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Overweight children face increased risk of asthma

Overweight and obesity are significant risk factors for reduced lung function in school-aged children with a history of early childhood wheezing, according to a study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. The results also showed that the use of inhaled corticosteroids for asthma in childhood may result in reduced bone mineral density in early teenage years.

2 Jan 2014

New research shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat gets reduced

As most people resolve themselves to lose weight this New Year, here's why it seems to get easier and easier to pack on unwanted pounds: New research published in the January 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, shows that as we age, the thermogenic activity of brown fat is reduced. Brown fat is a "good" fat located in the backs of our necks that helps burn "bad" white fat around our bellies. Additionally, the researchers also discovered a possible metabolic on/off switch that could reactivate brown fat.

2 Jan 2014

Shingles may increase risk of stroke in later life, study finds

Having shingles may increase the risk of having a stroke years later, according to research published in the January 2, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Jan 2014

Resting-state connectivity and metabolism dissociated in schizophrenia

A neuroimaging study suggests that patients with schizophrenia have difficulty deactivating the default mode network, rather than having increased absolute metabolic activity.

2 Jan 2014

Family history points to more severe bipolar disorder

A family history of mood disorders is associated with more severe symptoms at presentation and a poorer clinical course in patients with bipolar disorder, show findings from the STEP-BD study.

2 Jan 2014

Study finds only small therapeutic effect of CBT on schizophrenic symptoms

Health organisations around the world recommend a form of psychotherapy, known as cognitive-behavioural therapy or CBT, for patients with schizophrenia. Now, however, the most extensive study ever undertaken into its effect on the symptoms of the disorder finds little impact, according to a team of international researchers.

2 Jan 2014

Blood conservation strategy during AVR can reduce costs, complications

Incorporating a blood conservation strategy (BCS) during aortic valve replacement (AVR) can reduce the likelihood of transfusion-related complications, as well as reduce blood-product utilization, according to a study in the January 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

2 Jan 2014

TAVI is an effective alternative to AVR for treating aortic stenosis in very elderly patients

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) appears to be an effective alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) for the treatment of aortic stenosis in very elderly patients, including those age 85 years and older, according to a study in the January 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

2 Jan 2014

Research confirms superior antitumor activity of novel anticancer agent FL118

A team led by Fengzhi Li, PhD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute has reported significant new findings regarding the chemical structure of the novel anticancer agent FL118. The research, which included comparative analysis of the agent and several similar compounds, confirms the broad, superior antitumor activity of FL118 and suggests promising directions for further studies.

2 Jan 2014

Study reveals potential links to the underlying causes of cancers

New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links to the underlying causes of many cancers.

2 Jan 2014

PLGA tubes better than nerve autografts for repairing sciatic nerve injury

The viscoelasticity of natural and artificial biomaterials can be suitable for human physiological function by matching stress relaxation and creep properties.

2 Jan 2014

Study: Medical students concerned about becoming desensitized to the needs of dying patient

The imminent death of a patient is riddled with emotions for a patient and family as well as the medical team. A study based on the reflections of third-year Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine students is shedding light on the struggle physicians in training often face when trying to control their own emotions while not becoming desensitized to the needs of the dying patient and his or her family.

2 Jan 2014

New tool may help predict retinal detachment after open globe injuries

Ocular trauma causing open globe injury, or a breach in the wall of the eye, remains an important cause of vision loss, with more than 200,000 open globe injuries occurring worldwide each year. In many cases, retinal detachment follows the traumatic injury, causing significant vision loss or blindness.

2 Jan 2014

Women with high blood pressure need more optimal treatment than men

Doctors may need to treat high blood pressure in women earlier and more aggressively than they do in men, according to scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

2 Jan 2014

Researchers identify two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas

Stand Up To Cancer, the charitable initiative supporting ground-breaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated timeframe, announces that Jeffrey A. Sosman, M.D., a Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Dream Team investigator, William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., a 2009 Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant recipient and colleagues identified two novel BRAF fusions in melanomas previously considered to be negative for molecular targets, and that melanomas with these fusions were found to be potentially sensitive to anticancer drugs called MEK inhibitors, according to a study recently published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

2 Jan 2014

GRU combines with national Cooperative to improve treatment of reproductive health

Georgia Regents University has joined the national Cooperative Multicenter Reproductive Medicine Network designed to enable large clinical trials that improve the diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health issues such as male and female infertility.

2 Jan 2014

Researchers reveal how emotions are experienced in body

Emotions adjust our mental and also bodily states to cope with the challenges detected in the environment. These sensations arising from the bodily changes are an important feature of our emotional experiences.

2 Jan 2014

Study examines prevalence, severity and factors associated with chronic pain after breast cancer surgery

In a study that included more than 800 women who had undergone surgery for breast cancer, the majority reported some level of pain 12 months after surgery, and factors associated with pain included chronic preoperative pain, chemotherapy, preoperative depression and pain in the area to be operated, according to a study appearing in the January 1 issue of JAMA.

2 Jan 2014

Rates of smoking, drinking and drug use are higher among people with psychotic disorders

In the largest ever assessment of substance use among people with severe psychiatric illness, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Southern California have found that rates of smoking, drinking and drug use are significantly higher among those who have psychotic disorders than among those in the general population.

2 Jan 2014

Innovative therapy offers new hope to breast cancer patients

A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast tumor cells and prevents cancer development in mice, could one day provide a new way to treat early stages of the disease without resorting to surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, a multi-institutional team led by researchers from the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University reported January 1 in Science Translational Medicine.

2 Jan 2014