Daily Health News

Adult-onset Diabetes Slows Mental Functioning In Several Ways, With Deficits Appearing Early

Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but lasting deficits in their thought

Gene Expression And Splicing Vary Widely From One Tissue To The Next

Genes talk to themselves and to each other to control how a given cell manufactures proteins. But variation in the control of the same gene in two different tissues may contribute to certain human traits, including the likelihood of getting a disease, said a team of geneticists and

Teens Girls Smoke Now, Pay Later With Larger Waistlines As Adults

Remember the cool girls, huddled together in high school restrooms, puffing their cigarettes? Well, here's consolation for the nerds in the crowd: Those teen smokers are more likely to experience obesity as adults, according to a new study from

Obesity Linked To Elevated Risk Of Ovarian Cancer

A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal

Increased Risk Of Pneumococcal Disease In Asthma Patients

Adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, the most common bacteria causing middle ear infections and community acquired

Defensive Protein Killed Ancient Primate Retroviruses, Research Suggests

Retroviruses are the worst sort of guest. Over eons, these molecular parasites have insinuated themselves into their hosts' DNA and caused a ruckus. The poor hosts can't even be rid of the intruders by killing them, because they stubbornly remain after

Alternative Way To Save Brain Cells After Stroke Or Head Trauma, New Finding Suggests

Shredded extracellular matrix is toxic to neurons. Researchers reveal a new mechanism for how ECM demolition causes brain damage. The study suggests that drugs that block KA1, one subunit of the kainate receptor, might provide an alternative way to save brain cells after stroke or head

‘Magnetic Bra’ Gives Independence Back To Disabled And Older Women

Researchers have developed a new bra for older and disabled women which replaces traditional fastenings with

Common Gene Variant Linked To High Blood Pressure Identified

Researchers have identified a common gene variant that appears to influence people's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The STK39 gene is the first hypertension susceptibility gene to be uncovered through a new technique called a genome-wide association study and confirmed by data from several independent

Acute Gastric Injury Due To High-dose Analgesics?

A new study has documented the gastrointestinal complications of high dose acetaminophen, a commonly used drug. The study investigated the acute high dose ingestion of analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen, with suicidal intent. The study results surprisingly indicated that acetaminophen induces gastric

Dormant Cancer Cells Rely On Cellular Self-cannibalization To Survive

A tumor-suppressing gene is a key to understanding, and perhaps killing, dormant ovarian cancer cells that persist after initial treatment only to reawaken later, researchers report. They found that expression of ARHI turns on autophagy, or self-eating, in ovarian cancer cells, which promotes their survival in a dormant

Patient-derived Induced Stem Cells Retain Disease Traits

When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased. The dying cells -- the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy -- confirmed that the stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a

Newly Identified Gene Powerful Predictor Of Colon Cancer Metastasis

Scientists have identified a gene which enables them to predict for the first time with high probability if colon cancer is going to metastasize. They were able to demonstrate that the gene MACC1 not only promotes tumor growth but also the development of metastasis. When MACC1 gene activity is low, the life expectancy of patients with colon cancer is longer in comparison to patients with high MACC1

Family Members Of Critically Ill Patients Want To Discuss Loved Ones' Uncertain Prognoses

Critically ill patients frequently have uncertain prognoses, but their families overwhelmingly wish that physicians would address prognostic uncertainty candidly, according to a new

Scientists Make Strides Toward Defining Genetic Signature Of Alzheimer's Disease

Scientists have new information about the complex genetic signature associated with Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of cognitive decline and dementia in the elderly. The research uses a powerful, high-resolution analysis to look for genes associated with this devastating neurodegenerative

In Lung Cancer, Silencing One Crucial Gene Disrupts Normal Functioning Of Genome

While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, scientists have discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism. They say that "silencing" of a single gene in lung cancer led to a general impairment in genome-wide changes in cells, contributing to cancer development and

The Culture Of Medicine

Everybody is familiar with the stereotypes of medical education from the student perspective: grueling hours, little recognition, and even less glory. A new study pulls back the curtain on the dominant environment of academic medicine from the perspective of faculty, the providers of medical education in medical schools. The study raises questions about how the prevailing culture of academic medicine shapes the delivery of health

Fusing Embryonic Stem Cells With Adult Cells Using Highly Efficient New Fusing System

Engineers have developed a new, highly efficient way to pair up cells so they can be fused together into a hybrid cell. The new technique should make it much easier for scientists to study what happens when two cells are combined. For example, fusing an adult cell and an embryonic stem cell allows researchers to study the genetic reprogramming that occurs in such

Genetic Variation May Lead To Early Cardiovascular Disease

Scientists have identified a variation in a particular gene that increases susceptibility to early coronary artery disease. For years, scientists have known that the devastating, early-onset form of the disease was inherited, but they knew little about the gene(s) responsible until

Microbes In The Intestine: Friend Or Foe?

Micro-organisms in the intestine live in symbiosis with humans but can cause illness or even death. Scientists have researched the factors that make a person immune to worm infections. The knowledge can now be used to develop

Lung Cancer Cells Activate Inflammation To Induce Metastasis

Scientists have identified a protein produced by cancerous lung epithelial cells that enhances metastasis by stimulating the activity of inflammatory

Fat Tissue Is Sensitive To Irradiation

Scientists found that irradiation damages fat tissue. Radiation therapy directed at cancer management also damages normal tissues. Autologous transplant of tissues such as fat tissue has often been used to prevent the fibrosis, organ dysfunction, and necrosis that result from radiation treatment; however, the effects of radiation on the transplanted fat tissue had not been

Nutrigenomics: Developing Personalized Diets For Disease Prevention

The emerging field of nutrigenomics aims to identify the genetic factors that influence the body's response to diet and studies how the bioactive constituents of food affect gene

Testes Stem Cells Can Change Into Other Body Tissues

Scientists have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells -- they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body -- but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the

Breast Cancer Gene Linked To Disease Spread Discovered

Researchers have identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in 30 to 40 percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, resisting traditional chemotherapies and eventually leading to death. In doing so, the scientists may have answered one of the biggest mysteries in cancer

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