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Children with cleft lip or palate and spina bifida at increased risk for abuse

Children born with cleft lip or palate and spina bifida are at an increased risk for abuse before the age of 2, according to researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

11 Dec 2015

Scientists find effective antiviral mechanisms to inhibit chikungunya virus

Scientists looking at the antiviral mechanisms of two previously identified human monoclonal antibodies have found they potently inhibit chikungunya virus (CHIKV) at multiple stages of infection.

11 Dec 2015

Higher nurse staffing levels and better working conditions improve survival following IHCA

Patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) have low survival rates--but why do some hospitals achieve higher survival than others? Higher nurse staffing levels and better working conditions may be part of the answer, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care.

11 Dec 2015

Study offers valuable insight into early identification of ASD

An increasing proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are undergoing recommended evaluation in the preschool years--but population rates of ASD remain higher in eight-year-olds compared to four-year-olds, reports a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

11 Dec 2015

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose threat to male reproductive health

The birth rate is declining in all industrialised countries, and socioeconomic factors and women's age are not solely to blame. Male reproductive health and environmental factors are also significant, as concluded in a new scientific review article.

11 Dec 2015

TB sidetracked in the fight against HIV epidemic in Malawi

Tuberculosis seems to have fallen between the cracks in poverty-stricken Malawi's sponsor-dependent health sector. The dominating focus on HIV may have left parts of Africa with a skewed health service, say researchers.

11 Dec 2015

Repeating abnormal PSA tests can reduce unnecessary biopsies

For more than 20 years, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has been used to help screen for prostate cancer, but in recent years, some task forces have called for this blood test to be abandoned because it leads to many unnecessary biopsies.

11 Dec 2015

Vagus nerve stimulation prevents hemorrhagic complications following surgery

Stimulating the vagus nerve is a potentially efficacious and safe way to stop the flow of blood and prevent hemorrhagic complications following surgery and other invasive procedures, according to a researcher in the Center for Bioelectronic Medicine at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.

11 Dec 2015

Neuroscientists find link between neurotransmitter GABA and tactile learning

In an international collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA), neuroscientists at the Ruhr-University Bochum have determined a link between brain levels of the neurotransmitter GABA, the main source of inhibition in the brain, and tactile learning. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, they were able to show that success in learning can be predicted by baseline GABA levels.

11 Dec 2015

Specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency can alter forebrain activity, alertness levels

Adjusting a specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency immediately and dramatically alters rats' forebrain activity and alertness levels, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have shown.

11 Dec 2015

Study may help guide patients and physicians to determine appropriate treatment option for early breast cancer

In a review of guideline-concordant treatment modalities for women with early stage breast cancer, mastectomy and reconstruction had the highest rate of complications and complication-related costs, regardless of age. It was also the most expensive treatment option in a younger patient population, according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2015

Postponing chemotherapy may increase risk of death for triple-negative breast cancer patients

Postponing the start of adjuvant chemotherapy for more than 90 days following surgery may significantly increase risk of death for breast cancer patients, particularly those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to a new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

11 Dec 2015

Cancer drug can neutralize toxic RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy

A group of researchers has shown for the first time in cells and in a mouse model that a drug used to treat cancer can neutralize the toxic RNA that causes the prolonged muscle contractions and other symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy.

11 Dec 2015

Shank3 gene linked to both autism and schizophrenia

Although it is known that psychiatric disorders have a strong genetic component, untangling the web of genes contributing to each disease is a daunting task. Scientists have found hundreds of genes that are mutated in patients with disorders such as autism, but each patient usually has only a handful of these variations.

10 Dec 2015

Videregen-led TETRA consortium awarded EUR 6.8 million for pivotal Phase II trial of replacement trachea

The pan-European TETRA consortium, led by Videregen Limited, has been awarded EUR 6.8 million under the Horizon 2020 programme for a pivotal Phase II clinical trial of the company's tissue engineered replacement trachea.

10 Dec 2015

More California college students seeking mental health treatment, new RAND study shows

The proportion of California public university and college students receiving treatment for mental health issues increased more than 10 percent in the final year of a statewide prevention and early intervention program, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

10 Dec 2015

Circuit awarded contract to pursue optogenetic therapies for peripheral nervous system indications

Circuit Therapeutics today announced that it has been awarded a 2.7 million dollar contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to pursue optogenetic therapies for peripheral nervous system indications. The award, part of DARPA's Electrical Prescriptions (ElectRX) program, will enable Circuit to pursue research and development projects related to its treatment for neuropathic pain.

10 Dec 2015

Too much sleep, too much sitting may shorten life

Sleeping more than nine hours a night, and sitting too much during the day could be a hazardous combination, particularly when added to a lack of exercise, according to new findings to emerge from the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study.

10 Dec 2015

Happiness has no direct effect on mortality, say experts

A study of women in the UK has shown that there is no evidence to suggest that happiness has any direct effect on reducing mortality, despite the widespread belief that being unhappy can directly cause ill health.

10 Dec 2015

Caregiver-implemented singing beneficial in early stages of dementia

Researchers led by Dr. Teppo Särkämö at University of Helsinki, Finland have revealed that caregiver-implemented musical leisure activities, particularly singing, are cognitively and emotionally beneficial especially in the early stages of dementia. The findings could help improve dementia care and better target the use of music in different stages of dementia.

10 Dec 2015