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Study reveals that allergies are a major health issue in Sweden

Asthma, nasal symptoms and eczema is a major public health problem in Sweden, not least among young people. Half of all teenagers are affected in Västra Götaland County in West Sweden.

21 Sep 2009

Study: Suicides dependent on number of alcohol outlets

There is a strong relationship between drinking and taking one's own life. In any given year, people with alcohol dependence (AD) commit more than 20 percent of suicides in the general population; some 80 to 90 percent of AD suicides are by men, mostly white. A new look at suicide and alcohol has found that both attempted and completed suicides occur at greater rates in rural communities with greater bar densities.

21 Sep 2009

ECG gating reduces patient radiation dose during CT angiography

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21 Sep 2009

Alcoholism in Hispanics dependent on gene/environment interaction

Hispanics with alcohol-induced problems - especially male Mexican Americans - have significantly worse health and welfare than those with other ethnic backgrounds. This study examined the influence of gene/environment interaction on alcoholism among Mexican Americans. Researchers have found that interaction between education and a polymorphism of the reward gene contribute to severe alcoholism among Mexican Americans.

21 Sep 2009

HIV mutates itself to escape antibodies

A study of how HIV mutates in response to immune system pressure by Emory Vaccine Center researchers shows that the virus can take several escape routes, not one preferred route.

21 Sep 2009

Early drinkers more susceptible to alcoholism

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21 Sep 2009

Young drinkers to be more susceptible to alcohol dependence

The age at which a person takes a first drink may influence genes linked to alcoholism, making the youngest drinkers the most susceptible to severe problems.

21 Sep 2009

Findings may yield new treatments for visual disorders

By testing formerly blind patients within weeks of sight restoration, Sinha and his colleagues found that subjects had very limited ability to distinguish an object from its background, identify overlapping objects, or even piece together the different parts of an object. The patients gradually improved over time, and the new study suggests that dynamic information - that is, input from moving objects - is critical to the brain's ability to learn to segregate objects from their backgrounds (a task known as visual integration).

18 Sep 2009

Diabetic nerve pain: Most bothersome complication of diabetes

In a new online survey, eighty-five percent of people who experience diabetic nerve pain said that their pain was one of the top three most bothersome complications of their diabetes. Despite the fact that people with diabetic nerve pain recognize the condition's impact on their lives and eighty-four percent of those surveyed said they have discussed the condition with a healthcare provider, just slightly less than half of respondents (49 percent) were treating their pain.

18 Sep 2009

Study reveals that caregivers are unable to diagnose the pain levels affecting nursing home residents

Relatives and healthcare staff find it hard to diagnose pain levels in nursing home residents accurately, especially if they are cognitively impaired with illnesses such as dementia or unable to speak, according to a study in September issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

18 Sep 2009

Quebec research on contagious period of H1N1 patients to be presented

Members of a group of Quebec researchers will be presenting the preliminary results of their work on Influenza A (H1N1) tomorrow at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, a prestigious international conference that the American Microbiology Association is currently presenting in San Francisco.

18 Sep 2009

Interim data from GORE PROPATEN Vascular Graft studies presented at the 2009 vascular meeting

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced that several physicians recently presented interim data from ongoing GORE PROPATEN® Vascular Graft studies to clinical audiences at the 2009 annual vascular meeting. The conference, the premier event hosted by the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), was held in mid-June in Denver, Colorado. One physician reported primary patency rates as high as 100 percent for below-knee bypasses.

17 Sep 2009

CCPHA research reveals the serious health risks of drinking soda

While health officials have long suspected the link between obesity and soda consumption, research released today provides the first scientific evidence of the potent role soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages play in fueling California’s expanding girth.

17 Sep 2009

Study to determine the outcomes and complications of ERCP in a community practice to appear in GIE journal

A new study from researchers in Minnesota found that endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) performed in a community hospital setting results in complication rates that compare favorably with those of academic centers while achieving technical success at or above the performance levels recommended by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE)/American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Task Force.

17 Sep 2009

Study: HBV genotype is not linked to hepatocellular carcinoma

Previous studies revealed that HBV genotypes as well as mutations in the core promoter, precore or HBx gene have been shown to have an association with the clinical outcome of liver disease, however, this is still controversial. It is likely that this depends on the HBV genotype distribution in certain region.

17 Sep 2009

Mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug GMX1778 identified

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery and analysis, today announced a new study has been published identifying the mechanism of action of the anti-cancer drug GMX1778. Co-authored by scientists at Gemin X Pharmaceuticals and Metabolon, the paper “The Small Molecule GMX1778 is a Potent Inhibitor of NAD+ Biosynthesis: Strategy for Enhanced Therapy in NAPRT1-Deficient Tumors” appears online ahead of print in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

17 Sep 2009

Learning curve method checks the proficiency level in laparoscopic splenectomy procedures

A research team, led by Dr. Tarik Z. Nursal from the University of Baskent, has investigated the proficiency level reached in laparoscopic splenectomy procedures using the learning curve method. Their study will be published on August 28, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

17 Sep 2009

Link between a key molecular player and human chromosomal birth defects established

Using yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis, a cell biologist at The Florida State University found that when a key molecular player known as Pds5 goes missing, chromosomes fail to segregate and pair up properly, and birth defects such as Down syndrome can result.

17 Sep 2009

Bitemark identification not reliable as DNA identification, according to UB study

Against the backdrop of last week's Congressional hearing into the future of forensic science, researchers from the University at Buffalo's Laboratory for Forensic Odontology Research in the School of Dental Medicine, have published a landmark paper on the controversial topic of bitemark analysis.

17 Sep 2009

Multi-detector row computed tomography predicts malignancy of IPMNs

A clinical research article to be published on August 28, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses the role of multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) in predicting malignancy of IPMNs preoperatively. The research team led by Prof. Wang DB from Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine recruited a total of 20 patients with pathologically-confirmed IPMNs in their study. Axial MDCT images combined with CT angiography (CTA) and multiplanar volume or curved reformations (MPVR or CR) were preoperatively acquired.

17 Sep 2009