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New study: Cannabis use significantly hastens onset of psychotic illness

A new study has provided the first conclusive evidence that cannabis use significantly hastens the onset of psychotic illnesses during the critical years of brain development - with possible life-long consequences.

9 Feb 2011

Study finds link between sleep duration and colorectal adenomas

An inadequate amount of sleep has been associated with higher risks of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and death. Now colon cancer can be added to the list.

9 Feb 2011

Researchers report promising new approach to treat diabetic wounds, bed sores

Loyola University Health System researchers are reporting on a promising new approach to treating diabetic wounds, bed sores, chronic ulcers and other slow-to-heal wounds.

8 Feb 2011

USPTO issues patent for Metabolon's UHPLC/MSn-based analytical platform

Metabolon, the leader in metabolomics, biomarker discovery and analysis, announced today the grant of US Patent No. 7,884,318 entitled "Systems, Methods, and Computer-Readable Medium for Determining Composition of Chemical Constituents in a Complex Mixture".

8 Feb 2011

Study estimates 1.3 million cancer deaths in Europe in 2011

There will be nearly 1.3 million deaths from cancer in Europe in 2011 according to predictions from a study published in the cancer journal, Annals of Oncology today.

8 Feb 2011

Reducing the cardiovascular disease gender gap

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) is working with the National Cardiac Societies of its 53 member countries on a project to raise awareness of the disturbing gender gap in cardiovascular disease (CVD). In partnership with the European Heart Network (EHN) and the World Heart Federation (WHF), the ESC has developed the Women@Heart contest in which national societies submit ideas for public awareness campaigns aimed at informing both health professionals and women of the dangers of complacency about CVD.

8 Feb 2011

Motorcycle helmets reduce spine injuries after collisions

Motorcycle helmets, long known to dramatically reduce the number of brain injuries and deaths from crashes, appear to also be associated with a lower risk of cervical spine injury, new research from Johns Hopkins suggests.

8 Feb 2011

Sun exposure reduces risk of multiple sclerosis: Study

A new Australian study has found that increased sun exposure and higher vitamin D levels may help to protect against the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS).

8 Feb 2011

Cannabis use accelerates psychosis in the young: Study

A new study has shown that cannabis use can hasten the onset of schizophrenia by several years. The study included data from 20,000 patients with a psychotic illness and found those who smoked cannabis were diagnosed almost three years ahead of those who did not use the drug. The research is published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers develop reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients

The Journal of the American Medical Society featured the research of NJIT Associate Professor Sergei Adamovich, a biomedical engineer. Adamovich and his research partners, physical therapists Alma Merians, PhD, PT, and Eugene Tunik, PhD, PT, at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, have developed innovative robotic and virtual reality-based video game therapies to help stroke patients regain use of hands and arms.

8 Feb 2011

Australian research reveals more than 70% of hospital patients are malnourished

Many elderly Australians are either admitted to hospital suffering malnutrition, or become malnourished while in hospital, which increases hospital length of stay and health care costs.

8 Feb 2011

Service disengagement rates are high in youths with autism spectrum disorder after high school

Use of medical, mental health and case management services for young adults with an autism spectrum disorder appears to decline after high school, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

Prenatal exposure to coal byproducts can impact early childhood growth

Children raised in homes using indoor coal for cooking or heating appear to be about a half-inch shorter at age 36 months than those in households using other fuel sources, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the June print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

New study finds link between dog ownership and teenagers' physical activity

They're furry, fun loving and could be the key to getting your sedentary teen off the couch, finds a new study on dog ownership and adolescent physical activity.

8 Feb 2011

Cancer can give important clues about nature and history of life

Despite decades of research and billions of dollars, cancer remains a major killer, with an uncanny ability to evade both the body's defenses and medical intervention. Now an Arizona State University scientist believes he has an explanation.

8 Feb 2011

Lifestyle, rather than hereditary factors, plays major role in life expectancy

How long your parents lived does not affect how long you will live. Instead it is how you live your life that determines how old you will get, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg recently published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

8 Feb 2011

Ability of e-cigarettes to help smokers cut down or quit still unknown

Electronic cigarettes are drawing heavy media and marketing attention, and while a new study finds that consumer interest also runs high, a companion study underscores that e-cigarettes' ability to help smokers cut down or quit is unknown.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers identify immune cell population that acts as body's border patrol with the outside world

So-called barrier sites -- the skin, gut, lung - limit the inner body's exposure to allergens, pollutants, viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Understanding how the immune system works in these external surfaces has implications for understanding such inflammatory diseases as asthma, psoriasis, IBD, and food allergies, all of which occur at the body's barriers.

8 Feb 2011

Kinship caregivers more likely to have low socioeconomic status, need greater support services

Children placed with a relative after being removed from their home for maltreatment have fewer behavioral and social skills problems than children in foster care, but may have a higher risk for substance use and pregnancy as teenagers, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Feb 2011

Hematopoietic stem cells are less fixed, more flexible than previously thought: Study

The bone marrow stem cells responsible for generating new blood cells are less fixed and more flexible than previously thought, according to a paper published online on February 7 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

8 Feb 2011