ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Biomarkers predict long-term outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis
• Sjögren's Syndrome significantly increases risk of heart attack
• Higher health care cost burden of musculoskeletal conditions compared to other diseases
• Genotyping can predict disease outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis patients
• Identifying cyst-laden meat: Sarcocystis thermostable PCR detection kit developed
• Lower vitamin D level in blood linked to higher premature death rate
• Processed red meat linked to higher risk of heart failure, death in men
• New test detects toxic prions in blood
• Findings point toward one of first therapies for Lou Gehrig's disease
• With the right rehabilitation, paralyzed rats learn to grip again
• Unexpected origin for important parts of the nervous system
• Father's age influences rate of evolution: 90% of new mutations from father, chimpanzee study shows
• Cellular complexity of brain tumors charted
• Rapid-acting antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression: New insights
• Mexican genetics study reveals huge variation in ancestry: Basis for health differences among Latinos discovered
• Brain power: New insight into how brain regulates its blood flow
• Potential anti-TNF response biomarker identified
• Regular exercise beneficial in suppressing inflammation in rheumatic disease
• Cranial ultrasound may replace temporal artery biopsy in diagnosis of giant cell arteritis
• Manipulating and detecting ultrahigh frequency sound waves: 1,000 times higher resolution ultrasound images possible
• PTSD, major depressive episode appears to increase risk of preterm birth
• Higher disease activity scores in obese RA patients
• Tendon stimulation the key to repair in 'tennis elbow': Saline injections as effective as platelet-rich plasma injections
• Biosimilar CT-P13 matches infliximab in improving ankylosing spondylitis disease activity
• Romosozumab significantly increases bone mineral density and bone content compared with teriparatide
• New data clarify relationship between diet and disease activity

Biomarkers predict long-term outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis Posted: 13 Jun 2014 05:45 AM PDT Data demonstrate the possibility of using biomarkers (developed from whole blood gene expression profiles) in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis to predict the status of their disease at 12 months. The long-term disease status at 12 months was accurately predicted only after treatment had been initiated, in newly diagnosed patients.

Sjögren's Syndrome significantly increases risk of heart attack Posted: 13 Jun 2014 05:45 AM PDT A new study showed a significantly increased risk of heart attack in patients with Sjögren's syndrome, particularly in the first year following diagnosis. There was also a trend towards an increased risk for stroke.

Higher health care cost burden of musculoskeletal conditions compared to other diseases Posted: 13 Jun 2014 05:45 AM PDT A new study highlights the increased health care costs associated with musculoskeletal conditions compared to other diseases. Health care costs were almost 50 percent higher for people with a musculoskeletal condition compared to any other singly occurring condition.

Genotyping can predict disease outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis patients Posted: 13 Jun 2014 05:45 AM PDT New cohort studies have shown the amino acid valine at position 11 of HLA-DRB1 gene to be the strongest independent genetic determinant of radiological damage in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, positions 71 and 74 were found to represent independent predictors, with the three positions together: 11, 71 and 74 strongly associated with disease outcomes.

Identifying cyst-laden meat: Sarcocystis thermostable PCR detection kit developed Posted: 12 Jun 2014 06:24 PM PDT Consumption of undercooked cyst-laden meat from cattle, sheep and goats may cause infection in humans. Researchers have successfully invented a PCR kit which provides a suitable and feasible means of screening, detection and identification with high sensitivity and specificity of the parasite.

Lower vitamin D level in blood linked to higher premature death rate Posted: 12 Jun 2014 02:46 PM PDT Researchers have found that people with lower blood levels of vitamin D were twice as likely to die prematurely as people with higher blood levels of vitamin D. The finding was based on a systematic review of 32 previous studies that included analyses of vitamin D, blood levels and human mortality rates. The specific variant of vitamin D assessed was 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the primary form found in blood.

Processed red meat linked to higher risk of heart failure, death in men Posted: 12 Jun 2014 02:46 PM PDT Men who regularly eat moderate amounts of processed red meat such as cold cuts (ham/salami) and sausage may have an increased risk of heart failure incidence and a greater risk of death from heart failure. Researchers recommend avoiding processed red meat and limiting the amount of unprocessed red meat to one to two servings a week or less.

New test detects toxic prions in blood Posted: 12 Jun 2014 02:46 PM PDT The first cases of mad cow disease in humans occurred in the late 1990s and are thought to be the consequence of eating contaminated beef products. Several cases of secondary infections caused by transfusions with blood from donors who developed vCJD have been reported, raising concerns about the safety of blood products. A new article describes an assay that can detect prions in blood samples from humans with vCJD and in animals at early stages of the incubation phase.

Findings point toward one of first therapies for Lou Gehrig's disease Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:23 AM PDT Researchers have determined that a copper compound known for decades may form the basis for a therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. In humans, prior to this, no therapy for ALS has ever been discovered that could extend lifespan more than a few additional months.

With the right rehabilitation, paralyzed rats learn to grip again Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:23 AM PDT After a large stroke, motor skills barely improve, even with rehabilitation. An experiment conducted on rats demonstrates that a course of therapy combining the stimulation of nerve fiber growth with drugs and motor training can be successful. The key, however, is the correct sequence: Paralyzed animals only make an almost complete recovery if the training is delayed until after the growth promoting drugs have been administered.

Unexpected origin for important parts of the nervous system Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:23 AM PDT A new study shows that a part of the nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system, is formed in a way that is different from what researchers previously believed. In this study a new phenomenon is investigated within the field of developmental biology, and the findings may lead to new medical treatments for congenital disorders of the nervous system.

Father's age influences rate of evolution: 90% of new mutations from father, chimpanzee study shows Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:23 AM PDT The offspring of chimpanzees inherit 90 percent of new mutations from their father, and just 10 percent from their mother, a finding which demonstrates how mutation differs between humans and our closest living relatives, and emphasizes the importance of father's age on evolution.

Cellular complexity of brain tumors charted Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:23 AM PDT Scientists have conducted a first-of-its-kind study that characterizes the cellular diversity within glioblastoma tumors from patients. The study, which looked at the expression of thousands of genes in individual cells from patient tumors, revealed that the cellular makeup of each tumor is more heterogeneous than previously suspected.

Rapid-acting antidepressant for treatment-resistant depression: New insights Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:21 AM PDT Researchers have generated fresh insights that could aid in the development of rapid-acting antidepressants for treatment-resistant depression. The researchers found that by blocking NMDA receptors with the drug ketamine, they could elicit rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Ketamine was developed as an anesthetic, but is better known publicly for its abuse as the party drug Special K. Researchers are now seeking alternatives because ketamine can produce side effects that include hallucinations and the potential for abuse -- limiting its utility as an antidepressant.

Mexican genetics study reveals huge variation in ancestry: Basis for health differences among Latinos discovered Posted: 12 Jun 2014 11:21 AM PDT In the most comprehensive genetic study of the Mexican population to date, researchers have identified tremendous genetic diversity, reflecting thousands of years of separation among local populations and shedding light on a range of confounding aspects of Latino health.

Brain power: New insight into how brain regulates its blood flow Posted: 12 Jun 2014 10:23 AM PDT Engineering professors have identified a new component of the biological mechanism that controls blood flow in the brain, demonstrating that the vascular endothelium plays a critical role in the regulation of blood flow in response to stimulation in the living brain. Understanding how and why the brain regulates its blood flow could provide important clues to understanding early brain development, disease, and aging.

Potential anti-TNF response biomarker identified Posted: 12 Jun 2014 05:57 AM PDT DNA methylation has been identified as a potential biomarker of response to etanercept and adalimumab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis according to preliminary results from one of the largest methylome-wide investigations of treatment response to anti-TNF therapies. This data bring clinicians a step closer to being able to personalize a patient's treatment pathway.

Regular exercise beneficial in suppressing inflammation in rheumatic disease Posted: 12 Jun 2014 05:53 AM PDT Research findings suggest that exercise transiently suppresses local and systemic inflammation, reinforcing the beneficial effects of exercise and the need for this to be regular in order to achieve clinical efficacy in rheumatic disease.

Cranial ultrasound may replace temporal artery biopsy in diagnosis of giant cell arteritis Posted: 12 Jun 2014 05:53 AM PDT A new study shows that cranial ultrasound has a greater sensitivity than temporal artery biopsy, and a comparable specificity in the diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis.

Manipulating and detecting ultrahigh frequency sound waves: 1,000 times higher resolution ultrasound images possible Posted: 11 Jun 2014 02:10 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a technique for detecting and controlling ultrahigh frequency sound waves at the nanometer scale. This represents an advance towards next generation ultrasonic imaging with potentially 1,000 times higher resolution than today's medical ultrasounds.

PTSD, major depressive episode appears to increase risk of preterm birth Posted: 11 Jun 2014 02:10 PM PDT Diagnoses of both post-traumatic stress disorder and a major depressive episode appear to be associated with a sizable increase in risk for preterm birth that seems to be independent of antidepressant and benzodiazepine medication use.

Higher disease activity scores in obese RA patients Posted: 11 Jun 2014 06:37 AM PDT A new study showed that obese patients with rheumatoid arthritis have higher DAS (disease activity) scores than non-obese patients, irrespective of their disease stage.

Tendon stimulation the key to repair in 'tennis elbow': Saline injections as effective as platelet-rich plasma injections Posted: 11 Jun 2014 06:37 AM PDT New data show that ultrasound-guided injections of growth factors-containing platelet-rich plasma are no more effective in treating recently developed epicondylitis than injections of saline.

Biosimilar CT-P13 matches infliximab in improving ankylosing spondylitis disease activity Posted: 11 Jun 2014 06:37 AM PDT New data show that the newly approved infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 achieves statistically similar improvements in disease activity, disability and mobility in patients with ankylosing spondylitis compared to its original reference product infliximab.

Romosozumab significantly increases bone mineral density and bone content compared with teriparatide Posted: 11 Jun 2014 06:37 AM PDT A new study shows that in postmenopausal women with low bone mass, romosozumab significantly increased bone mineral density and bone content in both the spine and hip compared to baseline, and also compared with the commonly prescribed anabolic agent teriparatide and placebo.

New data clarify relationship between diet and disease activity Posted: 11 Jun 2014 06:36 AM PDT Two new studies have helped clarify the relationship between the dietary intake of monounsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis respectively.

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