Benefit may be confined primarily to those with certain genetic variants, more research needed
The association between regular aspirin use and a reduced risk of precancerous colon polyps may be strongest in those with particular genetic variants. In the March 16 Journal of the National Cancer Institute, researchers report that aspirin use appears to reduce the incidence of colon polyps more strongly in women with alternative forms of a gene involved in the metabolism of aspirin th
Initial results from an ongoing study evaluating the benefit of prostate cancer screening practices demonstrate that the combined use of both standard tests–the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and the digital rectal exam (DRE)–is optimal for detecting cancer.
The initial results also confirm that the design of the massive study, which will continue until 2019, will indeed allow researchers to determine whether current screening practices reduce death from prostate
Who has made Mama Raja ill? Was it witchcraft, evil spirits, malaria or God’s punishment? Dutch researcher Ien Courtens discovered that in the interior of the Bird’s Head of West Papua, the presumed cause of the illness determines the choice of treatment.
By studying the illness progression of Mama Raja, Courtens discovered how inhabitants of the village of Ayawasi in the interior of the Bird’s Head of West Papua heal illnesses. In her doctoral thesis she unravels
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are seeking people with arthritis to help them better understand how mood– particularly depression– affects their symptoms. The study will investigate the way depression and pain impact on the thinking processes of those with arthritis.
Research psychologist Anthoula Lioni said: “Depression is common in people with arthritis, and arthritis patients are twice as likely to suffer from depression as members of the general population. In addition,
International experts gather in UCD this week (14-16 March 2005)* to discuss medical research into neurodegenerative diseases including the eighth most common cause of death in the developed world ¡V Alzheimer¡¦s Disease.
Alzheimer¡¦s Disease is a degenerative brain disorder that primarily affects older people. It may begin with simple forgetfulness but more advanced symptoms include confusion, language disturbances, personality and behaviour changes and impaired judgment. The d
In search of vegetable preparations for nervous system diseases prophylaxis and treatment Russian researchers have turned to green tea. Specialists of the Kuban State University, the Kuban Research-and-Production Laboratory of Physiologically Active Substances and the Institute of Brain (Russian Academy of Medical Sciences) have discovered that ethanolic extract of green tea stimulates spinal cord neurons’ regeneration.
Spinal ganglia were cultivated in nutrient medium. Dry extract
The University of Manchester has been awarded £6m to open a new biocentre which will revolutionise the way future medicines are produced – making them safer and more effective.
The Manchester Centre for Integrative Systems Biology (MCISB) will pioneer an entirely new approach to biology which will not only help pharmaceutical companies to develop better drugs, but potentially reduce the time it takes to develop them.
The centre will pioneer the development of new technologi
A task-related spasmodic contraction of the muscles of the mouth and jaw, causing involuntary movements of the mouth and lips (oromandibular dystonia), manifesting only during speech as grimacing and sound distortion, has been diagnosed by a research team in Copenhagen, Denmark, and termed “Speaker’s Cramp”.
Symptoms were reduced when the affected muscles were treated with Botox® injections.
Patients rated their speech difficulties on visual analogue scales, and video
Numerous case reports and a few clinical studies have examined the association between tongue piercing and receding gums, and oral piercing, typically involving the tongue and/or the lip, has been associated with periodontal complications. However, there are no such studies on lip piercing.
A research group from the Ohio State University in Columbus recruited, from the community, 29 young adults with lip piercing (mean age, 21 years, 8 months; 15 females) and 29 without (mean a
After infecting a susceptible cell, the human immunodeficiency virus hijacks that cell’s normal machinery to produce carbon copies of itself. New HIV particles roll off the cellular assembly lines, burst like bubbles out of the cell, and float off to invade other cellular factories. Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have now identified an early step in HIV particle assembly. The findings, published March 11 in Cell, could lead to new drugs that combat HIV infection by shutt
Weight status of children ages 8 to 15 predicts obesity and high blood pressure in adulthood
New research shows that children between 8 and 15 years old who are in the upper half of the normal weight range are more likely than their leaner peers to become obese or overweight as young adults. This research was conducted over nearly a decade at the Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention and Children’s Hospital Bos
A new study by Tulane University researchers, published in the March edition of Molecular Endocrinology, provides insight into one of the ways diethylstilbesterol (DES) may alter the development of the uterus.
DES, a synthetic estrogen, was prescribed to prevent miscarriage in many women who were pregnant between 1941 until 1971. In 1971, DES was banned in the United States due to concerns about the occurrence of cancer and infertility in the daughters of women who took it.
Increasing ventilation within aircraft cabins can reduce the spread of infectious diseases in-flight, suggests a review published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.
Mark Gendreau (Lahey Clinic Medical Centre, MA, USA) and colleagues reviewed data from studies looking at the transmission of diseases during commercial air travel. They found that while commercial airlines are a suitable environment for the spread of pathogens carried by passengers or crew, the environmental cont
Within a year a group of Spanish researchers are planning to market a remote cardiac monitoring system that has the potential to revolutionise healthcare for people with heart problems, granting them greater independence, peace of mind and quality of life.
The system, developed over two years by the IST programme project CardioSmart, will allow patients to “have a doctor by their side 24 hours a day” whether they are at home, in the street or even in another country, according to
A project to study new and innovative ways of diagnosing and treating cancer is underway thanks to a grant of 10.4 million euros from the ’Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health’ thematic area of the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
CANCERDEGRADOME brings together the expertise of 41 scientists from 13 countries who, looking mainly on four of the most prolific types of cancer (breast, prostate, colorectal and skin), will focus on the complement of gen
Could cut use of angiograms and bypass surgery, as well as patient costs
Using positron emission tomography (PET) scanning rather than other types of imaging as the first tool to diagnose heart-vessel blockages is more accurate, less invasive and saves dollars, a study by University at Buffalo researchers has shown. The research findings were presented today (March 8, 2005) at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Orlando, Fla.
Resul
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