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Humans' evolutionary advantage also makes them susceptible to cancer, dementia and heart disease

The same evolutionary genetic advantages that have helped increase human lifespans also make us uniquely susceptible to diseases of aging such as cancer, heart disease and dementia, reveals a study to be published in a special PNAS collection on "Evolution in Health and Medicine" on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

28 Jan 2010

DNA variations in genes increase risk of developing PI-IBS

Studies of the victims of the Walkerton, Ont. tainted drinking water tragedy have led researchers to discover DNA variations in genes that increase the risk of developing post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). The sheer scale of infection and the recording of the health of Walkerton's citizens gave a team of researchers a unique opportunity to study the origin of this disorder.

28 Jan 2010

Study highlights benefits of reducing dietary salt

"This study provides excellent ammunition both to convince patients about the benefits of reducing their individual salt intakes and also to persuade the EU of the urgent need to introduce legislation to restrict the salt content of processed foods," said ESC spokesman Professor Frank Ruschitzka, a cardiologist and hypertension specialist from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

28 Jan 2010

Telemedicine may help community hospitals in early treatment of severely injured patients

It's known that people who live or work in rural areas are more likely to suffer and die from serious injuries compared to those in more urban environments. But while time and distance play a role in these higher mortality rates, new research suggests that limited access to early, high-quality trauma care in many smaller Ontario hospitals may be a factor.

28 Jan 2010

New study questions current BMI guidelines for older adults

Adults aged over 70 years who are classified as overweight are less likely to die over a ten year period than adults who are in the 'normal' weight range, according to a new study published today in the Journal of The American Geriatrics Society.

28 Jan 2010

Alzheimer's disease becomes center of discussion at the World Economic Forum

For the first time ever, Alzheimer's disease is a focus at the World Economic Forum. Today more than 35 million people worldwide have dementia and those numbers will double every 20 years to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050, according to the World Alzheimer's Report from Alzheimer's disease International (ADI), a London-based, nonprofit, international federation of 71 national Alzheimer organizations.

28 Jan 2010

New technique could reduce animal use in gene study

A new method of priming early embryos to form embryonic stem (ES) cells has allowed ES cells to be derived from mice used in diabetes research for the first time.

28 Jan 2010

Researchers to test newest implant in restoring vision damaged by disease

Researchers trying to restore vision damaged by disease have found promise in a tiny implant that sows seeds of new cells in the eye.

28 Jan 2010

Workers' compensation status may affect treatment outcomes for herniated disks

Surgery provides better results than nonsurgical treatment for most patients with back pain related to a herniated disk—but not for those receiving workers' compensation for work-related injuries, reports a study in the January 1 issue of Spine.

28 Jan 2010

HSC Foundation invites applications for its 2010 Advocates in Disability Award

In an effort to support the next generation of disability advocates, The HSC Foundation is currently accepting applications for its 2010 Advocates in Disability Award, which recognizes a young person between the ages of 14 and 26 in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area who is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities.

28 Jan 2010

New insight into reprogramming of cells

A discovery by Babraham scientists brings new insight into how cells are reprogrammed and a greater understanding of how the environment, or factors like nutritional signals, can interact with our genes to affect health. As an embryo develops, cells acquire a particular fate, for example becoming a nerve or skin cell. The findings, reported online in the journal Nature, pinpoint a protein called AID as being important for complete cellular reprogramming in mammals.

28 Jan 2010

Posible new method to assess loss of consciousness

The brains of people under anesthesia respond to stimuli as they do in the deepest part of sleep - lending credence to a developing theory of consciousness and suggesting a new method to assess loss of consciousness in conditions such as coma.

28 Jan 2010

New report illustrates why cardiovascular disease is under-recognized and under-treated in women

Today, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) launched "WINHeart -- Score a WIN for Women," an initiative that raises awareness surrounding gender-based disparities in the diagnosis, treatment and survival of women with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

28 Jan 2010

Automated measurements more reliable in moderate cases of knee degeneration

Scientists have automated the measurement of a vital part of the knee in images with a computer program that performs much faster and just as reliably as humans who interpret the same images.

28 Jan 2010

Alli boosts weight loss and reduces excess visceral fat

New studies show that overweight and obese people using alli® (orlistat 60 mg) with a reduced calorie, lower-fat diet can significantly reduce weight, visceral fat, and waist circumference and therefore may reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke.

28 Jan 2010

IsoRay ships first set of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds to Canada

IsoRay, Inc. announced today that it has successfully shipped the first set of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds to a Canadian customer for the purpose of furthering research and development of Cesium-131 in Canada. Cesium-131 is currently approved by Health Canada for the treatment of low-risk prostate cancers and has been cleared by the US FDA for treatment of a wide variety of malignant disease (e.g. prostate, head and neck, brain, breast, lung, eye, etc.).

28 Jan 2010

New research findings may lead to new treatment options for abdominal aortic aneurysms

New research findings from a team at the Providence Heart + Lung Institute at St. Paul's Hospital and the University of British Columbia (UBC) may lead to new treatment options for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) - a potentially fatal disease that currently has no pharmacological treatments.

28 Jan 2010

Health education programmes can help parents recognise healthy weight for their children

Half of the mothers who took part in a study thought that their obese four or five year-old was normal weight, as did 39 per cent of the fathers, according to the February issue of Acta Paediatrica.

28 Jan 2010

Down Syndrome, menopause, dementia and death

Women experiencing an early onset of menopause could develop dementia at a younger age. Research by Tonnie Coppus of Erasmus MC has indicated this. She studied women with Down Syndrome, who are known to have an early onset of menopause. The results of her research can be translated to apply to the general population. Her results will be published in the Journal of Alzheimer Disease today.

28 Jan 2010

Study finds RA workers have similar keyboarding speed compared to non-impaired individuals

A recent study by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh found that workers with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were comparable to non-impaired individuals in keyboarding speed. Individuals who were trained in touch typing demonstrated faster typing speeds than those using a visually-guided ("hunt and peck") method, regardless of impairment.

28 Jan 2010