Health News

• Apps On "Prescription" From Your GP February 22, 2012
  General practitioners in the UK could soon be "prescribing" cheap or free smartphone apps to help their patients manage their health and medical conditions, according to news released on Wednesday by the Department of Health. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "So many people use apps every day to keep up with their friends, with the news, […]
• Electronic Health Records Alert Pediatricians To Obese Patients February 22, 2012
  Electronic health records and embedded tools can alert and direct pediatricians so they can better manage the weight of children and teenagers, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published online in The Journal of Pediatrics... […]
• Some Insulin Production Found In Long-Term Type 1 Diabetes February 22, 2012
  Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research has found that insulin production may persist for decades after the onset of type 1 diabetes. Beta cell functioning also appears to be preserved in some patients years after apparent loss of pancreatic function. The study results appear in the March issue of Diabetes Care. "Traditionally, it was thought that […]
• College Students Comfortable With Biobanks, Willing To Donate Genetic Material For Research February 22, 2012
  A majority of college students is receptive to donating blood or other genetic material for scientific research, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas. In what appears to be the first study to gauge college students' willingness to donate to a genetic biobank, the study surveyed 250 male and female undergraduate and graduat […]
• Research Offers Insights Into Addiction - Cocaine And The Teen Brain February 22, 2012
  When first exposed to cocaine, the adolescent brain launches a strong defensive reaction designed to minimize the drug's effects, Yale and other scientists have found. Now two new studies by a Yale team identify key genes that regulate this response and show that interfering with this reaction dramatically increases a mouse's sensitivity to cocaine […]
• Strengthening The Intestinal Barrier May Prevent Cancer In The Rest Of The Body February 22, 2012
  A leaky gut may be the root of some cancers forming in the rest of the body, a new study published online Feb. 21 in PLoS ONE by Thomas Jefferson University researchers suggests. It appears that the hormone receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) - a previously identified tumor suppressor that exists in the intestinal tract - plays a key role in strengthening the […]
• Better Understanding Of Cancer Drugs Following Discovery Of Cell Energy Sensor Mechanism February 22, 2012
  Johns Hopkins and National Taiwan University researchers have discovered more details about how an energy sensing "thermostat" protein determines whether cells will store or use their energy reserves. In a report in Nature, the researchers showed that a chemical modification on the thermostat protein changes how it's controlled. Without the mo […]