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No specific antiretroviral drug-related "Crix belly" syndrome

Contrary to the concerns of many HIV-infected patients, there appears to be no specific antiretroviral drug-related "syndrome" of changes in body fat distribution in men wherein leg and arm fat decrease as belly fat increases, reports a study in the October issue of Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS).

28 Sep 2005

Phytoestrogens linked with a lower lung cancer risk

A diet higher in plant-derived compounds known as phytoestrogens is linked with a lower lung cancer risk, according to a study in the current issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

27 Sep 2005

Possible therapy that could control blood pressure

A newly developed virus that introduces a blood pressure-lowering gene into cells and enables that gene to maintain blood pressure at healthy levels for four months promises to take gene therapy for the disorder a step closer to reality, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report released online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

27 Sep 2005

48 percent of adults in the U.S. have inadequate health literacy

Health problems that place limitations on daily activities and result in pain that interferes with normal work activities were more common among older individuals with poor health literacy, according to a study in the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

27 Sep 2005

Gene responsible for Neuralgic Amyotrophy identified

Neuralgic Amyotrophy is a painful disorder of the peripheral nervous system. This heritable disease causes prolonged acute attacks of pain in the shoulder or arm, followed by temporary paralysis.

27 Sep 2005

New method to measure circadian cycles

Everyone knows morning people and late-night owls. The variation in individual circadian rhythms is an anecdotal as well as experimentally verified fact. But, until now, to systematically study circadian differences (and thereby hope to rout out the underlying genetic causes), scientists have had to rely on prolonged behavioural observation.

27 Sep 2005

Pulsing heart cell provides clues into how heart disease develops

A pulsing heart cell is giving Oregon Health & Science University researchers insight into how it sends and receives signals, and that's providing clues into how heart disease and other disorders develop.

27 Sep 2005

Discovery of molecule that causes transverse myelitis

Hopkins researchers have discovered a single molecule that is a cause of an autoimmune disease in the central nervous system, called transverse myelitis (TM), that is related to multiple sclerosis.

26 Sep 2005

Loss of body mass over time appears to be strongly linked to older adults' risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

The findings are the first to associate decline in body mass index (BMI) with the eventual onset of AD. The researchers suggest that the loss of body mass reflects disease processes and that change in BMI might be a clinical predictor of the development of AD.

26 Sep 2005

Tumor formation is generated by a complex interaction of both mechanical as well as chemical signals

The relationship between tissue rigidity and tumor formation is fairly well established; however, what is not so well understood is what happens on a molecular level that contributes to such stiffness.

26 Sep 2005

Simple, fast and effective method of detecting a large number of patients at high risk for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer

One in five women diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer who seek mammography have a family history of cancer that suggests they may harbor known cancer-causing gene mutations.

26 Sep 2005

Left handedness may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer

Researchers in the Netherlands examined the relation between handedness and incidence of breast cancer in over 12,000 healthy, middle aged women born between 1932 and 1941.

26 Sep 2005

Abnormal leakage of lymph fluid from the ruptured lymphatic vessels stimulates the accumulation of fat

Leaky lymphatic vessels are the leading cause of the adult onset obesity observed in a laboratory model developed by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

26 Sep 2005

Notch1 and Jagged1 genes are likely markers indicating a patient's probable aggressive breast cancer

In a new study, scientists at The Hospital for Sick Children and Princess Margaret Hospital have shown that two genes called Notch1 and Jagged1 are linked to more aggressive breast cancers and that patients are less likely to survive the disease when these two genes are highly expressed.

26 Sep 2005

Exposure to hydraulic oil increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis

Occupational exposure to mineral oils, in particular hydraulic or motor oil, increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by 30%. These are the results of a study published today in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

26 Sep 2005

Men who experience a downward social shift are four times more likely to experience depression

Women were twice as likely to be downwardly mobile but generally avoided the depression and poor psychological wellbeing that researchers found in men in the same position.

26 Sep 2005

Daylight savings changes may help extend the life and health of people's teeth and bones

Beginning in 2007, daylight savings time will be extended by almost a month. This additional amount of daylight may also help extend the life and health of people's teeth and bones. That's because vitamin D, also known as the "sunshine vitamin," is made by the body through casual and minimal sun exposure.

26 Sep 2005

Spouses in a poor marriage are more likely to be stressed during the workday

...a finding that could mean a greater likelihood of strokes and heart disease for both husband and wife, according to researchers at Brandeis University and University College London.

26 Sep 2005

Downward mobility hits men far harder than women

The findings are based on survey responses from 503 men and women taking part in the Newcastle Thousand Families Study, all of whom were born in May and June 1947 to mothers living in Newcastle upon Tyne, north east England.

26 Sep 2005

Increased ovarian cancer risk not linked to cancer family history

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer but who don't have breast cancer genetic mutations can now be reassured that they are not at increased risk for ovarian cancer, according to a new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

21 Sep 2005