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Parents unclear about process for specialist care for kids

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Parents vary widely in views about their responsibilities in getting specialty care for their children, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

Most children get their health care from a primary care provider, known as a PCP, but when there are signs or symptoms of a more serious illness, the PCP often refer kids to a specialist.

Animal model demonstrates role for metabolic enzyme in acute myeloid leukemia

BOSTON – In recent years, mutations in two metabolic enzymes, isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2), have been identified in approximately 20 percent of all acute myeloid leukemias (AML). As a result, mutant IDH proteins have been proposed as attractive drug targets for this common form of adult leukemia.

Agent Orange linked to skin cancer risk, reports Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Philadelphia, Pa. (January 28, 2014) –Vietnam War veterans with prior exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange may be at higher risk for certain types of skin cancer, suggests a report in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Future directions for landmark diabetes study in journal Diabetes Care

CLEVELAND – The two most highly cited diabetes research trials – Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and its follow-up study Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) – are marking their 30th anniversary. DCCT, which ran from 1982 to 1993, enrolled more than 1,400 adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes to evaluate if intensive control of diabetes could lower the risk of complications better than conventional control. EDIC launched in 1994 and continues to follow many patients from the original study.

Caffeine use disorder: A widespread health problem that needs more attention

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan 28, 2014) -- "I'm a zombie without my morning coffee." "My blood type is Diet Coke." "Caffeine isn't a drug, it's a vitamin." Most people make jokes like these about needing a daily boost from their favorite caffeinated beverage—whether first thing in the morning or to prevent the after-lunch slump.

Impact of battlefield-related genitourinary injuries described in Journal of Men's Health

New Rochelle, NY, January 28, 2014—Modern combat and the global war on terror, with increased use of improvised explosive devices, have led to a nearly 350% increased rate of genitourinary injuries. The often debilitating long-term sexual, psychological, fertility, and hormonal effects of these traumatic wounds and the need for new coordinated approaches to care are the focus of a Review article and Guest Editorial in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

Voice may change after rhinoplasty, reports plastic and reconstructive surgery

Philadelphia, Pa. (January 28, 2014) – Patients who have undergone plastic surgery to change the appearance of their nose may also notice changes in the sound of their voice, reports a study in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Researchers open door to new HIV therapy

People infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) can stave off the symptoms of AIDS thanks to drug cocktails that mainly target three enzymes produced by the virus, but resistant strains pop up periodically that threaten to thwart these drug combos.

Study examines repeat colonoscopy in patients with polyps referred for surgery without biopsy-proven cancer

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – January 28, 2014 – A new study reports that in the absence of biopsy-proven invasive cancer, a second colonoscopy done at an expert center may be appropriate to reevaluate patients referred for surgical resection. In the study, 71 percent of the lesions referred for surgery were noncancerous polyps (growths in the colon) and were treatable endoscopically. In 26 percent of cases, previous removal was attempted by the referring physician but was unsuccessful.

Skin cell response to environmental stimuli like viruses may predict type 1 diabetes

(Boston)--Type 1 diabetes is a genetically-driven autoimmune disease of pancreatic beta-cells, whose origins remain unknown. Researchers at the Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) discovered that skin cells from patients with type 1 diabetes display abnormal activity triggered by immune response mechanisms to environmental stimuli like a viral infection. These findings currently appear online in PLoS One.

Churn Burn: Report outlines state strategies to assist with health insurance transitions

PRINCETON, N.J.—A new culture of health care has been ushered in by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) but, for some, it may be even more complicated than some reports suggest. Americans with income fluctuations, such as those with multiple part-time jobs, may experience shifts in coverage, requiring them to "churn" between Medicaid and private insurance, potentially affecting affordability and continuous access to care.

High-tech 'whole body' scan could improve treatment of bone marrow cancer

The new type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan could improve care for a type of cancer called myeloma and reduce reliance on bone marrow biopsies, which can be painful for patients and often fail to show doctors how far the disease has spread.

The research is published today (Tuesday) in the journal Radiology and was carried out by researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Parents less likely to spank after reading briefly about its links to problems in children

Parents who spank their children believe it's an effective form of discipline. But decades of research studies have found that spanking is linked to short- and long-term child behavior problems.

Is there any way to get parents to change their minds and stop spanking? Child psychologist George Holden, who favors humane alternatives to corporal punishment, wanted to see if parents' positive views toward spanking could be reversed if they were made aware of the research.

UA researchers find culprit behind skeletal muscle disease

A University of Arizona doctoral candidate has shown for the first time that genetic mutations in the titin gene can cause skeletal muscle myopathy, a disease in which muscle fibers do not function properly, resulting in muscle weakness. Myopathic disease can affect heart muscles as well as skeletal muscles, and titin is responsible for many problems associated with heart disease.

Measuring waist circumference would improve the detection of children and adolescents with cardiometabolic risk

Barcelona, 28th January 2014. A study led by researchers from IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) and published in the journal Plos One concludes that including waist circumference measurements in clinical practice, together with the traditional height and weight measurements, would make it easier to detect children and adolescents with cardiometabolic risk, i.e. those with a higher predisposition to suffer from arteriosclerosis or type 2 diabetes.