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Antioxidants and pancreatic cancer risk: an interview with Dr Andrew Hart

The antioxidants that we mainly looked at were selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E. They are chemicals which inactivate pro-oxidants or free radicals. Smoking and normal metabolism can lead to the production of free radicals.

30 Jul 2012

Study extends scientific understanding of how pheromones activate the vomeronasal organ

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is one of evolution's most direct enforcers. From its niche within the nose in most land-based vertebrates, it detects pheromones and triggers corresponding basic-instinct behaviors, from compulsive mating to male-on-male death matches. A new study from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, published online in Nature Neuroscience on July 29, 2012, extends the scientific understanding of how pheromones activate the VNO, and has implications for sensory transduction experiments in other fields.

30 Jul 2012

Elsevier introduces Applied and Translational Genomics journal

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announces the launch of Applied and Translational Genomics, an open access journal.

30 Jul 2012

Physical activity teaching in UK medical schools virtually “non-existent”

UK medical school teaching on physical activity is “sparse or non-existent,” finds research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

30 Jul 2012

Fruit flies help pinpoint genetic changes that spell cancer

By studying fruit flies, scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have successfully devised a fast and cost-saving way to uncover genetic changes that have a higher potential to cause cancer. With this new approach, researchers will now be able to rapidly distinguish the range of genetic changes that are causally linked to cancer (i.e. "driver" mutations) versus those with limited impact on cancer progression.

30 Jul 2012

Group yoga can boost motor function and balance in stroke survivors

Group yoga can improve motor function and balance in stroke survivors, even if they don't begin yoga until six months or more after the stroke, according to "Post-Stroke Balance Improves With Yoga: A Pilot Study," published online July 26 in the journal Stroke.

30 Jul 2012

Insight into neural basis of human consciousness

Which areas of the brain help us to perceive our world in a self-reflective manner is difficult to measure. During wakefulness, we are always conscious of ourselves. In sleep, however, we are not. But there are people, known as lucid dreamers, who can become aware of dreaming during sleep. Studies employing magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) have now been able to demonstrate that a specific cortical network consisting of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the frontopolar regions and the precuneus is activated when this lucid consciousness is attained.

30 Jul 2012

Barefoot running in and of itself is neither good nor bad

Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila made history when he earned a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. His speed and agility won him the gold, but it was barefoot running that made him a legend.

30 Jul 2012

Lack of sleep can influence the way you perform certain tasks

Anyone that has ever had trouble sleeping can attest to the difficulties at work the following day. Experts recommend eight hours of sleep per night for ideal health and productivity, but what if five to six hours of sleep is your norm? Is your work still negatively affected? A team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered that regardless of how tired you perceive yourself to be, that lack of sleep can influence the way you perform certain tasks.

30 Jul 2012

Five physicians receive ASTRO research grants to promote advancement of radiation therapy

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has awarded five physicians with research grants to promote the continued advancement of radiation therapy-the Junior Faculty Career Research Training Award and the Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant Award. Recipients were selected by ASTRO's Research Evaluation Committee.

28 Jul 2012

NICE steps up physical activity efforts

NICE has launched a public health briefing for local governments on how to promote physical activity, warning that staging the Olympics may not be enough to get people up off their sofas and taking exercise.

27 Jul 2012

Vitamin D link to lung function in smokers

Vitamin D levels seem to determine the rate of lung function decline among smokers, the results of an American study show.

27 Jul 2012

Steak and ticks: A potentially life-threatening experience

Tick bites can trigger a severe, delayed allergic reaction to red meat, suggest findings published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

27 Jul 2012

Increased risk for AMI following hip- and knee-replacement surgery

Elderly patients are at a significantly increased risk for acute myocardial infarction in the 2 weeks following total hip- or knee-replacement surgery, research shows.

27 Jul 2012

Sirolimus has anti-skin cancer effect in kidney transplant patients

Switching from calcineurin inhibitors to a sirolimus-containing immunosuppression regimen may help reduce the incidence of secondary skin cancer after kidney transplantation, suggests research published in TheNew England Journal of Medicine.

27 Jul 2012

Oximetry detects sleep disorder in stroke patients

Nocturnal oximetry is an accurate instrument for detecting and diagnosing sleep apnea syndrome in patients with stroke, research indicates.

27 Jul 2012

Long-term use of reverse geometry lenses may induce inflammatory response

Continuous long-term overnight use of reverse geometry lenses results in a significantly increased presence of inflammatory mediators compared with wearing 30-night silicone-hydrogel contact lenses or wearing no lenses, show study results.

27 Jul 2012

Discrepancies in ICU use identified

An analysis of intensive care unit use in the USA reveals that many patients admitted to this specialist department are at low risk for mortality, while more than half of patients with a high mortality risk are admitted to other departments.

27 Jul 2012

Long-term linagliptin effective treatment for Type 2 diabetes

Linagliptin is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for the long-term management of Type 2 diabetes, say the authors of an open-label extension study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

27 Jul 2012

Altered default network connectivity in FEP patients

Patients with a first episode of psychosis show altered functional connectivity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex default network subsystem, researchers report.

27 Jul 2012