Category: Health Problems

Scientists at the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre at Imperial College London have discovered a mechanism that deactivates ovarian cancer cells. The findings, published in EMBO Reports, could lead to better treatments for women with ovarian cancer. The research has found a new mechanism for a protein named OPCML. This protein is known as a

McLean Hospital investigators have released the results of a study that outlines how age, socioeconomic status, and other factors might contribute to social isolation and poorer mental health. In a paper published in the online version of Clinical Psychological Science, the researchers examine how individuals of all ages and walks of life seek and enjoy

At a research facility in Gabon, one isolated building stands behind an electrified fence, under round-the-clock scrutiny by video cameras. The locked-down P4 lab is built to handle the world’s most dangerous viruses, including Ebola. “Only four people, three researchers and a technician, are authorised to go inside the P4,” said virologist Illich Mombo, who

Glial cells surround neurons and provide support—not unlike hospital staff and nurses supporting doctors to keep operations running smoothly. These often-overlooked cells, which include oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, are the most abundant cell types in the central nervous system. But these cells do more than support neurons. They also actively influence them, University of California, Riverside,

Up to eight out of 10 people living with a brain disorder remain untreated or inadequately treated, even though effective therapies exist. What are the barriers to optimal treatment? Is it really unaffordable to grant people with brain disorders access to the best medical and psychosocial care? These questions were at the heart of the

It’s natural for parents to do whatever they can to keep their children safe and healthy, but children need space to learn and grow on their own, without Mom or Dad hovering over them, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. The study, published in the journal Developmental Psychology, found that overcontrolling

The ability to predict which virus will cause the next epidemic is a science, an art and a gamble. We have learned through our work in Venezuela that it’s always a good idea to pay attention to the cryptic viruses. During our work on the Zika virus epidemic in Venezuela, we may have spotted the

Blasting out Rihanna or Kanye West could give World Cup squads that crucial psychological edge over rival teams, suggests research from Brunel University London. Which tracks the manager spins in the dressing room to psych players up to peak performance may be key to getting them to perform at the top of their game. Scientists

Autopsy is often an overlooked source of medical insight which may be hindering advances in cardiovascular medicine, according to new research published in a special issue of the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation. “Autopsy is a source of discovery that informs the way we think about disease systemically,” said Jeffrey E. Saffitz, M.D., Ph.D., co-editor

RNA-Seq is a new next-generation assay that can detect gene fusions in solid tumor cells with high accuracy and excellent reproducibility. According to a new report in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, the assay detected 93 percent of gene fusions identified by currently available methods with no false positives. Importantly, gene fusions missed by other

Researchers previously showed that overweight and obese individuals with knee osteoarthritis can reduce pain by 50% and significantly improve function and mobility with a 10% or more weight loss over an 18-month period. The investigators’ latest findings, which are published in Arthritis Care & Research, reveal that a 20% or more weight loss has the

For 25 years, Patrick Matondo has earned a living buying and selling monkeys, bats and other animals popularly known as bush meat along the Congo River. Standing on the riverbank in Mbandaka, a city affected by the deadly new outbreak of the Ebola virus, the father of five said that for the first time he’s

A thorough, terminal cleaning of hospital rooms between patients is essential for eliminating environmental contamination, and a checklist is a standard tool to guide the cleaning staff. But new research presented at the 45th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) offers an important reminder that the checklist is

A physician-scientist at the University of Arizona Cancer Center investigated a novel treatment for pancreatic cancer patients whose tumors exhibited a harmful genetic mutation. The results, in which a type of drug called a PARP inhibitor showed early promise in treating pancreatic cancer in patients with mutations in the BRCA gene, were published online last

Purdue University researchers have identified  a new compound that in preliminary testing has shown itself to be as effective as antibiotics approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat life-threatening infections while also appearing to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance. The compound, called F6, has been potent against antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant

A large proportion of the American public opts to receive cancer screenings with the hope that testing will reduce their chance of cancer death. Now, a team led by University of Missouri psychological science researchers has determined that patients may want cancer screenings even if the potential harms outweigh the benefits. Researchers believe that clinicians

Working with hundreds of time-lapse videos of mouse tissue, a team of biologists joined up with civil engineers to create what is believed to be the first 3-D computer model to show precisely how the tiny tubes that funnel milk through the breasts of mammals form. A report on the model was published April 9

Neonatal intensive care units increasingly encourage meaningful touch and skin-to-skin care—aka “kangaroo care—between parents and premature babies to aid the babies’ development. But a Michigan children’s hospital practicing skin-to-skin care noticed an unwanted side effect in 2016—a spike in Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infections among newborns. Hospital staff hypothesized that the two events were connected and

People choose role models who have achieved success in ways that are in line with their own moral values, according to University of Queensland research. Dr. Kim Peters of the UQ School of Psychology examined the competency and moral characters of role models in the workplace and found that people did not blindly follow extraordinary

Recent cholera outbreaks in regions that are ravaged by war, struck by natural disasters, or simply lack basic sanitation, such as Yemen or Haiti, are making the development of new and more effective interventions a near-term necessity. Sometimes within hours, the water- and food-borne diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae can lead to