http://medicalxpress.com/diseases-news/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news on diseases, disease research, disease studies, conditions, syndromes, health and medicine. A known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body's natural flu killer system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-boosting-body-natural-flu-killers.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 23 May 2013 11:06:47 EST news288525999 As the world prepares for what may be the next pandemic strain of influenza virus, in the H7N9 bird flu, a new UC Irvine study reveals that the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic was deadliest for people under the age of 65, while those 65 and over had greater immunity due to previous exposure to similar viruses. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-swine-flu-pandemic-deadly-younger.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:02 EST news288460618 The World Health Organization says the Horn of Africa is experiencing an outbreak of polio with cases confirmed in Kenya and Somalia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-polio-cases-kenya-somalia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 16:06:48 EST news288457603 A man who had contracted the coronavirus has died in Saudi Arabia, raising the death toll in the kingdom from the SARS-like virus to 17, the health ministry announced on its website on Wednesday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-sars-like-virus-life-saudi_1.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 16:05:37 EST news288457530 A new approach for immunizing against influenza elicited a more potent immune response and broader protection than the currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines when tested in mice and ferrets. The vaccine concept, which was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), represents an important step forward in the quest to develop a universal influenza vaccine—one that would protect against most or all influenza strains without the need for an annual vaccination. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-approach-influenza-vaccination-early-animal.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 15:38:42 EST news288455916 Patients with underlying heart failure are more likely to experience adverse outcomes from mild hypothyroidism, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-mild-hypothyroidism-mortality-heart-failure.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 13:52:40 EST news288449554 University of Granada scientists have patented a new treatment for acne that is based on completely natural substances and is much more effective than artificial formulas because it does not create resistance to bacteria and has no secondary effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-acne-treatment-natural-substance-based-formula.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 11:52:58 EST news288442366 More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic "gold standard" for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-copd-over-diagnosed-uninsured-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 09:19:42 EST news288433175 (AP)—Alabama health officials say a mysterious respiratory illness has left five people hospitalized and two dead in the southeastern part of the state. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-mysterious-illness-southeast-alabama.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:01 EST news288423763 A paper recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine and co-written by physicians and scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine finds that an important genetic risk factor for pulmonary fibrosis can be used to identify individuals at risk for this deadly lung disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-genetic-factor-pulmonary-fibrosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 17:22:34 EST news288375742 Using the Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR), University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have identified a number of biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which could help with earlier diagnosis and intervention in those who have not yet shown symptoms. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-biomarkers-inflammatory-bowel-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 17:21:31 EST news288375680 (HealthDay)—Three-quarters of public schools in the metro Atlanta area contain microbes, including bacteria indicating the presence of fecal matter, according to research published in the May 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cdc-high-pools-microbes.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 16:20:01 EST news288369013 (HealthDay)—Factors such as increased case finding may explain why Michigan had half of the total spinal infections associated with contaminated methylprednisolone acetate in the recent fungal meningitis outbreak, according to research published in the May 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-outbreak-spinal-infections-michigan.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 16:10:01 EST news288368989 The world is unprepared for a massive virus outbreak, the deputy chief of the World Health Organization warned Tuesday, amid fears that H7N9 bird flu striking China could morph into a form that spreads easily among people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-world-ready-flu-outbreak.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 15:40:03 EST news288368629 Among patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring hospital admission, a 5-day glucocorticoid treatment course was non-inferior (not worse than) to a 14-day course with regard to re-exacerbation during 6 months of follow-up, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the American Thoracic Society international conference. The authors write that these findings support a shorter-course glucocorticoid treatment regimen, which would reduce glucocorticoid exposure and the risk of possible adverse effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-shorter-duration-steroid-therapy-similar.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 15:18:08 EST news288368280 African-Americans are less likely than whites and women are more likely than men to have had a prior diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of their current disease severity, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-gender-diagnosis-copd.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 15:17:30 EST news288368244 Variation in the gene MUC5B among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was associated with improved survival, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the American Thoracic Society international conference. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-genetic-variation-patients-pulmonary-fibrosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 15:14:58 EST news288368090 The level of immunity to the recently circulating H7N9 influenza virus in an urban and rural population in Vietnam is very low, according to the first population level study to examine human immunity to the virus, which was previously only found in birds. The findings have implications for planning the public health response to this pandemic threat. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-reveal-population-immunity-bird-flu.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 11:46:37 EST news288355588 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is primarily associated with the respiratory symptoms that are its hallmark, but in fact, patients who struggle with the disease also experience significant amounts of chronic pain. A new study conducted by researchers in Pennsylvania and New Mexico estimates the degree of pain suffered by these patients to be close to that experienced by patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-copd-significant-persistent-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 11:43:41 EST news288355411 Depression is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been linked with disease severity and impaired quality of life. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have linked the systemic inflammation associated with COPD with depression in these patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-inflammation-depression-copd-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 11:39:07 EST news288355140 In a striking, unexpected discovery, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture. The finding suggests that vitamin C added to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy, and it highlights a new area for drug design. The study was published today in the online journal Nature Communications. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vitamin-drug-resistant-tb-video.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 11:34:25 EST news288354848 Clinical measurement of physical activity appears to be an independent predictor of whether or not patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will end up being hospitalized, according to a new study conducted by researchers in Connecticut. The study also corroborates an earlier investigation that linked higher levels of inactivity with an increased incidence of hospitalizations among patients with COPD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-hospitalizations-copd-population.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:01 EST news288347114 A novel approach to obstructing the runaway inflammatory response implicated in some types of asthma has shown promise in a Phase IIa clinical trial, according to U. S. researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-monoclonal-antibody-effective-safe-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:57 EST news288347089 Extended use of a common antibiotic may prolong the time between hospitalizations for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter study which compared the hospitalization rates of patients treated with a 12-month course of azithromycin to the rates of those treated with placebo. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-antibiotic-therapy-beneficial-patients-copd.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:33 EST news288347065 (HealthDay)—Obese and overweight men and women who suffer from heartburn often report relief when they lose weight, a new study shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-weight-ease-chronic-heartburn.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 07:40:02 EST news288336812 A 66-year-old Tunisian man has died from the new coronavirus following a visit to Saudi Arabia and two of his adult children were infected with it, the Tunisian Health Ministry reported. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-tunisia-cases-coronavirus-death.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 07:20:55 EST news288339644 (HealthDay)—For patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), prolonged prone positioning during mechanical ventilation is associated with significantly reduced mortality at 28 and 90 days, according to a study published online May 20 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with presentation at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society, held from May 17 to 22 in Philadelphia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-ats-early-prone-positioning-mortality.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 07:00:02 EST news288336853 No new human cases of the H7N9 virus have been recorded in China for a week, national health authorities said, for the first time since the outbreak began in March. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-h7n9-cases-china-week.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 05:20:01 EST news288331389 A Nobel prize-winning scientist Tuesday played down "shock-horror scenarios" that a new virus strain will emerge with the potential to kill millions of people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-nobel-laureate-flu-pandemic-scaremongering.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 05:01:38 EST news288331263 Bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin are also commonly resistant to antimicrobial substances made by the human body, according to a study in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Cross-resistance to colistin and host antimicrobials LL-37 and lysozyme, which help defend the body against bacterial attack, could mean that patients with life-threatening multi-drug resistant infections are also saddled with a crippled immune response. Colistin is a last-line drug for treating several kinds of drug-resistant infections, but colistin resistance and the drug's newfound impacts on bacterial resistance to immune attack underscore the need for newer, better antibiotics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-resistance-last-line-antibiotic-bacteria-resistant.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:01 EST news288291710