Health News

Parental exposure to psychoactive ingredient in marijuana linked to drug addiction, compulsive behavior in unexposed offspring

Date: Jan-23-2014
Exposing adolescent rats to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) - the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - can lead to molecular and behavioral alterations in the next generation of offspring, even though progeny were not directly exposed to the drug, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found. Male offspring showed stronger motivation to self-administer heroin during their adulthood and molecular changes in the glutamatergic system, which is the most important excitatory pathway for neurotransmission in the brain.

Risk of blindness from glaucoma drops by half

Date: Jan-23-2014
A comparative long-range study by Mayo Clinic ophthalmology researchers shows that the probability of blindness from glaucoma 20 years after diagnosis has dropped by half in the last generation. The findings appear online in the "in press" section of the journal Ophthalmology.The researchers examined the medical records of all residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, age 40 or above, diagnosed with glaucoma between 1981 and 2000.

New diagnostic criteria lower previous estimates of ASD

Date: Jan-23-2014
A study examining changes to the American Psychiatric Association's diagnosis guidelines predicts that estimates of the number of people with autism spectrum disorder are now likely to be lowered.The fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - commonly known within the medical profession as DSM-5 - was published in 2013.

Researchers find genetic mutations that may cause schizophrenia

Date: Jan-23-2014
According to the World Health Organization, schizophrenia affects around 24 million people globally. It is unknown as to exactly what causes the condition, but an international team of researchers, led by Cardiff University in the UK, has discovered new genetic mutations that may provide further insight into the disorder.This is according to a study recently published in the journal Nature.Schizophrenia is a severe disabling brain condition that can cause a person to suffer hallucinations, delusions, abnormal thought processes and even agitated body movements.

A close look at yeast evolution offered by new sequencing tools

Date: Jan-23-2014
The baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been associated with human activities for thousands of years, being the primary biological agent in baking, brewing, winemaking and other fermentation processes. It is also one of the most important model organisms in molecular biology and genetics research. For a long time, the history and evolution of this important yeast has been a completely mystery, but recent advances in genome sequencing technologies now allow it to be studied in great detail.Using next-generation sequencing, corresponding author Gianni Liti et. al.

Risk of future disability to child should "weigh heavily" in birthplace decisions, warn ethicists

Date: Jan-23-2014
The risk of future long term disability to the child should "weigh heavily" in decisions about whether to give birth at home or in hospital, argue leading ethicists in the Journal of Medical Ethics.Women should, of course, be free to choose where they want to give birth, insist Oxford University ethicist Professor Julian Savulescu and obstetrician and gynaecologist Associate Professor Lachlan de Crespigny of the University of Melbourne.

HRT cuts risk of repeat knee/hip replacement surgery by 40%

Date: Jan-23-2014
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) taken regularly for six months after a knee or hip replacement seems to cut the risk of repeat surgery by around 40%, indicates a large population based study published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.National data for England and Wales indicate that more than 2% of procedures typically have to be repeated within three years, primarily because of osteolysis (75% of cases).Osteolysis occurs when particles from the implant seep into the surrounding tissue, prompting an inflammatory response which then destroys the bone around the implant.

Mesothelioma survival more than doubles with radiation before surgery

Date: Jan-23-2014
Results of clinical research that treated mesothelioma with radiation before surgery show the three-year survival rate more than doubled for study participants afflicted with this deadly disease, compared to treating with surgery first.The findings, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, chart a viable route to treat patients more effectively and also improve their quality of life and potential survival, says principal investigator and lead author Dr. John Cho, radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network (UHN). Dr.

Brain development: Researchers identify key protein

Date: Jan-23-2014
Scientists from the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna have identified a specific enzyme, histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), as essential for brain development. The findings published in Development are important to advance the development of new drugs to treat neurological diseases. A group of proteins, the histone deacetylases (HDACs), have been on the watch list of scientists worldwide for more than two decades.

Innate channel identified that protects against pain

Date: Jan-23-2014
Scientists have identified a channel present in many pain detecting sensory neurons that acts as a 'brake', limiting spontaneous pain. It is hoped that the new research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, will ultimately contribute to new pain relief treatments.Spontaneous pain is ongoing pathological pain that occurs constantly (slow burning pain) or intermittently (sharp shooting pain) without any obvious immediate cause or trigger. The slow burning pain is the cause of much suffering and debilitation.