Health Problems News

Impoverished female farm workers infected with intestinal parasites known as hookworms saw significant improvements in physical fitness when they were treated with a low-cost deworming drug. The benefits were seen even in those with low level infections, according to a study co-authored by researchers at Yale and the nonprofit company InnovationsCZ. The authors say that

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a protein that is strongly associated with metastatic breast cancer and that could be a target for future therapies. High levels of the protein ZMYND8 are correlated with poor survival in breast cancer patients, said Dr. Weibo Luo, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Pharmacology, and with the

If you’ve ever had a mild concussion, your risk of developing Parkinson’s disease goes up by 56 percent, a new study of more than 300,000 U.S. veterans suggests. “Upwards of 40 percent of adults have had a traumatic brain injury [concussion], so these findings are definitely concerning,” said study author Dr. Raquel Gardner. She is

The Food and Drug Administration released its plan to improve medical device safety, which includes a reorganization of its medical device center and a Congressional plan to launch a public-private partnership focused on cybersecurity. The five-point plan released Tuesday outlines a plan to consolidate offices within its device center, which oversees pre- and post-market activities.

A team of scientists, led by academics from King’s College London and Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, have discovered 124 genes that play a major role in determining human hair colour variation. The discovery sheds new light on our understanding of the genetic complexity underpinning variations in human pigmentation, and could advance our knowledge

High blood pressure and prediabetes together may do more harm to the body than either one alone. The first study of its type looking into the association between slightly elevated blood sugar levels and high blood pressure found that prediabetes didn’t increase cardiovascular risk by itself. But when researchers looked at prediabetes paired with high

An international team focused on HIV cure research spearheaded by The Wistar Institute in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) in Barcelona, Spain, established that the CD32 molecule is not a preferential biomarker to identify HIV silent reservoirs within the immune system of patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART), as

Evidence suggests that developing cooking and food preparation skills is important for health and nutrition, yet the practice of home cooking is declining and now rarely taught in school. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that developing cooking skills as a young adult may have long-term benefits for

A compound derived from immune cells treats psoriasis in mice and holds promise for other autoimmune diseases, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The compound suppresses an inflammatory pathway that is overactive in many autoimmune diseases, suggesting that it may be effective against multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis,

People with obesity are more likely to develop a rapid and irregular heart rate, called atrial fibrillation, which can lead to stroke, heart failure and other complications, according to Penn State researchers. Researchers followed a large group of participants, equally divided between people with obesity and without, for eight years. They found that people with

Interruptions in workflow, such as a phone call while working on another task, or when a colleague stops by for a chat, can lead to inefficiencies in the workplace. For nurses working in emergency departments, those interruptions could affect patient care. Now, a study from the University of Missouri has determined that workflow interruptions are

Probably the last place anyone would want to find airborne polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs) is in the kitchen, yet that’s exactly where scientists detected their presence, according to a new report in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology. They say that the PCBs, which are widely considered carcinogenic, are unwanted byproducts of sealant breakdown in

Adolescents and young adults with acute leukemia have a survival advantage if they receive treatment at a pediatric cancer center versus an adult center, according to a new study. The study, published online today in Blood Advances, a journal of the American Society of Hematology, also suggests that treatment at a center affiliated with the

New research from Lund University in Sweden shows that inflammatory, unstable atherosclerotic plaque has a metabolism that differs from that of stable plaque – and is similar to that of cancer cells. Future research will therefore investigate whether cancer drugs could potentially be used to treat cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerotic plaque builds up gradually in the

People of all ages are at risk from diseases brought on by loneliness, new data has revealed. According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics, 2.4m adult British residents – of all ages – suffer from chronic loneliness. That number, combined with research highlighting the medical dangers posed by loneliness, could see the

In a new analysis of interviews conducted with children who have asthma, their caregivers and their clinicians, Johns Hopkins researchers found that there was significant lack of agreement about why the kids miss their needed daily anti-inflammatory medication. A report on the findings, published in the Journal of Asthma on Feb. 8, 2018, highlights the

Researchers from the University of Dundee have identified an enzyme critical for cell division that could potentially be targeted to tip tumours ‘over the edge’ into remission. A team led by Professor Paul Clarke and Dr. Adrian Saurin, from the University’s School of Medicine, discovered that the enzyme USP9X controls the proper timing of cell

Being high in ‘neuroticism’ and low in ‘conscientiousness’ can come at a cost in terms of income a new study has found. These effects were particularly strong for women, who benefited more than men for being conscientious but were penalised more than men for being neurotic. ‘Dark Triad’ & ‘Big Five’ personality traits influence income

Instead of using a traditional stethoscope or otoscope to examine a patient, one physician-in-training at the University of Michigan uses a new device, with a long, flexible wire and camera at its tip. A live video feed plays important diagnostic information back on her cell phone. The specially created device allows this medical student to

A new wave of highly antibiotic resistant superbugs has been found in the Middle East Gulf States, discovered by University of Queensland researchers. UQ Centre for Clinical Research group leader Dr Hosam Zowawi said his team had witnessed rapid growth of the new multi-drug resistant clones – variants of existing superbugs in the Gulf States,