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Benzodiazepines associated with fatal pneumonia

Benzodiazepines are associated with an increased risk for developing pneumonia, as well as an increased risk for dying from pneumonia, research shows.

12 Dec 2012

Radioactive iodine benefits selected papillary thyroid cancer patients

Radioactive iodine may be selectively used for the treatment of intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer in patients who are aged over 45 years with tumors smaller than 4 cm that are confined to the thyroid gland, say US scientists.

12 Dec 2012

Ancient algae may hold key to treating malaria and related parasites

Researchers have discovered that parasites of the Apicomplexa taxon, such as Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii, reproduce within host cells using a structure that evolved from a flagellum.

12 Dec 2012

Hospice use driven by finance rather than patient eligibility

Barriers to hospice care in the USA could be more to do with individual hospices' enrollment policies than with patients’ true eligibility, indicate study findings.

12 Dec 2012

Later puberty onset protective against testicular cancer

Males who undergo puberty late appear to have a lower than average risk for developing testicular cancer, report scientists, who emphasize that early puberty is not associated with an increased cancer risk.

12 Dec 2012

Cognitive retrieval impaired in schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia show impairments in the autobiographical memory retrieval brain network, French researchers report.

12 Dec 2012

Decreased air pollution continues to increase life expectancy in USA

Significant reductions in air pollution over the past decade have improved life expectancy across various US counties, report researchers, although they stress that optimum air quality levels have not yet been reached.

12 Dec 2012

Prematurity marks the adult heart

People born preterm have compromised cardiac structure and function as young adults, a study shows.

12 Dec 2012

The argument for vision insurance

Individuals with vision insurance are more likely than those without it to have had recent eye care visits, and to have no difficulty reading printed matter or recognizing their friends from across the street, report US researchers.

12 Dec 2012

Many deaths among schizophrenia, bipolar patients ‘avoidable’

More than half of all deaths in patients aged less than 75 years with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are avoidable, results from a UK study show.

12 Dec 2012

African–American rectal cancer patients wait the longest for treatment

African–American rectal cancer patients wait longer for treatment and are less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy than their non-African–American counterparts, results show.

12 Dec 2012

$Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.$

Study finds increase in prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment in the U.S.

The prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment (not due to need for glasses) in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years, which may be partly related to a higher prevalence of diabetes, an associated risk factor, according to a study in the December 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Dec 2012

Epi-marks can lead to homosexuality

Epigenetics - how gene expression is regulated by temporary switches, called epi-marks - appears to be a critical and overlooked factor contributing to the long-standing puzzle of why homosexuality occurs.

12 Dec 2012

Emotion helps us recognize words quicker and more accurately straight away

Does the emotion in our voice have a lasting effect? According to Annett Schirmer and colleagues from the National University of Singapore, emotion helps us recognize words quicker and more accurately straight away.

12 Dec 2012

Older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to fear of falling

A new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that between 40 to 50 percent of older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to a fear of falling. Vision scientists warn that this protective strategy puts seniors at risk for social isolation and disability.

12 Dec 2012