Medical News

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Regular exercise may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.

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Women in the early stages of Parkinson's disease may find some relief with estrogen replacement therapy.

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A new test can help scuba divers determine their risk of developing brain injury from diving.

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By treating children's sleep disorders, parents may find that their attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) improves as well, according to a new study.

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The biotechnology revolution in medicine has gained remarkable momentum with pharmaceutical companies discovering and developing new therapies that were unimaginable just 20 years ago. The first biotechnology drug was introduced in 1981 and now there are 54 approved medicines helping 60 million patients. But that is just the beginning. A newly-released survey highlights 350 more biotechnology medicines in testing for a host of diseases including cancer, AIDS, heart disease and more, according to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

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University of Pittsburgh researchers have made the unprecedented and totally unexpected finding that localized gene therapy for arthritis produces healing effects on distant joints affected with the disease. Results of this landmark study, conducted in a rabbit model of rheumatoid arthritis, appear in the April 15 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is a major advance in the quest to bring arthritis gene therapy into widespread clinical use.

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Cancer biologists working at Cornell University with forms of leukemia are demonstrating how retinoic acid alters the chemical signals from oncogenes, halting the uncontrolled cell division that produces cancer. It could lead to enhanced therapies for leukemia and also highlights the cancer-prevention role of carotenes.

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Purdue University scientists have unlocked the secrets of a receptor that the common cold virus uses as an entryway to infect human cells. Their findings, detailed in the April 14 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may help slam the door on one of the most troublesome and universal pathogens known to man.

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University of Minnesota biochemists have synthesized a modified form of a crucial blood clotting factor and found it induces clotting much faster than the naturally occurring form of the factor. It could lead to better treatments for hemophilia and better overall control of clotting.

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DALLAS, April 14 -- Researchers have demonstrated in laboratory animals that tumor necrosis factor alpha, a protein produced in the heart, can lead to congestive heart failure. The finding may pave the way for a new treatment for the nation's fastest-growing heart disease. The studies, from two different research teams, appear in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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1) Much of TB Prevalence Attributed to Race and Ethnicity Now Seen as Result of Low Socioeconomic Status, 2) Twins Study in Finland Shows That Presence of Asthma in Successive Generations Due More to Genes than Environment, 3) Asthma Reported to be Increasing in All Ages Not Just Young Males

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Good news for Achilles tendon injuries: a professor of chemistry and materials science at the University of Connecticut has created an artificial tendon out of biodegradable materials that will assist the body in developing a new tendon and shorten the recovery period.

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The links between underwater and space research and possible solutions to a host of neurological problems -- such brain injury, stroke and epilepsy -- will be explored at a Washington, D.C., meeting by the Space and Underwater Neurology Research Group of the World Federation of Neurology. Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) will be the featured speaker.

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Natural vitamin E is retained in humans two times greater than the synthetic form of the supplement, according to a new study published in the April 1998 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AM J Clin Nutr 1998;67:669-84).

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Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers have found that as solid tumors shrink, so do the pores in the blood vessels surrounding the tumors. This prevents some therapies from reaching their targets. The findings, published in the April 14 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest a fundamental change in the approach to designing chemotherapy agents.

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Bacteria in a community called biofilm are often resistant to attack by antibiotics and the immune system. Scientists may have found a way to impair protective biofilm and make it more sensitive to antibiotics.

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A possible antidote to toxic doses of acetaminophen has been discovered by a professor at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus, who who will present his results on April 21 at the Experimental Biology 98 meetings in San Francisco. He has found that a novel grape seed extract (proanthycyanidin), known to have strong antioxidant properties, protects against acetaminophen-caused liver damage.

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April Health News Tips from UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: Take a Bite Out of Scarring, The Neglected Child is an Abused Child, Some Juicy Advice, Beanie Babies' Littlest Fans, New Mothers Should Seek Help if the Blues Darken, Sneak an Exercise Snack

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DALLAS, April 10 -- A new study gives one more reason why you may be better off beginning the morning with a breakfast of low-fat yogurt, cereal or juice instead of toast slathered with margarine or a croissant.

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Researchers at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography have idenified a new inhibitor molecule that is the first to target kinesins, a large and important family of motor proteins that play a central role in intracellular transpor and cell division. The new compound, call adociasulfate-2 (AS-2), is derived from a Haliclona (also called Adocia) species of marine sponge found in the western Pacific.

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A new book from American Psychiatric Press suggests that Joseph Smith, Jr, founder of the Mormon movement, suffered lasting psychological trauma from his brutal leg operations without anesthesia at the age of seven. The psychological impact of that event and of the later death and exhumation of his older brother may be seen in the religious structure Smith founded.

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Four supplements a day may keep the doctor away and promote long-term health, according to a new report released today by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

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When adults become overweight they ofter turn to a familiar tactic -- diet. But a new study by a University of Connecticut researcher indicates that applying typical diet tactics to chilren could inhibit or even stunt their growth.

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While "minimally invasive surgery" helps speed recovery from heart surgery, perhaps the most serious risk in heart surgery comes from a biochemical process known as "complement activation." But in a new study, researchers at the Boston University Medical Center have developed a new method to inhibit complement activation during open heart surgery.

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According to a new analysis, Michigan's strict mammography regulations, enacted in 1989 and beefed up in 1994, improved the quality of mammograms and did not limit access to the cancer-screening procedure. These findings are significant beyond Michigan's borders, because federal mammography standards have been enacted which closely mirror the Michigan model.

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Recognizing the importance of generous intakes of folic acid in the prevention of neural tube birth defects, the Institute of Medicine today released a report urging that women of childbearing age should routinely consume supplemental folic acid.

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Radiologists now have a new diagnostic tool to find cancers in dense breasts, when mammography is not as effective.

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Computers can help mammographers make a more accurate breast cancer diagnosis, according to an international study. The study was presented April 18 at the American College of Radiology's 28th National Conference on Breast Cancer, held in Washington, DC.

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A new study shows that ultrasound is a useful tool in detecting lobular carcinoma, a type of breast cancer that is difficult to see on a mammogram. The results of the study were presented April 18 at the American College of Radiology's 28th National Conference on Breast Cancer, held in Washington DC April 18-21

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Rapid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can effectively determine whether breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body, a Yale University study has found. The results of the pilot study were presented at the American College of Radiology's 28th National Conference on Breast Cancer, held in Washington DC April 18-21.

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Castrated male rats had kidney function as good as female rats in a study at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMC) leading a scientist to link the male hormone tetosterone to the increased rate of high blood pressure and kidney disease in older males. Men, as they age, suffer from high blood pressure and kidney disease more than women.

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American Nurses Association will offer reporters opportunities from Mon., April 27, thru Fri., May 1, to interview registered nurses who serve on the front line of delivering health care to America's children nationwide. How safe from injury and illness are America's children during half their waking hours, spent at school?

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The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven has awarded a $50,000 grant for Bright Beginnings to expand a volunteer-based support program for inner-city women and their babies. Bright Beginnings strives to improve the well being of mothers and infants by mentoring mothers to encourage good health care and parenting.

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An essential step toward preventing iron deficiency is to consume a diet containing plenty of readily-absorbable iron-rich foods such as red meat, poultry or fish.

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The Transplant Learning Center, an innovative program dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for transplant recipients through lifestyle assessment and educational support, was unveiled today by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

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Eating red pulp from Rio Red grapefruit may help prevent prostate, breast and cervix cancers. Parts of Texas A&M University -- the Citrus Center in Weslaco and the Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston -- are studying why the chemical compound lycopene is so high.

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Reducing post-operative pain can be as easy as taking pain medication before surgery. Dr. Allan Gottschalk and his colleagues have found that administering preemptive analgesia in patients prior to surgery decreases pain afterward. Their findings could potentially change the standard of care for some surgical patients.

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DALLAS, April 7 -- Patients at high risk of complications from a surgical procedure which clears blocked blood vessels in the neck were found to be at lower risk of complications when treated with an alternative procedure to prevent stroke.

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DALLAS, April 7 -- Adding progestins to estrogen replacement therapy may weaken some of its beneficial effects in helping women prevent heart attacks, according to a study reported in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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DALLAS, April 7 -- When the heart stops, help is needed immediately. But in many states, legislative barriers that restrict the use of medical devices to re-start the heart may inadvertently lead to thousands of deaths each year, according to a "special report" in today's Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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The combination of an enlarged heart and delays in the heart's electrical activity can be life threatening for people with borderline or mild high blood pressure, but the problem can be corrected with high blood pressure medications, according to a landmark study published in the American Journal of Hypertension.

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Scientists don't know exactly how cancer spreads throughout the body or why some forms of the disease distribute to specific organs, but research conducted at the University of Iowa sheds new light on the mysteries of metastasis.

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When conjoined twins, or what's commonly known as "Siamese twins," are born, it's automatically assumed they should be separated. Right? Wrong, says a Michigan State University medical historian.

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Many believe that once a sex offender, always a sex offender. Not necessarily. According to 61 studies, less than 20 percent of sex offenders are found to have committed another sexual offense. Deviant sexual preferences, criminal lifestyle and dropping out of treatment were the biggest risk factors for reoffending.

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Using a painless new procedure performed in 10 minutes, otolaryngologists at Emory University are restoring a restful night's sleep to habitual snorers and their loved ones.

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Domestic violence reports to police did not increase following a 1994 California mandatory domestic violence reporting law, according to the April issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine. The journal also presents new studies on domestic violence screening, how alcohol abuse history is a strong predictor for acute injury from domestic violence, and the success of a program that increased organ donation referrals by 100 percent.

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University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have found that a new treatment alternative for people suffering from severe asthma attacks is more effective and much less costly than traditional hospital inpatient care. Researchers estimate that the alternative treatment, known as an emergency department observation unit, costs $1,202 per patient compared with $2,247 per patient for inpatient care -- a drop of 47 percent.

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The tiny worm that has become a darling of developmental biologists has revealed a biological function for a mysterious protein that may play a role in the growth of tumors. In the cover article of the April 1 Genes and Development, Yang Shi, HMS associate professor of pathology, reports that the worm's version of the human protein p300 helps cells in the early embryo decide what kind of tissue to become. Shi found that p300 also is critical for determining the number of cells formed in the embryo. His finding validates earlier cell culture experiments on how viral cancer-causing proteins subvert a cell's growth.

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DALLAS, April 3 -- Women and certain other groups of patients who undergo carotid endarterectomy -- a common procedure used to clear blockages in the blood vessels to the brain -- may have a higher risk for death or stroke following the surgery, according to a study in this month's Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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DALLAS, April 3 -- Stroke survivors have the potential to live independent lives into their 80s and 90s just as well as people of the same age and sex who have not had a stroke, according to a study in this month's Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.