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Researchers use machine learning to identify illegal selling of opioids on Twitter

Using advanced machine learning, a cross disciplinary team of University of California San Diego researchers developed technology that mined Twitter to identify entities illegally selling prescription opioids online.

25 Oct 2017

New study hopes to shed light on mechanism behind epileptic and non-epileptic seizures

Seizures are a common result of traumatic brain injury, especially in military veterans. A new study funded by the DOD, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, and conducted in Providence RI and Birmingham AL hopes to shed new light on the mechanism behind seizures associated with post-traumatic epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

25 Oct 2017

Adopting healthy diet can help reverse risk of high triglycerides, despite genetic predisposition

Triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, are important for good health. But having high triglycerides might increase a person's risk of heart disease, and may be a sign of metabolic syndrome--a combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and too much fat accumulation at the waist.

25 Oct 2017

New discovery could speed development and approval of antiviral drugs

New research shows that a new class of antiviral drugs works by causing the virus' replication machinery to pause and backtrack, preventing the virus from efficiently replicating. This discovery, made possible by a high-throughput experimental technique called "magnetic tweezers," could speed the development and approval of related antiviral drugs.

25 Oct 2017

Researchers mine blood-based epigenetic data to gain insights into autism biology

Using data from blood and brain tissue, a team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that they could gain insights into mechanisms that might help explain autism by analyzing the interplay between genes and chemical tags that control whether genes are used to make a protein, called epigenetic marks.

25 Oct 2017

Human exposure to glyphosate has increased significantly over 23 years, research finds

Analyzing samples from a prospective study, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found that human exposure to glyphosate, a chemical widely found in weed killers, has increased approximately 500 percent since the introduction of genetically modified crops.

24 Oct 2017

Depression among nurses may increase likelihood of medical errors

Depression is common among nurses and is linked to a higher likelihood they'll make medical errors, new research suggests.

24 Oct 2017

Pollutant from forest and crop fires induces genetic damage in human lung cells

When exposed in a laboratory to pollution levels comparable to those found in the atmosphere of the Amazon region during the forest and crop burning season, human lung cells suffer severe DNA damage and stop dividing. After 72 hours of exposure, over 30% of the cultured cells are dead.

24 Oct 2017

Researchers provide evidence of increase in cancer decades after arsenic exposure ends

A new paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute shows that arsenic in drinking water may have one of the longest dormancy periods of any carcinogen.

24 Oct 2017

LSTM researchers find new way to reduce treatment for some parasitic diseases

Researchers from LSTM's Research Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics have found a way of significantly reducing the treatment required for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis from several weeks to seven days. By targeting Wolbachia, a bacterial symbiont that the filarial parasites need to live, the team has discovered a drug synergy that enables effective treatment over a shorter time.

24 Oct 2017

Study finds significant drop in proportion of undiagnosed diabetes cases

A study that compared total U.S. diabetes diagnoses over a 26-year period found that while the prevalence nearly doubled, from 5.5 to 10.8 percent, the proportion of missed cases of diabetes dropped significantly during the same period, from 16.3 to 10.9 percent.

24 Oct 2017

Failure of doctors to recognize diabetes subtype puts patients’ health at risk

The health of people with diabetes is being put at risk due to the failure of doctors to recognize which type of diabetes they have, a new study in the journal Diabetes Care reports.

24 Oct 2017

Adequate vitamin D during childhood linked to decreased risk of islet autoimmunity

Getting enough vitamin D during infancy and childhood is associated with a reduced risk of islet autoimmunity among children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, according to a study published this week in the journal Diabetes.

23 Oct 2017

UCI researchers aim to identify early indicators of dementia

With $3.8 million in support from the National Institute on Aging, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists are working to identify the early indicators of dementia in older adults as disease-related brain plaques accumulate but before symptoms can be observed.

23 Oct 2017

Rutgers researchers to explore ways for tackling emerging fungal infections

In recent years, hospitals nationwide have been reporting an increase in life-threatening illnesses resulting from a deadly fungal infection caused by the yeast Candida auris that can enter the bloodstream. This yeast is difficult to identify and often does not respond to commonly used antifungal drugs, leading to high mortality.

23 Oct 2017

Blood levels of thyroid hormone may help identify individuals at risk for irregular heartbeat

Individuals with higher levels of thyroid hormone (free thyroxine, FT4) circulating in the blood were more likely than individuals with lower levels to develop irregular heartbeat, or atrial fibrillation, even when the levels were within normal range, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

23 Oct 2017

One nurse per 4,000 pupils = not the healthiest arrangement

During a 15-minute recess, the elementary school students trooped from the playground toward nurse Catherin Crofton's office — one with a bloody nose, a second with a scraped knee and a third with a headache.

23 Oct 2017

African Americans have shorter lifespan because of heart disease and stroke

The average lifespan of African Americans is significantly shorter than white Americans, mostly because of heart disease and stroke, which contributed to more than two million years of life lost among African Americans between 1999 and 2010, according to a new scientific statement published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

23 Oct 2017

RAND researchers estimate health care savings over next decade from biosimilars

Introducing "biosimilar" versions of complex biologic drugs used to treat illnesses such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis could cut health care spending in the United States by $54 billion over the next decade, according to new analysis from the RAND Corporation.

23 Oct 2017

Research shows role of federal drinking water regulations in reducing arsenic exposure

New research conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that exposure to arsenic in drinking water was significantly reduced among Americans using public water systems following the Environmental Protection Agency regulation on maximum levels of arsenic.

23 Oct 2017

Public Health News and Research

Researchers use machine learning to identify illegal selling of opioids on Twitter

New study hopes to shed light on mechanism behind epileptic and non-epileptic seizures

Adopting healthy diet can help reverse risk of high triglycerides, despite genetic predisposition

New discovery could speed development and approval of antiviral drugs

Researchers mine blood-based epigenetic data to gain insights into autism biology

Human exposure to glyphosate has increased significantly over 23 years, research finds

Depression among nurses may increase likelihood of medical errors

Pollutant from forest and crop fires induces genetic damage in human lung cells

Researchers provide evidence of increase in cancer decades after arsenic exposure ends

LSTM researchers find new way to reduce treatment for some parasitic diseases

Study finds significant drop in proportion of undiagnosed diabetes cases

Failure of doctors to recognize diabetes subtype puts patients’ health at risk

Adequate vitamin D during childhood linked to decreased risk of islet autoimmunity

UCI researchers aim to identify early indicators of dementia

Rutgers researchers to explore ways for tackling emerging fungal infections

Blood levels of thyroid hormone may help identify individuals at risk for irregular heartbeat

One nurse per 4,000 pupils = not the healthiest arrangement

African Americans have shorter lifespan because of heart disease and stroke

RAND researchers estimate health care savings over next decade from biosimilars

Research shows role of federal drinking water regulations in reducing arsenic exposure

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