Category: Health Problems

Olfactory cells may act as ‘Trojan horse,’ carry anticancer therapy to deadly brain tumors

A special type of cell essential to the ability of olfactory neurons to regenerate may be genetically engineered to deliver anticancer therapy to the dangerous brain tumors called glioblastomas. In their report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers describe using olfactory ensheathing cells to deliver an anticancer

Governments to discuss tackling tuberculosis at UN summit

Governments from around the world will gather Wednesday to discuss the persistent scourge of tuberculosis, which last year claimed more lives than any other communicable disease. About 1.3 million people worldwide died of TB in 2017. A further 300,000 people with both HIV and TB died in last year, according to World Health Organization figures

New developments in EEG brain scans could help spot mental disorders early

Patients suffering from mental and neurological disorders, including autism, ADHD and dementia, could benefit from new developments in brain scanning technology, according to a new study published in The Neurodiagnostic Journal. Recent advances in electroencephalography (EEG) technology, which may one day be used to measure brain function throughout a patient’s lifespan, could encourage earlier diagnoses

Total diabetes at 14 percent in U.S. adults for 2013-2016

(HealthDay)—The prevalence of diabetes was 14.0 percent among U.S. adults in 2013 to 2016, with prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes 4.3 percent, according to a September data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. Nicholas D. Mendola, M.P.H., from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of

Does our environment affect the genes in our brains?

Is there a link between differences in IQ test performance and the activity of certain genes? Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have shown that modifications in the structure of a specific gene have a negative impact on individual test performance. This suggests that environmentally induced epigenetic changes to our genetic material have a greater

WHO warns of ‘perfect storm’ for Ebola in eastern Congo

The emergencies chief for the World Health Organization says insecurity, public defiance about vaccinations and political jockeying could create a “perfect storm” leading Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak to spread. Dr. Peter Salama says the response is at a “critical juncture” in eastern North Kivu province, where the outbreak was declared nearly two months ago. Health

Lung inflammation from childhood asthma linked with later anxiety

Persistent lung inflammation may be one possible explanation for why having asthma during childhood increases your risk for developing anxiety later in life, according to Penn State researchers. In a study with mice, researchers found that childhood exposure to allergens was linked with persistent lung inflammation. It was also connected to changes in gene expression

Mortality rate from heart failure higher in women than men

(HealthDay)—Despite decreases in overall heart failure incidence and mortality in ambulatory patients from 2009 to 2014, mortality rates remain higher in women than in men, according to a study recently published in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association. Louise Y. Sun, M.D., from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Canada, and colleagues

Eight of ten people with cancer risk genes don’t know it

Genomic screening of more than 50,000 people shows that more than 80% of those who carry an identifiable genetic risk for breast, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic cancer don’t know it despite frequent interaction with the healthcare system. The findings were published Sept. 21 in the journal JAMA Network Open. In the absence of routine screening,

Even toddlers weigh risks, rewards when making choices

Every day, adults conduct cost-benefit analyses in some form for decisions large and small, economic and personal: Bring a lunch or go out? Buy or rent? Remain single or start a family? All are balances of risk and reward. According to psychologists, infants weigh risks and rewards, too, but appear to boil down their decision-making

New method improves temperature imaging accuracy in fat-containing tissues

A research team led by Prof. Zheng Hairong from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a dual-step iterative temperature estimation (DITE) method for fat-referenced PRFS temperature imaging in fat-containing tissues. Magnetic resonance thermometry (MRT) is the only imaging technique that noninvasively provides temperature distribution in vivo. The