Columbia research highlights importance of early oral health screenings
New research from Columbia University Medical Center has shown that the destruction of the gums can start in diabetic children as young as six years old. While the link between diabetes and periodontal disease was previously established, it was believed that the regression of gums began much later and increased with age.
The study, a collaboration among researchers at the Columbia University College of
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have developed a mouse model that could help scientists develop better drugs to fight autoimmune and inflammatory disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Inflammation is a process by which the white blood cells and chemicals of the immune system rally to protect the body from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. In autoimmune diseases, however, this
Information may spur new therapeutic approaches to addiction and abuse
Cocaine-binding antibodies have shown some promise in their ability to neutralize cocaine toxicity, but their binding ability is severely impaired by high concentrations of the drug. A catalytic monoclonal antibody such as 7A1, on the other hand, has the ability to regenerate after each new dose of the drug, making it far more effective than others in metabolizing cocaine.
The study, which will be publi
Radiologists can make a more accurate preoperative diagnosis of damage to knee cartilage by using four radiologic ’signs’, a recent study found. Using the four signs to identify the extent and type of damage to knee cartilage makes interpreting MRIs with higher degrees of accuracy easier for any radiologist, regardless of their level of expertise.
During the course of this study, reviewers correctly identified 17 (89%) of 19 radial meniscal tears using the four radiologic signs
Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in the group of Markus Schmitt have developed a detection method for human papillomaviruses (HPV) which allows them to identify, in a quick and highly reliable manner, high-risk viruses that cause cervical cancer.
The prime risk factor for cervical cancer is an infection with human papillomaviruses. However, not all HPV types are a health hazard. Scientists distinguish between high-risk t
Propose new approach for better treatment of deadly condition
A Mayo Clinic research team has challenged the accepted theory on the cause of sepsis — a condition in which the body’s cells generate fever, shock and often death. Sepsis is thought to occur when poisons from bacterial infection interfere with the cells. The Mayo researchers challenge that long-held concept with a new theory in an opinion piece in the current issue of Trends in Molecular Medicine. Their findings su
Brain scans may detect neurological changes in people who exhibit no outward signs of cognitive decline but who later develop dementia or mental impairment, according to the results of a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
The study, to be published Feb. 8 in the journal Annals of Neurology, provides encouraging evidence that positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could eventually be used to detect preclinica
A 25-year-old man will undergo Western Australia’s first ever simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant operation on Thursday 9 February at St John of God Hospital in Subiaco.
Danny Clarke will have two cochlear hearing devices implanted in both his ears at the same time.
Danny, who became a successful search and rescue helicopter air crewman despite losing his hearing in his right ear due to a fall at the age of 11, became permanently deaf last year after being at
Vitamin D can inhibit the spread of prostate cancer cells by limiting the activity of two specific enzymes, University of Rochester Medical Center scientists report.
The finding means that vitamin D could provide beneficial treatment to prostate cancer patients with high levels of the enzymes, the scientists said.
“We wanted to know the targets of vitamin D so we would know which patients would respond better,” said Yi-Fen Lee, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Urology a
A new tool to predict epidemics of malaria up to five months in advance has been developed by a scientist at the University of Liverpool.
The model uses predictions of climate variability to indicate the level of risk of an epidemic up to five months in advance of the peak malaria season – the earliest point at which predictions have ever been made. The model will assist doctors and health care providers in preventing and controlling the disease.
Malaria is one of the
In a unique double discovery, researchers at the University of Leeds have shown that massive bursts of ultrasound are generated during the first second of biting into crunchy food – and are simultaneously analysed by the ears and mouth.
Food physicist Professor Malcolm Povey explains: “Food is, in effect, talking to us and we innately understand what it’s saying about texture by interpreting the sensations through our ears and mouths. Our research shows that the sound and feel
A new study from Imperial College London shows that robot assisted knee surgery is significantly more accurate than conventional surgery.
The team of surgeons tested whether Acrobot, a robotic assistant, could improve surgical outcomes for patients undergoing partial knee replacement. Acrobot works by helping the surgeon to line up the replacement knee parts with the existing bones.
The surgeons looked at 27 patients undergoing unicompartmental knee replacement. The patie
Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers discovered Alzheimer’s patients with lifetime history of depression have more rapid cognitive decline
A lifetime history of depression is associated with increased plaques and tangles in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease and more rapid cognitive decline, according to a study by researchers at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The study is published in the February issue o
Johns Hopkins scientists say an infected person’s HIV subtype is a better predictor than viral load for determining rapid death from AIDS. Traditional testing standards help monitor the progression of an HIV infection to AIDS by keeping track of viral load, using a scale in which less than 50 viral particles per cubic milliliter of blood is considered suppressed disease and a viral load of more than 75,000 particles per cubic milliliter of blood means that the disease will progress more rapi
As our environments change over time with technology, pediatric emergency specialists are continuously challenged to observe possible trends and prevent more injuries by educating the public. In a new case report published in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics, researchers at New York University School of Medicine discuss the serious injury risks posed by paper shredders, which have become increasingly common household items.
“It’s a dangerous piece of machinery and leavin
Women’s Health Initiative study of nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women across the United States provides first solid data on health effects of a low-fat diet
Adopting a low-fat diet in later life and following such a regimen for nearly a decade does not appear to have a significant impact on reducing the overall risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer or heart disease, according to a Women’s Health Initiative study that involved nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women across
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