Medical Research News

RSS

Free bus pass increases physical activity in elderly

UK adults aged 60 years and over who take advantage of the 2002 introduction of a free bus pass undertake significantly more active travel than their peers who do not have a pass, indicate study results.

24 Sep 2012

Fingertip injuries can be treated successfully without surgery

Most fingertip injuries can be treated without surgery, research from a large New York City public hospital suggests.

24 Sep 2012

Location of fat determines diabetes risk in obesity

New tools are needed to discriminate risk for prediabetes and diabetes among obese individuals, suggest findings from a US study.

24 Sep 2012

Confusion reigns on best handover of patients from secondary to primary care

Several planned interventions have reportedly improved the quality and safety of patient handovers between hospital and primary care, yet robust evidence of their benefits is still lacking, conclude researchers who conducted a systematic review of studies to date.

24 Sep 2012

No time to lose in basilar artery occlusion treatment

Patients with basilar artery occlusion should undergo recanalization therapy as soon as possible, show data from BASICS.

24 Sep 2012

Concentrated high-protein liquid fortifier boosts ICU babies’ growth

Breast milk fortified with an ultraconcentrated high-protein liquid increases growth and is well-tolerated by preterm babies in comparison with a lower-protein enriched powder alternative, research shows.

24 Sep 2012

BG-12 effective for relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Results of the CONFIRM and DEFINE studies suggest that dimethyl fumarate should be considered as an oral treatment for patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis.

24 Sep 2012

Study on epigenetics link of PTSD and respiratory disease in 9/11 responders

The "Epigenetics Link of PTSD and Respiratory Disease in 9/11 Responders" study is the first to investigate the association between genetic changes and the development of both conditions in the 9/11 responder patient population. Approximately 500 patients treated at the LI-CCE for both conditions will be evaluated during the two-year study.

24 Sep 2012

Alarmingly high rates of obesity and smoking found among Pacific Islanders

In the first study to detail the health of Pacific Islanders living in the United States, University of Michigan researchers have found alarmingly high rates of obesity and smoking.

24 Sep 2012

Mailed sun protection kits lead to higher frequency of sun protective behaviors

A blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence more than doubles the adult risk of skin cancer. The accumulation of long-term sun exposure may be equally dangerous.

24 Sep 2012

Some children are less responsive to internal cues of hunger and fullness

When compared to their normal-weight siblings, overweight and obese children ate 34 percent more calories from snack foods even after eating a meal, reports a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing researcher in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That can be enough calories, if sustained over time, to continue excess weight gain.

24 Sep 2012

Low levels of vitamin D associated with higher risk of heart attack and early death

New research from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a markedly higher risk of heart attack and early death. The study involved more than 10,000 Danes and has been published in the well-reputed American journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

24 Sep 2012

Marijuana and testicular cancer: an interview with Victoria Cortessis

This is a set of malignancies that arise in germ cells of the testicles, the specialized cells that produce sperm. Taken together, testicular cancers are the most common form of malignancy that occurs in young men (approximately 15 to 35 years of age).

24 Sep 2012

Anesthetics and proteins: understanding the interactions

Spanish scientists at the University of the Basque Region and the University of La Rioja have combined mass-resolved electronic spectroscopy and ab initio calculations to model the interactions of anesthetics with proteins.

24 Sep 2012

Consuming fish with environmental pollutants can increase risk of cardiovascular diseases

Eat fish, but avoid fish with the most pollutants. This is the conclusion drawn by a group of researchers at Umeå University in Sweden after having weighed the risks of mercury content against the advantages of healthful fatty acids. The work was done as part of an international collaborative effort.

24 Sep 2012

Vitamin D deficiency affects more Australians than previously thought

September marks the start of spring but new research reveals it is also the month when Australians’ vitamin D levels are at their lowest ebb.

24 Sep 2012

Suicide now the leading cause of injury mortality in the U.S.

A published study by researchers from the West Virginia University School of Public Health and Injury Control Research Center found that suicide has now passed motor vehicle traffic crashes as the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States. Additionally, the disease rate has been declining while the injury rate has been rising.

24 Sep 2012

Genomic analysis of E. coli shows multiple steps to evolve new trait

Several years ago researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) reported discovering a novel, evolutionary trait in a long-studied population of Escherichia coli, a rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of mammals. The E. coli added a helping of citrate to its traditional diet of glucose, even though other E. coli can't consume citrate in the presence of oxygen.

24 Sep 2012

Study focuses on how teenage patients view privacy issues in online life while in hospital

A study of how chronically ill teenagers manage their privacy found that teen patients spend a great deal of time online and guard their privacy very consciously. "Not all my friends need to know": a qualitative study of teenage patients, privacy and social media, was published this summer in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and co-authored by Norwegian and Canadian researchers.

24 Sep 2012

Global trade pressures may heighten disease incidence

The pressures of global trade may heighten disease incidence by dictating changes in land use. A boom in disease-carrying ticks and chiggers has followed the abandonment of rice cultivation in Taiwanese paddies, say ecologist Chi-Chien Kuo and colleagues, demonstrating the potential for global commodities pricing to drive the spread of infections.

24 Sep 2012