Health News

Two new genetic causes of neonatal diabetes

Date: Jan-09-2014
Research by the University of Exeter Medical School has revealed two new genetic causes of neonatal diabetes.The research, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, provides further insights on how the insulin-producing beta cells are formed in the pancreas. The team discovered that mutations in two specific genes which are important for development of the pancreas can cause the disease. These findings increase the number of known genetic causes of neonatal diabetes to 20.

Simple 10 step approach to reducing the harms of alcohol

Date: Jan-09-2014
Much the same way individuals are encouraged to know their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a new editorial in the Journal of Psychopharmacology urges the European public to know and monitor their alcohol intake number using a simple 10 point plan.

Potential new target for many cancers

Date: Jan-09-2014
The discovery offers hope for treating many types of cancer that are driven to grow and spread through the actions of a cancer-causing protein called MYC.Up to 70 per cent of human cancers, including many leukaemias and lymphomas, have unusually high levels of MYC, which causes cancerous changes in cells by forcing them into abnormally rapid growth.Dr Gemma Kelly, Dr Marco Herold and Professor Andreas Strasser from the institute's Molecular Genetics of Cancer division led a research team investigating how cells with high levels of MYC stay alive and grow.

Protein destroys migrating cancer cells on contact

Date: Jan-09-2014
In a study published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a US team of biomedical engineers demonstrates a way to stop migrating cancer cells dead in their tracks as they travel through the bloodstream to set up new tumors.Metastasis is where cancer cells from a first tumor detach and spread to other parts of the body.

1 in, 1 out: Oxford study shows how people put a limit on their social networks

Date: Jan-09-2014
Despite the way that mobile technologies and social networking sites have made it easier to stay in touch with large numbers of acquaintances, a new study has shown that people still put most of their efforts into communicating with small numbers of close friends or family, often operating unconscious one-in, one-out policies so that communication patterns remain the same even when friendships change.

Workplace wellness programs can cut chronic illness costs

Date: Jan-09-2014
Workplace wellness programs can lower health care costs in workers with chronic diseases, but components of the programs that encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles may not reduce health costs or lead to lower net savings, according to a new RAND Corporation study.Examining a large employee wellness program offered by PepsiCo, researchers found that efforts to help employees manage chronic illnesses saved $3.78 in health care costs for every $1 invested in the effort.

Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to a bony future

Date: Jan-09-2014
With the help of biomimetic matrices, a research team led by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego has discovered exactly how calcium phosphate can coax stem cells to become bone-building cells. This work is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of Jan. 6, 2014.UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering professor Shyni Varghese and colleagues have traced a surprising pathway from these biomaterials to bone formation. Their findings will help them refine the design of biomaterials that encourage stem cells to give rise to new bone.

Green spaces deliver lasting mental health benefits

Date: Jan-09-2014
Green space in towns and cities could lead to significant and sustained improvements in mental health, finds a new study published in the journal of Environmental Science & Technology.Analysing data that followed people over a five year period, the research has found that moving to a greener area not only improves people's mental health, but that the effect continues long after they have moved.The findings add to evidence that suggests increasing green spaces in cities - such as parks and gardens - could deliver substantial benefits to public health.

CWRU researcher finds released inmates need reentry programs to meet basic and mental health needs

Date: Jan-09-2014
When inmates with severe mental illness are released from jail, their priority is finding shelter, food, money and clothes. Even needs as basic as soap and a place to bathe can be hard to come by for people leaving jail, according to a new study from Case Western Reserve University's social work school."Reentering the community after a period of incarceration in jail is a complex situation," said Amy Wilson, who researches jail and prison issues, and even more difficult for inmates who suffer from a major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia.

'Wellbeing improved' if children with autism recruit imaginary helpers

Date: Jan-09-2014
Researchers believe they have developed a psychological technique that improves the mental wellbeing of children with autism - through an activity that invents tiny characters the kids can then imagine are in their heads helping them out with their thoughts.The technique - based on CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy - aims to build "social and emotional resilience," particularly for high-functioning children with autism, by recruiting imaginary homunculi characters. Homunculi are tiny human or human-like creatures.