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Clinical trial to evaluate IGF-1 in children with SHANK3 deficiency

In an important test of one of the first drugs to target core symptoms of autism, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are undertaking a pilot clinical trial to evaluate insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in children who have SHANK3 deficiency (also known as 22q13 Deletion Syndrome or Phelan-McDermid Syndrome), a known cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

25 Apr 2012

Study sheds light on how stress differently affects women’s hearts

Coronary artery disease continues to be a major cause of death in the U.S., killing hundreds of thousands of people per year. However, this disease burden isn't evenly divided between the sexes; significantly more men than women are diagnosed with coronary artery disease each year. The reasons behind this difference aren't well defined. Though some studies have shown that men's hearts become more constricted than women's during exercise, letting less blood flow through, women are more likely than men to have symptoms of heart trouble after emotional upsets.

25 Apr 2012

Researchers discover how dendritic cells exchange information to amplify immune response

Using a new fluorescent biosensor they developed, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have discovered how a key set of immune cells exchange information during their coordinated assault on invading pathogens.

24 Apr 2012

Collective bargaining agreements mean public employee benefit changes in Conn., Wis.

Collective bargaining agreements are changing health plans in Connecticut and Wisconsin for home care workers, teachers and a police union -- which, if it was not granted an injunction from a judge, would have had to pay new deductibles and copays in Milwaukee.

24 Apr 2012

Text messaging increases flu vaccination coverage in low-income children

A text messaging intervention with education-related messages sent to parents increased influenza vaccination coverage compared with usual care in a traditionally hard-to-reach, low-income, urban, minority population of children and adolescents, although coverage overall remained low, according to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA.

24 Apr 2012

U.K.'s DfID, USAID, others announce commitments to improving water, sanitation worldwide

U.K. International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell on Friday "announced a doubling of the U.K.'s effort to provide clean water and sanitation to the world's poorest countries," the Guardian reports.

24 Apr 2012

Rising food prices affecting efforts to reach MDGs for food, nutrition, World Bank/IMF report says

"Higher global food prices are hampering attempts to hit targets for food and nutrition," and "rates of child and maternal mortality are still 'unacceptably high' -- partly as a result of surging commodity prices," according to the Global Monitoring Report 2012, released by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday in Washington, D.C., the Guardian reports.

24 Apr 2012

Study finds increase in use of emergency CT in pediatric patients with abdominal pain

Computed tomography (CT) utilization in pediatric patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain increased in emergency departments each year between 1999 and 2007, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. The study authors found no corresponding increase in ultrasound use during the same period, despite research supporting it as an important diagnostic tool for assessing pediatric abdominal pain.

24 Apr 2012

Breast cancer survivors who redefine their goals are healthier

A new collaborative study published in Psycho-Oncology by Carsten Wrosch of Concordia University's Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Human Development and Catherine Sabiston of McGill's Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the Health Behaviour and Emotion Lab found that breast cancer survivors who were able to let go of old goals and set new ones showed an improved well-being overall.

24 Apr 2012

Large majorities of older Americans experience gaps in their primary care

Large majorities of older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in their primary care, according to a new national survey, "How Does It Feel? The Older Adult Health Care Experience," released today by the John A. Hartford Foundation.

24 Apr 2012

Preventive treatments can reduce migraine attacks

Research shows that many treatments can help prevent migraine in certain people, yet few people with migraine who are candidates for these preventive treatments actually use them, according to new guidelines issued by the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Myths about women voters; Stopping fake drugs; Medicaid innovation not easy; The war over women

Women vote based on "women's issues," such as abortion rights and contraception. A recent poll of voters in swing states showed that women's top priorities are health care, gas prices, unemployment and the deficit -- in that order -- with "government policies toward contraception" coming in last

24 Apr 2012

Ethiopian immigrant women in Israel more likely to develop obesity

A new study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has found that Ethiopian women who immigrated to Israel gained significant amounts of weight, and some became obese, after integrating local foods into their diet and eating fewer traditional dishes.

24 Apr 2012

Frequent family meals can lead to decreased obesity

"Come and get it!" A phrase historically proclaiming that the communal meal is ready, is heard all too infrequently among contemporary American households, especially as children get older.

24 Apr 2012

Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery now indexed in MEDLINE

The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS) and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) are pleased to announce that Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS), the official journal of the AUGS, has been selected for indexing in MEDLINE, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's (NLM) premier bibliographic database. LWW, part of Wolters Kluwer Health, is the publisher Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery.

24 Apr 2012

Study shows underutilization of epilepsy surgery

Ten years ago, a landmark clinical trial in Canada demonstrated the unequivocal effectiveness of brain surgeries for treating uncontrolled epilepsy, but since then the procedure has not been widely adopted-in fact, it is dramatically underutilized according to a new study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

24 Apr 2012

Mayo Clinic vaccine expert, pediatrician refute 3 common myths about child vaccine safety

In the limited time of an office visit, how can a primary care physician make the case to parents that their child should be vaccinated? During National Infant Immunization Week, a Mayo Clinic vaccine expert and a pediatrician offer suggestions for refuting three of the most common myths about child vaccine safety. Their article, The Clinician's Guide to the Anti-Vaccinationists' Galaxy, is published online this month in the journal Human Immunology.

24 Apr 2012

HDAC6 protein may provide novel target for stress-linked disorders

A cellular protein called HDAC6, newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain, may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

24 Apr 2012

Fun ways for women to get active with 100,000 Acts of Play Challenge

A new survey from the American Cancer Society finds women are 10 percent less likely than men to make time for physical activities they enjoy and that 40 percent of women said they would be more physically active in their free time if it felt less like work and more like play. As a result, the American Cancer Society Choose You movement is calling on women to help close this gap and to discover fun ways to get active with its 100,000 Acts of Play Challenge.

23 Apr 2012

Eating rice helps improve diet and manage weight

Eating white or brown rice helps improve diet and manage weight and other risk factors for disease, according to results from a study presented today at the Experimental Biology 2012 conference, in San Diego, CA.

23 Apr 2012