Health News

New drug raises potential for cancer treatment revolution

Date: Mar-21-2014
A revolution in cancer treatment could soon be underway following a breakthrough that may lead to a dramatic improvement in cancer survival rates. A new study at the University of Warwick, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, has developed a new drug that can manipulate the body's natural signalling and energy systems, allowing the body to attack and shut down cancerous cells. Called ZL105, the drug is a compound based on the precious metal iridium.

Who's afraid of math? Study finds some genetic factors

Date: Mar-21-2014
A new study of math anxiety shows how some people may be at greater risk to fear math not only because of negative experiences, but also because of genetic risks related to both general anxiety and math skills.The study, which examined how fraternal and identical twins differ on measures of math anxiety, provides a revised view on why some children - and adults - may develop a fear of math that makes it more difficult for them to solve math problems and succeed in school.

Promising strategies for teaching common core state standards to teens with autism

Date: Mar-21-2014
Scientists at UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) report that high school students with autism can learn under Common Core State Standards (CCSS), boosting their prospects for college and employment. Newly published recommendations from FPG's team also provide strategies for educating adolescents with autism under a CCSS curriculum."The number of students with autism who enter high school settings continues to grow," said Veronica P.

Discovery of new pathway connected to type 2 diabetes

Date: Mar-21-2014
Scientists at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute have discovered a cellular pathway that is responsible for keeping blood sugar levels low in obese or pre-diabetic people, and may prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes. The discovery is published this month in a leading journal Nature Cell Biology.Following a meal, beta cells found in islets of the pancreas secrete insulin that helps to store food energy for future use. The inability of islet beta cells to produce enough insulin leads to diabetes.

Evaluating the treatment of obesity-related food behavior

Date: Mar-21-2014
A key challenge in evaluating anti-obesity treatment is determining how to objectively measure a person's desire to eat; with concerns about obesity on the rise, a research team from the University of Cambridge shares a possible solution.Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a novel method for evaluating the treatment of obesity-related food behavior. In an effort to further scientific understanding of the underlying problem, they have published the first peer-reviewed video* of their technique in JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments.

Risk factors for violent radicalization: youth, wealth and education

Date: Mar-21-2014
New research from Queen Mary University of London has found youth, wealth, and being in full-time education to be risk factors associated with violent radicalisation. Contrary to popular views - religious practice, health and social inequalities, discrimination, and political engagement showed no links.The pioneering research assessed population prevalence of sympathies for terrorist acts - a key marker of vulnerability to violent radicalisation - and their relationship with commonly assumed causes of radicalisation.

Improving lung function in premature babies with high-frequency breathing support

Date: Mar-21-2014
A new study led by researchers at King's College London has found that premature babies supported immediately after birth by high-frequency oscillation - a type of breathing support - had better lung function as adolescents than those who received conventional ventilation. The children ventilated with the high frequency method also showed higher academic achievement in three of eight school subjects.

Research suggests potential use of MRI magnetic fields to treat balance disorders

Date: Mar-21-2014
Expanding on earlier research, Johns Hopkins researchers report that people with balance disorders or dizziness traceable to an inner-ear disturbance show distinctive abnormal eye movements when the affected ear is exposed to the strong pull of an MRI's magnetic field.The researchers first reported in 2011 in the journal Current Biology that an MRI's magnetic field pushes on the inner ear fluid responsible for maintaining balance, causing subjects undergoing MRI scans to have jerky eye movements and dizziness.

Learning from past HIV vaccine trials

Date: Mar-21-2014
A multi-national research team led by Duke Medicine scientists has identified a subclass of antibodies associated with an effective immune response to an HIV vaccine.The finding, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, helps explain why a combination of two vaccines was able to show some effect, when one vaccine alone did not. The study also provides key insights that could aid development of new vaccines."More is not always better with an antibody response," said senior author Georgia D. Tomaras, Ph.D.

An under-recognized issue that may be on the rise: fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Date: Mar-21-2014
The open-access International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research has released a special issue on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), with the intention of increasing awareness of the negative effects of alcohol use in pregnancy and improving prevention, treatment and care for those living with FASD."In most countries, FASD is not well recognized by health professionals," says guest editor Dr. Svetlana (Lana) Popova, Senior Scientist in the Social and Epidemiological Research Department at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).