High Red Blood Cell Folate Levels Linked to Silenced Tumor-Suppressors

People with higher levels of folate in their red blood cells were more likely to have two tumor-suppressing genes shut down by methylation, a chemical off switch for genes, researchers report in the December issue of Cancer Prevention Research.

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Newborns With Low Vitamin D Levels at Increased Risk for Respiratory Infections

The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma. Results of a study in the January 2011 issue of Pediatrics support the theory that widespread vitamin D deficiency contributes to risk of infections.

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Influenza Virus Strains Show Increasing Drug Resistance and Ability to Spread

Two new studies raise public health concerns about increasing antiviral resistance among certain influenza viruses, their ability to spread, and a lack of alternative antiviral treatment options.

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Weightlifting Slashes Lymphedema Risk After Breast Cancer Treatment, Study Suggests

Weightlifting may play a key role in the prevention of the painful limb-swelling condition lymphedema following breast cancer treatment, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

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Season of Birth May Have Long-Term Effects on Personality, Study Suggests

The season in which babies are born can have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function.

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Lap-Band for lower BMI safe, FDA panel says

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on Friday
voted that the new proposed Body Mass Index requirements for Lap-Band weight
loss surgery are safe, effective, and that benefits associated with the surgery
outweigh the risks.

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Stress Takes Its Toll in Parkinson's Disease

We all know that living a stressful lifestyle can take its toll, making us age faster and making us more susceptible to the cold going around the office.

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Artificial Retina More Capable of Restoring Normal Vision; Animal Study Shows Including Retina’s Neural 'Code' Improved Prosthetic

Researchers have developed an artificial retina that has the capacity to reproduce normal vision in mice. While other prosthetic strategies mainly increase the number of electrodes in an eye to capture more information, this study concentrated on incorporating the eye's neural "code" that converts pictures into signals the brain can understand.

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Hepatitis C Study Shows Superior Viral Cure Rate

For patients with the most common form of hepatitis C being treated for the first time, the addition of an investigational hepatitis C-specific protease inhibitor called telaprevir to the current standard therapy markedly improved their sustained viral response (SVR or viral cure) rate.

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Mediterranean Diet Helps Control Cholesterol: Adding Monounsaturated Fats to a Low-Cholesterol Diet Can Further Improve Levels

The addition of monounsaturated fat (MUFA) to a cholesterol-lowering dietary portfolio in patients with mild to moderate elevated cholesterol levels increased HDL by 12.5% and lowered LDL levels by 35%, found a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

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Fish oil ingredient doesn't slow Alzheimer's

An essential nutrient found in fish oil does not appear to slow the mental decline associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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Body's Bacteria Affect Atherosclerosis

New findings suggesting that bacteria in the mouth and/or intestine can affect the the outcome pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and lead to new treatment strategies, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

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First Direct Evidence That Response to Alcohol Depends on Genes

Many studies have suggested that genetic differences make some individuals more susceptible to the addictive effects of alcohol and other drugs. Now scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory provide the first experimental evidence to directly support this idea in a study in mice reported in the Oct. 19, 2010, issue of Alcoholism: Clinical Experimental Research.

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Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With Robotic-Assisted Surgery Can Expect Low Recurrence of Cancer

A first-ever, long-term study of patients who underwent robot-assisted surgery to remove their cancerous prostates found that nearly 87 percent of them had no recurrence of the disease after five years.

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Drugs Used to Treat Osteoporosis Not Linked With Higher Risk of Esophageal Cancer

Although some reports have suggested a link between the use of oral bisphosphonates (drugs that prevent the loss of bone mass) and esophageal cancer, analysis of medical data from more than 80,000 patients in the United Kingdom found that use of these drugs was not significantly associated with new cases of esophageal or gastric cancer, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

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Parkinson's: Excess of Protein Suggests New Target for Treatment With Widely Used Anti-Cancer Drug Imatinib

Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that the over-activation of a single protein may shut down the brain-protecting effects of a molecule and facilitate the most common form of Parkinson's disease. The finding of this mechanism could lead to important new targets for drugs already known to inhibit it, thus controlling symptoms of the disorder, which affects about 1 million older Americans.

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B Vitamins Slow Brain Atrophy in People With Memory Problems

Daily tablets of certain B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people who suffer from mild memory problems, an Oxford University study has shown.

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Stress and the Sensitive Gut

Functional gastrointestinal disorders affect 35 to 70 percent of people at some point in life, women more often than men. These disorders have no apparent physical cause — such as infection or cancer — yet result in pain, bloating, and other discomfort.

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New Compound Safely Reduces Plaques in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

A team of scientists, led by University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers, has synthesized hundreds of new compounds with the potential of reducing the production of the A-beta 42 peptide, a primary component of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Self-Administered Vaccine Patch May Protect Against Potentially Pandemic Flu Viruses

A self-administered patch containing tiny microneedles may effectively deliver influenza virus-like particles through the skin and protect against potentially pandemic flu viruses such as H5N1.

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Stem cell funding ban suspended during appeal

Federal judges Thursday temporarily stayed a human embryonic stem cell research funding cut-off, allowing experiments to continue for now.

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Seeing the World With New Eyes: Biosynthetic Corneas Restore Vision in Humans

A new study from researchers in Canada and Sweden has shown that biosynthetic corneas can help regenerate and repair damaged eye tissue and improve vision in humans. The results, from an early phase clinical trial with 10 patients, are published in the August 25th, 2010 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

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Omega-3 margarines fail to help in heart study

Giving patients with a history of heart attacks a margarine enriched with omega-3 oils in addition to standard drugs appears to make no difference to their chances of having a repeat attack.

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Attention, Couch Potatoes! Walking Boosts Brain Connectivity, Function

Research shows that regular walking can combat declines in brain function associated with aging.

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Promising Target for Developing Treatments Against Parkinson's Disease

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that using specific drugs can protect nerve cells in mice from the lethal effects of Parkinson's disease.

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Radiologists Call for National Strategy to Address Medical Imaging Overuse

Overutilization of medical imaging services exposes patients to unnecessary radiation and adds to healthcare costs, according to a report appearing online and in the October issue of the journal Radiology that calls on radiologists to spearhead a collaborative effort to curb imaging overutilization.

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Eating Berries May Activate the Brain's Natural Housekeeper for Healthy Aging

Scientists have reported the first evidence that eating blueberries, strawberries, and acai berries may help the aging brain stay healthy in a crucial but previously unrecognized way.

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Even Modest Weight Gain Can Harm Blood Vessels, Researchers Find

Mayo Clinic researchers found that healthy young people who put on as little as 9 pounds of fat, specifically in the abdomen, are at risk for developing endothelial cell dysfunction. Endothelial cells line the blood vessels and control the ability of the vessels to expand and contract.

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Gender Bender: Do Gender Knee Implants Provide Better Outcomes?

A gender-specific total knee prosthesis was developed to more closely match the anatomy of the female knee, aiming to be a better fit resulting in better outcomes for women. However, a recent study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) found that 85 women who received a gender-specific implant in one knee and a standard prosthesis in the other knee found no clinical benefits of the gender-specific knee.

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Lethal Brain Tumor's Strength May Be a Weakness as Well

Malignant gliomas are the most common subtype of primary brain tumor -- and one of the deadliest. Even as doctors make steady progress treating other types of solid tumor cancers, from breast to prostate, the most aggressive form of malignant glioma, called a glioblastoma multiforme or GBM, has steadfastly defied advances in neurosurgery, radiation therapy and various conventional or novel drugs.

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When does early memory loss signal dementia?

Doctors can't tell if Leif Utoft Bollesen's mild memory loss will remain an annoyance or worsen, but experimental checks of the Minnesota man's aging brain may offer clues.

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Low-fibre western diets deter 'good bacteria'

WE ARE what we eat. If this applies to gut bacteria too, it could explain higher rates of allergies and other inflammatory diseases in rich nations.

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Scientists Target Possible Cause of One Form of Bowel Disease

A possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome has been traced to a small piece of RNA that blocks a substance protecting the colon membrane, leading to hostile conditions that can produce diarrhea, bloating and chronic abdominal pain.

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Sleep Disorder May Signal Dementia, Parkinson's Disease Up to 50 Years Early

A new study shows that a sleep disorder may be a sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease up to 50 years before the disorders are diagnosed.

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Parkinson's: New Clues to Alleviating Gait Disorders and Falls

Many of the symptoms of Parkinson disease can be alleviated with drugs that target dompamine, a chemical in the brain that is involved in nerve cell communication and therefore known as a neurotransmitter. However, such drugs do not improve the gait disorders and falls that commonly affect individuals with severe and advanced forms of Parkinson disease.

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Why More Education Lowers Dementia Risk

A team of researchers from the UK and Finland has discovered why people who stay in education longer have a lower risk of developing dementia -- a question that has puzzled scientists for the past decade.

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Should healthy folks take cholesterol drugs?

Should healthy people with low cholesterol take a pill to lower their cholesterol even more in hopes of preventing heart problems? The question is dividing heart doctors and confusing patients.

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Anti-clotting drug Coumadin recalled

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said Monday it is recalling eight production lots of its anti-clotting drug Coumadin because the amount of the active ingredient in the drug could change.

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Obesity Harms Women's Memory and Brain Function, Study Finds

The more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine. The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes.

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Engineering Could Give Reconstructive Surgery a Facelift

Facial reconstruction patients may soon have the option of custom-made bone replacements optimized for both form and function, thanks to researchers at the University of Illinois and the Ohio State University Medical Center.

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Low Vitamin D Levels Associated With Cognitive Decline

Older adults with low levels of vitamin D appear more likely to experience declines in thinking, learning and memory over a six-year period, according to a report in the July 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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Revolutionary Therapy Slows Tumor Growth in Advanced Breast Cancer, Research Reports

A novel therapy designed to attack tumors in patients with a genetic mutation in either BRCA1 or BRCA2, slowed tumor growth in 85 percent of advanced breast cancer patients treated in a small study, researchers report in the July 6 issue of the Lancet.

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Low Vitamin D Linked to the Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly People

A new study adds to the mounting evidence that older adults commonly have low vitamin D levels and that vitamin D inadequacy may be a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome, a condition that affects one in four adults. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Caffeine May Slow Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, Restore Cognitive Function, According to New Evidence

Although caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug worldwide, its potential beneficial effect for maintenance of proper brain functioning has only recently begun to be adequately appreciated. Substantial evidence from epidemiological studies and fundamental research in animal models suggests that caffeine may be protective against the cognitive decline seen in dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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Subchondral Bone Changes: Cartilage Loss Plays a Role in Development of Osteoarthritis

A recent study determined that bone area predicted the development of medial (inner side) and lateral (outer side) knee cartilage damage and loss of medial cartilage volume. Subchondral bone mineral density (BMD) was associated with medial defect development but not cartilage loss. Researchers believe subchondral bone changes and loss of cartilage contribute to the development of osteoarthritis (OA).

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Can START Stop Cholesterol Build-Up?

A newly discovered group of proteins could help treat cholesterol build-up in arteries.

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Obesity, Weight Gain in Middle Age Associated With Increased Risk of Diabetes Among Older Adults

For individuals 65 years of age and older, obesity, excess body fat around the waist and gaining weight after the age of 50 are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, according to a study in the June 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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Vitamin D supplements could fight Crohn's disease

A new study has found that Vitamin D, readily available in supplements or cod liver oil, can counter the effects of Crohn’s disease. John White, an endocrinologist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, led a team of scientists from McGill University and the Université de Montréal who present their findings about the inflammatory bowel disease in the latest Journal of Biological Chemistry.

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Molecular Imaging Detects First Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Research revealed at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting is furthering efforts to use molecular imaging as a means of early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Researchers are striving to detect the disease as early as possible by imaging the formation of a naturally-occurring protein in the brain called beta-amyloid, which is thought to be closely linked to disease onset.

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Molecular Imaging Allows Individualized 'Dose Painting' for Head and Neck Cancers

According to research revealed at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting, a multi-tracer molecular imaging technique using positron emission tomography (PET) provides detailed information about the physiological processes of cancerous tumors -- and could one day help radiation oncologists treat head and neck cancers with precision external-beam radiation therapy and improve the outcomes of therapy.

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Viruses Effective Against Brain Cancer in Animals: Human Trials Set to Start

Particular parvoviruses normally infect rodents, but they are also infectious for human cells. However, they do not cause any disease symptoms in humans. Most importantly, these viruses have an astonishing property: They kill infected tumors cells without causing any damage to healthy tissue. Therefore, scientists in the teams of Jean Rommelaere and Jörg Schlehofer at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) have been investigating over the past years whether these viruses can be used as weapons against cancer.

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Molecular Imaging Reveals Origin of Acid Reflux Disease

Molecular imaging has uncovered what may be to blame for acid reflux disease, a painful and potentially dangerous illness that affects a sizeable percentage of the population. A study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting provides further evidence that the disease of the digestive system is brought on by a lack of tone, or motility, in the esophageal muscles that clear and keep stomach acids and other gastric contents from backing up into the esophagus.

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The Hidden Brain

It took Sherlock Holmes to deduce the significance of the dog that didn’t bark.* So maybe it’s understandable that neuroscientists have traditionally ignored the brain activity that just hums away quietly in the background when the brain isn’t doing much of anything. Assuming this “default” or “resting” activity was meaningless random noise, they went so far as to subtract it out—and thus ignore it—on brain images such as PET scans and fMRIs

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New Cancer Vaccine Starves Tumours of Blood

A DNA-vaccine that restricts the supply of blood to tumours has been developed by scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet. The vaccine slows the growth of breast cancer tumours in mice.

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Aiming to Cure Deafness, Scientists First to Create Functional Inner-Ear Cells

Deep inside the ear, specialized cells called hair cells detect vibrations in the air and translate them into sound. Ten years ago, Stefan Heller, PhD, professor of otolaryngology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, came up with the idea that if you could create these cells in the laboratory from stem cells, it would go a long way toward helping scientists understand the molecular basis of hearing in order to develop better treatments for deafness.

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Sniff of Local Anesthetic in the Dentist's Chair Could Replace the Needle

Modern dentistry has eliminated much of the "ouch!" from getting a shot of local anesthetic.

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Whole Grain, Bran Intake Associated With Lower Risk of Death in Diabetic Women

Women with type 2 diabetes who ate the most bran in a study had a 35 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a 28 percent reduction in death from all causes than women who ate the least amount, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Promising Probiotic Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Bacteria that produce compounds to reduce inflammation and strengthen host defences could be used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Such probiotic microbes could be the most successful treatment for IBD to date, as explained in a review published in the February issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

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Easing bone marrow transplants to widen their use

Bone marrow transplants are undergoing a quiet revolution: No longer just for cancer, research is under way to ease the risks so they can target more people with diseases from sickle cell to deadly metabolic disorders.

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Stem cell treatment goes from lab to operating room

Imagine having your back cut open, part of your spine removed, a stabilizing device that resembles a mini oil rig mounted on your back, the outer membrane of your spinal cord sliced open and experimental stem cells injected into it -- all for the advancement of science because it's not expected to benefit you.

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Research team documents benefits of endovascular stent repair for traumatic aortic injury

A UC Davis team of cardiovascular specialists has demonstrated the effectiveness of using stents -- as compared to traditional open-chest surgery -- to repair aortas that are torn as the result of accidents. The researchers will present their findings at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Aortic Symposium 2010, which takes place April 29-30 in New York City.

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Why Cholesterol Damages Arteries: Cholesterol Crystals Lead to Life-Threatening Inflammation in Blood Vessel Wal

In addition to crystallized cholesterol, atherosclerotic plaques always contain large quantities of immune cells but, surprisingly, no bacteria or viruses. It was previously unclear just how the body's own defence forces are called into action. Even animals that are kept in an absolutely sterile environment can suffer from "clogging" or "furring" of the arteries when their food contains high levels of cholesterol. The same relationship is found in humans.

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Lottery game helps to assess brain damage following stroke

Patients recovering from stroke sometimes behave as if completely unaware of one half of the world: colliding with obstacles on their left, eating food only from the right side of their plate, or failing to dress their left side. This puzzling phenomenon is termed "spatial neglect" and it affects roughly 45% of patients suffering from a stroke in the right side of the brain. The condition can indicate a long road to recovery, but researchers have now developed a quick and simple lottery game, which can be used to assess the extent of these symptoms and potentially aid the design of rehabilitation programmes.

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Coffee: Is it healthier than you think?

Coffee: Is it healthier than you think?

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Nephrology: New Insight Into Common Kidney Disease

The kidney disease crescentic glomerulonephritis rapidly progresses to acute kidney failure and death within months if it is not treated. Even with treatment, many patients progress to end-stage kidney disease and require dialysis and sometimes a kidney transplant.

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Despite widespread claims, little proof for brain supplements

In the fight against memory loss, nothing is certain, doctors say.

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For Children With Hearing Loss: The Earlier the Better for Cochlear Implants, Study Finds

Receiving a cochlear implant before 18 months of age dramatically improves a deaf child's ability to hear, understand and, eventually, speak, according to a multicenter study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins.

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New Strain of Virulent Airborne Fungi, Unique to Oregon, Is Set to Spread

A newly discovered strain of an airborne fungus has caused several deaths in Oregon and seems poised to move into California and other adjacent areas, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center.

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Contact Lens Capable of Correcting Hyperopia Without Surgery

Jaume Pauné, a graduate of the Master's Degree in Optometry and Vision Sciences at the UPC-Barcelona Tech's College of Optics and Optometry, has designed an innovative new contact lens that will improve the vision quality of thousands of people without surgery.

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How red wine may shield brain from stroke damage

Researchers at Johns Hopkins say they have discovered the way in which red wine consumption may protect the brain from damage following a stroke.

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Why you can’t do 3 things at once

For those who find it tough to juggle more than a couple things at once, don't despair. The brain is set up to manage two tasks, but not more, a new study suggests.

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Research discovery may lead to advances in heart disease and cancer treatment

Research led by T. Cooper Woods, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and Director of the Molecular Cardiology Research Laboratory at Ochsner Clinic Foundation, has identified the mechanism of how a drug commonly used on stents to prevent reclosure of coronary arteries, regulates cell movement which is critical to wound healing and the progression of diseases like cancer. The study is published in the April 16th issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

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Bionic Eye in Sight: Wide-View Neurostimulator Concept Unveiled

Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) has unveiled its wide-view neurostimulator concept -- a bionic eye that will be implanted into Australia's first recipient of the technology.

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Quick Nano-Bio-Chip Checks for Oral Cancer

The gentle touch of a lesion on the tongue or cheek with a brush can help detect oral cancer with success rates comparable to more invasive techniques, according to preliminary studies by researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas Health Science Centers at Houston and San Antonio and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

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Trans fats can be deadly for women

By this point, we know trans fats are a no-no. The fats, often found in processed foods, margarine, or shortening, and in fried foods, are commonly added to food products to extend their shelf life. The bad news is, the stuff is doing nothing to extend your own shelf life. In fact, a recent study published in the American Heart Journal found that women living with coronary heart disease who eat trans fats foods are at particular risk of sudden cardiac death.

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Lithium Shows No Benefit in ALS

Adding lithium to riluzole (Rilutek) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS) failed to stop disease progression, researchers said.

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Sleep Apnea Linked to Eyelid Disorder

An eye disorder called floppy eyelid syndrome is strongly associated with obstructive sleep apnea, a new study finds.

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Drug That Extends Life Span Prevents Alzheimer's Deficits

If research results continue to be repeated and are turned into clinical trials, a drug already approved for some uses could be marshaled -- sooner than we expect -- to prevent Alzheimer's disease in humans and improve health to the end of life.

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Fight cancer by picking off cells before they go rogue

IMAGINE if cancer could be kept at bay by killing off precancerous cells every few months, much as dentists scrape away plaque to prevent tooth decay. Now drugs have been identified that do the job in mice.

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New test takes guesswork out of diagnosing early-stage Alzheimer's disease

New research in the FASEB Journal reports that a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay could be a critical diagnostic tool for the detection of A-Beta oligomers, proteins which cause Alzheimer’s disease

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New gateway to treat leukemia and other cancers

Canadian researchers have discovered a previously hidden channel to attack leukemia and other cancer cells, according to a new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The findings from the Université de Montréal, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and Université Laval may change the way doctors treat cancer patients.

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Hair Dye and Smoking Linked to Progressive Liver Disease

Hair dye and smoking both increase the risk of progressive liver disease, suggests research involving around 5000 people published in the journal Gut.

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Vaccine Could Delay Bowel Inflammation and Colon Cancer

An experimental vaccine against an abnormal protein found in some tumors has the potential to delay the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in turn prevent progression to colon cancer, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

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Memory May Decline Rapidly Even in Stage Before Alzheimer's Disease

Memory and thinking skills may decline rapidly for people who have mild cognitive impairment, which is the stage before Alzheimer's disease when people have mild memory problems but no dementia symptoms, and even more rapidly when dementia begins, which is when Alzheimer's disease is usually diagnosed.

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High dietary phosphate intake may promote skin cancer formation

A high dietary intake of phosphate promotes tumor formation in an animal model of skin cancer, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have found. The results, published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, suggest that a high intake of phosphates may promote tumor development and contribute to tumor growth in skin cancer, while restricting phosphate intake may help prevent cancer.

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Gene Is Linked to Lung Cancer Development in Never-Smokers: One Third Have Gene Variant

A five-center collaborative study that scanned the genomes of thousands of "never smokers" diagnosed with lung cancer as well as healthy never smokers has found a gene they say could be responsible for a significant number of those cancers.

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Einstein Researchers Discover Two New Ways to Kill TB

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found two novel ways of killing the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB), a disease responsible for an estimated two million deaths each year. The findings, published in the March 21 online issue of Nature Chemical Biology, could lead to a potent TB therapy that would also prevent resistant TB strains from developing.

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Shutting out Soft Tissue Cancers in the Cold

Cryotherapy, an interventional radiology treatment to freeze cancer tumors, may become the treatment of the future for cancer that has metastasized in soft tissues (such as ovarian cancer) and in bone tumors. Such patients are often not candidates for surgery and would benefit from minimally invasive treatment, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

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Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Fare Well in Statin Trial

Chronic kidney disease patients in the landmark JUPITER trial achieved a 44% reduction in mortality if they were assigned to the potent cholesterol-lowering agent rosuvastatin (Crestor) when compared with patients who were on placebo, researchers said here.

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Anti-Obesity Drugs Unlikely to Provide Lasting Benefit, According to Scientists

Scientists at the University of Liverpool argue that anti-obesity drugs fail to provide lasting benefits for health and wellbeing because they tackle the biological consequences of obesity, and not the important psychological causes of overconsumption and weight gain.

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New attack on cancer forces cells to grow old and die

Instead of killing off cancer cells with toxic drugs, scientists have discovered a molecular pathway that forces them to grow old and die, they said on Wednesday.

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Brain Plaques May Explain Higher Risk of Alzheimer's Based on Mom's History

A family history of Alzheimer's is one of the biggest risk factors for developing the memory-robbing disease, which affects more than 5 million Americans and is the most common form of senile dementia. Now an international collaboration led by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers has found the likely basis for this heightened familial risk -- especially from the maternal side.

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Potential New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

An experimental oral drug has lowered blood sugar levels and inflammation in mice with Type 2 diabetes, suggesting that the medication could someday be added to the arsenal of drugs used by millions of Americans with this disease, according to new research.

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Using new approach, Mayo Clinic researchers find level of gene alters risk of Alzheimer's disease

Using sophisticated techniques that scan the genomes of patients, researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found that a gene appears to either help protect against development of Alzheimer's disease, or promote the disorder depending on the level of gene in the brain.

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Babies Are Born to Dance, New Research Shows

Researchers have discovered that infants respond to the rhythm and tempo of music and find it more engaging than speech.

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Hip fractures more deadly to men

Hip fractures. They're breaks in the upper part of the femur or thigh bone, most often caused by a fall. People 65 and older are most vulnerable, and according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, women have two to three times as many fractures as men. But a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine says men are at greater risk of dying because of it.

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Discovery of 'Fat' Taste Could Hold the Key to Reducing Obesity

A newly discovered ability for people to taste fat could hold the key to reducing obesity, Deakin University health researchers believe.

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Your best diet? It might be in your genes

Can't lose weight on a low-fat diet? Maybe you need to cut carbs instead, and a new genetic test may point the way, maker Interleukin Genetics Inc reported on Wednesday.

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Blueberry Juice Shown to Improve Memory in Older Adults

Scientists are reporting the first evidence from human research that blueberries--one of the richest sources of healthful antioxidants and other so-called phytochemicals--improve memory. They reported that the study establishes a foundation for comprehensive human clinical trials to determine whether blueberries really deserve their growing reputation as a memory enhancer.

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How You Think About Your Age May Affect How You Age

The saying "You're only as old as you feel" really seems to resonate with older adults, according to research from Purdue University.

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Vaccine may shift odds against deadly brain cancer

The first week of each month, Karen and Jerry Vaneman pack their car for a four-hour drive from Asheville, North Carolina, to the medical complex at Duke University. Inside the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Karen waits patiently as a parade of doctors and technicians pokes and prods, taking samples of all kinds. On this day alone, she gives 21 vials of blood.


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Stroke Incidence Rising Among Younger Adults, Decreasing Among Elderly

More young people are having strokes while older people are having fewer, according to data from Ohio and Kentucky presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

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Vitamin B3 Shows Early Promise in Treatment of Stroke

An early study suggests that vitamin B3 or niacin, a common water-soluble vitamin, may help improve neurological function after stroke, according to Henry Ford Hospital researchers.

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Inhibiting Serotonin Cures Osteoporosis in Animal Model

A recent animal study showed that it may be possible to delay or cure osteoporosis with a drug that inhibits the production of serotonin in the gut.

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Fish Oil Is No Snake Oil

Recent reports on the health benefits of fish oil sound almost too good to be true. The omega-3 fatty acids that it contains have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes and slow the formation of plaques in the arteries, and they may also lower blood pressure.

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Remember Magnesium If You Want to Remember

Those who live in industrialized countries have easy access to healthy food and nutritional supplements, but magnesium deficiencies are still common. That's a problem because new research from Tel Aviv University suggests that magnesium, a key nutrient for the functioning of memory, may be even more critical than previously thought for the neurons of children and healthy brain cells in adults.

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Internet making our brains different, not dumb

A decade from now, Google won't make us "stupid," the Internet may make us more literate in a different kind of way and efforts to protect individual anonymity will be even more difficult to achieve, according to many of the experts surveyed for a look at "The Future of the Internet" in 2020.

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Personalized Blood Tests for Cancer Using Whole Genome Sequencing

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used data from the whole genome sequencing of cancer patients to develop individualized blood tests they believe can help physicians tailor patients' treatments. The genome-based blood tests, believed to be the first of their kind, may be used to monitor tumor levels after therapy and determine cancer recurrence.

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AIDS vaccine effects may wear off, researchers say

An AIDS vaccine that appears to have worked at least partly in Thailand may only temporarily protect patients, with the effects starting to wane after a year or so, researchers reported on Thursday.

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Researchers Find Biomarkers in Saliva for Detection of Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer

Physicians and scientists agree: If we cannot entirely prevent cancer, the next best thing is to find it earlier to augment the chances of a successful fight.

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Aspirin cuts death risk after breast cancer: U.S. study

Breast cancer survivors who take aspirin regularly may be less likely to die or have their cancer return, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday.

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Oxytocin Hormone May Treat Autism

Oxytocin, the so-called hormone of love, may help promote social skills and social behavior in people with high-functioning autism.


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Dietary Formula That Maintains Youthful Function Into Old Age

Researchers at McMaster University have developed a cocktail of ingredients that forestalls major aspects of the aging process.

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Botox May Have Migraine Potential

Botulinum toxin type A (Botox) provided significant relief from certain types of migraine in a small clinical study of migraine patients undergoing cosmetic procedures of the upper face

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Scientists Spot Genes Tied to Aging

Scientists have discovered genetic variants that are associated with biological aging, a finding that could explain why some people seem to age faster than others.


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Alzheimer's drug Dimebon helps Huntington's: study

Dimebon, a pill being developed for Alzheimer's disease, helped people with Huntington's disease improve their thinking, learning and memory skills, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

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Hearts Actually Can Break

Dorothy Lee and her husband of 40 years were driving home from a Bible study group one wintry night when their car suddenly hit the curb. Mrs. Lee looked at her husband, who was driving, and saw his head bob a couple of times and fall on his chest.

In the ensuing minutes, Mrs. Lee recalls, she managed to avoid a crash while stopping the car, called 911 on her cellphone and tried to revive her husband before an ambulance arrived. But at the hospital, soon after learning her husband had died of a heart attack, Mrs. Lee's heart appeared to give out as well. She experienced sudden sharp pains in her chest, felt faint and went unconscious.

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Researchers Studying Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

At Scott & White Memorial Hospital, a multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurophysiologist, neuropsychologists and a movement disorders specialist are offering hope to some Parkinson's patients with a treatment called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).

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New 'Suicide' Molecule Halts Rheumatoid Arthritis

A researcher from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has invented a novel way to halt and even reverse rheumatoid arthritis. He developed an imitation of a suicide molecule that floats undetected into overactive immune cells responsible for the disease.

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Brain Scans Reveal Video Gamers' Secrets

How adeptly you play a video game may indicate how big some parts of your brain are, the authors of a new study report.

Researchers found that certain regions of the brain are larger in young people who do a better job of playing a specially designed video game.

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Human Running Speeds Of 35 To 40 Mph May Be Biologically Possible

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's record-setting performances have unleashed a wave of interest in the ultimate limits to human running speed. A new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology offers intriguing insights into the biology and perhaps even the future of human running speed.

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More Than Just a Bad Dream--A Nightmare's Impact on the Waking Brain

You awake with a pounding heart and clammy hands. Relax, you think to yourself—it was just a bad dream. But are nightmares truly benign? Psychologists aren’t so sure. Although some continue to believe nightmares reduce psychological tensions by letting the brain act out its fears, recent research suggests that nocturnal torments are more likely to increase anxiety in waking life.

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Study in mice shows why antidepressants often fail

Antidepressants fail to help about half of the people who take them, and a study in mice may help explain why.

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Search for an Artificial Blood Substitute

If the current wave of vampire stories is to be believed, humans can peacefully co-exist with vampires.

The Twilight book trilogy has 'vegetarian' vampires living on animal blood, and in the TV series True Blood, Japanese scientists have developed a synthetic blood substitute. However, in the most recent blockbuster movie Daybreakers, vampires suffer a horrific fate when attempting to drink their blood substitute.

Back in the real world, the hunt for a blood substitute could not be truer.

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Benefits of Calcium and Vitamin D in Preventing Fractures Confirmed

Taking both calcium and vitamin D supplements on a daily basis reduces the risk of bone fractures, regardless of whether a person is young or old, male or female, or has had fractures in the past, a large study of nearly 70,000 patients from throughout the United States and Europe has found.

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Cell Phone Use May Fight Alzheimer's, Mouse Study Says

After years of speculation that cell phones may harm your brain, new research suggests they may actually fight Alzheimer's disease.

Yes, you heard right.

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Many expect organ cloning could be routine by 2020

NEW YORK -- It may still seem to be in the realm of science fiction, but nearly half of Americans believe cloning organs will be routine by 2020, according to a new poll.

Forty-nine percent of 2,841 people questioned in a Zogby interactive survey said use of stem cells and cloned organs will be commonplace in the next decade.

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Silencing the brain with light

MIT neuroengineers find a new way to quickly and reversibly shut off neurons with multiple colors of light, which could lead to new treatments for epilepsy and chronic pain.

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