UCSD research reveals mechanism involved with type of fatal epilepsy
Researchers at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have found that Lafora disease, an inherited form of epilepsy that results in death by the age of 30, can be caused by mutations in a gene that regulates the concentration of the protein laforin. These findings are reported in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Lafora disease is characterize...Important discovery about second most fatal cancer
An international team of medical scientists has made an important advance in our understanding of the second most fatal form of cancer in the industrialized world. Professor Jeremy R. Jass, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Gastrointestinal Pathology at McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues in Australia and Japan have shown that in some cases colorectal cancer can be inherited. The new...New study shows measles immunization may prevent fatal brain infection
A new study has found wild-type measles virus in tissues from patients who died of a fatal brain infection, providing evidence against the notion that the strain of virus in the measles vaccine caused the infection. The study, in the November 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online, also concludes that vaccination against measles could prevent many more cases of the...Patients now surviving once-fatal immune disease
Individuals who have a rare genetic immune system disorder that prevents them from making antibodies nevertheless appear to be moderately healthy and lead productive lives, according to results of a study by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. A report on this study appears in the current online edition of Clinical Immunology. The study of 41 adults with X-linked agamm...Cincinnati surgeons report new treatment for often-fatal injury
University of Cincinnati (UC) surgeons have developed a new, minimally invasive method for repairing a common and deadly form of aortic injury--an advance that could help reduce the number of deaths caused by auto accidents and major falls. The potentially life-saving technique is reported by Joseph Giglia, MD, interim director of UC's division of vascular surgery, and his team in the Marc...Reduced POD linked to fatal asthma attacks
Asthmatic patients with reduced perception of dyspnoea (POD) may be at increased risk of experiencing a life-threatening exacerbation of their condition.// It was found that patients with low POD had significantly more emergency department visits, hospitalisations, fatal asthma attacks and deaths during a 2 year study period than those with normal dyspnoea perception. The patients wi...Drug Used To Arrest Bleeding Disorder Linked To Fatal Side Effects
There is a bad side to the WinRho drug, used for treating bleeding disorders. According to Baxter International Inc. and Cangene Corp, the drug has a tendency to trigger fatal side effects, albeit rarely.// The Winrho drug has been in use in the United States since 1995, and is used to treat a bleeding disorder called Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, where the blood is deficient with...Blood Clots Could Be Very Fatal
Deep vein thrombosis( DVT ) is a blood clot that develops deep in the vein. It can be fatal when the clot moves to the lung. // People who require prolonged bed rest are vulnerable because of their lack of movement and blood circulation ,especially patients in intensive care and patient on catheters are at a serious risk for DVT. Recent studies have shown that in critically ill patients...Blood Transfusion A Likely Cause For A Rare And Fatal Brain Disorder
vCJD is a rare, degenerative and fatal brain disorder. The only way to confirm vCJD is by a brain biopsy or autopsy. Data from a recent study links // the second case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) to a blood transfusion. The first case of vCJD linked to a blood transfusion was discovered in the United Kingdom. At that time, 17 people who had received blood donated from don...Once-Fatal Metabolic Disorders Treatable, Says Stanford/Packard Researcher
STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2007 - People with aclass of rare genetic disorders that often lead to brain damage,coma and death can be successfully treated with drugs, says aresearcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine and LucilePackard Children's Hospital. The researchers found in their unprecedented 25-year study thatprompt diagnosis coupled with a rapid start...