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Life Sciences - Health - 11.03.2011

Basic structures of sight deciphered
During the process of sight, light passes into the eye and triggers a whole series of chemical reactions.

Health - 11.03.2011

Coffee linked to reduced risk of stroke
[NEWS, 11 March 2011] Women who drink one cup of coffee or more a day have a 22 to 25 percent lower risk of getting a stroke, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet. The study, published in the scientific journal Stroke, was based on data from 34,670 women aged 49 to 83. The women in the study were followed for about 10 years, and were using a self-administered questionnaire about their coffee-drinking habits.

Health - Life Sciences - 10.03.2011

Newly discovered role for enzyme in neurodegenerative diseases
Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are partly attributable to brain inflammation. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet now demonstrate in a paper published in Nature that a well-known family of enzymes can prevent the inflammation and thus constitute a potential target for drugs.

Health - 09.03.2011

Passive smoking increases risk to unborn babies
PA 79/11 Pregnant non-smokers who breathe in the second-hand smoke of other people are at an increased risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects, a study led by researchers at The University of Nottingham has found. The study, published in the April edition of the journal Pediatrics , found passive smoking increased the risk of still birth by almost one-quarter (23 per cent) and was linked to a 13 per cent increased risk of congenital birth defects.

Life Sciences - Health - 09.03.2011

Study shapes understanding of body fat
Scientists have shed light on why some people are apple-shaped and others are pear-shaped. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have pinpointed a protein that plays a part in how fat is stored in the body. The latest findings give greater understanding of how the protein works, which could help development of medicines to treat obesity.

Health - 09.03.2011

Ethicists outline ways to improve risk/benefit estimates in new drug trials
Shortcomings in the way researchers interpret pre-clinical studies may be creating inflated expectations about new drugs It's all too familiar: researchers announce the discovery of a new drug that eradicates disease in animals. Then, a few years later, the drug bombs in human trials.

Health - 09.03.2011

Sunlight can influence the breakdown of medicines in the body
A study from Karolinska Institutet has shown that the body's ability to break down medicines may be closely related to exposure to sunlight, and thus may vary with the seasons. The findings offer a completely new model to explain individual differences in the effects of drugs, and how the surroundings can influence the body's ability to deal with toxins.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.03.2011

Citizen science data reveal links between migration and disease in monarch butterflies
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/08/2011) —Understanding the interaction between migration and infectious disease is fundamental to conservation efforts for many species. But the logistical challenges involved in collecting samples across the geographic scope of a species' range, from breeding to overwintering sites, can be enormous.

Chemistry - Health - 08.03.2011

Scientists identify cell component involved in triggering cat allergy
PA 73/11 A breakthrough by scientists at The University of Nottingham could provide hope for any allergy sufferers who have ever had to choose between their health and their household pet. The team of immunologists led by Drs Ghaem-Maghami and Martinez-Pomares in the University's School of Molecular Medical Sciences, and funded by the charity Asthma UK, have identified a cell component which plays a key role in triggering allergic responses to cat dander.

Health - Life Sciences - 08.03.2011

You are what your mother ate
Research provides new insight into why poor diet during pregnancy negatively affects offspring's long term health. Poor diet during pregnancy increases offspring's vulnerability to the effects of aging, new research has shown for the first time. The research, by scientists from the University of Cambridge, provides important insight into why children born to mothers who consumed an unhealthy diet during pregnancy have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (a significant contributing factor to heart disease and cancer) later in life.

Economics / Business - Health - 07.03.2011

Conflicts-of-interest in drug studies sneaking back into medical journals, say investigators
"Studies of studies" can hide financial conflicts-of-interest with drug makers Hidden financial conflicts-of-interest are sneaking into published drug research through the back door, warns an international team of investigators, led by researchers from the Jewish General Hospital's Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and McGill University in Montreal.

Life Sciences - Health - 07.03.2011

Mutations Found In Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Ordinary human cells reprogrammed as induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) may ultimately revolutionize personalized medicine by creating new and diverse therapies unique to individual patients. But important and unanswered questions have persisted about the safety of these cells, in particular whether their genetic material is altered during the reprogramming process.

Health - Life Sciences - 07.03.2011

Five new genetic variants linked to heart disease
Study finds five new genetic variants linked to heart disease Five new genetic variants linked to heart disease have been identified in a meta-analysis of four large genome-wide association studies, published this week. By Sam Wong Monday 7 March 2011 Five new genetic variants linked to heart disease have been identified in a meta-analysis of four large genome-wide association studies, published this week.

Health - Life Sciences - 07.03.2011

Gene for osteoporosis disorder discovered
Scientists have identified a single mutated gene that causes Hajdu-Cheney syndrome, a disorder of the bones causing progressive bone loss and osteoporosis (fragile bones). The study, published today, gives vital insight into possible causes of osteoporosis and highlights the gene as a potential target for treating the condition.

Health - 07.03.2011

Maternity workforce review published
Using midwives and other maternity staff more effectively is the key to improving maternity care in hospitals, according to findings of a review led by King's, commissioned by The King's Fund. Despite the fierce debate over midwife numbers, increasing staffing levels will not be easy in the current financial climate.

Health - Life Sciences - 07.03.2011

Research doubles genetic links to coronary heart disease
Science | Health 07 Mar 11 Two large international studies have discovered 17 new genetic variants linked with increased heart disease risk, more than doubling the known genetic links to coronary heart disease. Some of the genetic variants were associated with biological processes involved in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Health - Life Sciences - 04.03.2011

New drug regimens cut HIV spread from mother to infant, NIH study shows
Pregnant women who are unaware they have HIV miss the chance for drug treatment that not only can benefit their own health but could also prevent them from transmitting the virus to their infants. When HIV is not diagnosed until women go into labor, their infants are usually treated soon after birth with the anti-HIV drug zidovudine (ZDV) to prevent them from becoming infected with the virus.

History / Archeology - Health - 03.03.2011

Discrimination creates racial battle fatigue for African Americans
University Park, Pa. Just as the constant pressure soldiers face on the battlefield can follow them home in the form of debilitating stress, African Americans who face chronic exposure to racial discrimination may have an increased likelihood of suffering a race-based battle fatigue, according to Penn State researchers.

Health - Agronomy / Food Science - 03.03.2011

Middle aged diabetics can die six years earlier
Having diabetes in mid-life may reduce a person's life expectancy by an average of six years, according to a large, multinational study coordinated by the University of Cambridge. Diabetes is already known to approximately double the risk of heart attacks and strokes, but these new findings show that people with type 2 diabetes are also at greater risk of dying from several other diseases, including cancer and infection.

Life Sciences - Health - 03.03.2011

Better brain wiring linked to family genes
How well our brain functions is largely based on our family's genetic makeup, according to a University of Melbourne led study. The study published in the international publication The Journal of Neuroscience provides the first evidence of a genetic effect on how 'cost-efficient' our brain network wiring is, shedding light on some of the brain's make up.