One in five patients on commonly prescribed diuretics have abnormal sodium and potassium levels

One in five patients taking diuretics commonly prescribed for high blood pressure or heart conditions end up with reduced sodium and potassium levels, according to a study published in the January issue of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. more  

Researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center uncover clue to explain invasive brain tumors

Researchers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have uncovered a clue to explain the invasive nature of an aggressive kind of brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme, or gliomas, and their findings are published in this week's online edition of the journal Oncogene. more

Region of DNA strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease

An international team of researchers, led by investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are zeroing in on a gene that increases risk for Alzheimer's disease. They have identified a region of chromosome 10 that appears to be involved in risk for the disease that currently affects an estimated 4.5 million Americans. more  

Viral 'fitness' explains different resistance patterns to AIDS drugs

Some HIV medications lead to the development of drug-resistant HIV when patients take as few as two percent of their medications. For other medications, resistance occurs only when patients take most of their pills. These differences appear to be explained by the different levels of viral "fitness" of the drug-resistant HIV, say AIDS researchers in a new study. The research, led by David Bangsberg, MD, MPH, an AIDS specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, is reported in the January 9 issue of the journal AIDS. more

Yale study explains complex infection fighting mechanism 

Yale School of Medicine researchers report in Nature Immunology how infection fighting mechanisms in the body can distinguish between a virus and the healthy body, shedding new light on auto immune disorders. more

Anthroposophic lifestyle reduces risk of allergic disease in children  

Certain features of the anthroposophic lifestyle, such as restrictive use of antibiotics and fever antipyretics, reduce the risk of allergic disease in children, according to a new study. more

Hedgehog protein blocks fat production, produces more bone

A protein that guides the early development of creatures as diverse as fruit flies and humans also plays a role in regulating fat and bone formation in adult organisms, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered. more