Health News

New findings mean more flexibility in the delivery of timely health care

Date: Dec-11-2013
A new mathematical finding by an international research team provides the health care system with a more balanced approach to how patients are selected for treatment, which will consequently decrease wait times. Led by Western University's David Stanford, the tri-national team includes Peter Taylor from the University of Melbourne and Ilze Ziedins from the University of Auckland.

A step closer to muscle regeneration

Date: Dec-11-2013
Muscle cell therapy to treat some degenerative diseases, including Muscular Dystrophy, could be a more realistic clinical possibility, now that scientists have found a way to isolate muscle cells from embryonic tissue. PhD Student Bianca Borchin and Associate Professor Tiziano Barberi from the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University have developed a method to generate skeletal muscle cells, paving the way for future applications in regenerative medicine.

New IMI project to revolutionise clinical trials for Alzheimer's drugs

Date: Dec-11-2013
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is launching a major new project that will pioneer a novel, more flexible approach to clinical trials of drugs designed to prevent Alzheimer's disease. The €53 million project, which will see several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies working closely together, will aim to speed up drug development and patient access to the latest treatments. The announcement comes as the UK hosts a G8 summit dedicated to dementia in London on 11 December.There is an urgent need for new treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Studies uncover new insights into pathophysiology of sickle cell disease and thalassemia, may help improve standard of care

Date: Dec-11-2013
New research presented during the 55th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans uncovers several important insights into the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease and thalassemia that may soon translate into the development of better, more targeted treatments for hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide.Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited, chronic disorder affecting nearly 100,000 Americans.

MUC5B may be key to curing infections from common colds to deadly lung diseases

Date: Dec-11-2013
An international team of researchers has zeroed in on a protein that plays a key role in many lung-related ailments, from seasonal coughing and hacking to more serious diseases such as MRSA infections and cystic fibrosis.The finding advances knowledge about this range of illnesses and may point the way to eventually being able to prevent infections such as MRSA.The key protein is called MUC5B. It's one of two sugar-rich proteins, with similar molecular structure, that are found in the mucus that normally and helpfully coats airway surfaces in the nose and lung. The other is MUC5AC.

Prion protein can trigger spongiform encephalopathy and neurodegeneration

Date: Dec-11-2013
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy or prion disease is triggered by the conversion from cellular prion protein to pathogenic prion protein. Notably, C-transmembrane form of prion protein and cytosolic prion protein can result in neurodegenerative diseases in cases of error location,aggregation tendency, failure of signal peptides, body stress or incomplete removal of topologic prion protein.

Zinc supplementation and aluminum-induced neurotoxicity

Date: Dec-11-2013
Studies have shown that aluminum neurotoxicity can likely affect learning and memory function, and a diet containing 100-200 mg/kg zinc is adequate for maintaining learning and memory function in rats. Previous findings by Dr. Hao Lu and co-workers from Academy of Military Medical Sciences, China showed that male Wistar rats after treatment with aluminum chloride at a dose of 300 mg/kg daily for 7 weeks exhibited decreased acetylcholinesterase activity and enhanced lipid peroxidation in the cerebrum, appearing to have neurotoxic performance.

Treating hallucination in schizophrenia spectrum disorders with rTMS

Date: Dec-11-2013
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation uses a non-invasive and relatively painless tool to stimulate the human brain in vivo using very strong, pulsed magnetic fields. It is also used to explore and elucidate neocortical functions and treat neuropsychiatric disorders.

Optimal parameter of Neiguan acupuncture for cerebral infarction

Date: Dec-11-2013
The individual difference and non-repeatability in acupuncture have not only restricted the development of acupuncture, but have also affected the specificity of acupoints. As reported in a recent study published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 28, 2013), acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) was performed using a custom lifting- and thrusting-controlled machine. A frequency of 1, 2, or 3 Hz and duration of 5, 60, or 180 seconds were used to observe cerebral blood flow and ratio of infarct volume recovery.

Epigenetic changes in sperm of older fathers may lead to autism and schizophrenia in offspring

Date: Dec-11-2013
Advanced paternal age has been associated with greater risk for psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. With an increase in paternal age, there is a greater frequency of certain types of mutations that contribute to these disorders in offspring. Mutations are changes in the genetic code. Recent research, however, looks beyond the genetic code to "epigenetic effects", which do not involve changes in the genes themselves, but rather in how they are expressed to determine one's characteristics.