By mapping the specific steps that cells of melanoma, breast cancer and a blood cancer called myelofibrosis use to become resistant to drugs, the researchers now have much better targets for blocking those pathways and keeping current therapies effective. The findings are published in two papers Dec…
By developing mathematical models of how the collagen matrix that connects cells in tissue stiffens, the researchers are providing insights into the pathology of fibrosis, cirrhosis of the liver and certain cancers. Tissue stiffness has long been know to be clinically relevant in these diseases, but the underlying changes that alter the mechanics of tissues are poorly understood…
The researchers investigated patterns of molecules called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a class of RNA molecules more than 200 nucleotide units long that are involved in regulating genes. The researchers examined the abundance, or expression, of lncRNAs in patients who were 60 years and older and who had cytogenetically normal (CN) AML. The study is published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
The multi-center, non-randomized trial was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and antitumor activity of bi-weekly infusions of pembrolizumab (MK-3475, marketed as Keytruda�). The researchers enrolled 27 patients, aged 29 to 72 years, who had metastatic triple-negative breast cancer that either relapsed after treatment for early stage disease or progressed on therapy for advanced disease. …
The numbers add up to a strong economic case to invest in services to support mums to carry on breastfeeding, they conclude. In common with many other high income countries, breastfeeding rates in the UK are low, and to find out if boosting these could cut healthcare costs by improving mother and child health, the researchers focused on five priority diseases. They looked at the financial impact of not breastfeeding on gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections; the ear infection otitis media in infants; the potentially lethal gut disorder necrotising enterocolitis in preterm babies; and lifetime risk of breast cancer in mothers…
The numbers add up to a strong economic case to invest in services to support mums to carry on breastfeeding, they conclude. In common with many other high income countries, breastfeeding rates in the UK are low, and to find out if boosting these could cut healthcare costs by improving mother and child health, the researchers focused on five priority diseases…
Smoking is a risk factor for various diseases, not only lung cancer. Epidemiological data show that male smokers have a greater risk of developing cancer outside the respiratory tract than female smokers. In the present study, which is the result of an international collaboration, the researchers discovered an association between smoking and genetic damage among men that might explain this sex difference. ‘We have previously in 2014 demonstrated an association between loss of the Y chromosome in blood and greater risk for cancer…
source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/new-app-helps-to-boost-weight-loss-by-tracking-calories/
Among women with low-risk pregnancies, those who plan to give birth at home may face less of a risk from dangerous complications than women who plan a hospital birth, a new Dutch study suggests. For women in the study who had a low risk of complications and had given birth at least once previously, 1 in 1,000 home births resulted in severe problems, such as admission to an intensive care unit or requiring heavy blood transfusion. The rate of such complications for planned hospital births was 2.3 in 1,000 births. Home births also had a lower risk of certain less severe complications, such as bleeding after birth, and the need to remove the placenta manually. The rate of bleeding, or postpartum hemorrhage, was 19.6 in 1,000 for a planned home birth, compared with 37.6 in 1,000 for a planned hospital birth. The safety of giving birth at home versus the hospital is a topic of debate. While some worry that in case of an emergency, the time needed to transport a woman or baby from home to a hospital might worsen the problems, others have questioned whether it is wise to routinely recommend hospital births for low-risk women, where they could receive medical interventions they don't need that have potentially harmful effects. The new study sought to compare the rate of serious complications in home and hospital births in a large group of low-risk women in the Netherlands, a country that has one of the highest percentages of home births among Western countries. The researchers identified more than 146,000 low-risk pregnant women. Among these women, 92,333 (63 percent) had planned to give birth at home, and 54,419 (37 percent) were planning a hospital birth. The researchers found that the risk of complications was small in both groups, and there was no evidence that home birth would lead to an increased risk of severe complications.The difference between the groups was significant only in women who had given birth before. The results held when the researchers accounted for factors that can raise the risk of birth complications, such as the mother's age and ethnicity, as well as C-sections and augmentation of labor. The researchers noted that it is possible that women who previously had a relatively difficult birth may have been more likely to plan a hospital birth next time, even if there was no official medical indication. These findings likely only apply to areas where midwives are well trained to help women at home births, and where facilities for transportation in case of emergencies are adequate, the researchers said. The fact that the study did not find higher rates of severe complications among planned home births should not lead to complacency, the researchers said. “Every avoidable adverse maternal outcome is one too many,” they said. 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/giving-birth-at-home-looks-safe-study-finds/
Nutritionists often advise individuals to keep a journal of all the foods they eat, so people can track their calories and boost weight loss.  But “calorie counting” can be a tedious endeavor. Now, there is an app that can do the counting for you.  “My Fitness Pal” is a free app that allows you to note everything you eat throughout the day.  Users can look up popular food brands and dishes from restaurants to calculate their nutritional value.  There is even a section for logging calories burned through exercise. A recent study from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, Ill., found that people who used a mobile app to track eating and activity lost an average of 15 pounds – and kept the weight off for at least a year. However, the study authors noted that technology alone is not enough to ensure weight loss.  Of the 69 overweight and obese adults the researchers examined, all were offered nutrition and exercise classes to help maintain their body weight throughout the rest of the year.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/29/new-app-helps-to-boost-weight-loss-by-tracking-calories/