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Young adults who were exposed to adverse experiences as children have greater signs of unhealthy blood vessel function than young people without a traumatic past, a new study finds. The results suggest that early-life stress may raise the risk of heart disease later on by affecting blood vessel function and blood pressure in ways that can be detected during young adulthood, the authors say. “We have translated ideas that we had from animal research and found that it’s true in humans,” Jennifer Pollock told Reuters Health.   true       Pollock, part of the research team, co-directs cardio-renal physiology and medicine in the nephrology division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She and her colleagues looked for elevations in blood pressure and other indicators of how well blood vessels constrict or relax, as well as signs of stiffness in blood vessel walls. “All of this was highly correlated with people who have more of these stresses during childhood than the peop

Wastewater from cities and hospitals releases some antibiotic-resistant bacteria into the environment, according to a new French study. And although wastewater treatment plants cut the number of bacteria overall, the treatment process boosts the proportion of bacteria resistant to some antibiotics, the research found. The study focused on E. coli, a type of bacteria that commonly inhabits the intestines of many healthy animals, including humans, although certain strains can cause food poisoning. Drug resistance among many types of bacteria, including E. coli, is a growing problem. Previously unaffected bacteria can pick up resistance genes from other bacteria that carry them, and resistance can also spread through food crops irrigated with affected water.   true       “These multi-drug resistant bacteria are now the most frequently isolated ones in French hospitals, and in many countries,” said Xavier Bertrand, an author of the study and a microbiologist at Universite de Fran

U.S. health officials are investigating a multi-state E.coli outbreak linked to raw clover sprouts that have sickened as many as 10 people, half of whom required hospitalization, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday. No deaths have been reported. _0"> As of May 21 there were seven confirmed and three probable cases of E. Coli illnesses, three in Idaho and seven in Washington state, the FDA said. The FDA said it was investigating the outbreak in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local officials. The outbreak has been linked to raw clover sprouts from Evergreeen Fresh Sprouts LLC of Moyie Springs, Idaho. "We are moving quickly to learn as much as possible and prevent additional people from becoming ill," the FDA said in a statement. "We recognize that people will be concerned about this outbreak, and we will continue to provide updates and advice."   true       Health officials said the sprouts we

class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Mexico reported outbreaks of a deadly pig virus in 17 states out of 19 tested, the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) said on Thursday. _0"> Following reports of unusually high mortality, mainly in piglets, in the central-western part of the country, Mexican veterinary officials tested 2,309 samples between August 2013 and May 2014 in farms and slaughterhouses, the Mexican agriculture ministry told the OIE. These showed that 30 percent were positive for the deadly Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), suggesting that there may be some other causative agent involved in this event, the ministry said. class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Mexico has 31 states plus the federal district of Mexico. The country, which has around 16 million pigs, has banned imports of live pigs from the United States since last June, the Mexican ministry said. It added that Mexican authorities had found the virus in 770 dead pigs since it was de

Shares in U.S. biotech company PTC Therapeutics more than doubled in premarket dealings on Friday after European regulators recommended a conditional class="mandelbrot_refrag"> marketing authorization for Translarna, its drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. _0"> European Medicines Agency experts had adopted a negative opinion on the drug in January. Conditional class="mandelbrot_refrag"> marketing authorization is an early access mechanism for medicines that address an unmet medical need for patients suffering from life-threatening diseases, even if comprehensive clinical data are not yet available. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler , Editing by Paul Sandle)

European regulators said on Friday they had recommended approval of Roche's drug Gazyvaro, or obinutuzumab, for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, boosting the Swiss group's line-up of new cancer treatments. _0"> The new medicine is an improved follow-on medicine to Roche's $7 billion-a-year Rituxan, or MabThera, and Roche is hoping to switch as many patients as possible to the newer product before Rituxan faces competition from cheaper copies. The European Medicines Agency also gave a green light to Biogen Idec's Plegridy for multiple sclerosis and a recommendation for conditional approval to PTC Therapeutics' Translarna for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Shares in PTC soared on the green light. class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Novartis received a mixed bag of news, with its Alcon eyecare unit winning a recommendation for Simbrinza, a treatment for open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, but heart treatment serelaxin was rebuffed o

EU health regulators have recommended against approving Novartis's experimental heart failure drug for the second time this year due to insufficient evidence it improves symptoms, the Swiss drugmaker said in a statement on Friday. _0"> The ruling by the European Medicine Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) follows a previous rebuffal given in January and dashes Novartis's hopes for approval of serelaxin in Europe this year. The Basel-based firm was banking on serelaxin, also known as RLX030, to help replace lost revenue from blood pressure pill Diovan which faces competition from cheap, copycat medicines.   true       Tim Wright, global head of development at class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Novartis class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Pharmaceuticals said he was "disappointed" that the drug would not be available for patients this year, but said the company was committed to providing further evidence. class