Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Teeth Whitening

Welsh Assembly Government Written Statement On Swine Influenza, Wales
This statement updates Members on the Influenza A (H1N1) swine flu outbreak and the latest developments in Wales and across the UK.
generic viagra online
Lambda Legal Files Suit Against Assisted-Living Facility For Allegedly Discriminating Against HIV-Positive Resident
Lambda Legal, a group that represents HIV-positive people, on Tuesday filed a law suit against the Fox Ridge assisted-living facility in North Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly evicting a resident because he is HIV-positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.The Rev. Robert Franke, a retired biology and religion professor who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, moved into Fox Ridge, which is operated by Parkstone Living Center, in February. The day after he moved into the facility, an unidentified administrator told his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, that her "superiors" said Franke needed to be discharged from the facility "because of his HIV." Franke disclosed his HIV status on application materials before moving into the facility. The suit alleges that Parkstone violated the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act and requests a permanent injunction to prevent the facility from denying apartments or services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The suit also seeks compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys" fees and costs. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele. The facility declined to comment on the suit. Julie Munsell, a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services, said Arkansas law allows for people who have been discharged for assisted-living facilities to remain in the facility pending a hearing if the discharge is appealed. Munsell said the department"s Long-Term Care Division received notice that Franke was appealing the discharge but that the appeal was later dismissed without a hearing. According to Munsell, facilities are not permitted to discharge residents based on medical diagnoses but that some facilities have said they do not have the capacity to provide care for certain conditions. Munsell also said that Fox Ridge is "claiming that they did not admit this client so there is no need for a hearing." Scott Schoettes, staff attorney for Lambda"s HIV Project, said that Franke was not seeking medical care from Fox Ridge, although the facility does provide medical services. "He didn"t require any services beyond which they were licensed to provide," Schoettes said. Franke"s eviction is "particularly blatant and egregious, but unfortunately, not all that uncommon," Schoettes said, adding, "This happens all across the country. We want to send a message that this kind of discrimination is not going to be tolerated" (Satter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/13).
News of the day
BloodCenter Of Wisconsin's New Genetic Test Identifies People At High Risk For Developing Inherited Form Of Leukemia
BloodCenter of Wisconsin"s Diagnostic Laboratories announced that it is the first laboratory in the United States to develop and offer a genetic test, known as "CEBPA Mutation Analysis," for inherited acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is the second most common form of leukemia.
Health Insurance

Genetic Risk Factors Found For Most Common Brain Tumour

For the first time, researchers have identified genetic variants commonly found in the population that can increase an individual"s risk of developing glioma, the most prevalent brain tumour. The findings are published today in the journal Nature Genetics. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research in the UK, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in the US and elsewhere in Europe collaboratively studied the DNA sequences of thousands of people and found five genetic factors that were more common among people who had glioma. "This is a major discovery," commented article author and lead researcher Professor Richard Houlston, from the ICR and funded by the Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK. "We"ve found the first real evidence that variations in the genes which many people carry can increase their risk of this deadly disease, glioma." People who have a relative diagnosed with brain cancer are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a brain tumour themselves. Researchers have previously identified a few rare genetic disorders that increase the risk of brain tumour - but these can only explain a small part of the inherited risk. Genetic research over recent years has increasingly revealed that most cancers are not triggered by one or two genetic mutations, but instead the involvement of many genetic factors that each slightly increase the risk of cancer. The scientists theorised that most of the genetic risks of brain tumours were likely due to inheriting several low-risk variants. Professor Houlston and his team compared the DNA of 1,878 glioma patients with 3,670 healthy individuals in the UK and US. They found five common gene variants which contribute to the risk of people developing brain tumours, and confirmed the results with studies on an additional 2,545 patients and 2,953 controls from Europe. Importantly, the scientists found that the more of these variants a person has, the higher their risk of developing glioma. People who have eight or more variants are three times more likely to develop glioma than the general population (humans have two copies of DNA, so can have up to ten of these variants). They believe the five genetic factors found account for between seven and 14 per cent of the inherited risk, and that further research will identify more genetic variants. "These findings have important implications as glioma is one of the most common tumours in middle-aged people, and the prognosis for sufferers is poor," ICR Chief Executive Professor Peter Rigby says. "We would also hope that this research could ultimately help scientists develop new treatments that are targeted at patients" specific molecular defects." The genetic variants identified shed new light on how glioma develops, helping scientists home in on new biological targets for treatments. Some of the regions found were associated with genes already linked to cancer development. In descending order of risk, the relevant variants were mapped to the following genes: CCDC26 on chromosome 8, TERT on chromosome 5, CDKN2A on chromosome 9, RTEL1 on chromosome 20 and PHLDB1 on chromosome 11. "Compared with many other cancers, little is known about the lifestyle or genetic factors that influence the risk of developing brain tumours. This large new study is an important step forward as it unlocks some of the first genetic secrets behind the most common type of brain tumour, glioma," Dr Lesley Walker, Director of Cancer Information at Cancer Research UK, said. "Identifying these genetic variants will open up new avenues for scientists to explore, helping them to better understand how gliomas develop, identify who might be most at risk and ultimately find improved ways to diagnose and treat the disease." Note - Gliomas account for about 80 per cent of primary malignant brain tumours (cancer that starts in the brain and has not spread from elsewhere), of which about 21,000 people are diagnosed each year in the US - In the UK, about 4,550 people are diagnosed with brain tumours each year - Only 14 per cent of people diagnosed with a brain tumour are alive after five years The genes: - CCDC26, on chromosome 8, modulates retinoic acid, which in turn increases programmed cell death in glioblastoma cells and reduces telomerase activity (see next) - TERT, on chromosome 5, is essential for telomerase activity that preserves telomeres, which are found on the ends of chromosomes and prevent them from unravelling. TERT expression in tumours has been associated with tumour grade and prognosis - CDKN2A, on chromosome 9, regulates p14, which activates the tumour-suppressor p53. It also regulates cyclin-dependent kinases vital to the cell cycle. At least one copy of the gene is deleted in half of brain tumours, and loss of CDKN2A expression is associated with poor prognosis - RTEL1, on chromosome 20, maintains genomic stability. Its chromosomal address is amplified in 30 percent of gliomas - PHLDB1, on chromosome 11, is commonly deleted in neuroblastoma but there is no evidence to date of a role for the gene in glioma The Institute of Cancer Research The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe"s leading cancer research centre with expert scientists working on cutting-edge research. In 2009, the ICR marks its 100 years of groundbreaking research into cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Scientists at the ICR have identified more cancer related genes than any other organisation in world. These discoveries are allowing for scientists to develop new cancer treatments. In December 2008, the ICR was ranked as the UK"s leading academic research centre by the Times Higher Education"s Table of Excellence, based on the results of the Higher Education Funding Council"s Research Assessment Exercise. The ICR is a charity that relies on voluntary income. It is one of the world"s most cost-effective major cancer research organisations with more than 95p in every ÷£ directly supporting research. For more information visit http://www.icr.ac.uk The Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over ÷£600 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk Cancer Research UK


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009