Public Release: 20-Jan-2016 Salk Institute LA JOLLA–Salk researchers and collaborators have achieved critical insight into the size of neural connections, putting the memory capacity of the brain far higher than common estimates. The new work also answers a longstanding question… Read More ›
Disease and Conditions
Autism breakthrough
Public Release: 17-Dec-2015 For first time, neurotransmitter in the brain linked with autistic behavior Harvard University In a discovery that could offer valuable new insights into understanding, diagnosing and even treating autism, Harvard scientists for the first time have… Read More ›
How we initially fight viruses has to be completely rethought
Public Release: 1-Dec-2015 New discovery: This is why we do not constantly get ill despite viruses and bacteria Aarhus University New research breaks with existing knowledge about how our immune system works. Experiments at Aarhus University have shown how the… Read More ›
Appendix discovered to be vital to the immune system
Public Release: 30-Nov-2015 Immune cells make appendix ‘silent hero’ of digestive health New research shows a network of immune cells helps the appendix to play a pivotal role in maintaining the health of the digestive system, supporting the theory that… Read More ›
Dengue: Asymptomatic people transmit the virus to mosquitoes
Public Release: 10-Nov-2015 Institut Pasteur Scientists at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, the Institut Pasteur in Paris and the CNRS provided proof that people infected by dengue virus but showing no clinical symptoms can actually infect mosquitoes that bite them…. Read More ›
Textbook view of how blood is made “doesn’t actually even exist”
“when the team isolated a human blood stem cell in its purest form – as a single stem cell capable of regenerating the entire blood system. “ Public Release: 5-Nov-2015 Stem-cell scientists redefine how blood is made Toppling conventional ‘textbook’… Read More ›
Quiet ‘epidemic’ has killed half a million middle-aged white Americans
Public Release: 2-Nov-2015 A long established pattern of mortality decline has reversed, due to drugs, alcohol and suicide “All-cause mortality rose by 22 percent for this least-educated group” Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Share… Read More ›
Death rates, health problems, rise among middle-aged white Americans
Public Release: 2-Nov-2015 Suicide, drug and alcohol poisoning, liver diseases are top causes of death NIH/National Institute on Aging Deaths among white U.S. men and women aged 45-54 rose significantly between 1999 and 2013, according to a new analysis. This… Read More ›
Plague in humans ‘twice as old’ but didn’t begin as flea-borne, ancient DNA reveals
Public Release: 22-Oct-2015 University of Cambridge New research using ancient DNA has revealed that plague has been endemic in human populations for more than twice as long as previously thought, and that the ancestral plague would have been predominantly spread… Read More ›
Algae virus can jump to mammalian cells may contribute to cognitive deficits
Public Release: 21-Oct-2015 New study: Algae virus can jump to mammalian cells Verdict still out on whether virus causes slower cognition University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 21, 2015 — New research led by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has provided… Read More ›
Sexual transmission of Ebola possible after more than 179 days of disease onset
Public Release: 15-Oct-2015 Sexual transmission of Ebola virus in Liberia confirmed using genomic analysis US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases A suspected case of sexual transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia was confirmed using genomic analysis,… Read More ›
Intentionally Starving and depriving patients of sleep not necessary in Hospitals
Public Release: 6-Oct-2015 Commentary: Hospitals may sicken many by withholding food and sleep Johns Hopkins experts say malnutrition and sleep deprivation should become part of the standard safety checklist across hospitals Johns Hopkins Medicine A Johns Hopkins surgeon and prominent… Read More ›
Virus in cattle linked to human breast cancer
Public Release: 15-Sep-2015 University of California – Berkeley BERKELEY — A new study by University of California, Berkeley, researchers establishes for the first time a link between infection with the bovine leukemia virus and human breast cancer. In the study,… Read More ›
Scientists waking up 30,000-year-old ‘giant’ virus
Thursday, 10 September 2015 Bringing a 30,000-year-old virus back to life sounds like the plot of a real-life horror movie. So if you were scared by the incurable virus in the movie “28 Days Later,” you might want to… Read More ›
Growing up on a farm provides protection against asthma and allergies
“It is commonly known that drinking raw cow’s milk can provide protection against allergies” Public Release: 3-Sep-2015 Significant insights for development of vaccine against asthma VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) Researchers at VIB (a leading life sciences institute in… Read More ›
Evidence that Earth’s first mass extinction was caused by critters not catastrophe
Public Release: 2-Sep-2015 A powerful analogy for what is happening today Vanderbilt University NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the popular mind, mass extinctions are associated with catastrophic events, like giant meteorite impacts and volcanic super-eruptions. But the world’s first known mass… Read More ›
Multiple System Atrophy ( Prion ) may be contagious, resembles Parkinson’s Disease– A danger to Clinicians
Public Release: 31-Aug-2015 New type of prion may cause, transmit neurodegeneration Multiple System Atrophy is described as first new human prion disease identified in 50 years University of California – San Francisco Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a neurodegenerative disorder… Read More ›
HIV particles do not cause AIDS, our own immune cells do
Public Release: 27-Aug-2015 The virus turns host immune cells into suicide machines, using them to spread the virus and cause the progression from HIV to AIDS Gladstone Institutes Researchers from the Gladstone Institutes have revealed that HIV does not cause… Read More ›
Ants self-medicate
Public Release: 24-Aug-2015 University of Helsinki We humans have been using self-medication to cure the illnesses since the dawn of our species. There is some evidence that also other animals can exhibit this type of behavior, but the evidence has… Read More ›
Evolutionary war between microorganisms affecting human health, IU biologist says
Public Release: 30-Jul-2015 Indiana University IMAGE: Bashey-Visser’s research focuses on an insect-killing nematode in the genus Steinernema. Credit: Cole Beeler BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Health experts have warned for years that the overuse of antibiotics is creating “superbugs” able to resist… Read More ›
Prostate cancer is 5 different diseases
Public Release: 29-Jul-2015 Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK scientists have for the first time identified that there are five distinct types of prostate cancer and found a way to distinguish between them, according to a landmark study* published today… Read More ›
Depression and personality disorders drive psych patients to euthanasia
Public Release: 27-Jul-2015 Most common diagnoses among those requesting help to die, due to unbearable suffering BMJ Depression and personality disorders are the most common diagnoses among Belgian psychiatric patients requesting help to die, on the grounds of unbearable suffering,… Read More ›
Research investigates whether solar events could trigger birth defects on Earth
Public Release: 20-Jul-2015 University of Kansas LAWRENCE — Studies find airplane crews at high altitude are exposed to potentially harmful levels of radiation from cosmic rays. “Neutrons which don’t reach the ground do reach airline altitude,” said Adrian Melott, professor… Read More ›
The Lancet: Over 95 percent of the world’s population has health problems — with over a third having more than 5 ailments
Public Release: 8-Jun-2015 The Lancet Just one in 20 people worldwide (4·3%) had no health problems in 2013, with a third of the world’s population (2·3 billion individuals) experiencing more than five ailments, according to a major new analysis from… Read More ›
New England Journal of Medicine says Conflicts of Interest are a Good Thing?
Public Release: 2-Jun-2015 Are commercial conflicts of interests justifiable in medical journals? Experts criticize a leading journal’s backtrack regarding policies on conflict of interest BMJ A group of former senior editors, writing in The BMJ today, criticise a “seriously flawed… Read More ›
Western diet may increase risk of death after prostate cancer diagnosis by 67%
Public Release: 1-Jun-2015 Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA — After a prostate cancer diagnosis, eating a diet higher in red and processed meat, high-fat dairy foods, and refined grains–known as a Western diet–may lead to a significantly higher… Read More ›
Infections can affect your IQ by over 9 points
Public Release: 21-May-2015 New research shows that infections can impair your cognitive ability measured on an IQ scale; the study is the largest of its kind to date, and it shows a clear correlation between infection levels and impaired cognition… Read More ›
Study questions quality of US health data
Public Release: 30-Apr-2015 Johns Hopkins Medicine A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers concludes that most U.S. clinical registries that collect data on patient outcomes are substandard and lack critical features necessary to render the information they collect useful for… Read More ›
Viruses: You’ve heard the bad — here’s the good
Public Release: 30-Apr-2015 American Society for Microbiology “The word, virus, connotes morbidity and mortality, but that bad reputation is not universally deserved,” said Marilyn Roossinck, PhD, Professor of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology and Biology at the Pennsylvania State University,… Read More ›
Study links quitting smoking with deterioration in diabetes control
Public Release: 29-Apr-2015 Coventry University Sufferers of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who quit smoking are likely to see a temporary deterioration in their glycaemic control which could last up to three years, according to new research published today in… Read More ›
Humans with genetically long telomeres have an increased risk of dying from cancer – which is the exact opposite of what the researchers expected
Public Release: 29-Apr-2015 Danish discovery may change cancer treatment University of Copenhagen – The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Danish researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev Hospital have made a discovery that may change the principles for… Read More ›
Milk Thistle Inhibits Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells ( Video )
Oral milk thistle extract stops colorectal cancer stem cells from growing tumors “It’s very simple: tumors from mice that were initially fed silibinin had fewer cancer stem cells, were smaller, had lower metabolisms and showed decreased growth of new blood… Read More ›
Link between serotonin and depression is a myth, says top psychiatrist
Public Release: 21-Apr-2015 BMJ The widely held belief that depression is due to low levels of serotonin in the brain – and that effective treatments raise these levels – is a myth, argues a leading psychiatrist in The BMJ this… Read More ›
Hepatitis C drugs for RI prisons may break the budget
Public Release: 9-Apr-2015 Study tallies huge cost of hepatitis C drugs for RI prisons Sticker shock for states Brown University PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new study finds that effective new hepatitis C drugs are so expensive the state… Read More ›
Terrifying Flesh Eating Disease Hits ISIS Thursday
09 April 2015 As global powers continue to debate the best way to deal with the threat of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, the terrorist group appears to be suffering its own internal problems. Poor hygiene and pollution has led to… Read More ›
Every third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease.
Public Release: 8-Apr-2015 Mental disorders and physical diseases co-occur in teenagers University of Basel Every third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease. These co-occurrences come in specific associations: More often than average, depression occurs together… Read More ›
Could a dose of nature be just what the doctor ordered?
Public Release: 8-Apr-2015 Exposure to the outdoors is linked with improved human health, but little is known about how much we really need American Institute of Biological Sciences Numerous studies over the past 30 years have linked exposure to nature… Read More ›
Chikungunya virus may be coming to a city near you — learn the facts
Public Release: 26-Mar-2015 University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston The mosquito-borne chikungunya virus has been the subject of increasing attention as it spreads throughout South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico. This painful and potentially debilitating disease is… Read More ›
Antibiotic effectiveness imperiled as Antibiotic consumption in livestock worldwide could rise by 67 percent between 2010 and 2030
Public Release: 26-Mar-2015 Antibiotic effectiveness imperiled as use in livestock expected to increase Princeton University Caption Princeton University-led research found that antibiotic consumption in livestock worldwide could rise by 67 percent between 2010 and 2030, and possibly endanger the effectiveness… Read More ›
Mothers Hepatitis B infection may give infants a better survival advantage to counteract bacterial infection during early life.
Public Release: 25-Mar-2015 HBV exposure matures infants’ immune systems Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore IMAGE: This is the hepatitis B virus surface antigen in cord blood cells from HBV positive mothers. Credit: Michelle Hong / Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore… Read More ›
Education may not improve our life chances of happiness
Public Release: 25-Mar-2015 University of Warwick Getting a good education may not improve your life chances of happiness, according to new mental health research from the University of Warwick. In a new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry,… Read More ›
Common bacteria on verge of becoming antibiotic-resistant superbugs
Public Release: 25-Mar-2015 Washington University School of Medicine Bacteria that cause many hospital-associated infections are ready to quickly share genes that allow them to resist powerful antibiotics. The illustration, based on electron micrographs and created by the Centers for Disease… Read More ›
RDA of Vitamin D off by approximately 90% claim researchers (Video Review)
7,000 IUs/daily of Vitamin D needed claim researchers – The recommended intake of vitamin D specified by the IOM is 600 IU/day through age 70 years, and 800 IU/day for older ages. “Calculations by us and other researchers have shown… Read More ›
Medical expansion has made us feel sicker not healthier
Public Release: 19-Mar-2015 Medical expansion has led people worldwide to feel less healthy In 28 countries, more medicine has unexpected effects Ohio State University COLUMBUS, Ohio – Across much of the Western world, 25 years of expansion of the medical… Read More ›
No children in the U.S. (statistically) had all the markers for heart health. Sample of 8,961 children that represented about 43.6 million children nationwide
– Researchers examined BMI, healthy diet, total cholesterol and blood pressure — four of the seven components of heart health — in children ages 2-11 who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Surveys (NHANES) in 2003-10. – All children… Read More ›
Wealth and power may have played a stronger role than ‘survival of the fittest’
Public Release: 16-Mar-2015 Number of reproducing males declined during global growth Arizona State University Caption 4 to 8,000 years ago, there was an extreme reduction in the number of males who reproduced, but not in the number females. Wealth and… Read More ›
A vaccination that is expected to prevent the spread of the disease can instead foster the spread of the disease
Paradox of Vaccination: Is Vaccination Really Effective against Avian Flu Epidemics? Shingo Iwami, Takafumi Suzuki, Yasuhiro Takeuchi Published: March 18, 2009 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0004915 Abstract Background Although vaccination can be a useful tool for control of avian influenza epidemics, it might… Read More ›
Swine flu in India has mutated
Public Release: 11-Mar-2015 Swine flu outbreak in India raises concern Massachusetts Institute of Technology CAMBRIDGE, MA — Since December, an outbreak of swine flu in India has killed more than 1,200 people, and a new MIT study suggests that the… Read More ›
Link between autism genes and higher intelligence, study suggests
Public Release: 10-Mar-2015 University of Edinburgh Genes linked with a greater risk of developing autism may also be associated with higher intelligence, a study suggests. Researchers have found new evidence linking genetic factors associated with autism to better cognitive ability… Read More ›
Voices in people’s heads more complex than previously thought
Public Release: 10-Mar-2015 Durham University Voices in people’s heads are far more varied and complex than previously thought, according to new research by Durham and Stanford universities, published in The Lancet Psychiatry today. One of the largest and most detailed… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 