cAMP News and Research

RSS

Tau-protein better predicts brain atrophy in Alzheimer's patients than amyloid plaques

Brain imaging of pathological tau-protein "tangles" reliably predicts the location of future brain atrophy in Alzheimer's patients a year or more in advance, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center. In contrast, the location of amyloid "plaques," which have been the focus of Alzheimer's research and drug development for decades, was found to be of little utility in predicting how damage would unfold as the disease progressed.

2 Jan 2020

Researchers develop new approach for studying experience-driven activity of transcription factors

Our brains have a remarkable knack for adaptability. Each and every day the neuronal connections within are constantly changing, molded by what we experience in our daily lives.

26 Dec 2019

A promising cellular target for migraine attacks

A recent study published in the journal Cephalalgia, the official journal of the International Headache Society, reported an intriguing discovery.

17 Dec 2019

New antimicrobial polymer can kill bacteria resistant to common antibiotics

Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University have designed an antimicrobial polymer that can kill bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics, including the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

12 Dec 2019

An Atlanta nonprofit brings medical care and connection to the homeless

Herman Ware got his seasonal flu shot while sitting at a small, wobbly table inside a mobile health clinic.

4 Dec 2019

KHN’S ‘What the health?’: How’s that open enrollment going?

Open enrollment for 2020 health coverage under the Affordable Care Act is halfway over. So far, sign-ups appear to be lagging behind last year’s, but not dramatically.

3 Dec 2019

Coping with (power) loss: California’s hospitals, clinics, patients face new reality

We all know that when the power goes out, refrigerators, heaters and air conditioners stop running. Homes go dark, and desktop computers shut down.

27 Nov 2019

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: How’s that open enrollment going?

Open enrollment for 2020 health coverage under the Affordable Care Act is halfway over. So far, sign-ups appear to be lagging behind last year’s, but not dramatically.

26 Nov 2019

Miniscule robots like "Magic School Bus" could clear blood clots

Pulmonary embolism is a condition where a clot forms and blocks the arteries of the lungs and this restricts the blood flow to the lungs and lowers the amount of oxygen reaching the different organs. Statistics from the National Institutes of Health show that pulmonary embolism leads to nearly 200,000 to 300,000 deaths in the United States annually putting it at number three in cardiovascular diseases right after heart attack and stroke.

19 Nov 2019

Nursing home safety violations put residents at risk, report finds

As huge swaths of California burned last fall, federal health officials descended on 20 California nursing homes to determine whether they were prepared to protect their vulnerable residents from fires, earthquakes and other disasters.

14 Nov 2019

New study sheds light on how memories are formed

How does the brain translate information from the outside world into something we remember? An international team of researchers working in the Human Brain Project have zoomed in on the neuronal circuits in the striatum, a brain structure involved in memory, behavior and reward learning.

7 Nov 2019

For young people with psychosis, early intervention is crucial

Andrew Echeguren, 26, had his first psychotic episode when he was 15. He was working as an assistant coach at a summer soccer camp for kids when the lyrics coming out of his iPod suddenly morphed into racist and homophobic slurs, telling him to harm others — and himself.

6 Nov 2019

Light sensitive insulin secreting switches to help diabetics in blood sugar control

Researchers from Tufts University devised a novel experiment wherein they engineered beta cells of the pancreas and transplanted these cells onto the pancreas of diabetic mice. This resulted in two to three times insulin production by the diabetic mice that helped them control their blood sugar. These transplanted cells could be controlled using light exposure explained scientists, making this a path breaking study for diabetics.

4 Nov 2019

Five surgeons receive ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Awards

Last night, five surgeons received the 2019 American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian Awards and Surgical Volunteerism Awards in recognition of their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved patients.

30 Oct 2019

Early detection, treatment may reduce risk of death from systemic JIA-associated lung disease

For thousands of children living with the debilitating disease systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a class of medications known as "biologics" have produced dramatic, life-changing improvements.

29 Oct 2019

Employers are scaling back their dependence on high-deductible health plans

Everything old is new again. As open enrollment gets underway for next year's job-based health insurance coverage, some employees are seeing traditional plans offered alongside or instead of the plans with sky-high deductibles that may have been their only choice in the past.

29 Oct 2019

Farmworkers face daunting health risks in California’s wildfires

Farm laborers in yellow safety vests walked through neatly arranged rows of grapes Friday, harvesting the last of the deep purple bundles that hung from the vines, even as the sky behind them was dark with soot.

29 Oct 2019

Increase in air pollution levels linked to more premature mortality in the U.S.

In the United States, annual average levels of fine particulate matter--PM2.5, a measure of solid particles and liquid droplets that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller found in the air--declined 24% from 2009 to 2016, then increased 5% between 2016 to 2018.

21 Oct 2019

Brain-infecting virus has spread across the US at record rates this year

Health officials have announced over the weekend that more people have been infected with or died from the EEE virus, making 2019 the worst year yet for recorded cases.

24 Sep 2019

Researchers develop new technology to study cell nanomechanics

Researchers at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and MIT's Laser Biomedical Research Center have developed a new way to study cells, paving the way for a better understanding of how cancers spread and become killers.

20 Sep 2019