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The fact that diabetes raises the risk of certain types of cancer is already well known, but the reasons have been unclear. Now researchers at Lund University in Sweden have mapped a molecular link that explains the connection between the two widespread diseases. Developing type 2 diabetes is a lengthy process. An early sign that it has begun is high levels of insulin in the blood...

The Image Gently® campaign and the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) have launched the "Go With the Guidelines" campaign to encourage community hospitals, academic hospitals and clinics to observe new North American Guidelines for Nuclear Medicine Radiopharmaceutical Dose in children...

North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS) member describes novel eye findings in astronauts after long duration space flight A newly published ophthalmologic study recently described the history, clinical findings, and possible etiologies of novel ophthalmic findings discovered in astronauts after long-duration space flights. The study team included ophthalmologists Thomas H. Mader, MD, of Alaska Native Medical Center and neuro-ophthalmologist and NANOS member, Andrew G. Lee, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology of The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas...

Researchers at UC San Diego Health System's Department of Reproductive Medicine and the National Latino Research Center (NLRC) at Cal State San Marcos University recently presented data at the American Public Health Association Conference in Washington D.C., demonstrating the impact of text4baby, a free mobile service that provides pregnant women and new mothers in San Diego with maternal, fetal and newborn health information via text messages and connects them to national health resources...

The use of multiple medications is associated with increased severity of erectile dysfunction, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the British Journal of Urology International. This study surveyed 37,712 ethnically diverse men from Southern California and found that men taking various medications are likely to have more severe ED. This was part of the California Men's Health Study, a multiethnic cohort of men ages 46 to 69 who are members of Kaiser Permanente in California. Information about medication use between 2002 and 2003 was obtained from pharmacy records...

New research reveals that patients with epilepsy who were treated for extended periods with older generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may be at increased risk for developing atherosclerosis, a common disorder known as hardening of the arteries. According to the findings now available in Epilepsia, the journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), the vascular risk is significantly associated with the duration of AED monotherapy...

People who are alcohol-dependent and who also carry a particular variant of a gene run an increased risk of premature death. This is a recent finding from the interdisciplinary research at the Department of Psychology and the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden...

After only four years of problem drinking, a significant decrease in the function of the serotonin system in women's brains can be seen. This is the system that regulates such functions as impulse control and mood. It takes 12 years before a corresponding decrease is seen in men. This is the conclusion of multidisciplinary research carried out at the Department of Psychology and the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden...

Community rehabilitation interventions for stroke patients have not had a great track record of delivering measurable improvements. But new research from New Zealand focused on Maori and Pacific populations shows how a cheap and simple intervention that puts the patient and families in charge can make a difference to their quality of life. The study can be found in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation, which is published by SAGE. Two interventions were trialled in this multi-center, randomized study: an inspirational DVD, and a guided 'Take Charge' session...

People taking anti-psychotic drugs and anti-depressant drugs have a much higher risk of dying during an acute coronary event of a fatal arrhythmia than the rest of the population, finds a Finnish study published in the European Heart Journal¹. The study showed that the combined use of both antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs was associated with an even greater risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) during a coronary event...

It now only costs a few thousand Euros to sequence the genome of an individual human. However, for most of us, knowing our genome sequence would not be useful. Each human has more than 20 000 genes, and in each of us several thousand of these genes carry mutations. We do not know what happens when most human genes are altered, which means that we cannot yet make many useful predictions about our health from the sequence of our genome...

The fact that diabetes raises the risk of certain types of cancer is already well known, but the reasons have been unclear. Now researchers at Lund University in Sweden have mapped a molecular link that explains the connection between the two widespread diseases. Developing type 2 diabetes is a lengthy process. An early sign that it has begun is high levels of insulin in the blood. As long as the insulin-producing beta cells are able to compensate for the increased demand, for example when the individual is overweight, the blood sugar levels remain normal...

Spanish researchers have uncovered clear links between erectile dysfunction (ED) and peripheral neuropathy, according to a paper in the December issue of the urology journal BJUI. "Up to now the impact of damaged nerves in the peripheral nervous system on ED has been underestimated" says lead author Dr Consuelo Valles-Antuña, from the Department of Neurophysiology at the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias in Oviedo...

Chemists at the Technische Universität Darmstadt have developed a new method for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. The method involves making protein deposits on mucous nasal membranes that are detectable years before the disease erupts visible. Alzheimer's Disease remains incurable and difficult to diagnose. Indications are provided by expensive radiological methods, such as computed or magnetic-resonance tomography, reports by family members, or memory tests...

Watching less TV, being more active and sleeping more is linked to a healthy body weight in young children. Getting enough sleep can help children maintain a healthy weight, reveals the EU funded project IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of lifestyle- and Diet-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS). Similarly, the more time children spend in front of the TV or their computers (screen time), the higher their body weight...

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the atomic structure of a protein that the Lassa fever virus uses to make copies of itself within infected cells. The structural data reveal an unexpected molecular crevice where the viral protein grips the viral genes, making this crevice a target for potential antiviral drugs. Lassa fever virus and other arenaviruses infect hundreds of thousands of people annually and are often deadly. Currently there is no specific therapy or vaccine against them...

Alcoholic brains can perform a simple finger-tapping exercise as well as their sober counterparts but their brain must work a lot harder to do it, according to a Vanderbilt study released today by the journal, Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Chronic drinking is associated with abnormalities in the structure, metabolism and function of the brain. One of the consequences of these deficits is impairment of motor functioning...

Researchers have developed a new genetic screening tool that will aid in the investigation of possible treatments for patients with melanoma and the unique genetic mutations that may accompany the disease, according to data presented at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, held Nov. 12-16, 2011. Heinz-Herbert Fiebig, M.D., Ph.D...

The Image Gently® campaign and the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) have launched the "Go With the Guidelines" campaign to encourage community hospitals, academic hospitals and clinics to observe new North American Guidelines for Nuclear Medicine Radiopharmaceutical Dose in children. The dose recommendations, calculated on a 'straight' weight basis, have been tested in children's hospitals and are compatible with high-quality imaging and further dose reduction in the first decades of life...

If your doctor says you have a negative stress test, or that your cholesterol or blood pressure are normal, how assured can you be that you're not likely to have a heart attack in the next seven to 10 years? Assessing traditional risk factors, such as age, high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and family history can estimate a person's risk, but the picture is not always clear-cut. Some newer tests can be offered to provide reassurance or guidance about the need for medications or further testing. Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P...