Health News

Europe is joining forces against neglected parasitic diseases

Date: Mar-05-2014
The international consortium A-PARADDISE (Anti-Parasitic Drug Discovery in Epigenetics), coordinated by Inserm, has just obtained funds of €6 million from the European Commission to conduct large-scale testing of innovative therapies against four neglected parasitic diseases: schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and malaria. The researchers have a common objective: to develop new drugs against the parasites that cause these diseases.

Understanding PP1, the ubiquitous enzyme

Date: Mar-05-2014
The enzyme PP1 has a key role in many of the body's healthy functions and diseases. It's so generally important that drug developers dare not target it. In a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Brown University scientists report a big leap in understanding how PP1 interacts with other proteins to behave specifically in distinct situations. That could lead to medicines that target it for precise benefits.

Experts call for US prison health improvements

Date: Mar-05-2014
In a new paper in the journal Health Affairs, several participants in a workshop convened by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine unveil their recommendations to improve health care for prisoners both during incarceration and after release. From a public health standpoint, they argue, it's shortsighted to regard prison populations as separate from the community. The very premise of prison invites members of society to think of the people there as walled-off and removed.

Americans want to save water, but do they know how?

Date: Mar-05-2014
Many Americans are confused about the best ways to conserve water and have a slippery grasp on how much water different activities use, according to a national online survey conducted by an Indiana University researcher.Experts say the best strategy for conserving water is to focus on efficiency improvements such as replacing toilets and retrofitting washing machines. However, the largest group of the participants, nearly 43 percent, cited taking shorter showers, which does save water but may not be the most effective action.

U.S. survey reveals 2.7 million living with chronic hepatitis C virus

Date: Mar-05-2014
A survey of U.S. households conducted between 2003 and 2010 revealed that approximately 2.7 million US residents are infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). This figure marks a decrease by about 500,000 cases identified by a similar analysis conducted between 1999 and 2000. The findings are being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Chronic HCV infection is an important public health issue because those who are infected are at high risk for liver disease and other chronic illnesses.

Study points to new biological mechanisms, treatment paradigm for kidney disease

Date: Mar-05-2014
Prevention and reversal of chronic kidney disease is an urgent public health need. The disease affects 1 in 10 Americans, is debilitating and deadly, and existing drugs, at best, offer only mild delay in progression to end-stage kidney failure. New research led by Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai investigators has uncovered abnormal molecular signaling pathways from disease initiation to irreversible kidney damage, kidney failure, and death. Results from their preclinical and human research are published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Experiencing hangovers has little or no influence on time to next drink

Date: Mar-05-2014
Many if not most people during their lives have experienced a hangover. Some people believe that hangovers might delay subsequent drinking through pain and discomfort, or perhaps hasten drinking to relieve hangover symptoms, known as "the hair of the dog." A new study has investigated if a hangover following a drinking episode can influence the time to a future drink, finding that the influence is minimal.Results will be published in the May 2014 online-only issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

Single-patient trials helpful in determining statin tolerability

Date: Mar-05-2014
Single-patient, or n-of-1, trials may be a useful method for determining which patients are experiencing true statin-related discomfort and which patients may be able to continue therapy, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine.Statins are recommended to reduce risk for heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. Myalgia (muscle pain or discomfort) is a common complaint among patients taking statins and a common reason for discontinuation of therapy. However, it can be difficult to determine whether statins are the cause of patient discomfort.

When moving out of high-poverty areas, girls thrive but boys suffer

Date: Mar-05-2014
A new study finds that girls and boys have very different psychological reactions when families move out of high-poverty neighborhoods.Previous studies have found high rates of emotional problems in youth living in high-poverty neighborhoods, even after controlling for factors that might influence the psychological development of each individual.But these have mostly been observational studies, which are prone to selection bias and what researchers call "reverse causality.

Palliative chemotherapy: harms and benefits weighed in new study

Date: Mar-05-2014
Palliative chemotherapy is treatment designed for terminal cancer patients to prolong survival and ease symptoms but not cure disease. Now, researchers have found that the therapy comes with certain harms, which they say need to be addressed.The researchers, from the Weill Cornell Medical College, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, have published their results in the BMJ.They say their findings uncover a discrepancy between what type of care cancer patients want and what they actually receive.