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Obesity associated with higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer

Women who are overweight or obese have up to twice the risk of developing colorectal cancer before age 50 as women who have what is considered a normal body mass index (BMI), according to new research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

12 Oct 2018

Brain oscillations provide insights into the human navigation system

The brain creates a map of our environment, which enables reliable spatial navigation. The Nobel Prize was awarded in 2014 for research into how this navigation system works at the cellular level.

12 Oct 2018

Scientists demonstrate the existence of grid-like activity in the human brain

It has long been known that so-called place cells in the human hippocampus are responsible for coding one's position in space.

12 Oct 2018

Individuals who walk regularly have reduced risk of severe stroke

Physical activity not only reduces the risk of stroke. Individuals who walk at least 30 minutes a day also have a lower risk of severe stroke, according to a new study in Neurology.

12 Oct 2018

Study: Alterations in genes encoding proteins contribute to ADHD development

A team from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University together with foreign colleagues analyzed the genomes of several families that have members with ADHD.

12 Oct 2018

Studies demonstrate effect of Ketogenic Diet on cognitive health in animals

We've all experienced a "gut feeling" -- when we know deep down inside that something is true. That phenomenon and others (like "butterflies in the stomach") aptly describe what scientists have now demonstrated: that the gut and the brain are more closely connected than we once thought, and in fact the health of one can affect the other.

12 Oct 2018

Fat tissue could be a source of diabetes, shows new research

A new study by Australian researchers, out today, is challenging what we know about the causes of diabetes. The new research points to fat tissue as a source of disease, and widens our understanding beyond the traditional focus on liver and pancreas as the main culprits.

12 Oct 2018

Research shows basophils are key players in lung development

Lungs are vital organs required for the uptake of oxygen in exchange for carbon dioxide. However, the enormous complexity of the respiratory organ is often underestimated and deserves a closer look: A broad range of specialized cells work closely together to ensure the proper functioning of the lung and provide the vital gas exchange.

12 Oct 2018

Findings offer new insight into early changes that occur during AD pathology

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, involving memory loss and a reduction in cognitive abilities.

12 Oct 2018

'Vampire Burial' at ancient Roman site reveals attempts to prevent spread of malaria

The discovery of a 10-year-old's body at an ancient Roman site in Italy suggests measures were taken to prevent the child, possibly infected with malaria, from rising from the dead and spreading disease to the living.

12 Oct 2018

'Eye scan' shows promise to diagnose central nervous system disorders

Partners from Austria – represented by Medical University of Vienna – Germany, France and the Netherlands are taking part in the EU "MOON" project (multimodal optical diagnostics for age-related diseases of the eye and central nervous system) to develop new techniques for early diagnosis of these diseases and successfully apply them in treatment and diagnosis.

12 Oct 2018

Smoking genes do not trigger heavier drinking, shows research

Some smokers have genes that predispose them to heavier smoking. Researchers looked at whether those same genes might trigger heavier drinking — and it turns out, they don't.

12 Oct 2018

Antimicrobial signaling molecule has lower activity against hepatitis C virus in most humans

An antimicrobial signaling molecule called IFNλ4 has lower activity against the hepatitis C virus in the vast majority of humans compared with chimpanzees and African hunter-gatherer Pygmies, according to a study published October 11 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by John McLauchlan’s research team at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in the UK, and colleagues.

12 Oct 2018

Antidepressants can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists at the University of Waterloo have discovered that antidepressant medications can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

12 Oct 2018

Infant’s complex babble may predict later literacy skills

Infants’ early speech production may predict their later literacy, according to a study published October 10, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kelly Farquharson from Florida State University and colleagues.

12 Oct 2018

Study suggests new approach to treat life-threatening blood disorder in children

Pediatric researchers studying the life-threatening blood disorder Fanconi anemia have devised a method to block the abnormal biological signals that drive the disease.

12 Oct 2018

Mast cells associated with allergies also play key role in survival, study reveals

In a University of California, Irvine-led study, researchers found evidence that mast cells, an important group of immune cells typically associated with allergies, actually enable the body to survive fasting or intense exercise.

12 Oct 2018

Kent State professor receives grant to study role of oxytocin in the developing brain

Heather Caldwell, Ph.D., a professor in Kent State University's Department of Biological Sciences, recently received a $450,000 grant to study the role that oxytocin plays in the developing brain.

12 Oct 2018

Neuroscientists unravel how two different types of brain plasticity work on synapses

The brain's crucial function is to allow organisms to learn and adapt to their surroundings. It does this by literally changing the connections, or synapses, between neurons, strengthening meaningful patterns of neural activity in order to store information. The existence of this process - brain plasticity - has been known for some time.

12 Oct 2018

Study identifies brain cortex activity differences in children with arthrogryposis

Researchers from the Higher School of Economics and the Turner Scientific and Research Institute for Children's Orthopedics have discovered that in children with arthrogryposis, the power of electrical activity in the brain cortex decreases, while its dynamics remains the same as in healthy children.

12 Oct 2018