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Study suggests new strategies to stop spread of Staph infections

Staphylococcus aureus -- better known as Staph -- is a common inhabitant of the human nose, and people who carry it are at increased risk for dangerous Staph infections.

7 Jun 2015

Researchers reveal that 6.5% of de novo genetic mutations occur during embryonic development

Until now, de novo genetic mutations, alterations in a gene found for the first time in one family member, were believed to be mainly the result of new mutations in the sperm or eggs (germline) of one of the parents and passed on to their child.

7 Jun 2015

University at Albany researcher receives $1.76 million NIH grant to explore role of vitamin D in breast cancer

Each year, about 230,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in the U.S. It remains the third leading cause of death, behind only heart disease and lung cancer. Of the new cases, about 20 percent of women will be diagnosed with "triple negative" breast cancer (TNBC), a deadly form of breast cancer that does not respond to standard treatments such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors.

7 Jun 2015

Resting-state connectivity changes underpinning ICDs identified

The presence of impulse control disorders is associated with reduced resting-state connectivity between part of the associative striatum and both associative and limbic cortical regions in patients with Parkinson’s disease, a study suggests.

5 Jun 2015

PALOMA3 supports palbociclib use in advanced breast cancer

Advanced breast cancer patients who have failed prior endocrine treatment may receive a progression-free survival benefit if palbociclib is added to fulvestrant, a phase III trial indicates.

5 Jun 2015

Shorter washout period during transition from natalizumab supported

A prematurely halted trial provides support for a relatively short washout period when transitioning patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis from natalizumab to fingolimod.

5 Jun 2015

Severe nonmotor symptom burden common in early Parkinson’s

Almost all patients with early Parkinson’s disease have nonmotor symptoms, with more than a third having a severe burden of symptoms, a study shows.

5 Jun 2015

Extremely poor vision can be caused by strabismus in early childhood

Extremely poor vision can be caused by strabismus in early childhood or by a displaced optical axis. Amblyopia is caused not by organic damage to the eyes but by the brain incorrectly fitting together the images the eyes provide.

5 Jun 2015

Death rates are higher in zip codes with more fine particulate air pollution

A new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that death rates among people over 65 are higher in zip codes with more fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) than in those with lower levels of PM2.5.

5 Jun 2015

Food labels effective in helping people make healthier food choices, shows study

A Cornell study of food labels in dining halls shows that when people know the calories and fat content in foods, they lean toward healthier fare.

5 Jun 2015

New study aims to find the genetic causes of substance addiction

A new study aims to find the genetic causes specific symptoms of substance addiction, which could lead to a more nuanced way of looking at substance abuse, and ways to treat it.

5 Jun 2015

Sleep helps overcome memory deficits after concussion

After a concussion, a person can be left with disturbed sleep, memory deficits and other cognitive problems for years, but a new study led by Rebecca Spencer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst suggests that despite these abnormalities, sleep still helps them to overcome memory deficits, and the benefit is Frontier in Human Neurosciequivalent to that seen in individuals without a history of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as concussion.

5 Jun 2015

Researchers discover initiation process of dendritic spines

Researchers from the University of Helsinki, ETH Zürich, Aix-Marseille and the German Mouse Clinic teamed up to investigate the initiation process of dendritic spines. They discovered that protein called MIM bends the plasma membrane to aid the formation of dendritic spines from the surface of the neuronal dendrite.

5 Jun 2015

Withholding ARBs for longer than two days after surgery significantly increases risk of postoperative death

Withholding angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) for longer than two days after surgery is associated with a significantly increased risk of postoperative death, according to a study of more than 30,000 patients in the VA health care system by researchers at UC San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

5 Jun 2015

New UT Arlington study finds that household items play significant role in infant's motor skill development

Toys, appliances, and even a sofa and coffee table can impact the way or when a baby first crawls, walks or achieves other growth milestones, but a new UT Arlington study finds that many parents are unaware of the significant role household items play in their infant's motor skill development.

5 Jun 2015

Study can help spur beneficial lifestyle changes in patients to reduce Alzheimer's risk

Armed with new knowledge about how neurodegenerative diseases alter brain structures, increasing numbers of neurologists, psychiatrists and other clinicians are adopting quantitative brain imaging as a tool to measure and help manage cognitive declines in patients. These imaging findings can help spur beneficial lifestyle changes in patients to reduce risk for Alzheimer's disease.

5 Jun 2015

African-American women often cope with infertility in silence and isolation

African-American women are equally, if not more, likely to experience infertility than their white counterparts, but they often cope with this traumatic issue in silence and isolation, according to a new University of Michigan study.

5 Jun 2015

Researchers identify immune system marker that drives therapy-resistant prostate cancer

You are a patient who has just been treated for a serious illness but neither you nor your doctor knows how likely it is that you -- in comparison with other patients -- will actually be helped by the treatment. This is often the situation with prostate cancer, one of the deadliest and most highly prevalent cancers. While hormone therapy can help, patient responses vary widely, and it's still unclear why some types of prostate cancer seem to be resistant to the therapy.

5 Jun 2015

Scientists identify new agent to combat tuberculosis

According to figures of the World Health Organization, some 8.7 million people contracted tuberculosis in 2012 and this disease is fatal for approximately 1.3 million people throughout the world each year. One of the main problems is that the tuberculosis pathogens have become resistant to the antibiotics used to fight them.

5 Jun 2015

Exercise during pregnancy prevents diabetes risk, reduces excessive weight gain

Women who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have gestational diabetes, and the exercise also helps to reduce maternal weight gain, finds a study published on 3 June 2015 in BJOG: an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

5 Jun 2015