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Poor recognition of 'self' found in high functioning people with autism

Contrary to popular notions, people at the high end of the autism spectrum disorder continuum suffer most from an inability to model "self" rather than impaired ability to respond to others, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appear in the journal Neuron.

7 Feb 2008

PET outperforms CT in characterization of lung nodules

Researchers involved in a large, multi-institutional study comparing the accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) in the characterization of lung nodules found that PET was far more reliable in detecting whether or not a nodule was malignant.

7 Feb 2008

Patients at risk of adverse events within 3 months after stopping certain ACS therapy

Patients who receive the anti-platelet medication clopidogrel following an acute coronary syndrome (such as heart attack) appear to be at greater risk of a heart attack or death in the first 90 days after stopping clopidogrel treatment, according to a study in the February 6 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

7 Feb 2008

New approach to genetic diagnosis in autism

A practical, stepwise approach to diagnosing genetic causes of autism and related disorders is proposed in the January issue of Genetics in Medicine, official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG), published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

7 Feb 2008

Predisposition for obesity might be wired into the brain

A predisposition for obesity might be wired into the brain from the start, suggests a new study of rats in the February issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press.

7 Feb 2008

Novel small molecule therapy shows benefit for anemic patients via hydration of red blood cells

Researchers are identifying innovative therapeutics for sickle cell anemia that focus on specific factors in the disease's progression, such as the important role of hydration of the red blood cells.

7 Feb 2008

Pollution disrupts puberty in girls

Although scientists have speculated over the negative effects of environmental toxins for years, new data suggest that certain environmental toxins may disrupt the normal growth and hormonal development of girls.

7 Feb 2008

Study shows inadequate diagnostic criteria for eating disorders

A new study by Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University suggests that the DSM-IV criteria for eating disorders have limited clinical utility.

7 Feb 2008

Ischaemic heart disease in Europe

New figures show there are still large variations between and within European countries in the numbers of stroke and heart disease-related deaths. Several countries, particularly in northern and eastern Europe, have rates of death that are as much as 7-14 times higher than other countries, while countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the UK have large regional variations.

7 Feb 2008

New devices to boost nematode research on neurons and drugs

A pair of new thin, transparent devices, constructed with soft lithography, should boost research in which nematodes are studied to explore brain-behavior connections and to screen new pharmaceuticals for potential treatment of parasitic infections in humans, report 10 scientists at three institutions.

7 Feb 2008

MIT applies engineering approach to studying biological pathways

An MIT team has used an engineering approach to show that complex biological systems can be studied with simple models developed by measuring what goes into and out of the system.

7 Feb 2008

Mayo Clinic Proceedings contributors discuss impact of donor organ allocation system

Liver transplant is a life saving treatment option for people with end-stage liver disease.

7 Feb 2008

Impact of electronic personal health record on hypertension under study

Whether patients with an electronic handle on their health are more successful at beating one of the nation's leading chronic diseases is under study.

7 Feb 2008

Cellcept immunosuppressant further linked to birth defects

A new study documents malformations seen in an infant born to a kidney transplant recipient who had taken mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a widely used immunosuppressant available commercially as Cellcept.

7 Feb 2008

Calcium channel blockers cut risk of Parkinson's disease

People taking a widely used group of drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure also appear to be cutting their risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the February 6, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2008

Microscopic imaging technique reveals rapid formation of Alzheimer's-associated plaques

The amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients may form much more rapidly than previously expected.

7 Feb 2008

Henry Ford Hospital expands research on gene and radiation therapy for prostate cancer

Henry Ford Hospital is embarking on an expanded major clinical trial involving the use of gene therapy in combination with radiation therapy, to determine if the combined treatment is more effective than radiation therapy alone for patients with intermediate risk prostate cancer.

7 Feb 2008