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Study: Gene variant, urban environment increase risk of severe disease in children infected with RSV

A particular genetic mutation combined with an urban environment increases the risk of severe disease in children infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an international team of investigators has found.

8 Apr 2015

Women with inherited BRCA1/2 mutations at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers

In a study that involved more than 31,000 women who are carriers of disease-associated mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, researchers identified mutations that were associated with significantly different risks of breast and ovarian cancers, findings that may have implications for risk assessment and cancer prevention decision making among carriers of these mutations, according to a study in the April 7 issue of JAMA.

8 Apr 2015

RAND report examines sleep problems in U.S. military members

Improving the quality and quantity of U.S. military members' sleep following deployment could help reduce other health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

8 Apr 2015

Brain's primary visual cortex can drive the timing of actions

When managing, assigning each task to a specialist is often the most efficient strategy. Most researchers regard the brain as working similarly, with each region specialized to a given task. But Johns Hopkins neuroscientists have found, in rats, that the brain's primary visual cortex (VC) not only portrays the visual world but can also drive the timing of actions.

8 Apr 2015

Impulse control disorders do not promote cognitive decline in PD

Impulse control disorders in patients with Parkinson’s disease are not associated with more marked impairment of cognitive function, researchers report.

7 Apr 2015

Early neuropsychiatric symptoms prevalent in PD

Neuropsychiatric symptoms, but not cognitive impairment, are common in early untreated patients with Parkinson’s disease, suggest findings from the multicentre Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative.

7 Apr 2015

Deep brain stimulation reduces PD pain severity but does not prevent it

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation has a beneficial effect on pain severity in patients with Parkinson’s disease that persists for up to 8 years, say researchers, but new onset of musculoskeletal pain in many suggests its effects are not enduring.

7 Apr 2015

Bilirubin levels raised in newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease

Bilirubin levels are upregulated in patients with early Parkinson’s disease and are associated with disease progression at 2 years, a study shows.

7 Apr 2015

Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation announces $4.5M investment for 9 homegrown researchers

The Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation is proud to announce a $4.5 million investment for 9 homegrown researchers, thanks to the continued generosity of its donors and partners.

7 Apr 2015

Researchers examine catheter-related bloodstream infections in patients receiving home parenteral nutrition

Catheter-related bloodstream infection is the most prevalent and severe complication for patients who receive parenteral nutrition therapy at home.

7 Apr 2015

New blood test may more accurately identify biomarkers for Parkinson's disease

A new blood test may more accurately identify blood signatures, or biomarkers, for Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study published in the journal Movement Disorders.

7 Apr 2015

CXCR3 molecule is key mediator of melanoma metastasis, shows research

In a unique partnership demonstrating excellence in "team science," Dartmouth investigators from Norris Cotton Cancer Center identified a role for the molecule CXCR3 (widely known to regulate the migration of immune cells) as a key mediator of melanoma metastasis.

7 Apr 2015

RNA could be a potential target for new anticancer drugs, say UC Berkeley scientists

Most of today's anticancer drugs target the DNA or proteins in tumor cells, but a new discovery by University of California, Berkeley, scientists unveils a whole new set of potential targets: the RNA intermediaries between DNA and proteins.

7 Apr 2015

Study: Key signaling pathway in B-cell lymphoma can be blocked using compounds

Cancer researchers from the University of Zurich have identified a key signaling pathway in B-cell lymphoma, a malignant type of blood cancer.

7 Apr 2015

Not all psychopaths fit the 'cold, callous and untreatable' stereotype, shows study

Movie villains from Norman Bates to Hannibal Lecter have popularized the notion of the psychopath as cold, cruel, lacking in empathy and beyond the reach of treatment.

7 Apr 2015

Common cancers deform mitochondria to create conducive environment for tumor growth

In a breakthrough in the understanding of how cancer does its deadly work, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have shown that many cancers - including nearly all pancreatic cancers - enslave and deform mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, to create an environment more conducive to tumor growth.

7 Apr 2015

Younger patients can benefit from ACL surgery

A new study appearing in the April issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS), found that most patients who underwent surgery to repair and rebuild an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, showed significant improvement in physical function at two years, which continued for at least six years following surgery.

7 Apr 2015