Health News

Research article cites AlbuSorbTM to improve urine exosome proteomic study

Date: Feb-18-2014
Biotech Support Group reports on a recent research article which describes the simplicity and efficiency of their proteomic sample preparation technology for albumin depletion. Urine exosome isolation via ultracentrifugation, followed by albumin depletion provides researchers with knowledge of renal regulation and could lead to the identification of biomarkers for diabetic nephropathy and diabetic mellitus. By removing albumin using AlbuSorbTM, the authors identified more urinary proteins such as flotillin-2, lamp-1, PODXL, tsg-101 from exosome fractions of urine samples.

Obesity prevention in pediatrics is focus of two studies

Date: Feb-18-2014
Infants with a heartier appetite grew more rapidly up to age 15 months, which may be an increased risk for obesity, in a study of twins by Cornelia H.M. van Jaarsveld, Ph.D., of University College London, England, and colleagues. Obesity is a major issue in child health and identifying factors that promote or protect against weight gain could help identify targets for obesity intervention and prevention, according to the study background.

Study develops top 5 list of procedures to reduce costs in emergency department

Date: Feb-18-2014
A top-five list of emergency medicine procedures that are of low value and could help control costs if providers do not order them was developed as part of a study by Jeremiah D. Schuur, M.D., M.H.S., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues. The cost of medical care in the United States is growing at an unsustainable rate and the tests, treatments and hospitalizations that come from emergency department care are expensive, according to the study background.

Intracranial carotid artery atherosclerosis associated with increased stroke risk

Date: Feb-18-2014
A build-up of plaque in the carotid artery above the neck was associated with an increased risk of stroke for older white patients in a study by Daniel Bos, M.D., Ph.D., of the Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues. Stroke is common and a common cause of disability in people around the world.

New survey launches to help identify mesothelioma treatment uncertainties

Date: Feb-18-2014
An important survey has launched that will help to inform future research into mesothelioma diagnosis, treatments and care. The survey is now available at www.psp.nihr.ac.uk/mesothelioma/survey, and will remain open for a few months to collect data from patients, carers and clinicians.This is part of a project being carried out by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-funded 'Priority Setting Partnership' (PSP) recently set up by the James Lind Alliance (JLA).

"It takes a village" - Community-based methods for improving maternal and newborn health

Date: Feb-18-2014
A series of studies are published in a special supplement that presents results of the Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership - a three-year pilot program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the goal of improving the health of Ethiopian mothers and their newborns. This special issue of the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health is published by Wiley on behalf of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.High mortality rates for pregnant women and newborns continue to be a major health concern in Africa, with Ethiopia being one of the most affected countries.

Biostatistics approach to genetics yields new clues to roots of autism

Date: Feb-18-2014
A study is only as good as the tools used to analyze it. One of those tools is statistics, and while biologists and chemists set up and run the experiments, statisticians are at work tinkering with the math that makes sense of all the data. Researchers at The Rockefeller University have recently developed a novel statistical method for genetic screens, which takes advantage of recent increases in computing power. Applying it to autism, they have uncovered genes that had not been suggested in previous analyses.

Nystagmus - Expert warns children with disabling sight problem 'being written off', UK

Date: Feb-18-2014
A leading eye specialist has warned thousands of children with a disabling sight disorder are being "written off". Jay Self, a consultant paediatric ophthalmologist at Southampton Children's Hospital, said simple interventions used to improve the lives of patients with nystagmus continued to be overlooked. The condition causes the eyes to wobble and creates strobe vision, which makes it difficult to see moving objects, recognise familiar faces or perform everyday activities such as playing with toys and friends.

Study shows stroke patients with swallowing problems show improved recovery with new treatment

Date: Feb-18-2014
Stroke patients with the inability to swallow safely (dysphagia) show improved and faster recovery in their swallowing function when using pharyngeal electrical stimulation (PES) versus sham treatment at three months, according to data published as part of the paper: Dysphagia Diagnosis and Treatment: A Multidisciplinary Challenge in the journal Dysphagia. This is the second randomised controlled trial (RCT) to demonstrate the patient benefit of using PES to treat dysphagia, a common complication of stroke, which affects half of the more than 15 million stroke victims globally every year.

Scientists unveil the mechanisms underlying the immediate effect of deep brain stimulation in depression

Date: Feb-18-2014
A team of UCA researchers led by Professor Esther Berrocoso and in joint collaboration with the mental health research groups of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM) have carried out a pioneering project in Spain.