Health News

Amino acid deficiency leads to brain degeneration in Huntington's disease

Date: Mar-28-2014
Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins neuroscientists report they have identified what they believe is the cause of the vast disintegration of a part of the brain called the corpus striatum in rodents and people with Huntington's disease: loss of the ability to make the amino acid cysteine. They also found that disease progression slowed in mice that were fed a diet rich in cysteine, which is found in foods such as wheat germ and whey protein.Their results suggest further investigation into cysteine supplementation as a candidate therapeutic in people with the disease.

Overweight teens at increased risk for early death

Date: Mar-28-2014
Although people live longer today than they did 50 years ago, people who were overweight and obese as teenagers aren't experiencing the same gains as other segments of the population, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).The life expectancy of the average American born in 2011 was 78.7 years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The average lifespan has increased by more than a decade since 1950, but rising obesity rates threaten to take a toll on this progress.

New atlas points to exact locations to look for the key genetic variants that might map to a disease

Date: Mar-28-2014
A large international consortium of researchers has produced the first comprehensive, detailed map of the way genes work across the major cells and tissues of the human body. The findings describe the complex networks that govern gene activity, and the new information could play a crucial role in identifying the genes involved with disease.

The adult offspring of parents addicted to drugs or alcohol at greater risk for arthritis

Date: Mar-28-2014
Investigators examined a group of 13,036 adults and found that 20.4 per cent of respondents had been diagnosed with arthritis by a medical professional. Investigators found that 14.5 per cent of all respondents reported having at least one parent whose drug or alcohol use caused problems while were under the age of 18 and still living at home.Results indicate that individuals whose parents were addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to have arthritis.

Improved prediction of survival after chemo for liver tumors offered by 3-D MRI scans

Date: Mar-28-2014
In a series of studies involving 140 American men and women with liver tumors, researchers at Johns Hopkins have used specialized 3-D MRI scans to precisely measure living and dying tumor tissue to quickly show whether highly toxic chemotherapy - delivered directly through a tumor's blood supply - is working.The investigators say their findings, presented March 22-27 in San Diego at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, are the first "proof of principle" that this technology can show tumors in three dimensions and accurately measure tumor viability and death.

No increase in crime recorded following legalization of medical marijuana

Date: Mar-28-2014
The legalization of medical marijuana has sparked debate across the nation for decades.Some opponents have argued that medical marijuana's legalization will lead to higher crime rates, but according to a new study at UT Dallas, legalization of medical cannabis is not an indicator of increased crime.It actually may be related to reductions in certain types of crime, said Dr. Robert Morris, associate professor of criminology and lead author of the study, published in the journal PLOS ONE."We're cautious about saying, 'Medical marijuana laws definitely reduce homicide.

Bone loss and inflammation reversed in immune disorder by dental team

Date: Mar-28-2014
Patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency, or LAD, suffer from frequent bacterial infections, including the severe gum disease known as periodontitis. These patients often lose their teeth early in life.New research by University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine researchers, teaming with investigators from the National Institutes of Health, has demonstrated a method of reversing this bone loss and inflammation.

Surrogate organ system developed for toxicity testing could reduce need for animal drug tests

Date: Mar-28-2014
Creating surrogate human organs, coupled with insights from highly sensitive mass spectrometry technologies, a new project is on the brink of revolutionizing the way we screen new drugs and toxic agents.ATHENA, the Advanced Tissue-engineered Human Ectypal Network Analyzer project team, is developing four human organ constructs - liver, heart, lung and kidney - that are based on a significantly miniaturized platform. Each organ component will be about the size of a smartphone screen, and the whole ATHENA "body" of interconnected organs would fit neatly on a desk.

The acrobatic motor protein Kif15 could pave the way for new cancer therapies

Date: Mar-28-2014
Researchers at Warwick Medical School have shown for the first time how a protein motor, Kif15, uses acrobatic flexibility to navigate within the mitotic spindle. Understanding how it works could prove vital for the development of targeted cancer therapies.The new study, published in eLife, describes the behaviour of Kif15 for the first time and provides a breakthrough step towards understanding the role it plays in cell division.

Cutting sugary drink consumption by teens boosts water consumption

Date: Mar-28-2014
A new study shows that teenagers can be persuaded to cut back on sugary soft drinks - especially with a little help from their friends.A 30-day challenge encouraging teens to reduce sugar-sweetened drink use lowered their overall consumption substantially and increased by two-thirds the percentage of high-school students who shunned sugary drinks altogether.The "Sodabriety" challenge, piloted by Ohio State University researchers, was an effort to confront the largest source of added sugar in the U.S.