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Ion channel acts as powerful ‘brake’ after epileptic seizures

Given that epilepsy impacts more than 2 million Americans, there is a pressing need for new therapies to prevent this disabling neurological disorder. New findings from the neuroscience laboratory of Mark S. Shapiro, Ph.D., at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, published Dec. 20 in the high-impact scientific journal, Neuron, may provide hope.

19 Dec 2012

Numerous treatments exist for cancer-related fatigue, but few doctors recommend them to patients

Many people who have been through cancer and its treatment have trouble with their recovery because of severe, debilitating fatigue that can last for months or even years. But even though a variety of treatments exist for cancer-related fatigue, few doctors are recommending them to patients, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study appearing in Supportive Care in Cancer.

19 Dec 2012

Kids misuse holiday baking ingredients for drug-like effect

Watch your kitchen cupboards this season as thrillseekers look to common holiday baking ingredients for a rise - cinnamon, nutmeg and even marshmallows are the primary ingredient in trendy risky behavior.

19 Dec 2012

No evidence for man flu according to preliminary results from UK Flusurvey

Preliminary results from the first month of the UK Flusurvey run by scientists at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine suggest there is no evidence for “man flu” and reveal that reports of flu-like illness are highest among children.

19 Dec 2012

University of Maryland, Baltimore hosts first national conference on oral and systemic health

By hosting the first national conference on oral and systemic health in Baltimore on Dec. 10, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) took another major step toward true interprofessional health care education, says Jay A. Perman, MD, president of the University.

19 Dec 2012

Health care quality: Hospital readmission rates, innovations in patient care

Modern Healthcare reports on new research that raises questions about the relationship between shorter hospital stays and higher hospital readmission rates.

19 Dec 2012

Medicare issues in play: IPAB, the doc-fix and the eligibility age

News outlets report on how specific Medicare-related proposals and provisions are holding up in the continuing negotiations to avert the so-called fiscal cliff.

19 Dec 2012

Tumor cells manipulate unfolded protein response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.

19 Dec 2012

Documented prevalence of autism on the rise in New Jersey

Newly published research led by Walter Zahorodny, PhD, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), shows that over a four year period in the past decade, the documented prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) rose substantially in a sampling of four New Jersey counties.

19 Dec 2012

Mayo Clinic residents attribute traffic incidents to fatigue and distress

It appears that long, arduous hours in the hospital are causing more than stress and fatigue among doctors-in-training -- they're crashing, or nearly crashing, their cars after work, according to new Mayo Clinic research. Nearly half of the roughly 300 Mayo Clinic residents polled during the course of their residencies reported nearly getting into a motor vehicle crash during their training, and about 11 percent were actually involved in a traffic accident.

19 Dec 2012

More surgeons opting for hospital jobs

General surgeons and surgical subspecialists are opting for hospital employment over private practice, according to a database study published online December 17 in the Archives of Surgery.

19 Dec 2012

Targeting km23-1 protein may slow the spread of cancer cells

The spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting the protein km23-1, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.

19 Dec 2012

Small ceramic indoor cookstoves do not reduce pneumonia incidence among children, study shows

"Small ceramic indoor stoves, such as those sold by women in AIDS self-help groups in Africa, do save fuel and cut down on eye-irritating smoke, a new study has found -- but they do not save children from pneumonia," the New York Times reports.

19 Dec 2012

Study: Purines fend off damage during anesthesia

Anesthesia is quite safe these days. But sometimes putting a patient under to fix one problem, such as heart damage, can harm a different organ, such as a kidney.

19 Dec 2012

EMD Serono's L-BLP25 Phase III NSCLC trial does not meet primary endpoint

EMD Serono, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that the Phase III STARTa trial of its investigational product L-BLP25 (formerly referred to as Stimuvax) in patients with unresectable, locally advanced stage IIIA or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) did not meet its primary endpoint to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in overall survival (OS).

19 Dec 2012

Arthritis, rheumatism and total joint arthroplasty: an interview with Dr Ravi and Dr Hawker

Arthritis translates to “joint inflammation.” The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA), which affects 12-15% of North Americans over the age of 60, and will increase in prevalence as our population ages.

19 Dec 2012

MiR-122 plays a critical role in the life cycle of hepatitis C virus

Hepatitis C virus has evolved to invade and hijack the basic machinery of the human liver cell to ensure its survival and spread. Researchers at the University of North have discovered how hepatitis C binds with and repurposes a basic component of cellular metabolism known as a microRNA to help protect and replicate the virus.

19 Dec 2012