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Increased intestinal permeability by exogenous sphingomyelinase

Many signaling molecules involved in the pathogenesis of IBD, such as TNF or IFN, infections with bacteria or viruses and ionizing radiation, may cause an alteration of the lipid composition in the cell membrane by activation of sphingomyelinases (SMases).

24 Oct 2007

Traditional perception of alcoholism and impulsive behaviour may need to be reconsidered

Impulsivity is a problem common to many different personality and psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism.

24 Oct 2007

How Rhesus Macaques and Humans have conquered the world

When it comes to their social behavior, people sometimes act like monkeys, or more specifically, like rhesus macaques, a type of monkey that shares with humans strong tendencies for nepotism and political maneuvering, according to research by Dario Maestripieri, an expert on primate behavior and an Associate Professor in Comparative Human Development and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Chicago.

24 Oct 2007

Anticoagulant bivalirudin following angioplasty in heart attack patients reduces adverse events and bleeding

Late-breaking data presented at TCT 2007, the scientific symposium of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), show that the use of the anticoagulant bivalirudin following angioplasty in heart attack patients reduces net adverse clinical events by 24 percent compared to the standard treatment, and significantly reduces major bleeding that occurs after angioplasty by 40 percent.

24 Oct 2007

Novel and inexpensive tool for identifying early signs of schizophrenia

A tendency to extract messages from meaningless noise could be an early sign of schizophrenia, according to a study by Yale School of Medicine researchers.

24 Oct 2007

Sounds can alter how masculine or feminine a person looks

Think about the confused feelings that occur when you meet someone whose tone of voice doesn't seem to quite fit with his or her gender.

24 Oct 2007

Coping after medical errors

Guilt, fear and loneliness often afflict both the caregiver and the family in the aftermath of a medical error, feelings that can be overcome if all parties try to build bridges and develop solutions that not only can prevent error but lead to forgiveness.

24 Oct 2007

Most parents ignorant to teenager's substance use

New research results from the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) suggest that most parents are aware of and accurately evaluate the extent of their teenager's cigarette smoking, marijuana use, drinking and overall substance use.

24 Oct 2007

Genetics of alcoholism

While both environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing alcohol dependence, it is believed to be a largely heritable – 52 to 64 percent – disease.

24 Oct 2007

Carbamazepine and valproate may cause sexual disorders

The use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can lead to decreased fertility and increased incidence of reproductive endocrine disorders in both men and women.

24 Oct 2007

New diet guidance for those suffering dysphagia

Research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is leading to potentially lifesaving changes for patients suffering from dysphagia, or swallowing difficulty.

24 Oct 2007

New understanding of vagus nerve's role in regulating inflammation

It used to be dogma that the brain was shut away from the actions of the immune system, shielded from the outside forces of nature.

24 Oct 2007

Combination targets offer new hope in fight against cancer

While some targeted therapies - drugs developed to attack specific molecules in the critical chemical pathways occurring within cancer cells - work well by themselves, increasingly researchers are finding that they work better when teamed with other targeted and conventional therapies.

24 Oct 2007

Decoding effects of toxins on embryo development

Changes in gene expression patterns in zebrafish embryos resulting from exposure to environmental toxins can identify the individual toxins at work, according to research published in the online open access journal Genome Biology.

24 Oct 2007

Safety of nebulized Formoterol in COPD

Data from two Phase III clinical trials were presented today in Chicago at CHEST 2007, the annual scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), supporting the use of Perforomist (formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Solution as a safe and effective maintenance treatment for COPD patients.

24 Oct 2007

Child health psychologists need to promote adult disease prevention

Many of the lifestyle habits that children and adolescents develop -- eating a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables, being physically inactive or sedentary, and experimenting with tobacco and alcohol use -- can have a major impact on their health later in life.

24 Oct 2007

Canadians would welcome HPV vaccine if it were free

Canadians would welcome a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) if it were introduced at no charge, a Quebec, Canada survey suggests.

24 Oct 2007

Children may be particularly susceptible to avian influenza

New findings, reported in in the online open access journal Respiratory Research, about how the virus binds to the respiratory tract and lung suggest children may be particularly susceptible to avian influenza.

24 Oct 2007

Novel and accurate method for preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic solid pseudopapillary tumor

Given the difficulty regarding pancreatic biopsy procedures, a research group led by Dr. Chatzipantelis investigates the relatively novel preoperative and bloodless technique of image-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA), and explores its value in diagnosing pancreatic lesions.

24 Oct 2007