Hospital News and Research

RSS

Infant BMI better predicts early childhood obesity

Babies with a high body mass index (BMI) at age two months are at risk for obesity at age two years, say pediatric researchers. The authors, in an online study published today in Pediatrics, say that BMI better predicts early childhood obesity than weight-for-length, the current standard measurement.

22 Apr 2016

Under-expressed miR-9 gene may contribute to schizophrenia risk

By turning skin cells into brain neurons, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified that certain tiny molecules aiding in gene expression, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), are under-expressed in the brains of the 14 schizophrenia patients they studied. Their findings, published online today in the journal Cell Reports, show that one of these molecules, a miRNA known as miR-9, is a risk factor that controls the activity of hundreds of genes.

22 Apr 2016

Unmet nursing care may contribute to racial/ethnic differences in AMI readmissions

Why are black older adults at higher risk of repeat hospital admission after a heart attack? Treatment at hospitals with higher rates of missed nursing care may be a contributing factor, reports a study in the May issue of Medical Care.

22 Apr 2016

Wellderly study finds link between cognitive decline genes and healthy aging

An eight-year-long accrual and analysis of the whole genome sequences of healthy elderly people, or "Wellderly," has revealed a higher-than-normal presence of genetic variants offering protection from cognitive decline, researchers from the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) reported today in the journal Cell.

22 Apr 2016

Study finds low prevalence of vascular risk among Southwest US population

In a newly published, pilot study in the journal Ethnicity & Disease, researchers report a relatively low prevalence of vascular risk among participants of the Southwest Heart Mind Study, especially among those treated for hypertension and hyperlipidemia despite overweight and obesity.

22 Apr 2016

Study explores benefits of hand and shoulder surgeries performed at outpatient centers

A large study of hand and shoulder surgeries performed at a freestanding, outpatient center found few complications--0.2 percent in nearly 29,000 patients over an 11-year period. The study appears in the new issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

22 Apr 2016

CUMC researchers identify new neurodevelopmental syndrome

A multicenter research team led by Columbia University Medical Center has discovered a new neurodevelopmental syndrome and the genetic mutations that cause it. The discovery is an important step toward creating targeted therapies for individuals with this syndrome, which causes severe developmental delays, abnormal muscle tone, seizures, and eye complications.

22 Apr 2016

Researchers observe worrisome increase in anaphylaxis rate

Anaphylaxis, known to be a sudden and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, seems to be increasing among children, according to a new study led by a team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

22 Apr 2016

Microtubules affect mechanics of beating heart, study finds

On top of the meaning and mystery that humans heap on the heart, it is first and foremost, a muscle. And one that beats about once a second for a person's entire life, with no rest. Given its vital importance, it's ironic researchers have only recently made direct observations of its subcellular parts in motion.

22 Apr 2016

Pediatric researchers develop minimally invasive techniques to treat plastic bronchitis

Pediatric researchers have devised an innovative, safe and minimally invasive procedure that helps relieve rare but potentially life-threatening airway blockages occurring in children who had surgery for congenital heart defects.

22 Apr 2016

Study paves way for refining antibody-based cancer immunotherapy

A study coordinated by the Malmberg Laboratory at Oslo University Hospital/University of Oslo and the Karolinska Institute, published in Cell Reports, reveals a molecule that trigger cancer recognition in natural killer (NK) cells.

22 Apr 2016

Naturally-occurring molecule can cause immune cells to go into hyperactive state

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital report that a fatty chemical naturally found in damaged tissues can induce an unexpected kind of immune response, causing immune cells to go into a "hyperactive" state that is highly effective at rallying infection-fighting T-cells. The findings, published online by Science on April 21, could enhance vaccines and make them much more effective.

22 Apr 2016

TAVR procedure could provide improved health outcomes for inoperable patients

A novel procedure for heart valve replacement surgery could provide improved health outcomes for patients who cannot have open heart surgery, as well as being a cost effective alternative.

22 Apr 2016

Motivational interviewing can help reduce risky use of pain pills

As America battles an epidemic of deaths from misused pain pills, a new study suggests an inexpensive way to cut risky use of these drugs by people who have a high chance of overdosing.

21 Apr 2016

Bacteria-derived gut metabolites can affect brain’s myelin content and induce depression-like symptoms

Specific combinations of gut bacteria produce substances that affect myelin content and cause social avoidance behaviors in mice, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published today in the medical journal eLife. This research suggests that targeting intestinal bacteria, or their metabolites, could be one way to treat debilitating psychiatric disorders and demyelinating diseases, like multiple sclerosis.

21 Apr 2016

Many teenage mothers do not follow safe sleeping practices for preventing SIDS

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), which includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is the leading cause of death in infants 1 month to 1 year of age in the United States. Although the reason is unknown, maternal age less than 20 years is associated with an increased risk of SIDS. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that although teenage mothers know the recommendations in regards to safe sleeping practices, many deliberately do not follow those recommendations.

21 Apr 2016

Testosterone may lead to greater heart attack risk in men than women

Testosterone might be involved in explaining why men have a greater risk of heart attacks than women of similar age, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could lead to new therapies to help reduce heart attack risk.

21 Apr 2016

Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D highly prevalent among children with type 1 diabetes

During the past two decades, vitamin D status, defined as serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, has emerged as a predictor of key clinical outcomes including bone health, glucose metabolism, cardiovascular health, immune health and survival.

21 Apr 2016

Scientists find interaction between amyloid and tau proteins that cause brain damage linked with AD

For years, neuroscientists have puzzled over how two abnormal proteins, called amyloid and tau, accumulate in the brain and damage it to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). Which one is the driving force behind dementia? The answer: both of them, according to a new study by researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute.

21 Apr 2016

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

Adolescents and young adults with a severe inherited immunodeficiency disorder improved following treatment with novel gene therapy developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The results of this study appear today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

21 Apr 2016