Medical Research News

RSS

Poor sleep not a significant predictor of fibromyalgia pain intensity

Patients coping with the complex pain disorder fibromyalgia often have difficulty sleeping, and a new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that despite the negative quality of life implications, poor sleep is not a significant predictor of fibromyalgia pain intensity and duration.

23 Apr 2012

Opiate addiction disorders associated with opioid-induced hyperalgesia

Patients with addictive disorders who take methadone or other opioid medications for pain will experience heightened sensitivity to pain, known as hyperalgesia, and new research published in The Journal of Pain shows that the condition does not improve over the course of treatment.

23 Apr 2012

Scientists grow hair on bald mice

Japanese researchers have successfully regrown hair on a bald mouse. This could mean hair related solutions for many men and women with baldness in future.

22 Apr 2012

Two salt reduction strategies could decrease CVD mortality

Voluntary industry reductions in salt content and taxation on products containing salt in 19 developing countries could reduce the number of deaths each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 2-3 per cent in these countries.

21 Apr 2012

Study: Your best side may be your left cheek

Your best side may be your left cheek, according to a new study by Kelsey Blackburn and James Schirillo from Wake Forest University in the US. Their work shows that images of the left side of the face are perceived and rated as more pleasant than pictures of the right side of the face, possibly due to the fact that we present a greater intensity of emotion on the left side of our face.

21 Apr 2012

First study to examine soda's effect on stroke risk

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute and Harvard University have found that greater consumption of sugar-sweetened and low-calorie sodas is associated with a higher risk of stroke. Conversely, consumption of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee was associated with a lower risk.

21 Apr 2012

Exercise may help smokers to quit, reduce risk of CVD

Exercise may help smokers to quit and remain smokefree, according to new data presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology. Moreover, exercise increases life expectancy in smokers and non-smokers alike.

21 Apr 2012

Depression may increase risk of peripheral artery disease

Depression may be associated with an increased risk of arterial narrowing in the legs and pelvis, a condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago.

21 Apr 2012

Primary seat belt laws mean even high-risk teens stay buckled up into adulthood

While most teens do buckle up when driving, new research shows that novice teen drivers who live in states with so-called "secondary enforcement" seat belt laws are less likely to use the life-saving devices than those in "primary enforcement" states.

20 Apr 2012

National award celebrates landmark discovery in gut flora and cardiovascular disease

Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., was recently honored with an inaugural Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from an organization comprised of the nation's most acclaimed academic medical centers and other groups, in recognition of Dr. Hazen's Nature article, "Gut flora dependent metabolism of dietary phosphatidylcholine contributes to cardiovascular disease."

20 Apr 2012

Kessler Foundation scientist to develop predictive model of unemployment in MS

Lauren Strober, PhD, has been awarded a five-year federal grant for $554,000 to study factors relating to unemployment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Strober is a research scientist at Kessler Foundation, a major center for cognitive research and training in multiple sclerosis and a leader in the field of disability employment.

20 Apr 2012

Connection between eating meat and faster weaning process

Carnivory is behind the evolutionary success of humankind. When early humans started to eat meat and eventually hunt, their new, higher-quality diet meant that women could wean their children earlier. Women could then give birth to more children during their reproductive life, which is a possible contribution to the population gradually spreading over the world.

20 Apr 2012

Breakdown of white-matter pathways affects decision-making as we age

If you are an aging baby boomer and you've noticed it's a bit harder to drive to unfamiliar locations or to pick a new brand of olive oil at the supermarket, you can blame it on the white matter in your brain.

20 Apr 2012

Car exhaust causes more premature deaths in the UK

In a study appearing this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, MIT researchers report that emissions from cars, trucks, planes and powerplants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year.

20 Apr 2012

Minority children exposed to nearly 4 hours of background TV per day

Children from the age of 8 months to 8 years are exposed to nearly 4 hours of background TV per day, according to a top paper to be presented at the International Communication Association's annual conference.

20 Apr 2012

Social status can affect configuration of neural circuitry

Researchers at Georgia State University have discovered that in one species of freshwater crustaceans, social status can affect the configuration of neural circuitry.

20 Apr 2012

Study evaluates factors associated with breast cancer worry

"Cancer worry" is the fear that cancer will return, said researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center who studied cancer worry among breast cancer survivors and published their findings in Psycho-Oncology. They found that even three years after successful treatment, two-thirds of the 202 breast cancer survivors who participated in their study said they had "a moderate level of worry."

20 Apr 2012

NALFD patients with modest alcohol intake are half as likely to develop NASH

People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) who consume alcohol in modest amounts - no more than one or two servings per day - are half as likely to develop hepatitis as non-drinkers with the same condition, reports a national team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

20 Apr 2012

Thinking about death can actually be a good thing

Thinking about death can actually be a good thing. An awareness of mortality can improve physical health and help us re-prioritize our goals and values, according to a new analysis of recent scientific studies. Even non-conscious thinking about death - say walking by a cemetery - could prompt positive changes and promote helping others.

20 Apr 2012

Physical activity reduces CVD mortality risk in patients with hypertension

In the study, all-cause and CVD mortality risks were found to be significantly higher among study participants that didn't exercise compared with active participants at all blood pressure levels. Moreover, the excess mortality risks of physical inactivity, when converted into a "blood pressure equivalence of physical activity" measurement, revealed that physical inactivity was similar to a rise in mortality risk equivalent to an increase in blood pressure of 40-50 mmHg.

20 Apr 2012