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New Centre In London To Accelerate Personalized Mental Health Care
A powerful new research facility at the heart of King"s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre has been launched by Professor Dame Sally C Davies, Director General of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health. The Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Nucleus is funded by a ÷£3M infrastructure grant from South London and Maudsley Charitable Funds (÷£1.8M) and Guy"s and St Thomas" Charity (÷£1.2M) to create a unique centre housing key translational initiatives to support the development of novel therapies and treatments for mental health and related disorders.
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Closely Supervised Foster Care Linked With Reduced Pregnancy Rates For Delinquent Teens, Study Says
Teenage girls with a history of delinquency who were placed in individualized foster care programs were less likely than their peers to become pregnant, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, HealthDay/Forbes reports. Teen girls in foster care have an elevated risk for pregnancy, according to HealthDay/Forbes. For example, an earlier survey of teens in three states found that nearly half of girls in the foster care system reported a pregnancy by age 19, according to David Kerr, an assistant professor of psychology at Oregon State University and lead author of the new study.For the study, researchers followed 166 girls ages 13 to 17 with court orders to receive treatment for criminal behavior in either specialized foster care or a group-care facility. The specialized programs, known as Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care, were created in the 1980s. Under the programs, foster parents who are trained in behavioral management provide one-on-one care to severely delinquent youths, and the parents receive consultation, support and crisis intervention services from program supervisors. One of the most important aspects of the program is that, unlike group care, the teens are isolated from other troubled youths. There are 51 such programs in the U.S.After two years, 26% of the girls in MTFC became pregnant, compared with almost 47% of those in group care, according to the study. The MTFC group also showed lower levels of criminal activity and arrests, and increased school engagement. Kerr said, "One of the most interesting aspects of this research is that the MTFC program was created to reduce crime, not pregnancy." He added, "It specifically targeted changing the girl"s environment: her home, her peers and her school experience. The focus was on giving her lots of supervision, support for responsible behavior, and consistent, non-harsh consequences for negative behavior" (HealthDay/Forbes, 6/17).
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What Is Dialysis? What Is Kidney Dialysis?
Dialysis is the artificial process of getting rid of waste (diffusion) and unwanted water (ultrafiltration) from the blood. This process is naturally done by our kidneys. Some people, however, may have failed or damaged kidneys which cannot carry out the function properly - they may need dialysis. In other words, dialysis is the artificial replacement for lost kidney function (renal replacement therapy). Dialysis may be used for people who have become ill and have acute kidney failure (temporary loss of kidney function), or for fairly stable patients who have permanently lost kidney function (stage 5 chronic kidney disease).
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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. The link between inherited variants in the CEBPA gene and the familial form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was first described in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004. This relationship has subsequently been confirmed in several published reports. Almost all patients found to have inherited CEBPA mutations have had leukemia. Therefore, germline CEBPA mutations appear to predict the development of leukemia in individuals who lack manifestations of the disease. Family members of an AML patient who carries an inherited CEBPA mutation can be tested for the presence of this mutation with BloodCenter"s new DNA-based test. Those in whom the CEBPA mutation is detected can be monitored by their physicians for signs and symptoms of leukemia. Earlier detection of the cancer in these patients could result in more rapid treatment, and potentially produce better outcomes. AML patients and their relatives can also utilize this information in family planning decisions. "CEBPA-related familial AML is rare, but the incidence may be larger than we believe because the medical community hasn"t been able to look for it," said Roger D. Klein, M.D., J.D., BloodCenter"s Medical Director of Molecular Oncology. Methodology and Limits Inherited CEBPA mutations are detected and characterized by a combination of PCR amplification and direct sequencing of the coding and junctional regions of the CEBPA gene. The assay is expected to detect >99% of germline variants that are found within these areas. "Failing to detect a variant does not mean with 100 percent certainty that there is not a problem with the gene," added Dr. Klein. "For example, one could have a disease-causing mutation in a promoter region that is important to the gene"s function, or one could have a complete deletion of the gene. This assay would not detect either of these unusual types of mutations. Therefore, we will caution referring physicians and genetic counselors that a negative result is not an absolute guarantee that a family does not carry an inherited CEBPA mutation. However, CEBPA Mutation Analysis is extremely accurate for finding variants in the coding and junctional regions of the gene, which is where most disease-related mutations are likely to occur." Assay Variant Aids Risk Stratification for Larger AML Population In addition, BloodCenter offers a modified version of CEBPA Mutation Analysis for non-inherited (sporadic) AML. This test is performed on DNA from the leukemia cells, rather than normal blood cells as in the test for inherited leukemia. In 15 - 18% of cases of a type of sporadic AML called "AML with normal cytogenetics" (CN-AML), CEBPA mutations serve as a biomarker that is associated with relatively favorable outcomes. CN-AML accounts for about 50% of all AML. BloodCenter is also believed to be the first laboratory in the United States to offer CEBPA testing for CN-AML. "For sporadic AML cases, we add fragment analysis to examine the gene for alterations in its length. The combination of fragment analysis and direct sequencing allows us to improve the lower limit of detection of the assay. This is important in sporadic leukemia, where low levels of a mutation may be present. By contrast, inherited mutations are typically found in a 50:50 ratio," Dr. Klein said. BloodCenter is considered a world expert in blood-related disorders due to a unique combination of medical and technical expertise that allows it to develop and interpret diagnostic assays for blood-related cancers. Dr. Klein believes that CEBPA Mutation Analysis is another important contribution to the oncology community. "This work is complex, which is why few labs test for rare genetic variants. With the knowledge gained through this assay, BloodCenter of Wisconsin will look to develop additional tests for inherited and sporadic blood malignancies. Each time we develop a genetic test, we are advancing the understanding of the genetics underlying blood cancers. We hope that what we learn will eventually contribute to better clinical outcomes." BloodCenter of Wisconsin


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