Health News

Identification of 10-gene biomarker has implications for ovarian cancer discovery, survival outcomes

Date: Dec-11-2013
Researchers in the Women's Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai's Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute have identified a series of 10 genes that may signify a trifecta of benefits for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and ultimately reflect improved survival outcomes.The research, led by Dong-Joo (Ellen) Cheon, PhD, found that the 10-gene biomarker panel may identify the aggressiveness of a patient's disease, help predict survival outcomes and result in novel therapeutic strategies tailored to patients with the most adverse survival outcomes.

Equations help explain key parameters of stents that combat artherosclerosis

Date: Dec-11-2013
Coronary heart disease accounts for 18% of deaths in the United States every year. The disease results from a blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. This occurs as a result of a complex inflammatory condition called artherosclerosis, which leads to progressive buildup of fatty plaque near the surface of the arterial wall.

HDL finding may lead to molecular approach for treating inflammation

Date: Dec-11-2013
High-density lipoprotein (HDL), known colloquially as "good cholesterol", protects against dangerous deposits in the arteries. An important function of HDL is its anti-inflammatory properties. An international research team at the Institute of Innate Immunity at the University Hospital of Bonn and the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn has identified a central switch by which HDL controls the inflammatory response. The results are presented in the current issue of Nature Immunology.

Initial consensus recommendations for studies of neurofibromatosis

Date: Dec-11-2013
As potentially effective new treatments for neurofibromatosis (NF) are developed, standardized research approaches - including outcome measures specific to NF- are needed. The first report from the Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis (REiNS) International Collaboration has been published as a supplement to Neurology®, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

Finding may lead to new prevention and treatment methods for prostate cancer

Date: Dec-11-2013
Doctors at the North Shore-LIJ Health System have discovered that increased inflammation in the prostate may predict reduced risk for prostate cancer. The findings are published online in CANCER.Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, with an estimated 240,000 new cases diagnosed every year - it kills approximately 30,000 men annually. The prostate is a small gland that produces fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.

Athletes experience fewer concussions at higher elevations

Date: Dec-11-2013
A new study shows that high school athletes playing at higher altitudes suffer fewer concussions than those closer to sea-level, a phenomenon attributed to physiological changes in the brain causing it to fit more tightly in the skull."This is the first time any research has linked altitude to sports-related concussion," said Dawn Comstock, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health and co-author of the study. "It appears that when you are at altitude there may be a little less free space in the skull so the brain can't move around as much.

Zebrafish a good model for studying the brain chemistry of nicotine addiction

Date: Dec-11-2013
In researching neural pathways, it helps to establish an analogous relationship between a region of the human brain and the brains of more-easily studied animal species. New work from a team led by Carnegie's Marnie Halpern hones in on one particular region of the zebrafish brain that could help us understand the circuitry underlying nicotine addiction. It is published the week of December 9 by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Experts cite new drug therapies as rationale for improvements in prostate cancer guidelines, coordination

Date: Dec-11-2013
With a deluge of promising new drug treatments for advanced prostate cancer on the market, a new model of care is needed that emphasizes collaboration between urologists and medical oncologists, according to UC Davis prostate cancer experts.In an article published online in the journal Urologic Oncology, urologist Ralph de Vere White and medical oncologist Primo Lara, Jr. of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center describe a framework for urology and medical oncology interactions to enhance patient care, improve outcomes and yield clinical research advances.

Ethical concerns about marketing loans for fertility treatments

Date: Dec-11-2013
An increase in the number of lenders specializing in loans for fertility treatments enables more people to afford the treatments, but it also raises ethical concerns, concludes a commentary in the Hastings Center Report. Among the concerns, doctors are marketing the loans to their patients, and some of these doctors have financial ties to specific lenders. The commentary calls for assessment and oversight of the practice.The emergence of "fertility loans" is a response to the high cost of many fertility procedures, including in vitro fertilization and the use of donor gametes.

Preparing against Tamiflu-resistant influenza viruses

Date: Dec-11-2013
Researchers in Umea and Uppsala have found that residues of the influenza drug Tamiflu in our environment can make the influenza virus in birds resistant. This can have serious consequences in the event of an influenza pandemic. With more than 14 million SEK from the Swedish Research Councils Formas and VR, the research team will now continue their studies with a focus on alternative antiviral drugs.Influenza is a viral respiratory infection that spreads rapidly and cause widespread epidemics.