Category: Health Problems

People showing virtually no symptoms are likely the primary source of dengue fever, according to new research published in PLOS Pathogens. Nearly 400 million people each year are infected with dengue virus, which is transmitted through mosquitoes. The study estimates that more than 80 percent of dengue virus infections are attributable to individuals with mild

(HealthDay)—Two anti-cancer drugs administered together have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat an inherited form of thyroid cancer. Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib) combined have been approved to treat anaplastic thyroid cancer caused by an abnormal BRAF V600E gene, the agency said Friday in a news release. Anaplastic thyroid cancer

It is not uncommon for people to have a heart attack when the stock market crashes, taking all of their money with it, because people are very attached to money. After all, we all need money to survive these days, that is why financial stress is a big part of our lives. However, studies have

Stress is not the same for everyone, as every person experiences stress in different situations with different trigger points and intensity. Some studies have shown that some level of stress is necessary for people to function, as it helps them feel the pressure which then becomes motivation to perform. However, taking too much stress has

Patients who take osteoporosis drugs for long periods typically are advised to temporarily discontinue the drugs to prevent rare but serious side effects to the jaw and thighs. A Loyola Medicine study has found that 15.4 percent of patients who take so-called “drug holidays” from osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates experienced bone fractures. During a six-year

(HealthDay)—For patients with ocular surface disease (OSD) using prostaglandin analogue monotherapy, a punctal plug improves OSD and reduces intraocular pressure (IOP), according to a study published online April 26 in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology. Justin C. Sherwin, M.B., B.S., from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 150 genetic variations associated with increased risk for breast cancer. Most of these variants are not located in protein-coding gene regions but are assumed to regulate the expression of certain genes. One way to figure out what these variants are doing is to conduct a cis-eQTL analysis.

The urine of kidney disease patients contains a diverse mix of bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, according to a study by researchers at Loyola Medicine and Loyola University Chicago. The bacteria diversity generally was higher among kidney patients who also experienced urinary urgency (sudden, urgent need to urinate). The study findings could lead to

New Zealand prescribers do not always follow guidelines when prescribing other medicines to patients taking simvastatin, according to University of Otago researchers from the Pharmacoepidemiology Research Network. Simvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering drug that is widely used in New Zealand to prevent major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and stroke. However, some medicines can inhibit

A team from the University of Oxford and Cardiff University have used mathematical models to re-enact the complex process of brain development that occurs as initialising cells, otherwise known as progenitor cells, start to grow and begin to differentiate into more specialist cells at various points in time. By applying this experimentally realistic model to

Researchers from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences have characterised a new protein that is important to the genetic stability of cells. It may be significant for the development of new drugs against genetically determined diseases like cancer, sterility and premature ageing. All cell nuclei

By creating multiple types of neurons from stem cells and observing how they interact, Salk scientists have developed a new way to study the connections between brain cells in the lab. Using the technique, which generates a partial model of the brain, the team showed how communication between neurons is altered in people with schizophrenia.

(HealthDay)—Markers of reproductive history, including age of menarche and parity, may be tied to future diabetes risk in women with a body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m², according to a study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Nirmala Pandeya, Ph.D., from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues used data from 126,721 middle-aged

After eight years of failed treatment for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), Janet Szilagyi, 78 of Clayton, New Jersey, became the first patient in the United States to undergo cardiac ablation—a procedure in which an electrophysiologist will scar or destroy tissue in the heart that’s allowing incorrect electrical signals to cause an abnormal heart rhythm—using an

University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have discovered a way turn pluripotent stem cells into atrial cells, which make up the upper chambers, or atria, of the heart. The discovery will enable them to better study atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder also known as AFib, which originates in the heart’s atria. As

A novel PET tracer developed by Korean researchers can visualize joint inflammation and could provide early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, a common autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of joints and can lead to deformity and dysfunction. The study is reported in the featured basic science article in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine‘s May issue.

A WSU research team is bringing together natural medical cures with modern biomedical devices in hopes of bringing about better health outcomes for people with bone diseases. In this first-ever effort, the team improved bone-growing capabilities on 3D-printed, ceramic bone scaffolds by 30-45 percent when coated with curcumin, a compound found in the spice, turmeric.

One major hallmark of cancer cells is their ability to adapt to stressful conditions such as nutrient deprivation. Rapidly growing tumor cells must compete for the ever-diminishing supply of nutrients in the surrounding environment to survive and proliferate. Targeting these adaptive mechanisms represents a promising approach for cancer therapeutics. Sanford Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP)

As the brain grows and develops, nerve cells must make connections between one another in order to function properly. Brain cells are tightly packed together, so each cell might touch hundreds or thousands of other cells, and yet those cells only make stable and strong connections with a fraction of those neighboring cells. Researchers have

California health officials say about 100 people statewide have contracted norovirus in the past week after eating raw oysters from British Columbia, Canada. The state Department of Health issued a warning Wednesday about the possible risk of illness from consuming oysters harvested in south and central Baynes Sound. Canada has reported more than 170 cases