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Air pollution hampers fetal growth

Exposure to common air pollutants and traffic during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of restricted fetal growth, even at levels well below those stipulated in current European Union (EU) air-quality directives, according to one of the largest studies of its kind, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

17 Oct 2013

Scientists identify recessive gene mutation that reduces certain protein affecting brain development

Though worlds apart, four unrelated families have been united in a medical mystery over the source of a rare inherited disorder that results in their children being born with abnormal brain growth and severe functional impairments.

17 Oct 2013

Doctors who make eye contact seem more empathetic to patients

Doctors who make a lot of eye contact are viewed as more likable and empathetic by patients, according to a new Northwestern Medicine- study.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers use technology to help immobilized stroke survivors regain some independence

A team of researchers from Montreal has found that stroke patients living with Locked-In Syndrome (LIS) who cannot move, swallow or even breathe on their own, can regain a remarkable level of independence with technological help.

17 Oct 2013

Study focuses on vaccine-preventable illnesses in myasthenia gravis patients

A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine is considered a good first step in collecting data on vaccine-preventable illnesses in patients with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder causing weakness and rapid fatigue of voluntary muscles.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers find 5-fold increase in high cholesterol risk

What leads to high cholesterol? Your genes and lifestyle factors may not explain it all. A study presented today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress has connected some of the risk for high cholesterol in adults to their mother's cholesterol levels before she even became pregnant.

17 Oct 2013

Study explores advantages of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy for treating hyperparathyroidism

An open surgical procedure called bilateral neck exploration has been the gold standard operation for treating patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. But the development of a minimally invasive procedure to remove the parathyroid gland now offers a new option.

17 Oct 2013

Study shows that brains process pain of villains more than pain of people we like

Counterintuitive findings from a new USC study show that the part of the brain that is associated with empathizing with the pain of others is activated more strongly by watching the suffering of hateful people as opposed to likable people.

17 Oct 2013

Elderly people with hardening of arteries are more likely to have beta-amyloid plaques in brain

Even for elderly people with no signs of dementia, those with hardening of the arteries are more likely to also have the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the October 16, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers find novel drug target for anaplastic thyroid carcinomas

Anaplastic thyroid carcinomas are aggressive tumors that do not respond to traditional radio- or chemotherapeutic agents, and there currently is no cure or effective treatment available. Median survival from diagnosis is 5 months, and although ATC accounts for only 1.7% of all thyroid cancers in the U.S., it is responsible for a large proportion of thyroid cancer-related deaths.

17 Oct 2013

Scientists uncover faulty brain mechanism that may underlie schizophrenia in humans

Working with mice genetically engineered to display symptoms of schizophrenia, neuroscientists at the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have uncovered a faulty brain mechanism that may underlie schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders in humans.

17 Oct 2013

UTHealth researchers study how probiotic may help reduce gut inflammation in infants with colic

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have begun a study investigating whether a probiotic might be helpful in reducing gut inflammation in infants with colic.

17 Oct 2013

Spraying plant hormone on broccoli may boost cancer-fighting potential

Spraying a plant hormone on broccoli - already one of the planet's most nutritious foods - boosts its cancer-fighting potential, and researchers say they have new insights on how that works.

17 Oct 2013

Scientists identify 127 mutated genes that appear to drive development of tumors in the body

Examining 12 major types of cancer, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified 127 repeatedly mutated genes that appear to drive the development and progression of a range of tumors in the body. The discovery sets the stage for devising new diagnostic tools and more personalized cancer treatments.

17 Oct 2013

Research in mouse whiskers reveals signal pathway from touch neuron to brain

Human fingertips have several types of sensory neurons that are responsible for relaying touch signals to the central nervous system. Scientists have long believed these neurons followed a linear path to the brain with a "labeled-lines" structure.

17 Oct 2013

Babies born to teen mothers have underdeveloped speaking skills, says study

Babies born to teen mothers have less developed speaking skills at age five than children of older mothers, a new study has found.

17 Oct 2013

Research findings point the way to new class of antibiotics for skin and heart infections

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a new mechanism by which the deadly Staphylococcus aureus bacteria attack and kill off immune cells. Their findings, published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, explain a critical survival tactic of a pathogen that causes more skin and heart infections than any other microbe, and kills more than 100,000 Americans every year.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers develop simple blood test to identify patient with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

For the first time, a simple blood test may be the best way to determine if a patient is suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or another serious condition such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, according to Cedars-Sinai physician researcher Mark Pimentel, MD, lead author of a multicenter clinical trial.

17 Oct 2013

Study shows treatment for hypothyroidism is not associated with weight loss in most people

Decreased thyroid function, or hypothyroidism, is commonly associated with weight gain. But contrary to popular belief, effective treatment with levothyroxine (LT4) to restore normal thyroid hormone levels is not associated with clinically significant weight loss in most people.

17 Oct 2013

Simple urine test uses nanotechnology to detect dangerous blood clotting

Life-threatening blood clots can form in anyone who sits on a plane for a long time, is confined to bed while recovering from surgery, or takes certain medications.

17 Oct 2013

Medical Research News

Air pollution hampers fetal growth

Scientists identify recessive gene mutation that reduces certain protein affecting brain development

Doctors who make eye contact seem more empathetic to patients

Researchers use technology to help immobilized stroke survivors regain some independence

Study focuses on vaccine-preventable illnesses in myasthenia gravis patients

Researchers find 5-fold increase in high cholesterol risk

Study explores advantages of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy for treating hyperparathyroidism

Study shows that brains process pain of villains more than pain of people we like

Elderly people with hardening of arteries are more likely to have beta-amyloid plaques in brain

Researchers find novel drug target for anaplastic thyroid carcinomas

Scientists uncover faulty brain mechanism that may underlie schizophrenia in humans

UTHealth researchers study how probiotic may help reduce gut inflammation in infants with colic

Spraying plant hormone on broccoli may boost cancer-fighting potential

Scientists identify 127 mutated genes that appear to drive development of tumors in the body

Research in mouse whiskers reveals signal pathway from touch neuron to brain

Babies born to teen mothers have underdeveloped speaking skills, says study

Research findings point the way to new class of antibiotics for skin and heart infections

Researchers develop simple blood test to identify patient with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Study shows treatment for hypothyroidism is not associated with weight loss in most people

Simple urine test uses nanotechnology to detect dangerous blood clotting

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Exploring the Future of Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Genomic conservation in Thailand's mangroves

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