CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Over the last two decades, scientists have come to understand that the genetic code held within DNA represents only part of the blueprint of life. The rest comes from specific patterns of chemical tags that overlay the DNA structure, determining how tightly the DNA is packaged and how accessible certain genes are to be switched on or off. As researchers have uncovered more and more of these "epigenetic" tags, they have begun to wonder how they are all connected. Now, research from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine has established ...

STANFORD, Calif. — The older we get, the weaker our immune systems tend to become, leaving us vulnerable to infectious diseases and cancer and eroding our ability to benefit from vaccination. Now Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have found that blocking the action of a single protein whose levels in our immune cells creep steadily upward with age can restore those cells' response to a vaccine. This discovery holds important long-term therapeutic ramifications, said Jorg Goronzy, MD, PhD, professor of rheumatology and immunology and the senior author of ...

PHILADELPHIA — Researchers validated a method of noninvasive imaging that provides valuable information about interstitial fluid pressure of solid tumors and may aid in the identification of aggressive tumors, according to the results of a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Many malignant solid tumors generally develop a higher interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) than normal tissue. High IFP in tumors may cause a reduced uptake of chemotherapeutic agents and resistance to radiation therapy. In addition, a high ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- A virtual monopoly held by some drug manufacturers in part because of the way treatment protocols work is among the reasons cancer drugs cost so much in the United States, according to a commentary by two Mayo Clinic physicians in the October issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Value-based pricing is one potential solution, they write. VIDEO ALERT: Video of Dr. Rajkumar discussing the commentary is posted on the Mayo Clinic News Network. Cancer care is not representative of a free-market system, and the traditional checks and balances that ...

WASHINGTON, DC, September 27, 2012 — Republican strength in Congress increases the share of income held by the top 1 percent, but the president's political affiliation has no effect, suggests a new study in the October issue of the American Sociological Review that looks at the rise of the super-rich in the United States. "This points to the central role that Congress has in the legislative process," said study co-author Thomas W. Volscho, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at CUNY-College of Staten Island. "The president has limited ability to make the sort of legislative ...

WASHINGTON, DC, September 27, 2012 — Patient-led advocacy has created a shift in the way the U.S. government has prioritized funding for medical research, and significantly changed the way policymakers think about who benefits the most from these dollars, a University of Michigan School of Public Health fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholars in Health Policy Research Program found. In "Disease Politics and Medical Research Funding: Three Ways Advocacy Shapes Policy," a paper published in the October issue of the American Sociological Review, Rachel Kahn ...

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (October 1, 2012) – When children suffer from dust mite induced allergies and asthma, finding relief can seem impossible. While there isn't a complete cure for childhood respiratory allergies, researchers have found that long term control of allergic asthma can occur after only three years of allergy shots. According to a new study, published in the October issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), long-term relief can be achieved by administering ...

According to an article in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, radiologists at Emory University Hospital, in Atlanta, and Georgia Health Sciences University, in Augusta, Ga., have developed evidence-based guidelines to assist physicians with the process of managing patients with acute low back pain. Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for visits to physicians in the outpatient setting. "The approach to the workup and management of low back pain by physicians and other practitioners is inconstant. In fact, there is significant ...

Most people are completely unaware of one of stroke's most common, debilitating but invisible impairments, according to the first awareness survey of its kind in Canada released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Thirty community volunteers trained by the York-Durham Aphasia Centre, a March of Dimes Canada program, collaborated with researchers from two Ontario universities in a survey of 832 adults in southern Ontario. They found that only two per cent of respondents could correctly identify aphasia as a communication disorder affecting the ability to speak, understand, ...

To be published online Monday, Oct. 1, a special issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology will focus on health policy and radiology's role in health care reform. Topics to be covered include utilization management in radiology, clinical decision support, value-based health care payment systems and patient-centered outcomes in imaging. The October health policy issue was guest edited by Ruth Carlos, MD, MS, FACR, and James Rawson, MD, FACR. "Health care reform will continue to be a central issue in society regardless of the outcome of the election in ...

The fat- and sugar-rich Western diet leads to a lifetime of health problems, dramatically increasing the risk of stroke or death at a younger age, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Researchers found that a high-calorie, high-sugar, high-sodium diet nicknamed the 'cafeteria diet' induced most symptoms of metabolic syndrome – a combination of high levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and obesity – in rats after only two months. The animals were at an age roughly equivalent to 16 to 22 years in humans at the time of disease ...

Physicians are prescribing anti-depressants for stroke patients without first giving them a proper diagnosis, they are over-treating some patients, and overlooking others, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. "A lot of people are being treated for depression, but we don't know if they're the right ones," says lead researcher Ms. Katherine Salter of Parkwood Hospital in London, Ontario. "This study found that 40 per cent of stroke patients were treated for depression, but most were not screened or diagnosed. Who are we treating?" Researchers ...

DURHAM, N.C. – The number of clinical trials enrolling children is far lower than for adults, and the scope of research is also narrower, according to an analysis of public-access data conducted by researchers at Duke University. The findings, reported online Oct. 1, 2012, in the journal Pediatrics, quantify an imbalance that has been observed in recent years and highlights an issue that has generated concern among health leaders and policymakers alike. "Although children comprise one-quarter of the population in the United States, they are greatly underrepresented ...

Medical residents training to work in the emergency department need more formal stroke training, says a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress, noting that, as the first point of contact in stroke care, they see nearly 100 per cent of stroke patients taken to hospital. Researchers surveyed 20 emergency medicine residency programs across Canada and found that very limited lecture time and mandatory on-the-job training are devoted to stroke and neurological care. Only two of 20 emergency medicine residency programs required on-the-job training in stroke ...

Home delivery of stroke rehabilitation improves care, eliminates waiting lists for treatment and saves hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in hospital costs, according to a quality improvement project presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Early Supported Discharge, introduced as a permanent part of the Calgary Stroke Program in 2011, has resulted in equally good or better cognition, communication and physical function for people who receive therapy in their own homes as opposed to in a hospital or facility. Not only that, the program has helped to ...

Just six months of exercise can improve memory, language, thinking and judgment problems by almost 50 per cent, says a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Toronto researchers found that the proportion of stroke patients with at least mild cognitive impairment dropped from 66 per cent to 37 per cent during a research study on the impact of exercise on the brain. "People who have cognitive deficits after stroke have a threefold risk of mortality, and they're more likely to be institutionalized," says lead researcher Susan Marzolini of the Toronto Rehabilitation ...

Stroke patients in rural Nova Scotia receive better treatment and are less likely to end up in long-term care facilities than they were before the province's stroke strategy was rolled out in 2008, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Nova Scotia's stroke strategy – a plan to provide optimal stroke care across the province -- led to the creation of designated stroke units in hospitals, interprofessional stroke teams, district stroke coordinators, and the application of Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care. In 2005, ...

When it comes to stroke rehabilitation, it takes a dedicated team to help a person regain as much independence as possible: physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, recreation therapists, caregivers and others. Now, a University of Calgary research team has added a robot to help identify and customize post-stroke therapy. Rehabilitation robots improve detection of post-stroke impairments and can enhance the type and intensity of therapy required for recovery, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke ...

A new Yale School of Medicine study shows that cases of serious physical abuse in children, such as head injuries, burns, and fractures, increased slightly by about 5% in the last 12 years. This is in sharp contrast to data from child protective services agencies, which show a 55% decrease in physical abuse cases from 1997 to 2009. Published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics (online October 1), the Yale study is the first to track the occurrence of serious injuries due to physical abuse in hospitalized children. The study raises concerns that results from ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Those who smoke and drink heavily may develop pancreatic cancer at an earlier age than those who don't, according to a study led by a University of Michigan Health System gastroenterologist. In the study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, heavy smokers with pancreatic cancer were diagnosed around age 62 and heavy drinkers at age 61 – almost a decade earlier than the average age of 72. Smoking is a strong risk factor for pancreatic cancer and alcohol has been shown to cause oxidative damage to the pancreas, which sets the stage ...

When Imani Williams survived the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina by treading barefoot through debris in a deserted mall with water up to her neck, she never dreamed the rest of the world would hear her story. Now her voice will be heard and her story shared in the new National Geographic documentary Forecast Disaster: Deadly Floods. The episode airs on the National Geographic channel on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 8 pm and 10 pm, and Oct. 11 at 4 pm CST. It was Wilkinson who helped Williams and National Geographic connect. "A producer for the National Geographic film ...

CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival proudly presents a highlight of this year's music festival: "Taiwan Music," hosted by a-Peer Music & the Taiwan Ministry of Culture Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID), and supported by AsianinNY and MusicDish*China. Kick off CMJ with us and experience these C-Pop bands live, Thursday, October 18 from 8:00pm-10: 30pm (door open at 7:30 pm) at the Union Square Ballroom, 27 Union Square West (between E 15th St and E 16th St) Union Square Park. http://www.facebook.com/events/365565326852284/ Get ...

This year's "Guess the Grape" fundraising dinner will celebrate the inspiring work of the nonprofit St. Louis Society of the Blind & Visually Impaired with a gala wine tasting and live auction of premium items valued at more than $8,000. The popular annual event featuring a champagne reception and flights of different wines with a gourmet dinner, live entertainment and auction of premiums will be Saturday October 20, 2012, at Patty Long's River Bottom Saloon in St. Louis' historic Soulard area. Sheila Sweeney, chair of the Society Board of Directors, ...

Morris Kaye & Sons Furs is a full-service furrier that specializes in an extensive line of quality fur coats made from a variety of furs so each person can find just the right fur for their needs. From the well-known mink coat to a variety of lesser-known furs, including lynx, chinchilla and Lippi cat. If you are looking for something in particular, Morris Kaye & Sons Furs can help you find what you need if they don't already carry it. Morris Kaye & Sons Furs has been creating quality fur coats for more than 75 years, providing consumers with the luxurious ...

OKMusic.fm is dying to hear original tunes from unsigned artists for the site's Halloween Song Contest. The contest is the first from OKMusic's new series of monthly themed events designed to give undiscovered talent an opportunity for worldwide exposure. OKMusic is looking for songs that capture the Halloween spirit and summons up the excitement and fun of the annual October holiday. The only rule* is that music entered be an original composition by the submitter. No resurrecting someone else's moldy oldie and doing a cover, OKMusic wants fresh blood. The outcome ...