Exceeding rates observed in previous research, a new study found four out of five sexually active adolescent women infected with human papillomavirus, a virus linked to cervical cancer and genital warts. Darron R. Brown and colleagues of Indiana University School of Medicine studied 60 adolescent women, ages 14 to 17, at three primary care clinics in Indianapolis. They reported their results in the Jan. 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Human papi
Could be target for cancer therapeutics
MA-Researchers have discovered an enzyme that plays an important role in controlling which genes will be turned on or off at any given time in a cell. The novel protein helps orchestrate the patterns of gene activity that determine normal cell function. Their disruption can lead to cancer.
The elusive enzyme, whose presence in cells was suspected but not proven for decades, came to light in the laboratory of Yang Shi, HMS professor o
Dutch researcher Kirsten ten Tusscher has developed a model that can simulate the electrical behaviour of the heart during heart rhythm disorders. One of the things her model revealed is that the electrical activity of the heart during a rhythm disorder is much less chaotic than was originally thought.
Kirsten ten Tusscher first of all made a model that described the electrical behaviour of individual human heart muscle cells. She demonstrated that the behaviour of this model cor
People screened for genetic disorders must have appropriate follow-up and monitoring to avoid stress and anxiety, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC.
Those with a condition may also find it difficult to have their disease diagnosed and treated satisfactorily, and there can be surprisingly little or no access to genetic counselling. These are among the key issues identified in a unique three-year project led by Professor Paul Atkinson of Cardiff University, examining
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)and Imedex, Inc. announced today their collaboration in the promotion of The World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer®, a clinically-focused Congress that has attracted thousands of oncologists and gastroenterologists since its inception in 1999. In a joint statement Paris Kosmidis, MD and President of ESMO, Stefan Terwindt, President of the Congress organizer, Imedex, Inc., Eric Van Cutsem, MD, PhD, and Mario Dicato, MD, Congress co-chairmen, emphas
Ranitidine, a widely used substance used as an antihistaminic drug against gastric ulcers, may become a new treatment for cerebral ischemia caused by craneoencephalic infarcts or traumatisms, the third leading cause of deaths in industrialised countries. In experiments with an model of cerebral ischemia using rats, a team from the Institute of Neurosciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) has observed how the presence of ranitidine reduces neuronal death by a quarter. The substan
A revolutionary Personal Health Status Monitor for early detection of life threatening cardiac rhythms is just one of the exciting new medical devices set to revolutionise health care on show at the Personalised Health Workshop in Belfast.
In recognition of their expertise in the areas of e-health and sensor technology, researchers at the University of Ulster have been asked by the Information Society Directorate-General for eHealth at the European Commission to organise the 2nd
Individuals with the metabolic syndrome are at risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Although risk factors for this syndrome are known to include obesity, physical inactivity, and genetic factors, the mechanistic role of obesity is not completely understood. In the December 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Iichiro Shimomura and researchers from Osaka University, Japan, show that fat cells of obese mice produce increased levels of toxic o
Researchers have known that mutations in a key gene called parkin are a major cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Now they have discovered a new mechanism by which the parkin gene can be compromised, a finding that they say could lead to new drugs for the disorder.
Andrea Lozano, Senior Scientist at the Toronto Western Research Institute, of University Health Network and Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and colleagues found that the protein produced by a gene calle
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) should be one of the preferred routes for treatment of individuals experiencing mild to moderate depression, according to a new report published by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
Depression has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as one of the largest causes of “disease burden” in the world. It is a deeply distressing condition for sufferers and their family and friends. With depression also having a stro
How to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTI) in the under fives is the focus of the latest issue of EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE.
UTI is common in children. Around 6.3% of girls and 2.4% of boys will be referred with UTIs by the age of five years. Children who are misdiagnosed can either fail to receive appropriate treatment or receive unnecessary treatment and investigation.
Good management involves prompt diagnosis, rapid treatment and the detection of any underlying cause that mi
Previous research has implicated the brain’s opioid system in the development of alcohol-use disorders. New findings indicate that individuals with the G variant of the A118 polymorphism of the OPRM1 gene have greater subjective feelings to alcohol’s effects as well as a greater likelihood of a family history of alcohol-use disorders. Previous research has implicated the brain’s opioid system in the development of alcohol-use disorders. The mu-opioid receptor, which is encoded
An analysis of a sample of Ayurvedic herbal medicine products found that 20 percent contained metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic at levels that could be toxic if taken as directed, according to a study in the December 15 issue of JAMA.
According to background information in the article, approximately 80 percent of India’s one billion population uses Ayurveda, a medical system that originated in India more than 2000 years ago and greatly relies on herbal medicine products
Misdiagnosis of a severely paralyzing disease can now be averted due to a blood test developed by Mayo Clinic researchers and their Japanese collaborators. Often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica (NMO) also causes blindness in many sufferers. The findings of this international collaborative effort appear in the current issue of The Lancet.
The finding will help doctors correctly treat NMO — also known as Devic’s syndrome — sooner and more effectivel
Many women at high risk for breast cancer are foregoing tamoxifen, the first FDA-approved drug for prevention of breast cancer, due to concerns about side effects, increased risk of other cancers, and lack of information, a new study by researchers in Boston shows. The study will be published December 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“While the availability of tamoxifen is a significant advance in breast cancer prevention, it also presents a complicated decision for women
A patient who is technically blind, having suffered damage to the areas of the brain that process visual signals, has been able to react to certain visual signals. The case, described in this week’s online edition of Nature Neuroscience (Nature Neuroscience advance online publication, 12.12.02 at www.nature.com/neuro/) establishes beyond doubt, for the first time, that certain specific ‘visual recognition’ functions are processed in an area of the brain other than those normally associated with v
Feedback
