Category: Health Problems

How many types of smile are there?

In the mid 19th century, French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne wanted to distinguish real smiles from fake. Interested in the response of nerves and muscles to stimulation, he applied electricity to particular parts of faces to see the results. He divided smiles into two groups: those that involved the crinkling of the eyes – sincere smiles

Children with kidney disease show blood flow changes in brain

Blood flow changes in the brains of children, adolescents and young adults with chronic kidney disease may explain why many face a higher risk of cognitive impairment, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology. Prior research has linked chronic kidney disease, a condition characterized by the loss of kidney function over time,

Neural circuit mechanisms of emotion identified

According to a report by the World Health Organization, close to 1 in 10 people in the world are affected by anxiety and/or depression. Alarmingly, the amount has nearly doubled, from 416 million to 615 million, between 1990 and 2013. Since adequate treatments are still lacking for many patients, the scientists at the Max Planck

Post-stroke delivery of neurotrophic factor MANF promotes functional recovery in rats

Stroke is the most common cause of adult disability. This is due not only to the high incidence of stroke, but also because spontaneous recovery is often incomplete and no drugs are available that hasten recovery. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor MANF is neuroprotective when administered before experimental stroke in rats. A massive immune response mediated

American sign language and English language learners: New linguistic research supports the need for policy changes

A new study of the educational needs of students who are native users of American Sign Language (ASL) shows glaring disparities in their treatment by the U.S Department of Education. The article, “If you use ASL, should you study ESL? Limitations of a modality-b(i)ased policy”, by Elena Koulidobrova (Central Connecticut State University), Marlon Kunze (Gallaudet

Research shows if your eyes wrinkle when you smile or frown, you appear more sincere

Researchers at Western University have shown that our brains are pre-wired to perceive wrinkles around the eyes as conveying more intense and more sincere emotions. This eye-wrinkle feature, called the Duchenne marker, occurs across multiple facial expressions, including smiles, expressions associated with pain, and —as found by these researchers—expressions of sadness. Using a method called

10 Ways to Reduce the Misery of a Sinus Infection

If you’ve suffered a sinus infection, you probably want to do whatever you can to avoid suffering from it again. Symptoms are worse than those of a cold, and often make it difficult to go to work or complete your usual daily activities. When you do feel that telltale stuffed nose and headache, though, it

Mangoes helped improve cardiovascular and gut health in women

A new study conducted at the University of California, Davis found that two cups of mangos a day had beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure among healthy postmenopausal women. Mango consumption helped relax blood vessels in as little as two hours after intake. Additionally, some of the participants showed favorable changes in the production of

Key cancer-fighting gene’s secret weapons revealed

The findings revealed that a special group of genes that function within the body’s normal DNA repair process were vital to the effectiveness of p53. This new information could help doctors to better identify patients with an increased risk of developing certain cancers. It could also help to develop safer, more effective treatments for patients.

Heart transplantation for adult CHD: Overview and special considerations

In the current issue of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications , Dipankar Gupta, Jana Reid, Diego Moguillansky, Renata Shih, Mark S. Bleiweis, Frederick J. Fricker and Biagio A. Pietra from the Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatrics, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA consider how with improvements in surgical and medical

Left ventricular systolic function after pulmonary valve replacement

In the current issue of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications , Ali N. Zaidi and W. Aaron Kay from Columbus Ohio Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program, The Heart Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA and the Division of Pediatric Cardiology, The Heart Center,

The Fontan circulation—Contemporary review of ongoing challenges and management strategies

In the current issue of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications , researchers Ahmed Kheiwa, Anushree Agarwal and Anitha John from the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA and the Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s National Health System, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA provide a

UV light treatment can save millions while helping patients

Treating severe skin conditions with UV light rather than creams, pills and injections could save the NHS millions of pounds while improving patient outcomes, according to a new University of Dundee study. Dr. John Foerster and colleagues from the University’s School of Medicine found the annual per-patient cost of filtered UV light treatment, known as

Study identifies a link between antidepressant treatment resistance and inflammation

Researchers at Emory University have found that depressed patients who have not responded to multiple antidepressants exhibit evidence of increased inflammation. Findings were recently published online in the journal, Psychoneuroendocrinology. The study shows that antidepressant treatment resistance is associated with increased inflammatory markers in patients with depression. One third of patients with depression fail to