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Novel Handheld Device Detects Anthrax With Outstanding Accuracy And Reliability
Veritide Ltd., a developer of innovative biological identification and detection solutions, today reported that new independent data to be presented at the Biodetection Technologies 2009 conference confirm the exceptional accuracy of its Ceeker™ (pronounced "seeker") portable bacterial detection device in discriminating between anthrax spores and similar-looking hoax substances. The data show that in over two weeks of testing at the Midwest Research Institute in Florida, the company"s Ceeker scanner accurately identified 100% of the anthrax samples used and was correct in 95% of tests involving hoax substances. These test results are consistent with similar results produced last year by a New Zealand forensic testing agency, Environmental Science and Research (ESR).

Serum Bile Acid Profiling For Inflammatory Bowel Disease Characterization
Based on serum bank material, BA profiling was applied in IBD patients and healthy controls which showed that most but not all BA species were decreased to a different extent in CD and UC. BA decreases were highly pronounced in CD patients with surgical interventions in the gut. On the other hand, UC patients with additional liver and gallbladder diseases showed clearly increased levels of those BAs that are synthesized directly in the liver (primary BAs), or subsequently modified by intestinal bacteria (secondary BAs). Furthermore, a marked decrease in the toxic BA lithocholic acid (LCA) was found together with a marked increase in its physiological detoxification product, hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA), irrespective of the IBD phenotype or clinical manifestation, which showed accelerated detoxification activity in IBD patients. Thus, serum BA profiling might serve as an additional diagnostic tool for IBD characterization and differentiation. In combination with expression profiles of nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR)-regulated genes, it might allow us to estimate the BA detoxification potential of IBD patients.
News of the day
Major European Project Lead By Sahlgrenska Academy To Focus On Obesity
The new project is an interdisciplinary research project covering the neurobiological and socio-psychological causes of obesity. It has been awarded EUR 6 million from the EU, corresponding to just over SEK 60 million. The project will gather scientists from seven countries, and will be co-ordinated from the Sahlgrenska Academy.
Cardiovascular

Stanford Study Recruiting Participants Who Have Insomnia And Depression

"You"ll feel better after a good night"s sleep." We"ve all heard those words, but have we ever stopped to wonder about the mental health of people who just aren"t able to sleep well? Rachel Manber has, and the Stanford University School of Medicine researcher is trying to identify the best way to treat patients suffering from both depression and insomnia. Manber, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is seeking volunteers for a first-of-its-kind study on the benefits of combining the treatments of medication for depression and psychotherapy for sleep difficulties. Depression and insomnia, defined as having difficulty initiating and/or maintaining sleep, are very much linked. "Insomnia is certainly a risk factor for depression: studies show that having insomnia increases a person"s risk of developing depression in one to three years," Manber said. At the same time, Manber pointed out, depressed patients with sleep problems don"t respond as well to standard depression treatments as other patients. This is a problem because between 60 and 84 percent of patients with major depression also sleep poorly. In addition, if a sleep disorder goes untreated, a patient is at a greater risk for a future relapse of depression. The multicenter study, which will involve 255 people, aims to determine whether combining antidepressant medications and insomnia therapy will improve the lives of people who experience both conditions simultaneously. Manber plans to enroll 85 patients at Stanford; participants must be between the ages of 18 and 75, suffering from insomnia and depression, and not currently receiving treatment for either disorder. During the study, participants will receive free evaluations of their sleep, including an at-home, all-night sleep study. Participants will also receive 16 weeks of one of three FDA-approved antidepressant medications (Lexapro, Zoloft or Pristique) and will be randomized into receiving seven sessions of one of two forms of sleep-focused psychotherapies for insomnia. Interested men and women should contact Rachel Wells at (650) 723-2641 for a free telephone screening. The study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and led by the Stanford site. Other centers participating in the study are Duke University and the University of Pittsburgh. The Stanford University School of Medicine


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