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Researchers discover new gene mutation associated with Parkinson's

Researchers have discovered a new gene mutation they say causes Parkinson's disease. The mutation was identified in a large Swiss family with Parkinson's disease, using advanced DNA sequencing technology.

16 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Putting good science into practice; shifting hospital costs; finding savings in Mass.

In 2006, researchers published a widely reported study showing that for many patients who had suffered a heart attack more than 24 hours before and had a blocked coronary artery, certain heart procedures, such as balloon angioplasty and the insertion of stents, were no more effective than drugs alone. In 2007, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issued guidelines urging doctors to not use such treatments in those patients.

16 Jul 2011

Researchers discover new gene linked to intellectual disability

A gene linked to intellectual disability was found in a study involving the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) - a discovery that was greatly accelerated by international collaboration and new genetic sequencing technology, which is now being used at CAMH.

15 Jul 2011

ECG results for young athletes prone to misinterpretation

Pediatric cardiologists are prone to misinterpreting electrocardiograms when using the results to determine whether young athletes have heart defects that could make exercising perilous, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. This is the first research to examine the acumen of pediatric cardiologists from several health-care institutions in using ECGs to detect rare heart conditions associated with sudden cardiac death.

15 Jul 2011

Ellipse's MAGEC System can effectively treat children with Early Onset Scoliosis

Ellipse Technologies announced today that preliminary clinical data suggests children with Early Onset Scoliosis (EOS) can be treated safely and effectively without the conventional protocol of repeated surgeries to straighten their growing spine.

15 Jul 2011

Horn of Africa nations risk 'massive famine,' Shah says

The nations in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa "are at risk of 'massive famine,' Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), told the Huffington Post Wednesday."

15 Jul 2011

Study: Bone marrow transplant offers new hope for patients with high-risk leukemia

Bone marrow transplant survival more than doubled in recent years for young, high-risk leukemia patients treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, with patients who lacked genetically matched donors recording the most significant gains. The results are believed to be the best ever reported for leukemia patients who underwent bone marrow transplantation.

15 Jul 2011

Ultrasound can detect risk of psychiatric disorders in premature infants

Infants born prematurely are at risk for injuries to the white and gray matter of the brain that affect cortical development and neural connectivity. Certain forms of these injuries can be detected in the neonatal period using ultrasound, according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers.

15 Jul 2011

Study: Overall awareness about eye health lower among ethnic Americans

The results of recent, comprehensive research supported by Transitions Optical revealed that the majority of Americans are not taking the proper steps to care for the health of their eyes, and that awareness of both short- and long-term effects of UV exposure on vision is remarkably low.

15 Jul 2011

CDC investigators working to understand nodding syndrome among East African children

Nature News examines the work of a CDC team working in South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda to investigate nodding syndrome, "a poorly understood and seemingly growing problem in eastern Africa."

15 Jul 2011

Simple steps can improve malaria prevention

Megan Fotheringham, a public health adviser with the President's Malaria Initiative, describes in a post on USAID's "IMPACTblog" how a program in Kenya worked to improve the successful administration of malaria prevention therapy among pregnant women in the country's Gem District simply by sending to antenatal clinics a memo describing when to administer the treatment.

15 Jul 2011

IOM releases second report on oral health

On July 13, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a second report on oral health, Improving Access to Oral Health Care for Vulnerable and Underserved Populations.

15 Jul 2011

Berks County's Department of Health advises public about possible measles exposure

The state Department of Health is advising the public of a possible case of measles exposure in Morgantown, Berks County.

15 Jul 2011

Seattle Children's inaugurates new center for cancer research

Today, Seattle Children's Research Institute announced the opening of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research.

15 Jul 2011

Longer looks: Penalties for doctors who keep patients waiting

When she makes a doctor's appointment, Cherie Kerr makes it clear that she better not be kept waiting long. She said she usually tries to schedule the first appointment of the day, or the first one after lunch. But if the doctor is going to be late, she insists the staff give her a call -- lest the office be billed for her time in the waiting room.

15 Jul 2011

Partially hydrolysed whey formula does not prevent allergies in high-risk infants

Despite the formula being recommended in public health guidelines set out by the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, the new study, published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found there was no benefit in using hypoallergenic formula to prevent allergies in high-risk infants up to seven years of age, compared to a conventional cow's milk based formula.

15 Jul 2011

Babies have far less ability to recognize rapidly changing images than adults

Babies have far less ability to recognize rapidly changing images than adults, according to research from the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain. The results show that while infants can perceive flicker or movement, they may not be able to identify the individual elements within a moving or changing scene as well as an adult.

15 Jul 2011

Young investigators to receive Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awards

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation will honor five outstanding researchers at the Annual Klerman and Freedman Awards event in New York City.

15 Jul 2011

State roundup: Model insurance brings 'modest' savings

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' alternative quality contract, which Governor Deval Patrick has held up as a potential model for controlling health care costs, produced "modest" savings in its first year while yielding improved quality of care in some areas, according to a new study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Jul 2011

Global health community reacts to CIA's faux vaccine operation in Pakistan

After the Guardian broke the story that the CIA organized a fake vaccination program in Pakistan in an effort to confirm the location of Osama bin Laden and obtain DNA from his family members, several writers and health experts reacted to the situation, noting the possible implications for health.

14 Jul 2011