Canadian Online Pharmacy

Medindia Health News

Medindia Health News

Link to Medindia Health News

100+ DNA Pointers for Schizophrenia Identified

Posted:

100 DNA coding mutations linked to schizophrenia have been discovered by scientists. Using more than 80,000 genetic samples from schizophrenia patients and healthy volunteers, an international team of researchers found 128 variants -- 83 of them new -- associated with a higher risk for people who carry them. The number of mutations, discovered in 108 regions of the genome, is large enough that scientists are starting to see patterns, according to research published ...

'Pay What You Want' is the Offer of Paris Hotels for Its Guests

Posted:

Allowing guests to "pay what you want" is an experiment launched in five Paris hotels on Monday, and may be extended if successful. The three- and four-star hotels taking part in the scheme are located in the city's 9th and 11th districts -- a little away from the city's tourist centres. The owners are bullish about the prospects and confident that clients will not abuse the scheme. Tourists often complain about high hotel rates in Paris and tiny rooms. ...

Accurate Epigenetic Test for Prostate Cancer

Posted:

Each year, in U.S alone, more than one million prostate biopsies are performed, including many repeat biopsies for fear of cancer missed. Therefore there is a need to develop diagnostic tests that will help avoid unnecessary repeat biopsies. Two independent trials have now validated the performance of an epigenetic test that could provide physicians with a better tool to help eliminate unnecessary repeat prostate biopsies, report investigators in iThe Journal of Urology (Regd) /i. ...

Barriers to Physical Activity for African-American Women

Posted:

Approximately four out of five black women are overweight or obese and 36 percent meet physical activity objectives as determined by the CDC, finds the Centers for Disease Control. That's compared to 50 percent of white women meeting the same objectives.A study conducted by the Center for African American Health and the University of Colorado School of Medicine's Center for Women's Health Research finds that African American women whose hairstyle is affected by perspiration ...

Green Compost Applications Effective In Organic Apple Orchards

Posted:

Finding ways to manage competitive vegetation under the trees and supplying important supplemental nutrition to the trees are the two effective management practices in traditional apple orchards. These factors are further complicated in organic management systems where limited tools are available, and producers need to meet the stringent soil fertility and crop nutrient management standards of the National Organic Program. University of Arkansas scientists published a study ...

LEDs Provide Light in Bedding Plant Production Study

Posted:

Production of compact, fully rooted transplants with a large stem diameter and high root dry mass is the goal of the growers of annual bedding plant seedlings. Such plants have qualities that make seedlings less susceptible to damage during shipping and transplant. To achieve these desirable qualities, greenhouse growers in northern latitudes must rely on supplemental lighting from high-pressure sodium lamps during winter months. A new study shows that light-emitting diodes ...

Genes That Contribute to Radiation Resistance Identified

Posted:

46 genes have been identified in E.Coli that are needed for its survival despite exceptionally high levels of radiation. The paper appears ahead of print in the iJournal of Bacteriology/i. "The research has revealed new pathways of cellular self-repair, including DNA pathways that in humans that may help protect us from cancer," says corresponding author Michael M. Cox. High doses of radiation are deadly not only to humans, plants, and animals, ...

New Clues Offered About the Source of Racial Health Disparities

Posted:

Evidence has been found to support that health disparities across race may be related to anxiety about being confronted by racial stereotypes while receiving healthcare, a new study has found. Stereotype threat, which is the threat of being judged by or confirming a negative stereotype about a group you belong to, has already been shown to influence the outcome of standardized testing, such as performance on the SAT (the most widely used college admissions exam). ...

Previous Stroke, Vascular Disease Puts Seniors at Higher Risk of Stroke After Heart Surgery

Posted:

A new study has found that older people who had stroke or vascular disease are at a risk of stroke immediately after cardiac surgery and following two years. Postoperative stroke is a significant complication after surgery. Many patients also have health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) that can increase the long-term risk of stroke. A large study of 108,711 patients who had cardiac surgery ...

High School Lacrosse Players at Risk for Concussions, Other Injuries

Posted:

With over 170,000 students playing this hard hitting game, Lacrosse is one of the fast-growing high school sports in the United States. The growing participation numbers, however, mean that more young people than ever are at risk of injury in lacrosse practice and competition. In a study published online today by iThe American Journal of Sports Medicine/i and available in an upcoming print issue, researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at ...

Viral Therapy may Boost Limb-saving Cancer Treatment

Posted:

A new study has found that viruses that are designed to target and kill cancer cells could boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy to the arms and legs and avoid amputation. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, tested the effectiveness of a genetically engineered version of the virus used to vaccinate against smallpox. They found use of the virus alongside isolated limb perfusion chemotherapy - given directly to blood vessels supplying ...

Human Platelets Successfully Generated Using Next-generation Bioreactor

Posted:

A new scalable next generation platelet bioreactor which generates fully functional human platelets in vitro has now been development by a team of scientists. The work is a major biomedical advancement that will help address blood transfusion needs worldwide. The study is published July 21, 2014 in iBlood/i. "The ability to generate an alternative source of functional human platelets with virtually no disease transmission represents a paradigm shift ...

Demanding Only Info on Circumcision From Health-Care Providers

Posted:

Healthcare providers are expected to answer the parents' queries about circumcision, but parents don't want a specific recommendation on the procedure, revealed in a poll on Children's Health done by University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National. More than half of male infants born in the United States are circumcised, but the rates of circumcision continue to decline. "Both pro- and anti-circumcision advocates feel strongly about their ...

Criteria for Diagnosis of Christianson Syndrome

Posted:

Doctors and families need fundamental information about Christianson syndrome because this severe condition that resembles autism has symptoms that take around a decade to appear. A new study that doubles the number of cases now documented in the scientific literature provides the most definitive characterization of CS to date. The authors therefore propose the first diagnostic criteria for the condition. "We're hoping that clinicians will use these criteria and ...

MERS Coronavirus Detected in the Air of a Saudi Arabian Camel Barn

Posted:

Genetic fragments of the MERS coronavirus have been detected in the air of a barn that holds a camel infected with the virus in Saudi Arabia. The work, published this week in imBio/i (Regd) , the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, indicates that further studies are needed to see if the disease can be transmitted through the air. MERS, a serious viral respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, has been identified in 699 people as ...

New Way to Improve Memory in Patients With Alzheimer's Disease

Posted:

A new study has found that unclogging the body's protein disposal system could improve memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease. In AD, various biochemical functions of brain cells go awry, leading to progressive neuronal damage and eventual memory loss. One example is the cellular disposal system, called autophagy, which is disrupted in patients with AD, causing the accumulation of toxic protein plaques characteristic of the disease. Jae-sung Bae and colleagues ...

Immune Response Targeted With Potential New Flu Drugs, Not Virus

Posted:

The strength of the immune response determines the seriousness of the disease, rather than with the virus, itself. Turning down that response, rather than attacking the virus, might be a better way to reduce that severity, says Juliet Morrison of the University of Washington, Seattle. She and her collaborators have now taken the first step in doing just that for the H7N9 influenza, and their work has already led to identification of six potential therapeutics for this highly ...

Oral Cancer Kills One Every Six Hours in India

Posted:

Indicating an alarming rise in the incidence of the disease, Indian Dental Association (IDA) reveals that oral cancer kills one person every 6 hours in the country. According to IDA secretary general, Ashok Dhoble, the situation could even be graver as many cases of the disease go unreported. "Cases of the disease and death resulting from the oral cancer in rural areas and among the poorer section of society are hardly recorded," Dr Dhoble said. ...

Exercise and Nutritional Therapy may Help Patients With Advanced Cancer

Posted:

A new review has found that a rehabilitation program that combines nutritional counseling, exercise and symptom control helps patients with advanced cancer. Palliative care programs should be expanded to include these elements and should be available to patients from diagnosis. Programs for people with earlier stage cancer combine diet and exercise, but few programs include patients with advanced cancer. "Cancer rehabilitation is a process that assists ...

West Nile Virus

Posted:

West Nile virus is an infection causing agent transmitted by mosquitoes. Most of the infected people do not display any signs or symptoms.

'Simulated' Human Heart to Screen Drugs: New Technique

Posted:

A pioneering new way that uses samples of beating heart tissue has been developed, to test the effect of drugs on heart without using human or animal trials. The breakthrough is the work of Dr Helen Maddock - an expert in cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology from the University's Centre for Applied Biological and Exercise Sciences - and could lead to the lives of hundreds of future patients being saved and the quality of their treatments improved. Adverse ...

Increase in Swelling of Retinas of Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa With Iodine

Posted:

A common complication of retinitis pigmentosa is cystoid macular edema (CME), causing swelling in the retina. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a family of retinal diseases in which patients typically lose night and side vision first and then develop impaired central vision. CME can also decrease central vision. Current treatments for CME in RP are not always effective and can lead to adverse results. Researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, ...

Fat for Healing the Heart

Posted:

Excess dietary fat is known to cause heart problems, but the right kind of fat helps keep the heart healthy, as revealed in a paper published in emThe Journal of Experimental Medicine/em. Unsaturated dietary fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), are known to protect against cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanism and the specific fat metabolites responsible for this protection were unknown. A group of Japanese scientists now ...

Report Says HIV Epidemic 'Smaller' Than UN Estimates

Posted:

Researchers say UN estimates for HIV deaths and disease can be slashed by a quarter. "The HIV epidemic is smaller than estimated by UNAIDS", wrote a team that reviewed data contained in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. "The overall amount of ill-health and premature death resulting from HIV (is) roughly 25 percent lower than the latest estimate provided by UNAIDS in 2012," added a statement carried by The Lancet medical journal, which published ...

'Sex Tax' also To Be Paid For Tantric Massage: German Court

Posted:

Tantric massages are also subject to the same tax levied on brothels and swinger clubs in a German city, as they also provide sexual pleasure, a state court said Monday. The decision by an administrative court in Baden-Wuerttemberg state followed a complaint by Monica Kochs, the owner of a massage parlour who had been billed a total of 840 euros ( (Dollar) 1,140) for January and February 2012 under a local "amusement tax" targeting the sex trade in the state capital Stuttgart. ...

Probiotics may Improve Your Blood Pressure

Posted:

A new research published in Hypertension finds eating probiotics may modestly improve blood pressure. Probiotics are live microorganisms (naturally occurring bacteria in the gut) thought to have beneficial effects; common sources are yogurt or dietary supplements. "The small collection of studies we looked at suggest regular consumption of probiotics can be part of a healthy lifestyle to help reduce high blood pressure, as well as maintain healthy blood pressure ...

Productivity of Plants Influenced More by Size and Age Than Climate: Study

Posted:

The productivity of plants is more influenced by size and age than temperature and precipitation, revealed a landmark study by University of Arizona researchers. UA professor Brian Enquist and postdoctoral researcher Sean Michaletz, along with collaborators Dongliang Cheng from Fujian Normal University in China and Drew Kerkhoff from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, have combined a new mathematical theory with data from more than 1,000 forests across the world to ...

Study Explores Link Between Bad Diet and Loss of Smell

Posted:

High-fat diet is associated with major structural and functional changes in the olfactory system, which gives us our sense of smell, says study conducted by Florida State University neuroscientists. "This opens up a lot of possibilities for obesity research," said Florida State University post-doctoral researcher Nicolas Thiebaud, who led the study examining how high-fat foods impacted smell. Thiebaud led the study in the lab of Biological Science Professor ...

Scientists Identify Gene Behind Common Breast Tumor in Women

Posted:

Gene that causes fibroadenoma, which is one of the most common breast tumors diagnosed in women has been discovered by Singapore scientists. National Cancer Centre Singapore, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, and Singapore General Hospital, made a seminal breakthrough by using advanced DNA sequencing technologies to identify a critical gene called MED12 that was repeatedly disrupted in nearly 60 percent of fibroadenoma cases. It is estimated ...