Keeping blood pressure & cholesterol low may help some dementia patients more than Alzheimer’s drugs
Could the same actions that help prevent a heart attack or stroke also prevent or slow the memory loss, confusion and thinking problems of dementia? A new study suggests that for many people, the answer could be yes. And for some, the impact of steps like controlling blood pressure and cholesterol might be greater than the effect of high-priced memory-preserving drugs.
Except for women in their 40s, women who are screened with mammography every 2 years may not have an increased risk of late-stage breast cancer compared with women screened every year, according to a new study in the December 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The ideal interval between screenings for breast cancer using mammography has not been determined. In the United States, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening with mammograph
An analysis of a sample of Ayurvedic herbal medicine products found that 20 percent contained metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic at levels that could be toxic if taken as directed, according to a study in the December 15 issue of JAMA.
According to background information in the article, approximately 80 percent of India’s one billion population uses Ayurveda, a medical system that originated in India more than 2000 years ago and greatly relies on herbal medicine products
Scientists have uncovered a link between a family of genes and abnormalities of the immune system that are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a devastating disease that affects over 1 million Americans. The research, published in the December issue of Immunity, significantly advances the understanding of the pathology of lupus-like autoimmunity in mice and may facilitate the design of future therapies for lupus in humans.
A normal immune system protects the body
Scientists have discovered a new biological pathway that may be useful in regulating angiogenesis, the process the body uses to build new blood vessels. The findings, published in the December issue of the journal Immunity, may offer clinicians a new way to intervene in a broad range of diseases and disorders, including cancer, heart and lung disease, wound healing and transplantation.
Angiogenesis is a normal function in the body, but it’s not always helpful. For example, while
More than half of adults over the age of 65 have trouble sleeping, characterized by both lighter sleep and frequent awakenings during the night. A decline in cognitive function is common with advanced age, and research has shown that disturbed sleep in younger adults and in the elderly causes daytime sleepiness and negatively affects cognitive performance.
Now, a study by sleep researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine suggests that even short-term ex
Previous research has implicated the brain’s opioid system in the development of alcohol-use disorders. New findings indicate that individuals with the G variant of the A118 polymorphism of the OPRM1 gene have greater subjective feelings to alcohol’s effects as well as a greater likelihood of a family history of alcohol-use disorders. Previous research has implicated the brain’s opioid system in the development of alcohol-use disorders. The mu-opioid receptor, which is encoded
How to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTI) in the under fives is the focus of the latest issue of EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE.
UTI is common in children. Around 6.3% of girls and 2.4% of boys will be referred with UTIs by the age of five years. Children who are misdiagnosed can either fail to receive appropriate treatment or receive unnecessary treatment and investigation.
Good management involves prompt diagnosis, rapid treatment and the detection of any underlying cause that mi
North Sea fishermen should be allowed to play a greater part in taking care of the marine environment as part of a new strategy to protect the sea’s wildlife and habitats.
European scientists, led by a team at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, have come up with a pioneering North Sea fisheries management plan which recognises the importance of humans and their interaction with the marine environment, or ecosystem.
The scientists, who are funded by the European Union
One of the Institut Curie’s great originalities, the interface between physics and cell biology, is a fertile terrain for discoveries. Dialogue between researchers of different backgrounds drives creativity, as witnessed by the rise in the number of Institut Curie publications on research work that melds physics and biology.
In collaboration with Canadian physicists, biologists of the (CNRS) group headed by Hélène Feracci have developed a model that cast light on intercellular adhe
UCR researchers’ findings advance techniques toward development of nanoscale electronics
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside showed that L. P. Hammett’s 1937 prediction of the strength of different acids is directly transferable to the activation of individual molecules on metal surfaces using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) as a nanoscale actuator.
Hammett’s original prediction is a cornerstone of physical organic che
An improved stem cell transplant regimen that is well-tolerated and has a high success rate has been developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The procedure holds promise for treatment of blood and bone marrow disorders, immune dysfunction and certain metabolic disorders.
Designed for transplants that replace a patient’s bone marrow with stem cells from donor marrow, peripheral blood or umbilical cord blood, the procedure allows early reco
A long look at a young pulsar with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory revealed unexpectedly rapid cooling, which suggests that it contains much denser matter than previously expected. The pulsar’s cool temperature and the vast magnetic web of high-energy particles that surrounds it have implications for the theory of nuclear matter and the origin of magnetic fields in cosmic objects.
An international team of scientists used the Chandra data to measure the temperature of t
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers have found a way of stimulating the immune systems of mice to fight against amyloid proteins that cause the devastating plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
For years scientists have examined the possibility of using a protein-based vaccine to slow the progression of the disease in its early stages. UT Southwestern researchers have created a gene-based vaccine aimed at stimulating the immune systems o
A powerful new microscope, currently available only in three universities in Europe and the USA, will position Britain as a leading centre for nanomaterials, researchers announce today.
The ultra-high performance analytical electron microscope (AEM) will support research programmes at the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), an interdisciplinary collaboration between Imperial College London and University College London.
It will provide researchers with extremely hig
Cancer screening tests can frequently produce false positive outcomes that may result not only in anxiety but also additional economic costs as well, according to research conducted by scientists at the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Mich., and published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Among 1,087 individuals participating in a cancer screening trial who received a battery of tests for prostate, ovarian, colorectal and lung cancer, 43 per
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