Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Breakthrough could lead to drugs that better combat 'superbugs'
(Phys.org)—In the never-ending battle between antibiotic developers and the bacteria they fight, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have made a key breakthrough that could...
Microscopy technique could be key to improving cancer treatments with targeted therapeutic drugs
For scientists to improve cancer treatments with targeted therapeutic drugs, they need to be able to see proteins prevalent in the cancer cells. This has been impossible, until now. Thanks...
Protein that may control the spread of cancer discovered
Researchers have uncovered a novel mechanism that may lead to more selective ways to stop cancer cells from spreading. Cancer biologists have identified the role of the protein RSK2 in...
Sweet news for stem cell's 'Holy Grail'
Scientists have used sugar-coated scaffolding to move a step closer to the routine use of stem cells in the clinic and unlock their huge potential to cure diseases from Alzheimer’s...
When morning sickness lasts all day
Severe nausea during pregnancy can be fatal, yet very little is known about this condition. Hormonal, genetic and socio-economic factors may all play a role.
Bariatric surgery restores pancreatic function by targeting belly fat
Researchers have found that gastric bypass surgery reverses diabetes by uniquely restoring pancreatic function in moderately obese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.
Women's iron intake may help to protect against PMS
In one of the first studies to evaluate whether dietary mineral intake is associated with PMS development, medical researchers assessed mineral intake in approximately 3,000 women in a case-control study.
Blood vessels 'sniff' gut microbes to regulate blood pressure
Researchers have discovered that a specialized receptor, normally found in the nose, is also in blood vessels throughout the body, sensing small molecules created by microbes that line mammalian intestines,...
Getting 'Em Early: Pharma Reps Give Gifts To Most Medical Students
Pharmaceutical companies start talking with doctors early in their careers Photo by Erich Ferdinand, CC BY 2.0Think of the children! Or at least the medical students-and their future patients. In spite of medical...
Researchers test holographic technique for restoring vision
Researchers are testing the power of holography to artificially stimulate cells in the eye, with hopes of developing a new strategy for bionic vision restoration. Computer-generated holography, they say, could...
Eat too much? Maybe it's in the blood
Bone marrow cells that produce brain-derived eurotrophic factor, known to affect regulation of food intake, travel to part of the hypothalamus in the brain where they "fine-tune" appetite, said researchers...
100 years of Harvard University Press
Only a handful of Emily Dickinson’s poems were published during her lifetime, and even shortly after her death, in 1886, only selected works appeared, giving the world a narrow view of the...
Eating well could help spread disease
Plentiful food can accelerate the spread of infections, scientists have shown in a study of water-fleas. Scientists studying bacterial infections in tiny water-fleas have discovered that increasing their supply of...
Data Stretching Back to 1959 May Explain Link Between Environment and Breast Cancer
When Ida Washington received a letter inviting her to participate in a women’s health study to explore the environmental roots of breast cancer, she didn’t think twice. Her mother was...
Swiss Red Cross cuts blood supply to broke Greece
BERLIN (AP) -- The Swiss Red Cross is slashing its supply of donor blood to Greece because the financially stricken country has failed to pay its...
Scandals Envelope Two Russian Science Officials
Allegations of a falsified dissertation lead to departure of head of special science high school
PTSD symptoms common among ICU survivors
One in three people who survived stays in an intensive care unit and required use of a mechanical ventilator showed substantial post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms that lasted for up to...
Danger, you're at serious risk of… no, sorry, it's all relative
We assess risk every day. But very few of us receive any formal training in the requisite mathematics and statistics, and, partly as a result, poor decisions are made, both...
Researchers develop affordable and portable disease diagnostics for developing world
(Phys.org)—When viruses like HIV/AIDS strike in underdeveloped regions of the world, they often spiral out of control in part because there is no easy way to bring diagnostic equipment to...
Sterilizing with the sun
With the recent launch of MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, MIT News examines research with the potential to reshape medicine and health care through new scientific knowledge, novel treatments and products, better management...
VIDEO: CCTV trial keeps an eye on fishermen
Spy-in-the-wheelhouse CCTV cameras trialled in the UK are said to have cut cod discards from 38% to just 0.2%.
Whistles May Harm Referees’ Hearing, Study Says
A study found referees were more likely to report symptoms of ringing in the ears and trouble hearing than people of the same age in the general population.
Global Health: After Measles Success, Rwanda to Get Rubella Vaccine
Encouraged by Rwanda’s steady gains in curbing measles, donors are paying for a more expensive dual vaccine that will target rubella, too.
Observatory: Breast Milk Promotes Healthy Gut Bacteria in Babies, Study Says
Infants may fail to develop a healthy mixture of intestinal bacteria if they are delivered by Caesarean section or do not drink breast milk, researchers report.
The Consmer: Questions About a Robotic Surgery
Doctors promise that robot-assisted surgeries reduce complications and speed up recovery, but new studies show the differences with laparoscopic hysterectomy to be minimal, while the cost is significantly higher.
News Analysis: Proposed Brain Mapping Project Faces Significant Hurdles
The Obama administration has set an ambitious goal to map the 85 to 100 billion neurons in the human brain, but scientists say they are long way from developing the...
Cheese imported from Italy recalled due to Listeria concern
An Italian-made cheese is being recalled because of concerns it may be contaminated with Listeria.
New clot removal devices show promise for treating stroke patients
Specialists are treating patients with a new generation of blood clot removal devices that show promise in successfully revascularizing stroke patients, including those with large vessel blockages. The Solitaire Flow...