Persistently abnormal liver function tests: Marker of occult hepatitis C?
...irst, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers from one region of the HCV genome, they detected the virus's RNA in liver biopsies from 57 (57%) of the patients with abnormal liver enzymes of unknown etiology, compared to none of the biopsies from control patients. When prime...Doctors at Northwestern Memorial are studying next generation surgery for back pain sufferers
...and the resulting debris and the subsequent tissue reaction to such debris is the primary factor limiting the longevity of joint replacements. "Artificial joints in knees and hips have been around for decades, but progress in material engineering and refinement of surgical techniques finally mean we can atte...Understanding the autoimmune response in type 1 diabetes
...thways of T cell differentiation and maturation in reaction to these epitopes in T1DM patients (in whom autoimmunity develops) and normal individuals (in whom autoimmunity is arrested) that are different. Upon exposure to antigen, nave T cells in normal individuals differentiate into T cells that produce IL-1...A little stress may go a long way toward boosting skin's immunity
...eral months later. "The more robust initial immune reaction might have formed a more efficient, or larger, pool of memory cells that ultimately gave the stressed animals' immune systems a continued immune advantage months later," Dhabhar said. Memory cells "remember" a specific antigen a substance that the i...Alcohol abuse history could pose problems for HIV patients
...shown that deficits in memory and learning, slower reaction time and decreased speed in decision-making are co...wer), verbal reasoning (a 5.2 percent deficit) and reaction time (approximately 10 percent slower with each hand) when compared to HIV-positive patients with no...Stressed at work? How taking a coffee break might make things worse
...s to have a cup of coffee, believing it will speed reaction times, actually feels less stressed if under pressure to do something quickly. For this reason, in one set of tests, researchers told 32 people that their coffee contained caffeine which would help their performance, another 32 that their drink did ...Blood protein may be important predictor of future cardiovascular attack
... is that while CRP tends to indicate a more global reaction to systemic inflammation, SAA appears to respond more to active heart disease. "Smoking, hormone usage and even some psychological stress are related to elevated CRP but not SAA," Dr. Johnson continued. "On the other hand, women with coronary artery ...Duke physicians predict risks of deadly infections after cord blood transplants
...-versus-host disease," or GVHD, an incompatibility reaction in which the donor cells attack the patient, were at higher risk of infection because the condition is treated with high doses of immune-suppressing drugs. Based on his current data, Szabolcs has already begun testing young patients within the 30...One in five asthmatics are highly sensitive to aspirin
...they are at risk of a potentially life threatening reaction known as aspirin induced asthma, warn researchers ...his week's BMJ. Aspirin induced asthma is a severe reaction to aspirin and other commonly used painkillers, but controversy exists over its prevalence. Research...Disulfiram and cognitive behavioral therapy appear effective for treating cocaine dependence
...who ingest even small amounts of alcohol develop a reaction that produces nausea, flushing, vomiting, and throbbing headache. At times, this reaction can be severe and can lead to critical illness, such as severe respiratory problems, circulatory pro...Vaccine nips breast cancer in the bud
...ne expression in parallel revealed that the immune reaction halted carcinogenesis and reverted neoplastic lesions to an early stage. This study highlights the potential of a combinatorial approach to vaccination for the prevention and suppression of neoplastic lesions....Studies highlight impact of Sept. 11, Iraq war on adolescents
...ttle has been done with children in terms of their reaction to these attacks and nothing has been published regarding the impact on adolescents," Dr. Barnes says. His study found that 9-11 attacks had quite an impact, even though the adolescents lived far from the terrorist attacks, in that 28 percent of the ...Jefferson Alzheimer's vaccine shows promise in animal model
...itis, or inflammation of the brain, from an immune reaction in the brain. "The individuals developed antibodies that caused excessive brain inflammation in being drawn to the amyloid plaques and activating clearing from the brain the inflammatory response was out of control," says Dr. Gandy. "We...'Switched-off' genes put first chink in colon cell's anti-tumor armor
... when secreted on the cell's surface, stop a chain reaction of cell growth directed by the WNT gene. WNT stands for "wingless type," which, along with SFRP genes, gets its name from characteristics of fruit flies with mutations in these genes. The WNT gene pathway has long been linked to colon cancer by sci...Smallpox vaccine may cause harmless skin rashes
...ho is unaware of the possibility for a benign skin reaction might wrongly assume that a patient's rash was the development of one of the more dangerous vaccinial lesions. "The concern is that the physician would overreact," Dr. Greenberg said. "These skin reactions are rather dramatic, and if we're going to b...UCSD pharmacologists collaborate on new approach to drug design
...ted in the research by characterizing the detailed reaction mechanism and product formed from a combination of reactants....First national sleep conference March 29-30 explores sleep's role in public health
... fatigue contribute to lapses in attention, slowed reaction times, errors in working memory, reduced ability to learn, difficulties with problem solving, and deficits in executive function. Such performance problems have serious consequences for safety ? from drowsy driving crashes (which have a fatality rate...Acrylamide in food: Unraveling exposure and risk
... found evidence that the chemical emerges from the reaction of the amino acid asparagine with carbonyl compounds at typical cooking temperatures. Studies using the enzyme asparaginase have been shown to significantly reduce acrylamide levels in lab models of heated foods. ( AGFD 109 , Tuesday, March 30, 2:10 ...Study shows lower than expected allergic-like events following second prescription of penicillin
... allergy. Current testing which uses a skin-test reaction and is unavailable to family physicians remains imperfect for determining true penicillin allergy due to a lack of commercial availability of some of the most useful testing materials. Researchers also calculated, from the records of two million pa...Vitamin C reduces level of C-reactive protein, finds UC Berkeley-led study
... go up 100-fold within a short period of time as a reaction to an infection, but they then drop back down rapidly after the acute infection passes," said Christopher Jensen, a research scientist in Block's lab and co-author of the paper. "It's not clear how vitamin C was able to lower CRP levels for people in...