Health News

Freezing sperm Improves the chances of fatherhood after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma

Date: Dec-23-2013
Men with Hodgkin lymphoma who want to become fathers after their cancer treatment have greatly increased chances of doing so if they have frozen and stored semen samples beforehand, according to research published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1].

Genetic overlap in schizophrenia and cognitive ability

Date: Dec-23-2013
Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered for the first time, direct evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia and general cognitive ability. The findings are published online in Molecular Psychiatry.Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder that affects approximately 2.2 million Americans each year. It is characterized by a significant reduction in general cognitive abilities, so that many patients struggle with completing school, holding jobs and achieving their full potential.

The health consequences of performance-enhancing drugs

Date: Dec-23-2013
A new Scientific Statement issued by The Endocrine Society represents a comprehensive evaluation of available information on the prevalence and medical consequences of the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The statement highlights the clinical pharmacology, adverse effects and detection of many substances often classified as PEDs, identifies gaps in knowledge and aims to focus the attention of the medical community and policymakers on PED use as an important public health problem.

Likelihood of psychotic experiences in later life increased by childhood bullying

Date: Dec-23-2013
New research has shown that being exposed to bullying during childhood will lead to an increased risk of psychotic experiences in adulthood, regardless of whether they are victims or perpetrators.The study, published in Psychological Medicine, assessed a cohort of UK children (ALSPAC) from birth to fully understand the extent of bullying on psychosis in later life - with some groups showing to be almost five times more likely to suffer from episodes at the age of 18.

Data highlight glial sensitivity to stress

Date: Dec-23-2013
Depression has been associated with reduced volume of the hippocampus in magnetic resonance imaging studies in humans. A new study just published in Biological Psychiatry now clarifies the cellular basis of these volumetric changes, which have been unclear until now.Beginning in the 1980s, a series of studies in rodents conducted by Robert Sapolsky and other investigators suggested that the CA3 area of the hippocampus, a brain region implicated in mood and memory, was particularly vulnerable to stress.

Gaucher disease link to Parkinson's disease may be explained by overworked cellular machines

Date: Dec-23-2013
Scientists have identified the biological pathway that explains Gaucher disease (GD) patients' higher risk for developing Parkinson's disease (PD), according to research presented at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in New Orleans.GD is a hereditary disease in which the genes that encode the enzyme glucocerebrosidase are mutated, resulting in a life-threatening build-up of lipids, fatty substances, in cells.

Remission induced by biologic agents in patients with moderately severe Crohn's disease

Date: Dec-23-2013
The anti-TNF-α biologic agents, such as infliximab or adalimumab, are recommended to induce remission in patients with moderately severe Crohn's disease , according to a new guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Additionally, the guidelines recommend against using thiopurines or methotrexate alone to induce remission in these patients. The new guideline1 and accompanying technical review2 have been published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA Institute. The AGA Clinical Decision Support Tool, based on the guideline, can be reviewed here.

Sunlight adaptation region of Neanderthal genome found in up to 65 percent of modern East Asian population

Date: Dec-23-2013
With the Neanderthal genome now published, for the first time, scientists have a rich new resource of comparative evolution. For example, recently, scientists have shown that humans and Neanderthals once interbreed, with the accumulation of elements of Neanderthal DNA found in up to 5 percent in modern humans.Are there any advantages to the retention of Neanderthal DNA that favors modern humans? In a new article published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, authors Jin, et. al.

Potential new therapeutic approach to promote tissue regeneration & repair of broken cell connections

Date: Dec-23-2013
Suppressing the enzyme fidgetin promotes the re-growth of experimentally injured nerve cells and their connections, according to research with laboratory rats that was presented at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) annual meeting in New Orleans.If additional studies confirm these results, fidgetin inhibition could be a potential new therapeutic approach to promote tissue regeneration and repair of the broken cell connections that occur in a wide range of conditions including myocardial infarction, or heart attack, chronic cutaneous wounds and spinal cord injury.

New hope for stem cells, regenerative medicine emerges from the lab

Date: Dec-23-2013
JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, has published a novel technique that could resolve a snag in stem cell research for application in regenerative medicine - a strategy for reprograming cells in vivo to act like stem cells that forgoes the risk of causing tumors.Dr. Kostas Kostarelos, principal investigator of the Nanomedicine Lab at the University of Manchester, said that he and his colleagues have discovered a safe approach to reprogramming somatic cells (which constitute most of the cells in the body) into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.