Health News Today

A growth hormone that had shown some promise for treating people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) showed no benefit in a new study published in the November 25, 2008, issue of Neurology?®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Two previous, shorter studies using growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, to treat ALS had conflicting results. A North American study found that the drug was beneficial, while a European study found no benefit. The current two-year study found that IGF-1 does not slow the progression of weakness in the disease. ALS, also called Lou Gehrig??™s disease, is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes muscles to weaken and eventually deteriorate. »»»

Women are more likely than men to be hospitalized for chest pain for which doctors cannot find a cause, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2006, there were 477,000 admissions of women to U.S. community hospitals for unspecified chest pain compared with 379,000 admissions for men. Unspecified chest pain is usually characterized by a feeling of pressure, burning, or numbness. Although it is not clear why women receive this diagnosis more than men, there is some evidence that heart disease develops differently in women than men and that symptoms may be different. Medical experts believe that physicians may not always be aware of this gender difference. The federal agency also found that men were more likely to be hospitalized for heart disease or heart attacks than were women in 2006. Specifically:  »»»

According to new research conducted at Nationwide Children??™s Hospital, the burden of illness in children suffering from constipation, and the costs associated with this condition, are roughly of the same magnitude as those for asthma and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These findings are a result of a study involving gastroenterologists and researchers at Nationwide Children??™s to estimate the health care utilization and cost for children with constipation in the United States. The study, available online at PubMed.gov, is slated for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics in early 2009. Using a nationally representative survey, clinicians and researchers analyzed data of children under 18 years of age who were diagnosed with constipation or prescribed a laxative over two-consecutive years (2003 and 2004). Results showed that children with constipation used more health services than children without the condition, amounting to an additional cost of $3.9 billion each year for children with constipation. Despite this amplified cost impact and its prevalence during childhood, constipation has not received the amount of attention in public health campaigns that similarly occurring asthma and ADHD have.  »»»

(University of Utah) Sandcastle worms live in intertidal surf, building sturdy tube-shaped homes from bits of sand and shell and their own natural glue. University of Utah bioengineers have made a synthetic version of this seaworthy superglue, and hope it will be used within several years to repair shattered bones in knees, other joints and the face. »»»

(Research Australia) Weight and appetite experts from around the world met at a conference in Bangkok earlier this year to discuss sex differences in obesity. One line of discussion looked at factors leading to women's weight gain during menopause, and how it might be avoided. »»»

(Research Australia) It was announced on Friday that Garvan endocrinologist and Ph.D. student, Dr. Sue Lynn Lau, had won the Graduate Student category of the AAAS Science "Dance your Ph.D." contest. See her winning entry on YouTube. »»»

(IOS Press) A study published in the November issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests the reliability of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale -- Cognitive may vary and possess the ability to affect clinical trial outcomes. »»»

(Family Health International) Three conclusive studies have shown that becoming circumcised dramatically reduces a man's chances of acquiring HIV from an infected woman. Family Health International has received a five-year, US$18.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation to establish the Male Circumcision Consortium, a partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago and EngenderHealth. See http://www.fhi.org/en/AboutFHI/Media/081124_male_circumcision_consortium.htm »»»

(Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) A single hit on the head by the termite Termes panamensis (Snyder), which possesses the fastest mandible strike ever recorded, is sufficient to kill a would-be nest invader »»»

(Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a drop in blood potassium levels caused by diuretics commonly prescribed for high blood pressure could be the reason why people on those drugs are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The drugs helpfully accelerate loss of fluids, but also deplete important chemicals, including potassium, so that those who take them are generally advised to eat bananas and other potassium-rich foods to counteract the effect. »»»

(Wiley-Blackwell) A new study finds that youth populations with sickle cell disease are receiving inadequate health care, and thus may fail to benefit from scientific advances. The study, published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer, finds that the patients, mostly African-Americans, often lack insurance or access to specialized sickle cell centers for treatment. »»»

(University of Washington) For the first time the mammalian retina has now shown the capacity to regenerate new neurons after damage. This research in mice shows that at least some types of retinal damage can be repaired. The loss of neurons in the retina in people in conditions like glaucoma or macular degeneration leads to visual loss and blindness. This new research shows there might someday be a way to restore vision in people with these conditions. »»»

(University of Florida) The vacancy sign is on, but the lowlifes who check in never check out. »»»

(Massachusetts General Hospital) Lining the upper portion of the small intestine with an impermeable sleeve led to both weight loss and restoration of normal glucose metabolism in an animal model of obesity-induced diabetes. Investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center and Gastrointestinal Unit report in the journal Obesity that the procedure reproducing several aspects of gastric bypass surgery led to a significant reduction in the animals' food intake and a resolution of diabetes symptoms. »»»

(University of Southern California) Female flies can turn back the biological clock and extend their lifespan at the same time, USC biologists report. Study casts doubt on the old notion of a trade off between reproduction and longevity. »»»

(University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) A new species of bacterium that causes leprosy has been identified through intensive genetic analysis of a pair of lethal infections, a research team reports in the December issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology. »»»

(Infectious Diseases Society of America) The majority of the one million-plus people in this country living with HIV are uninsured or rely on public programs for care. As the economy worsens, and the number of people diagnosed rises, the strain on publicly funded programs will only grow. In fact, one in five people with HIV do not yet know they are infected. Most won't be diagnosed until the disease has progressed to full-blown AIDS. »»»

(University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) Flip open any biology textbook and you're bound to see a complicated diagram of the inner workings of a cell, with its internal scaffolding, the cytoskeleton, and how it maintains a cell's shape. Yet the fundamental question remains, which came first: the shape, or the skeleton?Now a Penn research team has the answer: Both. »»»

(Springer) Hardly a day passes without the challenge of global food security featuring prominently in the media. The recent impact of the topic is such that the term "food security" has now become part of everyday discussion. In this challenging context, Springer is launching the scientific journal "Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food," with the first issue appearing in March 2009. »»»

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Overturning a century of prevailing thought, scientists are finding that neurons in the adult brain can remodel their connections. »»»