Health News

Study reveals prevalence of hepatitis C infection varies widely among Hispanics

Date: Jan-17-2014
The first study of hepatitis C infection among different Hispanic groups in the U.S. has found that infection with the virus varies widely, with Puerto Rican Hispanics much more likely than other groups to be infected. The study, led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, highlights which Hispanic populations would benefit most from increased hepatitis C testing and treatment. It was published in the online edition of the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

3 risk factors most highly correlated with child obesity

Date: Jan-17-2014
A University of Illinois study has identified the three most significant risk factors for child obesity among preschoolers: (1) inadequate sleep, (2) a parental BMI that classifies the mom or dad as overweight or obese, and (3) parental restriction of a child's eating in order to control his weight."We looked at 22 variables that had previously been identified as predictors of child obesity, and the three that emerged as strong predictors did so even as we took into account the influence of the other 19.

World's tiniest drug cabinets could be attached to cancerous cells for long term treatment

Date: Jan-17-2014
As if being sick weren't bad enough, there's also the fear of frequent injections, side effects and overdosing on your medication. Now a team of researchers from University of Copenhagen, Department of Chemistry, Nano- science center and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), have shown that reservoirs of anti-viral pharmaceuticals could be manufactured to bind specifically to infected tissue such as cancer cells for the slow concentrated delivery of drug treatments. The new research is published in ACS Macro Letters.

Key molecular components identified linking circadian rhythms and cell division cycles

Date: Jan-17-2014
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified key molecular components linking circadian rhythms and cell division cycles in Neurospora crassa, providing insights that could lead to improved disease treatments and drug delivery.The researchers in the UC College of Medicine Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, led by Christian Hong, PhD, published their findings online ahead of print in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

Natural selection can favor 'irrational' behavior

Date: Jan-17-2014
It seems paradoxical that a preference for which of two houses to buy could depend on another, inferior, house - but researchers at the University of Bristol have identified that seemingly irrelevant alternatives can, and should, influence choices. Even more remarkable is the finding that optimal choices can violate the principle of transitivity: it can be best to choose A from A or B, and choose B from B or C, but choose C from A or C.

How insulin-producing cells may fail in diabetes and how they might someday be restored

Date: Jan-17-2014
Two new studies led by UC San Francisco (UCSF) scientists shed new light on the nature of beta cells, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas that are compromised in diabetes.The first suggests that some cases of diabetes may be caused when beta cells are deprived of oxygen, prompting them to revert to a less mature state that renders them incapable of producing insulin. The second study demonstrates that acinar cells, pancreatic cells that do not normally produce insulin, can be converted to functional beta cells, a potential new avenue for treating the disease.

Major potential advance in the search for new treatment for cancers caused by viruses

Date: Jan-17-2014
Christopher Parsons, MD, Director of the HIV Malignancies Program at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the senior author of a paper that is the first to report that specialized fat (lipid) molecules, called sphingolipids, play a key role in the survival of aggressive lymphomas caused by viruses. The paper also reveals a new therapy for preventing production of sphingolipids by lymphoma cells, thereby killing these cells, which are often resistant to standard therapies.

Elderly women with urinary incontinence benefit from dance exergame

Date: Jan-17-2014
Virtual reality, dance and fun are not the first things that come to mind when we think of treating urinary incontinence in senior women. However, these concepts were the foundations of a promising study by Dr. Chantal Dumoulin, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Urogynaecological Health and Aging, a researcher at the Institut universitaire de geriatrie de Montreal, and an associate professor in the Physiotherapy Program of the Rehabilitation School at Universite de Montreal, and her master's student, Miss Valerie Elliott.Dr Eling D. de Bruin, Ph.D.

Delirium screening lacking in the emergency department

Date: Jan-17-2014
Delirium in older patients in an emergency room setting can foretell other health issues. But according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, the condition is frequently overlooked because of a lack of screening tools in emergency departments.An estimated one in 10 older adults seen in hospital emergency departments in the United States experiences delirium, but this acute change in mental status is often not recognized.

Federal ban leads to a fall in exposures to some phthalates

Date: Jan-17-2014
Americans are being exposed to significantly lower levels of some phthalates that were banned from children's articles in 2008, but exposures to other forms of these chemicals are rising steeply, according to a study led by researchers at UC San Francisco.Phthalates, which are used to soften plastic, can be found in nail polish, fragrances, plastics and building materials, as well as the food supply. An accumulating body of scientific evidence suggests they can disrupt the endocrine system, which secretes hormones, and may have serious long-term health consequences.