Health News

Accurate diagnosis of rare diseases remains difficult despite strong physician interest

Date: Feb-24-2014
Patients living with rare diseases visit an average of 7.3 physicians before receiving an accurate diagnosis, according to a recent survey of patients, family members, physicians and allied health care professionals (HCPs). The survey results, published in the Journal of Rare Disorders (JRD), also reveal a significant level of physician interest in helping patients with rare diseases, and highlight the need for additional physician education and referral programs in rare diseases.

Rare polio-like disease found in five kids in California

Date: Feb-24-2014
Researchers have identified a polio-like disease that has caused severe weakness or rapid paralysis in one or more arms and legs in five children from California since 2012. They are presenting their findings at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Philadelphia, PA, at the end of April.One of the researchers, Dr. Keith Van Haren, of Stanford University, says:"Although poliovirus has been eradicated from most of the globe, other viruses can also injure the spine, leading to a polio-like syndrome.

Long non-coding RNAs help genes get out of the starting block faster

Date: Feb-24-2014
Yeast can quickly adapt to changes in its environment with the help of molecules known as long non-coding RNAs, a Purdue study shows.Elizabeth Tran, assistant professor of biochemistry, and her fellow researchers found that long non-coding RNAs prepare metabolic genes to be activated swiftly when baker's yeast needs to switch its source of energy from glucose - its main sugar source - to an alternative sugar, galactose.The study is the first to link long non-coding RNAs with the timing of gene expression.

Tissue-penetrating light releases chemotherapy inside cancer cells

Date: Feb-24-2014
Researchers from the cancer nanotechnology and signal transduction and therapeutics programs of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) have developed an innovative technique that can carry chemotherapy safely and release it inside cancer cells when triggered by two-photon laser in the infrared red wave length. Drs. Jeffrey Zink, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Fuyu Tamanoi, professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, and colleagues published their findings in the journal Small.

Peer pressured to "sext"- a new study from media psychology

Date: Feb-24-2014
Are adolescents today "sexting" for popularity? Mobile phones are fully integrated into the social lives of today's teenagers, and offer a sense of autonomy for those looking to hide from adult supervision. Concerns have risen over the use of the mobile phone as an instrument to download, produce, and distribute sexual imagery and a growing number of studies on adolescent mobile communication report that the consumption and distribution of pornographic imagery via mobile phones is common in adolescent peer groups.

Microparticles show molecules their way

Date: Feb-24-2014
A team of researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Michigan/USA has produced novel microparticles, whose surface consists of three chemically different segments. These segments can be provided with different (bio-) molecules. Thanks to the specific spatial orientation of the attached molecules, the microparticles are suited for innovative applications in medicine, biochemistry, and engineering. The researchers now report about their development in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Immune cells regulate blood stem cells

Date: Feb-24-2014
Researchers in Bern have discovered that, during a viral infection, immune cells control the blood stem cells in the bone marrow and therefore also the body's own defences. The findings could allow for new forms of therapy, such as for bone marrow diseases like leukaemia.During a viral infection, the body needs various defence mechanisms - amongst other things, a large number of white blood cells (leukocytes) must be produced in the bone marrow within a short period of time. In the bone marrow, stem cells are responsible for this task: the blood stem cells.

The Royal College of General Practitioners announces continued opposition to change in law on assisted dying, UK

Date: Feb-24-2014
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is to remain opposed to any change in the law on assisted dying, it has been revealed following one of the most comprehensive consultations of its members.More than 1,700 members responded to the consultation, which was open from 22 May 2013 until 9 October 2013. College members responded either as individuals, or through one of the RCGP Devolved Councils, one of the RCGP Faculties (local branches), or via a College committee or group.

Stem cells from fat tissue show promise in reconstructive surgeries for face and skull

Date: Feb-24-2014
A new study released in Stem Cells Translational Medicine shows that many patients with defects to the skull, face or jaw bone might benefit from reconstructive surgery combining stem cells taken from adipose (fat) tissue seeded on resorbable scaffolds.These defects can be due to congenital malformations, such as cleft lip and palate, or to traumatic injuries or surgery to remove a tumor. The use of a patient's own bone is still considered the gold standard for reconstructing these defects, but this requires yet another surgery to harvest the bone for the reconstructive procedure.

Idiopathic anaphylaxis: The hidden allergy?

Date: Feb-24-2014
Most people have heard of severe allergies, or anaphylaxis, to food, insect stings, drugs and other common substances, but sometimes no cause at all can be found for a person's reaction - a condition called Idiopathic anaphylaxis. But does this really mean they are reacting to nothing?To raise awareness of this little known condition and help those affected, the Anaphylaxis Campaign has updated its factsheet on Idiopathic anaphylaxis.Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and can be fatal in the worst cases, yet is more common than you might think.