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IDOM researchers overturn textbook view of liver metabolism

A team led by researchers from the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (IDOM) at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, has overturned a "textbook" view of what the body does after a meal.

22 Feb 2012

DANSR/FORTE assay more effective in diagnosing Edwards and Down syndrome

Using a noninvasive test on maternal blood that deploys a novel biochemical assay and a new algorithm for analysis, scientists can detect, with a high degree of accuracy, the risk that a fetus has the chromosomal abnormalities that cause Down syndrome and a genetic disorder known as Edwards syndrome.

22 Feb 2012

Key regulator of lens development also controls mechanosensory neuron development

A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have now discovered.

22 Feb 2012

Fructose may not be to blame for obesity

Is fructose being unfairly blamed for the obesity epidemic? Or do we just eat and drink too many calories? Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital reviewed more than 40 published studies on whether the fructose molecule itself causes weight gain.

22 Feb 2012

Promising antibiotic alternative to fight bacteria that causes strep throat

Researchers have discovered a promising alternative to common antibiotics used to fight the bacteria that causes strep throat. In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists discussed how their discovery could fight the infection with a reduced risk of antibiotic resistance.

22 Feb 2012

Weight gain or loss may also depend on medicines taken

Weight gain or loss may not always be caused by what you eat or how much you exercise. For some, it's the medicines you're taking.

22 Feb 2012

Breastfeeding mother's consumption of caffeine may cause wakefulness and irritability in the baby

Babies are not able to metabolize or excrete caffeine very well, so a breastfeeding mother's consumption of caffeine may lead to caffeine accumulation and symptoms such as wakefulness and irritability, according to an interview with expert Ruth Lawrence, MD, published in Journal of Caffeine Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

22 Feb 2012

Combination of gemcitabine and MRK003 kills pancreatic cancer cells

Cancer Research UK scientists have revealed how a combination of two very different drugs - currently being tested in clinical trials - amplifies the destruction of pancreatic cancer cells, according to research published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, today.

22 Feb 2012

Cedars-Sinai scientist to study potential treatments for AD

A Cedars-Sinai research scientist has been awarded two national grants totaling more than $2.5 million, including a prestigious Research Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health to study potential treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

21 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 21, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports about how the Supreme Court's consideration of the health law could prolong the fight over the sweeping measure.

21 Feb 2012

Internet supplements - one click toward poor performance

Sports Medicine Australia, the peak organisation for professionals in sports medicine and sports science, has urged those considering purchasing performance enhancing products via the internet to think again.

21 Feb 2012

Series of studies on rising obesity rates among kids

New figures show that nearly a quarter of secondary school students are overweight or obese, and lifestyle and socio-economic status are implicated. The research was funded by Cancer Councils around Australia and the National Heart Foundation. A series of articles published in the Medical Journal of Australia draws attention to the challenges presented by overweight and obesity to people in a variety of age groups especially children.

21 Feb 2012

Genomic instability allows malignant cells to acquire more deadly characteristics

Genomic instability caused by an erosion of the protective caps on chromosomes, followed by activation of an enzyme that reinforces those aps, allows malignant cells to evade destruction and acquire more deadly characteristics, researchers report in an Online Now article at the journal Cell.

21 Feb 2012

Verizon to deploy and manage Highmark's new health information exchange

Patients accessing health care services across Pennsylvania will soon benefit from fewer duplicative diagnostic tests, faster retrieval of clinical information, stronger safety measures and better coordination of care – all via a new IT platform that enables the sharing of patient information across multiple health care systems.

21 Feb 2012

Height, mass and collective experience behind winning Rugby World Cup teams

Rugby teams with the tallest backs, heaviest forwards, and greatest amount of collective experience are likely to be the most successful at World Cup level, reveals research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

21 Feb 2012

Nation's top hospitals for emergency medical care

A report released today by HealthGrades, the leading provider of information to help consumers make an informed decision about a physician or hospital, identified the nation's top performing hospital for emergency medical care. The analysis also found large differences in the risk adjusted mortality rates for patients admitted through the Emergency Department, both by hospital and by market area.

21 Feb 2012

New triple-therapies found cost-effective for chronic hepatitis C patients with advanced liver disease

A towering $60,000 bill, a year of fierce, flu-like symptoms and a running risk of depression are among the possible costs of two new hepatitis C treatments. But according to Stanford University health policy researchers, they might be worth it.

21 Feb 2012

Researchers discover identical antibiotic resistant genes in soil bacteria and in pathogens from clinics

Disease-causing bacteria's efforts to resist antibiotics may get help from their distant bacterial relatives that live in the soil, new research at Washington University School of Medicine suggests.

21 Feb 2012

Frailty test for elderly also helps measure transplant candidates

A simple, 10-minute bedside assessment conducted prior to surgery appears to be the best method yet for predicting which kidney transplant patients will do well with their new organs, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

21 Feb 2012

Targeting patient's own dendritic cells may help restore the immune system

Aggressive ovarian tumors begin as malignant cells kept in check by the immune system until, suddenly and unpredictably, they explode into metastatic cancer. New findings from scientists at The Wistar Institute demonstrate that ovarian tumors don't necessarily break "free" of the immune system, rather dendritic cells of the immune system seem to actively support the tumor's escape.

20 Feb 2012