Health News for July 18, 2008

Rise in research journals online causing researchers to cite fewer, newer papers
The Internet may be the most vital tool for researchers worldwide, what with quick searches opening detailed studies just with a click of mouse. But theres also a flipside to the online availability of large number of journals- researchers tend to cite only fewer and newer papers. ANI

New findings offer hope for treating lazy eye
Scientists have found evidence that brain regions controlling vision have the ability to adapt in adults, a finding that may offer new hope for individuals suffering from an untreated condition, called lazy eye. ANI

Researchers find more objective way of OCD diagnosis
A group of researchers have discovered that measuring activity in a brains region can help identify people at risk of developing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). ANI

Computational model shows how HIV escapes immune response
A novel computational model made by scientists in The Netherlands illustrates how HIV evades the immune system. ANI

Scientists unveil partially shared genetic profile between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have found 78 genes that show a similar pattern of abnormal regulation in the brains of people suffering from schizophrenia and those with bipolar disorder. ANI

Breast cancer researchers urged to consider subjects ethnicity
Experts at Imperial College London have urged breast cancer researchers to investigate how a persons ethnicity influences their response to treatment and its outcome. ANI

Two new medications may help alcoholics kick the bottle
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have identified two new medications that may help heavy drinkers modify their consumption, reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and prevent relapse. ANI

Russian drug improves Alzheimers symptoms
Dimebon - the drug first discovered in 1983 and sold in Russia as an antihistamine - significantly improves the clinical course of patients with Alzheimers disease, according to a study published in The Lancet. ANI

Now, Cardiomobile to keep a tab on heart attack rehab patients
Scientists at Queensland University of Technologys Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation have developed a unique Cardiomobile monitoring system that acts as a mini ECG, helping heart attack rehab patients to keep a check on their heart signal at any time and place. Dr Charles Worringham said that the system developed by Gold Coast company Alive Technologies, was being further developed and put on trial together with QUT under an ARC Linkage Grant. ANI

Gene variant that ups triglyceride levels in Asian-Americans identified
A new study has found that a genetic variant for apolipoprotein A-V, specifically found in individuals of Asian descent, leads to a four-fold increase in the risk of elevated triglycerides. ANI

Arthritis wonder drugs may hold key for many more diseases
Drugs that can help treat rheumatoid arthritis may hold the key to many more medical conditions, including atherosclerosis, say a group of researchers. ANI

Too much sleep ups ischemic risk in postmenopausal women
Postmenopausal women whose nap time exceed nine hours may be at an increased risk of ischemic stroke, according to a new study published in Journal of the American Heart Association. ANI

RComm-MTN tie-up under threat after RIL starts arbitration proceedings
Reliance Communications proposed tie-up with South Africas telecom giant MTN could be derailed after corporate war between Ambani brothers intensified and arbitration proceedings were started against Anil Ambanis group. ANI

Fall prevention programs cut elderly falls by 11 pct
Researchers from Yale School of Medicine have revealed that effective implementation of fall prevention programs could cut elderly falls by 11 pct. ANI

CT scans offer cheaper diagnosis of low-risk chest pain
An Indian-origin researcher in the US says that CT scanners may offer a cheaper alternative to the current methods of evaluating and diagnosing low-risk chest pain patients in the emergency room, which involve an overnight stay in the observation unit and cardiac stress testing. ANI