Health News

Shivering 'as good as exercise' for producing brown fat

Date: Feb-08-2014
Previous research has shown that moderate exercise can help turn energy-storing white fat into brown fat - the "good" fat that burns energy and helps keep us warm. But new research published in Cell Metabolism suggests that shivering for 10-15 minutes can do the same job.According to the research team, led by Dr. Paul Lee of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, the findings indicate that brown fat could be a therapeutic target against obesity and diabetes.

Revealing the inner workings of a cellular nanomotor

Date: Feb-08-2014
Our cells produce thousands of proteins, but more than one-third of these proteins can fulfill their function only after migrating to the outside of the cell. While it is known that protein migration occurs with the help of various 'nanomotors' that push proteins out of the cell, little is known about their precise mechanical functioning. New research by Anastassios Economou (Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology - Rega Institute) and his team reveals the inner workings of one such nanomotor, called SecA, with new clarity.

Intelligent redesign of cancer care delivery model guided by MD Anderson

Date: Feb-08-2014
Quality leaders outline action plan for national oversight, collaboration and patient-centered approachesHow best to implement key recommendations recently identified by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for the delivery of high-quality cancer care is the focus of two peer-reviewed articles from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

New insight into similarity of complex brain networks in monkeys, humans

Date: Feb-08-2014
Monkeys that ate a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids had brains with highly connected and well organized neural networks - in some ways akin to the neural networks in healthy humans - while monkeys that ate a diet deficient in the fatty acids had much more limited brain networking, according to an Oregon Health & Science University study.The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, provides further evidence for the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in healthy brain development.

Increase in obesity may be slowing, but not by much

Date: Feb-08-2014
In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama referred to an August 2013 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that showed a decline in the obesity rate among low-income pre-school children, saying, "Michelle's Let's Move! partnership with schools, businesses and local leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in 30 years, and that's an achievement that will improve lives and reduce health care costs for decades to come.

Successes and missing links in connected health examined by Health Affairs

Date: Feb-08-2014
February articles outline best practices and holes in adoption and useYou can successfully integrate technology into patient care, but it isn't easy. Just ask Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) and its 3.4 million members. Robert M.

The brain's arbitrator identified

Date: Feb-08-2014
We tend to be creatures of habit. In fact, the human brain has a learning system that is devoted to guiding us through routine, or habitual, behaviors. At the same time, the brain has a separate goal-directed system for the actions we undertake only after careful consideration of the consequences. We switch between the two systems as needed. But how does the brain know which system to give control to at any given moment? Enter The Arbitrator.

Discovery of mechanism for how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mutations damage nerve function

Date: Feb-08-2014
A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital offers a new avenue for scientists to pursue in the quest for desperately needed treatments for ALSSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led a study showing that mutations in a gene responsible for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disrupt the RNA transport system in nerve cells. The findings appear in the current issue of the scientific journal Neuron and offer a new focus for efforts to develop effective treatments.

Safety in the gastrointestinal endoscopy unit: ASGE issues guidelines

Date: Feb-08-2014
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has issued "Guidelines for safety in the gastrointestinal endoscopy unit." The purpose of this new guideline is to present recommendations for endoscopy units in implementing and prioritizing safety efforts and to provide an endoscopy-specific guideline by which to evaluate endoscopy units. The guideline is published on the website of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of ASGE.

Increased incidence of tuberculosis in Zimbabwe likely due to food insecurity

Date: Feb-08-2014
The rise of tuberculosis (TB) in Zimbabwe during the socio-economic crisis of 2008-9 has been linked to widespread food shortage, according to a new study led by Canadian researchers from the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health published in PLOS ONE.