Health News

Formation of toxic protein fragments prevented by exon skipping in Huntington's disease

Date: Feb-13-2014
An innovative therapeutic strategy for reducing the levels of toxic protein fragments associated with Huntington's disease uses a new approach called exon skipping to remove the disease-causing component of the essential protein, huntingtin. Proof of concept using antisense oligonucleotides to "skip over" the specific exon in a mouse model of Huntington's disease is reported in an article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article, part of a special focus issue on exon skipping, is available on the em>Nucleic Acid Therapeutics.

Pizza herb carvacrol may prevent winter vomiting disease

Date: Feb-13-2014
Scientists have found that carvacrol - the substance in oregano oil that gives the pizza herb its distinctive warm, aromatic smell and flavour - is effective against norovirus, causing the breakdown of the virus' tough outer coat. The research is published in the Society for Applied Microbiology's Journal of Applied Microbiology.Norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting disease, is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhoea around the world. It is particularly problematic in nursing homes, hospitals, cruise ships, and schools, and is a very common cause of foodborne-disease outbreaks.

Age-related macular degeneration may be delayed by exercise

Date: Feb-13-2014
Moderate aerobic exercise helps to preserve the structure and function of nerve cells in the retina after damage, researchers at the Emory Eye Center and the Atlanta VA Medical Center have found.The findings, from a study of an animal model of age-related macular degeneration, are the first to suggest that aerobic exercise can have a direct effect on retinal health and vision.The results appear in the Journal of Neuroscience.Senior authors are Machelle Pardue, PhD and colleague Jeffrey H.

Mental health of smokers may improve if they quit

Date: Feb-13-2014
Health professionals who treat people with psychiatric problems often overlook their patients' smoking habits, assuming it's best to tackle depression, anxiety or substance abuse problems first. However, new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that people who struggle with mood problems or addiction can safely quit smoking and that kicking the habit is associated with improved mental health.The study is published online in the journal Psychological Medicine.

Man's best friend equally adapted to high altitudes of Tibet

Date: Feb-13-2014
As humans have expanded into new environments and civilizations, man's best friend, dogs, have been faithful companions at their sides. Now, with DNA sequencing technology readily available to examine the dog genome, scientists are gaining new insights into canine evolution.In a new study published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, author Dong-Dong Wu, et. al., explored the genetic basis of high-altitude adaptation of Tibetan Mastiffs, which were originally domesticated from the Chinese native dogs of the plains.

The link between recent weight gain and diabetes challenged by study

Date: Feb-13-2014
It is a common notion that type 2 diabetes is precipitated by substantial progressive weight gain, but a study published this week in PLOS Medicine suggests that this might not be true.Dorte Vistisen and Kristine Færch, from the Steno Diabetes Center in Gentofte, Denmark, and colleagues analyzed data from participants of the Whitehall II cohort, a group of London-based civil servants who have been followed for more than a decade, to see what changes in body weight and other parameters had occurred in people in the years before they were diagnosed with diabetes.

Protein identified that initiates the formation of stable, long-term memories

Date: Feb-13-2014
Prions can be notoriously destructive, spurring proteins to misfold and interfere with cellular function as they spread without control. New research, publishing in the open access journal PLOS Biology, from scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research reveals that certain prion-like proteins, however, can be precisely controlled so that they are generated only in a specific time and place. These prion-like proteins are not involved in disease processes; rather, they are essential for creating and maintaining long-term memories.

ICU patients with kidney injury show high mortality & elevated urinary protein 4 years on

Date: Feb-13-2014
In 4 years of follow up of 1464 participants in the randomized controlled trial Randomised Evaluation of Normal vs. Augmented Levels of RRT (RENAL) study, Martin Gallagher (The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia) and colleagues found that patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) in an intensive care unit (ICU) who require renal replacement therapy (RRT; hemodialysis combined with hemofiltration) do not benefit from higher intensity RRT. At a median of 43.

Alzheimer's may appear in early scans if both parents have the disease

Date: Feb-13-2014
Alzheimer's disease is a condition typically associated with older individuals, and diagnosis is not usually made until symptoms appear later in life. But new research suggests that people who are free of dementia but have two parents with Alzheimer's may show signs of the disease in brain scans decades before symptoms appear.This is according to a study recently published online in the journal Neurology.The research team, including Lisa Mosconi of the New York University School of Medicine, analyzed 52 individuals aged between 32 and 72 who were free of dementia.

Better blood pressure management during c-section with automated blood pressure management system

Date: Feb-13-2014
New trial results1 have shown that the world's first Double Intravenous Vasopressor Automated (DIVA) System affords superior control of maternal blood pressure in women undergoing caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia, when compared with manually-administered medication to manage reduced blood pressure (vasopressor).Developed by doctors at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), the novel DIVA System detects and responds rapidly to low blood pressure and/or slow heart rate in real time by auto-administering a precise amount of the recommended vasopressor.