Urine test accurately detects bladder cancer
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A simple and accurate urine test can detect bladder cancer early and may be especially useful for smokers and others prone to the disease, Italian researchers reported on Tuesday.
The test for the enzyme telomerase in urine was found to be accurate 90 percent of the time in men, after the cancer diagnoses were confirmed with standard invasive examinations of the bladder and urinary tract. The test also detected the disease in early stages.
Fresh bird flu outbreak in China, India on alert
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Fears of avian flu spreading deepened on Wednesday after China reported another outbreak in poultry while India said it was testing blood samples from 10 dead migratory birds.
There has been a spate of fresh cases in Asia and on the eastern edge of Europe ahead of the winter, when experts say the deadly H5N1 strain thrives best.
HIV program shows promise for low-income teens
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HIV prevention programs that involve more of a teenager’s everyday world may have a particularly strong influence over behavior down the road, researchers have found.
Their study, of 12- to 17-year-olds living in low-income housing developments, found that a “community-level” HIV prevention program was especially effective at keeping kids from having sex, as well as encouraging condom use among those who did.
Obese workers passed over in hiring, promotions
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Overweight workers in Britain are discriminated against when applying for positions, passed over for promotions, and more likely to loose their jobs, a report said on Tuesday.
In a survey of more than 2,000 personnel officers by Personnel Today magazine, 93 percent said they would choose an applicant of “normal weight” over an obese applicant with the same experience and qualifications.
Turned-off genes linked to ovarian cancer
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Two genes that are turned off in ovarian cancer cells could provide an early test for the illness known as the silent killer, Austrian scientists said on Tuesday.
Researchers at the Medical University of Vienna have identified five genes that have very low activity in ovarian cancer. Two, called N33 and NFA6R, do not work in most cases.
Hepatitis C infection tied to diabetes risk
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There appears to be a connection between infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Italian researchers report.
Dr. Alessandro Antonelli of the University of Pisa and colleagues note in the medical journal Diabetes Care that there have been some reports of a link between type 2 diabetes and hepatitis C but at least one large study did not confirm this.
McDonald’s to put fat content on wrappers
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McDonald’s Corp. customers will soon know that the Big Mac they bought contains almost half their recommended daily fat intake just by looking at the wrapper.
In its latest measure to fend off critics that blame the world’s largest restaurant company for contributing to rising incidents of obesity and other health problems, McDonald’s on Tuesday said it will start printing nutritional information on the packaging of its food.
Food Allergies: Who’s Faking It?
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When fast-food vendors begin providing “allergy lists” as part of their nutrition guides you know that food allergies have gone mainstream. However a new UK study of 11-15 year olds concludes that many young people are ‘mistaken’ about their food allergies (emphasis added).
Before we go declaring that we have a generation of hypochondriacs, it’s important to determine exactly what an allergy is. The words allergy, intolerance, and sensitivity mean different things to different people. In this particular study the words Food Hypersensitivity (FHS) are used. HON defines this as “Gastrointestinal disturbances, skin eruptions, or shock due to allergic reactions to allergens in food.”
Diagnosing the Obese
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America’s obesity epidemic is doing more than increasing the prevalence of certain diseases - it’s also increasing the likelihood of misdiagnosis. That’s because traditional examination systems can’t accommodate patients of varying shapes and sizes. New technology is addressing the trend.
Many obese Americans are too large for most MRI machines – which are becoming an increasingly important tool for detecting breast cancer and other diseases. New open MRIs combine an opening that’s 70 centimeters wide with high field imaging that provide superior images from which to make a diagnosis. Open MRIs should help large patients and those who are claustrophobic.
Paxil seen to curb hot flashes
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For women suffering through menopause, treatment with the antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil) reduces both the number and severity of hot flashes, researchers report.
Moreover, according to Dr. Vered Stearns who led the trial, this is the first study to demonstrate that paroxetine also improves sleep in women with hot flashes.
MI Mortality Higher for All at Hospitals With High Black-Patient Prevalence
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Race aside, acute MI patients are more likely to die within 90 days of the event if they are treated at a hospital that has a disproportionately high number of black patients, researchers here reported today.
The higher death risk was observed among both black and white patients, said Jonathan Skinner, Ph.D., a professor of economics and community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical Center here.
Bowel cancer screening cuts cases 80 percent
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Screening for bowel cancer with colonoscopy could reduce cases of the disease by 80 percent in people with a high risk of the illness, researchers said in a study on Tuesday.
It would allow doctors to detect pre-cancerous growths, which could be removed before they developed into cancer.
Snail memory boost seen promising for Alzheimer’s
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A cancer drug may stimulate the production of proteins needed for long-term memory, supporting interest in the compound as a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers said on Monday.
Scientists at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute and the Marine Biological Laboratory report that introducing bryostatin into a marine snail, days before a learning activity, caused a marked improvement in long-term memory.
Children are “invisible face” of AIDS
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Every minute of every day a child dies of AIDS but only 5 percent of those infected have access to life-preserving drugs, UNICEF, the U.N. Children’s Fund, said on Tuesday in launching a new campaign.
Appealing for more funds for children with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, hoped the world would spend $33 billion over the next five years from existing commitments and additional funds.
Sleep Disorders Drug Closer to Approval
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Cephalon Inc. said Friday it moved closer to U.S. approval for marketing a version of its Provigil sleep-disorders drug, the company’s best-selling medicine, to treat attention-deficit disorder in children.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a so-called approvable letter for Sparlon, a new formulation and dose of Provigil, Cephalon said in a statement Friday. Sales of Sparlon probably will begin in early 2006, the company said. An approvable letter spells out steps for getting final approval from the FDA to begin marketing.
