Health News

Waterproof glue seals holes in beating hearts

Date: Jan-10-2014
Next time you catch a slug meandering its way across your prize lettuces, think about this: that slimy trail could be the key to life-saving technology for healing damaged tissue, such as in beating hearts.Inspired by creatures that secrete sticky substances with unique water-repelling, adhesive properties, researchers in the US have developed a type of glue that they hope one day will replace sutures and staples and keep beating hearts securely sealed following invasive surgery.

'The Living Room' offers alternative treatment for emotional distress

Date: Jan-10-2014
Emergency departments may not be the best choice for persons suffering from severe mental illness or emotional distress. According to a new qualitative study by DePaul University School of Nursing researchers, persons in a mental health crisis may be better served in an alternative recovery-oriented, homelike environment instead of a traditional emergency department."Hospital emergency departments are not set up for people with emotional problems.

The epigenetics of breast cancer family history

Date: Jan-10-2014
Breast cancer runs in families; however, genetic predisposition (such as being BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers) explains only a portion of this observation. Epigenetic changes (modifications in the genome that alter gene expression but do not affect the DNA sequence per se) have been shown to also play a role in breast cancer risk.

e-cigarettes: perceived benefits may lead to higher experimentation rates

Date: Jan-10-2014
Despite years of anti-smoking education and legislation, tobacco use still remains an important public health issue in the United States. In 2010, 25.2% of all adults and 35.6% of young adults reported current tobacco use. While anti-tobacco efforts continue across the county, the introduction of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has been marketed as a less harmful alternative to cigarettes and also as a smoking cessation aid.E-cigarettes supply nicotine through inhaled water vapor.

Google search data reveals increase in health concerns during recession

Date: Jan-10-2014
We ring in the New Year with hopes of being healthy, wealthy, and wise. A new study from epidemiological researchers and long-time colleagues John W. Ayers of San Diego State University and Benjamin Althouse of the Santa Fe Institute and their colleagues suggests that health and wealth may be more strongly connected than previously thought.The group examined Americans' Google search patterns and discovered that during the recent Great Recession, people searched considerably more frequently for information about health ailments.

'Virulence' special issue focuses on sepsis

Date: Jan-10-2014
A special issue on sepsis has been released by the publisher Landes Bioscience (Austin, TX USA). The articles contained in this special issue of the journal Virulence have been authored by world-class investigators and provide new insights into both the pathogen-related factors and the host defense mechanisms that lead to septic shock and contribute to its resolution or fatal outcome.Sepsis, or septic shock, is an excessive inflammatory response in answer to a serious infection, most commonly by bacteria, but also fungi, viruses, and parasites.

Boosting drug efficacy in treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Date: Jan-10-2014
The development of new, more effective vasodilators to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been hampered because of their systemic toxicity and adverse side effects. An international team of investigators seeking to surmount these problems and increase drug efficacy have determined that a vascular homing peptide can selectively target hypertensive pulmonary arteries to boost the pulmonary but not systemic effects of vasodilators. Importantly for potential clinical use, this peptide retains its activity when given sublingually.

Errors discovered in MRSA drug dosage calculations for children over 10

Date: Jan-10-2014
The emergence of MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus), dubbed a 'superbug' due to its resistance to many antibiotic drugs, has resulted in the glycopeptide antibiotic Vancomycin being commonly prescribed for patients in hospital.However, MRSA's resistance to drugs has led to concerns of a 'creeping minimum' in the concentration of the dosage required to treat infection. In adults, nomograms are used to calculate the correct dosage of Vancomycin based on a patient's weight and creatinine levels.

Better drugs for brain disorders in the future

Date: Jan-10-2014
Although drugs have been developed that inhibit the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain - a condition which causes many brain disorders and nervous system diseases - the exact understanding of the mechanism by which these drugs work has not yet been fully explained.Now, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, using baker's yeast as a model, have deciphered the mode by which the inhibitors affect the neurological transmission process and have even been able to manipulate it.

New regulators of the most prevalent liver disease discovered

Date: Jan-10-2014
Excessive alcohol consumption, as well as obesity leads to the accumulation of fat in the liver, a disease termed fatty liver disease (FLD) or steatosis. FLD is one of the most prevalent diseases in Western societies and affects about 30% of the adult population. Importantly, FLD increases the risk of liver failure, diabetes and cancer and no pharmacological therapies exist for this detrimental disease.