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Estrogen activates critical lung genes to improve lung function following preterm birth

Estrogen may be a new postnatal therapy to improve lung function and other outcomes in preterm infants, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.

12 Mar 2009

AMP-activated protein kinase is unexpected contributor to brain growth

An enzyme researchers have studied for years because of its potential connections to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, appears to have yet another major role to play: helping create and maintain the brain.

12 Mar 2009

Estrogen may be a new postnatal therapy to improve lung function and other outcomes in preterm infants

"Ironically, a hormone that has received great attention as a potential means to optimize the health of older women may be a beneficial treatment for humans during the earliest stages of life," said Dr. Philip Shaul, professor of pediatrics at UT Southwestern and the study's senior author.

12 Mar 2009

A blood test for Alzheimer's on the horizon

Researchers have revealed a direct relationship between two specific antibodies and the severity of Alzheimer's disease symptoms, raising hopes that a diagnostic blood test for the devastating disorder is within reach.

11 Mar 2009

Long-term ground ozone exposure increases risk of dying from lung disease

Long-term exposure to elevated levels of ground ozone - a major constituent of smog - significantly raises the risk of dying from lung disease, according to a new nationwide study of cities that evaluated the impact of ozone on respiratory health over an 18-year period.

11 Mar 2009

Discovery of link between atrial fibrillation and increased risk of death in diabetic patients

Results from a large, international, randomised, controlled trial have shown that there is a strong link between diabetics who have an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and an increased risk of other heart-related problems and death.

11 Mar 2009

Study looks at driving under the influence of cannabis

Thrill-seeking young men are more likely to drive under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) and engage in reckless driving, according to a new University of Montreal study.

11 Mar 2009

New device constantly computes amount of calories burned

Counting calories that burn through activity is a constant quandary.

11 Mar 2009

Testosterone doping tests in sport ignore ethnic differences in hormone activity

Current steroid (testosterone) doping tests should be scrapped for international sport, because they ignore vital ethnic differences in hormone activity, suggests research published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

11 Mar 2009

Specialist nurses boost parental willingness to consent to post-mortem research on children

Parents are mostly willing to consent to post mortem research on their children, providing they are approached by specialist nurses, experienced in bereavement and family counselling, suggests a small study published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

11 Mar 2009

Smokers' chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk is genetic

It's well known that puffing on cigarettes can eventually leave you out of puff.

11 Mar 2009

Scientists unveil a new path towards better immune responses

The immune response can protect us from basically any invader but it can also create disease - like it happens in autoimmunity where it attacks the own body - so to understand its regulation is an important tool to assure its proper functioning.

11 Mar 2009

Discovery of new pathway that regulates inflammation

Inflammation, the body's earliest response to damage or infection, can aid the healing process and trigger an immune response against invading pathogens.

11 Mar 2009

Toxoplasmosis linked to schizophrenia, bipolar disorders

Scientists have discovered how the toxoplasmosis parasite may trigger the development of schizophrenia and other bipolar disorders.

11 Mar 2009

One in seven American adolescents is vitamin D deficient

One in seven American adolescents is vitamin D deficient, according to a new study by researchers in the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College.

11 Mar 2009

New test successfully identifies arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

A study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has demonstrated that a new immunohistochemical test is reliable in diagnosing a dangerous arrhythmic heart disease known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC.) Reported in the March 12 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine ( NEJM ), the new findings offer the possibility of a highly sensitive and specific means of identifying this life- threatening condition at an early stage, when it can be treated with by implanting a cardiac defibrillator.

11 Mar 2009

Low levels of vitamin D linked to several risk factors in teenagers

Low levels of vitamin D were associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, high blood sugar and metabolic syndrome in teenagers, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

11 Mar 2009

Iron may be a suitable approach for developing novel cancer treatments

Rapid growth of cancer cells and their frequent divisions have their price: Cancer cells need considerably more energy than healthy cells.

11 Mar 2009

Trends in heart attack explained

Explaining trends in heart attack: prevention has improved, mortality rates are down, hospitalisation remains the same

11 Mar 2009

Consuming a little less salt could mean fewer deaths

For every gram of salt that Americans reduce in their diets daily, a quarter of a million fewer new heart disease cases and over 200,000 fewer deaths would occur over a decade, researchers said at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

11 Mar 2009