Health News

Researchers have developed an app that may signal cellphone dependency

Date: Jan-29-2014
A new, free app will allow smartphone users to measure their cellphone use. Computer scientists and psychologists from the University of Bonn have developed an application for this purpose. Whoever installs it can see, e.g., how much time s/he spends on the phone or which apps s/he uses most frequently. The relevant key data is sent to a server anonymously for the scientists to analyze. They are already using a similar technology for the early detection of depression.This app dubbed Menthal will run on Android 4.0 (or newer).

Educating Illinois judges on how genetic information can impact court decisions

Date: Jan-29-2014
Genomic research will eventually uncover a complete picture of how our genetic information, acting in concert with our experiences, influences our behavior, our risk for disease, and our responsiveness to medical treatments. These are all subjects of great academic and personal interest, but what happens when they are connected to a question of legality?

New stent for aortic aneurysms

Date: Jan-29-2014
Temple University Hospital (TUH) could be among the first U.S.-based hospitals to test a new device known as a multilayer stent in patients suffering from aortic aneurysm, a condition characterized by the formation of a potentially life-threatening bulge in the aorta. Approved in Europe in 2010, the device has already been used to help hundreds of European patients with the condition, and Grayson H.

Study on DSM-5 shows effects on autism diagnosis and prevalence

Date: Jan-29-2014
A new study finds that the estimated prevalence of autism under the new DSM-5 criteria would decrease only to the extent that some children would receive the new diagnosis of social communication disorder (SCD). The study, funded in part by a research grant from Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, appears online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.Overall, the researchers found that 83 percent of children who received a diagnosis of autism under the DSM-IV would also receive the diagnosis under DSM-5.

Researchers discover new combination therapy to destroy cancer

Date: Jan-29-2014
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada and is responsible for about 30% of all deaths, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. Despite the urgent need for new and effective drugs, it remains extremely difficult to develop anti-cancer therapies in a timely way. Researchers in Ottawa looked at how to leverage current experimental therapies, in different combinations, to speed the fight against cancer. Scientific evidence suggests a specific combination approach is effective, as published in Nature Biotechnology.

Operation holds promise for patients with infective endocarditis

Date: Jan-29-2014
A potentially fatal bacterial disease of the heart, infective endocarditis frequently affects the heart's tricuspid valve, often resulting in permanent tissue damage. But a reconstructive technique, in which the valve is repaired with a bioscaffold on which new tissue can grow, can give some patients a new lease on life - a lease that has been extended to patients at Temple University Hospital, in Philadelphia, thanks to the pioneering work of T.

New 3-D imaging technique helps to avoid facelift complications

Date: Jan-29-2014
Millions of people each year remove wrinkles, soften creases and plump up their lips by injecting a gel-like material into their facial tissue. These cosmetic procedures are sometimes called "liquid facelifts" and are said to be minimally invasive.It's rare, but sometimes things go wrong. In a matter of minutes, patients' skin can turn red or blotchy white and the injected area becomes painful. Vital blood supply to the face is restricted and if untreated, parts of the tissue will die. That scenario is irreversible and can leave deep scars.

Genetic testing may soon be able to identify what diet each individual should consume for a longer, healthier life

Date: Jan-29-2014
Your best friend swears by the Paleo Diet. Your boss loves Atkins. Your sister is gluten-free, and your roommate is an acolyte of Michael Pollan. So who's right? Maybe they all are.In new research published this month in Cell Metabolism, USC scientists Sean Curran and Shanshan Pang identify a collection of genes that allow an organism to adapt to different diets and show that without them, even minor tweaks to diet can cause premature aging and death.

Anthrax agent killed by new, unusually large virus

Date: Jan-29-2014
From a zebra carcass on the plains of Namibia in Southern Africa, an international team of researchers has discovered a new, unusually large virus (or bacteriophage) that infects the bacterium that causes anthrax. The novel bacteriophage could eventually open up new ways to detect, treat or decontaminate the anthrax bacillus and its relatives that cause food poisoning. The work is published in the journal PLOS One.The virus was isolated from samples collected from carcasses of zebras that died of anthrax in Etosha National Park, Namibia.

High level of "food insecurity" found among college students

Date: Jan-29-2014
One of the few studies of its type has found that a startling 59 percent of college students at one Oregon university were "food insecure" at some point during the previous year, with possible implications for academic success, physical and emotional health and other issues.Contrary to concerns about obesity and some students packing on "the freshman 15" in weight gain, another reality is that many students are not getting enough healthy food to eat as they struggle with high costs, limited income, and fewer food or social support systems than are available to other groups.