Health News

Europe is falling behind America in the fight against colorectal cancer due to low screening uptake say experts

Date: Mar-17-2014
Annual incidence of Europe's second most lethal cancer killer is predicted to rise by12% by 2020[1] warns Europe's largest body of gastroenterology experts, United European Gastroenterology (UEG). Colorectal cancer is estimated to claim the lives of 214,675[2] adults in Europe and is expected to affect 502,000 Europeans a year by 2020[1].Colorectal cancer is extremely lethal in its advanced stages yet early detection can result in a 90-95% survival rate.

Promising new research on reducing pressure ulcers

Date: Mar-17-2014
According to a new study published in The American Journal of Critical Care, "Continuous Bedside Pressure Mapping and Rates of Hospital-Associated Pressure Ulcers in a Medical Intensive Care Unit," continuous bedside pressure mapping (CBPM) provided caregivers with a useful monitor to assess the effectiveness of repositioning patients off of pressure areas, a crucial component of providing better care towards minimizing the formation of pressure ulcers.

A versatile mouse that can teach us about many diseases and drugs

Date: Mar-17-2014
Scientists from the UK and Australia have created a mouse that expresses a fluorescing 'biosensor' in every cell of its body, allowing diseased cells and drugs to be tracked and evaluated in real time and in three dimensions.This biosensor mimics the action of a target molecule, in this case a protein known as 'Rac', which drives cell movement in many types of cancer. Rac behaves like a switch, oscillating on the molecular level between two states - active or inactive. When Rac is active, the biosensor picks up chemical cues and glows blue.

Information overload acts 'to dim the lights' on what we see

Date: Mar-17-2014
Too much visual information causes a phenomenon known as 'load induced blindness', with an effect akin to dimming the lights, reports a new UCL study.The new findings could be used to identify high-risk situations in all walks of life and look at ways to mitigate times of highest risk. These techniques could be used to understand everyday problems such as why you might bump into a lamppost on a busy street or even to assess the demanding information loads faced by pilots and surgeons.

Healthcare leaders and clinicians demand UK primary care "revolution"

Date: Mar-17-2014
A complete primary care overhaul is needed to make integrated care a reality, clinicians have claimed in a new report from the National Primary Care Network (NPCN).Collating the opinions of coalface clinicians and healthcare leaders, the report revealed an urge to turn pharmacy into one of the key providers of community care.Although the report reveals massive differences in opinion between nurses, dentists, commissioners, pharmacists, GPs and optometrists, Future of Primary Care makes plain that all feel a "revolution" is needed.

Seniors' exercise gains may be thwarted by their genes

Date: Mar-17-2014
Keeping strong and physically fit is crucial to maintaining independence among the elderly. Exercise has repeatedly been shown to reduce or slow age-related declines in physical function and is a widely recommended for seniors, but the way that older people respond to exercise varies widely. A new study by Thomas W. Buford et al. examines the ACE I/D gene and whether its variations - the ID, DD, and II genotypes - impact some seniors' ability to fully reap the benefits of exercise.Researchers followed 424 sedentary, mobility-limited seniors aged 70-89 for a year.

Scientists hope to develop an oral pain reliever derived from debilitating snail venom

Date: Mar-17-2014
Scientists have reported that they have created at least five new experimental substances - based on a tiny protein found in cone snail venom - that could someday lead to the development of safe and effective oral medications for treatment of chronic nerve pain. They say the substances could potentially be stronger than morphine, with fewer side effects and lower risk of abuse.

Treatment adherence for sleep apnea is better when care is provided by sleep specialists and accredited sleep centers

Date: Mar-17-2014
A new study of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) found that treatment outcomes were better when patients received care from sleep specialists and accredited sleep centers.Results show that sleep apnea patients who received care from board certified sleep medicine physicians and accredited sleep centers were two times more likely to be adherent to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy than those who received care from non-accredited centers and non-certified physicians.

New approach to chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment developed

Date: Mar-17-2014
Dartmouth researchers have developed a novel and unique approach to treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), a form of blood cancer that often requires repeated chemotherapy treatments to which it grows resistant. The researchers, led by Alexey V. Danilov, MD, PhD, assistant professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Hematologist-Oncologist at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, modeled the lymph node microenvironment where CLL cells are found in the laboratory.

Biologists devise an equation to describe the competition between genes

Date: Mar-17-2014
In biology, scientists typically conduct experiments first, and then develop mathematical or computer models afterward to show how the collected data fit with theory. In his work, Rob Phillips flips that practice on its head. The Caltech biophysicist tackles questions in cellular biology as a physicist would - by first formulating a model that can make predictions and then testing those predictions. Using this strategy, Phillips and his group have recently developed a mathematical model that accounts for the way genes compete with each other for the proteins that regulate their expression.