Healthcare News

Aphasia: A Disruption In Communication

Ever heard of aphasia? Most people who are familiar with the term associate it with stroke (i.e., brain damage caused by disrupted blood flow to the brain). But aphasia, an impairment of language, is not always caused by stroke. Really, a variety of brain conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases (brain disorders that worsen over time), can cause aphasia. “Most people are well aware that ..(Read More)

Is Surgery The Best Option For Penetrating Kidney Trauma?

Trauma is the sixth leading cause of death worldwide, and recent studies suggest that 16 percent of renal (kidney) trauma occurs from a penetrating injury, such as a gunshot wound, stabbing or piercing injury from a car accident. If a patient is bleeding to death from the kidney, surgery can be life-saving. Risks of surgery, however, include potential injury to adjacent organs, loss of the kidney..(Read More)

Testosterone Research Brings New Hope For Cancer Patients

Many cancer patients suffer from a loss of body mass known as cachexia. Approximately 20% of cancer related deaths are attributed to the syndrome of cachexia, which in cancer patients is often characterized by a rapid and/or severe loss of fat and skeletal muscle. Dr. Melinda Sheffield-Moore, professor and head of the Department of Health and Kinesiology, along with researchers at University of ..(Read More)

Obesity Alone Does Not Increase Risk Of Death

Researchers at York University's Faculty of Health have found that patients who have metabolic healthy obesity, but no other metabolic risk factors, do not have an increased rate of mortality. The results of this study could impact how we think about obesity and health, says Jennifer Kuk, associate professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science, who led the research team at York Univer..(Read More)

Herpes Linked To Alzheimer's: Antivirals May Help

A new commentary by scientists at the Universities of Manchester and Edinburgh on a study by Taiwanese epidemiologists supports the viability of a potential way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. When the Taiwanese authors looked at subjects who suffered severe herpes infection and who were treated aggressively with antiviral drugs, the relative risk of dementia was reduced by a factor of..(Read More)

Novel Therapy Delays Muscle Atrophy In Lou Gehrig's Disease Model

Supplementing a single protein found in the spinal cord could help prevent symptoms of Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Researchers found high levels of the protein -- called mitofusion 2 or Mfn2 -- prevented nerve degeneration, muscle atrophy, and paralysis in a mouse model of the disease. Since Mfn2 is often depleted during..(Read More)