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Study finds no link between BDV and psychiatric illness

Over the past 30 years, numerous studies have linked Borna disease virus (BDV) with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder and dementia. Genetic fragments and antibodies to this RNA virus, which causes behavior disorders in a range of mammals and birds, have been found to be prevalent in psychiatric patients, but study results have been inconsistent. Now, the first blinded, case-control study to examine this issue finds no association between the virus and psychiatric illness.

1 Feb 2012

Crizotinib can treat ROS1-driven tumors

A report from investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center has defined the role of a recently identified gene abnormality in a deadly form of lung cancer. Tumors driven by rearrangements in the ROS1 gene represent 1 to 2 percent of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC), the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.

1 Feb 2012

Vertex receives FDA approval for Kalydeco to treat rare form of CF

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kalydeco (ivacaftor) for the treatment of a rare form of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients ages 6 years and older who have the specific G551D mutation in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) gene.

1 Feb 2012

Pneumonic plague bacteria transform lungs into a playground for microbes to flourish

Among medical mysteries baffling many infectious disease experts is exactly how the deadly pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, goes undetected in the first few day of lung infection, often until it's too late for medical treatment.

1 Feb 2012

Exercise training can combat depressive symptoms in patients with chronic illness

Combat feelings of sadness that often accompany chronic illness with a good work-out, say University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers in a study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

1 Feb 2012

Diet soft drink consumption may increase risk of vascular events

Individuals who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increased risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death. This is according to a new study by Hannah Gardener and her colleagues from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at Columbia University Medical Center.

1 Feb 2012

Roundtable discusses importance and potential benefits of palliative care in the ICU

If you think palliative care and the ICU don't go together, think again. The importance and potential benefits of palliative care to ease suffering and improve quality of life for patients being treated in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) has received increasing recognition but is not without significant challenges, as discussed in a Roundtable discussion in Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

1 Feb 2012

Fluorescence microscopy reveals 3-D picture of myoV's transport capacity

A new study in the Journal of General Physiology uses state-of-the-art fluorescence microscopy to provide a striking 3-D picture of how class V myosins (myoV) "walk" along their actin track.

1 Feb 2012

Link between maternal nurturing and size of hippocampus in healthy children

School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress. The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children's brain anatomy are linked to a mother's nurturing.

31 Jan 2012

Gottlieb to open new health center in the near west suburbs

Gottlieb Memorial Hospital is opening a new health center designed around the needs of patients in the near west suburbs. The Gottlieb Center for Immediate Care at River Forest, 7617 W. North Ave., is part of the Loyola University Health System. Physicians from both the Loyola Maywood and the Gottlieb Melrose Park campuses will together care for patients at the nearly 10,000 square-foot new facility.

31 Jan 2012

Small molecules at the cell’s membrane enable cell movement

Cell biologists at Johns Hopkins have identified key steps in how certain molecules alter a cell’s skeletal shape and drive the cell’s movement.

31 Jan 2012

Breast cancer survivors use at-home method to prep their breasts for reconstruction

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center is the first hospital in the New York metro area to offer breast cancer survivors an at-home method for tissue expansion in preparation for breast reconstruction surgery. Patients use a remote control to gradually create a space within their chest wall for a breast implant.

31 Jan 2012

e-health technology slashes hospital prescribing errors

Medication prescribing errors can be reduced by as much as 66 percent with the introduction of electronic prescribing technology in hospitals, new Australia-first research has found.

31 Jan 2012

FDA faces legal attack over alleged spying on whistleblowers

A latest lawsuit filed in federal court has accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of electronically spying on whistleblowers who alerted the Obama administration and Congress of alleged misconduct in the agency, particularly relating to what they claim was the push to approve unsafe and ineffective medical devices.

31 Jan 2012

Oral HPV infection more common in men than women: Study

According to a new US study, oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is more common among men than women, leading to an increased risk for men of head and neck cancers. HPV causes the majority of cervical cancers, as well as genital and anal - and head and neck cancers.

31 Jan 2012

IFT's fifth Wellness conference to be held March 28-29, 2012

IFT will be hosting the fifth Wellness conference March 28th and 29th. The conference will offer attendees a unique blend of unbiased perspectives, news about emerging trends, and information on how organizations within the food industry are penetrating the health and wellness sector.

31 Jan 2012

Wolters Kluwer Health, Laerdal Medical announce product and distribution alliance

Laerdal Medical and Wolters Kluwer Health announced today a product and distribution alliance that will transform healthcare education.

From Laerdal 31 Jan 2012

NAET safe and effective in treating children with allergy-related autism

Researchers at the NAET Autism Treatment Center in Buena Park, CA, hypothesized that major contributors to the development and symptoms of autism include food and nutrient sensitivities. They applied NAET, a combination of a special form of acupressure and kinesiology, to desensitize subjects to multiple allergens as a way to treat symptoms of autism.

31 Jan 2012

New HIS guidelines to minimize surgical infections in day centers, primary care

New guidelines from the Healthcare Infection Society (HIS) aimed at minimising surgical infection in day centers and primary care are now published in the Journal of Hospital Infection.

31 Jan 2012

Anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine shows promise against DCIS

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report that a short course of vaccination with an anti-HER2 dendritic cell vaccine made partly from the patient's own cells triggers a complete tumor eradication in nearly 20 percent of women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early breast cancer.

31 Jan 2012