Health News

Targeting glycine receptors in hyperekplexia, startle disease

Date: Jan-06-2014
A drug that can alleviate the exaggerated startle responses seen in hyperekplexia - or "startle disease" - in a mouse model of the condition is discussed in a paper published online in Nature Neuroscience. These findings suggest potential therapeutic avenues for individuals with hyperekplexia.People with hyperekplexia exhibit exaggerated startle responses to unexpected auditory or tactile stimuli, such as hands clapping or taps on shoulder. Previous studies have found that this disease can be caused by mutations in the brain receptor for the neurotransmitter glycine.

Dietary fiber reduces asthma

Date: Jan-06-2014
A high-fiber diet reduces the severity of allergic airway disease, including decreased lung inflammation, in mice according to a study published online in Nature Medicine. These findings highlight how diet can influence immune cell development and disease outside of the gut.Over recent decades, the incidence of allergic asthma has increased in developing countries, while the consumption of dietary fiber has decreased in these countries. Although dietary fiber intake can improve gastrointestinal disorders, it remains unclear whether it influences inflammation outside of the gut.

Cerenis reports top-line phase II results for its HDL mimetic CER-001

Date: Jan-06-2014
Cerenis Therapeutics, the biopharmaceutical company, has announced that its Phase IIb CHI-SQUARE (Can HDL Infusions Significantly Quicken Atherosclerosis REgression?) study did not reach its primary endpoint in post-Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) patients.The Phase IIb efficacy and safety trial randomized 507 patients with ACS at 53 centers in the US, Canada, France and The Netherlands.

DNA barcoding to monitor marine mammal genetic diversity

Date: Jan-05-2014
Marine mammals are flagship and charismatic species, very attractive for the general public. Nowadays, they are also considered as highly relevant sentinel of the marine realm. Their presence and their welfare in an area is thought to indicate the health of the place, whereas their disappearance, their displacement, or a decrease in their abundance or health could reflect negative environmental changes, whether of anthropogenic origin or not.Monitoring marine mammal biodiversity is often difficult to perform.

Hebrew University researchers reach breakthrough on understanding persistent bacteria

Date: Jan-05-2014
The mechanism by which some bacteria are able to survive antibacterial treatment has been revealed for the first time by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers. Their work could pave the way for new ways to control such bacteria.In addition to the known phenomenon by which some bacteria achieve resistance to antibiotics through mutation, there are other types of bacteria, known as "persistent bacteria," which are not resistant to the antibiotics but simply continue to exist in a dormant or inactive state while exposed to antibacterial treatment.

Nicotine exploits COPI to foster addiction

Date: Jan-05-2014
A study in The Journal of General Physiology helps explain how nicotine exploits the body's cellular machinery to promote addiction. The findings could lead to new therapies to help people quit smoking.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco accounts for the greatest number of preventable deaths worldwide by any single agent.

Patch outperforms Holter for prolonged heart rhythm tracking

Date: Jan-05-2014
Research by the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) has found that a small adhesive wireless device worn on the chest for up to two weeks does a better job detecting abnormal and potentially dangerous heart rhythms than the Holter monitor, which is typically used for 24 hours and has been the standard of care for more than 50 years.

Plan to delist gray wolf endangers other threatened species, researchers find

Date: Jan-05-2014
The federal government's proposal to discontinue protection for the gray wolf across the United States could have the unintended consequence of endangering other species, researchers say.As written, scientists assert, the proposed rule would set a precedent allowing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to declare habitat unsuitable for an endangered animal because a threat exists on the land - the exact opposite of the service's mandate to impose regulations that reduce threats against imperiled species.The FWS has "conflated threats with habitat suitability" by stating that U.S.

Tell me your barcode, and I will tell you what palm you are

Date: Jan-05-2014
Reliable and cost-effective species recognition is the dream of many scientists, and has important applications. While the use of morphological features is often uncertain, and can lead to misidentification, species identification based on the composition of short DNA sequences -the so-called "DNA barcodes"- has proven to be the safest way to reach this goal, both in animals and in many groups of plants.Palms belonging to the genus Phoenix, including the economically-important date palm Phoenix dactylifera, i.e.

Loyola bioethics study finds medical students concerned about desensitization to dying patients

Date: Jan-05-2014
The imminent death of a patient is riddled with emotions for a patient and family as well as the medical team. A study based on the reflections of third-year Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine students is shedding light on the struggle physicians in training often face when trying to control their own emotions while not becoming desensitized to the needs of the dying patient and his or her family."Medical students are very aware they are undergoing a socialization process by which they become desensitized to the difficult things they see every day in the hospital.