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Cannibalism clue to brain diseaseEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This study has shown that variations in two particular regions of the gene that codes for the prion protein are more common in those people who were exposed to the kuru disease but who had not become infected. The researchers note that they cannot rule out the possibility that one of the mutations is responsible for kuru disease, but discuss several reasons why this is highly unlikely. The study demonstrates that the kuru disease resulted in a strong selection pressure in this population. This means that any individuals with characteristics that would make them less susceptible to the disease would be more lik...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 20, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news

Skin grafts from stem cellsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion If it can be demonstrated that it works in humans, this technology could improve outcomes for burns patients. The researchers report that the first human trial is currently underway. At present, skin from deceased donors is used to treat burns patients while they wait for their own skin transplant, but there are often problems with rejection. The researchers highlight several potential benefits of an epidermis reconstructed using K-hESCs, including: The potential to make large quantities as it can be developed fully in the laboratory. The researchers say that industrialisation of the manufacturing process wou...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 20, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news

Immune systems and ageingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This well-conducted scientific study looked at complex immune pathways in mice and appears to have been over-interpreted in the study’s press release and lay media reports, which suggest that these findings have important implications for seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccination. It is important that scientists study the complex mechanisms in animal and human immunity, and this early research warrants further exploration. However, given the experimental nature of this animal study, it is premature to conclude that this study is relevant to flu vaccination programmes. Links To The Headlines Elderly people succumb to ...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 19, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Older people Source Type: news

Don't lose your head over beer claimEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Although this study demonstrated a link between higher alcohol intake and reduced CHD risk, it is has several limitations. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that high levels of alcohol consumption lower the risk of CHD. People are advised not to exceed the recommended daily limits of 2-3 units a day for women and 3-4 units a day for men. Importantly, the study did not take into account any other adverse effects of alcohol, such as the increased risk of liver disease, obesity, pancreatic diseases, certain cancers, possible addiction, depression, accidental injury or reduced judgement in social situations. Further l...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 19, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Swine flu vaccine uptakeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Several newspapers have reported that pregnant women and other vulnerable people are refusing to have the swine flu vaccine. The Times reported that a poll of GPs found that only 46% of people who were offered the vaccine have accepted it, and one doctor estimated that only 5% of pregnant women have had it. The news reports are based on a “snapshot” survey of 107 GPs. The survey asked how likely they were to hit the government’s target of vaccinating at least half of their patients who are under 65 and in high-risk groups this winter. GPs were also asked to estimate how many of the people who were offered the vacci...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 18, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Swine flu Source Type: news

Pre-eclampsia linked to thyroidEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This well-conducted research used two separate studies to examine whether pre-eclampsia during pregnancy affects thyroid function. Although both studies found a clear link between pre-eclampsia and blood tests that indicated an underactive thyroid, many questions remain unanswered. Principally, it is unclear whether blood test results that indicated an underactive thyroid were associated with any signs or symptoms of disease. While women had altered levels of one of the thyroid hormones tested, few women were found to have abnormal levels of both. Abnormal levels of just one hormone does not necessarily sugge...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 18, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Plastic 'makes boys feminine'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This research has attempted to address the question of how phthalate exposure may affect gender-type play behaviour. However, there are important limitations to the study and the evidence is too weak to form any definite conclusions about the relationship. The cohort study was very small and represents less than half of the eligible families. As such, results should be interpreted with caution and are unlikely to be representative of the whole sample. If the whole cohort had been included, the results may have been different. Little is certain about the effects of phthalates on humans, and children’s pla...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 17, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Dementia care in hospitalsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This report is part of the charity’s 'Putting Care Right' campaign, which aims to improve the quality of care for people with dementia. The Counting the Cost report surveyed 1,291 carers, 657 nursing staff and 479 nurse/ward managers from general wards in hospitals across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. All members of the Alzheimer’s Society (about 21,000 people) were also asked to participate. The ward manager/nurse survey was sent to all ward managers and nurse managers who were identified from two databases. People who agreed to take part completed questionnaires on the quality of care given to people with deme...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 17, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Medical practice Older people Source Type: news

Cosmetic surgery 'needs regulation'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Several newspapers have reported the dangers associated with cosmetic surgery, including a lack of regulation in some areas of the industry. The reports also feature warnings from Nigel Mercer, the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, who voiced his views as part of a series of medical articles on cosmetic surgery. Mr Mercer called for tighter regulation and testing of drugs, procedures and implants to offer more protection to patients. The Times reported that the number of cosmetic surgical operations conducted by “audited members of the profession” has more than tripled to 34,000 since ...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 16, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Source Type: news

Calorie guidance 'reconsidered'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
“You can eat an extra cheeseburger a day,” according to the Daily Mail, which reported that the official guidelines on recommended calorie intakes have been lower than they should have been for the past two decades. The newspaper said that the average adult could “happily squeeze in an extra 400 calories a day”. The news is based on a draft report by an advisory committee to the government. It found that the original recommendations for daily energy (calorie) intakes, which were made in 1991, underestimated the average requirement by up to 16%. This discovery came about through a re-evaluation of the amount of ene...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 16, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Source Type: news

Chocolate good... says choc makerEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This study has numerous methodological flaws, and when considered in isolation does not provide any evidence that dark chocolate has benefits or effects on stress, psychological or mental health, or cardiovascular health. Although the researchers refer to their study as “randomised” in their report, there does not appear to be any control group, so it is unclear exactly what they mean by this term. The trial involved a small sample of 30 people. When the effects of chocolate were assessed in subgroups of people with different anxiety traits, the numbers were even smaller. All the people in this stud...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 13, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Mental health Source Type: news

Antipsychotic use in dementiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This report has now been published, along with the government’s response. What did the report find? The report found that the current approach to treating the psychological and behavioural symptoms of dementia appears to be largely based on the use of antipsychotics. It also found that the evidence regarding the use of antipsychotics in people with dementia is complex, sometimes contradictory and contains gaps. Due to the gaps in the evidence, any conclusions need to drawn cautiously. The report concluded that, overall, the evidence suggests that antipsychotics appear to have only a limited positive effect in treating...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 13, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Older people Medical practice Source Type: news

Experimental protein for leukaemiaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This study has developed a new method for targeting the NOTCH1 transcription factor. The technique may eventually lead to the development of new drugs for T-ALL and other Notch-related conditions. However, this will be a long-term goal as much more animal and human research will be needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of this new approach. Links To The Headlines Cancer protein 'can be disarmed'. BBC News, November 12 2009 Links To Science Moellering RE, Cornejo M, Davis TN. Direct inhibition of the NOTCH transcription factor complex. Nature 2009; 462: 182-188 (Source: NHS News Feed)
Source: NHS News Feed - November 12, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Source Type: news

Yoghurt story 'hard to swallow'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This animal study was well conducted. The purpose of the experiment, which is well described, was to establish an animal model for further studies of human diet and of the complex ecosystems that exist in the digestive system. The study did not examine the effects of yoghurt or other probiotics on weight, as some news reports imply. Nor does it suggest that a probiotic yoghurt will soon be available that can aid weight loss. This extrapolation of the results is likely to have been based on the finding that a Western diet alters the microbial constituents of the gut. Researchers found that when the mice’s diet ...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 12, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Obesity Source Type: news

'Early days' for lung cancer drugEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This early research has shown, for the first time, a large effect of a novel drug in reducing the growth of SCLC tumours in mice. This is early research, but its results are promising and will probably lead to much interest in this class of drugs. Some strengths of this study should be noted: The effect of the drug was dose-dependent, which means the more drug the researchers added to the cells, the less the cells proliferated. This makes it more likely that the drug has a direct effect on the cells. The combination of treatment and PET scanning in one study means that the response to the drug was tested i...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 11, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Source Type: news

Walk speed linked to heart attacksEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This relatively large, well-conducted study of older people suggests that the main benefit of physical activity in the form of fast walking is to protect against heart disease and not cancer. This association was shown in a population of healthy older adults and reinforces the message that physical activity and walking have major lifetime benefits. However, the study cannot completely rule out the possibility that heart disease or another disease, common in this age group, was somehow related to slower walking at the start of the study. It is possible that some other factor caused the association seen by reducin...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 11, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Heart/lungs Older people Source Type: news

Early tests on cervical cancer drugsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This small study has shown that the oestrogen receptor blockers fulvestrant and raloxifene can treat cervical cancers in genetically engineered mice with this disease. Although these results suggest that the drugs may be worth investigating further for potential use in human cervical cancer, they may not represent the effects that the drugs would have in humans. As the researchers note, “Although our transgenic mouse model for HPV-associated cervical cancer recapitulates most aspects of human cervical cancer, it is obvious that further study is needed to determine whether this proposed model is relevant to h...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 10, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medical practice Source Type: news

Deafness gene identifiedEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This study has identified the role of the Bak gene in age-related hearing loss (AHL) in mice. The gene may play a similar role in humans and further studies in human ear cells will help confirm this. However, the Bak gene may not be the only gene involved in AHL, and it is likely that environmental factors, such as noise exposure, also contribute to hearing loss. Due to the differences between mice and humans, it is not clear whether taking supplements containing α-lipoic acid or coenzyme Q10 (which reduced the activity of the Bak gene in mice) would help reduce AHL in humans. Studies in humans would be requi...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 10, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Older people Source Type: news

Exercise linked to fertilityEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This cohort study cannot prove that heavy exercise causes infertility, a suggestion the researchers themselves are careful to avoid making. While this particular study has found an association between heavy exercise and fertility problems, this may be due to another factor, which could mean that the women who exercise most are systematically different from those who exercise less. For example, it is possible that, irrespective of their current weight, those women who exercise the most may be on low-calorie diets, and this intentional dieting may also affect their fertility. There are other factors which affect ...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 9, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Lorenzo's oil disease gene trialEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This research indicates the potential of gene therapy in ALD. The study is important as, although the disease is rare, its effects are serious and fatal if not treated. The boys have been followed for about 30 months and the longer-term effects of the treatment are not yet clear. As the authors note, larger studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine the longer-term effects of this treatment and any risks associated with it. Further studies are also needed to determine how well the therapy compares to stem-cell transplant in boys who have a matched donor. Links To The Headlines Gene therapy could cure...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 9, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news

Multi-tasking test for Alzheimer'sEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This series of cross-sectional observations has demonstrated that Alzheimer’s patients perform worse than healthy elderly people and those with depression in this dual task. This seems to be independent from the memory problems commonly associated with Alzheimer’s. The results are important in the field of neurology because they further the understanding of the effect of Alzheimer’s on the brain. As the researchers say, these results and those of other studies support the idea that Alzheimer’s affects the brain function that allows tasks to be performed simultaneously. Importantly, this study does not of...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 9, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Older people Source Type: news

Home foetal heart monitors 'risk'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This article discusses the authors’ experiences and concerns about the use of home foetal heart monitors. As the article only describes a single case that brought the issue to the authors’ attention, it is not clear how often problems such as these have occurred. It is also not clear to what extent websites offering these devices warn of their limitations, or what information is given with the devices. As the authors note, it is not possible to say if the foetus could have been saved if the mother had gone to hospital when she first felt its movements change. It is also not possible to tell when the foetus d...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 9, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Full-fat milk 'link to BMI'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion The finding that full-fat milk is associated with lower children’s BMI is unexpected, and the researcher herself was surprised by the results. Two theories are put forward: either the children who drink full-fat milk have fewer snacks and sugary drinks, or their diets are generally healthier with fewer total calories. Both are plausible, but the study was in a relatively small group of children, and there are several possible confounding factors, including socio-economic factors, which could have caused the results. Overall, this study raises more questions than it answers and, in the tradition of a PhD thesis...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 9, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Full fat milk 'link to BMI'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion The finding that full-fat milk is associated with lower children’s BMI is unexpected, and the researcher herself was surprised by the results. Two theories are put forward: either the children who drink full-fat milk have less snacks and sugary drinks, or their diets are generally healthier with fewer total calories. Both are plausible, but the study was in a relatively small group of children, and there are several possible confounding factors, including socio economic factors, which could have caused the results. Overall, this study raises more questions than it answers and in the tradition of a PhD thesis w...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 9, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Chocolate, wrinkles and skin cancerEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This small study has several problems that mean care should be taken when interpreting its results. In particular, this study did not look at long-term damage to the skin, ageing of skin or people’s risk of skin cancer, which were all discussed in the press coverage. The actual measure assessed was skin burning in volunteers with an average age of 43. In the researchers’ reporting of their results, there was a lack of detailed description of the blinding and randomisation procedures used to allocate people to groups. This means it is unclear whether the large difference in the way that skin burned or tanned ...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 5, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Cancer Source Type: news

Pregnant smoking linked to child tantrumsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Smoking carries health risks for the individual who smokes, and this and other studies suggest that it may also affect children whose mothers smoke while they are pregnant. This is yet another reason for women who smoke to quit. The study has the advantages of a large sample size and the fact that it assessed a wide range of factors that could have affected the results. There are also some limitations to the study: The sample only included children on the UK Child Benefit Register and over-sampled people from poor areas and areas with high proportions of ethnic minorities. In addition, not all the people who...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 4, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Smoking linked to baby behaviourEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Smoking carries health risks for the individual who smokes, and this and other studies suggest that it may also affect children whose mothers smoke while they are pregnant. This is yet another reason for women who smoke to quit. The study has the advantages of a large sample size and the fact that it assessed a wide range of factors that could have affected the results. There are also some limitations to the study: The sample only included children on the UK Child Benefit Register and over-sampled people from poor areas and areas with high proportions of ethnic minorities. In addition, not all the people who...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 4, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Breast cancer 'changes' as it spreadsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This study reports that the characteristics of breast tumours may change as they spread through the body. It gives further insight into the behaviour of cancer cells, but its findings will require confirmation in other studies. Other points of note are: Although the study included samples from a relatively large number of women, comparatively few had certain characteristics (for example, those who tested negative for all three proteins). As such, the findings will need to be confirmed by other studies. The study only looked at lymph node metastases (spread). It cannot show what happens when the cancerous...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 4, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Source Type: news

Is routine aspirin use not advised?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This article represents the considered judgment of the DTB based on the existing research evidence and expert opinion. Although steps would have been taken to identify and include the most relevant evidence, some relevant studies may have been missed. The question of whether apparently healthy people should take aspirin as a preventative measure is difficult to answer due to the fine balance between benefits and risks. Treatment guidelines (such as those issued by NICE) are produced based on the best evidence available at the time. These guidelines are revised as new evidence becomes available, and when they are...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 3, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Leukaemia drug testedEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion Although the study shows that PBOX-15 can kill isolated human CLL cells in the laboratory, it cannot reliably predict what other effects it might have in a living body. There are many stages to developing and testing potential new drugs, which can take many years and are not guaranteed to be successful. The early development stages involve laboratory studies such as this one, which are used to identify the effects of the drug on affected cells and tissues. These early tests are important to establish whether future research is worthwhile. Following the results of this initial study, the drug seems to be a cand...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 3, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Source Type: news

Processed food and low moodEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion This study suggests that a healthier diet protects against depression, but it cannot prove this due to several limitations: It is plausible that depression affected the participants’ diet rather than the other way around. The researchers argue that this is unlikely to have happened as no association was found between the participants' early reports of depression (between 1991 and 1993) and their diet six years later. The results were also not affected by excluding people who already had signs of depression when their diets were measured between 1997 and 1999. Although this may be the case, different methods...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 2, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Source Type: news

Exercise, stress and heart risksEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion The findings from this research may have implications for the management of people with coronary artery disease but have little relevance to the general population, who were not the subject of this research. The research also has limitations that affect the interpretation of its results, even within people with coronary heart disease: This is an observational study that did not randomise people when assigning them to the different experimental groups. This means that the results could have been caused by imbalances between these groups and not by the exercise programme itself. As such, this research should be...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 2, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news

Lying down 'boosts insemination'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study used a robust design to investigate the effects of lying down (immobilisation) after intrauterine insemination. The study had other strengths, including a relatively large number of participants and the fact that all the participants were followed up. This increases the likelihood that the results are reliable. An accompanying editorial article on the research reported that there were lower pregnancy rates in this study than in other centres that do not use immobilisation. This could because different centres use different techniques, or because patients’ fertility problems have different causes. This study pr...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 30, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Killer sweetener claim doubtfulEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study is not a reason to panic about fructose. Fructose is found in fruit, which is an important part of a balanced diet. The message that we should eat a healthy, balanced diet is not altered by this study, and fructose can form part of this diet, although cakes, confectionary and sugary drinks that contain it should be eaten in moderation. Where did the story come from? Dr Diana I Jalal and colleagues from the University of Colorado carried out this research, which was presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Renal Week conference. No sources of funding for the study were reported in the abstract of th...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 30, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Source Type: news

Gene therapy to aid lung transplantsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
“Donated lungs that have to be discarded because they are not good enough for transplant can now be repaired and made suitable for patients,” The Times has reported. The study behind the news looks at an experimental gene therapy technique that has been tested on pig and human lungs. Under this technique, a gene known as IL-10 is introduced into the lung tissue cells to alter their behaviour. The research showed that in experimental conditions the gene combatted the damaging inflammation that sometimes causes problems in lung transplants. The importance of the research is emphasised in a journal editorial, which poin...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 30, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Sperm 'made from stem cells'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, the researchers particularly wanted to see if they could get human embryonic stem cells to develop into cells that could undergo meiosis, the critical process of cell division in which cells with two copies of each chromosome divide to form into sperm or eggs, which only contain one copy of each chromosome. The researchers hoped this work could be used to further the understanding of how human germ cells develop, and how problems in this process might lead to infertility. The researchers employed a technique that would allow them to identify those cells that had developed into germ cells. They took human st...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 29, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news

Migraines linked to stroke riskEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Women taking the pill are more at risk of a stroke, the Daily Express has warned. The paper reports new research that shows that women who suffer from migraines double their risk if they take the pill. Several news sources have covered this research, although each has focused on different aspects of its findings. The study behind these stories is a systematic review analysis of studies that estimated the association between migraine, stroke and events such as heart attacks. The research found that any type of migraine was associated with stroke but not other events. Migraines with aura (visual distortions, such as seeing...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 28, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news

Curry spice kills cancer cellsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Extracts from the yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, according to BBC News. New research from the Cork Cancer Research Centre shows that the extract can destroy oesophagus cancer cells in a lab. Oesophageal cancer cells are often resistant to cell death (the aim of chemotherapy), so in this laboratory study the researchers investigated the effects of curcumin (the active extract from turmeric) on a range of different types of cancer cells from the gullet. Introducing the chemical induced a type of cell death, called mitotic catastrophe. While it is too soon to call this a cure for cancer, the finding...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 28, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Food/diet Source Type: news

Down's syndrome trend examinedEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Several newspapers have reported on the steep rise in Down’s syndrome pregnancies, said to be due to recent shifts to later motherhood. These findings come from The National Down Syndrome Cytogenetic Register, which has gathered data on the number of Down’s diagnoses and births since 1989. The register’s data shows that overall diagnosis of the condition has risen by 71% over the past 20 years, from 1,075 in 1989 to 1,843 in 2008. However, improvements in the screening process has led to a decrease in the number of Down’s syndrome births due to a high rate of terminations. The study also suggests that the rise...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 27, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Medical practice Source Type: news

Rape drug claims researchedEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"Date-rape" drugs such as rohypnol are “an urban myth” according to a front-page story in The Daily Telegraph. The Daily Mail also featured the controversial headline, “Date-rape drug? No dear, you just had too much to drink.” It claims that the “excuse” is used by women who “drink themselves into a stupor”. These reports come from a survey of a number of university students in the UK and US that looked at perceptions of drink-spiking and the possibility of drug-related sexual assault. The researchers said there was a high level of awareness of the issue despite there being very little evidence t...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 27, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Source Type: news

Rape drug in drinks 'a myth'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
"Date-rape" drugs such as rohypnol are “an urban myth” according to a front-page story in The Daily Telegraph. The Daily Mail also featured the controversial headline, “Date-rape drug? No dear, you just had too much to drink.” It claims that the “excuse” is used by women who “drink themselves into a stupor”. These reports come from a survey of a number of university students in the UK and US that looked at perceptions of drink-spiking and the possibility of drug-related sexual assault. The researchers said there was a high level of awareness of the issue despite there being very little evidence t...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 27, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Source Type: news

New clues on deadly blood infectionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Scientists have identified an antibody that could “minimise the major internal bleeding seen in traumas like bullet wounds and car crashes”, according to BBC News. The research in question found that mice, primates and humans who had serious blood infections (sepsis) also had high levels of a protein called histone in their blood. In intact cells, DNA is usually wrapped around this protein, but the newspaper reported that when the cell is damaged the protein is released into the blood, where the scientists believe it can cause internal bleeding by damaging the lining of blood vessel. The researchers found that blocking...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 26, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Source Type: news

Child depression and TVEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study did not test the effects of streetlights or television on human mood, so any conclusions about their effects should be considered as speculation. Where did the story come from? This research was carried out by Dr Laura Fonken and colleagues from the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience at the Ohio State University in the US. The study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and published in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioural Brain Research. What kind of scientific study was this? In this animal study the researchers wanted to test whether constant light conditions produce ‘...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 23, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Source Type: news

Don't let your mouse watch TVEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study did not test the effects of streetlights or television on human mood, so any conclusions about their effects should be considered as speculation. Where did the story come from? This research was carried out by Dr Laura Fonken and colleagues from the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience at the Ohio State University in the US. The study was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, and published in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioural Brain Research. What kind of scientific study was this? In this animal study the researchers wanted to test whether constant light conditions produce �...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 23, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Source Type: news

Stress, plastics and male infertilityEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study did not look at fertility rates in the rats. The implication is that the changes in testosterone levels observed are somehow linked to fertility in the animals, but any link has not been demonstrated. As this study was mainly about high dose phthalates and undescended testicles, and the stress hormone, dexamethasone, had a tiny effect in comparison, to report that stress has a part to play in male fertility in humans. The animal research has offered an explanation for the rising number of babies born with these conditions. However, the research is based on a level of exposure to chemicals that humans usuall...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 23, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Weight loss pills vs anti-fat jabEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
“Patients given a new anti-obesity drug lost more than a stone in weight in five months,” said The Times. The injectable drug, liraglutide, was reported as being almost twice as effective as other treatments in the study. The Daily Mail wrongly reports that the drug has been licensed for use in obese patients in the UK since July. In this high-quality randomised trial, 564 obese or severely obese patients were injected with either 1.2mg to 3.0mg of liraglutide a day, a daily 'dummy' jab, or orlistat pills three times a day. All patients followed a calorie-restricted diet and increased their physical activity. Contrary ...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 23, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Obesity Medication Source Type: news

Sleep deprivation and memoryEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
“The forgetfulness brought on by insomnia may be countered with drugs,” BBC News has reported. Research in mice looked at a chemical pathway in the part of the brain that deals with memory. It showed that sleep deprivation increases levels of an enzyme called PDE4 and reduces levels of a molecule called cAMP. The researchers were able to manipulate these pathways with a drug called Rolipram, which improved some of the memory problems of the sleep-deprived mice. By identifying this molecular process in this laboratory, the researchers have opened up possibilities for drug development, but the practical uses of t...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 22, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Source Type: news

Womb transplant 'years away'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Widespread coverage has been given to reports that the first human womb transplant could take place within two years. Most newspapers said that research presented at an American fertility conference gives hope to thousands of women who are unable to give birth because they have a damaged uterus, had it removed through disease or because they were born without one. The widely reported two-year estimate for the first human womb transplant is overly optimistic. There are several major hurdles to overcome before this could be considered ready for trials in humans. It would also involve a series of surgeries, carrying all of th...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 22, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Source Type: news

White wine 'erodes teeth'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study soaked a number of extracted teeth in different wines for prolonged periods of up to 24 hours and found that white wines caused more tooth erosion and calcium loss than red. There are several limitations to this study: The laboratory situation does not represent real life as teeth would never be soaked in wine for such prolonged periods, and wine would normally only be held in the mouth for a few seconds at a time (with the possible exception, as the researchers say, of wine tasters). It also cannot be assumed that white wine alone is corrosive and harmful to teeth. Sugary soft drinks, fruit juices, liquor...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 21, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Source Type: news

Mobile phones 'distract walkers'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study has important limitations, including the fact that the subjects were not randomised, and that the conclusions on the subjects’ walking behaviour were subjective judgements made by observers, potentially affecting their consistency and reliability. However, despite these limitations, this study does highlight the fact that an individual’s attention is distracted when talking on a mobile phone. As previous studies have found, this is a hazard for both drivers and pedestrians. Where did the story come from? The research was carried out by Ira E. Hyman Jr. and colleagues from Western Washington University. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - October 21, 2009 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news