EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health

APA announces draft diagnostic criteria for DSM-5

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Psychiatric Association) The American Psychiatric Association today released the proposed draft diagnostic criteria for the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The draft criteria represent content changes under consideration for DSM, which is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health and other health professionals, and is used for diagnostic and research purposes.

Intense sweets taste especially good to some kids

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Monell Chemical Senses Center) New research from the Monell Center reports that children's response to intense sweet taste is related to both a family history of alcoholism and the child's own self-reports of depression. The findings illustrate how liking for sweets differs among children based on underlying familial and biological factors.

Study finds racial gaps continue in heart disease awareness

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Heart Association) Minority women's awareness remains behind that of white women. Only about half of women were aware of heart attack warning signs or said they would dial 9-1-1 if they thought they were having heart attack symptoms. Most women surveyed listed therapies to prevent cardiovascular disease that are not evidence based.

SNM's Conjoint Mid-Winter Meetings continue to advance molecular imaging

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Society of Nuclear Medicine) Educators, researchers, physicians, technologists and medical experts from across the country converged on Albuquerque, N.M., last week to explore topics in nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, nanomedicine and clinical trials during SNM's 2010 Conjoint Mid-Winter Meetings.

A common cholesterol drug fights cataracts, too

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) A broad new study from Dr. Gabriel Chodick of Tel Aviv University confirms that statins, often prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, also cuts the risks of cataracts in men by almost 40 percent.

Communication breakdown: what happens to nerve cells in Parkinson's disease

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(McGill University) A new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro - at McGill University is the first to discover a molecular link between Parkinson's disease and defects in the ability of nerve cells to communicate. The study, published in the prestigious journal Molecular Cell and selected as Editor's Choice in the prominent journal Science, provides new insight into the mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease, and could lead to innovative new therapeutic strategies.

Lymphoma Research Foundation announces publication of Mantle Cell report

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Lymphoma Research Foundation) Highlights from the Lymphoma Research Foundation 2009 Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium Scientific Workshop will be published in the March 2010 issue of Leukemia & Lymphoma. Traditionally accessible to subscribers for period of one year, Leukemia and Lymphoma has agreed to make this report available to the public for one month -- Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Report of the 2009 MCL Consortium Workshop.

Researchers discover new way to kill pediatric brain tumors

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Washington University School of Medicine) Researchers have identified a previously unrecognized target, a protein called STAT3, at which they can aim new drugs for the treatment of cancer in neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), a genetic condition that causes increased risk of benign and malignant brain tumors.

Young patients with chronic illnesses find relief in acupuncture

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Rush University Medical Center) Doctors at Rush University Medical Center are offering pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses acupuncture therapy to help ease the pain and negative side effects like nausea, fatigue and vomiting caused by chronic health conditions and intensive treatments. The confluence of Chinese and Western medicine at Rush Children's Hospital is part of a study to analyze and document how acupuncture might help in reducing pain in children and increase quality of life.

Early life stress may predict cardiovascular disease

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Medical College of Georgia) Early life stress could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adulthood, researchers report.

Adapting to clogged airways makes common pathogen resist powerful drugs

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Washington) Mutations of a common environmental pathogen that causes chronic lung disease in patients with cystic fibrosis are able to survive in oxygen-poor, nitrate-rich airway secretions. This same survival mechanism also enables the mutate bacteria to resist the effects of certain antibiotics -- even without any previous exposure to antibiotics.

Neuroimaging study may pave way for effective Alzheimer's treatments

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - San Francisco) Scientists have determined that a new instrument known as PIB-PET is effective in detecting deposits of amyloid-beta protein plaques in the brains of living people, and that these deposits are predictive of who will develop Alzheimer's disease.

Multicenter study finds little effect of soy isoflavones on bone loss in postmenopausal women

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Iowa State University) Results from a new multicenter clinical trial of 224 postmenopausal women questions the value of consuming soy isoflavone tablets to help lessen bone loss and minimize the effect of osteoporosis.

Watch your step: Elevator-related injuries and older adults

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Indiana University School of Medicine) In the first large-scale epidemiological study of elevator-related injuries in older adults in the United States, researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine report in January 2010 issue of the Journal of Trauma on the frequency, nature and opportunities for prevention of these injuries.

Cells can read damaged DNA without missing a beat

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Emory University) Under certain growth-limiting conditions, enzymes that read DNA can skim through damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." This suggests a mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

Depression and lack of concentration do not necessarily go together

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(UT Southwestern Medical Center) A recent review has found that depression does not always lead to memory problems or difficulties concentrating.

Studies unclear on role of pre-surgery beta blockers

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Michigan Health System) It's not unusual for patients to suffer a cardiac event before surgery, and in theory, beta blockers will reduce the risk by relieving stress on the heart. But the one-size-fits-all approach can harm some patients, and University of Michigan heart specialists write in this week's JAMA that clinical studies have been unclear about who should get perioperative beta blockers and at what dosage.

Barcelona becomes part of a worldwide research on tuberculosis

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(IDIBAPS - Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer) The Tuberculosis Trials Consortium conducts research about the diagnosis, medical treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis infection and disease. From now and until 2010, this Consortium will receive more than $90 million to develop more effective tuberculosis treatments. This funding will be distributed among 20 research sites, being Barcelona the only European representative: Barcelona Public Health Agency and Hospital Clínic de Barcelona-IDIBAPS will coordinate this site within the framework of the Tuberculosis Investigation Unit of Barcelona.

Tulane receives $15 million NIH contract to develop vaccine and treatment for deadly fever

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Tulane University) The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a five-year contract totaling $15,254,919 to Tulane University for its ongoing efforts to treat and prevent Lassa fever, an often deadly viral disease that threatens hundreds of thousands of people annually in West Africa and is classified as a potential bioterrorism threat.

Handling emergencies online

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Inderscience Publishers) 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.

2 research projects at the Montreal Heart Institute receive $4.8M in financing

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Montreal) Two research teams led by Dr. Christine Des Rosiers and Dr. John D. Rioux, both researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professors at the Université de Montréal, have been awarded grants of $2.5 million and $2.3 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The Glass Cliff: Female representation in politics and business

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Wiley-Blackwell) How can women succeed in business and politics when encountering "a glass cliff"?

Single gene mutation induces endometrial cancer

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(UT Southwestern Medical Center) A mutation in a single gene can cause endometrial cancer that is responsive to a specific drug therapy, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.

Research could lead to way to halt deadly immune response

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Eastern Virginia Medical School) 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.

Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation new journal launched by SAGE

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(SAGE Publications) Geriatric Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation is a new bimonthly journal being launched in September 2010 by SAGE, the world's leading independent academic and professional publisher.