Dark Chocolate: Half A Bar Per Week May Keep Heart Attack Risk At Bay (September 24, 2008) -- Good news for chocolate lovers: 6.7 grams of chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease. ... > full story
Family History Of Brain Tumors Linked To Increased Risk Of Brain Cancer (September 24, 2008) -- People with a family history of cancerous brain tumors appear to be at higher risk of developing the same kind of tumors compared to people with no such family history, according to a new study in Neurology. ... > full story
Exhaled Nitric Oxide Monitoring Does Not Improve On Guidelines-based Asthma Management, Study Finds (September 24, 2008) -- New research indicates that adolescent and young adult patients whose asthma is managed according to the latest NIH guidelines do not benefit from the addition of nitric-oxide monitoring. Nitric oxide is a biomarker for inflammation in the lungs. ... > full story
Severe Stress More Common Among Long-term Cancer Survivors (September 24, 2008) -- Long-term survivors of adult cancers are almost twice as likely to report psychological distress severe enough to cause moderate to serious problems functioning in social, work or school situations, compared to the general population, according to a large, national study. ... > full story
Stroke Incidence May Be Higher And Deadlier In American Indians (September 24, 2008) -- American Indians have a higher incidence of strokes than white or black Americans. Higher rates of hypertension, diabetes and cigarette smoking may account for the higher risk. The findings come from the largest population study of cardiovascular disease and risk factors in American Indians. ... > full story
Second Career For Growth Factor Receptor: Keeping Nerve Axons On Target (September 24, 2008) -- Neurons constituting the optic nerve wire up to the brain in a highly dynamic way. Using the mouse visual system, scientists have identified an unanticipated factor that helps keep retinal axons from going astray. ... > full story
Minimally-invasive Aortic Valve Bypass Benefits High-risk Elderly Patients (September 24, 2008) -- A study conducted at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore concludes that an uncommonly used surgical procedure that bypasses a narrowed aortic valve, rather than replacing it, effectively restores blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body and gives high-risk patients a safe alternative to conventional valve surgery. Aortic valve bypass is an important treatment option for high-risk elderly patients with a narrowed aortic valve, a condition called aortic stenosis. ... > full story
Behavioral Intervention Works To Reduce Risky Behavior (September 24, 2008) -- In an effort to curb the rising rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections along the Mexico-US border, a binational team of researchers have shown that brief but personalized behavioral counseling significantly reduced rates and improved condom use among female sex workers in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. ... > full story
Benefit Of Combination Therapy For Alzheimer's Disease Confirmed (September 23, 2008) -- The first long-term study of the real-world use of Alzheimer's drugs finds that treatment can significantly slow the rate at which the disorder advances, and combination therapy with two different classes of drugs is even better at helping patients maintain their ability to perform daily activities. ... > full story
Looking Vs. Seeing (September 23, 2008) -- The superior colliculus has long been thought of as a rapid orienting center of the brain that allows the eyes and head to turn swiftly either toward or away from the sights and sounds in our environment. Two complementary studies have revealed that the superior colliculus performs supervisory functions in addition to the motor control it has long been known for. ... > full story
Geriatric Patients Receive Significant Benefit From Cochlear Implantation (September 23, 2008) -- Despite previous inconclusive research, geriatric patients do experience significant quality of life improvement after receiving cochlear implants for hearing loss, says new research. ... > full story
Disposable 'lab-on-a-chip' May Save Costs And Lives (September 23, 2008) -- Low-cost, disposable cartridges that would let doctors perform diagnostic tests at the point-of-care could speed up diagnosis and treatment while lowering costs. Researchers are rapidly closing in on that goal. ... > full story
Preventing Suicide In Low- To Middle-income Countries (September 23, 2008) -- An international study of almost 2,000 people in Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, Iran and China has shown that a low-cost strategy to keep in contact with people who have previously attempted suicide, can reduce the risk of subsequent suicides. ... > full story
Why Chemo Works For Some People And Not Others (September 23, 2008) -- MIT researchers have shown that cells from different people don't all react the same way when exposed to the same DNA-damaging agent -- a finding that could help clinicians predict how patients will respond to chemotherapy. ... > full story
Healthy Blood Vessels May Prevent Fat Growth (September 23, 2008) -- Cells lining blood vessels may perform an unsuspected task -- controlling the development of fat cells. Researchers found that precursor or stem cells have a markedly reduced tendency to develop into fat cells when placed in direct contact with healthy endothelial cells, which are the cells that line blood vessels. ... > full story
Facebook Profiles Can Be Used To Detect Narcissism (September 23, 2008) -- Online social networking sites such as Facebook might be useful tools for detecting whether someone is a narcissist, according to new research. ... > full story
Breast Cancer Survivors Have High Quality Of Life Up To 15 Years After Lumpectomy And Radiation (September 23, 2008) -- Women with breast cancer who are treated with lumpectomy and radiation report a high level of overall quality of life several years after treatment that is comparable to a general sampling of the adult women US population according to a survey conducted by physicians at Fox Chase Cancer Center. ... > full story
Immigrant Children Are Increasingly More Likely To Lack Health Coverage In U.S. (September 23, 2008) -- Contrary to public perceptions, foreign-born children are increasingly uninsured, rather than publicly insured, in the wake of immigration policy changes, according to a study by public health researchers. ... > full story
Secondhand Smoke Linked To Peripheral Artery Disease In Women (September 23, 2008) -- This is the first study to link secondhand smoke to increased risk of peripheral artery disease in women. Researchers found an increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease in older Chinese women who were exposed to secondhand smoke compared to those who were not exposed. Researchers said passive smoking is an important health hazard and should be discouraged by public health policy. ... > full story
Indian Spice In Turmeric Reduces Size Of Hemorrhagic Stroke (September 23, 2008) -- You might want to make curcumin part of your daily diet. This active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke, say Medical College of Georgia researchers. ... > full story
Acupuncture Reduces Side Effects Of Breast Cancer Treatment As Much As Conventional Drug Therapy, Study Suggests (September 23, 2008) -- Acupuncture is as effective and longer-lasting in managing the common debilitating side effects of hot flashes, night sweats and excessive sweating (vasomotor symptoms) associated with breast cancer treatment and has no treatment side effects compared to conventional drug therapy, according to a first-of-its-kind study. ... > full story
Is That Song Sexy Or Just So-so? (September 23, 2008) -- Why is your mate's rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" cute and sexy sometimes and so annoying at other times? A songbird study sheds new light on this question, showing that a change in hormone levels may alter the way we perceive social cues by altering a system of brain nuclei, common to all vertebrates, called the "social behavior network." ... > full story
Key Proteins Identified In The Quest For Male Contraceptive (September 23, 2008) -- In an advance toward a long-sought new male contraceptive, researchers in China have identified key proteins in men that suppress production of sperm and could become new targets for a future male birth control pill. ... > full story
Sinusitis Patients Have Pain Similar To The Elderly And People With Arthritis (September 23, 2008) -- Many patients with sinusitis have aches and pains similar in severity to people in their 80s and those with arthritis or depression. The new study also finds that endoscopic sinus surgery to clear clogged sinuses can bring significant pain relief. ... > full story
Fake Popup Warnings Fool Internet Users Even After Repeated Mistakes (September 23, 2008) -- Most Internet users are unable to distinguish genuine popup warnings messages from false ones -- even after repeated mistakes. The fake ones were designed to trick users into downloading harmful software. ... > full story
Pollution, Everyday Allergens, May Be Sources Of Laryngitis (September 23, 2008) -- Everyday exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, allergens, and air pollution may be the root of chronic cases of laryngitis. ... > full story
Cells That Mediate Steroid-resistant Asthma Identified (September 23, 2008) -- Researchers have identified cells that may play a key role in some forms of steroid-resistant asthma, a complication of the condition that makes treatment even more challenging. ... > full story
Patients Stay With Phone Psychotherapy Longer Than Office Visits (September 23, 2008) -- The problem with psychotherapy is that nearly half the patients quit going to the therapist's office after a few sessions. But a new meta-analysis has found that when patients receive psychotherapy for depression over the phone, more than 90 percent continue with it. The study is the first national "snapshot" of telephone-administered therapy. This therapy, which appears to be as effective for reducing depression as face-to-face therapy, is becoming more prevalent. ... > full story
New Approach To Treating Cystic Fibrosis Lung Infection Shows Promise (September 23, 2008) -- Researchers have found a new method of fighting severe lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. ... > full story
ATV Guidelines Inadequate, Study Finds (September 23, 2008) -- National size guidelines for all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are inadequate to ensure the safety of young riders, according to preliminary results from a study by researchers at the University of Kentucky. ... > full story
New Diagnostic Tool For Arthritis Could Stop Irreversible Damage (September 23, 2008) -- A new diagnostic tool for arthritis could stop irreversible damage from setting in. ... > full story
New Bluetooth System Orients Blind And Sighted Pedestrians (September 23, 2008) -- A new Bluetooth system designed primarily for blind people places a layer of information technology over the real world to tell pedestrians about points of interest along their path as they pass them. ... > full story
Exercise Effective In Helping Pregnant Women Kick The Habit (September 23, 2008) -- Exercise could be a useful tool in helping pregnant women to give up smoking, according to new research. Despite the warnings, 17% of women in the UK and 20% of women in the US still admit to smoking during pregnancy. This often leads to lower birth weight, higher infant mortality, and is linked to learning difficulties, problem behavior and asthma in childhood. ... > full story
New Insights Into How Cells Accessorize Their Proteins (September 23, 2008) -- Researchers have gained new insight into how the cell's vast array of proteins would instantly be reduced to a confusion of lethally malfunctioning molecules without a system for proteins to "accessorize" in order to regulate their function. ... > full story
Cost-effectiveness Of Genetic Screening To Guide Initial HIV Treatment Evaluated (September 23, 2008) -- A major study from a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that a recent change to HIV-treatment guidelines recommending genetic screening is cost-effective under certain conditions. ... > full story
New Tool For 'Right First Time' Drug Manufacture (September 23, 2008) -- A technology which provides high quality images of the crystallization process marks the next step towards a "right first time" approach to drug manufacture, according to engineers. ... > full story
Physicians Often Miss Opportunities To Show Empathy, Study Finds (September 23, 2008) -- In consultations with patients with lung cancer, physicians rarely responded empathically to the concerns of the patients about mortality, symptoms or treatment options, according to a new study. The study found that physicians missed many opportunities to recognize and possibly ease the concerns of their patients and routinely provided little emotional support. ... > full story
Heart Bypass Surgery: Deadly Delays (September 23, 2008) -- Delaying elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery may be a significant risk factor for post-operative death. Research published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research reveals that when patients received timely surgery, the risk of death was reduced by a third. ... > full story
What's The Main Risk Factor Of Gallstone Disease? (September 23, 2008) -- Gallstone disease is very common and costly. Preventive strategies are based on the knowledge of GD risk factors. This study reports the results of a multicenter project aimed at evaluating GD incidence and risk factors. 9611 subjects (5477 males, 4134 females, aged: 30-79 years) were evaluated; 4.4 percent had gallstones, 0.6 percent had been cholecystectomized; incidence rate was 0.67 percent per year. Increasing age and body mass index were identified as true risk factors for GD. ... > full story
Virtual Colonoscopy As Good As Other Colon Cancer Screening Methods, Study Finds (September 23, 2008) -- CT colonography, known as virtual colonoscopy, is as accurate at screening for colorectal cancers and pre-cancerous polyps as conventional colonoscopy, the current screening standard, according to the National CT Colonography Trial, a nationwide multi-center study that included the San Francisco VA Medical Center. ... > full story
Culture Shapes Young People's Drinking Habits (September 23, 2008) -- Whether young people get drunk as a purposeful behavior or as an unintended consequence depends on what country they live in, according to new research on young people in seven countries. The research finds that young people's views on alcohol and drunkenness were influenced more by culture than by factors such as age and sex. ... > full story
Political Attitudes Are Predicted By Physiological Traits, Research Finds (September 22, 2008) -- Is America's red-blue divide based on voters' physiology? A new paper in the journal Science explores the link. The study finds that those individuals with "measurably lower physical sensitivities to sudden noises and threatening visual images were more likely to support foreign aid, liberal immigration policies, pacifism and gun control, whereas individuals displaying measurably higher physiological reactions to those same stimuli were more likely to favor defense spending, capital punishment, patriotism and the Iraq War." ... > full story
Protein Identified That Plays Role In Blood Flow (September 22, 2008) -- Using atomic force microscopy -- a microscope with very high resolution -- and isolating blood vessels outside the body, researchers have identified a protein that plays an important role in the control of tissue blood flow and vascular resistance. This new knowledge brings researchers one step closer to understanding vascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other vascular problems. ... > full story
Different Stem Cell Types Defined By Exclusive Combinations Of Genes Working Together (September 22, 2008) -- In the new issue of Cell Stem Cell, scientists report that the same transcription factor, which is crucial for the survival of different stem cell types, can behave differently. This finding reveals important insights about how scientists may be able to manipulate and engineer different stem cells for the treatment of human degenerative disorders. Understanding the behavior of transcription factors, a class of gene regulators, helps pave the way for important advancements in stem cell technology and clinical research. ... > full story
Sexism Pays: Men Who Hold Traditional Views Of Women Earn More Than Men Who Don't, Study Shows (September 22, 2008) -- When it comes to sex roles in society, what you think may affect what you earn. A new study has found that men who believe in traditional roles for women earn more money than men who don't, and women with more egalitarian views don't make much more than women with a more traditional outlook. ... > full story
Scientists To Develop Blood Test For Alzheimer's (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers in the United Kingdom are joining forces to develop a simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story
Revealing The Regulating Mechanism Behind Signal Transduction In The Brain (September 22, 2008) -- Our brain consists of billions of cells that continually transmit signals to each other. This dynamic process works only when the brain cells make contact correctly, or, in other words, when there is a good "synapse." An essential element in this process is a controlled protein production along with the synapse. VIB researchers are now discovering how the Fragile X protein (FMRP) ensures that protein production is controlled at synapse and regulated by brain activity. ... > full story
What You Smell As You Sleep Influences Your Dreams (September 22, 2008) -- What you smell as you sleep has the power to influence your dreams, says new research. ... > full story
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