Health News

Mating is the kiss of death for certain female worms

Date: Dec-29-2013
The presence of male sperm and seminal fluid causes female worms to shrivel and die after giving birth, Princeton University researchers reported this week in the journal Science. The demise of the female appears to benefit the male worm by removing her from the mating pool for other males. The researchers found that male sperm and seminal fluid trigger pathways that cause females to dehydrate, prematurely age and die.

H. pylori vaccine shows promise in mouse studies

Date: Dec-29-2013
Researchers from Southern Medical University in Guangdong, Guangzhou, China, have developed an oral vaccine against Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for peptic ulcers and some forms of gastric cancer, and have successfully tested it in mice. The research is published ahead of print in the journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.The investigators constructed a live recombinant bacterial vaccine, expressing the H. pylori antigen, adhesin Hp0410, in the food-grade bacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus. They then used it to orally vaccinate the mice.

TB bacteria mask their identity to intrude into deeper regions of lungs

Date: Dec-29-2013
TB-causing bacteria appear to mask their identity to avoid recognition by infection-killing cells in the upper airways. The bacteria call up more permissive white blood cells in the deeper regions of the lungs and hitch a ride inside them to get into the host's body.Details on this finding were reported Dec. 16 in the advanced online edition of the journal Nature. The research was a collaboration between the University of Washington and the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute.Dr.

Fine-tuned MRI may help MS diagnosis

Date: Dec-29-2013
Researchers have found a way to fine-tune MRI scanning that may help to diagnose multiple sclerosis earlier and to track its progression.The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), has found a way to improve a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach called quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM).

Some bacteria 'live for long periods' on toys, books and cribs

Date: Dec-29-2013
Researchers from the University at Buffalo in New York say two bacteria that cause many common infections in children and the elderly, such as strep throat and ear infections, can live outside the human body for long periods of time on various objects, including books, cribs and toys.The investigators found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes linger on many surfaces significantly longer than previously thought, opposing previous studies that suggest the bacteria quickly die once they have left the human body.

How cells remodel after UV radiation

Date: Dec-29-2013
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in The Netherlands and United Kingdom, have produced the first map detailing the network of genetic interactions underlying the cellular response to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.The researchers say their study establishes a new method and resource for exploring in greater detail how cells are damaged by UV radiation and how they repair themselves.

New study shows that more than half of consumers will choose a health-care plan that costs too much

Date: Dec-29-2013
Right now, many consumers are signing up for healthcare via the new health insurance exchanges set up by the federal and state governments. Using simulated exchanges modeled on the design of the actual exchanges, alarming new research from Columbia Business School suggests that more than 80% of consumers may be unable to make a clear-eyed estimate of their needs and will unknowingly choose a higher cost plan than needed.

Berkeley lab researchers make a powerful new microscale torsional muscle/motor from vanadium dioxide

Date: Dec-28-2013
Vanadium dioxide is poised to join the pantheon of superstars in the materials world. Already prized for its extraordinary ability to change size, shape and physical identity, vanadium dioxide can now add muscle power to its attributes. A team of researchers with the U.S.

Happier patients, lower costs in esophageal surgery

Date: Dec-28-2013
A new program designed to increase the overall satisfaction of patients undergoing esophageal surgery has resulted in lower patient costs and reduced times on both the operating table and in the hospital.Led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and Memorial Hermann Southeast Esophageal Disease Center, the study's results were published in this month's issue of The American Journal of Surgery."We wanted to perform cases more efficiently while still providing the highest levels of patient care," said lead author Farzaneh Banki, M.D.

Full access, full choice for long-acting reversible contraception

Date: Dec-28-2013
At the International Conference on Family Planning 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Population Council convened the third meeting of international experts to discuss ways to expand contraceptive choice and accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goal of universal access to reproductive health services by increasing access to highly effective, long-acting, reversible contraceptives (LARCs).The Bellagio Group shares a commitment to leadership in increasing access and choice in contraceptive information, services, and supplies.