Health News

During pregnancy and the postpartum period women at greater risk of HIV infection

Date: Feb-27-2014
Women living in world regions where HIV infection is common are at high risk of acquiring HIV infection during pregnancy and the postpartum period, according to a study by US researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. Alison Drake and colleagues from the University of Washington in Seattle also found that mothers who acquire HIV during pregnancy or postpartum are more likely to pass the infection on to their offspring than mothers with chronic HIV infections.

The genetic secret of mosquito resistance to DDT and ITNs revealed

Date: Feb-27-2014
Researchers from LSTM have found that a single genetic mutation causes resistance to DDT and pyrethroids (an insecticide class used in mosquito nets). With the continuing rise of resistance the research, published in the journal Genome Biology, is key as scientists say that this knowledge could help improve malaria control strategies.The researchers, led by Dr Charles Wondji, used a wide range of methods to narrow down how the resistance works, finding a single mutation in the GSTe2 gene, which makes insects break down DDT so it's no longer toxic.

Breakthrough in Alzheimer's research

Date: Feb-27-2014
A team of international scientists, including a researcher from Simon Fraser University, has isolated a gene thought to play a causal role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recently published the team's study.The newly identified gene affects accumulation of amyloid-beta, a protein believed to be one of the main causes of the damage that underpins this brain disease in humans.The gene encodes a protein that is important for intracellular transportation.

The mentally ill are far more likely to be victims, not perpetrators, of violence

Date: Feb-27-2014
New research shows that almost one-third of adults with mental illness are likely to be victims of violence within a six-month period, and that adults with mental illness who commit violence are most likely to do so in residential settings. The study also finds a strong correlation between being a victim of violence and committing a violent act.The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University; RTI International; the University of California, Davis; Simon Fraser University; and Duke University.

NEJM study shows that noninvasive prenatal DNA tests more accurate than current tests

Date: Feb-26-2014
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine potentially has significant implications for prenatal testing for major fetal chromosome abnormalities. The study found that in a head-to-head comparison of noninvasive prenatal testing using cell free DNA (cfDNA) to standard screening methods, cfDNA testing (verifi® prenatal test, Illumina, Inc.) significantly reduced the rate of false positive results and had significantly higher positive predictive values for the detection of fetal trisomies 21 and 18.A team of scientists, led by Diana W.

Indoor tanning common among high-schoolers, linked to other risky behavior

Date: Feb-26-2014
A national survey of high school students finds that indoor tanning is a common practice, particularly among female, older and non-Hispanic white students, and is associated with several other risky health-related behaviors, according to a study by Gery P. Guy Jr., Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and colleagues. The incidence of skin cancers, both nonmelanoma and melanoma, is increasing in the United States.

New APA autism guidelines 'reduce diagnosis by more than 30%'

Date: Feb-26-2014
Last year, the American Psychiatric Association issued new guidelines for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. But new research from Columbia University School of Nursing in New York, NY, suggests that these guidelines could leave thousands of children who have developmental delays without autism diagnosis, meaning they will miss out on social services, educational support and medical benefits.The study findings were recently published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Benefits of breast-feeding 'overstated,' says sibling study

Date: Feb-26-2014
When it comes to nutrition for infants, the medical community largely agrees that "breast is best." But a new study in siblings seeking to uncover potential biases suggests breast-feeding may be no more beneficial than bottle-feeding for many long-term health outcomes.The research, led by Cynthia Colen, assistant professor of sociology at Ohio State University, was recently published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

How should policy makers react to the e-cigarette boom?

Date: Feb-26-2014
California was the state that, in 1998, pioneered a public smoking ban that caught on not only in other states across the US, but also around the world. Today, Californian policy makers have weighed in on what is rapidly becoming the next great controversy in the tobacco industry: electronic cigarettes.

Mailing free tests to patients' homes boosts colon cancer screening rates in underserved populations

Date: Feb-26-2014
Colon cancer screening rates increased by nearly 40 percent when free stool tests were mailed to patients' homes, according to results of a pilot study published in the journal BMC Cancer.The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), included 869 patients who received their health care from community health centers in the Portland, Ore. metropolitan area. The clinics serve many Latino patients who live below the poverty level. About half of them have no health insurance.