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Johns Hopkins scientist calls for more integration of epigenetics and genetics research

In a review article published April 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientist Andrew Feinberg, M.D., calls for more integration between two fields of DNA-based research: genetics and epigenetics.

6 Apr 2018

Pregnant women’s fluoride exposure linked to lower IQ in babies, study shows

Pregnant women’s fluoride exposure is linked to lower IQ in their children at one- to three-years-old, according to a study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, and at levels commonly found in U.S. women, reports the Fluoride Action Network.

6 Apr 2018

Free Radical Formation in Electronic Cigarette Aerosols

An interview with Prof. John Richie, describing his presentation at Pittcon 2018 on free radical formation in electronic cigarette aerosols.

From Pittcon 5 Apr 2018

Older Americans are hooked on vitamins despite scarce evidence they work

When she was a young physician, Dr. Martha Gulati noticed that many of her mentors were prescribing vitamin E and folic acid to patients. Preliminary studies in the early 1990s had linked both supplements to a lower risk of heart disease.

4 Apr 2018

Study reports decline in exposure to flame retardants among children after phase-out

Exposure to flame retardants once widely used in consumer products has been falling, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health.

4 Apr 2018

Study finds high levels of hazardous chemicals in plastics collected from Lake Geneva

The first-ever chemical analysis of plastic collected from beaches around Lake Geneva detected cadmium, mercury and lead -- sometimes in very high concentrations that exceed the maximum permitted under EU law.

3 Apr 2018

Dining out may boost levels of health-harming phthalates in the body

Dining out more at restaurants, cafeterias and fast-food outlets may boost total levels of potentially health-harming chemicals called phthalates in the body, according to a study out today. Phthalates, a group of chemicals used in food packaging and processing materials, are known to disrupt hormones in humans and are linked to a long list of health problems.

29 Mar 2018

Research pinpoints potential weak link in bacterial wall-building protein

The wall that surrounds bacteria to shield them from external assaults has long been a tantalizing target for drug therapies. Indeed, some of modern medicine's most reliable antibiotics disarm harmful bacteria by disrupting the proteins that build their protective armor.

28 Mar 2018

Rubber ducks can be full of nasty bugs at bath time

Researchers have found that the cute little rubber ducks that float around in bath tubs and come in contact with potable water are homes to millions of bacteria and harmful microbes. They found that these toys contain water that’s seeped into them and when squeezed, they release this dirty water into the bath water. The water is rich in microbes that could be potentially “pathogenic” or disease causing especially among children, they write.

28 Mar 2018

Previously unknown feature of human anatomy identified

Researchers have identified a previously unknown feature of human anatomy with implications for the function of all organs, most tissues and the mechanisms of most major diseases.

27 Mar 2018

Study links essential oils to hormonal imbalances

A new study has found that common chemicals found in essential oils may have adverse health impacts, contrary to popular belief.

27 Mar 2018

Researchers identify chemical responsible for carcinogen formation in recycled wastewater

Engineers at wastewater recycling plants can rest easy knowing that their methods for minimizing the formation of a potent carcinogen are targeting the right chemical compound.

23 Mar 2018

Mice getting a new lease of life with anti-aging pills

According to a new study from the researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of New South Wales, the actually cellular processes that cause aging of the blood vessels have been understood.

23 Mar 2018

Grilled meat could be raising the risk of hypertension finds study

Studies have shown that grilled meat including beef, poultry, fish etc. is usually cooked at high temperatures. This charring can produce cancer causing chemicals. In a new study researchers have found that consuming meat (both white and red) cooked over open flames or at high temperatures can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure. These results were revealed this week at a meeting of the American Heart Association.

23 Mar 2018

Are there risks from secondhand marijuana smoke? Early science says yes.

The inspiration arrived in a haze at a Paul McCartney concert a few years ago in San Francisco. “People in front of me started lighting up and then other people started lighting up,” said Matthew Springer, a biologist and professor in the division of cardiology at the University of California-San Francisco. “And for a few naive split seconds I was thinking to myself, ‘Hey, they can’t smoke in AT&T Park! I’m sure that’s not allowed.’ And then I realized that it was all marijuana.”

21 Mar 2018

Fearful worms provide new clues about human anxiety

Ask a dozen people about their greatest fears, and you'll likely get a dozen different responses. That, along with the complexity of the human brain, makes fear--and its close cousin, anxiety--difficult to study.

19 Mar 2018

Mice study shows how BPA exposure during pregnancy can lead to altered brain development

New research in mice provides an explanation for how exposure to the widely used chemical bisphenol A during pregnancy, even at levels lower than the regulated "safe" human exposure level, can lead to altered brain development and behavior later in life.

19 Mar 2018

Low sperm count more prevalent with other health problems finds study

A new study shows that more and more men have a low sperm count. The team of researchers from University of Padova in Italy, presented their work this week at the ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society's 100th annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

19 Mar 2018

Essential oils linked to abnormal breast development in boys

A new study has found that essential oils such as lavender and tea tree oils are connected to development of abnormal breast development in young boys. They researchers found eight different chemicals present in these oils that can interfere with hormonal development in boys. The study results are to be presented today (19th of March 2018) at ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society's 100th annual meeting in Chicago.

19 Mar 2018

FDA looks to remove nicotine from cigarettes

Smoking kills thousands each year and in a bid to reduce the impact of smoking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a tobacco regulation plan. This new plan is essentially simple – it aims to reduce the nicotine content of the cigarettes to such a level that they cease to be addictive any more.

18 Mar 2018