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Researcher identifies key to macular degeneration progression

Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati UK HealthCare physician and Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, announced a discovery by his research team that will impact how physicians and patients approach treatment for macular degeneration.

7 Feb 2006

Pollution may increase heart attack risk for obese

A University of Alberta researcher believes obese humans face same dangers from diesel exhaust and coal emissions.

7 Feb 2006

Mad cow proteins also maintain stem cells

What do mad cow disease and stem cell research have in common? Whitehead Institute scientists have found that the same protein that causes neurodegenerative conditions such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) is also important for helping certain adult stem cells maintain themselves.

7 Feb 2006

Infant transplant patients resist infections that kill adult AIDS patients - possible new treatments for debilitating diseases

Investigators have discovered that some type of protective system goes into action in some cases when a baby's immune system is deficient.

7 Feb 2006

CT enteroclysis should replace conventional enteroclysis in patients with Crohn's disease

The diagnostic value of CT enteroclysis is superior to conventional enteroclysis, previously considered the gold standard, as an imaging method for the evaluation of the small bowel in patients with Crohn's disease, a new study shows.

7 Feb 2006

Improving access to STI diagnosis and treatment services must be a public health priority at all levels

The 48 hour access target for all sexual health clinics will be impossible to meet on the basis of current evidence, claims an editorial in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

7 Feb 2006

Common cardiac sodium channel variant associated with sudden infant death in African Americans

Steve A.N. Goldstein and colleagues from the Pritzker School of Medicine in Chicago have found that a specific mutation, called S1103Y, in a heart protein known as SCN5A is associated with a dramatic, 24-fold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in African American infants.

7 Feb 2006

Eosinophilic esophagitis gene discovery

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have discovered the first gene associated with eosinophilic esophagitis, one of a number of eosinophil-related diseases in which the body produces abnormally large amounts of white blood cells that can lead to allergy related illnesses.

7 Feb 2006

Two-drug treatment could help asthma and chronic bronchitis sufferers

Current treatments for asthma and chronic bronchitis aren't able to address the ultimate source of the problem--they can only alleviate symptoms.

7 Feb 2006

Can marriages be saved by treating snoring?

The husband snores. The wife nudges him to flip over. Both wake up feeling grouchy the next morning. It's a common occurrence that may have more of an impact on the marriage than most couples think.

7 Feb 2006

PET imaging has the potential to improve cancer care management

A limitation of current cancer care is the difficulty of quickly assessing how well a therapy is working. However, expanding the use of existing positron emission tomography (PET) technology can provide early and accurate assessment of a tumor's response to a particular therapy allowing physicians to better tailor a patient's treatment

7 Feb 2006

miRNA emerge as a class of gene regulators

Scientists have discovered that a wide variety of different cancers actually share something in common - a molecular "signature" made up of tiny bits of genetic material called microRNA (miRNA) that target key cancer genes and promote malignant growth.

7 Feb 2006

Pain sensitivity is enhanced when people are thirsty

Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered how the brain prioritises pain and thirst in order to survive - a mechanism that helps elite athletes to 'push through the pain barrier'.

7 Feb 2006

Babies fully breastfed for six months less likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses

Babies fully breastfed for six months are less likely to suffer from respiratory illnesses in their first two years than babies fully breastfed for only four months, according to research conducted by investigators at UC Davis Children's Hospital, the University of Rochester and the American Academy of Pediatrics, Center for Child Health Research.

7 Feb 2006

Chronic disease is becoming a major focus in health care

More funding, increased workforce resources and further reform of the health system are needed if the national chronic disease strategy is going to deliver better care to patients suffering from diseases such as diabetes, asthma and cancer, according to an international primary health expert.

7 Feb 2006

Link between dementia and cancer

By expressing a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease in the brain of the fruit fly, researchers have demonstrated an intriguing link between neuronal death and proteins previously associated with cancer.

7 Feb 2006

New insight into one of the fundamental features of evolution

By experimentally promoting rapid, small-scale evolution within a lab population of yeast, researchers have shed light on the kinds of genetic changes that may underlie the emergence of new species.

7 Feb 2006

Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with metabolic syndrome

Nearly 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors placing them at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

7 Feb 2006

Soy's cardiovascular benefits may have been overestimated

Many soy food products carry health claims stating that they reduce the risk of heart disease. A review of the evidence, however, suggests that soy's cardiovascular benefits may have been overestimated by the early studies that formed the basis for its health claim.

7 Feb 2006

Diet rich in whole-grain foods may lower heart disease risk in elderly people

With the recent revision of the Food Guide Pyramid, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans have for the first time provided the public with a quantitative recommendation for whole-grain intake.

7 Feb 2006