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Tanning study results often depend on funding source

A new study shows that industry-funded studies on the health impacts of indoor tanning have a greater probability of favorable results, compared to those funded by other sources. The study, published in the the British Medical Journal on February 2020, raises the possibility of biased scientific reporting which could potentially be harmful to patients and to medical science, in the long run.

4 Feb 2020

UMass Amherst receives new funding to continue gambling impact research

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has awarded a renewable contract to a University of Massachusetts Amherst team to continue groundbreaking research into the socioeconomic impacts of introducing casino gambling in the state.

4 Feb 2020

In-home breathing device may offer hope for people with COPD

In a new paper published Feb. 4 in JAMA, Mayo Clinic researchers describe the benefits of in-home noninvasive ventilation therapy- which includes a type referred to as bilevel positive airway pressure, or BiPAP- for many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

4 Feb 2020

Study: Medicaid expansion reduced uninsured rates in diabetes belt

Medicaid expansion dramatically reduced the numbers of low-income residents without insurance in the Diabetes Belt, a swath of 644 counties across 15 southeastern states (including Virginia) that are stricken with high diabetes rates, a new study has found.

4 Feb 2020

Self-care associated with greater confidence in parents of children with FASD

Children diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders--caused by prenatal alcohol exposure--often face lifelong developmental, cognitive and behavioral problems.

4 Feb 2020

Sleep duration linked to cognitive and mental health in children

Depression, anxiety, impulsive behavior and poor cognitive performance in children is effected by the amount of sleep they have researchers from the University of Warwick have found.

4 Feb 2020

Altruism may begin in infancy

A new study published in February 2020 n the open-access journal Scientific Reports, from the Nature Publishing group, reports that altruism may be born rather than cultivated in human beings. The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, or I-LABS, and centers around the act of giving food away sacrificially.

4 Feb 2020

Making it all work: brain-dependent immune activation in embryos

How does the immune system develop its functionality? This has been an ongoing area of research for biologists. Now, a new study published in the journal NPJ Regenerative Medicine in February 2020 shows that in very early fetal life the brain must signal directions to the developing immune system to help it defend the body from infectious agents. This signaling markedly improves the capability of the embryo to survive when faced with bacterial infection.

4 Feb 2020

Prenatal single cell blood test for gene defects

With the current state of knowledge regarding genetic testing, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is in favor for genetic testing in unborn babies, using fragments of DNA circulating in the mother’s blood.

4 Feb 2020

Study finds higher suicide rate among people with neurological disorders

Neurological disorders may impact one’s mental health, a new study says as researchers found that there is a higher rate of suicide among individuals living with neurological disorders.

4 Feb 2020

Hendra antibody trial shows promise in a world-first human clinical trial

The Hendra virus is a potent pathogen transmitted to humans from animals that cause a severe and often fatal illness in both infected horses and humans. Originating from fruit bats, the virus caused an outbreak in Australia in 1994.

4 Feb 2020

Unveiling the structure of the influenza virus

The flu season is coming, and the frigid temperatures make it worse. The influenza B virus is the causative agent of the common flu, but over the past years, it has become more potent in causing disease. Now, a team of MIT scientists has found and unveiled the structure of the virus, particularly the key influenza protein, in the hopes to develop new drugs to combat influenza.

4 Feb 2020

Promising HIV vaccine fails in a large-scale clinical trial

The human immune deficiency virus (HIV) is an infectious disease that can lead to immunosuppression called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). For decades, scientists race to discover a vaccine that can help prevent the spread of the virus. The latest trial testing a new experimental vaccine in South Africa end in disappointment after deeming ineffective in preventing infection.

4 Feb 2020

Study reveals new strategies to prevent skin scarring

A new study in Burns & Trauma, published by Oxford University Press, reveals promising new strategies to prevent skin scarring after injuries.

4 Feb 2020

Study shows beneficial effects of greenness around schools for children

Two separate studies looked at the effects that greenery has on our health – finding that the greener our surroundings, the better.

4 Feb 2020

Renal stem cells can be isolated from urine

Researchers from the Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine at the medical faculty of Heinrich Heine University-Duesseldorf under the directorship of Prof. Dr. James Adjaye have developed a protocol for the reproducible isolation and characterization of kidney stem cells, urine-derived renal progenitor cells (UdRPCs) from donors of distinct ages, gender and ethnicity.

4 Feb 2020

RNA affecting skin cancer progression discovered

Researchers at the University of Turku, Turku University Central Hospital, and Western Cancer Center have discovered a new RNA molecule, PRECSIT, which regulates the growth and invasion of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.

4 Feb 2020

General anesthesia in cesarean delivery linked with increased risk of postpartum depression

A new study shows that having general anesthesia in a cesarean delivery is linked with significantly increased odds of severe postpartum depression requiring hospitalization, thoughts of suicide or self-inflicted injury.

4 Feb 2020

New step toward understanding cancer prevention in evolutionary terms

A new Scientific Reports paper puts an evolutionary twist on a classic question. Instead of asking why we get cancer, Leonardo Oña of Osnabrück University and Michael Lachmann of the Santa Fe Institute use signaling theory to explore how our bodies have evolved to keep us from getting more cancer.

4 Feb 2020

People with ASD have cellular abnormality that impairs myelin production, study reveals

People with autism spectrum disorder appear to suffer malfunctions in a cell that produces a special coating around nerve fibers that facilitates efficient electrical communication across the brain.

4 Feb 2020