Health News

Mutations that predispose an individual to increased risk of Parkinson's disease from pesticides

Date: Dec-02-2013
Study uses patient-derived stem cells to show that a mutation in the alpha-synuclein gene causes increased vulnerability to pesticides, leading to Parkinson's disease.A team of researchers has brought new clarity to the picture of how gene-environmental interactions can kill nerve cells that make dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination. Their discoveries, described in a paper published online in Cell, include identification of a molecule that protects neurons from pesticide damage.

Medical imaging, collision-avoidance detectors for cars, and interactive gaming, all using inexpensive 'nano-camera'

Date: Dec-02-2013
A $500 "nano-camera" that can operate at the speed of light has been developed by researchers in the MIT Media Lab.The three-dimensional camera, which was presented last week at Siggraph Asia in Hong Kong, could be used in medical imaging and collision-avoidance detectors for cars, and to improve the accuracy of motion tracking and gesture-recognition devices used in interactive gaming.

Genetic screening to find 'silent carriers' of adrenal Cushing's syndrome

Date: Dec-02-2013
Genetic research published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests to Dr. Andre Lacroix, professor at the University of Montreal, that clinicians' understanding and treatment of a form of Cushing's syndrome affecting both adrenal glands will be fundamentally changed, and that moreover, it might be appropriate to begin screening for the genetic mutations that cause this form of the disease. "Screening family members of bilateral adrenal Cushing's syndrome patients with genetic mutations may identify affected silent carriers," Lacroix said in an editorial in this Journal.

Women benefit from testosterone administration after hysterectomy

Date: Dec-02-2013
Hysterectomy and oophorectomy (the removal of ovaries) are performed to treat various diseases in women, including cancer. These procedures are accompanied not only by a decline in estrogen but also testosterone levels in the blood. Many women who have undergone surgical removal of their uterus and/or ovaries can develop symptoms of sexual dysfunction, fatigue, low mood and decreased muscle mass.

Hippocampal neuron apoptosis inhibited by active component from wine-processed Fructus corni

Date: Dec-02-2013
Studies have shown that Fructus corni has a protective effect on hepatocytes, and has anticancer, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, a compound extracted from wine-processed Fructus corni, has a protective effect on hippocampal neurons damaged by H2O2. Prof.

Most osteoporotic fractures have the potential to reduce life expectancy

Date: Dec-02-2013
It is well known that hip and vertebral fractures increase the risk of premature death. Until now, little has been known about the clinical impact of non-hip, non-vertebral fractures - so new Australian research showing that they may also increase the risk of death will better inform treatment.Non-hip, non-vertebral fractures make up 50% of all osteoporotic fractures, and while they are less severe than hip and vertebral fractures, they are potentially very serious, and should be treated with bone-strengthening drugs to reduce the risk of further fracture.

Occludin and connexin 43 expression in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain edema

Date: Dec-02-2013
Understanding the pathogenesis of brain edema may allow for the prevention and treatment of edema in the field of neurosurgery, thus resulting in better treatments for intracranial diseases. Wanyin Ren and colleagues from Guangdong Medical College, China established an experimental model of traumatic brain injury in Sprague-Dawley rats according to Feeney's free falling method. They harvested the brains at 2, 6 and 24 hours, and at 3 and 5 days after injury for observing pathological changes of brain tissues and expression of occludin and connexin 43.

Good news about the global epidemic of dementia

Date: Dec-02-2013
It's rare to hear good news about dementia. But that's what a New England Journal of Medicine Perspective article reports. The article discusses several recent studies that show how age-adjusted rates in aging populations have declined for people born later in the last century, particularly in those older people most likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The Perspective also describes what researchers have reported to be associated with this encouraging trend.The authors are Eric B.

How leukemia cells exploit 'enhancer' DNA elements to cause lethal disease

Date: Dec-02-2013
Discovery also reveals how a drug, now in multiple human trials, halts production of Myc protein and stops progression of AML.A team of researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has identified a leukemia-specific stretch of DNA called an enhancer element that enables cancerous blood cells to proliferate in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a devastating cancer that is incurable in 70% of patients.

Revised treatment for acetaminophen poisoning

Date: Dec-02-2013
Patients suffering acetaminophen poisoning could be helped by a small change in the way the antidote is delivered, say scientists from the University of Edinburgh in the UK.The study, published in The Lancet, shows that using the same antidote, acetylcysteine, over a shorter time period leads to fewer side effects.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and Tylenol, is one of the most commonly used drugs in the US. It has a good record of safety and efficacy when used according to the directions on the packaging.