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Airway Transplant Aided by Stem Cells a Medical First

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — In a medical first, a 30-year-old mother of two has successfully undergone the first transplantation of a breathing passage fashioned from a donor’s airway and her own stem cells, researchers report.

As of now, the woman, Claudia Castillo, who lives in Barcelona, Spain, with two children aged 15 and 4, does not need immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection of the new organ.

She reported that she is able to take care of her two children, can climb two flights of stairs, and even go out dancing some evenings. Read More

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Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — American women who turn to cosmetic treatments called dermal fillers to ease wrinkles must be better informed about the health risks these products pose, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended Tuesday.

The panel of independent experts urged the agency to revise product labeling to warn of potential reactions to the fillers, including bumps, blotching and scarring.

While side effects are relatively rare, the FDA has also received reports of allergic reactions, including some that were life-threatening, such as anaphylactic shock, the agency said. Read More

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Cancer Drug Ups Risk of Clots in Veins

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — The widely used cancer drug Avastin appears to be associated with a greater risk of developing blood clots in the veins of patients with a variety of cancers.

This risk lengthens an already long list of severe side effects associated with the drug, including clots in the artery, heart attacks, stroke and bowel perforation. Read More

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Genetic Trait Could Predict Lung Cancer

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — Canadian scientists may have discovered a genetic trait that could provide an early indication of which former smokers will develop lung cancer.

The research, reported Tuesday at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in Washington, D.C., is still in the preliminary stages.

Still, “the benefit would hopefully be more targeted treatment,” said study author Emily A. Vucic, a graduate student at British Columbia Cancer Research Centre in Vancouver. Read More

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Diet, Exercise May Modify Breast Cancer Risks

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — Scientists believe they have found out why diet and exercise affect a women’s chance of breast cancer after she’s past menopause, a new study says.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that cutting calories and exercise affect pathways to mTOR, a molecule that integrates energy balance with cell growth and can contribute to various human diseases when it is not functioning properly. Read More

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Indigo Ointment Benefits Psoriasis Patients

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — Indigo ointment may benefit patients with plaque-type psoriasis, Taiwanese researchers say.

They studied 42 people with treatment-resistant psoriasis who were treated with an ointment made from indigo naturalis, a dark blue, plant-based powder used in traditional Chinese medicine. The patients applied the ointment to a psoriatic plaque on one side of their body (usually the arm, elbow, leg or knee) and applied a non-medicated ointment to a psoriatic plaque on the other side of their body. Read More

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Canola Oil Consumed During Pregnancy Lowers Breast Cancer Risk for Offspring

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — Women whose mothers consumed canola oil during pregnancy and breast-feeding may be less likely to develop breast cancer than those whose mothers consumed corn oil, a new study suggests.

Researchers fed pregnant and lactating mice a diet high in either corn oil, which contains 50 percent omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, or canola oil, which contains only 20 percent omega-6 polyunsaturated fats. Canola oil also has a much greater percentage of omega-3 polyunsaturated fat —10 percent compared with 0.5 percent in corn oil. Read More

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Itching Not a Less Intense Form of Pain

November 19, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — Pain and itching are regulated by different molecular mechanisms, according to a Washington University study that challenges the long-held belief that itching is a less intense version of the body’s response to pain.

This finding could prove important in improving treatment of chronic itching and pain.

Zhou-Feng Chen, of Washington University’s Pain Center, in St. Louis, and colleagues found that pain signals are not affected in mice bred without an itch gene called gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) or when the gene’s actions are blocked. When the mice without the GRPR gene were exposed to itchy stimuli, they scratched less than normal mice. Read More

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Study Singles Out Beachgoers’ Skin Cancer Risk

November 18, 2008

MONDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — That basic rule, “know thyself,” can help prevent a pleasant seaside vacation from turning into a skin cancer risk, Australian dermatologists report.

A detailed study of 88 Hawaii vacationers identified three groups of people with distinct characteristics and sun protection behaviors, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology by researchers at the University of Queensland:

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Robots May Come to Aging Boomers’ Rescue

November 18, 2008

TUESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — In the not-so-distant future, American seniors may turn to helpful, uncomplaining robots to fill the worrisome “care gap” that many face today.

One of these autonomous devices, called the uBOT-5, is already capable of carrying out simple tasks while it monitors the home environment. The robot can even spot trouble — such as a person falling down — and call 911 if necessary.

The freestanding device can also bring a faraway loved one into an aging person’s home via video Internet hook-up. Read More

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