PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Treatment to benefit African infants at risk of endemic fever

2012-04-23
(Press-News.org) Thousands of pre-school children in Africa could benefit from access to treatment for an endemic disease, after tests showed infants to be at high risk of infection.

Researchers tested hundreds of children aged between one and five in countries in sub-Saharan Africa where snail fever – also known as bilharzia or schistosomiasis – is endemic. Currently, infants are not regularly tested for infection as they are perceived to be at low risk of exposure to the water-borne disease and not to suffer severely from its ill-effects.

Scientists showed that in fact, infection rates are high among pre-school children. This may be because they often accompany their mothers to rivers and wells. Symptoms of the disease – which can include impaired memory and thought as well as damage to internal organs and stunted growth – are not always obvious.

The study found that a common snail fever drug, known as praziquantel, which is regularly given to older children and adults, can safely cure the infection in infants. The treatment is cheap and effective, curing infection and stopping progress of disease in a single dose.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh carried out studies in Zimbabwe and their results were combined with work by other teams in Mali, Sudan, Egypt, Niger and Uganda. In a recent World Health Organisation report, the teams recommended that infants be included in treatment programmes, and their work is informing public health policy.

According to the WHO, snail fever affects 230 million people each year, most of whom are African. Some 33.5 million people were treated for the disease in 2010. Children are especially vulnerable because they make frequent contact with infected water.

Dr Francisca Mutapi, of the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, who took part in the study, said: "Snail fever is a widespread disease of major health consequence in young children. Our study shows that infants are especially vulnerable to infection and should be included in public health treatment programmes."

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Forensic science used to determine who's who in pre-Columbian Peru

Forensic science used to determine whos who in pre-Columbian Peru
2012-04-23
Analysis of ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used to establish migration and population patterns for American indigenous cultures during the time before Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Genetics has used more detailed DNA analysis of individuals from Arequipa region to identify the family relationships and burial traditions of ancient Peru. The social unit (ayllu) of Native South Americans is thought to be based on kin relationships. The establishment of ayllu-based communities is ...

Personal Trainer's Negligence Results in $300,000 Settlement

2012-04-23
Many people trust personal trainers with their physical well-being. They literally put their bodies on the line under the assumption that trainers can supervise their exercise safely and with expertise. However, a personal trainer's negligence can have serious - and painful - consequences. A New York woman suffered those consequences when a trainer at her Brooklyn gym failed to assist or spot her during an exercise she had never performed before. During this exercise, her foot became caught on a piece of equipment and she fell backward, fracturing both of her wrists. ...

New York Personal Injury Law Firm Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman Releases New Website Focused on Helping Patients Injured by Defective Medical Devices

New York Personal Injury Law Firm Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman Releases New Website Focused on Helping Patients Injured by Defective Medical Devices
2012-04-23
Amid the latest round of metal-on-metal hip replacement recalls, studies being ordered on transvaginal mesh and at least 20 deaths due to faulty heart defibrillator wires, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is under fire to create a more rigorous safety monitoring program for medical devices. Recognizing a rise in injuries due to defective medical devices and the need for better testing, the New York law firm Trolman, Glaser & Lichtman recently released a new website focused on helping patients injured by defective ...

'Housekeeping' mechanism for brain stem cells discovered

2012-04-23
(New York, NY, April 22, 2012) — Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain's stem cells. The discovery offers new insights into normal and abnormal neurologic development and could eventually lead to regenerative therapies for neurologic disease and injury. The findings, from a collaborative effort of the laboratories of Drs. Anna Lasorella and Antonio Iavarone, were published today in the online edition of Nature Cell Biology. The research builds on recent studies, ...

Neuroscientists discover key protein responsible for controlling nerve cell protection

2012-04-23
A key protein, which may be activated to protect nerve cells from damage during heart failure or epileptic seizure, has been found to regulate the transfer of information between nerve cells in the brain. The discovery, made by neuroscientists at the University of Bristol and published in Nature Neuroscience and PNAS, could lead to novel new therapies for stroke and epilepsy. The research team, led by Professor Jeremy Henley and Dr Jack Mellor from Bristol's Medical School, has identified a protein, known as SUMO, responsible for controlling the chemical processes which ...

Top Three Things to Know About Health Insurance During and After Divorce

Top Three Things to Know About Health Insurance During and After Divorce
2012-04-23
When considering divorce, one of many questions that will need to be answered is, "Will I lose my healthcare coverage and, if I do lose it, what are my options?" There are many options to consider; your divorce attorney can explain what's available to you based on your situation. Employer-Provided Plans For spouses that maintain coverage under their own employer-provided health care plans, there may be little change upon divorce. If there are children of the marriage, one piece of the child support puzzle will be determining who should maintain health insurance ...

U of I study: Soy protein alleviates symptoms of fatty liver disease

2012-04-23
URBANA – University of Illinois scientists report that soy protein may significantly reduce fat accumulation and triglycerides in the livers of obese persons. And they've discovered why it happens: soy restores partial function of that organ's key signaling pathway. "Almost a third of American adults have fatty liver disease, many of them without symptoms. Obesity is a key risk factor for this condition, which can lead to liver failure," said Hong Chen, a U of I assistant professor of food science and human nutrition. Fat is metabolized in the liver, and in obese persons, ...

Specific protein triggers changes in neurons in brain reward center linked to cocaine addiction

2012-04-23
New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to block the ability of repeated cocaine exposure, to induce addiction. The findings, published online April 22 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, provide the first evidence of how cocaine changes the shape and size of neuron rewards in a mouse model. Repeated exposure to cocaine ...

A new diagnosis for Frida Kahlo's infertility

2012-04-23
SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2012 –Frida Kahlo's many haunting self-portraits have been studied by experts for decades, have attracted worldwide attention and have sold for millions of dollars at auction. Yet, despite the fact that Kahlo's work focuses largely on anatomy and failed reproduction attempts, relatively little attention has been paid to Kahlo's own body and infertility. Intrigued by the messages manifested in Kahlo's work and surprised by the apparent lack of interest by scientists in Kahlo's clinical condition, Fernando Antelo, a surgical pathologist at the Harbor ...

Hispanic lung cancer patients tend to live longer than blacks and whites

2012-04-23
A new analysis has found that Hispanic lung cancer patients seem to live longer than white or black patients. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study suggests that, as with several other types of cancer, certain yet-to-be-defined genetic and/or environmental factors put Hispanic patients at a survival advantage. Most studies that look at ethnic and racial disparities in lung cancer compare black patients with whites. To see how Hispanics compare with other ethnicities with regards to survival after a lung cancer ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

PLOS One study: In adolescent lab animals exposed to cocaine, High-Intensity Interval Training boosts aversion to the drug

Scientists identify four ways our bodies respond to COVID-19 vaccines

Stronger together: A new fusion protein boosts cancer immunotherapy

Hidden brain waves as triggers for post-seizure wandering

Music training can help the brain focus

Researcher develop the first hydride ion prototype battery

MIT researchers find a more precise way to edit the genome

‘Teen’ pachycephalosaur butts into fossil record

Study finds cocoa extract supplement reduced key marker of inflammation and aging

Obesity treatment with bariatric surgery vs GLP-1 receptor agonists

Nicotinamide for skin cancer chemoprevention

Novel way to ‘rev up’ brown fat burns calories, limits obesity in mice

USC Stem Cell-led team makes major advance toward building a synthetic kidney

Delegation to Artificial Intelligence can increase dishonest behavior

Repeated head impacts cause early neuron loss and inflammation in young athletes

BU study of young athletes finds neurodegeneration might begin before CTEa

Dr. Carl Nathan wins David and Beatrix Hamburg Award

New microscope captures large, high-resolution images of curved samples in single snapshot

[Press-News.org] Treatment to benefit African infants at risk of endemic fever