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New way to promote insulin production in pre-diabetes phase discovered

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore scientists have discovered that a type of immune cell known as 'pancreatic islet macrophages' is capable of promoting insulin production during the pre-diabetes phase.

15 Nov 2019

Altering malarial parasite genes to prevent malaria

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the parasitic organism called Plasmodium, of which there are several types that cause the different kinds of malarial fever. This age-old infection still kills over 400,000 people every year, all over the world. A new study published in the journal Cell on November 14, 2019, shows how a simple tweaking of the genes of this organism could quite conceivably lead to the elimination of this disease altogether.

14 Nov 2019

Good fitness linked to longer life without dementia

It is important to say that it is never too late to begin exercising. The average participant in our study was around 60 years old at baseline, and improvement in cardiorespiratory fitness was strongly linked to lower dementia risk.

14 Nov 2019

Cedars-Sinai surgeons detect and remove 25-pound cancerous ovarian tumor

Maria Robles Garcia was sure her uncomfortable abdominal symptoms weren't caused by irritable bowel syndrome or from being overweight, no matter that her local doctors repeatedly told her that was the case.

13 Nov 2019

Study shows potential of phage therapy to treat alcoholic liver disease

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that specifically destroy bacteria. In the early 20th century, researchers experimented with phages as a potential method for treating bacterial infections.

13 Nov 2019

Colorado researchers find lower vaccination rates among pediatric transplant patients

University of Colorado researchers have found lower vaccination rates among children who receive liver transplants, increasing the risk of sickness for those children, who already face significant health issues.

13 Nov 2019

Machine learning algorithm predicts life expectancy in heart failure patients

When Avi Yagil, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Physics at University of California San Diego flew home from Europe in 2012, he thought he had caught a cold from his travels. When a "collection of pills" did not improve his symptoms, his wife encouraged him to see a doctor.

13 Nov 2019

Melanoma rates decline sharply among adolescents and young adults, shows research

Cases of melanoma among U.S. adolescents and young adults declined markedly from 2006 to 2015 - even as the skin cancer's incidence continued to increase among older adults and the general population during the span, new research shows.

13 Nov 2019

Bariatric surgery may release toxic compounds from fat into bloodstream, study reveals

Toxic man-made chemicals--such as polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides--that are absorbed into the body and stored in fat may be released into the bloodstream during the rapid fat loss that follows bariatric surgery, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

13 Nov 2019

Researchers use phage therapy to successfully treat alcoholic liver disease

Researchers have successfully used bacteriophage (phage) therapy to eliminate alcohol-related liver disease in an animal model.

13 Nov 2019

Campaigns promoting sun-protective behaviors seem to be working in the US

Public health programs designed to promote sun-protective behaviors seem to be gaining traction in the United States.

13 Nov 2019

Study examines link between transplant center and survival benefit in the U.S. heart allocation system

Analysis of more than 29,000 adults listed on the national heart transplant registry from 2006 to 2015 shows how rules that give hospitals discretion in determining who gets a transplant result in large discrepancies in how sick patients are when they receive heart transplants at hospitals across the United States.

12 Nov 2019

Medical steroid use could push up diabetes risk

Glucocorticoids (GCs), or steroids, as they are popularly called, are often prescribed for their anti-inflammatory effects in a host of conditions including acute asthmatic attacks, allergies, and arthritis. However, are they doing good or harm?

12 Nov 2019

Popular cancer drug linked to weight gain and increased systolic blood pressure

Acute kidney injury on the rise in hospitalized pregnant women

A study presented at ASN Kidney Week 2019 (November 5 to November 10) shows that the rate of acute kidney injury (AKI) is rising among US women who are hospitalized in pregnancy. The highest risk is in pregnant diabetic women. Women who suffer acute damage to the kidney while pregnant have 260 times the risk of death while in hospital compared to other pregnant women, at 2.6% vs 0.01%. Both mother and baby are at risk of increased illness and death if the woman has kidney injury during pregnancy.

11 Nov 2019

Impaired liver function during pregnancy can lead to impaired metabolism and weight gain

Impaired liver function during pregnancy may alter gut bacteria composition and increase the risk of obesity in children, according to results presented at The Society for Endocrinology Annual Conference.

11 Nov 2019

Study finds fewer new cases of HCV in HIV-negative men who have sex with PrEP-using men

Data from a new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found fewer new cases of hepatitis C infection (commonly called HCV), despite very high rates of other sexually-transmitted infections, in HIV-negative men who have sex with men who take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatments.

10 Nov 2019

Study finds lower levels of liver decompensation in pregnant women with cirrhosis

Data from a new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and funded by the AASLD Foundation – found that less than two percent of pregnant women with cirrhosis had liver decompensation within one year of delivery, and their odds of decompensation is much lower than non-pregnant women with cirrhosis.

10 Nov 2019

HCC and cirrhosis-related deaths may be prevented by lifestyle modifications

Data from a new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that a substantial burden of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis-related deaths may be prevented by lifestyle modifications to diet, alcohol use and exercise.

10 Nov 2019

Botanical product kratom may cause liver toxicity and injury, study finds

Data from a new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that kratom, a popular and widely available product, may cause liver toxicity and severe liver injury.

10 Nov 2019