Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Too soon to release GM mosquitoes to fight Zika: US study
Releasing genetically-modified mosquitoes into the wild to fight malaria, Zika or other insect-borne diseases is premature and could have unintended consequences, researchers said in a new report.
Shock and Awe: Eels Leap to Deliver Electrifying Attacks
In a "shocking" turn of events, researchers discovered that electric eels intensify their electrical attacks by leaping from the water to make physical contact with animals that threaten them.
You could be paying more for less effective medicine
A new study suggests that weak drug regulation and misleading marketing can lead doctors to prescribe more expensive, riskier, and less beneficial drugs.
Double stem cell transplant may help fight a childhood cancer
Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News Young children with a rare cancer of the nervous system might have a better chance of survival if they receive two stem cell transplants, a new...
Prevalence of obesity in U.S. increases among women, but not men
The prevalence of obesity in 2013- 2014 was 35 percent among men and 40 percent among women, and between 2005 and 2014, there was an increase in prevalence among women,...
For His Latest Trick, John Oliver Forgives $15 Million in Medical Debt
The host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” has perfected the art of explaining complicated subjects.
New approach could make bone marrow transplants safer
Bone marrow transplantation is the only curative therapy for the millions of people living with blood disorders like sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and AIDS. However, the faulty stem cells must...
Immunotherapy, chemotherapy combo effective in children with neuroblastoma
Stephen FellerANN ARBOR, Mich., June 6 (UPI) -- A combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy shrank or eliminated tumors in more than half of children with recurrent cancer, according to a...
Videoconferences between doctors, nursing home help with dementia
Stephen FellerNEW YORK, June 6 (UPI) -- Videoconferencing between doctors and nursing home employees about dementia patients reduced use of antipsychotic drugs and physical restraints, study finds.
Study: Cancer drugs less affordable in poor nations than US
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Cancer drugs predictably cost much more in the U.S. than in poor countries and even other wealthy nations, but...
Personalized medicine leads to better outcomes for patients with cancer
In a meta-analysis of hundreds of clinical trials involving thousands of patients, researchers report that therapeutic approaches using precision medicine, which emphasizes the use of individual genetics to refine cancer...
Speeding up drug discovery to fight tuberculosis
Researchers have deciphered how the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis is able to tolerate the recently approved FDA drug bedaquiline.
Discovery of 'lean gene' may lead to new diabetes treatments
Stephen FellerEDINBURGH, Scotland, June 6 (UPI) -- By activating a protein found in fat cells, researchers found mice could eat high-calorie diets without gaining weight or developing diabetes.
Immunotherapy improves survival, quality of life in rapidly progressing head and neck cancer
Immunotherapy doubles overall survival and improves quality of life, with fewer side effects, in a treatment-resistant and rapidly progressing form of head and neck carcinoma, reports a large, randomized international...
Cancer drug trial success
Scientists have developed new therapeutic approaches to cancer. The drug trial (APR-246) aimed to test the effects of a novel compound on a specific protein, p53, found to be mutated...
Intensive treatment of glucose levels can lead to serious complications
With a more-is-better mindset common in society, frequent commercials encouraging checks of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) levels, and ads for new diabetes medications to lower HbA1C in adults with Type 2...
Pictures warning of smoking dangers on cigarette packs increased quit attempts
Affixing pictures on cigarette packets to illustrate the danger of smoking increased attempts by smokers to quit, according to the results of a clinical trial.
Late-term birth associated with better school-based cognitive functioning
Better measures of school-based cognitive function were associated with late-term infants born at 41 weeks but those children performed worse on a measure of physical functioning compared with infants born...
Novel imaging model helps reveal new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common of pancreatic cancers, is extraordinarily lethal, with a five-year survival rate of just 6 percent. In a new study, researchers describe an innovative new...
Advanced cancer patients receive aggressive care at high rates at the end of life
A national health claims analysis of cancer patients who were younger than age 65 and had metastatic disease revealed that nearly two-thirds were admitted to the hospital or visited the...
Blood-born molecules could predict those who will develop liver cancer
A panel of microRNAs from blood samples may predict patients at high risk of developing a common liver cancer from hepatitis B virus infection.
Epigenomic alterations contribute to obesity-associated diabetes
Obesity is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, yet not all obese humans develop the disease. In a new study, researchers have identified epigenomic alterations that are associated...
Childhood vaccinations rarely spur seizures, study finds
Amy Norton, HealthDay News The risk for fever-related seizures from vaccines in young children is so low pediatricians might see one case every five to 10 years, a new study...
Rape kit data yield major implications for sexual assault investigations
The testing of nearly 5,000 forgotten and backlogged rape kits in and near Cleveland has led to investigations, indictments, prosecutions—and, already more than 250 convictions.
Babies don't just look cute, scientists find
What is it about the sight of an infant that makes almost everyone crack a smile? Big eyes, chubby cheeks, and a button nose? An infectious laugh, soft skin, and...
Increase in obesity among pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma patients may be linked to disease relapse
A new study used advanced imaging methods to evaluate obesity, and suggests a relationship between obesity and disease relapse.
Cancer Diagnosed More Often in Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases
Researchers evaluated the overall and site-specific incidence of cancer among patients registered in USIDNET, and found increased cancer incidence rates, especially in lymphomas, among patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.
Aspects of the regulation of the anti-tumor protein p53
Researchers reveal essential aspects of the regulation of the anti-tumor protein p53.