Health News: Never-before-seen tick-borne disease ♦ Drinking just one or two alcoholic drinks a day linked to liver disease ♦ Caterpillar fungus relieves the pain of osteoarthritis

Pooled analysis confirms vitamin E as a treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) is an effective treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), according to new research. NASH occurs when the liver becomes inflamed due to the accumulation of fat. Over time, persistent inflammation can lead to the formation of fibrous scar tissue in the liver and around its blood vessels, which can eventually cause cirrhosis.

Substantial health threat: Never-before-seen tick-borne disease Just in time for spring and the explosion of ticks in forests, lawns and trails, a new study has uncovered a never-before-seen illness transmitted by ticks. The disease could be a 'substantial health threat' to humans and animals in areas where the carrier tick is common

Drinking just one or two alcoholic drinks a day linked to liver disease According to the World Health Organization, excessive alcohol drinking is the most common cause of cirrhosis worldwide. A new worldwide study has shown the significant influence of daily drinking on this disease burden.

Caterpillar fungus could hold the key to relieving the pain of osteoarthritis A drug from a parasitic mushroom that lives on caterpillars could become an effective new painkiller for people with osteoarthritis within the next six years.

Despite warnings, health food stores recommend over-the-counter dietary supplements to minors Fifteen year olds are not only able to buy over-the-counter dietary supplements from a sampling of health food stores across the country, the staff at those stores actually went so far as to recommend certain products, despite labels reading 'for adult use only.'

Health News:Nanotech moisturizer speeds healing of diabetic skin wounds ♦ Scientist separates the DNA of identical twins ♦ Delayed diagnosis of celiac disease may put lives at risk.

Crime scene discovery: Scientist separates the DNA of identical twins Since its first use in the 1980s -- a breakthrough dramatized in recent crime-solving dramas -- DNA profiling has been a vital tool for forensic investigators.  Now researchers have solved one of its few limitations by successfully testing a technique for distinguishing between the DNA -- or genetic fingerprint -- of identical twins.

Nanotech-enabled moisturizer speeds healing of diabetic skin wounds A new high-tech ointment applied to the skin may help diabetic patients heal painful ulcers on their feet. They develop a topical gene regulation technology that speeds the healing of ulcers in diabetic animals. They combined spherical nucleic acids with a common moisturizer to create a way to topically knock down a gene known to interfere with wound healing.

Discovery may open door for treating fragile X carriers Fragile X syndrome, an inherited cause of autism and intellectual disability, can have consequences even for carriers of the disorder who don't have full-blown symptoms.

Delayed diagnosis of celiac disease may put lives at risk. Celiac disease is one of the most common life-long conditions in Europe, yet many people remain undiagnosed and lengthy diagnostic delays may be putting lives at risk. Doctors are being urged to consider testing for celiac disease in anyone showing signs and symptoms of the condition and to consider screening everyone in high-risk groups.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Steatohepatitis: NASH linked to 50% higher death rate compared with NAFLD Results from a large population-based cohort of almost a million people in the UK found that the chances of dying from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, over a 14-year period, was approximately 50 percent higher than for those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.