Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Family History May Predict The Severity Of Mental Disease
We"ve all been asked at routine visits to the doctor to record our family"s history with medical problems like cancer, diabetes or heart disease. But when it comes to mental disorders, usually mum"s the word.
generic viagra online
Top Hospitals For Women's Health/Maternity Care Have Lower Mortality/Morbidity: HealthGrades Study
Wide gaps in quality outcomes for women persist, not only when compared to men, but among hospitals and states, according to a new study released by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The Sixth Annual HealthGrades Women"s Health in American Hospitals study identifies patient outcomes for maternity care and inhospital treatment of 16 procedures/diagnoses concerning women"s health. Ratings for individual hospitals have been posted at www.healthgrades.com.
News of the day
California Primary Care Physician Shortage Affecting Clinics That Serve Minority Populations
A shortage of primary care physicians in California "is driving community clinics to find innovate ways" to provide care to an increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse patient population, New America Media reports. According to New America Media, primary care physicians are in short supply nationwide because many medical students are pursuing more lucrative specialty fields that have higher reimbursement rates. Marty Lynch -- executive director of LifeLong Medical Care, a not-for-profit primary health care facility that operates nine health centers in Berkeley, Oakland and Marin County -- said he has tried unsuccessfully to hire minority primary care physicians and nurses. Lynch said it is "very difficult to find primary care providers" to provide care for minorities. Meanwhile, the demand for health services is on the rise, Jane Garcia, CEO of La Clinica de la Raza, said. The clinic has provided health services in the Bay Area at 27 satellite clinics for 38 years.The clinic for the last two years has partnered with neighboring community colleges to train medical assistants to work at their clinics to meet demand for diverse staff. "We"re training our own community members," Garcia said. She added that in the current economy, the "silver lining" is that "health care is one of the few sectors that more people will be choosing careers in" (Sundaram, New America Media, 5/18).
Medical Devices

Genetically Engineered Mice Yield Clues To 'Knocking Out' Cancer

Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That"s the conclusion of a recent study* in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the New York University School of Medicine (NYUSM). Although all cells need oxygen to survive, the element also can be stressful to cells and their components - particularly DNA - as part of "reactive species" in the environment, such as free radicals and peroxides. The damage levied on DNA by these compounds can include lesions, breaks, cross-links and deletions - errors in our normal genetic codes that, if left unchecked, may accelerate the aging process and increase susceptibility to several disease states. In humans, DNA repair genes produce enzymes called DNA glycosylases that excise sections of DNA strands already modified by oxidative stress, and thus protect the genetic material. One of these repair genes, neil1, was identified and characterized in 2002 by Sankar Mitra and his team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in collaboration with NIST researchers Miral Dizdaroglu and Pawel Jaruga. The gene produces a DNA repair protein, NEIL1 that is nearly identical in humans and mice. Therefore, a mouse serves a perfect model for studying the biological function of the neil1 gene in both species. To do this, OHSU researchers under R. Stephen Lloyd genetically engineered mice without the neil1 gene (known as neil1 knockout mice). During their first 6-10 months of life, the majority of male mice developed severe obesity, dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of lipids in the blood), fatty liver disease and hyperinsulinemia (excess levels of circulating insulin in the blood). In humans, these disorders are collectively known as metabolic syndrome, a condition that affects more than 40 million persons in the United States. In collaboration with Dr. Lloyd"s group, a second research team under George W. Teebor at NYUSM engineered mice that were missing either the neil1 or the nth1 gene (nth1 encodes for another DNA glycosylase, the NTH1 protein) or both these genes. These latter are known as neil1/nth1 double knockouts. NIST"s Dizdaroglu and guest researchers Pawel Jaruga and GÃøldal Kirkali found that both types of knockout mice exhibited significant accumulation of two lesions called formamidopyrimidines in the DNA of the liver, kidney and brain. This indicates that there was a lack of DNA repair in these organs. During the second year of life, both types of mice also developed pulmonary and hepatocellular (liver cell) tumors. Double knockout mice had a higher incidence of tumors than the single knockouts. The researchers state that their results emphasize the role of DNA repair in preventing carcinogenesis. The work may lead to the development of new measurement methods and reference materials for accurate and reproducible assessments of DNA damage and repair and contribute to understanding the role of oxidatively induced DNA damage and its repair in carcinogenesis. Future studies will focus on the role of NEIL1 in disease processes. * M.K. Chan, M.T. Ocampo-Hafalla, V.Vartanian, P. Jaruga, G. Kirkali, K.L. Koenig, S. Brown, R. S. Lloyd, M. Dizdaroglu and G.W. Teebor. Targeted deletion of the genes encoding NTH1 and NEIL1 DNA N-glycosylases reveals the existence of novel carcinogenic oxidative damage to DNA. DNA Repair, Vol. 8, No. 7, pp. 786-794 (July 4, 2009). Michael E. Newman National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009