Research News and Research

RSS

Study finds some people have ability to hallucinate colours at will

Scientists at the University of Hull have found that some people have the ability to hallucinate colours at will - even without the help of hypnosis.

1 Dec 2011

South Africa 'witnessing first steps of AIDS-free generation'

In this Business Day opinion piece, Donald Gips, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, examines progress made in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, writing that, through the coordination of governments, civil society, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), educational institutions, and researchers from around the world, "we now have the tools that allow us for the first time to set the goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation -- when virtually no children are born with the virus; we have effective and comprehensive education and prevention strategies that help to reduce risk; and those who are infected with HIV have access to treatment that helps prevent them from developing AIDS and transmitting the virus."

1 Dec 2011

Different brain structures control eye reflexes in the course of life

Structures in the midbrain that developed early in evolution can be responsible for functions in newborns which in adults are taken over by the cerebral cortex. New evidence for this theory has been found in the visual system of monkeys by a team of researchers from the RUB. The scientists studied a reflex that stabilizes the image of a moving scene on the retina to prevent blur, the so-termed optokinetic nystagmus.

1 Dec 2011

NIAID director Fauci discusses moving forward in AIDS fight

In this interview with GlobalPost's John Donnelly, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH, discusses "his perspective of the fight against AIDS at this moment, and how discoveries by scientists can now be best used."

1 Dec 2011

Improving RNs' work environments can promote high quality patient care

While nurse-to-patient ratios are widely recognized as an important factor in determining the quality of patient care, those ratios are not always easy to change without significant cost and investment of resources. What's more, the projected nursing shortage will make it even more difficult for hospitals to increase nurse staffing.

1 Dec 2011

CMS observers say Tavenner will bring changes in style not substance

Although she might not share outgoing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chief Donald Berwick's "visionary zeal," she is expected to share in his agenda. And, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor terms her as "eminently qualified" to take on this role.

1 Dec 2011

Lipitor going generic, Pfizer making deals to keep consumers

The popular cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor goes off-patent today. Manufacturer Pfizer planned ahead, making agreements with some insurers to keep covering the drug.

1 Dec 2011

TB Research Movement formed to drive progress

Christian Lienhardt of the Stop TB Partnership and colleagues examine the research necessary to stop tuberculosis (TB) and introduce the TB Research Movement, which aims to "boost TB research and accelerate progress in TB control towards international targets," in this PLoS Medicine article.

1 Dec 2011

Xinhua examines HIV/AIDS in China

Xinhua posted several articles examining HIV/AIDS in China. The first looks at HIV/AIDS among the general population. The article notes that 346,000 people are living with HIV in China, and the "number is predicted to hit 780,000 by the end of 2011, according to an expert panel ... consisting of members from China's Ministry of Health (MOH), the World Health Organization and UNAIDS," the MOH reported in a statement released on Tuesday.

1 Dec 2011

Increased screening for mental health, substance abuse may help identify women at risk of suicide

Increased screening of pregnant women and new mothers for major depression and conflicts with intimate partners may help identify women at risk for suicide, a University of Michigan Health System-led analysis of federal data concludes.

1 Dec 2011

Prioritizing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment

In his ForeignPolicy.com column, Charles Kenny, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and a Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation, writes that despite an "abundance of tools to fight the global AIDS epidemic," including male circumcision and treatment as prevention, "the breakthroughs don't amount to a global reprieve."

1 Dec 2011

Synthetic human tissue aids in testing photoacoustic and ultrasonic imaging technologies

The precise blending of tiny particles and multicolor dyes transforms gelatin into a realistic surrogate for human tissue. These tissue mimics, known as "phantoms," provide an accurate proving ground for new photoacoustic and ultrasonic imaging technologies.

1 Dec 2011

PTSD caseload strains military health care resources

USA Today reports that a rising number of combat veterans are flooding VA hospitals with this illness. Meanwhile, ProPublica/NPR report on a brain injury testing program for soldiers that has proven to be problematic.

1 Dec 2011

Medicare to cover obesity counseling without cost sharing

Medicare officials announced Tuesday that this preventive service will cover screening and counseling in primary care providers' offices.

1 Dec 2011

New marker may provide more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's, FTLD

New research finds a marker used to detect plaque in the brain may help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis between two common types of dementia - Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

1 Dec 2011

AIDS 'tipping points' could prompt discussion on effectiveness, efficiency

In this post on the Center for Global Development's "Global Health Policy" blog, Jenny Ottenhoff, policy outreach associate at the Center, examines the prospects for U.S. spending on global AIDS programs.

1 Dec 2011

NTD awareness during the 2012 elections

Peter Hotez of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Karen Goraleski of the Sabin Vaccine Institute write in this PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) editorial, "In the next year leading up to the U.S. presidential and congressional elections, the global NTD community has an important opportunity to present the case for NTD funding to remain as an essential component of U.S. international development assistance."

1 Dec 2011

Combination of two techniques promises to improve effectiveness of experimental gene therapies

yeast or phages act not only to tag and target but also to exchange specific genes in DNA A combination of two techniques promises to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of experimental gene therapies, while also reducing potential side effects says a new research report published in the December 2011 issue of the FASEB Journal.

1 Dec 2011

In super committee aftermath, Dems attack GOP for pushing Medicare cuts

The Democratic Party will begin a campaign on Wednesday to attack Republican lawmakers for pushing cuts to Medicare benefits during the latest round of failed federal deficit talks, a new turn in a drama that not long ago featured top Democrats expressing a willingness to tinker with the popular entitlement program.

1 Dec 2011

Statens Serum Institut, Aeras initiate new candidate TB vaccine Phase I trial

Statens Serum Institut and Aeras today announce the initiation of the first Phase I clinical trial of a new candidate TB vaccine designed to protect people latently infected with TB from developing active TB disease.

1 Dec 2011