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Gray matter changes reflect psychosis burden

Changes in gray matter volume may be associated with psychosis burden rather than clinical diagnosis, research suggests.

14 Nov 2013

Parkinson’s biomarker could be only skin deep

Deposits of α-synuclein in cutaneous nerves could represent a noninvasive biomarker for Parkinson’s disease, say researchers.

14 Nov 2013

Men’s cognitive advantage maintained in early bipolar disorder

Patients in the early stages of bipolar disorder show the same gender differences in cognitive functioning as mentally healthy individuals, findings from the STOP-EM trial show.

14 Nov 2013

Depression link to Parkinson’s risk bolstered

A large retrospective study supports the notion that depression may be an independent risk factor for Parkinson’s disease.

14 Nov 2013

Screening for nonmotor symptoms in early Parkinson’s urged

Nonmotor symptoms have a substantial impact on the health-related quality of life of patients with early Parkinson’s disease, research shows.

14 Nov 2013

Diagnosing influenza with rapid tests leads to more efficient care

When patients in the emergency department (ED) are diagnosed with influenza by means of a rapid test, they get fewer unnecessary antibiotics, are prescribed antiviral medications more frequently, and have fewer additional lab tests compared to patients diagnosed with influenza without testing, according to a new study. Published online in the Journal of the Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Society, the findings suggest that diagnosing influenza with a rapid diagnostic test leads to more appropriate, specific, and efficient care.

14 Nov 2013

Severe sepsis mortality rates decrease over the past 20 years

A recent study from Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center shows a significant decrease in severe sepsis mortality rates over the past 20 years. Looking at data from patients with severe sepsis enrolled in clinical trials, researchers found that in-hospital mortality rates decreased from 47 percent between 1991 and 1995 to 29 percent between 2006 and 2009, a time period when no new pharmacological treatments were developed for severe sepsis.

14 Nov 2013

Researchers generate most complete genome sequences from single cells and individual neurons

Researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have generated the most complete genome sequences from single E. coli cells and individual neurons from the human brain. The breakthrough comes from a new single-cell genome sequencing technique that confines genome amplification to fluid-filled wells with a volume of just 12 nanoliters.

14 Nov 2013

New research devises effective way to evaluate severity of pulmonary hypertension

An aim to improve the outlook for people suffering from pulmonary hypertension is the focus of research at Griffith University.

14 Nov 2013

TAILORED-Treatment project to increase effectiveness of antibiotics receives EU funding

The European Union has funded a 4 year project called TAILORED-Treatment with € 6.000.000,-. The main goal of TAILORED -Treatment is to establish a strategy that can be used to increase the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment, reduce any potential side-effects of therapy, and help limit the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in hospitalized children and adults. The project will be coordinated by Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

14 Nov 2013

Study reveals how cocaine permanently damages proteins in the body

A new study on cocaine, the notorious white powder illegally snorted, injected or smoked by nearly 2 million Americans, details how it may permanently damage proteins in the body. That information, gleaned from laboratory tests, could be used to potentially detect the drug in biofluids for weeks or months - instead of days - after use, say scientists. The findings, which appear in the ACS journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, could also help explain cocaine's long-term health effects.

14 Nov 2013

Research findings call for a rethinking of cancer genetics

Johns Hopkins researchers report that the deletion of any single gene in yeast cells puts pressure on the organism’s genome to compensate, leading to a mutation in another gene. Their discovery, which is likely applicable to human genetics because of the way DNA is conserved across species, could have significant consequences for the way genetic analysis is done in cancer and other areas of research, they say.

14 Nov 2013

Hormone therapy does not help menopausal women who do not have hot flashes

Hormones at menopause can help with sleep, memory, and more, but only when a woman also has hot flashes, find researchers at Helsinki University in Finland. Their study was published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

14 Nov 2013

Skeletal problems now added to list of diabetes complications

The list of complications from type 2 diabetes is long: vascular and heart disease, eye problems, nerve damage, kidney disease, hearing problems and Alzheimer's disease. Physicians have long thought of osteoporosis as another outcome. Based on a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, that's confirmed: You can definitely add skeletal problems to that list.

14 Nov 2013

Novel IRL-1620 compound may be useful in treating Alzheimer's disease

The novel compound IRL-1620 may be useful in treating Alzheimer's disease as it has been shown to prevent cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in animal models. This research is being presented at the 2013 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting and Exposition, the world's largest pharmaceutical sciences meeting, in San Antonio, Nov. 10-14.

14 Nov 2013

Mount Sinai researchers successfully test SUMO-1 gene therapy to reverse heart failure

Researchers at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have successfully tested a powerful gene therapy, delivered directly into the heart, to reverse heart failure in large animal models.

14 Nov 2013

People with higher pulse pressure more likely to have Alzheimer's biomarkers in cerebral spinal fluid

People in middle age who have a high blood pressure measure called pulse pressure are more likely to have biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease in their spinal fluid than those with lower pulse pressure, according to research published in the November 13, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

14 Nov 2013

Gluten in the diet may modify intestinal microbiome, increasing incidences of Type 1 diabetes

Research has shown that the intestinal microbiome plays a large role in the development of Type 1 diabetes. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic have demonstrated that gluten in the diet may modify the intestinal microbiome, increasing incidences of Type 1 diabetes. The research was published Nov. 13, in the journal PLOS ONE.

14 Nov 2013

Research findings could help decrease risk of dengue

A study by an international team of researchers led by Anna M. Stewart Ibarra, Ph.D., of the Center for Global Health and Translational Science at SUNY Upstate Medical University, has provided public health officials with information that will help decrease the risk of dengue, a life-threatening mosquito-borne viral disease that is now one of the fastest spreading tropical diseases globally.

14 Nov 2013

Over 50% of nonsurgical patients prescribed opioids during hospitalizations, analysis finds

Amid a growing climate of concern regarding the overuse of opioid pain medications, a comprehensive analysis of more than 1 million hospital admissions has found that over 50 percent of all nonsurgical patients were prescribed opioids during their hospitalizations -- often at very high doses -- and that more than half of those exposed were still receiving these medications on the day they were discharged from the hospital.

14 Nov 2013