Health News

Overall survival not improved by adding bevacizumab to initital glioblastoma treatment

Date: Feb-21-2014
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant adult brain tumor and, despite treatment advances in recent years, the average survival of patients enrolled in clinical trials is less than 16 months with few patients living beyond five years. GBM tumors are characterized by angiogenesis - the formation of new blood vessels that support tumor growth stimulated by the GBM-produced vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A). Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets VEGF-A production to block the growth of tumor-derived blood vessels.

Genetic disorder discovered that causes pediatric strokes and vascular inflammation

Date: Feb-21-2014
Next-generation sequencing defines new pathway for blood vessel diseaseNational Institutes of Health researchers have identified gene variants that cause a rare syndrome of sporadic fevers, skin rashes and recurring strokes, beginning early in childhood. The team's discovery coincides with findings by an Israeli research group that identified an overlapping set of variants of the same gene in patients with a similar type of blood vessel inflammation.The NIH group first encountered a patient with the syndrome approximately 10 years ago.

Only one third of women take folic acid before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida

Date: Feb-21-2014
Research recently published from Queen Mary University of London reveals less than 1 in 3 women have taken folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida and other birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord (neural tube defects). This is despite research from 1991 showing that such conditions could be prevented in most cases by increasing the intake of the B-vitamin folic acid before pregnancy.

Why we find voices like our own more appealing

Date: Feb-21-2014
Have you ever noticed that your best friends speak the same way? A new University of British Columbia study finds we prefer voices that are similar to our own because they convey a soothing sense of community and social belongingness.While previous research has suggested that we prefer voices that sound like they are coming from smaller women or bigger men, the new study - published in the journal PLOS ONE - identifies a variety of other acoustic signals that we find appealing.

Structure of virus identified that could lead to hepatitis C vaccine

Date: Feb-21-2014
Rutgers University scientists have determined the structure of a hepatitis C surface protein, a finding that could assist in the development of a vaccine to halt the spread of the the deadly disease that has infected 3.2 million Americans.Joseph Marcotrigiano, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, says this new research - published online in Nature - describes an outer region of hepatitis C that enables the virus to evade the body's natural immune system response, causing persistent, chronic infection.

Reduced risk of cervical lesions associated with HPV vaccination in Denmark

Date: Feb-21-2014
A reduced risk of cervical lesions among Danish girls and women at the population level is associated with use of a quadrivalent HPV vaccine after only six years, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.Two HPV vaccines are currently available and have proven to be highly effective against HPV16/18-associated cervical cancer.

Couples should pay attention to their relationship work ethic

Date: Feb-21-2014
Is a date with your partner as important to you as a meeting at work? A University of Illinois study recommends that couples develop a relationship work ethic that rivals - or at least equals - their professional work ethic."When people enter the workplace, they make an effort to arrive on time, be productive throughout the day, listen attentively to co-workers and supervisors, try to get along with others, and dress and groom themselves to make a good impression," said Jill R. Bowers, a researcher in the U of I's Department of Human and Community Development.

Common brain circuitry found to processes music and language in study of jazz players

Date: Feb-21-2014
The brains of jazz musicians engrossed in spontaneous, improvisational musical conversation showed robust activation of brain areas traditionally associated with spoken language and syntax, which are used to interpret the structure of phrases and sentences. But this musical conversation shut down brain areas linked to semantics - those that process the meaning of spoken language, according to results of a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

Scientists challenge the genetic interpretation of biology

Date: Feb-21-2014
A proposal for reformulating the foundations of biology, based on the 2nd law of thermodynamics and which is in sharp contrast to the prevailing genetic view, is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface under the title "Genes without prominence: a reappraisal of the foundations of biology".

Added benefit of Afatinib depends on mutation status in non-small cell lung cancer

Date: Feb-21-2014
Lung cancer patients with Del19 mutation benefit mostAfatinib (trade name: GIOTRIF) has been approved in Germany since September 2013 for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating EGF receptor mutations who have not been treated with an EGF receptor tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI).