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Released: 15-May-2016 7:05 PM EDT
Big Data Can Save Lives, Says Leading Queen’s University Cancer Expert
Queen's University Belfast

The sharing of genetic information from millions of cancer patients around the world could be key to revolutionising cancer prevention and care, according to a leading cancer expert from Queen’s University Belfast.

12-May-2016 7:05 AM EDT
Review Finds Fathers’ Age, Lifestyle Associated with Birth Defects
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University

A growing body of research is revealing associations between birth defects and a father’s age, alcohol use and environmental factors, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. They say these defects result from epigenetic alterations that can potentially affect multiple generations.

9-May-2016 8:00 AM EDT
Chicken Coops, Sewage Treatment Plants Are Hot Spots of Antibiotic Resistance
Washington University in St. Louis

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria most often are associated with hospitals and other health-care settings, but a new study indicates that chicken coops and sewage treatment plants also are hot spots of antibiotic resistance.

9-May-2016 8:00 AM EDT
Mouse Models of Zika in Pregnancy Show How Fetuses Become Infected
Washington University in St. Louis

Two mouse models of Zika virus infection in pregnancy have been developed by a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. In them, the virus migrated from the pregnant mouse’s bloodstream into the placenta and then to the brains of the developing pups.

6-May-2016 4:00 PM EDT
Common Antacid Linked to Accelerated Vascular Aging
Houston Methodist

Chronic use of some drugs for heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) speeds up the aging of blood vessels, according to a published paper in Circulation Research (early online), an American Heart Association journal. This accelerated aging in humans could lead to increased cardiovascular disease, vascular dementia and renal failure.

Released: 10-May-2016 10:05 AM EDT
How to Remove a Splinter
American Academy of Dermatology

Everyone has been there. No sooner did you or your child touch that old wooden bench when a small sliver of wood slides into the skin – causing a surprising amount of pain. Fortunately, say dermatologists, splinters are easy to remove with the proper tools and technique.

Released: 10-May-2016 7:00 AM EDT
When You Take Acetaminophen, You Don’t Feel Others’ Pain as Much
Ohio State University

When you take acetaminophen to reduce your pain, you may also be decreasing your empathy for both the physical and social aches that other people experience, a new study suggests.

   
Released: 6-May-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Kids Eating Habits, Video Games Helping Kids Eat Fruits and Veggies, New Ways to Stop Weight Gain in Young Adults, and More in the Obesity News Source
Newswise

Kids Eating Habits, Video Games Helping Kids Eat Fruits and Veggies, New Ways to Stop Weight Gain in Young Adults, and More in the Obesity News Source

       
Released: 6-May-2016 4:05 AM EDT
New Technique Can Provide Better Cell Transplants Against Parkinson's Disease
Lund University

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have used a completely new preclinical technique and analysis of tissue from patients to show exactly what happens when certain patients with Parkinson's disease are restored as a result of nerve cell transplants. They have also identified what makes many of the transplant patients develop serious side effects in the form of involuntary movements.

Released: 5-May-2016 2:00 PM EDT
How a Female Sex Hormone May Protect Against STIs: Study
McMaster University

A team of researchers led by McMaster University’s Charu Kaushic has revealed for the first time how estradiol, a female sex hormone present during the menstrual cycle and found in oral contraceptives, may work to protect women against sexually transmitted viral infections.

2-May-2016 4:15 AM EDT
New Study Finds Atrial Fibrillation Patients Treated With Warfarin Have Higher Rates of Dementia
Intermountain Medical Center

Study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients

Released: 4-May-2016 1:05 PM EDT
High-Fructose Diet During Pregnancy May Harm Placenta, Restrict Fetal Growth
Washington University in St. Louis

A new study in mice and women by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that a high-fructose diet during pregnancy may harm the placenta and restrict fetal growth. Additionally, researchers believe a commonly prescribed drug may mitigate the negative effects.

Released: 4-May-2016 11:05 AM EDT
You Could Mistakenly Believe You’re Allergic to This Common Antibiotic
Texas A&M University

According to a Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine allergist, most people who believe they're allergic to this common antibiotic may not be allergic at all. In fact, 10 years after a mild reaction to the drug, up to 90 percent of people will have outgrown a penicillin allergy.

3-May-2016 10:50 AM EDT
Yeast Infection Linked to Mental Illness
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In a study prompted in part by suggestions from people with mental illness, Johns Hopkins researchers found that a history of Candida yeast infections was more common in a group of men with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder than in those without these disorders, and that women with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who tested positive for Candida performed worse on a standard memory test than women with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder who had no evidence of past infection.

Released: 3-May-2016 10:05 AM EDT
Placenta Size and Offspring Bone Development Linked
University of Southampton

A larger placenta during pregnancy could lead to larger bones in the children, a new Southampton study has shown.

28-Apr-2016 9:05 AM EDT
Inadequate Financial Savings Tied to Increased Childhood Health Risks
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

The connection between a family’s income and childhood health has been well-established, with lower income linked to poorer health and a greater likelihood of more chronic conditions. Now a new study by UCLA researchers shows that the size of the paycheck is not all that matters when it comes to children’s health risks. So does the amount that a family has tucked away in savings.

28-Apr-2016 4:00 PM EDT
Breast Milk Linked to Significant Early Brain Growth in Preemies
Washington University in St. Louis

Feeding premature babies mostly breast milk during the first month of life appears to spur more robust brain growth. Preemies whose daily diets were at least 50 percent breast milk had more brain tissue and cortical-surface area by their due dates than premature babies who consumed significantly less breast milk.

Released: 28-Apr-2016 8:05 AM EDT
Gut Bacteria May Predict Risk of Life-Threatening Infections Following Chemotherapy
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering

A new study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota and Nantes University Hospital in France shows that the bacteria in people’s gut may predict their risk of life-threatening blood infections following high-dose chemotherapy.

22-Apr-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Experimental Drug Cancels Effect From Key Intellectual Disability Gene in Mice
University of Wisconsin–Madison

A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who studies the most common genetic intellectual disability has used an experimental drug to reverse — in mice — damage from the mutation that causes the syndrome. The condition, called fragile X, has devastating effects on intellectual abilities.

   
Released: 27-Apr-2016 5:05 AM EDT
Experts Call for Increased Action on Protecting Those with Food Allergies
Queen's University Belfast

Professor Elliott founder Queen’s University Belfast's Institute for Global Food Security, is co-author of a paper published in The Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Analyst, outlining a strategy to close the gaps in current processes for detecting and measuring allergens – substances in foods that can trigger an allergic reaction. The publication comes during the UK’s Allergy Awareness Week

20-Apr-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Despite Efforts, Childhood Obesity Remains on the Rise
Duke Health

The alarming increase in U.S. childhood obesity rates that began nearly 30 years ago continues unabated, with the biggest increases in severe obesity, according to a study led by a Duke Clinical Research Institute scientist.

Released: 25-Apr-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Even Low Levels of Air Pollution Appear to Affect Children’s Lung Health
Beth Israel Lahey Health

According to new research led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) pulmonologist and critical care physician Mary B. Rice, MD, MPH, improved air quality in U.S. cities since the 1990s may not be enough to ensure normal lung function in children. The findings were recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care, a journal of the American Thoracic Society.

18-Apr-2016 3:05 PM EDT
Sophisticated ‘Mini-Brains’ Add to Evidence of Zika’s Toll on Fetal Cortex
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key way in which Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex.

Released: 21-Apr-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Finding Sleep's Sweet Spot
University of Delaware

A new study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine finds a link between adequate sleep, earlier bedtimes and heart-healthy behavior.

Released: 21-Apr-2016 2:05 AM EDT
Targeted Missiles Against Aggressive Cancer Cells
Lund University

Targeted missiles that can enter cancer cells and deliver lethal cell toxins without harming surrounding healthy tissue. This has been a long-standing vision in cancer research, but it has proved difficult to accomplish. A research group at Lund University in Sweden has now taken some crucial steps in this direction.

18-Apr-2016 8:00 AM EDT
Researchers Pinpoint Part of the Brain That Recognizes Facial Expressions
Ohio State University

Researchers at The Ohio State University have pinpointed the area of the brain responsible for recognizing human facial expressions.

   
Released: 19-Apr-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Compound From Hops Lowers Cholesterol, Blood Sugar and Weight Gain
Oregon State University

A recent study at Oregon State University has identified specific intake levels of xanthohumol, a natural flavonoid found in hops, that significantly improved some of the underlying markers of metabolic syndrome in laboratory animals and also reduced weight gain.

13-Apr-2016 10:00 AM EDT
Most U.S. Adults Say Today's Children Have Worse Health Than in Past Generations
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

More than half of adults believe children today are more stressed, experience less quality family time and have worse mental and emotional health.

Released: 15-Apr-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Allergen Immunotherapy Found to Pose No Risk of Infection
Massachusetts General Hospital

Mass. General study confirms the safety of allergy shots, calls into question proposed changes in preparation standards.

15-Apr-2016 10:00 AM EDT
UCLA Scientists Unravel the Genetic Evolution of Zika Virus
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A new UCLA study suggests that the virus possesses the ability to mutate rapidly, allowing the current outbreak to spread swiftly around the world.

8-Apr-2016 9:00 AM EDT
Commonly Used Reflux and Ulcer Medication May Cause Serious Kidney Damage
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

• Patients who took proton pump inhibitors for heartburn, acid reflux, or ulcers had an increased risk of kidney function decline, chronic kidney disease, and kidney failure. • The longer patients took the drugs, the greater their risk.

Released: 14-Apr-2016 8:05 AM EDT
Electrical Brain Stimulation Enhances Creativity, Researchers Say
Georgetown University Medical Center

Safe levels of electrical stimulation can enhance your capacity to think more creatively, according to a new study by Georgetown researchers.

11-Apr-2016 10:00 AM EDT
Harvard Scientists Report on Novel Method for Extending the Life of Implantable Devices in situ
Beth Israel Lahey Health

In a paper published in the April 13 issue of Nature Communications, investigators from Harvard report on a novel biochemical method that enables the rapid and repeated regeneration of selected molecular constituents in situ after device implantation, which has the potential to substantially extend the lifetime of bioactive films without the need for device removal.

Released: 13-Apr-2016 12:05 AM EDT
Maple Syrup Protects Neurons and Nurtures Young Minds
Universite de Montreal

Maple syrup protects neurons and prevents the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in C. elegans worms, according to a study by college students, now students at the university level, and published today in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Supervised by PhD student Martine Therrien and by researcher Alex Parker, Catherine Aaron and Gabrielle Beaudry added maple syrup to the diet of these barely 1 mm-long nematodes.

   
8-Apr-2016 3:20 PM EDT
Small Nerve Fibers Defy Neuropathy Conventions
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Results of a small study of people with tingling pain in their hands and feet have added to evidence that so-called prediabetes is more damaging to motor nerves than once believed, in a report on the study published online in JAMA Neurology on April 11.

5-Apr-2016 4:05 PM EDT
St. Jude Researchers Reveal How Two Types of Immune Cells Can Arise From One
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Newly identified mechanism may offer ways to enhance the immune response to fight cancer or strengthen long-term protection provided by vaccines

Released: 8-Apr-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Research Finds Health Cost for Motivated, Disadvantaged Youth
University of Georgia

There may be a hidden cost to the old adage of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps: Research out of the University of Georgia suggests the unintended stress spurred by upward mobility can pose an unintended health risk later down the road.

Released: 8-Apr-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Cornell Researchers Report Blood-Brain Barrier Breakthrough
Cornell University

The blood-brain barrier has stymied direct treatment of brain disorders. In a recently published study, a Cornell researcher reports finding a way to pass therapeutics through the barrier, using readily-available agents.

Released: 6-Apr-2016 4:05 PM EDT
How a Metabolic Pathway Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis
The Rockefeller University Press

A metabolic pathway that is up-regulated in some breast cancers promotes the disease’s progression by activating a signaling protein called Arf6, according to a paper published in The Journal of Cell Biology. The study, “P53- and mevalonate pathway–driven malignancies require Arf6 for metastasis and drug resistance” by Ari Hashimoto and colleagues, suggests that statin-like drugs may be effective treatments for breast cancer patients whose tumors express high levels of Arf6 signaling proteins.

   
29-Mar-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Exercise Reduces Cardiovascular Risk Factors From Constant Stress
American Physiological Society (APS)

Constant stress is associated with signs of poor blood vessel health and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. New research presented at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting in San Diego finds that aerobic exercise kept the blood vessels of stressed rats working normally.

4-Apr-2016 8:00 AM EDT
New Mouse Model to Aid Testing of Zika Vaccine, Therapeutics
Washington University in St. Louis

A research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has established a mouse model for testing of vaccines and therapeutics to battle Zika virus. The mouse model mimics aspects of the infection in humans, with high levels of the virus seen in the mouse brain and spinal cord and in the testes of male mice.

4-Apr-2016 1:45 PM EDT
For Treating a Leading Cause of Osteoporosis, Surgery Is Better Than Widely Used Medications
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

A leading cause of the bone-loss disease osteoporosis is hyperparathyroidism. Doctors commonly treat this using a class of prescription drugs called bisphosphonates, which are supposed to strengthen bones. A UCLA study found those drugs actually increase the risk of fracture, meaning that taking them is worse than doing nothing at all. The research also revealed that patients who have surgery to remove the overactive parathyroid glands have fewer subsequent bone fractures.

30-Mar-2016 6:00 AM EDT
Study Finds Elevated Levels of Newly Identified Inflammation Biomarker Offsets Benefit of Good Cholesterol
Intermountain Medical Center

People with high levels of good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein, are not as safe from heart disease when high levels of a newly identified biomarker of inflammation in the arteries are also found in their bloodstream, according to a new study.

29-Mar-2016 7:00 AM EDT
Improving Symptoms of Depression Can Reduce Risk of Major Cardiovascular Problems
Intermountain Medical Center

New study by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City found that effectively treating depression can reduce a patient’s chance of having a stroke, heart failure, a heart attack or death.

Released: 1-Apr-2016 1:05 PM EDT
Heart Rate Variability Predicts Epileptic Seizure
Kumamoto University

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes seizures of many different types. Recent research from Japan has found that epileptic seizures can be more easily predicted by using an electrocardiogram to measure fluctuations in the heart rate than by measuring brain activity, because the monitoring device is easier to wear. By making more accurate predictions, it is possible to prevent injury or accident that may result from an epileptic seizure. This is a significant contribution toward the realization of a society where epileptic patients can live without worrying about sustaining injury from an unexpected seizure.

30-Mar-2016 11:05 AM EDT
Brain Changes Seen in Veterans with PTSD After Mindfulness Training
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Like an endlessly repeating video loop, horrible memories plague people with post-traumatic stress disorder. But a new study in veterans shows the promise of mindfulness training for enhancing the ability to manage those thoughts if they come up. It also shows the veterans’ brains changed in ways that could help switch off that endless loop.

Released: 31-Mar-2016 8:05 AM EDT
New Potent Nanodrug to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Infections
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

A research team led by University of Arkansas chemist Jingyi Chen and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences microbiologist Mark Smeltzer has developed an alternative therapeutic approach to fighting antibiotic-resistant infections.

   
Released: 30-Mar-2016 12:05 PM EDT
Birth Control Pills May Increase Risk Of Seizures
Texas A&M University

Could certain types of hormonal contraceptives cause an increase in seizures in women with epilepsy? A recent Texas A&M Health Science Center study suggests that ethinyl estradiol, the primary component of oral contraceptives, could be detrimental to the epileptic brain.

24-Mar-2016 4:05 PM EDT
Successful Dying: Researchers Define the Elements of a “Good Death”
UC San Diego Health

For most people, the culmination of a good life is a “good death,” though what that means exactly is a matter of considerable consternation. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine surveyed published, English-language, peer-reviewed reports of qualitative and quantitative studies defining a “good death,” ultimately identifying 11 core themes associated with dying well.



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