RespiteMatch.com Health Blog

for January 27, 2006
ALSA Funds New Grants with Focus on Gene Discovery
Roberta Friedman, Ph.D., ALSA Research Department Information Coordinator

The ALS Association (ALSA) announces new funding for investigations into possible genetic links to the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). The funds awarded are to investigators recognized as experts in their fields as part of the emphasis that ALSA places on recruiting and retaining such expertise to the goal of treating ALS. ALSA identifies and supports avenues of investigation that are likely to accelerate the pace of new discoveries that will lead to new therapeutics. This ALSA- Read the rest of this entry »

The surprise finding may help pinpoint the cause of the disease
By RICK WEISS
Washington Post

Researchers said Wednesday they have identified a genetic mutation that accounts for more than 20 percent of all cases of Parkinson’s disease in Arabs, North Africans and Jews, a big surprise for a major disease in which genetics was thought to play a relatively minor role. Read the rest of this entry »

The Drugs May Alter the Immune System and Block Inflammation
By DR. RAJESH V. SWAMINATHAN
Jan. 25, 2006 — - Statins, a class of drugs that lower cholesterol, also may lower the risk of major infections, according to a study published in this week’s issue of The Lancet, a British medical journal.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, January 24, 2006
By Daniel J. DeNoon

Eating fish is good for you, but it won’t prevent cancer, according to a new study.

It’s no reason to stop eating fish rich in the important nutrients called omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids cut your risk of heart disease and stroke and aid children’s early mental development. They seem to do many other good things, too. Read the rest of this entry »

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) — Deleting a single gene in the brains of mice caused their memories to be affected in way that resembled schizophrenia in humans, U.S. scientists report.

Before the gene was removed, the mice were trained to use external clues to look for chocolate treats buried in sand. But after being injected with a genetically engineered virus that deleted the NR1 gene, the mice were unable to learn a similar task. Read the rest of this entry »

Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:45 PM GMT
By Karla Gale

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with cystic fibrosis suffer from mucus build-up in the lungs that makes breathing difficult, but investigators now report that salt water can ease the condition.

Long-term inhaled saline with a ‘hypertonic’ salt concentration of 7 percent improves lung function and reduces pulmonary flare-ups in patients with cystic fibrosis, according to a report in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) — Yogurt bacteria may be useful in blocking HIV transmission, providing a cheap and effective way of fighting the virus, Nature magazine said, citing a study by researchers in the U.S. and the U.K.

Lactococcus lactis, a bacterium used to produce cheese and yogurt, was altered genetically by scientists at Brown Medical School in Rhode Island and the U.K.’s Food Research institute to generate cyanovirin, a drug that has been used to stop HIV infection in the cells of monkeys and humans, Nature said on its Web site.
Read the rest of this entry »

MONDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) — Seniors who engage in some form of minimal exercise at least three days a week can cut their risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia by as much as 30 percent to 40 percent, a new study reveals.

Even better, the findings applies to everyone in their later years, not just those already in great physical shape.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:03 PM GMT

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A single genetic change could predispose close to 40 percent of the population to type-2 diabetes, researchers said on Sunday.

The gene, identified in a study of Iceland’s comprehensive genetic records, is carried by 38 percent of the Northern European populations studied, and is also common among African-Americans, the researchers said. Read the rest of this entry »

Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:16 AM ET

By Graciela Flores

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Dogs’ keen sense of smell might help in the early diagnosis of cancer, researchers report in the current issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies. The findings show that trained ordinary household dogs can detect early-stage lung and breast cancers by merely sniffing the breath samples of patients. Read the rest of this entry »

Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) — People suffering from moderate and severe depression are best treated with antidepressants and electroshock therapy regardless of public and professional misgivings, according to a review in tomorrow’s Lancet.

Drugs remain the mainstay of depression therapy and electroshock is still the most effective treatment, particularly with patients who have psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, said Klaus Ebmeier, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of Edinburgh who reviewed the condition over the past five years. Read the rest of this entry »

Trial anti-cancer agent may enhance learning, and animal studies indicate a brain-protecting effect

BY JAMIE TALAN
STAFF WRITER
October 25, 2005

An experimental cancer drug seems to have a surprising effect: It may aid in learning and memory, according to new animal studies.

The finding, reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was so striking that the investigators are already talking to the Food and Drug Administration in an effort to begin human clincal trials. Read the rest of this entry »

Does Ginseng-Based Herbal Weapon Work?
Oct. 25, 2005 — - A ginseng-based cold remedy called COLD-fX (pronounced cold effects) has taken Canada by storm. A recent study says it can help prevent colds, relieve symptoms once you have a cold and cut down the duration of a cold.

The common cold affects most Americans with 1 billion cases expected this year, and some adults average up to six colds per winter.
ABC Medical Contributor Dr. David Katz, a professor of public health at Yale University, joined “Good Morning America” with a reality check on what this latest herbal weapon against colds really means.
Read the rest of this entry »

– Robert Preidt

FRIDAY, Oct. 21 (HealthDay News) — A method of increasing the yield of stem cells that can be harvested from umbilical cord blood has been developed by researchers at the University of Toronto.

This technique may increase the therapeutic use of these stem cells, the researchers said.
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By Kristen Philipkoski
Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,69263,00.html

02:00 AM Oct. 19, 2005 PT

Headlines this week trumpeted a possible solution to the embryonic stem-cell research conundrum. Scientists obtained the cells without destroying embryos, which is the sticking point for most people who oppose the research. Read the rest of this entry »