Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have begun a year long study that aims to shed light on the best ways of helping elderly people to maintain their physical independence and recover after operations. The study will draw in volunteers from central and south Edinburgh, who will attend training sessions at the Royal Infirmary.
The group of 40 volunteers will help the team from the University’s Geriatric Medicine section by learning simple pushing movements designed to t
Two laws recently passed by Congress with strong industry backing have had a chilling effect on government efforts to protect public health, according to a UCSF study.
The laws make all raw data produced by federally funded research available for public review, and require that any data disseminated by the government adhere to definitions of quality set by the law – definitions that industry interests helped develop. The new laws allow industry advocates to more easily challen
Sandia National Laboratories has completed a two-year study of the potential health effects associated with accidental exposure to depleted uranium (DU) during the 1991 Gulf War.
The study, “An Analysis of Uranium Dispersal and Health Effects Using a Gulf War Case Study,” performed by Sandia scientist Al Marshall, employs analytical capabilities used by Sandia’s National Security Studies Department and examines health risks associated with uranium handling.
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Findings show new link between obesity and type 2 diabetes
A study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has shown that a protein found in fat cells is a newly discovered cause of insulin resistance, establishing a previously unidentified molecular link between obesity and type 2 diabetes and offering a potential new target for the development of drugs to treat diabetes. The findings appear in the July 21, 2005, issue of the journal Nature.
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A study led by Mayo Clinic Cancer Center adds evidence to a growing body of knowledge that shows women with benign breast disease have a higher risk for breast cancer, and that certain types of breast disease may predict the near-term development of breast cancer. The findings will be published in the July 21 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
“Our findings indicate a link between select types of benign breast lesions and the later development of breast cancer,” says
Maintaining a healthy weight in children may be one good way to keep a healthy blood lipid profile and a happy heart, a new study has found.
A study of 400 high school age children with a variety of fitness and fatness levels showed that fatter youths had unfavorable lipid profiles, including higher levels of triglycerides and higher ratios of total cholesterol to the protective HDL cholesterol or high density lipoprotein.
“This ratio tells about the balance of the ‘bad’
Results from a new study suggest that extremely obese people are more likely than normal-weight people to injure themselves.
Researchers collected health and injury data during a one-year period on more than 2,500 adults living in Colorado . More than one out of four (26 percent) of the extremely obese male participants reported personal injuries, and more than one out of five (21.7 percent) extremely obese women also reported injuries.
By comparison, about 17 percent of
New research suggests that medications commonly referred to as fertility drugs may be ineffective for women who lack a gene called the estrogen receptor beta. The study showed that fertility drugs did not improve ovulation rates in mice that were genetically engineered to lack estrogen receptor beta. The estrogen receptor beta is one of two estrogen receptor proteins which mediate the effects of estrogen hormones and are present throughout the female reproductive tissues. These new data indicat
A study published in the recent issue of Journal of Marriage and Family examines the effectiveness of in-hospital paternity establishment for babies born to unwed parents. The research shows that though establishing paternity at any time increases the amount of formal and informal child support and the amount of father-child visits, in-hospital establishment is associated with better outcomes. Analysis of interviews conducted a year after the baby’s birth with mothers who remained single show
Results of a genetic linkage analysis of PRKCB1 with autism published
Scientists working at IntegraGen SA, the personalized medicines company, have shown that variations in the gene for protein kinase C beta 1 (PRKCB1), a protein with an important role in brain function, are strongly associated with autism. This exciting finding suggests some answers to a number of previous, but unexplained, observations about autism and provides the potential for a mechanistic explanation for som
Almadraba is a fishing art whereby a labyrinth of nets intercept the migratory movements of the large tuna, when they cross the Gibraltar Straits. This study, undertaken by AZTI-Tecnalia, involved analysing the chain of marketing of the tuna fish, from the catch in the almadrabas to its freezing – the aim being to design a monitoring system adapted to this mode of fishing -, to its handling and processing and to the first stages of marketing the product. The end target is the design of an identifyi
Patient reminders can help physicians improve immunization rates for their practice, according to a new review of studies.
All six of the reminder and recall systems tested — including post cards, letters and phone calls — resulted in better immunization coverage, the review finds. The boost in immunization rates held true for both adults and children — and across an array of clinical settings. The review, which encompasses 43 patient-reminder studies, found immunization increases
Cigarette smoking continues to be the principal cause of premature death in the nation and a major cause of medical expenditures and lost productivity. Of the 46.5 million adults in the United States who smoke, about 70% will see a primary care provider at least once a year. The United States Public Health Service (USPHS), in an effort to reduce cigarette smoking, recommends a 5-step process that includes: (1) Asking every patient about tobacco use, (2) Advising all smokers to quit, (3) Assessin
New Saint Louis University research suggests simple solutions
One in three nursing home residents who have Alzheimer’s disease are not getting their vision corrected so they can see clearly, according to new Saint Louis University research in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
“Many nursing home residents are losing out on stimulation. They may not be able to see the television, read books or interact appropriately,” said James
Lives and money could be saved if co-pays for ACE inhibitors were eliminated
Nothing in life is free, the old saying goes. But maybe some things should be, according to a new University of Michigan Health System study. Specifically, researchers find, a group of medicines called ACE inhibitors should be available at no cost to the 8 million Americans over age 65 who have diabetes. These drugs are so beneficial for these patients that even giving them away ultimately would save
The tongue’s ability to differentiate between sweet and bitter tastes may reside in the same taste bud cells, a new study reports.
The study explains the discovery of a chemical messenger called neuropeptide Y (NPY) in taste bud cells. Though researchers have long known that NPY is active in the brain and gut, this is the first study to show that it is also active in taste bud cells.
That finding gives scientists a deeper understanding of how the human brain may distinguis
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