EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health

Adding ultrasound screening to mammography brings benefits, risks

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Brown University) Results from a major clinical trial show that adding a screening ultrasound examination to routine mammography reveals more breast cancers than mammography alone -- but also increases the rates of false positive findings. The American College of Radiology Imaging Net-work, whose biostatistics center is located at Brown University, conducted the study and reported the results in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Treating safety research like other clinical studies slows progress

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) Progress in patient safety research could slow to a crawl unless regulators work out a host of ethical issues, Johns Hopkins researchers assert in an upcoming opinion piece.

Drug therapy for PKU reverses heart damage

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) A pricy drug used to treat a rare but well-known genetic disorder may hold wider promise as a treatment for millions of Americans with potentially lethal enlarged hearts, due mainly to high blood pressure, a study from Johns Hopkins shows.

Sugar linkage could lead to better treatment for autoimmune diseases

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of New Hampshire) Researchers at the University of New Hampshire Glycomics Center have helped identify a specific carbohydrate structure that confers anti-inflammatory activity to a glycoprotein antibody that could lead to improved treatment of autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. The study, reported in a recent edition of the journal Science, was led by immunologist Jeffrey Ravetch of Rockefeller University.

Chemical compound prevents cancer in lab

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Oklahoma) A chemical compound derived from vitamin A prevents cancer from forming and is being developed by the National Cancer Institute as a daily preventive pill.

Girls and children exposed to tobacco smoke benefit more from montelukast (singulair)

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(National Jewish Medical and Research Center) Girls and children exposed to tobacco smoke respond particularly well to montelukast (Singulair) according to researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Associate Professor of Pediatrics Nathan Rabinovitch, MD, and his colleagues also identified two biomarkers that may help physicians predict even more precisely which patients will benefit from montelukast.

OHSU Cancer Institute researchers pinpoint how smoking causes cancer

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Oregon Health & Science University) Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute researchers have pinpointed the protein that can lead to genetic changes that cause lung cancer. Researchers discovered the production of a protein, FANCD2, is slowed when lung cells are exposed to cigarette smoke. Low levels of FANCD2 leads to DNA damage, triggering cancer. Cigarette smoke curbs the production of 'caretaker' proteins, like FANCD2, which prevent cancer by fixing damages in DNA and causing faulty cells to die.

Yerkes researchers find link between psychological stress and overeating

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Emory University) Researchers found socially subordinate female rhesus macaques over consume calorie-rich foods, resulting in accelerated weight gain and an increase in fat-derived hormones. The study is a critical step in understanding the psychological basis for the sharp increase in obesity across all age groups since the mid-1970s. This is the first study to show how food intake can be reliably and automatically measured, thus identifying the optimal animal model and setting for future obesity studies.

ASGE issues updated guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis for gastrointestinal endoscopy

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has issued updated guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis for gastrointestinal endoscopy based on the American Heart Association's recently revised guidelines for prophylaxis of infective endocarditis. For endoscopic practice, the administration of prophylactic antibiotics solely to prevent IE is not recommended for patients who undergo GI-tract procedures. The updated ASGE guidelines reflect that change. The guidelines appear in the May issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the ASGE.

Research shines spotlight on a key player in the dance of chromosomes

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Cell division is essential to life, but the mechanism by which emerging daughter cells organize and divvy up their genetic endowments is little understood. In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois and Columbia University report on how a key motor protein orchestrates chromosome movements at a critical stage of cell division.

Small is beautiful: A European view of nanotech cosmetics and safety

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies) How does a company like Paris-based cosmetics leader L'Oreal -- which ranks No. 6 among nanotechnology patent holders in the US -- apply "The Precautionary Principle" to nanotechnology cosmetic products? What specific safety tests and post-market surveillance measures are used? How do US and European regulations differ when applied to nanotechnology products? How does L'Oreal communicate with customers about this cutting-edge technology?

ASGE issues updated infection control guidelines for gastrointestinal endoscopy

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has updated its infection control guidelines regarding gastrointestinal endoscopy. The guidelines note that endoscopy-related infections are a very rare event since the adoption of endoscope reprocessing guidelines. The ASGE infection control guidelines appear in the May issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the ASGE.

Vitamin D protects cells from stress that can lead to cancer

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Rochester Medical Center) By inducing a specific gene to increase expression of a key enzyme, vitamin D protects healthy prostate cells from the damage and injuries that can lead to cancer, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report.

Euro Science Open Forum 2008 online media registration deadline ends June 30

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(EuroScience Open Forum 2008) Information follows regarding media registration for ESOF 2008 in Barcelona, Spain.

Depression and anger can plague recent university graduates: Study

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Alberta) The post-university years can start out tough. The good news: it gets better.A new University of Alberta study of almost 600 of its graduates (ages 20-29 years old) tracked mental health symptoms in participants for seven years post-graduation and looked at how key events like leaving home and becoming a parent were related to depression and anger. Graduates showed a significant decrease in depressive symptoms over the seven years. Expressed anger also declined over time after graduation, suggesting improved mental health.

National study examines health risks of coarse particle pollution

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have conducted the largest nationwide study on the acute health effects of coarse particle pollution. Coarse particles are airborne pollutants that fall between 2.5 and 10 microns in diameter.

Geriatrician finds senior's gait a sign of what's to come

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Western Ontario) Dr. Manuel Montero-Odasso can predict future mobility problems just by measuring how fast an elderly person walks. It's a simple test that can reveal the future risk for falls, fractures, and balance issues, even in seemingly healthy seniors. Now as the first recipient of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry's Clinician-Scientist Award at The University of Western Ontario, Montero-Odasso will receive funding to allow him to devote more time to this important research.

Astronaut health on moon may depend on good dusting

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(National Space Biomedical Research Institute) To prepare for a return to the moon, researchers with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute are evaluating how dust deposits in the lungs in reduced gravity in order to assess the health risk of long-term exposure to lunar particles. The findings will influence the design of lunar bases and could also provide benefits for health care on Earth, such as improved delivery of aerosol medications to the lungs.

Too hot to handle! Scientists identify heat sensing regulator

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins are a step closer to understanding pain sensitivity -- specifically why it's variable instead of constant -- having identified a gene that regulates a heat-activated molecular sensor.

A new analysis method allows to find out the sex of the baby from the second month of pregnancy

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Universidad de Granada) This non-invasive prenatal diagnosis method will permit to find out the sex of the fetus between the sixth and the eighth week of pregnancy, from a small blood sample of the mother. Apart from satisfying parents' curiosity, this technique facilitates the prevention of monogenic diseases. It has been developed by Lorgen, a spin off created at the University of Granada, and the University Hospital Virgen de las Nieves.

Fecal microorganisms inhabit sandy beaches of Florida

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Soil Science Society of America) A study of Florida beaches has shown that wet sand and dry sand above the intertidal zone have significantly more fecal bacteria than near-shore seawater. Scientists researched whether indicator bacteria survive longer in sand relative to open water and found that all feces-derived bacteria were capable of enhanced growth and survival in sand, while in seawater the bacterial populations steadily decreased over time.

Gene therapy slows progression of fatal neurodegenerative disease in children

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) Gene therapy to replace the faulty CLN2 gene, which causes a neurodegenerative disease that is fatal by age 8-12 years, was able to slow significantly the rate of neurologic decline in treated children, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the May 2008 issue of Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Study: Most female child molesters were victims of sexual abuse

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Georgia) A University of Georgia study that is the first to systematically examine a large sample of female child molesters finds that many of them were themselves victims of sexual abuse as children.The finding, published in the April issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, has the potential to help break the cycle of abuse by improving treatment for offenders and their young victims.

Mayo Clinic study shows acupuncture and myofascial trigger therapy treat same pain areas

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Mayo Clinic) Ancient acupuncture and modern myofascial pain therapy each focus on hundreds of similar points on the body to treat pain, although they do it differently, says a physician at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville who analyzed the two techniques.

Surviving breast cancer 'is not enough,' warns Breast Cancer Campaign

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(BioMed Central) Women are living longer after breast cancer but simply surviving is not enough, Pamela Goldberg, Chief Executive, Breast Cancer Campaign, said today.