Health News

'Epidemic of diagnosis' associated with thyroid cancer

Date: Feb-21-2014
According to a new study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, increased incidence of thyroid cancer may not be because of an increase in the disease, but an increase in diagnosis.Several types of cancer can affect the thyroid - a gland in the neck that produces hormones. Factors that make people more at risk of getting thyroid cancer include:Being between the ages of 25 and 65Being femaleBeing AsianHaving a history of thyroid disease in the familyHaving previously had radiation treatments to the head or neck.

Genetic screening could identify risk of advanced prostate cancer

Date: Feb-21-2014
New research from the Institute of Cancer Research in the UK suggests that screening men with a family history of prostate cancer for certain gene mutations could identify those who are at increased risk of aggressive forms of the disease and need lifelong monitoring.To reach their findings, recently published in The British Journal of Cancer, the investigators analyzed blood samples from 191 men with prostate cancer.Using "second-generation" DNA sequencing technologies, the researchers assessed 22 different known cancer genes at the same time.

Psychologists play primary role in chronic pain treatment

Date: Feb-21-2014
When it comes to chronic pain, psychological interventions often provide more relief than prescription drugs or surgery without the risk of side effects, but are used much less frequently than traditional medical treatments, according to a comprehensive review published by the American Psychological Association."Chronic pain affects 116 million American adults, making it more prevalent than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined, and traditional medical approaches are inadequate," said Mark P. Jensen, PhD, of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington.

Psychologists play primary role in chronic pain treatment

Date: Feb-21-2014
When it comes to chronic pain, psychological interventions often provide more relief than prescription drugs or surgery without the risk of side effects, but are used much less frequently than traditional medical treatments, according to a comprehensive review published by the American Psychological Association."Chronic pain affects 116 million American adults, making it more prevalent than heart disease, diabetes and cancer combined, and traditional medical approaches are inadequate," said Mark P. Jensen, PhD, of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington.

Refining genomic data may help researchers gain traction against human disease

Date: Feb-21-2014
Led by biomedical engineer Justin Zook of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a team of scientists from Harvard University and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute of Virginia Tech has presented new methods to integrate data from different sequencing platforms, thus producing a reliable set of genotypes to benchmark human genome sequencing."Understanding the human genome is an immensely complex task and we need great methods to guide this research," Zook says.

'Epidemic of diagnosis' associated with thyroid cancer

Date: Feb-21-2014
According to a new study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, increased incidence of thyroid cancer may not be because of an increase in the disease, but an increase in diagnosis.Several types of cancer can affect the thyroid - a gland in the neck that produces hormones. Factors that make people more at risk of getting thyroid cancer include:Being between the ages of 25 and 65Being femaleBeing AsianHaving a history of thyroid disease in the familyHaving previously had radiation treatments to the head or neck.

Targeting selected amyloid-beta dimers in early stages of Alzheimer's disease

Date: Feb-21-2014
Researchers studying peptides using the Gordon supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego have found new ways to elucidate the creation of the toxic oligomers associated with Alzheimer's disease.Igor Tsigelny, a research scientist with SDSC, the UCSD Moores Cancer Center, and the Department of Neurosciences, focused on the small peptide called amyloid-beta, which pairs up with itself to form dimers and oligomers.

Switch identified that says it's time to sleep

Date: Feb-21-2014
The switch in the brain that sends us off to sleep has been identified by researchers at Oxford University's Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour in a study in fruit flies.The switch works by regulating the activity of a handful of sleep-promoting nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. The neurons fire when we're tired and need sleep, and dampen down when we're fully rested.'When you're tired, these neurons in the brain shout loud and they send you to sleep,' says Professor Gero Miesenböck of Oxford University, in whose laboratory the new research was performed.

Scientists uncover drug resistance mechanism that could impact development of two antibiotic drug candidates

Date: Feb-20-2014
The use of antibiotics is often considered among the most important advances in the treatment of human disease. Unfortunately, though, bacteria are finding ways to make a comeback. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than two million people come down with antibiotic-resistant infections annually, and at least 23,000 die because their treatment can't stop the infection. In addition, the pipeline for new antibiotics has grown dangerously thin.

Younger people, men and those without children more likely to drop out of HIV care in South Africa

Date: Feb-20-2014
Analysis carried out by an academic at Royal Holloway, University of London has revealed that younger people, men and those without children are more likely to stop attending clinics for HIV treatment in South Africa.Dr Michael Evangeli, from the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, worked alongside colleagues at the University of Southampton and the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.