Category: Health Problems

Updated cholesterol guidelines offer more personalized risk assessment, additional treatment options

More personalized risk assessments and new cholesterol-lowering drug options for people at the highest risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are among the key recommendations in the 2018 cholesterol guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The guidelines were presented today at the Association’s 2018 Scientific Sessions conference in

Brain signature of depressed mood unveiled in new study

Most of us have had moments when we’re feeling down—maybe we can’t stop thinking about our worst mistakes, or our most embarrassing memories—but for some, these poor mood states can be relentless and even debilitating. Now, new research from UC San Francisco has identified a common pattern of brain activity that may be behind those

Scientists tell new facts about depression

Scientists have brought new arguments in support of the hypothesis that individuals with depression tend to be more active in neural systems accountable for ideas about their and themselves group of friends. The findings from the study are printed around the pages from the Journal of Affective Disorders. Based on gazeta.ru, scientists stated that the

Link between autoimmune, heart disease explained in mice

People with autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, even though none of these conditions seem to target the cardiovascular system directly. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis believe they have begun to understand the link between the two. Researchers

Neurons that fire together, don’t always wire together

As the adage goes “neurons that fire together, wire together,” but a new paper published today in Neuron demonstrates that, in addition to response similarity, projection target also constrains local connectivity. Researchers from the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre have been looking to elucidate the rules of connectivity of neurons in the neocortex with the long term

Why modest goals are so appealing

Thanks to a quirk in the way our brain evaluates goals, people feel it’s easier to achieve a small incremental goal than to maintain the status quo, when both goals are assessed in isolation. This is especially true if the context is seen as unfavourable. This finding, which contrasts with the popular belief that no

Most patients with cystic fibrosis may receive insufficient antibiotics to fight lung infections

The majority of patients with cystic fibrosis may not achieve blood concentrations of antibiotics sufficiently high enough to effectively fight bacteria responsible for pulmonary exacerbations, leading to worsening pulmonary function, indicates a study led by researchers at Children’s National Health System. Additionally, the study findings show that it’s impossible to predict solely from dosing regimens

From asexuality to heteroflexibility: 21st century ushers in new openness about intimate relationships

The 21st century has ushered in a “quiet revolution” in the diversity of intimate relationships, and a leading scholar says the scale and pace of this social transformation warrants a “reboot” of relationship studies. Social media and the internet have empowered individuals with diverse identities and relationship practices to find each other, raising awareness of

More Australians affected by gambling and for longer

On the eve of the Melbourne Cup, new research from The Australian National University (ANU) has found more Australians are experiencing gambling harm and suffering life and health hardships for much longer than previously known. In providing one of the first national snapshots of gambling harm in Australia, the Centre for Gambling Research (CGR) has

Breakthrough for treatment of fibrotic diseases

Scientists have discovered a drug combination that could halt the progression of fibrosis—a condition believed to be responsible for almost half of all deaths—according to a study published in the journal European Urology. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University, University College London and KU Leuven have spent seven years working on finding the right drug combination