Tag Archives: kingdom

Clock gene dysregulation may explain overactive bladder — ScienceDaily

“We hope our study will stimulate further progress in understanding circadian control of body physiology and aging-related dysfunction and ultimately lead to new strategies of treatment by targeting the circadian regulatory process, including non-drug treatment approaches,” said Changhao Wu, M.D., Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. To make this discovery, scientists used genetically modified mice in which a special wavelength of light was emitted when the clock proteins were produced in isolated bladder tissue. This light reported real-time clock expression and acted directly as a measure of peripheral clock expression…

Most Internet sources on prostate cancer disagree with expert panel’s recommendation — ScienceDaily

In an Internet search for the phrase “prostate cancer screening” on three main U.S. search engines, study researchers found that most sites appearing on the first results page recommended a patient-individualized approach to screening…

Mobility in cancer patients with malignant spinal cord compression

Malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) is a complication of metastatic cancer mostly with bone involvement that occurs when a tumor’s secondary deposit presses on the spinal cord and nerves. This pressure exposes patients to neurological damage that can result in pain, loss of muscle strength and function of one or more of the senses. In some cases, the neurological damage can lead to paralysis of the entire body below the neck or paralysis of one or more limbs. …

Even mild traumatic brain injury may cause brain damage

For the study, 44 people with a mild traumatic brain injury and nine people with a moderate traumatic brain injury were compared to 33 people with no brain injury. All of the participants took tests of their thinking and memory skills. At the same time, they had diffusion tensor imaging scans, a type of MRI scan that is more sensitive than traditional MRI for detecting damage to brain cells and helps map fiber tracts that connect brain regions. The people with brain injuries had their scans an average of six days after the injury. …

Internet users more likely to engage in cancer-preventive behaviors

A large, population-based, cohort study of older adults in England, called the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, collected data from men and women aged 50 or older, and found that men and women who were consistent internet users were twice as likely to participate in colorectal screening than nonusers. Both men and women who used the internet consistently were also 50 percent more likely to take part in regular physical activity, 24 percent more likely to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and 44 percent less likely to be current smokers. There was, however, no association between internet use and participation in breast cancer screening among women. …

Genome of aggressive lymphoma sequenced

The authors analyzed the genome of tumor cells at the onset of the disease and within several years after treatment, when the relapses occur. Thus, it has been possible to evaluate the genomic modifications associated with disease progression. These analyses have discovered the implication of several genes in the progression of these lymphomas and some mechanisms generating resistance to chemotherapy. …

Health of older women in developed countries continues to improve: Gap with developing countries grows

The WHO study, one of a collection of articles in a special issue of the journal devoted to women’s health beyond reproduction, found that the leading causes of death of women aged 50 years and older worldwide are cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and cancers, but that in developing countries these deaths occur at earlier ages than in the rich world. The study is one of the first to analyse the causes of death of women aged 50 years and older from a wide range of countries. Its findings suggest that prevention, detection and treatment of noncommunicable diseases are currently inadequate in many countries. "Given the substantial reduction in maternal mortality and the increase in the number of older women over the last 10 years, health systems in low- and middle-income countries must adjust accordingly, otherwise this trend will continue to increase," said Dr John Beard, director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Department of Ageing and Life Course and one of the authors of the study…

Doctors should dress sharp in the name of hygiene, doc says

Doctors who wear casual and even “scruffy” clothes to work not only look unprofessional, but they also convey a lackluster attitude toward personal hygiene, which could have implications for hospital infections, one doctor argues. Dr. Stephanie Dancer, a consultant microbiologist at Hairmyres Hospital in Scotland, says that after the United Kingdom's Department of Health recommended in 2007 that doctors not wear ties, many younger doctors started to dress very informally. There was even a report at one hospital of doctors wearing ripped jeans. “I hear that patients complain that they do not know who the doctor is no tie, no white coat, no jacket and no presence,” Dancer said. “Untidiness erodes the image of doctors as responsible and competent.” Although some studies suggest that men's ties contribute to the spread of bacteria between doctors and patients, Dancer pointed out that diseases are spread in many ways. “Hand-touch contact, airborne delivery, environmental reservoirs and human carriage are all implicated in transmission,” Dancer said. Scruffiness in appearance also suggests “a lack of personal hygiene, and correspondingly lower standards of hygienic behavior,” Dancer said. “It could be argued that ditching the white coat and tie for hygiene purposes has had the converse effect,” in that informal attitude could encourage less-rigorous practice of infection control, Dancer said. “Before the antibiotics run out, we need to revisit the hygiene values of the past, and we need to communicate those values to the doctors of the future,” Dancer said. Dancer's view was published June 13 in the British Medical Journal. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/doctors-should-dress-sharp-in-name-hygiene-doc-says/