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pH comes from the term “power of Hydrogen”, or the hydrogen ion concentration present in a given solution. It helps to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a substance.

New painless skin patch can speed up diagnostic testing

Many diagnostic tests require blood, but NIBIB-funded researchers have developed a skin patch with tiny needles that painlessly collect interstitial fluid (ISF) for testing.

19 Aug 2019

Loss of cells in the brain found to be associated with stuttering

Researchers believe that stuttering - a potentially lifelong and debilitating speech disorder - stems from problems with the circuits in the brain that control speech, but precisely how and where these problems occur is unknown.

19 Aug 2019

Insomnia associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke

People suffering from insomnia may have an increased risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

19 Aug 2019

New MRI technique captures image of a brain thinking

An international team of researchers with partial support from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering developed a new MRI technique that can capture an image of a brain thinking by measuring changes in tissue stiffness.

19 Aug 2019

New study questions the presumptions about LVADs and mitral regurgitation

Left ventricular assist devices, or LVADs, have been shown to help leaky mitral valves that create significant regurgitation, but a new study questions the presumption that all's well with the mitral valve after a patient receives a LVAD.

19 Aug 2019

Study could improve patients' abilities to manage symptoms of mental illness

Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States experience mental illness in a given year. Severe mental illnesses cause the brain to have trouble dealing with cognitively effortful states, like focusing attention over long periods of time, discriminating between two things that are difficult to tell apart, and responding quickly to information that is coming in fast.

18 Aug 2019

FDA approves first spinal tether device to treat children with idiopathic scoliosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first spinal tether device intended to be used in children and adolescents to correct the most common form of scoliosis, called idiopathic scoliosis, that has not responded to conservative treatment options, such as external bracing.

18 Aug 2019

Targeted pancreatic cancer drug shows promise in clinical trials

Researchers have conducted clinical trials with a new drug targeting pancreatic cancer and the initial results are promising.

16 Aug 2019

Tighter blood pressure control could improve brain health finds study

Tighter blood pressure control is standard practice in hypertension therapy. Researchers have found that in addition to the benefits this provides to the heart and the vascular system, it also helps lower the risk of cognitive decline and dementia associated with age

15 Aug 2019

Removal of a critical enzyme may help cases of sepsis finds research

Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that removal of an enzyme called the PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) could help laboratory mice with sepsis in a model they had created for their experiment. The study titled, “PHLPP1 counter-regulates STAT1-mediated inflammatory signalling,” was published this week in the journal eLife.

15 Aug 2019

New drug to treat pancreatic cancer shows promising results in clinical trial

A clinical trial testing a new drug in pancreatic cancer had promising initial results, report researchers from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center.

14 Aug 2019

UTEP professor receives $2.7 million NIH grant to study AIDS-associated fungal meningitis

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a $2.7 million grant to Luis R. Martinez, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso, to study a potentially life-threatening fungus and suggest possible treatments.

14 Aug 2019

FDA approves new drug for specific type of highly treatment-resistant tuberculosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Pretomanid Tablets in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid for the treatment of a specific type of highly treatment-resistant tuberculosis of the lungs.

14 Aug 2019

Abnormal blood pressure in middle age and late life increases dementia risk

In a study that spanned two and a half decades and looked at data from more than 4,700 participants, Johns Hopkins researchers have added to evidence that abnormal blood pressure in midlife persisting into late life increases the likelihood of developing dementia.

14 Aug 2019

Aerobic exercise programs may benefit stroke survivors

Stroke survivors who completed group-based aerobic exercise programs similar in design and duration to cardiac rehabilitation programs significantly improved their aerobic endurance and walking ability, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

14 Aug 2019

Greater blood pressure control associated with fewer adverse changes in the brain

For adults with high blood pressure, greater blood pressure control than what's currently considered standard is associated with fewer adverse changes of the brain, which could mean lower risks of dementia and cognitive impairment, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Aug 2019

Researchers identify new transmembrane protein as chloride ion channel

In the human body the salt content of cells and their surrounding is regulated by sophisticated transport systems.

14 Aug 2019

Nanotube fibers used to rewire damaged hearts

Thin, flexible fibers made of carbon nanotubes have now proven able to bridge damaged heart tissues and deliver the electrical signals needed to keep those hearts beating.

13 Aug 2019

Bile pigment may play an unexpected role in protecting the brain

In studies in mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have found that bilirubin, a bile pigment most commonly known for yellowing the skin of people with jaundice, may play an unexpected role in protecting brain cells from damage from oxidative stress.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 13 Aug 2019

Rice, UTHealth researchers search for clues to combat antibiotic resistance

To combat the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, researchers are examining how one superbug adapts to fight an antibiotic of last resort, hoping to find clues that can prolong the drug's effectiveness.

13 Aug 2019