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Scientists identify bacterial protein VpsT as master regulator in Vibrio

Finding a biological mechanism much like an online social network, scientists have identified the bacterial protein VpsT as the master regulator in Vibrio, the cause of cholera and other enteric diseases. This discovery, now published in the journal Science, provides a major tool to combat enteric disease.

15 Feb 2010

Calcium waves could be relevant for understanding the origin of Alzheimer's disease

New insights on what causes Alzheimer's disease could arise from a recent discovery made by bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego. The finding concerns the infamous amyloid beta peptides (Aβ)-fragments of which form plaques thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

15 Feb 2010

Negative life experiences can harm developing capacity for love

Do you make the same mistakes in love over and over again? For example, do you always seem to pick the wrong partner or always experience the same negative romantic outcome? If so, you need to understand your developmental history of love and break the pattern, according to Dr. Mark Beitel, a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at Greenwich Hospital's Center for Integrative Medicine in Cos Cob, CT.

15 Feb 2010

Researchers identify defective signaling pathway that contributes to the severity of cystic fibrosis

In a study that could lead to new therapeutic targets for patients with the cystic fibrosis, a research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a defective signaling pathway that contributes to disease severity.

15 Feb 2010

Surgical outcomes for hip and knee replacement better at specialized hospitals

The more specialized a hospital is in orthopedic surgical care, the better the outcomes appear to be for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery, University of Iowa researchers report in a new study of Medicare patients.

15 Feb 2010

Effective smoking cessation treatments

With the national trend toward quitting smoking flat, psychologists are finding some success with treatments aimed at helping smokers from underserved groups, including racial and ethnic minorities and those with psychiatric disorders.

15 Feb 2010

GE Healthcare launches Vscan ultrasound, pocket-sized visualization tool for point-of-care imaging

GE Healthcare today announced the availability of Vscan, a new, pocket-sized visualization tool developed to provide physicians with imaging capabilities at the point-of-care. Roughly the size of a smart phone, Vscan houses powerful, ultra-smart ultrasound technology that provides clinicians with an immediate, non-invasive method to help secure visual information about what is happening inside the body. Vscan is portable and can easily be taken from room to room to be used in many clinical, hospital or primary care settings.

15 Feb 2010

Any new pressure in upper body can signal heart attack

Not everyone who suffers a heart attack clutches their chest and falls to the floor. "I woke up and felt like a pill was stuck in my throat," says Betsy, a 68-year-old patient from Upper Providence. "I was taking antibiotics at the time and really didn't think much of it," she adds. "So I tried drinking water and when the "stuck" feeling didn't go away after 45 minutes, I thought something might be wrong."

15 Feb 2010

12-member medical team from CHOP returns from Port-au-Prince, Haiti

A 12-member medical team from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) returned yesterday after 10 days in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, treating victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

15 Feb 2010

Study shows poor sleep quality increases risk of motor vehicle accidents in adolescents

A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that sleepiness at the wheel and poor sleep quality significantly increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents in adolescents.

15 Feb 2010

Study shows severe OSA suppresses cognitive experience of nightmare recall

A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) report a significantly lower frequency of nightmares than patients with mild or no sleep apnea, indicating that OSA suppresses the cognitive experience of nightmare recall.

15 Feb 2010

SRC-3 gene sends signal to cell membrane to promote cell motility

The master gene called SRC-3 (steroid receptor coactivator 3) not only enhances estrogen-dependent growth of cancer cells by activating and encouraging the transcription of a genetic message into a protein, it also sends a signal to the cell membrane to promote cell motility or movement - a key element of cancer spread or metastasis, said Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) researchers and collaborators in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell.

15 Feb 2010

Plagiocephaly babies need to be screened and monitored early in life for possible cognitive, motor delays

In a new study, infants averaging six months of age who exhibited positional plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) had lower scores than typical infants in observational tests used to evaluate cognitive and motor development. Positional or deformational plagiocephaly may occur when external forces shape an infant's skull while it is still soft and malleable, such as extended time spent lying on a hard surface or in one position. This is the first controlled study to suggest that babies who have flattened areas on the back of their heads during the first year of life may be at risk for developmental delay.

15 Feb 2010

Hypnosis has potential therapeutic value in children with respiratory disorders

Hypnosis has potential therapeutic value in children with respiratory disorders for alleviating symptoms such as habit cough or unexplained sensations of difficulty breathing and for lessening a child's discomfort during medical procedures.

15 Feb 2010

Indian Health Service director Roubideaux: 'We have a lot to teach the country'

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jessica Marcy talks to IHS director Yvette Roubideaux, who knows first-hand the difficulties faced by patients of the Indian Health Service.

15 Feb 2010

Air pollution linked to increased risk of atherosclerosis

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC), in collaboration with international partners in Spain and Switzerland and colleagues in California, have found that exposure to air pollution accelerates the thickening of artery walls that leads to cardiovascular disease.

15 Feb 2010

HSS creates Quality Research Center for applying research methodologies to health-care quality issues

Patients with orthopedic and autoimmune conditions expect Hospital for Special Surgery --because of its leadership role--to deliver the highest quality care. To further accomplish this mission, HSS is announcing the creation of a Quality Research Center with an innovative structure for applying research methodologies to health-care quality issues.

15 Feb 2010

Symposium exploring future of cancer research to be hosted at GUMC

The Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center hosts a symposium exploring the future of cancer research on Feb. 17th at Georgetown University Medical Center. Sponsored by the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, the two-part symposium, "Fighting a Smarter War Against Cancer: Personalized Medicine & the Cure for Cancer," will offer a focus on personalized medicine by bringing together experts in academia, industry and advocacy.

15 Feb 2010

Texas whistle-blowing nurse is acquitted

The New York Times: "A West Texas jury took but an hour Thursday to acquit a nurse who had been charged with a felony after alerting the state medical board that a doctor at her hospital was practicing unsafe medicine. The uncommon prosecution had ignited deep concern among health care workers and advocates for whistle-blowers about a potential chilling effect on the reporting of malpractice.

15 Feb 2010

Researchers discover Dab2 protein that switches on EMT process

Reporting in Nature Cell Biology, researchers describe the discovery of a specific protein called disabled-2 (Dab2) that switches on the process that releases cancer cells from the original tumor and allows the cells to spread and develop into new tumors in other parts of the body.

15 Feb 2010