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ADHD medication use is increasing but some patients in some countries are still not receiving the treatment they need

There has been an increase in the use of medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both adults and children between 2001 and 2015, according to a major observational study involving over 154 million individuals from 14 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australasia, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal. The study

Lupus and arthritis: What are the differences?

The causes and treatments for lupus and arthritis are different, so people should be aware of the differences between the two conditions. There may be a genetic link between lupus and arthritis, though there are also significant genetic differences. In this article, we look at the connection between lupus and arthritis. We also look at

Opioids Often Prescribed in the Absence of Pain Diagnosis

TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 — Many outpatient opioid prescriptions have no documented medical indication, according to a research letter published online Sept. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Tisamarie B. Sherry, M.D., Ph.D., from the RAND Corporation in Boston, and colleagues examined the percentage of opioid prescriptions with a documented medical indication between 2006

For the first time, a neural link between altruism and empathy toward strangers

Giving up a kidney to a stranger requires a certain sense of selflessness, what’s come to be known in social science as extraordinary altruism. University of Pennsylvania psychologist Kristin Brethel-Haurwitz wanted to understand the connection between this trait and empathy, specifically empathy for distress emotions. Using fMRI scans, Brethel-Haurwitz and colleagues from Georgetown University discovered

Duchenne muscular dystrophy: How muscle cells journey to the dark side

Promoting repair of dystrophic muscles is a major goal in the treatment of muscular dystrophies but is complicated by the incomplete knowledge of the cellular and molecular events that drive muscle regeneration. Answers could lie in better understanding muscle repair—which resembles a delicate cellular dance choreographed by special cells called fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs). Researchers already

Two for the price of one

Mononuclear phagocytes can both promote and inhibit inflammation. An LMU team has now shown that individual phagocytes in the central nervous system can play both roles, sequentially adopting different phenotypes with distinct functions. Mononuclear phagocytes, which recognize, engulf and digest damaged and infected cells, form an important arm of the innate immune system. However, they

How to Choose the Right Dentist for Your Child

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that kids should visit a pediatric dentist when their first tooth comes in or no later than their first birthday.  Here’s how to choose the right dental professional to help you keep your kid’s teeth in tip-top condition.  Finding a pediatric dentist The best way to find a

How the brain forgets on purpose

Researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University Hospital of Gießen and Marburg, in collaboration with colleagues from Bonn, the Netherlands, and the UK, have analysed what happens in the brain when humans want to voluntarily forget something. They identified two areas of the brain – the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus – whose activity patterns

Probiotics: Does the evidence match the hype?

Probiotics are available in many products, from yogurt to pickles. The live organisms contained within promise to promote a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Advertised as safe and natural, probiotics have taken the market by storm. They claim to boost our gut flora and enhance our well-being, all in one delicious mouthful. However, as the latest research

The unspoken truth about waiting until marriage

Waiting until marriage to have sex may sound like an antiquated custom, but you may be surprised to learn that abstinence is still practiced today. According to Waiting Till Marriage, an organization that supports abstinence before marriage, around three percent of the United States population waits until they are married to have sex. While it’s

The brain’s tiny thrill-seekers

Microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system, differ in male and female mice. MDC researchers have reported on the sex-specific features in Cell Reports. Their findings could change how we treat neurological diseases. Microglia monitor the brain’s health around the clock, much like a battalion of tiny soldiers. When the cells sense pathogens

New approach needed in the fight against superbugs

An international research team, led by Professor Peter Collignon from The Australian National University (ANU) Medical School, has found we need to take a much broader approach than simply focusing on antibiotic usage, when it comes to fighting the spread of “superbugs”. Superbugs—or strains of bacteria that have adapted after coming into contact with antibiotics—are

How the brain creates the subjective experience of time

Space and time are closely related — not just in physics, but also in the brain. This intimate connection becomes clearer when we take a look at how our brains form episodic memories. Episodic memories are autobiographical memories — that is, memories about specific events that happened to someone at a specific point in time

Discovery of long-lived macrophages in the intestine

Macrophages are specialised immune cells that destroy bacteria and other harmful organisms. Scientists at KU Leuven, Belgium, have come to the surprising conclusion that some macrophages in the intestines of mice can survive for quite some time. Most importantly, these long-lived macrophages are vital for the survival of the nerve cells of the gastrointestinal tract.

Drug-resistance of gonorrhea in the EU: persistent but stable

Neisseria gonorrhoea continues to show high levels of resistance to azithromycin across the European Union and European Economic Area, according to the 2016 results of the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP). This threatens the effectiveness of the currently recommended dual therapy regimen for gonorrhoea. Overall, the rates of resistance to cefixime, ceftriaxone and azithromycin

Eye disease can cause blindness, and it’s on the rise

A new study into recent cases of ocular syphilis warns increasing numbers of people are at risk of permanent damage to their vision. Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and Flinders University, led by Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology Justine Smith, analysed cases at four medical centres in Brazil over two