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Scientists identify proteins in mice that might act as biomarkers for growth hormone

Ohio University scientists have identified several proteins in mice that might act as biomarkers for growth hormone. The research could be the first step to finding a more reliable way to detect recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), which some athletes and teenagers use illegally to boost muscle and reduce fat.

17 Jun 2008

High blood pressure: only systolic blood pressure matters for patients over fifty

Measuring and diagnosis of high blood pressure (hypertension) should be done using systolic blood pressure only in patients aged over 50 years, rather than using both systolic and diastolic as is current practice. The proposal is put forward by three hypertension experts in a Viewpoint published early Online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet. All three experts are attending this week's International Society of Hypertension meeting in Berlin.

17 Jun 2008

Cephalopod research helps show how our brains store and recall memory

Research on octopuses has shed new light on how our brains store and recall memory, says Dr. Benny Hochner of the Department of Neurobiology at the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

17 Jun 2008

Like father like son - history of heart attacks in the family

Scientists know that heredity plays an important role in causing heart attacks. However the exact genetic mechanisms that transmit the risk of heart attacks from generation to generation still elude them.

17 Jun 2008

New approach for assessing and managing patients with sepsis

Each year over a million people suffer from sepsis, a condition caused by an infection spreading through the body. If sepsis develops into severe sepsis then the death rate can rise to nearly 30 - 50%, equalling the number of deaths caused by a heart attack.

17 Jun 2008

Lower incomes and lower education levels tied to higher death rates after heart attack

Researchers have long suspected that socioeconomic factors like education level and income also might affect survival rates following heart attack.

17 Jun 2008

The 'chicken-and-egg' problem with diabetes and depression

Researchers have long known that type-2 diabetes and depression often go hand in hand. However, it's been unclear which condition develops first in patients who end up with both. Now, a new study led by Johns Hopkins doctors suggests that this chicken-and-egg problem has a dual answer: Patients with depression have an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes, and patients with type-2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing depression.

17 Jun 2008

Radiation therapy prolongs life in men with recurrent prostate cancer

Men whose tumors recur after prostate cancer surgery are three times more likely to survive their disease long term if they undergo radiotherapy within two years of the recurrence. Surprisingly, survival benefits were best in men whose new tumors were growing fastest, according to results of a 'look-back' study of 635 men by Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions researchers reported June 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

17 Jun 2008

Hydroxyurea treatment for sickle cell underused by doctors

Uncertainties about proper use and possible long-term effects of hydroxyurea in the treatment of sickle cell anemia may be wrongly influencing doctors to avoid prescribing it to those in serious need, according to results of a literature review by specialists at Johns Hopkins.

17 Jun 2008

Australian scientists discover digestive super bugs with potential to improve human health

Scientists in Victoria, Australia have made a world-first discovery of thousands of never-before-identified digestive super bugs living inside cows' stomachs, which may lead to environmental, agricultural and human health benefits.

17 Jun 2008

40% of gay men with HIV don't know they are infected

A survey of gay men questioned at gay venues in cities across the UK has found that most of those with undiagnosed HIV infection assumed they were HIV negative. Most of them had previously tested negative and thought they were in the clear. It's feared these men could unknowingly be putting others at risk. These are the findings of a study led by Dr Lisa Williamson at the MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow and published in the journal, AIDS.

17 Jun 2008

Magnetic resonance studies find clear differences between the structures of infectious and non-infectious prions

Infectious proteins known as prions have been identified as the cause of "mad cow" disease (BSE). The culprits are "incorrectly folded" proteins that can "infect" healthy proteins. The molecular bases for such prion diseases are not yet fully understood.

17 Jun 2008

'Benign' malaria found to just as deadly

Australian scientists have found that a strain of malaria previously considered to be 'benign' is actually potentially fatal.

17 Jun 2008

Washington post examines Medicare's 'growing fraud problem'

The Washington Post on Friday examined Medicare's "growing fraud problem and the need to devote more resources to theft prevention." According to the Post, law enforcement officials estimate that health care fraud costs taxpayers more than $60 billion annually.

17 Jun 2008

Washington Post examines growth of employment in health care industry, increased costs

The Washington Post on Friday examined how, although the health care industry in the last 15 last years has "pumped out 4.5 million new jobs" and currently employs 16.5 million U.S. residents, the "nation is still figuring out how to pay for it" (Marr, Washington Post, 6/13).

17 Jun 2008

American Medical Association members say 'secret shoppers' should not be used to gauge quality at physicians' offices

Using "secret shoppers" to evaluate the way physicians manage relationships with patients could get in the way of providing needed care to actual patients, according to more than 12 doctors who testified before an American Medical Association panel, the Chicago Tribune reports. AMA on Sunday held its annual House of Delegates meeting in Chicago.

17 Jun 2008

Massachusetts health insurance law of 2006 working, but challenges lie ahead, NYT editorial states

The "real test" of the 2006 Massachusetts health insurance law will come this year when higher penalties are levied on those who remain uninsured and the state determines "whether coverage can really be made mandatory without sparking political resistance," the New York Times writes in an editorial.

17 Jun 2008

Global Fund multimedia exhibit aims to raise awareness, promote support for distribution of antiretrovirals

A multimedia exhibit featuring more than 30 people living with HIV/AIDS and their families that aims to raise awareness about the disease and promote the distribution of no-cost antiretroviral treatment is scheduled to open Saturday in Washington, D.C., Roll Call reports.

17 Jun 2008

Some Northern California colleges banning campus blood drives because of FDA's policy barring MSM

Some colleges in Northern California have banned campus blood drives, saying that FDA's lifetime ban on donations from men who have had sex with men violates the schools' nondiscrimination policies, NPR's "All Things Considered" reports.

17 Jun 2008

HIV/AIDS advocates petition Sen. Reid to override Sen. Coburn's block on PEPFAR reauthorization bills

In a petition generated by MoveOn.org recently presented to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), advocates asked him to override seven Republican senators, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who are blocking a vote on measures (HR 5501, S 2731) aimed at reauthorizing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, CQ Today reports. More than 15,000 people have signed the petition, according to CQ Today (Graham-Silverman, CQ Today, 6/13).

17 Jun 2008

Research News and Research

Scientists identify proteins in mice that might act as biomarkers for growth hormone

High blood pressure: only systolic blood pressure matters for patients over fifty

Cephalopod research helps show how our brains store and recall memory

Like father like son - history of heart attacks in the family

New approach for assessing and managing patients with sepsis

Lower incomes and lower education levels tied to higher death rates after heart attack

The 'chicken-and-egg' problem with diabetes and depression

Radiation therapy prolongs life in men with recurrent prostate cancer

Hydroxyurea treatment for sickle cell underused by doctors

Australian scientists discover digestive super bugs with potential to improve human health

40% of gay men with HIV don't know they are infected

Magnetic resonance studies find clear differences between the structures of infectious and non-infectious prions

'Benign' malaria found to just as deadly

Washington post examines Medicare's 'growing fraud problem'

Washington Post examines growth of employment in health care industry, increased costs

American Medical Association members say 'secret shoppers' should not be used to gauge quality at physicians' offices

Massachusetts health insurance law of 2006 working, but challenges lie ahead, NYT editorial states

Global Fund multimedia exhibit aims to raise awareness, promote support for distribution of antiretrovirals

Some Northern California colleges banning campus blood drives because of FDA's policy barring MSM

HIV/AIDS advocates petition Sen. Reid to override Sen. Coburn's block on PEPFAR reauthorization bills

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