The number of diagnoses of Down's syndrome has increased by almost three quarters (71%) from 1989/90 to 2007/08, largely due to the considerable increase in the number of older mothers over this period. However, the number of babies born with this condition during the same period fell by 1% because of antenatal screening and subsequent terminations, finds research published on bmj.com today.
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Homeless and marginally housed people have much higher mortality and shorter life expectancy than could be expected on the basis of low income alone, concludes a study from Canada published on bmj.com today.
Previous studies have found high levels of excess mortality among the homeless compared with the general population, but little information is available on death rates among homeless and marginally housed people living in low-cost collective dwellings, such as rooming houses and hotels.
- Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is essential for numerous developmental processes involving biological cells.
- New findings indicate that alcohol may promote cancer progression by stimulating EMT.
- This has implications for both cancer prevention and therapy.
- Mexican researchers examined the polymorphisms of three enzymes – alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1B), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) – in the Mestizo and Huichol groups.
- The Huichols, an indigenous group, had the highest CYP2E1*c2 allele frequency documented in the world.
- This high frequency, in conjunction with the absence of protective ADH1B and ALDH2 polymorphisms, may place the Huichols at particularly high genetic risk for alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease.
- A genetic study has examined the association between a polymorphism of the µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene and alcohol misuse among adolescents.
- Results suggest that teens who carry the G allele (A118G) of the OPRM1 gene are at increased risk for alcohol problems because they experience alcohol as more pleasurable or rewarding than teens without A118G.
Jewish survivors of World War II who were potentially exposed to the Holocaust are at higher risk for cancer occurrence, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies in non-Jewish populations investigating the relationship of cancer incidence rates to physical and psychological stress, such as famine and mental stress, have reached similar results.
A national survey of physicians' experience with hospital chaplains found that the vast majority of doctors were satisfied with the spiritual services provided. Physicians in the Northeast and those with a dim view of religion's effects on patients, however, were less likely to be pleased.
Heart attacks appear to have become more common in middle-aged women over the past two decades, but all women and especially those younger than 55 have recently experienced a greater increase than men in their chances of survival following such a heart event, according to two reports in the October 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Men and women become gradually less fit with age, with declines accelerating after age 45, according to a report in the October 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI), not smoking and being physically active are associated with higher fitness levels throughout adult life.
Enrolling in a weight loss program with a family member or friend appears to enhance weight loss among African Americans, but only if the involved partner attends sessions frequently or also loses weight, according to a report in the October 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
(Boston) – Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) have found that 50,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D2, given weekly for eight weeks, effectively treats vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D2 is a mainstay for the prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency in children and adults. Continued treatment with the same dose of vitamin D2 every other week for up to six years after the initial eight-week period prevents vitamin D deficiency from recurring with no toxicity. The BUSM study appears online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
The location of extra pounds appears to affect the risk of blood clots in middle-aged people, but affects men and women differently, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In her most recent study of possible triggers of cancer among northern New England residents, Dartmouth epidemiologist Margaret R. Karagas, Ph.D., and her team identified an enhanced risk to the bladders of patients taking drugs that suppress the immune system.
A common weed and human cancer cells could provide some very uncommon details about DNA structure and its relationship with telomeres and how they affect cellular aging and cancer, according to a team led by scientists from Texas A&M University and the University of Cincinnati (UC).
For men coping with painful erections lasting for long periods of time, or priapism, new research published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) offers hope. That's because researchers from the United States and China show that the enzyme adenosine deaminase may prevent priapism from progressing to penile fibrosis, a condition associated with the build up of scar tissue and eventual impotence. As penile fibrosis is a complication of priapism, so priapism is a complication of sickle cell disease.