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Study to pinpoint bipolar disorder risk factors

UNSW and the Black Dog Institute will take part in the largest international study of its type to pinpoint the risk factors associated with bipolar disorder. – Around 500 Australians aged 12 to 30 will be recruited to take part in a new study to know causes of bipolar disorder and related risk factors, to be conducted in collaboration with four major research institutions in the United States – Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and the Universities of Michigan, Indiana and Washington.

Triglycerides implicated in diabetes nerve loss

To stall progress of neuropathy, doctors should monitor levels of an easily measured blood fat as closely as they do blood sugar, study suggests. – A common blood test for triglycerides ? a well-known cardiovascular disease risk factor ? may also for the first time allow doctors to predict which patients with diabetes are more likely to develop the serious, common complication of neuropathy.

$51 million for cancer research in US

American Cancer Society awards 143 research grants to investigators at 83 institutions nationwide. Grants total more than $51 million in the second of two cycles for 2009. – The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 143 national research and training grants totaling more than $51 million in the second of two grant cycles for 2009. The grants go into effect beginning July 1, 2009.

10 genes identified in connection with sudden cardiac death

You’re sitting at your desk and suddenly your heart is beating in overdrive or worse, lurching along like a car on fumes. It is a shocking, uncomfortable and frightening sensation. – Irregular heart rhythms are a common cause of sudden cardiac death or SCD, a condition that accounts for 450,000 deaths annually in the United States.

High barriers to dental care exist for 12 million children

C.S. Mott Children?s Hospital National Poll on Children?s Health finds for children without dental health coverage, over 40% received no regular dental care – As the nation begins to focus its attention on the prospects of major health care reforms, one important aspect of health must not be overlooked ? access to affordable dental care for children. If left untreated, tooth decay in childhood can lead to lifelong tooth and gum problems, hospitalizations and emergency room visits, delayed physical development and loss of school days.

New genes identified linked to lung cancer

Scientists find new genes linked to lung cancer. Discovery opens door to individualized treatment strategies. – Working as part of a multi-institutional collaboration, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have assembled the most complete catalog to date of the genetic changes underlying the most common form of lung cancer.

Gene found responsible for smoking habit

If your first cigarette gave you a buzz and you now smoke, a gene may be to blame; Link between initial smoking pleasure, lifetime smoking habits and variation in nicotine receptor gene found by U-M-led team. – Anyone who has ever tried smoking probably remembers that first cigarette vividly. For some, it brought a wave of nausea or a nasty coughing fit. For others, those first puffs also came with a rush of pleasure or “buzz.”

Cancer stem cells created with genes technique

There may be a way to directly create cancer stem cells in the lab so you don?t always have to purify these rare cells from patients in order to study them directly. – With a bit of genetic trickery, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have turned normal skin cells into cancer stem cells, a step that will make these naturally rare cells easier to study.

Pregnant women should use seatbelt

Pregnant women should buckle up every single time they?re in a vehicle. Proper seatbelt use by pregnant women would save 200 fetuses a year. – Proper seatbelt use by pregnant women would save 200 fetuses a year, University of Michigan study finds. This new study could have a profound effect on fetal deaths and injuries caused by car crashes.

Non medical users of prescription drugs are at drug abuse risk

Nonmedical users of prescription drugs are at heightened risk for drug abuse, whereas medical users without a history of nonmedical use are generally not at increased risk. Drug abuse screening should be routine for college students, especially among individuals with any history of nonmedical use of prescription drugs. – College students who take frequently abused medications without a prescription appear to have a higher risk for drug abuse than those who use such therapies for medical reasons, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.