AUDIO: This is an audio recording of the distinctive "ribbit " call of the Pacific chorus frog (28 seconds long, MP3 file, WAV file available on request). This noisy frog is a potent... Click here for more information. Known for its distinctive "ribbit" call, the noisy Pacific chorus frog is a potent carrier of a deadly amphibian disease, according to new research published today in the journal PLoS ONE. Just how this common North American frog survives chytridiomycosis ...

Four articles in the current issue draw attention to policy initiatives and implications of the rapidly changing U.S. health care environment. Collectively, they examine some of the challenges and opportunities facing the country following the 2010 passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Researchers Project Cost of Family Health Insurance Premiums Will Surpass Household Income by 2033 Updating estimates of who will be able to afford health insurance in the future in light of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that reformed health ...

Using injectable diacetylmorphine — the active ingredient in heroin — to treat chronic opioid addiction is cheaper and more effective than methadone, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Methadone is the most common treatment for people who are dependent on opioids such as heroin, although research indicates that most people over time go back to using illicit drugs. The North American Opiate Medication Initiative, a randomized controlled trial, indicated that diacetylmorphine is more effective in keeping opioid-dependent people in treatment. ...

A 21,626-person study published today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that the five-year survival rate for children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, improved from 83.7 percent in those diagnosed during the years 1990-1994, to 90.4 percent for those diagnosed in the years 2000-2005. "The improved survival is due to using existing drugs better, not because of the introduction of new drugs. We're indebted to all the families who choose to join these clinical trials, allowing us to optimize these combinations," ...

PHILADELPHIA (March 12, 2012) – Scientists from the Monell Center report that seven of 12 related mammalian species have lost the sense of sweet taste. As each of the sweet-blind species eats only meat, the findings demonstrate that a liking for sweets is frequently lost during the evolution of diet specialization. Previous research from the Monell team had revealed the remarkable finding that both domestic and wild cats are unable to taste sweet compounds due to defects in a gene that controls structure of the sweet taste receptor. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning ...

Medically prescribed heroin is more cost-effective than methadone for treating long-term street heroin users, according to a new study by researchers at Providence Health Care and the University of British Columbia. The study, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), attributed most of the economic benefits to the fact that recipients of medically prescribed heroin (diacetylmorphine) stayed in treatment longer and spent less time in relapse than those receiving methadone. Both results are associated with reduced criminal activity and lower health ...

The diagnosis of localized bladder cancer carries an 80 percent five-year survival rate, but once the cancer spreads, the survival rate at even three years is only 20 percent. A major study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation not only shows how bladder cancer metastasizes to the lungs but pinpoints a method for stopping this spread. Specifically, the study shows that versican, a protein involved in cancer cell migration, is a driver of lung metastasis and that high levels of versican are associated with poor prognosis in bladder cancer patients. The ...

EDITOR'S PICK Restoring what's lost: uncovering how liver tissue regenerates The liver is unique among mammalian organs in its ability to regenerate after significant tissue damage or even partial surgical removal. Laurie DeLeve and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles wanted to better understand which cells are specifically responsible for driving liver regeneration. A specialized cell type, known as liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, has generally been thought to promote regeneration of liver tissue. However, the DeLeve team suspected ...

Granite countertops in Atlanta have a lot of competition these days with the popularity of concrete, recycled glass, soapstone, quartz, and a host of other surfaces gaining ground in the Atlanta countertops market. However, Craftmark Countertops in Atlanta points out that the look and longevity of Atlanta granite countertops is comparable to the other surfaces and often a fraction of the cost. With its rise in popularity over the last decade, granite is no longer a surface of exclusivity, and so some higher end homes are being built with other more expensive surfaces. ...

The liver is unique among mammalian organs in its ability to regenerate after significant tissue damage or even partial surgical removal. Laurie DeLeve and her colleagues at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles wanted to better understand which cells are specifically responsible for driving liver regeneration. A specialized cell type, known as liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, has generally been thought to promote regeneration of liver tissue. However, the DeLeve team suspected that stem cells and progenitor cells, which have the capacity to differentiate ...

Men who drank a 12-ounce sugar-sweetened beverage a day had a 20 percent higher risk of heart disease compared to men who didn't drink any sugar-sweetened drinks, according to research published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal. "This study adds to the growing evidence that sugary beverages are detrimental to cardiovascular health," said Frank B. Hu, M.D., Ph.D., study lead author and professor of nutrition and epidemiology in the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass. "Certainly, it provides strong justification for reducing sugary beverage ...

Boston, MA -- A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. The results also showed that substituting other healthy protein sources, such as fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes, was associated with a lower risk of mortality. The study will be published online in Archives of Internal Medicine on March 12, 2012. "Our study adds more evidence to the health risks of eating high amounts of red meat, which has been associated with type ...

CHICAGO – Eating more red meat appears to be associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, but substituting other foods including fish and poultry for red meat is associated with a lower mortality risk, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Meat is a major source of protein and fat in many diets and previous studies suggest that eating meat is associated with increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and certain cancers, ...

CHICAGO – Prescribing opioids for pain to older patients within seven days of short-stay surgery appears to be associated with long-term analgesic use compared to those patients who did not receive prescriptions for analgesics after surgery, according to a study published in the March 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Patients are frequently prescribed analgesics after ambulatory or short-stay surgery in anticipation of postoperative pain and the most common analgesics prescribed to outpatients are opioids (such as codeine and ...

CHICAGO – Regular use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may be associated with a modest reduction in risk for developing Parkinson disease, particularly among younger patients, according to a study in the March issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Statins are one of the most prescribed classes of drugs in the United States and some researchers have hypothesized that the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects of these medications may be neuroprotective. However, statins also may have unfavorable effects on lowering the level of ...

CHICAGO – Implementing a routine national glaucoma screening program for middle-age African American patients may be clinically effective; however its potential effect on reducing visual impairment and blindness may be modest, according to a computer-based mathematical model reported in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Primary open-angle glaucoma is a chronic, degenerative disease that affects more than 2.2 million Americans and 1.9 percent of Americans older than 40 years," the authors write as background in the study. ...

CHICAGO – A behavioral intervention program appears to be associated with modest weight loss and improved blood pressure control in a high-risk, socioeconomically disadvantaged group of obese patients, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Obesity is not sufficiently addressed in the U.S. primary care system and socioeconomically disadvantaged patients who seek care at community health centers are particularly affected by the limited availability of obesity treatments, the authors write in their ...

Providing personal mobile computers to medical residents increases their efficiency, reduces delays in patient care and enhances continuity of care, according to a "research letter" in the March 12, 2012, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. In November 2010, the University of Chicago Medicine became the first hospital in the country to provide residents with tablet computers on a large scale, supplying iPads to all 115 residents in internal medicine. When surveyed in 2011, more than three out of four of the residents reported that the portable computers allowed ...

Some home improvement projects fall short in return on investment. Premier Surfaces, a leading provider of granite countertops in Atlanta, is educating homeowners on the improvements that increase market value. As most realtors will tell you, kitchens and bathrooms are where the sale is made. The paint colors in a home are easily and inexpensively changed, and chances are that a homebuyer is going to change the wall colors anyway. Complete kitchen remodels certainly create a wow-factor that will boost the value of a home, but the cost is prohibitive for many homeowners, ...

LA JOLLA, Calif., March 12, 2012 – Children with multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE), an inherited genetic disease, suffer from multiple growths on their bones that cause pain and disfigurement. But beyond the physical symptoms of this condition, some parents have long observed that their children with MHE also experience autism-like social problems. Buoyed by the support of these parents, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) used a mouse model of MHE to investigate cognitive function. They found that mice with a genetic defect that ...

Smartphones are showing promise in disease surveillance in the developing world. The Kenya Ministry of Health, along with researchers in Kenya for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that smartphone use was cheaper than traditional paper survey methods to gather disease information, after the initial set-up cost. Survey data collected with smartphones also in this study had fewer errors and were more quickly available for analyses than data collected on paper, according to a study presented today at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious ...

Alexandria, VA — Metastasis of tumors to level IIb lymph nodes is rare in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC); this area can be ignored during selective neck dissection (SND) to avoid damaging the spinal accessory nerve (SAN), making this surgery more conservative and minimizing SAN morbidity, according to the March 2012 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. The authors acknowledge that the medical literature stresses the importance of preserving the SAN to prevent postoperative limitations in shoulder function and pain in patients who undergo ...

AmeriPlan announced that they are giving away 10,000 Free RX Cards for a limited time. Each prescription card has a value of $49 annually and is not only free to an individual who receives the card but can be used by their entire household. AmeriPlan recognizes the financial burden that prescription costs can place on families in today's economy and hopes that this free RX card will help families reduce those costs. The AmeriPlan free Rx card can be used at over 56,000 participating pharmacy locations across the country, including most national chain pharmacies. Some ...

Researchers at the UCLA stem cell center and the departments of chemistry and biochemistry and pathology and laboratory medicine have identified, for the first time, a generic way to correct mutations in human mitochondrial DNA by targeting corrective RNAs, a finding with implications for treating a host of mitochondrial diseases. Mutations in the human mitochondrial genome are implicated in neuromuscular diseases, metabolic defects and aging. There currently are no methods to successfully repair or compensate for these mutations, said study co-senior author Dr. Michael ...

The research group from Aragon that has the same name as the first Aragosaurus ischiaticus dinosaur discovered 25 years ago in Teruel reveals that it is 15 million years younger than originally believed. Its new dating now means that it was the ancestor of the Titanosauriforms, which includes the biggest dinosaurs. The Aragosaurus was the first sauropod dinosaur described in Spain some 25 years ago in Galve (Teruel), but its age was never clear. And now it has been discovered that it is 15 million years younger than previously thought. This would make it the only dinosaur ...