November 11, 2011
We all know that mosquitoes can be annoying. In many parts of the world, however, mosquitoes are more than just annoying--they are killers. Most people have heard of the mosquito-transmitted disease malaria, which has recently received much publicity through the work of The Bill & Melinda Gates [...]
August 5, 2010
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most common cancer in the world. More than half a million new cases of this form of liver cancer are reported each year. Excessive alcohol consumption and obesity have long been linked to HCC, but the main cause of the disease is chronic hepatitis B virus [...]
June 28, 2010
British researchers have identified four new genetic variants that may influence a male's risk for testicular cancer. These results, published recently in the journal Nature Genetics, along with variations in three genetic regions previously identified by the same group, are beginning to shed some light on [...]
June 2, 2010
Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) arises in the upper part of the throat, behind the nose. It is rare in most areas of the world—affecting only about 1 in every 100,000 people—but about 25 times more common in southern China, earning it the name "Cantonese Cancer." NPC rates are also high in southeastern [...]
April 21, 2010
For the millions of children and adults with severe food allergies, ingesting even tiny quantities of some of the most basic foods can result in a potentially deadly reaction. Milk, eggs, nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat are some of the most common offenders. Some people with food sensitivities have [...]
February 16, 2010
The candles on your birthday cake tell you how many years you've lived through, but they might not be a reflection of your biological age. Little bits of DNA called telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes. Over time, through repeated rounds of cell division, telomeres get shorter and shorter. Thus, [...]
January 29, 2010
Cancer of the pancreas, which strikes more than 40,000 men and women in the United States each year, is an especially deadly malignancy. There is no effective screening test for the disease and it is usually not detected until it has spread throughout the body. The five-year survival rate is only about [...]
December 21, 2009
A new study has identified more common genetic variants associated with increased risk for cleft lip and palate. Combined with two previous studies (more here and here), there are now four variations that have been associated with this birth defect that affects about one out of every 700 children [...]
November 11, 2009
The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis, occurs due to accumulated wear and tear – welcome to old age! – or from repetitive movements or injury. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is caused by an autoimmune attack on the lining of the joints, resulting in stiffness, muscle aches, and [...]
October 19, 2009
Lupus, which means "wolf" in Latin, gets its name from the skin manifestations sometimes seen in the disease. A physician in the 13th century thought they looked like wolf bites. In autoimmune disorders, the immune system — which normally protects us from harmful, foreign substances — goes into [...]
