Health News

Stem cell findings advance efforts to reprogram mature cells for organ repair

Date: Mar-25-2014
Two proteins that control how cells break down glucose play a key role in forming human stem cells, University of Washington researchers have found. The finding has implications for future work in both regenerative medicine and cancer therapy.A report on this research appears online March 20 in the Cell journal Stem Cell. The paper's lead authors are Julie Mathieu, a postdoctoral fellow at the UW, and Wenyu Zhou, a former graduate student at UW and now a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. Hannele Ruohola-Baker, UW professor of biochemistry, is the paper's senior author.

Better sleep 'should be prescribed to treat metabolic disorders'

Date: Mar-25-2014
We all feel better after a good night's sleep, but increasingly, evidence is suggesting that not getting enough good-quality sleep could increase our risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity and other metabolic disorders.A new study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, suggests that both the prevention and treatment of these disorders may benefit from addressing poor sleep.Metabolic health in humans is dependent on a mixture of behavioral factors and genetic predisposition.

Changes to FDA approval process needed to improve safety of high-risk medical devices

Date: Mar-24-2014
Premarket approval, or PMA, is the process by which the FDA assesses the safety and effectiveness of new devices. When modifications to existing devices are made, a less rigorous process known as a PMA supplement is employed. This process does not require clinical data and researchers are concerned that clinicians and patients may be subjected to unknown risks, especially when devices have multiple PMAs.

USPSTF finds insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening for cognitive decline

Date: Mar-24-2014
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening for cognitive decline in older adults in the primary care setting. Dementia affects up to 5.5 million Americans and its prevalence increases with age. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a decline in cognitive function that is not severe enough to interfere with independence in daily life. Early detection of MCI may help patients and their caregivers make both short- and long-term diagnostic and treatment decisions.

Natalizumab treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis associated with JC virus infection

Date: Mar-24-2014
Treatment with natalizumab in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) appears linked with JC virus (JCV) infection, which can lead to a rare and often fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) that destroys the myelin that protects nerve cells. The movement of cells with JC virus into the blood stream may provide researchers with a possible reason why patients with MS develop PML.Since natalizumab was reintroduced as a biologic therapy for MS in 2006, more than 440 cases of PML have been reported.

Violent video games associated with increased aggression in children

Date: Mar-24-2014
Habitually playing violent video games appears to increase aggression in children, regardless of parental involvement and other factors. More than 90 percent of American youths play video games, and many of these games depict violence, which is often portrayed as fun, justified and without negative consequences.

Small wireless pacemaker is safe, effective in early testing

Date: Mar-24-2014
A battery-sized, wireless pacemaker was safe and effective in early testing. The smaller leadless device may reduce the risk of complications that occur with traditional pacemakers.A new small, wireless self-contained pacemaker appears safe and feasible for use in patients, according to a small study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.Although traditional pacemakers pose minimal risk, patients are still vulnerable to some short- or long-term complications, said Vivek Y. Reddy, M.D.

Nurses are effective at treating a common arm injury in young children, although not as successful as physicians

Date: Mar-24-2014
A clinical trial to determine if nurses in the emergency department could reduce "pulled elbows" in children at a rate similar to that of physicians found that althiough nurses were able to treat this common injury 85% of the time, physicians were more effective, with a 97% success rate. The trial is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).Pulled elbow, or radial-head subluxation, is a common arm injury in young children, often resulting in a visit to the emergency department.

The increasing inefficiency of private health insurance in Canada

Date: Mar-24-2014
The gap between private health insurance premiums and payouts in Canada has widened markedly over the past 20 years, with a gap of $6.8 billion in 2011. In an analysis in CMAJ, Michael Law and coauthors examine why this has happened and how the private insurance industry might be better regulated for the benefit of those insured.

Doctors should be part of societal war against cyberbullying

Date: Mar-24-2014
Medical professionals can play an important role in the war against cyberbullying, writes Dr. Matthew Stanbrook in an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).Canada's federal government has proposed a new law to combat cyberbullying that will prohibit the transmission of "intimate images" of a person without his or her consent and allow courts to seize devices used as tools in cyberbullying. Government legislation, combined with the efforts of parents, doctors and schools, can have impact on curbing the problem.