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Emerging genetic research may help scientists recognize children with autism at a younger age

Children and adults with autism, a chronic developmental disorder, have difficulty with social and language skills and often display repetitive behaviors, according to background information in the articles.

4 Apr 2007

Each individual with autism accrues about $3.2 million in costs to society over lifetime

...with lost productivity and adult care being the most expensive components, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on autism spectrum disorders.

4 Apr 2007

Common questions about irritable bowel syndrome

Will adding fiber to my diet bring relief? Are dairy products really off limits? Is there a way to actually diagnose what I have, or is it all in my head?

4 Apr 2007

Targeted therapies improve colon cancer survival rates

People diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to distant organs, such as White House spokesman Tony Snow, are much more likely to survive today than even just a few years ago, due to the recent and continued emergence of improved therapies, say cancer experts.

3 Apr 2007

Obesity linked to emotional issues in new book

A book by academics at the University of Hertfordshire which makes direct links between obesity and underlying emotional issues in women will be published this week.

3 Apr 2007

ADHD is a risk factor for alcohol problems

Researchers believe that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for alcohol- as well as other substance-related problems as they grow older.

2 Apr 2007

Possible therapeutic target for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

In the April 1st issue of Genes & Development, Dr. Bruce Spiegelman (Dana Farber Cancer Institute) and colleagues identify a key genetic component of and possible therapeutic target for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

2 Apr 2007

Root of dyscalculia found

Scientists led by UCL (University College London) have induced dyscalculia in subjects without the maths learning difficulty for the first time. The study, which finds that the right parietal lobe is responsible for dyscalculia, potentially has implications for diagnosis and management through remedial teaching.

22 Mar 2007

Researchers discover vitiligo gene

In a study appearing in the March 22 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at St George's, University of London, the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC) and the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes have discovered a connection between a gene and the chronic skin condition vitiligo, as well as a possible link to an array of other autoimmune diseases.

22 Mar 2007

Treating sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure reduces incidence of stroke

Patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea who have significantly higher serum levels of inflammatory markers that serve as precursors to coronary artery disease, as well as lesions associated with silent brain infarction, have an elevated risk of stroke, according to a group of Japanese medical researchers.

19 Mar 2007

GenoMed prevents sickle cell pain for over a year

GenoMed has announced the publication of a case report of a sickle cell patient whose pain has disappeared for over a year thanks to GenoMed's treatment.

12 Mar 2007

Department of Defense memo calls for changes to brain injury treatment

The Pentagon needs to overhaul its approach to treating the tens of thousands of U.S. troops who might have traumatic brain injury, the most common injury of the Iraq war, according to a previously undisclosed Department of Defense memorandum obtained by USA Today.

11 Mar 2007

More research needed in "minimally conscious state"

Headline-grabbing news stories involving severely brain-damaged patients such as Terri Schiavo and Terry Wallis aren't doing much to clear up the public's confusion surrounding brain injury and the likelihood that specific patients will recover, say experts at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

11 Mar 2007

One billion battling with neurological disorders

According to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO), neurological disorders ranging from migraines to epilepsy and dementia, affect up to 1 billion people worldwide and that number is destined to rise as populations age.

1 Mar 2007

Stanford student is visionary behind global fight againts blindness

Six years ago, as a 19-year-old college sophomore, Jennifer Staple decided to battle preventable blindness so she started the nonprofit "Unite for Sight" with a staff of one: herself.

27 Feb 2007

Neurological disorders a global problem

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that neurological disorders, ranging from epilepsy to Alzheimer disease, from stroke to headache, affect up to one billion people worldwide. Neurological disorders also include brain injuries, neuroinfections, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson disease.

27 Feb 2007

Aspirin offers help for Barrett's esophagus

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found that people with the most-aggressive form of Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition that can lead to esophageal cancer, may benefit the most from preventive therapy with aspirin, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.

27 Feb 2007

Overly anxious and driven people susceptible to irritable bowel syndrome

The researchers studied 620 people who had confirmed gastroenteritis caused by a bacterial infection. None had had IBS before, or indeed any serious bowel disorder.

27 Feb 2007

Anorexia nervosa may be genetic

A researcher in the United States says a ten year study into the eating disorder anorexia nervosa suggests that sufferers may have a genetic predisposition for it.

21 Feb 2007

Surgical improvements for Crohn's disease sufferers

Decades of painstaking research has yielded the most in-depth look ever at the management of bowel stricture recurrence in patients who undergo surgery for Crohn's disease. The findings should provide much-needed guidance to surgeons and gastroenterologists battling this tough-to-manage intestinal disorder.

20 Feb 2007