Health News

Marker may predict response to ipilimumab in advanced melanoma

Date: Feb-04-2014
Among patients with advanced melanoma, presence of higher levels of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in blood was associated with poor response to treatment with the immunotherapy ipilimumab, according to a study published in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.The study suggests combining immunotherapy with VEGF inhibitors, also known as angiogenesis inhibitors, may be a potential option for these patients.The immune-checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab works by boosting the body's immune system to combat melanoma.

Marker may predict response to ipilimumab in advanced melanoma

Date: Feb-04-2014
Among patients with advanced melanoma, presence of higher levels of the protein vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in blood was associated with poor response to treatment with the immunotherapy ipilimumab, according to a study published in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.The study suggests combining immunotherapy with VEGF inhibitors, also known as angiogenesis inhibitors, may be a potential option for these patients.The immune-checkpoint inhibitor ipilimumab works by boosting the body's immune system to combat melanoma.

Researchers find no reason to replace fructose with glucose

Date: Feb-04-2014
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found there is no benefit in replacing fructose, the sugar most commonly blamed for obesity, with glucose in commercially prepared foods.The findings, published in the February edition of Current Opinion in Lipidology, show that when portion sizes and calories are the same, fructose does not cause any more harm than glucose."Despite concerns about fructose's link to obesity, there is no justification to replace fructose with glucose because there is no evidence of net harm," said Dr.

Researchers find no reason to replace fructose with glucose

Date: Feb-04-2014
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found there is no benefit in replacing fructose, the sugar most commonly blamed for obesity, with glucose in commercially prepared foods.The findings, published in the February edition of Current Opinion in Lipidology, show that when portion sizes and calories are the same, fructose does not cause any more harm than glucose."Despite concerns about fructose's link to obesity, there is no justification to replace fructose with glucose because there is no evidence of net harm," said Dr.

Researchers pinpoint neural circuitry that promotes stress-induced anxiety

Date: Feb-04-2014
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 18 percent of American adults suffer from anxiety disorders, characterized as excessive worry or tension that often leads to other physical symptoms. Previous studies of anxiety in the brain have focused on the amygdala, an area known to play a role in fear. But a team of researchers led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) had a hunch that understanding a different brain area, the lateral septum (LS), could provide more clues into how the brain processes anxiety.

10 years after menopause more than a third of women have hot flashes

Date: Feb-04-2014
A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has found that moderate to severe hot flashes continue, on average, for nearly 5 years after menopause, and more than a third of women experience moderate/severe hot flashes for 10 years or more after menopause. Current guidelines recommend that hormone therapy, the primary medical treatment for hot flashes, not continue for more than 5 years.

Guide on how to identify child abuse, starvation, compiled by forensic experts

Date: Feb-04-2014
Forensic science experts from North Carolina State University are publishing a comprehensive overview of forensic research that can be used to identify child abuse and starvation."By pulling all of this information together in one place, we hope that we can save the lives of some children and find justice for others," says Dr. Ann Ross, a professor of anthropology at NC State and lead author of the paper. Ross is also co-editor of the book "The Juvenile Skeleton in Forensic Abuse Investigations.

CDC announce 2014 adult immunization schedule

Date: Feb-04-2014
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has announced its recommended adult immunization schedule for 2014. Each year, the committee reviews the schedule, ensuring that current clinical recommendations are appropriately reflected.Among the key changes to the schedule for 2014 include revised notes on administering vaccines for flu; tetanus, diphtheria, and accellular pertussis; human papillomavirus (HPV); zoster virus; pneumococcal disease and meningococcal disease.

Genetically diverse cancer cells key to brain tumor resistance

Date: Feb-04-2014
For a cancer cell, it pays to have a group of eccentric friends. Like X-Men characters, a group of cancer cells with diverse physical traits is safer, because it takes different strategies to kill each member.The more diverse the group, the better the chances are for individual cells to survive and join forces as a cohesive tumor.A multi-university research team, including researchers with the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech, discovered that the unique physical differences among brain tumor cells were because of chromosomal abnormalities.

Study reveals South Africa has world's highest rate of high blood pressure

Date: Feb-04-2014
New research reveals that South Africa has the highest rate of high blood pressure reported among people aged 50 and over for any country in the world, at any time in history.Analysis of data from a major survey found that 78 per cent of those who took part in South Africa tested positive for high blood pressure, or hypertension. Less than one in 10 people were effectively controlling their condition with medication.