUCY2C gene is known to activate the...

Alcohol Consumption Decreased In Heavy-Drinking Smokers By Anti-Smoking Drug Varenicline

Date: May-06-2012
The smoking cessation drug varenicline significantly reduced alcohol consumption in a group of heavy-drinking smokers, in a study carried out by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco. "Alcohol abuse is a huge problem, and this is a big step forward in identifying a potential new treatment," said senior author Howard L. Fields, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction at UCSF. The study was published in the journal Psychopharmacology. Study participants, who were...

Troubled Romantic Relationships May Stem From Childhood Emotional Maltreatment

Date: May-06-2012
People who experience Childhood Emotional Maltreatment (CEM) are more likely to have troubled romantic relationships in adult years, according to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers. In two separate studies, doctoral candidate Dana Lassri and Prof. Golan Shahar of BGU's Department of Psychology examined the stability and satisfaction of intimate relationships among college students with a history of CEM. The studies, published in the Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, suggest that emotional abuse as a child impacted relationship fulfillment due to self-criticism....

"Spaghetti Models" Of Cancer Progression Built To Fight Cancer

Date: May-06-2012
Using mathematical models, researchers in the Integrated Mathematical Oncology (IMO) program at Moffitt Cancer Center are focusing their research on the interaction between the tumor and its microenvironment and the "selective forces" in that microenvironment that play a role in the growth and evolution of cancer. According to Alexander R. A. Anderson, Ph.D., chair of the IMO, mathematical models can be useful tools for the study of cancer progression as related to understandings of tumor ecology. "Cancer is a complex disease driven by interactions between tumor cells and the tumor's...

Damaged Stem Cells Commit Suicide For The Good Of The Embryo

Date: May-06-2012
Embryonic stem cells - those revered cells that give rise to every cell type in the body - just got another badge of honor. If they suffer damage that makes them a threat to the developing embryo, they swiftly fall on their swords for the greater good, according to a study published online in the journal Molecular Cell. The finding offers a new glimpse into the private lives of stem cells that could help scientists use them to grow new neurons or other cells to replace those that have been lost in patients with Parkinson's and other diseases. "Despite the huge potential of stem cells for...

Presentation At Breast Cancer Conference Reveals Breast Cancer In Young Women Is A Distinct Disease

Date: May-06-2012
Breast cancer in young women is a biologically unique disease that requires customized management strategies, researchers reported at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference, in Brussels, Belgium, 3-5 May 2012.

The reported findings have potentially important implications for treatment, because breast cancer in young women is often aggressive and diagnosed at an advanced stage, meaning the prognosis for these patients is often poor.

Seeking Molecular Markers To Identify Breast Cancer Patients Who Would Benefit Most From Immune Suppressant

Date: May-06-2012
A new analysis may help doctors identify breast cancer patients who will benefit from treatment with the immune suppressant drug everolimus, say French researchers at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Everolimus is currently used as an immunosuppressant to prevent patients rejecting transplanted organs and in the treatment of renal cell cancer. Research is also being conducted into the drug's use in other cancers, including breast cancer. Dr Thomas Bachelot, from Centre Leon Berard in Lyon and colleagues analyzed data from the TAMRAD study, published two years...

Updated Treatment Guidelines For Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Date: May-06-2012
Patients who are diagnosed in the emergency room with a specific type of brain bleed should be considered for immediate transfer to a hospital that treats at least 35 cases a year, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The Guidelines for the Management of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (aSAH) is published online in Stroke, an American Heart Association Journal. It updates guidelines issued in 2009. "Admission to high-volume centers has been associated with lower disability and death," said E. Sander Connolly, Jr., M.D.,...

Choline Consumption During Pregnancy May 'Program' Healthier Babies

Date: May-06-2012
Pregnant women may have added incentive to bulk up on broccoli and eggs now that a Cornell University study has found increased maternal intake of the nutrient choline could decrease their children's chances of developing hypertension and diabetes later in life. In a study led by Marie Caudill, associate professor of nutritional sciences, and graduate student Xinyin Jiang, a group of third-trimester pregnant women consumed 930 milligrams of choline, more than double the recommended 450 milligram daily intake. The result for their babies was 33 percent lower concentrations of cortisol - a...

US Health Care Spending Linked To Higher Prices And Greater Use Of Medical Technology, Not More Doctor Visits Or Hospital Stays

Date: May-06-2012
The United States spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries yet does not provide "notably superior" care, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund. The U.S. spent nearly $8,000 per person in 2009 on health care services, while other countries in the study spent between one-third (Japan and New Zealand) and two-thirds (Norway and Switzerland) as much. While the U.S. performs well on breast and colorectal cancer survival rates, it has among the highest rates of potentially preventable deaths from asthma and amputations due to diabetes, and rates that are no...