Health News

New approach for corneal stem cell treatments

Date: Dec-01-2013
Published study offers insight into procedure that may accelerate research and clinical applications for stem cell-related corneal blindnessResearchers in the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have designed and tested a novel, minute-long procedure to prepare human amniotic membrane for use as a scaffold for specialized stem cells that may be used to treat some corneal diseases. This membrane serves as a foundation that supports the growth of stem cells in order to graft them onto the cornea.

Link between social and economic status and childhood ADHD in the UK

Date: Dec-01-2013
ADHD linked to social and economic disadvantageA team led by the University of Exeter Medical School analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a database of more than 19,500 UK children born between 2000 and 2002.The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, was funded by the ESRC's Secondary Data Analysis Initiative. The team also acknowledge funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care for the South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC).

In British Columbia disputed asthma drugs have safe record

Date: Dec-01-2013
A popular combination asthma therapy dogged by safety concerns has not harmed British Columbians and should remain in use, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.The therapy combines an inhaled corticosteroid to reduce swelling in the airways with "long-acting beta agonists" (LABAs) to ease breathing and reduce the risk of a severe asthma attack. The U.S.

Linking transfer of fewer embryos to reimbursing 6 IVF cycles doesn't reduce delivery rates

Date: Dec-01-2013
Research from Belgium has shown that if governments legislate to restrict the numbers of embryos transferred during fertility treatment, but combine it with a policy of reimbursing six cycles of assisted reproduction technology (ART), there is no detrimental impact on pregnancy and delivery rates. However, there is a greatly reduced risk of multiple births, which have associated health risks for mother and babies and are an increased cost to the state.

Discovery of gene mutation for excessive alcohol drinking

Date: Dec-01-2013
UK researchers have discovered a gene that regulates alcohol consumption and when faulty can cause excessive drinking. They have also identified the mechanism underlying this phenomenon.The study showed that normal mice show no interest in alcohol and drink little or no alcohol when offered a free choice between a bottle of water and a bottle of diluted alcohol.However, mice with a genetic mutation to the gene Gabrb1 overwhelmingly preferred drinking alcohol over water, choosing to consume almost 85% of their daily fluid as drinks containing alcohol.

Treating cerebral ischemia using dl-3n-butylphthalide

Date: Dec-01-2013
Dl-3n-butylphthalide can effectively treat cerebral ischemia; however, the mechanisms underlying the effects of dl-3n-butylphthalide on microcirculation disorders following diffuse brain injury remain unclear. According to a study by Prof. Jianmin Li and team from Hebei United University of China, models of diffuse brain injury were established in Sprague-Dawley rats with the vertical impact method, and dl-3n-butylphthalide at 80 and 160 mg/kg was given via intraperitoneal injection immediately after diffuse brain injury.

Implants aid weight loss in mice

Date: Dec-01-2013
As the guilt of an overly indulgent weekend kicks in, the chances are that many individuals are resolving to apply more willpower when it comes to tasty treats. If only there were an implant that could trigger a satiety signal in the body so that the desire to overeat would just disappear.And while this might sound like a dieter's dream, researchers from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel, Switzerland, believe they are getting closer to making this a reality.

UK postcode lottery: time to stop treating people with dementia as second class citizens

Date: Nov-30-2013
Figures published on Friday 29 November in the 'State of the Nation' report released by the Department of Health show that less than half of people with dementia receive a diagnosis, with huge disparities in support across the country, leaving people with the condition in the dark.Despite diagnosis rates rising slightly by two per cent to 48 per cent, there are still another 416,000 (52 per cent people) living with dementia who are not diagnosed. Many of those who obtain a diagnosis in this postcode lottery still wait over the national recommended time of 12 weeks for a formal diagnosis.

New technique for testing drugs to treat cystic fibrosis and epilepsy

Date: Nov-30-2013
Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Quebec at Montreal, have developed a new microsystem for more efficient testing of pharmaceutical drugs to treat diseases such as cystic fibrosis, MG (myasthenia gravis) and epilepsy.A large percentage of pharmaceutical drugs target ion channels, which are proteins found in a cell's membrane, that play a pivotal role in these serious disorders and that are used to test the effectiveness of new drugs.

When the living and the deceased don't agree on organ donation

Date: Nov-30-2013
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the 2006 Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) or enacted similar legislation giving individuals the "First Person Authorization" (FPA) to consent to organ donation after death via a signed donor card or driver's license, or by enrollment in a donor registry. While such laws give hospitals legal authority to proceed with organ procurement without consent of the registered donor's family, a new study shows that organ procurement organizations' implementation of FPA has been inconsistent and incomplete.