Study also confirms that psoriasis is widespread across US
A study released Saturday in a special issue of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID) finds that many adults with relatively small areas of psoriasis on their skin nevertheless report high levels of dissatisfaction with their current treatment, and also feel that psoriasis is a problem in their daily life. In all, an estimated 1.75 million adults in the United States say their psoriasis is a problem for them in everyd
Little attention has been paid to the wishes and needs of female patients regarding fetal abnormalities
Women whose ultrasounds show fetal abnormalities want clear information about results as quickly and as empathetically as possible, says a new study by researchers at U of T, Mount Sinai Hospital and York University.
“Unfortunately, we still see examples of bad news being given quite badly,” says Dr. Rory Windrim, a U of T professor in the Faculty of Medicine and an obstet
It is relatively common to hear an object described as being “bigger than a breadbox,” and most people have little trouble making this type of comparative judgment. However, how the human brain makes such comparisons based on continuous quantities is quite complex and not completely understood. Now, a new research study published in the March 25 issue of Neuron provides significant new information about how the brain interprets spatial and nonspatial sensory information to make comparative judgments
A lactation program targeting mothers of very low birth weight babies (VLBWB) can be successful in raising the rate of breast-feeding among this group
Mother’s milk is well documented to be the optimal source of nutrition for newborn babies; however, mothers of very low birth weight (VLBW) babies (those who weigh less than 1500 grams — approximately 3.3 pounds) are among the least likely groups to initiate and sustain lactation.
Now, a study published in the Journal of
Don’t hit the snooze alarm too many times: Too many hours in bed can cause as many sleep problems as too few, according to a new study.
“Long” sleepers who slumber more than eight hours a night and “short” sleepers who get fewer than seven hours of shuteye both report more sleep complaints than people who sleep in the “just right” zone of seven to eight hours, say Michael A. Grandner, B.A., and Daniel F. Kripke, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego. Their study appears in the jo
Two researchers at Rockefeller University have put a controversial theory of smell to the sniff test and have found no evidence to support it.
They say their study, published in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience, should raise firm doubts about the validity of “vibration theory,” which states that molecules in each substance generate a specific vibration frequency that the nose can interpret as distinct smells.
The reigning theory of smell, which also is as yet unproven, is th
On 29-30 March the findings of ’Inside the Big Black Box’- a Europe-wide science and society project – will be revealed during a two-day seminar hosted by CERN 1 . The principle aim of Inside the Big Black Box (IN3B) is to determine whether a working scientific laboratory can capture the curiosity of the general public through visits.
IN3B was sponsored by the European Union to evaluate how effectively five laboratories – CERN in Switzerland, LNGS 2 in Italy, Demokri
A new research study reveals that formation of the cells that build bone tissue, called osteoblasts, is suppressed by a complicated inhibitory signal and that formation of the skeleton proceeds only after relief of the inhibition. This inhibitory signal is part of normal development, and without it, bone formation proceeds prematurely and abnormally.
A gene called Runx2 is the earliest and most specific indicator of osteoblast formation. However, Runx2 expression precedes the actual appeara
While the health risks of tobacco are well known, several studies have shown that people with a history of cigarette smoking have lower rates of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. However, the explanations for nicotine’s neuroprotective effects continue to be debated.
Now a team of neuroscientists at the University of South Florida College of Medicine presents new evidence of an anti-inflammatory mechanism in the brain by which nicotine may p
Genetic test sought to identify patients most likely to respond
A new anti-cancer agent, gefinitib (Iressa), recently received FDA approval for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after a series of clinical trials and an expanded access program led by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The compound is designed to target and block the activity of the tyrosine kinase enzyme that signals the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), tellin
Ordinary household activities, from dusting to dancing, can increase your exposure to particulate pollution, according to a new study. Whether you are cutting the rug or just vacuuming it, you may be inhaling tiny dust particles that could be harmful to your health.
The report, which quantifies some common indoor activities, appears in the March 15 edition of Environmental Science & Technology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific soc
The results of a study presented today at the American College of Cardiology’s 53rd Scientific Sessions in New Orleans concludes that coronary aneurysms — regardless of size — are associated with a increased risk of death over a five year period and should be aggressively monitored.
The University of Chicago Hospitals and Emory Heart Center researchers studied the records of 32,372 patients undergoing coronary angiography at Emory University Hospitals in Atlanta between 1995 and 2003
Depression is a recognized risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and, by studying pairs of twins, researchers from Emory and Yale believe they have found a mechanism that explains this link. In research announced today at the American College of Cardiology’s 53rd Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, the scientists say they found a decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) in those twins who were depressed as compared to their non-depressed siblings.
The scientists studied 50 pairs
Since the approval of a vaccine against pneumococcal bacteria for young children in 2000, there has not only been a drop in the incidence of severe disease caused these bacteria in children but also a significant decline in the disease in adults. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report their results today in two studies at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“We were pretty confident when we recommended this vaccine for children it wo
Infection with bacteria that can cause peptic ulcers and distal stomach cancer may be associated with a reduced risk of a type of esophageal cancer called adenocarcinoma, according to a study in the March 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, that same study found that people infected with the bacteria, called Helicobacter pylori, who also had gastric atrophy, or “wasting” of the mucous membrane that lines the stomach, were at an increased risk of another type of esophagea
Pups of female rats exposed to a combination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury (MeHg) slip and fall more often trying to maneuver on a rotating rod than do pups from non-exposed moms, scientists say.
The findings, published in the February issue of the journal Toxicological Sciences, come from a study focusing on the effects of combined exposure of the two commonly found environmental contaminants on motor function driven by the cerebellum.
“Because people are
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