http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (AP)—Department of Justice lawyers have again asked a federal appeals court in New York to delay lifting age restrictions and prescription requirements on an emergency contraceptive popularly known as the morning-after pill. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-feds-morning-after-pill-age-ny.html Medications Sat, 25 May 2013 07:02:17 EST news288684128 Heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome (AS), according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. AS, also referred to as male 'menopause', was four times more common in men with heart failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-heart-failure-male-menopause.html Cardiology Sat, 25 May 2013 06:56:07 EST news288683760 Mortality and length of stay are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight, according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. The analysis of nearly 1 million heart failure admissions over 14 years was presented by Dr David P. Kao (Denver, Colorado). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-death-highest-heart-failure-patients.html Cardiology Sat, 25 May 2013 06:55:12 EST news288683706 Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented today at Heart Failure 2013 congress. It is the first drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade and should be added to standard treatment, according to lead author Professor Svend Aage Mortensen (Copenhagen, Denmark). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-drug-heart-failure-mortality-decade.html Cardiology Sat, 25 May 2013 06:50:22 EST news288683408 Talking on a hands-free device while behind the wheel can lead to a sharp increase in errors that could imperil other drivers on the road, according to new research from the University of Alberta. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-hands-free-spike-errors.html Health Fri, 24 May 2013 15:12:32 EST news288627145 (AP)—Government health officials are investigating several health problems reported with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fda-infections-tied-tennessee-pharmacy.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 24 May 2013 14:46:09 EST news288625466 Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The findings, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, may lead to new treatment options for this debilitating disease, for which the only current treatment option is repeated surgical removal of the tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-drug-childhood-genetic-tumor-disorder.html Genetics Fri, 24 May 2013 14:41:04 EST news288625258 Kate O'Reilly's spring allergy survival kit includes the usual stuff - nasal sprays, allergy pills and a box of tissues. This season, she's added a new weapon to her line of defense: an app on her smartphone. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-pollen-apps-smartphones.html Immunology Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:01 EST news288618284 (HealthDay)—Comorbid conditions often accompany alopecia areata, according to a study published online May 22 in JAMA Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-comorbidities-common-alopecia-areata.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 24 May 2013 13:40:01 EST news288617896 (HealthDay)—More than one in four of those eligible for new premium assistance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) do not have a checking account and will not be able to receive premiums from insurance companies, according to a report published by Jackson Hewitt. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-uninsured-excluded-aca.html Health Fri, 24 May 2013 13:20:02 EST news288617879 (HealthDay)—New evidence-based guidelines provide guidance on medical and surgical methods for second-trimester abortion and management of associated complications, according to a practice bulletin published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-bulletin-guidelines-second-trimester-abortion.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Fri, 24 May 2013 13:10:01 EST news288617837 (HealthDay)—As a world-class golfer, Stacy Lewis' accomplishments are remarkable. But it was a physical challenge in her childhood that defined her ascent to the top of her sport. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-top-ranked-golfer-scoliosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:01 EST news288617814 (HealthDay)—We've all seen them: the surfers who race to the beach when a hurricane hits, the guy who decides to ride out the storm in his overmatched boat, the tornado chasers who fearlessly steer their cars alongside a scary-looking funnel cloud. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-storm-chasers-born-wild.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 24 May 2013 12:50:01 EST news288617756 In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) and other non-coding RNAs are small molecules that help control the expression of specific proteins. In recent years they have emerged as disease biomarkers. miRNA profiles have been used to establish tissue origin for cancers of unknown primary origin, determine prognosis, monitor therapeutic responses and screen for disease, but clinically tractable, diagnostic methods for monitoring miRNA expression in patient samples are not currently available. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-fluorescent-tools-cancer-diagnosis.html Cancer Fri, 24 May 2013 12:33:15 EST news288617567 Cancer cells spread and grow by avoiding detection and destruction by the immune system. Stimulation of the immune system can help to eliminate cancer cells; however, there are many factors that cause the immune system to ignore cancer cells. Regulatory T cells are immune cells that function to suppress the immune system response. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-modulating-immune-combat-metastatic-cancer.html Cancer Fri, 24 May 2013 12:31:48 EST news288617502 Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-hormone-key-psychological-disorders-women.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 24 May 2013 12:05:42 EST news288615932 (HealthDay)—Menopausal hormone therapy should not be used for prevention of coronary heart disease, according to a Committee Opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published in the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-acog-hormone-therapy-chd.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Fri, 24 May 2013 12:00:01 EST news288614811 After studying noise in one French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans to determine whether or not noise levels exceeded municipal ordinances, Annette Hurley, PhD, Assistant Professor of Audiology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and Eric Arriaga, a third-year LSUHSC doctor of audiology student, recommend that people use today's technology to protect their own hearing health. Their case study is published online in the current issue of Advance for Hearing Practice Management. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-audiologists-smart-apps-noise.html Health Fri, 24 May 2013 11:50:01 EST news288614188 Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is effective and safe in Asian patients, according to early experience based on first results from a multicentre Asian registry reported at EuroPCR 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-registry-tavi-efficacy-safety-asian.html Cardiology Fri, 24 May 2013 11:40:13 EST news288614408 In Parkinson's disease, the protein "alpha-synuclein" aggregates and accumulates within neurons. Specific areas of the brain become progressively affected as the disease develops and advances. The mechanism underlying this pathological progression is poorly understood but could result from spreading of the protein (or abnormal forms of it) along nerve projections connecting lower to upper brain regions. Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn have developed a novel experimental model that reproduces for the first time this pattern of alpha-synuclein brain spreading and provides important clues on the mechanisms underlying this pathological process. They triggered the production of human alpha-synuclein in the lower rat brain and were able to trace the spreading of this protein toward higher brain regions. The new experimental paradigm could promote the development of ways to halt or slow down disease development in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-animal-insights-mechanisms-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Fri, 24 May 2013 11:38:10 EST news288614282 The news about youth and diabetes keeps getting worse. The latest data from the national TODAY diabetes study shows that children who develop Type 2 diabetes are at high risk to develop heart, kidney and eye problems faster and at a higher rate than people who acquire Type 2 diabetes as adults. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-youth-diabetes-higher-heart-kidney.html Diabetes Fri, 24 May 2013 11:37:07 EST news288614219 Young children who missed more than half of recommended well-child visits had up to twice the risk of hospitalization compared to children who attended most of their visits, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Managed Care. The study included more than 20,000 children enrolled at Group Health Cooperative. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-young-children-well-child-hospitalized.html Health Fri, 24 May 2013 11:36:01 EST news288614151 Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to examine individual cells and their activity directly in the tissue. The development of new microscopes and fluorescent dyes in recent years has brought this scientific dream tantalisingly close. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried have now presented not one, but two studies introducing new indicator molecules which can visualise the activation of T cells. Their findings provide new insight into the role of these cells in the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS). The new indicators are set to be an important tool in the study of other immune reactions as well. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-immune-cell-multiple-sclerosis.html Immunology Fri, 24 May 2013 11:35:22 EST news288614094 Saudi Arabia said Friday it would send samples taken from animals possibly infected with a deadly SARS-like virus to the United States for testing in a bid to find the source of disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-saudi-animal-samples-coronavirus-probe.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 24 May 2013 09:50:01 EST news288605780 New research presented today shows that formation of new neurons in the hippocampus - a brain region known for its importance in learning and remembering - could cause forgetting of old memories by causing a reorganization of existing brain circuits. Drs. Paul Frankland and Sheena Josselyn, both from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, argue this reorganization could have the positive effect of clearing old memories, reducing interference and thereby increasing capacity for new learning. These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience - Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-neuron-formation-capacity-expense-memories.html Neuroscience Fri, 24 May 2013 09:30:03 EST news288605755 Ernie Pyle – an iconic war correspondent in World War II – reportedly said "There are no atheists in foxholes." A new joint study between two brothers at Cornell and Virginia Wesleyan found that only part of this is true. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-atheists-foxholes-theyre-minority.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 24 May 2013 09:26:47 EST news288606395 Researchers from London's Kingston University have begun a two-year study which could help prolong the lives of people with colorectal tumours. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-bowel-cancer-microscope.html Cancer Fri, 24 May 2013 09:20:02 EST news288603701 How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-people-schizophrenia.html Neuroscience Fri, 24 May 2013 09:10:04 EST news288603686 The individualisation of drug treatments to support patients to self-manage their conditions is a concept that sits at the heart of policy, but a recent study in BMJ Open shows that there is no concrete definition of the term and consequently no cohesive understanding of what it means in practice among prescribing doctors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-doctors-individualisation-treatments.html Health Fri, 24 May 2013 09:10:02 EST news288601749 (Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys to HIV in humans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-cytomegalovirus-monkeys-hiv-equivalent.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 24 May 2013 09:01:38 EST news288604885