http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Blocking the receptor for proteins that constrict blood vessels reduces markers of heart-related problems in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings might be used to improve the health of patients with CKD, who most often die from cardiovascular disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-kidney-patients-heart-health.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:27:42 EST news274642055 Blood levels of an immunity-related protein, galectin-1, in patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma reflected the extent of their cancer and correlated with other predictors of outcome, scientists reported at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-blood-immune-protein-hodgkin-disease.html Cancer Mon, 10 Dec 2012 16:06:29 EST news274377950 (Medical Xpress)—Being mildly vitamin B-12 deficient could be an indication that some older adults are at a greater risk for accelerated cognitive decline, an observational study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mild-vitamin-b12-deficiency-cognitive.html Health Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:16:12 EST news274000562 (Medical Xpress)—In a new analysis of thousands of US women of childbearing age, Brown University researchers found that most exceeded the median blood level for two or more of three environmental pollutants that could harm brain development of fetuses and babies: lead, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-women-multiple-pollutants.html Health Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:34:11 EST news273335639 A study led by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has found a correlation between vitamin D3 serum levels and subsequent incidence of Type 1 diabetes. The six-year study of blood levels of nearly 2,000 individuals suggests a preventive role for vitamin D3 in this disease. The research appears the December issue of Diabetologia, a publication of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-vitamin-d-deficiency-linked-diabetes.html Diabetes Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:35:51 EST news272223343 Patients with a disease that is a leading cause of kidney failure tend to have high levels of a particular factor circulating in their blood, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings suggest that the factor could be used to monitor the disease's progression as well as patients' response to different therapies. It might also be a therapeutic target of future treatments for this difficult-to-treat disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-circulating-blood-factor-linked-kidney.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:00:01 EST news271613516 Measuring blood levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein, an important marker of inflammation, in apparently cancer-free men could potentially help identify those at increased risk for death from cancer, in particular lung cancer, according to data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-inflammation-marker-linked-death-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:20:01 EST news271440779 An international effort led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has resulted in positive phase 3 clinical trial results for a new medicine to treat patients suffering from a rare and deadly cholesterol disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-medication-lipid-lowering-therapy-rare-cholesterol.html Medical research Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:45:02 EST news271068291 Duke Medicine researchers studying the interaction of blood stem cells and the niche where they reside have identified a protein that may be a long-sought growth factor for blood stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-duke-team-potent-growth-factor.html Medical research Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:30:01 EST news270203970 Individuals with kidney failure often develop heart problems, but it's not clear why. A study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN) provides evidence that their kidneys' inability to excrete waste products in the urine, which leads to build-up of these products in the blood, may damage the sugary lining of blood vessels and lead to heart troubles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-blood-vessel-lining-account-kidney.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:00:03 EST news269791159 A molecule involved in asthma and allergies has now been shown to make mice resistant to skin cancer, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-mice-asthma-allergies-skin-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:00:06 EST news269499407 Eating tomatoes and tomato-based foods is associated with a lower risk of stroke, according to new research published in the October 9, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-tomatoes.html Health Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:00:15 EST news268913337 (Medical Xpress)—Eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, new research suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-apple-day-lowers-blood-chemical.html Health Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:36:36 EST news268400095 Low levels of vitamin D and high levels of parathyroid hormone are associated with increased mortality in African American and Caucasian older adults, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM). The study also indicates that the potential impact of remediating low vitamin D levels is greater in African Americans than Caucasians because vitamin D insufficiency is more common in African Americans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-vitamin-d-mortality-older-adults.html Health Tue, 02 Oct 2012 00:00:01 EST news268332006 "It is well known that passive smoking is harmful for cardiovascular health, but the mechanism has not yet been discovered," said Dr Kaya. "We investigated the effects of passive smoking on the levels of three parameters – mean platelet volume (MPV), carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and lactate - in an effort to further understand this mechanism. We also looked at the correlation between the three parameters." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-passive-platelet-healthy-people.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:00:01 EST news265282950 A study conducted in Mongolian schoolchildren supports the possibility that daily vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of respiratory infections in winter. In a report that will appear in the journal Pediatrics and has received early online release, an international research team found that vitamin D supplementation decreased the risk of respiratory infections among children who had low blood levels of vitamin D at the start of the study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-vitamin-d-supplementation-decrease-respiratory.html Pediatrics Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:33:17 EST news264691987 Increasing blood levels of particular proteins may act as warning signs for patients with one of the most common diseases of the kidney, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings could lead to better diagnosis and management of patients with the disease, called IgA nephropathy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-blood-markers-reveal-severity-common.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:00:04 EST news264345347 A glass a day of grapefruit juice lets patients derive the same benefits from an anti-cancer drug as they would get from more than three times as much of the drug by itself, according to a new clinical trial. The combination could help patients avoid side effects associated with high doses of the drug and reduce the cost of the medication. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-grapefruit-juice-patients-dose-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:17:05 EST news263564214 Drugs commonly prescribed to patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may not be as strongly effective as once thought, and may cause unexpected harm to blood vessels, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that additional studies on the drugs, called phosphate binders, are needed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-safety-effectiveness-common-kidney-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:00:02 EST news261932206 Patients with a gland disorder that causes excessive calcium in their blood who also have vitamin D deficiency can safely receive vitamin D treatment without it raising their calcium levels, a new study has determined. The results with one-year follow-up will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-vitamin-d-therapy-safe-patients.html Health Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:37:56 EST news259936662 Hormone-replacement therapy significantly improved symptoms of metabolic syndrome associated with testosterone deficiency in men, a new study from Germany finds. The results to be presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-testosterone-replacement-therapy-symptoms-metabolic-syndrome.html Medications Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:30:09 EST news259855444 Low levels of a naturally occurring steroid are associated with an increased risk of heart and blood-vessel disease in elderly men, a new study finds. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-steroid-linked-cardiovascular-disease.html Cardiology Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:51:00 EST news259674650 Women in their seventies who exercise and eat healthy amounts of fruits and vegetables have a longer life expectancy, according to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-healthy-diet-fruits-vegetables-life.html Health Wed, 30 May 2012 11:31:33 EST news257596247 A new study suggests that eating foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, chicken, salad dressing and nuts, may be associated with lower blood levels of a protein related to Alzheimer's disease and memory problems. The research is published in the May 2, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-fish-chicken-nuts-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 04 May 2012 16:08:54 EST news255193769 There is a connection between phthalates found in cosmetics and plastics and the risk of developing diabetes among seniors. Even at a modest increase in circulating phthalate levels, the risk of diabetes is doubled. This conclusion is drawn by researchers at Uppsala University in a study published in the journal Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-high-phthalates-greater-type-diabetes.html Diabetes Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:00:01 EST news253443314 In most people, high blood levels of the fat known as triglycerides are an early warning sign of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, but in people of African descent these dangerous health conditions may go undiagnosed because triglyceride levels are not at the level used to diagnose metabolic syndrome (>150 mg/dL). This is known as the "TG (or lipid) paradox." Understanding how African Americans are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) despite a normal TG level is unclear and is the focus of a review article in Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-triglyceride-people-african-descent-hinder.html Sleep apnea Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:50:02 EST news252848986 (HealthDay) -- In a follow-up to a warning that high doses of the popular antidepressant Celexa can cause potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued new dosing and use recommendations. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-fda-antidepressant.html Medications Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:20:02 EST news252158907 Early disruptions in serotonin signaling in the brain may contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other "enduring effects on behavior," Vanderbilt University researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-mouse-autism-yields-clues-year-old.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:38:32 EST news251462298 Italian and Swiss researchers confirm that induced hyperammonaemia significantly increases daytime sleepiness in patients with cirrhosis. The findings available in the March issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that higher blood levels of ammonia reduced the ability of cirrhotic patients to produce restorative sleep. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-cirrhotic-patients-daytime-sleepiness-higher.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:30:01 EST news249819326 A diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients commonly found in fish, may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities, according to a study published in the February 28, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-omega-fatty-acids-memory-problems.html Neuroscience Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:00:07 EST news249573264