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Publication of death rates: an interview with Dr Kate Walker, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The death rates of individual heart surgeons have been published in England and several US states for some years. A high profile investigation into high death rates at a certain cardiac centre motivated this in England. For other surgery types, death rates have been reported only at the hospital or trust level. NHS England’s “Everyone Counts” policy, introduced this Summer, means that outcomes of ten types of surgery will be reported at the individual surgeon level.

15 Aug 2013

Osteoarthritis research: an interview with Dr Deborah Mason, Cardiff University

Osteoarthritis is an extremely common condition affecting about 8 million people in the UK. The elderly are particularly susceptible, with up to 45% of people over 65 years, having the disease.

14 Aug 2013

Study supports new diagnostic structure in toddlers with ASD

A study published in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry demonstrates support for the changes in autism symptom structure for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD found in the newly released Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)).

14 Aug 2013

Sanford-Burnham, Pfizer collaborates to identify therapeutic targets for treating obesity, diabetes

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Pfizer Inc. to identify new therapeutic targets for preventing and treating complications of obesity and diabetes.

14 Aug 2013

Scientists have made breakthrough in understanding cancer-promoting action of herbal products

A team of scientists from the National Cancer Centre Singapore, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, and Taiwan's Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, LinKou, have made a breakthrough in understanding the cancer-promoting action of Aristolochic Acid (AA), a natural product of Aristolochia plants traditionally used in some Asian herbal remedies for weight loss and slimming.

14 Aug 2013

Johns Hopkins expert says crucial ethics should be considered in HIV cure research

A cure for HIV infection - the International AIDS Society meeting in Kuala Lumpur in early July offered new hope of the possibility, after researchers announced that two "Boston patients" had shown no resurgence of the virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant and ceasing their antiretroviral therapy (ART).

14 Aug 2013

Trinity researchers reveal CHD5 protein acts as tumor suppressor in nervous system development

CHD5 has previously been proposed as a tumour suppressor, acting as a brake that prevents healthy cells from developing into cancer cells. But the part played by the protein in healthy tissue, and whether this role is important for its ability to counter tumour growth, has remained largely uncharted.

14 Aug 2013

Study shows enhancer RNA molecules may open new avenues for gene therapy

A study investigating the function of the recently discovered enhancer RNA molecules may open new avenues for gene therapy. According to the study researchers, altering the production and function of these molecules could affect the expression of genes and, in consequence, possibly also the progression of various diseases.

14 Aug 2013

New pain diary app CatchMyPain promises to put an end to chronic Pain

One out of five adults suffers from chronic pain and half of all patients have been suffering for at least seven years (median). Patients usually go through an odyssey of examinations and treatments while long term relief becomes a hope rather than an expectation.

14 Aug 2013

"Risk calculator" enables doctors to estimate risk of venous thrombosis

In Austria, around 15,000 people a year develop a venous thrombosis, the occlusion of a vein that can result in a pulmonary embolism. A clot breaks free from a vein and travels via the bloodstream to the lungs, where it blocks vessels.

14 Aug 2013

Gene variant linked with Mediterranean diet pattern prevents stroke

A gene variant strongly associated with development of type 2 diabetes appears to interact with a Mediterranean diet pattern to prevent stroke, report researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University and from the CIBER Fisiopatolog-a de la Obesidad y Nutriciόn in Spain.

14 Aug 2013

Exo70 protein responsible for plasma membrane reshaping and cell movement

Both basic scientists and clinicians have an interest in how the cells of our body move. Cells must be mobile in order for organisms to grow, to heal, to transmit information internally, to mount immune responses and to conduct a host of other activities necessary for survival.

14 Aug 2013

New study reports dramatic decline in ischemic stroke rates during the last decade

A new study reports that the incidence of ischemic stroke—the most common type of stroke, caused by a clot in the blood vessels of the brain—among non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans over age 60 has declined over the past decade.

14 Aug 2013

Study on sports-related sudden death

"Although screening programs prior to participation in sports have been used for many years for young competitive athletes, it has been suggested that screening programs might also be worthwhile in the general population. Description of the incidence of sports-related sudden death by specific sports as well as by sex and age may help inform the debate," write Eloi Marijon, M.D., of the Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, and colleagues.

14 Aug 2013

Study shows metastasizing cancer cells undergo molecular change during EMT

For the majority of cancer patients, it's not the primary tumor that is deadly, but the spread or "metastasis" of cancer cells from the primary tumor to secondary locations throughout the body that is the problem. That's why a major focus of contemporary cancer research is how to stop or fight metastasis.

14 Aug 2013

Heightened race consciousness linked to higher blood pressure in black Americans

Black patients preoccupied with racial concerns have higher blood pressure than those who aren’t, according to results of new Johns Hopkins-led research. The findings suggest that heightened race consciousness could at least in part account for the disproportionately high rate of hypertension in black Americans — the highest prevalence of any group in the United States and one of the highest rates in the world.

14 Aug 2013

MOOCs courses offered by JHUSON concentrate on Dementia and TB

An aging population and an old health scourge are the driving forces behind two massive open online courses (MOOCs) being offered this fall by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON).

14 Aug 2013

UofL's Diabetes and Obesity Center receives $11.25M COBRE grant from NIH

A center created with a five-year National Institutes of Health grant at the University of Louisville in 2008 has won its second five-year grant.

14 Aug 2013

Researchers discover the origin of HPV-related tonsillar cancer

American and European research shows an alarming increase in the rate of tonsillar cancer related to the human papilloma virus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus. Experts suggest a similar trend has emerged in Canada, but it had yet to be confirmed through scientific analysis.

14 Aug 2013

Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) conduits suitable for sciatic nerve injury repair

The conventional method for repair of peripheral nerve injury is autogenous nerve grafting, but sources of autogenous nerve are limited. Furthermore, neurological deficits in the donor site and painful neuroma can occur following surgery.

14 Aug 2013