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Visual info can improve understanding of spoken words

Understanding what a friend is saying in the hubbub of a noisy party can present a challenge â€“ unless you can see the friend's face.

3 Mar 2009

Study sheds light on underlying neural mechanism behind macular degeneration

In macular degeneration, the most common form of adult blindness, patients progressively lose vision in the center of their visual field, thereby depriving the corresponding part of the visual cortex of input.

3 Mar 2009

Hair helps predicts HIV antiretroviral treatment success

UCSF researchers have found that examining levels of antiretroviral drugs in hair samples taken from HIV patients on therapy strongly predicts treatment success.

3 Mar 2009

Parents CAN help their teenagers to never start smoking

A Swedish study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health has found that adolescents respond positively to their parents' attitudes towards smoking.

3 Mar 2009

Tuberculosis breakthrough could lead to stronger vaccine

A breakthrough strategy to improve the effectiveness of the only tuberculosis vaccine approved for humans provided superior protection against the deadly disease in a pre-clinical test, report scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in Nature Medicine 's Advance Online Publication March 1.

3 Mar 2009

Molecular switch linked to obesity, insulin resistance, type II diabetes

A molecular switch found in the fat tissue of obese mice is a critical factor in the development of insulin resistance, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

3 Mar 2009

Protein function and chromatin structure methods featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

Two new methods for analyzing the roles played by proteins in cells are featured in the March issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols.

3 Mar 2009

Best course of treatment to reduce risk of secondary stroke

Rush University Medical Center is participating in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study to determine the best course of treatment to reduce the risk of stroke patients suffering another stroke.

3 Mar 2009

Persistent Electronic Warnings Push Some Smokers to Quit

The more smokers worry about health risks, the more they will contemplate quitting, according to a new study in the latest issue of the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Warning messages create worry that can nudge smokers down that road, the researchers concluded.

3 Mar 2009

Opioid antagonists help pain management

Achieving effective, durable, and safe pain relief, especially in patients with chronic and/or severe pain conditions, can be difficult.

3 Mar 2009

Hormone imbalance from obesity impacts sex life

Hormonal changes and diminished sexual quality of life among obese men are related to the degree of obesity, and both are improved after gastric bypass surgery according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

3 Mar 2009

Missing link between fructose, insulin resistance found

A new study in mice sheds light on the insulin resistance that can come from diets loaded with high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener found in most sodas and many other processed foods.

3 Mar 2009

Regular moderate alcohol intake associated with greater bone mineral density

Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University found associations were strongest for beer and wine and, importantly, BMD was significantly lower in men drinking more than two servings of liquor per day.

3 Mar 2009

Is esomeprazole the best choice for reflux esophagitis patients?

In patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esomeprazole, has demonstrated pharmacological and clinical benefits beyond those seen with the other proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

3 Mar 2009

Insecticidal toxin useless without 'friendly' bacteria accomplices

The toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a popular insecticide used to control pest moths and butterflies, and in some GM pest-proof crops.

3 Mar 2009

Low energy density diet offsets influence of obesity gene

Children who carry a gene strongly associated with obesity could offset its effect by eating a low energy density diet, according to new research from UCL (University College London) and the University of Bristol published today in PLoS ONE.

3 Mar 2009

Inactivity of proteins behind longer shelf life when freezing

Frozen biological material, for example food, can be kept for a long time without perishing.

3 Mar 2009

Personality factors can influence the development of alcohol dependence

Researchers examined a group of AD individuals with the inactive form of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) - persons who would normally have a low incidence of alcoholism because the inactive form of ALDH2 causes flushing, nausea, and headaches. Results indicate that a strong need for novelty and little need for avoiding harm appear to increase the risk of AD.

3 Mar 2009

A tipple a day may increase pancreatic cancer risk

Men and women who consume two or more alcoholic drinks a day could increase their risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Mar 2009

High-density of fast food outlets affects residents' weight and waist size

In a research article published recently by the American Journal of Epidemiology , Oregon Research Institute (ORI) scientist Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., and colleagues show that a high-density of fast food outlets was associated with an increase of 3 pounds in weight and .8 inches in waist circumference among neighborhood residents who frequently ate at those restaurants.

3 Mar 2009