Health News

epic3: National evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infections in NHS hospitals in England

Date: Dec-17-2013
The Journal of Hospital Infection (JHI) has just released the awaited epic3 guidelines on infection prevention and control for a range of healthcare professionals. They are freely available online on ScienceDirect and on the journal's website. The guidelines were commissioned by the UK Department of Health and have been developed after a systematic and expert review of all the available scientific evidence. They update and supersede the previous guidelines on this topic published in 2007. Infection prevention and control came to the public awareness after the rise of MRSA and C.

Antihypertensives appear associated with lower risk for dialysis in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease

Date: Dec-17-2013
Patients with stable hypertension and the most advanced stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) before dialysis appeared to have a lower risk for long-term dialysis or death if they were treated with the antihypertensive drugs known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. An ACEI or ARB is known to delay the progression of CKD in patients with and without diabetes, particularly in those patients with mild to moderate renal insufficiency.

Study analyses diabetes drug metformin as obesity treatment for children

Date: Dec-17-2013
Treatment with the diabetes drug metformin appears to be associated with a modest reduction in body mass index (BMI) in obese children when combined with lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise, according to a study by Marian S. McDonagh, Pharm. D., of the Oregon Health & Science University, and colleagues. Childhood obesity is a health problem in the United States, with nearly 17 percent of children being obese.

Study links sleep to mood disturbance and poor quality of life in obese

Date: Dec-17-2013
Obese people who sleep poorly are also likely to suffer from anxiety or depression and have a lower quality of life, University of Birmingham researchers have found.In a study of patients with an average body mass index (BMI) of 47 who were enrolled with a specialist weight management service, almost three quarters of them (74.8%) were poor sleepers, with above half (52%) showing signs of anxiety and 43 per cent of patients were depressed.

Myriad's HRD™ test significantly predicts response to cisplatin treatment in triple negative breast cancer patients in second research study

Date: Dec-17-2013
Myriad Genetics, Inc. presented clinical data at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that showed the Myriad's HRD (homologous recombination deficiency) test was significantly associated with cisplatin response in patients with triple negative breast cancer.In this research study, Myriad's HRD test provided optimal prediction of platinum response in patients with triple negative disease (p=0.0003). The HRD score predicted all of the patients that experienced a complete response after pre-surgical treatment with platinum with a sensitivity of 100 percent.

Genzyme and NORD establish patient assistance program to help undiagnosed patients with rare diseases

Date: Dec-17-2013
Genzyme, a Sanofi company, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has announced the creation of a fund to pay for standard diagnostic testing for people with mysterious, undiagnosed medical conditions. The fund will help those who have applied to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undiagnosed Diseases Program, but who cannot afford the basic medical tests needed to make them eligible to participate in the NIH program.

Hybrid clotting factor means fewer injections, better disease control for hemophilia patients

Date: Dec-17-2013
A Phase III clinical trial led by UC Davis researchers has confirmed that a new coagulation factor (rFIXFc) dramatically reduces the number of injections needed to maintain effective clotting for hemophilia B patients. The recombinant protein fuses clotting factor IX with an immunoglobulin (antibody) molecule, which prevents the body from rapidly metabolizing the hybrid protein. As a result, rFIXFc can be administered once a week, or even every two weeks, rather than every other (or every third) day. This extended half-life could have an enormous impact on hemophilia treatment.

Enzyme BACE1 may be important in predicting onset of Alzheimer disease

Date: Dec-17-2013
The critical enzyme beta-secretase1 (BACE1) is known to be elevated in brains with sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD). Scientists have now found increased levels of BACE1 in brains with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), suggesting that BACE1 activity is important for conversion of mild cognitive impairment to AD and may be an early indicator of AD. The results are published in the January issue of The American Journal of Pathology.Understanding the early events of AD is key to effective diagnosis and treatment.

Combining mutants results in 5-fold lifespan extension in C. elegans

Date: Dec-17-2013
What are the limits to longevity? New research in simple animals suggests that combining mutants can lead to radical lifespan extension. Scientists at the Buck Institute combined mutations in two pathways well-known for lifespan extension and report a synergistic five-fold extension of longevity in the nematode C. elegans. The research, done at the Buck Institute and published online in Cell Reports on December 12, 2013, introduces the possibility of combination therapy for aging and the maladies associated with it.

Temple scientists studying mitochondrial calcium handling yield new disease targets

Date: Dec-17-2013
When things go wrong, cells turn to built-in safety mechanisms for survival. One of those mechanisms involves calcium uptake by mitochondria, the energy-producing powerhouses of cells. Long a mystery, new research by scientists at the Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM) Center for Translational Research shows exactly how mitochondria handle damaging excess calcium from the intracellular environment, and how problems with calcium regulation can lead to vascular damage.