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Traffic-related pollution increases a pregnant woman’s risk for hypertension

A new report published by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) indicates that air pollution derived from traffic could make a pregnant woman more likely to develop hypertension than otherwise. The study is based on an analysis of the association between traffic-related air pollution, or TRAP, with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

18 Dec 2019

New paper-based test for early Lyme diagnosis

A new paper in the journal ACS Nano reports the development of an incredibly cheap and highly sensitive test to diagnose Lyme disease in its earliest stages, when it can be most easily, effectively and inexpensively treated.

18 Dec 2019

Heavy drinking damages the heart

Drinking too much destroys the liver, as is well known. A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on December 18, 2019, shows that excessive alcohol consumption also damages the heart muscle. This is seen by a rise in the level of certain biological molecules in the blood.

18 Dec 2019

E.coli infections linked to chopped salad kits, CDC warns

You might want to ditch your salad this holiday season, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warn against an outbreak of Escherichia coli (E.coli) linked to chopped salad kits.

18 Dec 2019

Study opens up new treatment possibilities for Wilms' tumor

As an embryo develops, its cells must learn what to do with the thousands of genes they've been equipped with. That's why each cell comes with a detailed gene-expression manual outlining exactly which genes should be switched on, to what extent, and when.

18 Dec 2019

Scientists explore role of IgG4 Abs in IgG4-related disease

Autoimmune diseases are a medical conundrum. In people with these conditions, the immune system of the body, the designated defense system, starts attacking the cells or organs of its own body, mistaking the self-cells for invading disease-causing cells. Often, the cause for this spontaneous dysfunction is not clear, and hence, treatment of these diseases presents a major and ongoing challenge.

18 Dec 2019

Worse long-term control of blood sugar increases risks in diabetic trauma patients

In trauma patients with diabetes, poorer long-term control of blood glucose levels is linked to a higher risk of death and trauma-related complications, reports a study in SHOCK: Injury, Inflammation, and Sepsis: Laboratory and Clinical Approaches, Official Journal of the Shock Society.

18 Dec 2019

Healthy sleep patterns could help offset genetic risk of heart disease or stroke

Getting a good night's sleep could be beneficial for long-term health. A pioneering new study led by Dr. Lu Qi, director of the Tulane University Obesity Research Center, found that even if people had a high genetic risk of heart disease or stroke, healthy sleep patterns could help offset that risk.

18 Dec 2019

Children with higher BMI tend to have thinner cerebral cortex

Published studies have long found a correlation between obesity in children and decreased executive function. New research published in JAMA Pediatrics, based on data mined from a massive national research study, suggests that a change in brain structure - a thinner prefrontal cortex - may help explain that interrelationship.

18 Dec 2019

Scientists develop computationally inspired method for preclinical study of anxiety

Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. have an anxiety disorder. While treatment options exist, treatment success varies, and many people do not respond to treatment until weeks or months after they begin anti-depressants

18 Dec 2019

Traffic-related air pollution increases risk of hypertension in pregnant woman

A new report from the National Toxicology Program (NTP) suggests that traffic-related air pollution increases a pregnant woman's risk for dangerous increases in blood pressure, known as hypertension.

18 Dec 2019

High lipoprotein(A) levels in people with type 1 diabetes add to elevated risk of cardiovascular disease

High blood levels of the lipid lipoprotein(a) in people with type 1 diabetes add to the already elevated risk of developing cardiovascular disease, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in a paper published in the prestigious journal Diabetes Care.

18 Dec 2019

Paper-based blood test can quickly and sensitively diagnose early-stage Lyme disease

After a day hiking in the forest, the last thing a person wants to discover is a tick burrowing into their skin. Days after plucking off the bloodsucking insect, the hiker might develop a rash resembling a bull's-eye, a tell-tale sign of Lyme disease.

18 Dec 2019

Yale researchers identify cellular chicanery that jumpstarts cancer

The progression of cancer has been studied extensively, and the key steps in this journey have been well mapped, at least in some solid tumors: Lesions to genes that confer risk of cancer accumulate and alter normal cell behaviors, giving rise, scientists believe, to early stage cancer cells that eventually swamp normal cells and become deadly.

18 Dec 2019

Harmful alcohol consumption pattern may damage heart tissue

A pattern of harmful alcohol consumption, or heavy drinking, increases level of blood biomarkers indicating heart tissue damage, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the open access journal of the American Heart Association.

18 Dec 2019

High fat diet limits birth and development of new neurons in female mice

A high fat diet limits the birth and growth of new neurons in adult female, but not male, mice, according to new research published in eNeuro. Further research could inspire metabolism-based preventions and treatments for brain disorders.

From Society for Neuroscience 18 Dec 2019

A future approach to diabetes care

In Belize, where diabetes is rampant, patients need insulin every day to maintain proper blood sugar levels. But if people lack electricity or a refrigerator, they cannot store insulin at home.

18 Dec 2019

Nature’s own gene therapy

A brand-new technique of gene therapy was reported on December 16, 2019, in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. The scientists made use of the potential of human cells to produce biological nanoparticles chockful of edited genes, so that they could insert beneficial genes into people suffering from various disease processes.

17 Dec 2019

Using math equations to detect and forecast liver cancer risk

The use of mathematical modeling in the study of biological systems has become a challenging and rewarding field of research as it yields many unknown pieces of information. A new study published online on December 16, 2019, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

17 Dec 2019

2 drinks a day could be too much

New draft guidelines from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council has said that alcohol consumption per day could be no greater than 1.4 drinks per day. This is the first time that the organization has set limits to the amount that can be safely consumed per day. This means that adults should consume less than 10 “standard” alcohol drinks per week to avoid harmful effects on health. If a person drinks only once a week, maximum allowed number of drinks is four say the guidelines.

17 Dec 2019