America’s Youth Delaying First Consumption Of Alcohol

The latest research released by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a positive indicator that The Century Council’s continuing efforts are working. For nearly twenty years, The Century Council, a national not-for-profit funded by distillers, has developed and implemented proven and effective programs and public awareness campaigns to fight underage drinking.

According to the newly released report

Community-Acquired Pneumonia In The Elderly: Every Tenth Patient Dies In Western Countries

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) represents a public health problem of substantial magnitude, and remains the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases, with an incidence ranging from 1.6 to 10.6 per 1,000 adults per year in Europe.

Owing to demographic changes, elderly patients now represent about 50% of CAP patients in western countries.

Considering that there is much discrepancy in the literature regarding factors influencing the outcome in this subgroup, a prospective study undertaken by Henning Kothe (University of Lübeck, Germany) and his colleagues was conducted to assess the prognostic factors of CAP with a special emphasis on age, residence status, comorbidities and antimicrobial treatment. The data were derived from a multicentre cohort study initiated by the German Competence network for CAP (CAPNETZ; http://www.capnetz.de), which includes 10 clinical centres (hospitals and outpatient facilities from all levels of healthcare).

Respected Dallas Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Bassichis, To Be Interviewed By Fitness Expert Larry North

Dedicated to education in facial health and rejuvenation, director of the Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery Center, Benjamin Bassichis, MD, FACS, is pleased to announce his upcoming radio appearance on the Larry North Show.

Larry North, one of Dallas’ premier fitness experts, is featuring Dr. Bassichis on his weekly radio broadcast on KSKY 660 AM Saturday afternoon, June 28th 2008 from 3:00 to 4:00 central standard time. During the interview you can learn the latest secrets for health, beauty, and the most up-do-date anti-aging technologies with Dr. Bassichis, a leading expert in facial plastic surgery, cosmetic injectibles and skin care. Health and fitness guru Larry looks forward to discussing the importance of a healthy lifestyle and personal transformations with Dr. Bassichis, and how a lifelong commitment to health can lead to a fitter and more beautiful future. As leaders in their respective field, both Larry and Dr. Bassichis are strong advocates for living your most healthy lifestyle and their integrated approaches of fitness and beauty should make the interview very inspiring.

eCardio Diagnostics Introduces Exclusive Extended Monitoring Device

eCardio Diagnostics launches an extended monitoring device, the eTriggerPLUS, in conjunction with an extended monitoring service (EMS). Extended monitoring devices provide real-time data analysis allowing physicians to capture daily ECG information through pre-defined and programmable intervals.

The eTriggerPLUS is the first generation of extended monitoring devices offered by eCardio. The single component device contains proprietary features such as the eTimerSM Automatic Data Capture which expands the flexibility of the eTriggerPLUS for use in various patient therapies or clinical study applications such as: device monitoring, post-ablation follow-up, drug titration, and the documentation of abnormal cardiac function.

Spermatozoal Immobilization Factor From Staphylococcus Aureus: Receptor-Specific Interaction

ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) – The authors note that there are receptors on the surface of spermatozoa that leads to interaction with various microorganisms in male and female genital tract. These receptors may be important factor in the he ability of spermatozoa to be agglutinated and immobilized by different species of bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the dominant flora in male and female genitalia and can decrease sperm motility.

MIT Probe May Help Untangle Cells’ Signaling Pathways

MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cell’s activities.

“We can use this to identify new protein partners or to characterize existing interactions. We can identify what signaling pathway the proteins are involved in and during which phase of the cell cycle the interaction occurs,” said Alice Ting, the Pfizer-Laubach Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemistry and senior author of a paper describing the probe published online June 27 by the

Lack Of Fragile X And Related Gene Fractures Sleep

Lack of both the fragile X syndrome gene and one that is related could account for sleep problems associated with the disorder, which is the common cause of inherited mental impairment, said a consortium of researchers led by scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Their findings appear in a report in the current issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Mice deficient in the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene (FMR1) and a similar gene called fragile X-related gene 2 (FXR2) have no rhythm to their wake and sleep pattern, said Dr. David Nelson, professor of molecular and human genetics at BCM and co-director of the Interdepartmental Program in Cell and Molecular Biology.

Female Surgical Faculty May Be Increased By Improving University Recruitment Process, Study Finds

New research published in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that improving the university recruitment strategy and process could raise the number of women faculty in medicine. The study also suggests that specific procedural steps could assist in identifying and actively recruiting qualified women for faculty positions in surgery departments.

Despite equaling or exceeding the number of men in medical schools, women continue to be underrepresented in academic medicine. Less than one-third of physicians holding academic appointments nationwide are women. Women surgeons, in particular, make up 16 percent of faculty at university medical centers nationwide, but are nearly absent in leadership positions, with only 2 percent of department chairs nationwide held by women.

Ronin An Alternate Control For Embryonic Stem Cells

Like the masterless samurai for whom it is named, the protein Ronin chooses an independent path, maintaining embryonic stem cells in their undifferentiated state and playing essential roles in genesis of embryos and their development, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers who reported on this novel cellular regulator in the current issue of the journal Cell.

Three proteins – Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog – had previously been considered the “master” regulators of embryonic stem cells, but “Ronin could be as important as these three,” said Dr. Thomas Zwaka, assistant professor in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (STaR) Center at BCM. In fact, he said, if the action of Oct4, considered the most important, is reduced in embryonic stem cells, Ronin can compensate for the loss.

Taming, Then Aiming, Viruses At Brain Tumors – “Engineered” Viruses May Hold Promise For Cancer Treatment

It may sound like the plot of a medical drama, but this approach to fighting cancer is real. Scientists say they may someday be able to battle brain cancer, while using a virus to do it. Early results from the lab are promising.

The science itself may be complex, but the idea is relatively simple; modify a common virus that will bypass healthy cells and attack tumors. In some lab tests involving animals with brain cancer it’s worked*.