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Eye drops to help treat macular degeneration

Intern — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:01:05 +0000

According to Science World Report, researchers have found that a buildup of cholesterol causes macular degeneration, the main cause of blindness in people over 40. Eye drops were tested on mice and found that macrophages, the main immune cells involved in removing cholesterol, help reverse the macular degeneration in the eye.

Brain Mapping Project to be Unveiled by Obama Tuesday

Intern — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:34:49 +0000

According to USA Today, President Obama will unveil a brain mapping project Tuesday to help answer questions with epilepsy, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. The project will be set for 10 years with an initial cost of $100 billion.

A.D.H.D diagnosis rises in US children

Intern — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:43:20 +0000

According to the NY Times, studies show a rise in A.D.H.D. diagnosis in children ages 4-17 by 53% in the last decade. The rise can be attributed to either a better recognition of A.D.H.D or the misuse of drugs to calm behavior in students.

Are coffee and tea beverages Harming our DNA?

Intern — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:13:07 +0000

According to Time Magazine, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have discovered that coffee, tea and drinks with “smoky flavorings” may be harming our DNA at about the same intensity as chemotherapy medicines harm our bodies. Studies were conducted on the outcome of food flavorings and well liked foods on cell cultures which revealed unsettling results. A “repair gene” known as p53 that guards cells from turning cancerous were triggered by some tea, coffee and smokey flavoring.

To find out more visit the Time Magazine.

Studies Uncover New Cancer Findings

Intern — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:04:55 +0000

According to the Los Angles Times, scientists have discovered 74 DNA regions that are connected to breast, prostate and ovarian cancers. This international project called the Collaborative Oncological Gene-environment Study almost doubled the DNA regions previously found to be connected to those types of cancers. This may bring about additional screening, studies, and treatments that are more successful. Further studies have indicated differences connected to “subtypes” of ovarian and breast cancer as well.

To find out more visit the Los Angles Times.

New Prostate Cancer Tests May Be More Reliable Option

Intern — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:18:39 +0000

According to the New York Times, new prostate cancer tests are being developed that may be a more reliable option then the P.S.A. test. The new tests could solve the question of whether men who are healthy should have a prostate screening for cancer. P.S.A. blood tests identify cancers that may not be harmful, but there is no way to decipher this. Therefore many men who test positive go through surgery or radiation and experience years of unnecessary misery resulting from erectile dysfunction and other related problems. However, new tests could assess the risk more accurately which would increase the efficiency of screenings.

Find out more at the New York Times.

First-Year-Residents Working Less Hours, Still Making Errors

Intern — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:27:03 +0000

According to Time magazine, a new policy in 2011 cut the amount of on-call hours for first year residents from 24 to 16 hours. Studies indicated that long continuous hours caused exhaustion and strain on the residents that obstructed their learning and patient care. A new study conducted by JAMA Internal Medicine, discovered that interns are making a great deal of mistakes, are exhausted from lack of sleep and are even exhibiting signs of depression. Even though they were working less hours, interns said they were still supposed to complete an equal amount of work and did not have as much time to complete the work. More research will need to be conducted to figure out how to balance intern’s schedules and determine what else may be causing these medical mistakes.

To find out more visit the Times.

Generic and Brand Name Drug Companies Face Supreme Court

Intern — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:25:39 +0000

According to the New York Times, today at the Supreme Court, generic and brand-name drug companies will band together in opposing the federal government. The case entitled, Federal Trade Commission v. Actavis focuses on if it is possible for the company that makes brand-name drugs to give money to generic-drug companies so the generic-drugs will not be on the market. Due to the antitrust law, the government and federal appeals court say this is not allowed. However, three federal appeal courts have dubbed this as legal under the terms of a patient lawsuit settlement. The drug companies agree with those appeal courts saying this is what Congress wanted when they created the “guidelines” to advance the manufacturing of generic-drugs. The court’s decision in this case could have a huge effect on the drug industry and Americans as a whole.

To find out more visit The New York Times.

New Studay Suggests Salt Responsible For 2.3 Million Dealths Worldwide

Intern — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:02:25 +0000

“A new study from Harvard Medical School has linked the overabundant salt intake to 2.3 million deaths worldwide in 2010 – from heart attacks, strokes and other heart-related problems, HealthDay News reported. However, the study only showed an association between salt intake and heart-related deaths, not a cause-and-effect relationship. According to the researchers, the deaths accounted for 15 percent of all heart-related deaths that year.”

To read more abot this topic, visit Fox News.com to read the full article.

Woman’s Tea Addiction Led To Loss of Teeth, Bone Problems

Intern — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:51:51 +0000

“A case study reported in the March 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine shows how habitually drinking an extreme form of highly concentrated tea over almost 20 years created a hard-to-diagnose case of severe bone damage in a 47-year-old woman.”

Read more about this at U.S. World And News Report.