Health News

Observing the brain's cellular response to concussion

Date: Dec-13-2013
Stanford biology student Theo Roth spent the past few summers developing an experiment for observing the brain's cellular response to a concussion. The never-before-seen action could one day lead to therapies that mitigate brain damage following mild traumatic brain injuries. The lifelong fallout of a concussive brain injury is well-documented. A blow to the head - whether it comes from an NFL tackle, a battlefield explosion or a fall off a ladder - can cause brain damage responsible for a debilitating degree of memory loss, mood swings, seizures and more.

'No serious heart risks' linked to smoking cessation therapies

Date: Dec-13-2013
The American Heart Association claims that three different types of smoking cessation therapies do not pose serious heart risks, quashing concerns that certain products may increase the risks of heart attack, stroke or heart-related death.Researchers looked at the results of 63 clinical trials involving 30, 508 people who were quitting smoking using either nicotine replacement gums and patches, the nicotine addiction treatment varenicline (Chantix), or taking the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin), which can reduce cravings and other unwanted withdrawal effects.

Identifying breast cancer patients most likely to benefit from trastuzumab

Date: Dec-13-2013
Women with HER2-positive breast cancer who had the highest levels of immune cells in their tumors gained the most benefit from presurgery treatment with chemotherapy and trastuzumab, according to results presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.

Event-free and overall survival results from NeoALTTO trial

Date: Dec-13-2013
Results from the initial analysis of event-free and overall survival for patients enrolled in the randomized, phase III Neoadjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization (NeoALTTO) trial were presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.

Celebrity cancer diagnoses offer incentive to quit

Date: Dec-13-2013
Millions of people will make a resolution to quit smoking around Jan. 1, but a new study suggests an even more powerful motivator than New Year's resolutions: celebrity cancer diagnoses.

Novel Agent Set for Unique Clinical Test in Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Date: Dec-13-2013
A drug now used to treat a type of lymphoma has shown surprising benefit in preclinical studies of inflammatory breast cancer, according to a researcher at Thomas Jefferson University's Kimmel Cancer Center. The finding, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Experimental Therapeutics and Oncology, has led to development of a phase 1/2 clinical trial at Kimmel Cancer Center to test the agent, Romidepsin (Istodax™), in combination with nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane™) chemotherapy for advanced inflammatory breast cancer (IBC).

Exercise protects against aggressive breast cancer in black women

Date: Dec-13-2013
A nearly 20-year observational study involving more than 44,700 black women nationwide found that regular vigorous exercise offers significant protection against development of an aggressive subtype of breast cancer. The findings from the Black Women's Health Study were presented at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

First-time mothers as young as 30-years-old in 'risk zone'

Date: Dec-12-2013
For many women who plan to conceive a child at some point, 35 has been perceived as the magic age when they suddenly enter the risk group. But new research from Sweden suggests this "risk zone" begins much earlier, starting as a woman leaves her 20s.The study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, was conducted by investigators from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.They note that increasingly, women in the world's wealthiest countries are giving birth at later ages, which has led to an increased risk of preterm birth, hindered growth and stillbirth.

HIV causes structural heart disease, study says

Date: Dec-12-2013
Researchers from Spain have shown that HIV causes structural heart disease. These findings support the introduction of cardiovascular screening for all HIV patients, particularly those who have a positive viral load.Presenting their findings at the EuroEcho-Imaging 2013 annual meeting, held in Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. Nieves Montoro, from Madrid, said:"It is well known that patients with HIV have a high incidence of structural heart disease (mainly diastolic dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension) as measured by echocardiography but the reason is not clear.

Young women 'need better support' for healthy eating

Date: Dec-12-2013
In a new comment piece published in the journal Nature, researchers emphasize that current efforts to prevent the increase of chronic illnesses worldwide, such as heart disease and diabetes, are not effective and that more needs to be done to protect future generations.The team of researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK, led by the late Prof.