Health News

Video intervention may increase skin cancer diagnosis in older men

Date: Feb-19-2014
Showing men a video on skin self-examination and skin awareness may help to increase the number of patients who receive whole-body clinical skin examinations (CSEs) from their physicians, which could increase skin cancer diagnosis in older men, according to a study by Monika Janda, Ph.D., of the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues. In the United States, death rates from melanoma have decreased in women but have increased in men.

New paradigm in cancer immunotherapy

Date: Feb-19-2014
Tumor metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in cancer patients and remains the major challenge for cancer therapy. Researchers from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) in Vienna have now revealed a novel mechanism by which immune cells can spontaneously reject metastatic tumors. Their findings provide a proof-of-principle that it might be possible to develop a "pill" that awakens the immune system to kill cancer metastases.

Even before they can pump blood, baby hearts need rhythm

Date: Feb-19-2014
A study published in the journal Biomaterials finds that the rhythmic pulsation of cardiac muscle cells is a driving force in the initial formation of heart valves.The heart forms as a simple U-shaped tube of tissue, comprised of three layers.A layer of cardiac muscle cells begin to pulse even before blood vessels are formed. Beneath the muscle is a layer of "cardiac jelly," and below that is a layer of endothelial cells that will transform into valvular interstitial cells (VICs).

Assisted suicide more common in women and wealthier individuals

Date: Feb-19-2014
Though euthanasia is prohibited in Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal, so long as "no selfish interests are involved." But opponents fear vulnerable people could be forced to end their life this way, so researchers from the University of Bern investigated socioeconomic factors linked to assisted suicide.Publishing the results of their study in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers, led by Prof.

New radiation-free imaging method 'effectively diagnoses cancer'

Date: Feb-19-2014
Standard imaging techniques, such as PET and CT scans, are used to assess the development of cancer in children. However, these imaging methods can expose children to radiation that increases their risk of secondary cancers later in life. Now, new research has detailed a new whole-body imaging technique that could eliminate this risk.In a study recently published in The Lancet Oncology, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine in California tested a new whole-body diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique.

Exercise may slow diseases that cause blindness

Date: Feb-19-2014
A new study suggests aerobic exercise may slow the progression of diseases that destroy the retina and eventually cause blindness. In mice exposed to harmful bright lights, the ones that had regularly run on treadmills had much better function in their retinas than mice that had not been exercising. The researchers suggest the findings, which they report in The Journal of Neuroscience, point to exercise as a possible treatment for slowing down human eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Starving melanoma cells may slow tumor growth

Date: Feb-19-2014
New research suggests melanoma skin cancer may be controllable by starving its cells. Building on previous success with prostate cancer cells, scientists in Australia showed they could stop cell growth by blocking the pumps that melanoma cells use to acquire an essential cell nutrient.It is still very early days, as the method has only been tested in lab-grown cells. But the researchers, from Sydney's Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney, hope their findings will lead to new drugs that control a range of cancers, including melanoma.

Quirky online videos hope to boost brain health and tackle fears about memory loss

Date: Feb-19-2014
10 quirky animated videos addressing common concerns about memory loss and dementia have been developed by researchers in Trinity College Dublin in a bid to allay fears about memory loss, promote brain health and tackle the stigma associated with dementia.The number of people living with dementia worldwide is currently estimated at 35.6 million, according to the World Health Organization. This number will double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050.

Magnesium may protect against hip fractures

Date: Feb-19-2014
Drinking water with a relatively high concentration of magnesium protects against hip fractures, according to results of a study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.There are considerable variations in the quality of drinking water in Norway. The researchers studied variations in magnesium and calcium levels in drinking water between different areas, as these are assumed to have a role in the development of bone strength. They wanted to examine whether there was a correlation between magnesium and calcium concentrations in drinking water and the incidence of hip fracture.

New treatment proposed to prevent devastating intestinal inflammation in cancer patients

Date: Feb-19-2014
Experimental work pointing to a therapy for alleviating mucositis - a common, severe side effect of chemotherapy and irradiation of cancer patients or patients prepared for bone marrow transplantation - has been achieved by an international team of researchers from the US and Israel headed by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Mucositis is a strong inflammatory reaction of the mucosal lining of the digestive system, particularly the gut. Mucositis is often a major reason for premature suspension of anti-cancer therapy.