Health News

Quantitative approaches provide new perspective on development of antibiotic resistance

Date: Nov-28-2013
Using quantitative models of bacterial growth, a team of UC San Diego biophysicists has discovered the bizarre way by which antibiotic resistance allows bacteria to multiply in the presence of antibiotics, a growing health problem in hospitals and nursing homes across the United States.Two months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a sobering report estimating that antibiotic-resistant bacteria last year caused more than two million illnesses and approximately 23,000 deaths in the United States.

'Higher risk of stillbirths and infant deaths' with pre-existing diabetes

Date: Nov-28-2013
New research suggests that pregnant women who have pre-existing diabetes are significantly more likely to experience stillbirths or death of their infant after birth. This is according to a study published in the journal Diabetologia.Investigators from Newcastle University in the UK, the South Tees NHS Trust and Public Health England say that previous research has analyzed the association between women with pre-existing diabetes and deaths of unborn fetuses and young infants. But they point out that their study excludes diseases already existing from birth (congenital anomalies).

Excessive alcohol consumption triggered by gene mutation

Date: Nov-28-2013
In a study involving mice, researchers have found a gene that regulates alcohol consumption. When this gene is faulty, the mice are prompted to drink excessive amounts of alcohol, suggesting a potential genetic component at play in human alcohol consumption.The research was undertaken by researchers from five universities in the UK and was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust and the European Foundation for Alcohol Research (ERAB).Results of the findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Weight loss surgery: do the benefits really outweigh the risks?

Date: Nov-28-2013
Obesity prevalence is the highest it has ever been. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more that one-third of American adults are affected. And with the increase in obesity comes an increase in the number of weight loss surgery procedures. But how safe are the procedures, and do the benefits outweigh the risks?There is no doubt that obesity is a major cause of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.

Deaths in '09 swine flu pandemic 10 times higher than thought

Date: Nov-28-2013
A new study by over 60 researchers from 26 countries suggests that the number of people who died in the 2009 global H1N1 "swine flu" outbreak is much higher than official figures show.Writing in PLOS Medicine, they estimate the total respiratory deaths worldwide to be up to 203,000, some 10 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) official total, which is based on lab-confirmed cases.When they added deaths by other causes exacerbated by H1N1, the figure was nearly double this amount, or over 20 times higher than the WHO lab-confirmed cases.

Tentative molecular link between head injury and Alzheimer's

Date: Nov-28-2013
Using a powerful laser imaging technique, a study led by the University of Cambridge in the UK shows how tiny pieces of a protein linked with Alzheimer's Disease could be the start of a process that leads to the onset and spread of the disease. The researchers also cautiously suggest the finding offers a plausible explanation as to why head injuries are linked to Alzheimer's.For their study, the researchers used a model cell culture, which shows how the disease may take root and develop in the brain.

People with Parkinson's die while waiting for NHS care funding

Date: Nov-28-2013
A new report has revealed that people with Parkinson's are dying while endlessly waiting for their local NHS to decide whether they're eligible for NHS continuing care funding - a funding package to provide free health care for people with severe health needs.The first ever Inquiry into NHS continuing care, conducted by Parkinson's UK and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Parkinson's, uncovered huge failings in a system which is shrouded in mystery and disarray.

Treatment target identified for a public health risk parasite

Date: Nov-28-2013
In the developing world, Cryptosporidium parvum has long been the scourge of freshwater. A decade ago, it announced its presence in the United States, infecting over 400,000 people - the largest waterborne-disease outbreak in the county's history. Its rapid ability to spread, combined with an incredible resilience to water decontamination techniques, such as chlorination, led the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United Sates to add C. parvum to its list of public bioterrorism agents. Currently, there are no reliable treatments for cryptosporidiosis, the disease caused by C.

Untreated cancer pain a 'scandal of global proportions,' survey shows

Date: Nov-28-2013
A ground-breaking international collaborative survey, published in Annals of Oncology, shows that more than half of the world's population live in countries where regulations that aim to stem drug misuse leave cancer patients without access to opioid medicines for managing cancer pain.The results from the Global Opioid Policy Initiative (GOPI) [1] project show that more than 4 billion people live in countries where regulations leave cancer patients suffering excruciating pain.

A brain reward gene influences food choices in the first years of life

Date: Nov-28-2013
Research has suggested that a particular gene in the brain's reward system contributes to overeating and obesity in adults. This same variant has now been linked to childhood obesity and tasty food choices, particularly for girls, according to a new study by Dr. Patricia Silveira and Prof. Michael Meaney of McGill University and Dr. Robert Levitan of the University of Toronto.