Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Apathy and depression predict progression from mild cognitive impairment
A new study found that apathy and depression significantly predict an individual's progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a disorder of the brain that affects nerve cells involved in thinking...
Biotechs plot path of least resistance
As big pharma turns its back on antibiotics in the wake of growing drug resistance, biotech companies are stepping in to develop new therapies
Toward making 'extended blood group typing' more widely available
Scientists are reporting an advance toward enabling more blood banks to adopt so-called "extended blood group typing," which increases transfusion safety by better matching donors and recipients.
Prediction tool helps estimate local recurrence in patients with noninvasive breast cancer
The decision regarding treatment following breast-conserving surgery for patients diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) has long been an area of discussion and confusion for patients and physicians alike. While...
Professionals think that there aren't criteria for certifying that an illness is terminal
Physicians that have to decide whether an illness is terminal think that 'there are not valid and adequate criteria for certifying that an illness is terminal.' This is the conclusion...
Researchers envision better disease surveillance to improve public health
With current public health threats ranging from swine flu to bioterrorism to environmental contamination, innovations that better predict disease outbreaks have vast potential to protect the public. In a paper...
Disruption of circadian rhythm could lead to diabetes
Disruption of two genes that control circadian rhythms can lead to diabetes, a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Centre has found in an animal study...
NIH genetic collaboration brings new meaning to the Silk Road
Researchers with the National Institutes of Health have found susceptibility to Behcet's disease, a painful, inflammatory condition, to be associated with genes involved in the body's immune response...
High-risk prostate cancer associated with significantly lower bone mineral content loss
Men with prostate cancer lose significantly less bone mineral content (BMC) as they age than men who are free of the disease, according to research in the July issue of...
Divide and conquer: Genes decide who wins in the body's battle against cancer
Researchers funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have discovered for the first time that two proteins called Mahjong and Lgl could be star players in helping to identify how...
Researchers fighting bacterial infections zero in on microorganism's soft spots
In any battle, sizing up one's opponent is a critical first step. For researchers fighting a bacterial infection, that means assessing every nook and cranny of the malicious microorganism and...
Danish study: Obese men face higher death risk
By 2010-07-13T16:51:18Z STOCKHOLM (AP) -- A Danish study suggests that men who are obese by age 20 die eight years earlier on average than their non-obese peers,...
Badger cull halted after appeal
A cull of around 1,500 badgers in south-west Wales has been halted after protesters won their legal challenge to stop it.
Next-generation smallpox vaccine being stockpiled
(AP) -- A Danish company has delivered the first 1 million doses of a next-generation smallpox vaccine to the U.S. national stockpile, a vaccine reserved for people with weakened...
Smoking mind over smoking matter: Surprising new study shows cigarette cravings result from habit, not addiction
The intensity of cravings for cigarettes has more to do with the psychosocial element of smoking than with the physiological effects of nicotine as an addictive chemical, according to a...
Newly Discovered Protein Function Linked to Breast Cancer
(PhysOrg.com) -- UA researchers participated in the discovery of an unexpected role played by a protein molecule, making it a candidate for a biomarker or drug target for...
Japanese monkey deaths puzzle
Researchers claim outbreaks of unknown haemorrhagic illness are no threat to humans.
Innovation and current status of prostate cancer gene therapy featured in Human Gene Therapy
Improved delivery methods and better testing systems are needed to advance promising gene therapy strategies for treating prostate cancer, according to a series of review articles in Human Gene Therapy,...
Success of community interventions for childhood obesity varies depending on the target age group
Community-based interventions for childhood obesity prevention are in their infancy. Evidence from demonstration projects around the world indicates that children under 5 years of age seem to be the most...
From texting to apps, using cell phones for health
(AP) -- What if my blood sugar's too high today? Is it time for my blood pressure pill? With nagging text messages or more customized two-way interactions, researchers are...
Obesity is associated with reduced sensitivity to fat
Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking...
Greater obesity in offspring of nursing mothers consuming a high-fat diet
The future health of offspring is more negatively impacted when their mothers consume a high fat diet while nursing compared with high-fat diet consumption during pregnancy, according to animal research.
Adiposity hormone, leptin, regulates food intake by influencing learning and memory
The hormone leptin reduces food intake, in part, by activating the hippocampus, an area of the brain that controls learning and memory function, according to new research. Researchers found that...
Finding may pave way for new treatments for muscle wasting diseases
Scientists have discovered a mechanism that muscles use to regulate the nerves which control them. They believe their finding could yield new ideas for treating symptoms of motor neuron disease...
HIV rates in young Africans fall: report
The number of young people infected with HIV in Africa is falling in 16 of the 25 countries hardest hit by the virus, according to a new report by a...
N.S. cholesterol drug costs to drop 50%
The most commonly prescribed drug in Nova Scotia will soon be 50 per cent cheaper when a generic version of Lipitor becomes available in a month.
Progress made in addressing food marketing to children, but challenges remain
The last six years have seen significant progress in efforts to curb the marketing of unhealthy food to children, with an increasing number of governments taking on the issue, but...
High potassium? Check your antibiotic
Older adults taking the antibiotic combination trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) -- widely prescribed for urinary tract infections -- are at increased risk of elevated potassium levels, called hyperkalemia, according to a new...