Contact: Rhiannon Bugno Biol.Psych@utsouthwestern.edu 214-648-0880 Elsevier Life experiences put their stamp on the next generation: New insights from epigenetics A review from Biological Psychiatry Philadelphia, PA, February 14, 2013 – The 18th century natural philosopher Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed that the… Read More ›
Disease and Conditions
Vision restored with total darkness
Contact: Mary Beth O’Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press IMAGE: Depriving normal visual experience in one eye early in life produces a reduction in visual acuity (amblyopia) for that eye (blue circles) while the acuity of the other… Read More ›
Indian plant could play key role in death of cancer cells
Contact: Danielle Moores dwongmoores@yahoo.com 706-496-5956 Georgia Health Sciences University AUGUSTA, Ga. – Scientists at the Georgia Regents University Cancer Center have identified an Indian plant, used for centuries to treat inflammation, fever and malaria, that could help kill cancer cells…. Read More ›
Vitamin C is beneficial against the common cold: one gram per day or higher
Contact: Dr. Harri Hemilä harri.hemila@helsinki.fi 358-919-127-573 University of Helsinki Vitamin C seems to be particularly beneficial for people under heavy physical stress. In five randomized trials of participants with heavy short-term physical stress, vitamin C halved the incidence of the… Read More ›
‘Masked’ mold toxins ( greater than the potential health threats from pesticides and insecticides ) in food should be included in safety regulations
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society ‘Masked’ mold toxins in food should be included in safety regulations Government limits on mold toxins present naturally in grain crops should be expanded to include so-called “masked mycotoxins” that change from… Read More ›
Folic acid supplements early in pregnancy may reduce child’s risk of autism by 40 percent
Contact: Timothy S. Paul tp2111@columbia.edu 212-305-2676 Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health Large study in Norway finds early timing of supplements is critical Prenatal folic acid supplements appear to reduce the risk for autistic spectrum disorders, according to a… Read More ›
Abnormal brain development in fetuses of obese women
Contact: Vicki Bendure vicki@bendurepr.com 202-374-9259 Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine In a study to be presented on February 15 between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. PST, at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, in San Francisco,… Read More ›
TB infection rates set to ‘turn clock back to 1930s’
Contact: Stephanie Burns sburns@bmjgroup.com 44-020-738-36920 BMJ-British Medical Journal Special edition to mark World TB day maps new issues and approaches to curbing spread of infection During the 1930s, dedicated sanitaria and invasive surgery were commonly prescribed for those with the… Read More ›
Infant gut microbiota influenced by cesarean section and breastfeeding practices ( Lifelong Effects )
Contact: Kim Barnhardt kim.barnhardt@cmaj.ca 613-520-7116 x2224 Canadian Medical Association Journal Practices may affect health in later life Method of birth (vaginal birth s. cesarean delivery) and feeding practices (breastfeeding v. formula-feeding) influence the development of gut bacteria in newborns and… Read More ›
UAB researchers cure type 1 diabetes in dogs
Contact: Octavi López Coronado octavi.lopez@uab.cat 34935813301 Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona Introducing a ‘glucose sensor’ by gene therapy eliminates the symptoms of the disease Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), led by Fàtima Bosch, have shown for the first… Read More ›
Zinc helps against infection by tapping brakes in immune response
Contact: Daren Knoell Daren.Knoell@osumc.edu 614-292-0075 Ohio State University COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that zinc helps control infections by gently tapping the brakes on the immune response in a way that prevents out-of-control inflammation that can be damaging and… Read More ›
Immune systems of healthy adults ‘remember’ germs to which they’ve never been exposed ???
Contact: Bruce Goldman goldmanb@stanford.edu 650-725-2106 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. — It’s established dogma that the immune system develops a “memory” of a microbial pathogen, with a correspondingly enhanced readiness to combat that microbe, only upon exposure to it… Read More ›
Breast Milk Reduces Risk of Sepsis and Intensive Care Costs in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants
(CHICAGO) — Feeding human breast milk to very-low-birth-weight infants greatly reduces risk for sepsis and significantly lowers associated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) costs, according to a study by Rush University Medical Center researchers. The study, published Jan. 31 in… Read More ›
Fish oil may protect dialysis patients from sudden cardiac death
Contact: Eric Schoch eschoch@iu.edu 317-274-8205 Indiana University INDIANAPOLIS — Medical literature long has touted the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for the heart. But until now, researchers have not studied the potential benefit for people on hemodialysis, who are among… Read More ›
Vitamin D, omega-3 may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s
Contact: Rachel Champeau rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu 310-794-2270 University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences A team of academic researchers has pinpointed how vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids may enhance the immune system’s ability to clear the brain of amyloid plaques,… Read More ›
Some omega-3 oils better than others for protection against liver disease
2-5-13 Media Release Some omega-3 oils better than others for protection against liver disease CORVALLIS, Ore. – Research at Oregon State University has found that one particular omega-3 fatty acid has a powerful effect in preventing liver inflammation and fibrosis… Read More ›
Olive oil component alleviates intestinal ischemia and reperfusion
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan cmooneyhan@faseb.org 301-634-7104 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that oleuropein aglycone, a polyphenol present in olive oil, reduces inflammation associated with intestinal ischemia and reperfusion injury… Read More ›
Green tea and red wine extracts interrupt Alzheimer’s disease pathway in cells
Contact: Chris Bunting c.j.bunting@leeds.ac.uk 44-113-343-2049 University of Leeds Natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer’s disease pathway, according to new research from the University of Leeds. In early-stage laboratory experiments,… Read More ›
Low vitamin D levels may increase risk of Type 1 diabetes: Up to 50%
Contact: Marge Dwyer mhdwyer@hsph.harvard.edu 617-432-8416 Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA – Having adequate levels of vitamin D during young adulthood may reduce the risk of adult-onset type 1 diabetes by as much as 50%, according to researchers at… Read More ›
Sunlight may help ward off rheumatoid arthritis in women ( UVB light )
Contact: Stephanie Burns sburns@bmjgroup.com 44-020-738-36920 BMJ-British Medical Journal Use of sunblock could lessen protective effects, suggest authors [Exposure to ultraviolet-B and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis among women in the Nurses’ Health Study Online First doi 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-202302] Regular exposure to… Read More ›
Bioelectric signals can be used to detect early cancer
Contact: Alex Reid alexander.reid@tufts.edu 617-688-2753 Tufts University Changing bioelectric signals a key to halting tumor growth MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (February 1, 2013) Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered a bioelectric signal that can identify cells that… Read More ›
A ‘neurosteroid’ found to prevent brain injury caused by HIV/AIDS : DHEA-S
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan cmooneyhan@faseb.org 301-634-7104 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that a network of steroid molecules found in the brain is disrupted during HIV infection, and treatment with the steroid DHEA-S… Read More ›
Silibinin, found in milk thistle, protects against UV-induced skin cancer
By Garth Sundem in In the Lab · January 30, 2013 · Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, shows that silibinin, found in milk thistle, protects against UVB damage and kills cells damaged by UVA — but is not at all… Read More ›
Chronic hepatitis C: Interferon may be harmful in re-treatment: “may face an increased risk of dying sooner”
Contact: Jennifer Beal sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 44-012-437-70633 Wiley People with hepatitis C and chronic liver disease who relapsed or failed to respond to initial treatment are unlikely to improve on interferon retreatment. In fact, they may face an increased risk of dying… Read More ›
Study: Husbands who do more traditionally female housework have less sex
Contact: Daniel Fowler pubinfo@asanet.org 202-527-7885 American Sociological Association WASHINGTON, DC, January 24, 2013 — Married men who spend more time doing traditionally female household tasks—including cooking, cleaning, and shopping—report having less sex than husbands who don’t do as much, according… Read More ›
Skin, soft tissue infections succumb to blue light : 100% Survival of Infections Vs. 18%
Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin… Read More ›
Physicians’ brain scans indicate doctors can feel their patients’ pain — and their relief
Contact: Bonnie Prescott bprescot@bidmc.harvard.edu 617-667-7306 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Novel experiment illuminates the importance of the doctor-patient relationship BOSTON – A patient’s relationship with his or her doctor has long been considered an important component of healing. Now, in… Read More ›
Study finds significant microorganism populations in middle and upper troposphere
Contact: John Toon jtoon@gatech.edu 404-894-6986 Georgia Institute of Technology Bugs in the Atmosphere In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms –… Read More ›
Chinese man kept alive for 13 years with homemade dialysis machine
Monday, Jan 28, 2013 The New Paper CHINA – A man in China suffering from kidney disease has been using a homemade dialysis machine for the last 13 years. Mr Hu Songwen, from Nantong, Jiangsu province, was diagnosed with uraemia… Read More ›
Vitamin D Holds Promise in Battling a Deadly Breast Cancer, SLU Researchers Say
January 22, 2013 Carrie Bebermeyer 314.977.8015 bebermcl@slu.edu Fight Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Takes Three Steps Forward ST. LOUIS — In research published in the Jan. 21 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology, a team led by Susana Gonzalo, Ph.D.,… Read More ›
Oxygen Chamber Can Boost Brain Repair ” even years after initial injury “
January 23, 2013 Hyperbaric treatment has significantly resuscitated activity in damaged brains, TAU researchers find Stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders, memory loss, and more. Current… Read More ›
Eczema in infants linked to gut bacteria
Contact: Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central Children with eczema have a more diverse set of bacteria in their guts than non affected children, finds a new study in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Microbiology. The types of bacteria… Read More ›
Beta carotene may protect people with common genetic risk factor for type-2 diabetes
Contact: Bruce Goldman goldmanb@stanford.edu 650-725-2106 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have found that for people harboring a genetic predisposition that is prevalent among Americans, beta carotene, which the body converts to a… Read More ›
Insight: Evidence grows for narcolepsy link to GSK swine flu shot : Doctors are fearful of having their reputations ruined by reporting possible links
By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent | Reuters – 8 mins ago STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Emelie is plagued by hallucinations and nightmares. When she wakes up, she’s often paralyzed, unable to breathe properly or call for help. During the day she… Read More ›
Semen quality of young men in south-east Spain down by 38 percent in the last decade
Contact: SINC info@agenciasinc.es 34-914-251-820 FECYT – Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology The first comparative study on the evolution of sperm quality in young Spanish men over ten years, headed by researchers at the University of Murcia, reveals that spermatozoid… Read More ›
GI tract bacteria may protect against type 1 diabetes, cause testosterone to elevate
Contact: Tilo Arnhold presse@ufz.de 49-341-235-1635 Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres GI tract bacteria may protect against autoimmune disease Researchers show that altering gut microbes protects against disease, supporting the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ This press release is available in German. Toronto… Read More ›
As colorectal cancer gets more aggressive, treatment with grape seed extract is even more effective
By Garth Sundem in In the Lab · January 16, 2013 · Molly Derry, PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Cancer Center When the going gets tough, grape seed extract gets going: A University of Colorado Cancer Center study… Read More ›
Light exposure during pregnancy key to normal eye development
Contact: Nick Miller nicholas.miller@cchmc.org 513-803-6035 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Contact: Jason Bardi jason.bardi@ucsf.edu 415-502-4608 University of California, San Francisco CINCINNATI – New research in Nature concludes the eye – which depends on light to see – also needs light… Read More ›
Could probiotics help HIV patients?
Contact: Jillian Hurst press_releases@the-jci.org Journal of Clinical Investigation Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are the first line therapy for patients with HIV; however, ARV-treated, HIV-infected individuals still have a higher mortality rate than uninfected individuals. During the course of infection, HIV patients… Read More ›
Choline supplementation during pregnancy presents a new approach to schizophrenia prevention
Contact: Jackie Brinkman jackie.brinkman@ucdenver.edu 303-724-1525 University of Colorado Denver University of Colorado researchers study choline in infants AURORA, Colo. (Jan. 15, 2013) — Choline, an essential nutrient similar to the B vitamin and found in foods such as liver, muscle… Read More ›
Medicinal toothbrush tree yields antibiotic to treat TB in new way
Contact: Tony Maxwell zoe.dunford@nbi.ac.uk 44-160-345-0771 Norwich BioScience Institutes A compound from the South African toothbrush tree inactivates a drug target for tuberculosis in a previously unseen way. Tuberculosis causes more deaths worldwide than any other bacterial disease. At the same… Read More ›
Childhood obesity linked to more immediate health problems than previously thought
Contact: Amy Albin aalbin@mednet.ucla.edu 310-794-8672 University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences While a great deal of research on childhood obesity has spotlighted the long-term health problems that emerge in adulthood, a new UCLA study focuses on the condition’s… Read More ›
Now, where did I put that Ebola? “pathogens were inadvertently released 639 times between 2004 and 2010”
18 Jan 2013 | 02:08 GMT | Posted by Helen Shen | In the first study of its kind, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled statistics on problems related to the handling of hazardous biological agents,… Read More ›
Some Children lose the symptoms and the diagnosis of autism as they grow older
Some Children Lose Autism Diagnosis: Small Group With Confirmed Autism Now On Par With Mainstream Peers Jan. 15, 2013 — Some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow… Read More ›
Herbal treatments for postmenopausal symptoms can be recommended as an alternative to HRT
Contact: Rebecca Jones rjones@rcog.org.uk 020-777-26444 Wiley Herbal and complementary medicines could be recommended as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for treating postmenopausal symptoms says a new review published today in The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG). The review outlines… Read More ›
High fiber diet prevents prostate cancer progression
By Garth Sundem in In the Lab · January 9, 2013 · Komal Raina, PhD, shows that prostate cancers in mice fed a high-fiber diet fail to progress. A high-fiber diet may have the clinical potential to control… Read More ›
H. pylori isn’t a major cause of death and may protect against stroke and some cancers
Contact: Lorinda Klein lorindaann.klein@nyumc.org 212-404-3533 NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine Disappearing bacterium may protect against stroke New York (January 9, 2013) — A new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers reveals that an… Read More ›
Sublingual immunotherapy shows promise as treatment for peanut allergy
EEV: Do not attempt without medical supervision Contact: Tom Hughes tahughes@unch.unc.edu 919-966-6047 University of North Carolina Health Care CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Peanuts are one of the most common triggers of severe food-induced allergic reactions, which can be fatal, and… Read More ›
Foodborne Illness Could Have Sinister Causes : Medications being intentionally added
Contact: Angela Collom acollom@acponline.org 215-351-2653 American College of Physicians Observation Article: Foodborne Illness Could Have Sinister Causes Doctors should consider the intentional addition of medicine to food as a potential cause of foodborne disease outbreaks. The World Health Organization… Read More ›
56 percent of female university students get drunk in record time
Contact: Press Office info@agenciasinc.es 34-914-251-820 FECYT – Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology Female university students get drunk – on purpose – quicker than their male counterparts, and live a more sedentary life than they do, according to a study… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 