Category: Health Problems

Unnecessary heart procedures can be avoided with a non-invasive test, according to late breaking research presented today at ESC Congress 2018 and published in Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Bjarne Linde Norgaard, principal investigator, of Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, said: “This study showed that a non-invasive method can be used to identify

In a study published today in Science, UT Southwestern and Rockefeller University researchers used advanced microscopes to determine at atomic resolution the structure of a molecular complex implicated in birth defects and several cancers. The Hedgehog signaling pathway, which transmits information to embryonic cells, is crucial to human health. Insufficient signaling during development leads to

Capturing the activity of neurons in the form of electric impulses isn’t easy. Information processing happens on different time scales and involves quick changes in voltage, ion concentrations and multiple signaling molecules. In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists from the Optical Neuroimaging Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and

Two new studies have unveiled how a peculiar molecule impacts how antibody-producing cells develop and function as well as how normal melanocytes progress to melanoma malignancy. “These findings on fundamental immunology and melanoma development originate from totally different areas of research, though have intersected at the bench,” said Charles Dimitroff, Ph.D., of the Department of

Louisiana and Mississippi are leading the nation in the number of people who have become seriously ill from West Nile virus this year. State health departments are warning residents to take precautions against mosquitoes, which spread the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that as of Aug. 21 , Louisiana had 18

If you parent a child, teach a child, or heck, even know a child, chances are you’ve heard that grit will make that young person a happier and more successful adult. Grit, the combination of pluck and perseverance has become the theme of articles and books, and is instilled just as much as it’s gained

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) doesn’t directly cause cancer, but infection with this common herpes virus brings an increased risk of some cancers, including fast-growing lymphomas. This week in mSphere, researchers report on a new drug that works by targeting EBV-positive tumors. In experiments on mice, the drug inhibited tumor development and metastases for EBV-related lymphomas. The

The United Nations is warning of a possible “third wave” of the cholera epidemic in Yemen, which is already “the largest outbreak on record.” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday there have been more than 1.1 million suspected cases of cholera since April 2017, and the number is increasing. He said over 2,300 deaths have

More than 80 percent of the 250,000 Americans living with a spinal cord injury lose the ability to urinate voluntarily after their injury. According to a 2012 study, the desire to regain bladder control outranks even their wish to walk again. In a UCLA study of five men, neuroscientists stimulated the lower spinal cord through

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global molecular diagnostics professional society, today published consensus, evidence-based recommendations to aid clinical laboratory professionals with the management of most Chronic Myeloid Neoplasms (CMNs) and development of high-throughput pan-myeloid sequencing testing panels. The report, “Clinical Significance of DNA Variants in Chronic Myeloid Neoplasms (CMNs): A Report of

Living in a digital age where information is rampant and machines help us with our everyday work, enabling us to be more productive than ever. While this is a great thing because we’re able to accomplish more tasks in a day, we cannot deny that the demand for work we need to deal every single

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a direct link between the protein aggregation in nerve cells that is typical for neurodegenerative diseases, and the regulation of gene expression in Huntington’s disease. The results pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies for diseases that involve impairment of the basic mechanism by

Most animals have a keen sense of smell, which assists them in everyday tasks. Now, a new study led by researchers at NYU School of Medicine sheds light on exactly how animals follow smells. Published online in the journal eLife on Aug. 21, the study measured the behavior of fruit flies as they navigated through

A comprehensive analysis of eight clinical trials and four cohort studies on cervical cancer screening by researchers from UC Davis and Kaiser Permanente Northwest has found that while Pap smears are still highly effective for detecting pre-cancerous cells and cancer, testing for the virus that causes these cancers also is an excellent screening tool. The

People with depression who are treated with nerve stimulation experience significant improvements in quality of life, even when their depression symptoms don’t completely subside, according to results of a national study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The study involved nearly 600 patients with depression that could not be

Researchers have long believed that the amygdala, an almond-shaped structure in the brain, is central to the experience and perception of fear. Studies initiated in the 1990s of a patient with a rare condition affecting the amygdala initially seemed to support this conclusion. However, as Lisa Feldman Barrett, Ph.D., of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)

In a rare study of its kind, new University of Toronto research has identified how vitamin D3 and periodontitis influence Type 2 diabetes. Aleksandra Zuk, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, found increased odds of developing Type 2 diabetes among people with gum disease who are also lacking in

A new study provides fresh evidence that the decline in the capacity of brain cells to change, called “plasticity,” rather than a decline in total cell number may underlie some of the sensory and cognitive declines associated with normal brain aging. Scientists at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and memory show that inhibitory interneurons in

Oxygen deprivation associated with preterm birth leaves telltale signs on the brains of newborns in the form of alterations to cerebellar white matter at the cellular and the physiological levels. Now, an experimental model of this chronic hypoxia reveals that those cellular alterations have behavioral consequences. Chronic sublethal hypoxia is associated with locomotor miscoordination and

How much do you change between high school and retirement? The answer depends on whether you’re comparing yourself to others or to your younger self. The results of a new study, the first to test how personality might change over 50 years and relying on the same data source at both time points, finds that