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Environmental enrichment increases endogenous cell migration, facilitates functional repair

A team of Korean researchers investigated whether "environmental enrichment" can improve the neurobehavioral function of six week-old mice after transplantation of adipose-derived stem cells to treat hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and found that brain repair (neurogenesis) was aided in some animals through exercise-induced fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), a strong pro-angiogenic factor.

28 Mar 2013

Study suggests sex discrimination starts in womb in male-dominated societies

Women in India are more likely to get prenatal care when pregnant with boys, according to groundbreaking research that has implications for girls' health and survival.

28 Mar 2013

Study links genetic variation, wheezing illness to childhood asthma risk

About 90 percent of children with two copies of a common genetic variation and who wheezed when they caught a cold early in life went on to develop asthma by age 6, according to a study to be published March 28 by the New England Journal of Medicine.

28 Mar 2013

Royal Holloway University supports Muscular Dystrophy Campaign

Royal Holloway University, is today giving money generated by its research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

27 Mar 2013

Genetic variants influence childhood obesity, say researchers

Previous research has shown that obesity runs in families, and twin studies suggest that this is largely due to genetic factors, with heritability estimates over 50%.

27 Mar 2013

Academic performance linked to risky health behaviors in children and teens

Academic performance is linked to risky health behaviors in children and teens, reports a new review in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Health risks that can impact academic success include behaviors tracked by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in young people, such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, violence, inappropriate sexual behaviors, and alcohol, drug or tobacco use.

27 Mar 2013

Research indicates vitamin D can control blood-sugar levels in obese youths

Childhood and adolescent obesity rates in the United States have increased dramatically in the past three decades. Being obese puts individuals at greater risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, a disease in which individuals have too much sugar in their blood.

27 Mar 2013

Review article shows sublingual immunotherapy may be useful for allergic rhinitis, asthma

In an examination of a type of treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma that is used in Europe but not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, researchers found moderate strength in the evidence from previous studies to support the use of sublingual immunotherapy for the treatment of these conditions, according to an article in the March 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Mar 2013

U.S. Office of Global Health Diplomacy should lead G20 efforts to ensure global NTD drug coverage

"Because they strike mostly forgotten people living on less than $2 per day, [neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)] have traditionally been thought of as a problem exclusive to low-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa," Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and president and director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, writes in a Foreign Policy opinion piece

27 Mar 2013

USAID reform is moving in right direction

Noting USAID on Wednesday released USAID Forward, "a progress report on its three-year-old reform effort ... which in the words of Administrator Rajiv Shah has the ultimate goal of putting 'ourselves out of business,'" Bill Lane, the director of International Governmental Affairs for Caterpillar, and Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children -- co-presidents of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition -- write in The Hill's "Congress Blog," "We applaud the goals of USAID Forward to modernize and strengthen U.S. development programs, and while every indicator in the report is not perfect, the reforms are moving in the right direction."

27 Mar 2013

Academic medical centers launch ASD sub-registry within ResearchMatch

Each year, only five percent of the estimated 1.5 million children with an autism spectrum disorder in the US participate in clinical research studies. This is in stark contrast to pediatric cancer studies, which have a nearly 90 percent enrollment rate - a rate that has helped advance treatment and outcomes for childhood cancers substantially in the last decade.

27 Mar 2013

CHOP researchers moving closer to personalized medicine for children with cancer

Pediatric researchers, investigating the biology of brain tumors in children, are finding that crucial differences in how the same gene is mutated may call for different treatments.

27 Mar 2013

Bill Gates reflects on visit to Ghana to learn about immunization program

"I arrive in Ghana today to see firsthand why the country's immunization system is working so well and meet the people involved," Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

27 Mar 2013

Researchers find HPV vaccination disparities among low-income females

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of Florida studied health care providers to determine the factors associated with disparities in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among girls, ages 9 to 17, from low-income families.

27 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Rising cost of Tricare; GOP needs to better explain Medicare eligibility age issue; Don't forget adult immunizations

The U.S. government's fiscal predicament has many causes. But if you had to reduce them to one sentence, it might go like this: "Congress responds to the short-term demands of particular groups, not the long-term needs of the nation as a whole."

27 Mar 2013

Long-term care: Expense, emotions part of planning dilemma

The emotional impact of witnessing the decline of a family member or helping to care for one is often the reason people seek coverage for long-term care, people who work in the aging field say (Carrns, 3/25).

27 Mar 2013

Study examines specific form of autism caused by duplication on chromosome 15

Identifying and understanding the combination of factors that leads to autism is an ongoing scientific challenge. This developmental disorder appears in the first three years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

27 Mar 2013

Roundup: Report finds Mass. biotech spending creates jobs; Federal audit calls for N.Y. Medicaid program to repay funds

News outlets report on health care developments in California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Texas.

27 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the challenges of long-term care planning and the startling rise in disability within the United States.

26 Mar 2013

Housing and health: an interview with Hilary Thomson, Senior Investigator Scientist at the UK Medical Research Council

I have been working on this topic for 13 years. Our research programme centres around generating research evidence which can be used in public policy to promote health. This is a broad topic and investigates the potential for investment in socio-economic determinants of health, like housing, transport, welfare, employment etc, to have an impact on health.

26 Mar 2013