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Rotavirus infects certain blood types

Whether you become infected by some strains of rotavirus may depend on your blood type.

16 Apr 2012

High blood sugar in combination with high insulin levels causes fatty deposits in the heart

The impaired substrate metabolism of diabetes patients is often expressed in an increase in fatty deposits in the cells of the heart muscle. Until now, the exact cause of this was unknown. Now, researchers at the MedUni Vienna in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism of MedUni Vienna in cooperation with the MR Centre of Excellence Vienna have shown that high blood sugar in combination with high levels of insulin - not an influx of fats - results in such deposits within a few hours.

16 Apr 2012

Neurological symptoms due to a bump on the head should not be ignored

When Dr. Irene Gatti de Leon slipped on the ice and bumped her head, she wasn't too concerned. But two months later, she began to experience weakness in her right leg and right arm while she and her husband were visiting their daughter in suburban Chicago.

16 Apr 2012

Panel discussion on personalized medicine at USciences

Advances in fields such as genetics and genomics have created new opportunities for personalized medicine applications in clinical practice and the healthcare delivery. This integration raises important questions about how personalized medicine can best help patients without increasing costs and improving health outcomes.

16 Apr 2012

Changes in thromboxane synthase may lead to hypertension in women with preeclampsia

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that changes in the gene expression of a key enzyme may contribute to high blood pressure and increase susceptibility to forming blood clots in pregnant women with preeclampsia.

16 Apr 2012

DEP exposure suppresses function of phagocytic immune cells

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Stephan Schwander, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - School of Public Health (UMDNJ-SPH), has determined a possible link between exposure to a common component of urban air pollution and a change in the function of important immune cells that protect against the bacteria that cause tuberculosis.

16 Apr 2012

Link between phthalates and risk of diabetes among seniors

There is a connection between phthalates found in cosmetics and plastics and the risk of developing diabetes among seniors. Even at a modest increase in circulating phthalate levels, the risk of diabetes is doubled. This conclusion is drawn by researchers at Uppsala University in a study published in the journal Diabetes Care.

16 Apr 2012

Scientists identify which T. gondii strains are linked with severe illness in U.S. infants

Scientists have identified which strains of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, the cause of toxoplasmosis, are most strongly associated with premature births and severe birth defects in the United States.

16 Apr 2012

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and are disproportionately prone to obesity and the related problems of high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers conducted a 24-month trial of more than 300 low-income, obese patients from various Boston community health centers, randomizing participants "to usual care or a behavioral intervention that promoted weight loss and hypertension self-management using eHealth components. The intervention included tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring, and skills training, available via a website or interactive voice response."

16 Apr 2012

The key to treating AML may lie within FTL3 gene mutations

The key to treating one of the most common types of human leukemia may lie within mutations in a gene called FLT3, according to new research led by physician-scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

16 Apr 2012

Study reveals genetic predictors of bone health and osteoporosis

An international consortium of researchers have identified a group of genes associated with the development of osteoporosis, a debilitating bone disease that cripples more than 10 million Americans a year and costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $17 billion annually.

16 Apr 2012

Researchers discover new class of molecular mutation in breast cancer

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a new class of molecular mutation in various forms of breast cancer, a finding that may shed new light on development and growth of different types of breast tumors. Called fusion transcripts, the mutated forms of RNA may also provide a way to identify tumor subtypes and offer new strategies to treat them, investigators say.

16 Apr 2012

New technique could help improve prognosis of patients with brain cancers

Like special-forces troops laser-tagging targets for a bomber pilot, tiny particles that can be imaged three different ways at once have enabled Stanford University School of Medicine scientists to remove brain tumors from mice with unprecedented accuracy.

16 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Politics distorting views of the health system; US is more efficient than most people think

If health insurers can keep denying coverage to anyone, millions of Americans could be left to fend for themselves in a system that openly discriminates against the sick and leaves many destitute.

16 Apr 2012

Europe's largest hypertension conference to take place in London

Europe's largest hypertension conference, the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) will take place in London, UK, from April 26 to 29, 2012.

16 Apr 2012

Targeting glucagon's sweetening effect may treat type II diabetes

Maintaining the right level of sugar in the blood is the responsibility not only of insulin, which removes glucose, but also of a hormone called glucagon, which adds glucose.

16 Apr 2012

Ovarian cancer screening may not be needed on routine basis for all women says panel

In its latest review since 2004 of the benefits and harms of ovarian cancer screening, the United States Preventive Services Task Force found no new evidence to support routine screening.

12 Apr 2012

Over-the-counter insect bite remedies not very effective

Research suggests that most victims of home-bred midges, mosquitoes, flies, bedbugs and fleas will get better without any treatment at all. The review in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB), which offers impartial advice to doctors, admits that getting bitten may be horribly uncomfortable but there is little evidence that over-the-counter remedies work. Putting a cold compress to relieve pain and swelling could be a better option say researchers. Medical help should clearly be sought if serious symptoms, such as infections or anaphylactic shock, developed the DTB added.

12 Apr 2012

Niceness is gene deep

Researchers at the University of Buffalo and University of California, Irvine, found a connection between people being nice and versions of receptor genes for two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, that have been associated with niceness in past studies.

12 Apr 2012