Health News

Study finds shoulder replacement eases pain, improves motion in rheumatoid arthritis

Date: Jan-15-2014
Shoulder arthritis is a common problem for rheumatoid arthritis patients: pain and difficulty moving their arms can grow so severe that daily tasks and sleep become difficult. If medication and physical therapy aren't enough, shoulder replacement surgery is a common next step. Despite surgical challenges with some rheumatoid arthritis patients, the procedure improves range of motion and reduces pain in nearly all cases, especially for those with intact rotator cuffs, a Mayo Clinic study shows. The findings are published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.

Medication combined with open communication with allergist can help lessen asthma attacks

Date: Jan-15-2014
Can't find relief from your asthma symptoms? The way you communicate with your allergist can be the root of your problems. According to two papers published in the January issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in order for treatment to be effective, asthma sufferers need to ask questions and feel as if they have open communication with their allergist.

Induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming offers potential to correct abnormal chromosomes

Date: Jan-15-2014
Geneticists from Ohio, California and Japan joined forces in a quest to correct a faulty chromosome through cellular reprogramming. Their study, published online in Nature, used stem cells to correct a defective "ring chromosome" with a normal chromosome. Such therapy has the promise to correct chromosome abnormalities that give rise to birth defects, mental disabilities and growth limitations.

Autism guide helps physicians to help families

Date: Jan-15-2014
Increased awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is placing huge demands on health care systems and health care professionals to help children and their families cope with the disorder. A comprehensive evidence-based review published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) aims to help physicians provide appropriate medical support to families of children with ASD, from detection to treatment."We have come to understand ASD as a remarkably heterogeneous constellation of conditions that co-vary with other disabilities and disorders (e.g.

News from the Annals of Internal Medicine, Jan. 14, 2014

Date: Jan-15-2014
1. Panel at odds over newly released blood pressure guidelinesPanel members explain why they voted against raising systolic blood pressure targetsSome panel members are speaking out against the decision to raise the threshold at which older adults begin taking medication to control their blood pressure.

Positive school climate could work where drug tests don't

Date: Jan-15-2014
School drug testing does not deter teenagers from smoking marijuana, but creating a "positive school climate" just might, according to research reported in the January issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.An estimated 20 percent of U.S. high schools have drug testing; some target students suspected of abusing drugs, but often schools randomly test students who are going out for sports or clubs. The policies are controversial, partly because there is little evidence they work. And in the new study, researchers found no effects on high schoolers' drug experimentation.

Exercise simulated in cartilage cells by chemical signaling

Date: Jan-15-2014
Cartilage is notoriously difficult to repair or grow, but researchers at Duke Medicine have taken a step toward understanding how to regenerate the connective tissue. By adding a chemical to cartilage cells, the chemical signals spurred new cartilage growth, mimicking the effects of physical activity.The findings, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of Jan. 13, 2014, point to an ion channel called TRPV4 as a potential target for new therapies to treat osteoarthritis or even regrow cartilage.

How to make PET imaging even sweeter

Date: Jan-15-2014
Mount Sinai Heart leads international research team testing new sugar-based tracer to help in the cardiovascular imaging hunt for inflamed high-risk, vulnerable artery plaques before they ruptureAn international research team led by Mount Sinai Heart at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is testing its novel sugar-based tracer contrast agent to be used with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to help in the hunt for dangerous inflammation and high-risk vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque inside vessel walls that causes acute heart attacks and strokes.

Cause of destructive cascade of diabetic retinopathy

Date: Jan-15-2014
The retina can be bombarded by reactive oxygen species in diabetes, prompting events that destroy healthy blood vessels, form leaky new ones and ruin vision.Now researchers have learned that those chemically reactive molecules must come from both the bone marrow as well as the retinal cells themselves to cause such serious consequences."It's a cascade that requires two players to signal the next event that causes the damage," said Dr. Ruth Caldwell, cell biologist at the Vascular Biology Center at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

Caffeine enhances memory

Date: Jan-15-2014
For some, it's the tradition of steeping tealeaves to brew the perfect cup of tea. For others, it's the morning shuffle to a coffee maker for a hot jolt of java. Then there are those who like their wake up with the kind of snap and a fizz usually found in a carbonated beverage.Regardless of the routine, the consumption of caffeine is the energy boost of choice for millions to wake up or stay up. Now, however, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University have found another use for the stimulant: memory enhancer.