Health News

Five Fold Increase In Antimicrobial Resistance For Common UTI Drug Seen Since 2000

Date: May-02-2012
In a surveillance study of over 12 million bacteria, investigators at The George Washington University and Providence Hospital found E. coli antimicrobial resistance to ciprofloxacin, the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial for urinary tract infections in the U.S., increased over five-fold from 2000 to 2010. In addition, nearly one in four isolates in 2010 were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim®), the second most commonly prescribed drug for this infection. This research was published in the April edition of the journal, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. "Our...

Easing Neuropathic Pain For Millions Of Sufferers

Date: May-02-2012
Neuropathic pain, caused by nerve or tissue damage, is the culprit behind many cases of chronic pain. It can be the result of an accident or caused by a variety of medical conditions and diseases such as tumors, lupus, and diabetes. Typically resistant to common types of pain management including ibuprofen and even morphine, neuropathic pain can lead to lifelong disability for many sufferers. Now a drug developed by Tel Aviv University researchers, known as BL-7050, is offering new hope to patients with neuropathic pain. Developed by Prof. Bernard Attali and Dr. Asher Peretz of TAU's...

Gay Men And Minorities Have Poorer Quality Of Life After Prostate Cancer Treatment

Date: May-02-2012
To improve the quality of life in gay men and minorities treated for prostate cancer, a greater awareness of ethnic and sexual preference-related factors is needed to help men choose a more-suitable treatment plan, researchers from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital conclude in a literature review published in Nature Reviews Urology. Some of the factors to consider, for example, include increased risk of urinary and bowel function decline in African Americans regardless of treatment received and differing sexual expectations and social support in gay men. "Different communities of men view...

Scientists Identify Brain Circuitry Associated With Addictive, Depressive Behaviors

Date: May-02-2012
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have determined how specific circuitry in the brain controls not only body movement but also motivation and learning, providing new insight into neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease - and psychiatric disorders such as addiction and depression. Previously, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Anatol Kreitzer, PhD, discovered how an imbalance in the activity of a specific category of brain cells is linked to Parkinson's. Now, in a paper published online in Nature Neuroscience, Dr. Kreitzer and his team used animal...

Proximity And Visibility Of Healthy Foods Affects Their Intake Among College Students

Date: May-02-2012
College Students Main Category: Nutrition / Diet Article Date: 02 May 2012 - 1:00 PDT  email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions    rate article  Current ratings for: 'Proximity And Visibility Of Healthy Foods Affects Their Intake Among College Students' Patient / Public: Healthcare Prof: College students wishing to eat healthier may want to invest in a clear fruit bowl says a recent article published in Environment and Behavior (published by SAGE). The new study found that when fruits and vegetables are within arm's reach, students are more likely to eat them....

Disease Fighting Properties Of Lactoferrin: Heals Wounds, Boosts Immunity And Protects From Cancer

Date: May-02-2012
Hans Vogel, a professor in the biological sciences department, is the guest editor of a special issue of the journal Biochemistry and Cell Biology that focuses on lactoferrin, an important iron-binding protein with many health benefits. "Some people describe this protein as the 'Swiss army knife' of the human host defense system," says Vogel. "We now know that lactoferrin has many functions in innate immunity and that it plays a role in protecting us from bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections. It can even protect us from some forms of cancer." Lactoferrin - which is secreted into...

Comparison Of Avastin And Lucentis In Treating Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Date: May-02-2012
At two years, Avastin (bevacizumab) and Lucentis (ranibizumab injection), two widely used drugs to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), improve vision when administered monthly or on an as needed basis, although greater improvements in vision were seen with monthly administration for this common, debilitating eye disease, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. Of the two drugs, Avastin is most frequently used to treat AMD. However, prior to the Comparison of AMD Treatments Trials (CATT), a two-year clinical trial, the two drugs had never been compared...

Finding Of An Amplification Defense Mechanism May Help Research On Brain Infections, Tumors & Autoimmune Attacks - And Settle A Debate In Immunology

Date: May-02-2012
Like a police officer calling for backup while also keeping a strong hold on a suspected criminal, immune cells in the brain take a two-tier approach to fighting off a threat, new research from the University of Michigan Health System finds. For the first time, the scientists managed to capture that reaction in action, showing how certain immune cells locked onto a model of virus-infected brain cells, while also sending signals to neighboring uninfected cells to let them know about the immune attack. The findings may help research on how the brain fights off viruses and tumors. It also aids...

Scientists Use Fruit Flies To Reveal Unknown Function Of A Transcriptional Regulator Of Development And Cancer

Date: May-02-2012
Historically, fly and human Polycomb proteins were considered textbook exemplars of transcriptional repressors, or proteins that silence the process by which DNA gives rise to new proteins. Now, work by a team of researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research challenges that dogma. In a cover story in the May 2012 issue of the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology, Stowers Investigator Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., and his team report that in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster a component of the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which is called Jarid2, occasionally activates gene...

Cyclists Without Helmets At Significant Risk For Head Injury

Date: May-02-2012
A national rise in public bike sharing programs could mean less air pollution and more exercise, an environmental and health win-win for people in the cities that host them, but according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, more than 80 percent of bike share riders are putting themselves at significant health risk by not wearing helmets. "Head injury accounts for about a third of all bicycle injuries and about three-quarters of bicycle related deaths, so these are some pretty shocking numbers," says lead author and emergency medicine physician Christopher Fischer, MD. The...