Health News

Controlling stem cell specialisation by manipulating primary cilia elongation

Date: Dec-24-2013
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have shown for the first time that the specialised role stem cells go on to perform is controlled by primary cilia - tiny hair-like structures protruding from a cell.Stem cells are capable of becoming any cell type within the body through the process of differentiation.The discovery has the potential for application in the development of new therapies for a range of medical treatments where scientists aim to replace or regenerate tissues that have become diseased or dysfunctional.

Life expectancy of treated HIV-positive individuals approaches that of general population

Date: Dec-24-2013
A 20-year-old HIV-positive adult on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the U.S. or Canada may be expected to live into their early 70's, a life expectancy approaching that of the general population, according to results published in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Hasina Samji and colleagues from the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD).The life expectancies of nearly 23,000 individuals on ART were calculated based on mortality rates in the early to mid-2000s.

In the first 30 days of warfarin use, risk of stroke increases among atrial fibrillation patients

Date: Dec-24-2013
Patients with atrial fibrillation - an irregular and often abnormally fast heartbeat- have nearly double the risk of suffering a stroke in the first 30 days after starting to take the anti-clotting drug warfarin compared to non-users, according to a study of over 70,000 patients.The study, published online in the European Heart Journal [1], found that the risk was particularly high in the first week after patients started to take the drug. In contrast, once the first 30 days had elapsed, the risk of a stroke was halved in patients taking warfarin compared to non-users.

Journal of Experimental Biology: Coping with stress in a changing world

Date: Dec-24-2013
If there is something that we all know about in the 21st century it is stress, whether it's the stress of work, financial stress or the stress of getting the next grant funded; we are all familiar with that heart-pounding, race-against-time feeling. But this is a very modern perspective on stress. As far as physiologists are concerned, stress is a well-known factor that has driven evolution and moulded the planet's ecosystems since life began.

Postmenopausal women: higher mortality linked to RA, antibodies

Date: Dec-24-2013
Mortality rates are two times higher in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh claim.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease that affects the joints in the body. The organization also states that patients with RA have a shortened life expectancy and are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases than healthy individuals.

Virus 'hijacks' immune response in host cells

Date: Dec-24-2013
Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research have discovered how a mosquito-borne virus "hijacks" a cellular regulatory system, suppressing immunity in the host. Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a rare but deadly disease transmitted to humans by the bite from an infected mosquito. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between five and 30 cases are reported annually, and that these are most common in the Atlantic and Gulf States.

Researchers develop new strategy for potential 'insulin pill'

Date: Dec-24-2013
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are around 25.8 million adults and children in the US with diabetes. Many of these individuals endure daily insulin shots in order to regulate their levels of the hormone. But researchers say they may have found a way to create a long-sought after insulin pill.This is according to a study published in the journal Biomacromolecules.

HIV treatment and prevention pill Truvada not found to increase sexual risk behavior

Date: Dec-24-2013
In 2012 the HIV antiretroviral drug Truvada became the first and only medication approved by the FDA for HIV prevention. Led by Gladstone Institutes' Investigator Robert Grant, MD, MPH, this research was hailed as an important step towards reducing the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic. Now, a new study provides further proof that regular Truvada use can reduce one's risk for contracting HIV - without increasing sexual risk behavior.

Mechanism discovered that controls the development of myelodysplastic syndromes

Date: Dec-24-2013
Researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center have discovered a control mechanism that can trigger the development of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of blood cancers. This finding may lead to therapies capable of preventing the progression of these diseases.MDS primarily affects older individuals, with approximately 12,000 new cases diagnosed each year. In MDS, a person's blood is not able to make one or more types of healthy blood cells - red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. Instead, the patient has a high number of immature stem cells that do not develop properly.

B cells may be activated in autoimmunity by newly identified immune receptor

Date: Dec-24-2013
A newly identified immune protein influences each person's response to vaccines and risk for autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis, according to a study published by researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The protein, called a receptor and part of signaling pathways, also provides a new target for personalized therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases.