news 2017

In the largest study of its kind, researchers from the University of Bristol have analysed mood indicators in text from 800 million anonymous messages posted on Twitter. These tweets were found to reflect strong patterns of positive and negative moods over the 24-hour day. Circadian rhythms, widely referred to as the 'body clock', allows people's bodies to predict their needs over the dark and light periods of the day.

FINDINGS UCLA scientists have found that a protein known as NOTCH1 helps ward off inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, preventing atherosclerosis — the narrowing and hardening of arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes. The new finding , from research conducted on mice, also explains why areas of smooth, fast blood flow are less prone to inflammation: levels of NOTCH1 are higher in these vessels.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have found that the presence of death receptors in the blood can be used to directly measure the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. "We see that people with known risk factors such as high blood sugar and high blood fats also have heightened death receptor levels", says Professor Jan Nilsson who led the study.

Over 50s with fewer than 20 teeth at higher risk of musculoskeletal frailty New research by scientists at King's College London has found that tooth loss may contribute to musculoskeletal frailty in the over 50s, with those with fewer than 20 teeth being at greatest risk. Published in Geriatrics & Gerontology International on 11 December, the research led by Dr Wael Sabbah, from King's College London Dental Institute, examined the overall health of 9,338 Americans aged 50 years and older.

ANN ARBOR-Hunger and malnutrition in infancy may lead to poor cognitive performance in midlife, according to a new study. Researchers at University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Columbia University have found that child survivors of China's 1959-61 famine that killed millions appear to be haunted by their past, as their cognitive performances go downhill in their early 50s.

FINDINGS UCLA neuroscientists are the first to show that rhythmic waves in the brain called theta oscillations happen more often when someone is navigating an unfamiliar environment, and that the more quickly a person moves, the more theta oscillations take place — presumably to process incoming information faster.

Less than one per cent of UK children born with congenital heart disease are enrolled in clinical trials looking to improve treatments, research funded by the British Heart Foundation and led by the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Children's Hospital has found. The study, published in the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery today, is the first systematic review of its kind into clinical trials in children's heart surgery.

Lipid, also known as fat, is an optimal energy source and an important cell component. Much is required for the rapid and uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. Researchers from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and from the University of Geneva have now discovered that the protein mTOR stimulates the production of lipids in liver tumors to satisfy the increased nutrient turnover and energy needs of cancer cells among other functions.

Social stress factors such as loneliness and being unemployed, in addition to conventional risks such as smoking and high blood pressure, are associated with higher risks of developing heart disease, according to a new UCL-led study. The study, published by PLOS Medicine this week, analysed cohort data from three eastern European countries and found that heart disease incidence is more likely among people who rarely see their friends and relatives, are single, unemployed, less wealthy, and have depression-like symptoms.

The largest clinical trial ever to test the effects of so-called clot busting drugs and medical devices concludes that such treatments do not prevent the long-term complication of post-thrombotic syndrome A clinical trial almost ten years in the making has revealed that risky, but powerful, clot busting drugs and medical devices do not improve outcomes for patients experiencing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), nor do they prevent the development of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) when compared with conventional blood thinning medications.

People with major depressive disorder have alterations in the activity and connectivity of brain systems underlying reward and memory, according to a new study by the University of Warwick. The findings provide clues as to which regions of the brain could be at the root of symptoms, such as reduced happiness and pleasure, or negative memories, in depression.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Areas of hypoxia, or low oxygen in tissue, are hallmarks of fast-growing cancers and of blockages or narrowing in blood vessels, such as stroke or peripheral artery disease. University of Illinois researchers have developed a way to find hypoxic spots noninvasively in real time.

As the government extends its income management program, new research indicates the original rollout in the Northern Territory did not improve school attendance and birth outcomes, and had negative short-term effects. Analysis reveals the federal government's initial income management scheme - first introduced in 2007 during the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) or 'intervention', and now commonly known as Cashless Debit Card - coincided with significant negative outcomes for children in the short term, and no noticeable improvements in the long run.

Perhaps 2017 might be remembered as the first holiday season when at-home genetic testing kits received the same billing as the latest version of Amazon's electronic assistant Alexa. These kits, which allow consumers to submit a saliva sample via mail and have their DNA sequenced, were a big seller during the four days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year.

Industrial and agricultural activities produce large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Many bacteria also produce methane as a byproduct of their metabolism. Some of this naturally released methane comes from the ocean, a phenomenon that has long puzzled scientists because there are no known methane-producing organisms living near the ocean's surface.

ANN ARBOR-In the world of health care spending policy, it usually works that as Medicare goes so goes private insurance on matters of managing the cost and quality of care. But new research from the University of Michigan reported in the December issue of Health Affairs suggests that when it comes to the growth in use of observation care, concerns about high out-of-pocket spending are unfounded for those with private coverage.

A shortened night of sleep may increase young adults' risk of heavier drinking, according to a new Yale study that assessed reciprocal variations in sleep and drinking over time in young adults. The study , conducted by Lisa Fucito, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, found that young adults consumed more alcohol following nights of less sleep and had more delayed sleep timing following heavier drinking occasions.

MIT researchers have discovered a way to make bacteria more vulnerable to a class of antibiotics known as quinolones, which include ciprofloxacin and are often used to treat infections such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . The new strategy overcomes a key limitation of these drugs, which is that they often fail against infections that feature a very high density of bacteria.

In 2016, one in four civilians killed in the Syrian conflict was a child. A team of researchers at the UCL Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters analyzed data about more than 140,000 violent deaths between 2011 and 2016 in areas not controlled by the Bashar al-Assad regime. Their findings were published today, 6 December 2017 , in The Lancet Global Health journal.