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Air pollution can contribute to obesity in children

Overall, 17% of children in the United States are obese, and in inner-city neighborhoods, the prevalence is as high as 25%. While poor diets and physical inactivity are the main culprits, there is new evidence that air pollution can play a role.

17 Apr 2012

Researchers identify 56 genetic variants that influence BMD

Researchers at The Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have co-authored the largest meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of osteoporosis as part of an international consortium and have identified dozens of genetic variants found to be linked to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and of suffering broken bones.

17 Apr 2012

Cosmetics may contain chemicals that raise risk of obesity and diabetes

Scientists found that those who were exposed to phthalates, colourless man-made substances included in a variety of common consumer products, were more prone to weight gain. And subjects with even 'modest' levels of the substance in their bloodstream were twice as likely to develop diabetes.

16 Apr 2012

32 genetic variations could play a role in osteoporosis risk

A team of international researchers have found 32 new genetic regions linked to fractures and osteoporosis. According to the new study published in the April 15 online edition of Nature Genetics, changes in these regions could offer protection from, or greater risk for, bone-weakening disease.

16 Apr 2012

Genes linked to major brain functions and disorders

An international team of researchers have found the genes that increase or reduce the risk of certain mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease. They claim that some genes that may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence as well. The team of more than 200 scientists at 100 institutions said this was the largest-ever brain study to date.

16 Apr 2012

Salmonella link with yellowfin tuna: mass recall follows

A yellowfin tuna product used to make dishes like sushi, ceviche and sashimi sold at restaurants and grocery stores has been connected with with an outbreak of salmonella that has sickened more than 100 people in 20 states and the District of Columbia, federal health authorities announced last Friday.

16 Apr 2012

Decreasing GPA adherence among COX-2 users increases risk of upper GI complications

To relieve pain, arthritis sufferers are prescribed medications that may include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, both of which can irritate the digestive tract. At times additional drugs are co-prescribed with NSAIDs or COX-2 inhibitors to prevent adverse gastrointestinal (GI) effects.

16 Apr 2012

Rotavirus infects certain blood types

Whether you become infected by some strains of rotavirus may depend on your blood type.

16 Apr 2012

'Mental health checkups' as part of health care in schools

"The early detection of children who are showing psychiatric symptoms or are at the risk of a mental disorder is crucial, but introducing "mental health checkups" as part of health care in schools is not altogether simple," says David Gyllenberg, MD, whose doctoral dissertation "Childhood Predictors of Later Psychotropic Medication Use and Psychiatric Hospital Treatment - Findings from the Finnish Nationwide 1981 Birth Cohort Study" was publically examined at the University of Helsinki on 13 April 2012.

16 Apr 2012

Scientists identify which T. gondii strains are linked with severe illness in U.S. infants

Scientists have identified which strains of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, the cause of toxoplasmosis, are most strongly associated with premature births and severe birth defects in the United States.

16 Apr 2012

UAB receives NIDCR grant to create national dental practice-based research network

Oral health has been called the window to one's overall health, and a new national research effort led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry aims to provide people on the frontline of oral health care - community dentists in private practice - the opportunity to be on the forefront of research that addresses day-to-day issues they face with patients. The effort not only could improve the nation's dental health but its overall health as well.

16 Apr 2012

UVA engineer and biologist named recipients of Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

University of Virginia engineer Silvia Salinas Blemker and biologist Christopher Deppmann have been named recipients of 2011 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards, which provide $100,000 in annual research support for three years to each awardee.

16 Apr 2012

Two research studies on genetic components of Alzheimer's

Two research studies, co-led by UC Davis neurologist Charles DeCarli and conducted by an international team that included more than 80 scientists at 71 institutions in eight countries, has advanced understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development. Both studies appear in the April 15 edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

16 Apr 2012

Study reveals genetic predictors of bone health and osteoporosis

An international consortium of researchers have identified a group of genes associated with the development of osteoporosis, a debilitating bone disease that cripples more than 10 million Americans a year and costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $17 billion annually.

16 Apr 2012

Researchers discover new class of molecular mutation in breast cancer

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a new class of molecular mutation in various forms of breast cancer, a finding that may shed new light on development and growth of different types of breast tumors. Called fusion transcripts, the mutated forms of RNA may also provide a way to identify tumor subtypes and offer new strategies to treat them, investigators say.

16 Apr 2012

Toxic nail varnish at salons raises concerns

It has been long seen that workers at nail salons suffer health problems. Workers have more headaches, respiratory problems and skin irritations than the general population and are exposed to chemicals at higher than recommended levels, according to research in scientific journals.

12 Apr 2012

Niceness is gene deep

Researchers at the University of Buffalo and University of California, Irvine, found a connection between people being nice and versions of receptor genes for two hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, that have been associated with niceness in past studies.

12 Apr 2012

Inadequate sleep linked to higher diabetes risk

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12 Apr 2012

Mass. hospitals mull acquisition, layoffs in changing market; Calif. hospital districts questioned

In Massachusetts, Partners HealthCare is in talks to acquire South Shore hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess cuts jobs after an admissions dip. In California, lawmakers probe taxpayer-funded hospital districts and their stockpiling of cash.

12 Apr 2012

Discontinuing antibiotic used to prevent opportunistic infections among HIV patients could increase risk of malaria, diarrhea

"Abruptly discontinuing co-trimoxazole -- an antibiotic used to prevent opportunistic infections in HIV-positive people -- can lead to a higher incidence of malaria and diarrhea compared with patients who keep on taking the drug," according to a study conducted by the CDC in eastern Uganda and published by the Oxford Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases in March, PlusNews reports.

12 Apr 2012