EurekAlert! Public News List

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Medicine
Experimental bariatric surgery controls blood sugar in rats with diabetes
For the first time, scientists at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute have shown that an experimental bariatric surgery can lower blood sugar levels in rats with type 1 diabetes.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research, University Health Network, Banting and Best Diabetes Center, University of Toronto

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Urological Association Annual Meeting
Relief of urinary symptoms is an underappreciated benefit of early stage prostate cancer treatment
Treatment of early stage prostate cancer can also result in improved quality of life for a subgroup of men who suffer from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), according to an abstract of a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-led study presented to the American Urological Association.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Digestive Disease Week
Impact of MRSA nasal colonization on surgical site infections after gastrointestinal surgery
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) nasal colonization is associated with longer hospital stays and an increase in surgical site infections (SSI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, according to a new study from Scott and White Memorial Hospital, Temple, Texas.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Genetics
Scientists discover distinct molecular subtype of prostate cancer
A collaborative expedition into the deep genetics of prostate cancer has uncovered a distinct subtype of the disease, one that appears to account for up to 15 percent of all cases, say researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Starr Cancer Foundation, National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Kohlberg Foundation, Prostate Cancer Foundation, US Department of Defense

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Nanotechnology
Good news for nanomedicine: Quantum dots appear safe in pioneering study on primates
A pioneering study to gauge the toxicity of quantum dots in primates has found the tiny crystals to be safe over a one-year period, a hopeful outcome for doctors and scientists seeking new ways to battle diseases like cancer through nanomedicine.

John R. Oishei Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Singapore Ministry of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Beijing Natural Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Medicine
Discovery of mechanisms predicting response to new treatments in colon cancer
The Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology identifies biomarkers that predict resistance to treatment which will enable a better selection of patients who stand to benefit as well as avoid the administration of ineffective medicines. These findings identify experimental drugs to overcome resistance and open new therapeutic avenues in combinatorial treatment.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Immunology
Scientists identify new target to battle rheumatoid arthritis
A new study led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery identifies the mechanism by which a cell signaling pathway contributes to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, the study provides evidence that drugs under development for diseases such as cancer could potentially be used to treat RA.

National Institutes of Health, American College of Rheumatology

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature
Songbirds' learning hub in brain offers insight into motor control
To learn its signature melody, the male songbird uses a trial-and-error process to mimic the song of its father, singing the tune over and over again, hundreds of times a day, making subtle changes in the pitch of the notes. For the male Bengalese finch, this rigorous training process begins around the age of 40 days and is completed about day 90, just as he becomes sexually mature and ready to use his song to woo females.

National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 20-May-2012

JAMA
Study examines treatments for relieving breathing difficulties among patients with lung effusions
Helen E. Davies, M.D., of the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, and colleagues compared the effectiveness of treatments to relieve breathing difficulties among patients with malignant pleural effusion (presence of fluid in the pleural cavity [space between the outside of the lungs and the inside wall of the chest cavity], as a complication of malignant disease).

Public Release: 20-May-2012

JAMA
Low-dose CT screening may benefit individuals at increased risk for lung cancer
Peter B. Bach, M.D., of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues conducted a systematic review to examine the evidence regarding the benefits and harms of low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) screening for lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

JAMA
Study evaluates use of inhaled saline for young children with cystic fibrosis
Margaret Rosenfeld, M.D., M.P.H., of Seattle Children's Hospital, and colleagues conducted a study to examine if hypertonic saline would reduce the rate of pulmonary exacerbations in children younger than 6 years of age with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Medicine
Drug found for parasite that is major cause of death worldwide
Research by a collaborative group of scientists from UC San Diego School of Medicine, UC San Francisco and Wake Forest School of Medicine has led to identification of an existing drug that is effective against Entamoeba histolytica. This parasite causes amebic dysentery and liver abscesses and results in the death of more than 70,000 people worldwide each year.

Sandler Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Nature Medicine
Lab tests show arthritis drug effective against global parasite
A team of researchers from UCSF and UC San Diego has identified an approved arthritis drug that is effective against amoebas in lab and animal studies, suggesting it could offer a low-dose, low cost treatment for the amoebic infections that cause human dysentery throughout the world.

Sandler Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference

New England Journal of Medicine
First, do no harm: Study finds danger in standard treatment for a serious lung disease
A combination of three drugs used worldwide as the standard of care for a serious lung disease puts patients in danger of death or hospitalization, and should not be used together to treat the disease, called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, according to the surprising results of a rigorous independent study. The findings show the importance of testing treatments that doctors give for any condition -- to see if they truly help, and don't harm, patients.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
UW study: Sleep apnea associated with higher mortality from cancer
Sleep-disordered breathing, commonly known as sleep apnea, is associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality, according to a new study.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Heart Failure 2012
Statins prevent cancer in heart transplant recipients
Statins prevent cancer and reduce death from all causes in heart transplant recipients. The findings were independent of cholesterol levels.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

Digestive Disease Week
4 acute mushroom poisonings in 2 weeks
In a matter of two weeks last fall, four unrelated patients were treated at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for mushroom (amanitin) poisoning. As part of a clinical study at, all patients received an IV preparation of milk thistle seeds (silibinin). Their clinical course, management, and outcomes were presented today at Digestive Disease Week.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
Prenatal exposure to pollution especially dangerous for children with asthma
The link between prenatal exposure to air pollution and childhood lung growth and respiratory ailments has been established by several studies in recent years, and now a new study suggests that these prenatal exposures can be especially serious for children with asthma.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
Study says children exposed to tobacco smoke face long-term respiratory problems
For more than three decades, researchers have warned of the potential health risks associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), especially among children whose parents smoke. Now a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona reports that those health risks persist well beyond childhood, independent of whether or not those individuals end up becoming smokers later in life.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
Treatment of childhood OSA reverses brain abnormalities
Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children normalizes disturbances in the neuronal network responsible for attention and executive function, according to a new study.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
Risk factors for an exacerbation-prone asthma phenotype
A number of specific risk factors are associated with an exacerbation-prone phenotype of severe asthma, according to a new study from researchers in Sweden.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
High prevalence of bone disease in patients referred for pulmonary rehabilitation
There is a very high prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis among male patients with pulmonary disease, according to a new study from researchers in California.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
Sleep disordered breathing is associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality
Sleep disordered breathing, which is associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events and psychopathological outcomes, is also associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality, according to a new study.

Public Release: 20-May-2012

American Thoracic Society International Conference
OSA can be managed successfully in the primary care setting
Patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea can be successfully managed in a primary care setting by appropriately trained primary care physicians and community-based nurses, according to Australian researchers.

Public Release: 19-May-2012

International Meeting for Autism Research
Oxytocin improves brain function in children with autism
Preliminary results from an ongoing, large-scale study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows that oxytocin -- a naturally occurring substance produced in the brain and throughout the body -- increased brain function in regions that are known to process social information in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).


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