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MU researchers use MRI to study effects of Phenylketonuria

All children are screened for a host of conditions at birth, such as Phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder that is passed by mutated genes from both parents to their offspring. PKU is rare, only affecting one in every 10,000 children in the U.S.; therefore, it is seldom studied.

23 Mar 2016

Synchronized waves of calcium in the brain can reduce depressive symptoms

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have discovered that the benefits of stimulating the brain with direct current come from its effects on astrocytes -- not neurons -- in the mouse brain.

23 Mar 2016

Exposure to substitute chemical can stimulate formation of fat cells

Exposure to a substitute chemical often used to replace bisphenol A in plastics can encourage the formation of fat cells, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.

23 Mar 2016

Integrated motivational interviewing and CBT effective for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Motivating willingness to change is important in treating a person with severe worry. For this, integrating motivational interviewing (MI) techniques into the commonly practised cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the ideal option, a study led by a York University researcher reveals.

23 Mar 2016

New research links antibiotic use before age 2 to childhood obesity

While early antibiotic use has been associated with a number of rare long-term health consequences, new research links antibiotics to one of the most important and growing public health problems worldwide -- obesity.

23 Mar 2016

Researchers explore new pathways to treat Alzheimer’s

Unless new treatments are found, it is predicted that more than 100 million people worldwide will be affected by Alzheimer's disease by 2050. With very few new drugs in the pipeline, researchers are exploring every possible avenue to treat the disease.

23 Mar 2016

Competition between mixed malaria parasite strains could influence drug resistance

Scientists have documented for the first time how competition among different malaria parasite strains in human hosts could influence the spread of drug resistance.

23 Mar 2016

USC's Keck School of Medicine researcher named recipient of NCI Outstanding Investigator Award

Distinguished Professor Jae Jung, PhD, chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology and the director of the University of Southern California Institute for Emerging Pathogens and Immune Diseases at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, is among this year's recipients of the National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award.

23 Mar 2016

Annual LDCT screenings not required for most high-risk lung cancer patients

Most high-risk lung cancer patients might not need annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screenings if they are cleared of disease in their initial test, according to a study led by a Duke Cancer Institute researcher.

23 Mar 2016

Antipsychotic medications may not be effective in preventing delirium in hospitalized patients

A recent review of the medical literature does not support the use of antipsychotic medications for preventing or treating delirium in hospitalized patients.

23 Mar 2016

'Modest support' for PFS as OS surrogate in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

Progression-free survival only moderately correlates with overall survival at the individual and trial level in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with HER2-targeted agents, say researchers.

23 Mar 2016

Warning of increased mortality risk for PD patients taking antipsychotics

Researchers have found a more than twofold increase in the risk of death among patients with Parkinson's disease who take antipsychotics, particularly typical antipsychotics.

23 Mar 2016

Sleep suppresses homeostatic rebalancing of brain activity

Why humans and other animals sleep is one of the remaining deep mysteries of physiology. One prominent theory in neuroscience is that sleep is when the brain replays memories "offline" to better encode them ("memory consolidation").

22 Mar 2016

Laser light could be used to measure oxygen supply in premature babies' lungs

Premature babies have a hard time getting the oxygen they need as their lungs are not sufficiently developed. Today you can only use X-rays to see how much air babies' lungs contain, but, according to research from Lund University in Sweden, in the future, these types of tests could be done using laser light.

22 Mar 2016

Immunoproteasome inhibits repair function of alveolar macrophages

Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München, a partner in the German Center for Lung Research, have observed that the immunoproteasome inhibits the repair function of alveolar macrophages.

22 Mar 2016

Whole genome sequencing of chimpanzee parasite reveals clues about human malaria

Understanding the origins of emerging diseases - as well as more established disease agents -- is critical to gauge future human infection risks and find new treatment and prevention approaches. This holds true for malaria, which kills more than 500,000 people a year. Symptoms, including severe anemia, pregnancy-associated malaria, and cerebral malaria, have been linked to the parasite's ability to cause infected red blood cells to bind to the inner lining of blood vessels.

22 Mar 2016

Chronic lack of sleep lowers grades of students

Students who have a chronic lack of sleep have lower grades and find it harder to concentrate. Around a third of students do not feel well rested enough to be able to study properly.

22 Mar 2016

New reference guide can help HIV care providers treat chronic pain

Recent studies suggest many individuals with HIV have chronic pain. Estimates range from 39 percent all the way to 85 percent. Chronic pain is an important comorbid condition in individuals with HIV, as it is common and causes substantial disability.

22 Mar 2016

ORNL-NIST researchers reveal nondestructive way to observe nanoscale objects and processes

When lots of energy hits an atom, it can knock off electrons, making the atom extremely chemically reactive and initiating further destruction. That's why radiation is so dangerous. It's also why high-resolution imaging techniques that use energetic electron beams and X-rays can alter, even obliterate, the samples they explore. For example, monitoring battery dynamics using electron microscopy can introduce artifacts that interfere with electrochemical processes.

22 Mar 2016

TGen investigators help track hypervirulent strep outbreak in southwestern U.S.

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has helped state, local and tribal health officials identify an outbreak of "hypervirulent" strep bacteria in the American Southwest.

22 Mar 2016