EurekAlert! - Medicine/Health

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

International Journal of Emergency Management
Handling emergencies online
Online social networking sites could solve many problems plaguing information dissemination and communications when disaster strikes, according to a report from US researchers in a recent issue of the International Journal of Emergency Management.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

Molelcular Immunology
Research could lead to way to halt deadly immune response
Scientists have published new details of their research into the complement reaction, an immune system response that kills thousands annually. The study is published in the journal Molecular Immunology.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

FASEB Journal
The biggest loser: Maternal obesity puts a load on her offspring that lasts a lifetime
As if there are not enough reasons for obese people to lose weight, a research report recently published online in The FASEB Journal, adds several more. In a study involving rats, Duke University researchers found that obesity in mothers causes cellular programming in utero that predisposes offspring to inflammation-related disorders (such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and more) from birth, regardless of whether or not the offspring are obese themselves.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
Is hepatitis B virus genotype C independently associated with cirrhosis?
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most important risk factor of liver cirrhosis in HBV endemic areas. A research group in China performed a large epidemiological study to investigate the association of HBV genotypes with the development of probable cirrhosis in community-based population. They found that HBV genotype C was independently associated with probable cirrhosis in the hepatitis B antigen-negative subjects.

Ministry of Health of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Science & Technology Committee, Shanghai Heath Bureau of Health

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation
High prevalence of AF found among cross-country skiers
At this year's Birkebeiner ski marathon, 12,000 cross-country skiers will line up for the 54 kilometres race, run almost every year since 1932. In 1976 almost 150 participants were invited to take part in a long-term study designed to discover the extent of latent heart disease in these elite cross-country skiers. Now, the results of the follow-up study have been published and suggest that long-distance competition skiers are at an unusually high risk of AF.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
Which intestinal metapasia is closer with gastric cancer? Simple or atypical?
The classification of intestinal metapasia (IM) is confusing. A research group in China observed IM in gastric biopsies and divided IM into simple IM (SIM) and atypical IM (AIM). By detecting three tumor-associated proteins, p53, c-erbB-2 and Ki67, in IM and gastric cancer, they compared two types of classification in intestinal metaplasia. They found that AIM may have a much more close relationship with gastric cancer.

Health Department of Shandong Province

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

Vaccine
Predicting effectiveness of flu vaccination campaigns
The Journal Vaccine publishes novel modeling approach for influenza pandemics.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
New finding of the expression of Helicobacter pylori in Chilean patients
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) colonize the human stomach and present genetic mechanisms to evade the host immune response allowing their persistence in this habitat for years. A study involving 130 H. pylori strains isolated from patients living in different Chilean cities revealed that, nearly half of them carry the hopE and hopV genes. The results suggest that these genes can be turned on and off, and are likely to be involved in avoiding immune recognition.

CONICYT

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
Helicobacter pylori and EBV in gastric carcinomas
Mechanisms of gastric carcinogenesis are still not yet understood. Studies have linked genetic and epigenetic factors or microbiological agents to gastric cancer, but they didn't look for these events together. Dr. Ferrasi from Brazil verified the methylation profile, microsatellite instability (MSI), Helicobacter pylori status and Epstein Barr virus infection in gastric cancer samples. Intestinal and diffuse adenocarcinoma showed different methylation profiles and an association was found between methylation and Helicobacter pylori-cagA+.

FAPESP, CNPq

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
Helicobacter pylori babA2 relates with atrophic gastritis in Costa Rica
A research team from Costa Rica and Japan evaluated the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) babA2, babB and a recombinant gene between babA2 and babB (babA2/B), and their role in the development of atrophic gastritis in Costa Rican and Japanese clinical isolates. They found the status of babA2 and babA2/B shows geographic differences, and that babA2 has clinical relevance in Costa Rica.

Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan, Kochi University

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation
IQ among strongest predictors of CVD -- second only to cigarette smoking in large population study
While lower intelligence scores have been associated with a raised risk of cardiovascular disease, no study has so far compared the relative strength of this association with other established risk factors. Now, a large study funded by Britain's Medical Research Council has found that lower intelligence scores were associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and total mortality at a greater level of magnitude than found with any other risk factor except smoking.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
A useful tool to diagnose primary biliary cirrhosis
A research team from United States evaluated the potential application of IgM and IgG immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the setting of autoimmune liver diseases, especially in the differential diagnosis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) from other conditions -- autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Their study showed that IgM and IgG IHC may be a useful tool when PBC is a diagnostic consideration.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

World Journal of Gastroenterology
Lactobacillus improves Helicobacter pylori infected gastritis
A research team from China isolated two stomach originated lactobacillus strains, and screened their potential anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) activity and anti-inflammatory effects on mouse model of H. pylori-associated Balb/c gastritis. They found both lactobacillus strains have a significant anti-H. pylori activity; Lactobacillus fermenti (L. fermenti) displays more efficient antagonistic activity in vivo against H. pylori infection.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Questions remain on bariatric surgery for adolescents
Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery can effectively treat obesity in adolescents and seems to offer a better alternative than gastric bypass surgery, but further study is needed to determine whether it's better than nonsurgical options, a UT Southwestern Medical Center surgeon writes.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Study: End-of-life care must reflect patient wishes and values
An analysis of more than a quarter-million hospital admissions of nursing home residents indicates that the decision to use feeding tubes is more a matter of hospital practice than patient preference. Findings of that study by Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University and her colleagues appear in the Feb. 10, 2010, issue of JAMA.

NIH/National Insitute on Aging

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

Journal of Neuroscience
Brain scans track hoop fans' happy memories
In a novel study that used historical tape of a thrilling overtime basketball game between Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, brain researchers at Duke have found that fans remember the good things their team did much better than the bad.

NIH/National Institutes of Mental Health

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

Clinical Cancer Research
UH Case Medical Center researchers publish promising findings for advanced cervical cancer
Researchers at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center, have published new findings that may lead to a new standard of care for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. Published in the February issue of Clinical Cancer Research, the phase one study found that a new chemotherapy medicine, Triapine, was well tolerated in combination with standard-of-care cisplatin chemotherapy and radiation treatment in women with cervical cancer. This regimen provided both significant reduction in cancer disease and cancer control.

NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Certain genetic profiles associated with recurrence-free survival for non-small cell lung cancer
An analysis of genetic and clinical data for nearly 800 patients with non-small cell lung cancer has identified differences in genetic characteristics that are associated with age and sex specific patterns of increased or decreased recurrence-free survival, according to a study in the Feb. 10 issue of JAMA.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Study identifies factors associated with growth of fetus in first trimester and subsequent outcomes
Factors such as maternal high blood pressure and high hematocrit levels (the proportion of blood that consists of red blood cells) are associated with a greater likelihood of restricted fetal growth during the first trimester, with restricted growth linked to an increased risk of preterm birth and low birth weight, according to a study in the Feb. 10 issue of JAMA.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Patients with advanced dementia more likely to receive feeding tube at larger, for-profit hospitals
Despite being of questionable benefit for patients with advanced dementia, new research finds that hospitals with certain characteristics, such as those that are larger or for-profit, are more likely to have a higher rate of feeding tube placement, according to a study in the Feb. 10 issue of JAMA.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Obese teens who receive gastric banding achieve significant weight loss
A higher percentage of severely obese adolescents who received laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding lost more than 50 percent of excess weight and experienced greater benefits to health and quality of life compared to those in an intensive lifestyle management program, according to a study in the Feb. 10 issue of JAMA.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

JAMA
Molecular pathways linked to sex, age affect outcomes in lung cancer
The biology of lung cancer differs from one patient to the next, depending on age and sex, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center. The findings may help explain why certain groups of patients do better than others, even though they appear to have the same disease.

Emilene Brown Cancer Research Fund, Harold and Linda Chapman Lung Cancer Fund, Jimmy V Foundation, American Cancer Society, NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

Clinical Cancer Research
Low forms of cyclin E reduce breast cancer drug's effectiveness
Overexpression of low-molecular-weight (LMW-E) forms of the protein cyclin E renders the aromatase inhibitor letrozole ineffective among women with estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers, researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in Clinical Cancer Research.

Public Release: 9-Feb-2010

62nd AAN Annual Meeting
Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower baby's risk of MS
Drinking milk during pregnancy may help reduce your baby's chances of developing multiple sclerosis as an adult, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10-17, 2010.


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