Clinical guidelines help identify which children at risk of bacterial meningitis
...ts with at least 1 Bacterial Meningitis Score risk factor or who are younger than 2 months, they suggest admission to the hospital and administration of parenteral (administered intravenously or by injection) antibiotics. "In the conjugate H influenzae type b and pneumococcal vaccines era, bacterial mening...High-normal uric acid linked with mild cognitive impairment in the elderly
... a measure of kidney function, might reveal a risk factor for cognitive problems in old age. Of 96 community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 92 years, those with uric-acid levels at the high end of the normal range had the lowest scores on tests of mental processing speed, verbal memory and working memory. Th...Health care expenditures significantly higher for children with obesity
...verweight with six in ten having at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease and 25 percent having more than two risk factors for the disease. The authors note that more than 80 percent of obese 12-year-olds will carry their overweight status into adulthood. Sarah E. Hampl, M.D., and colleagues a...New treatments prevent brain injury hours after stroke in rats
...ovement of the protein known as apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) from where it resides in a dormant state in the mitochondrion the cell's power plant into the nucleus, where it becomes active and causes the cell to die. Significantly, GT provided no protection at all against either PARG or AIF when admini...Why are Danes the world's happiest nation?
...ore 1992, albeit at a more moderate level. The key factor that explains this, and that differentiates Danes from Swedes and Finns, seems to be that Danes have consistently low (and realistic) expectations for the year to come. So the key to happiness may lie in the fact that if you lower your expectations...Doubts cast on organophosphate poisoning as cause of Gulf War Syndrome depression
...n, genes can be used to test whether a non-genetic factor (for example, organophosphates) causes a disease. The PON1 Q192R gene comes in three versions (QQ, QR or RR) and individuals with the RR version tend to metabolise organophosphates more slowly than those with either of the other versions. Several...The future of federally funded food programs -- Can they also fight obesity?
...IC participants, which is thought to be a positive factor contributing to higher birth-weight babies. Tufts authors also cited that "data indicate that from 1976 to 2002, the probability of a woman being overweight grew the least among food stamp recipients." Although research suggests that participation...UAB researchers assess psychopathological symptoms in pre-school children
...nia. The geographical location is a very important factor for this kind of study, which is why the data from studies carried out in other countries can only be used as a guide and it is vital to carry out fieldwork at the same location. The study consists of various field studies that look into the psycho...Fluid displacement from legs to neck can lead to obstructive sleep apnea
... in the apnea-hyponea index," said Dr. Bradley. "A factor not ordinarily considered is fluid accumulation at the nape of the neck and around pharyngeal soft tissue. Obstructive sleep apnea is very common in fluid-retaining states such as heart failure, renal failure and peripheral edema of unknown cause." ...Options improving for patients with acromegaly and gigantism, says endocrinology expert
...growth hormone and the related insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), produce a range of effects including abnormal enlargement of the extremities, soft-tissue swelling, joint and spine conditions, protrusion of the jaws, and high blood sugar levels even when fasting. Patients often suffer from such complica...Could the ability to expel worms lead to a future asthma treatment?
... in severe cases. Could amphiregulin be the growth factor that causes permanent thickening of asthmatic airways, restricting airflow more and more as time goes by" Mosmanns team has already begun experiments to determine if the production of amphiregulin by the Th2 response in mice also occurs in human he...Decline in breast cancer cases likely linked to reduced use of hormone replacement
...r that use of HRT may be an important contributing factor to breast cancer development. "Incidence of breast cancer had been increasing in the 20 or so years prior to July 2002, and this increase was over and above the known role of screening mammography," he says. "HRT had been proposed as a possible fac...Study finds lapatinib shows promise as therapy for inflammatory breast cancer
...al investigator. Lapatinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor and HER2neu tyrosine kinase inhibitor. An experimental drug that has shown promise in patients with metastatic HER2-positive cancer in whom Herceptin has failed, the oral agent blocks the activity of the HER2 protein as well as EGFR by bindi...Binghamton University researcher to study declining US fertility rates
...." Declining fertility in that period was a major factor in the aging of the population. The median age of Americans rose from less than 16 years in 1850 to older than 35 in 2000, Hacker said. It is projected to reach 39.1 years in 2035. "What's interesting about the fertility decline is that the vast maj...Analysis: Older men treated for early prostate cancer live longer than those not treated
...n treatment. Longer survival alone is not the only factor in choosing treatment over observation, Wong pointed out. "The risks of treatment have decreased as options have improved including more targeted radiation therapy that reduce side effects and less invasive surgical techniques, but both may be assoc...Bank on a Cure researchers identify pathways mediating myeloma treatment side effects
...lood coagulation cascade as a differentiating risk factor for the blood clots, as might have been expected. These findings will help us better understand the mechanisms that cause this problem." Brian Van Ness, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota, and co-director of BOAC, added, "Identifying these path...MGH study examines impact of infection with both HIV and hepatitis C virus
... the researchers made a surprising discovery. The factor most powerfully associated with maintaining HCV control was not the CD4 T cell count upon entering the study but the lowest previously recorded or nadir' CD4 count. That finding suggests that, for individuals infected with both viruses, beginning an...Contact lenses a good choice for children 12 and younger
...ing contact lenses. "Vanity doesn't seem to be a factor in children's or teens' satisfaction with switching to contact lenses," Walline said. Children wore their lenses almost as long as teens parents reported that their children wore the contact lenses about 10.5 hours a day, while teens wore their le...Breastfeeding overcomes a genetic tendency toward ear infections, scientists discover
...nerate the immune proteins known as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). SNPs i...ntrast, the group found that another environmental factor exposure to cigarette smoke increased vulnerability to otitis media in children with the TNF-alpha......vious studies have found genital herpes was a risk factor for acquiring HIV. "In summary, this large, multi-site study found no overall increased risk of HIV acquisition associated with hormonal contraceptive use," the study authors wrote. "This provides reassurance for women in moderate and high HIV pre...