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Immune-boosting formulation in Chinese herbal remedies comes from bacteria growing on Angelica roots

Juzen-taiho-to, also known as shi quan da bu tang, is one of the most popular herbal formulas in China and Japan and is used in the West by practitioners of traditional Asian medicine. New research suggests the remedy's immune-boosting effects are due, at least in part, to bacteria that grow on the roots of one of the formula's component herbs.

6 Apr 2016

First-ever immature antibody found in immune molecules may help combat HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and collaborating institutions have described the first-ever immature or “teenage” antibody found in a powerful class of immune molecules effective against HIV.

6 Apr 2016

Immune cell with 'Superman' power could lead to novel therapies for type 1 diabetes

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals a previously unknown type of immune cell. The discovery opens new avenues in the effort to develop novel therapies for autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes.

6 Apr 2016

Latest trends in robotic surgery: an interview with Dr. Patrick Ross, Chairman of Surgery for Main Line Health

When new technology becomes available, surgical or otherwise, there are those who adopt early, and those who hold on to previous familiar methods.

6 Apr 2016

New technologies can improve memory, learning in cognitive deficit patients

People are using brain-machine interfaces to restore motor function in ways never before possible - through limb prosthetics and exoskletons. But technologies to repair and improve cognition have been more elusive. That is rapidly changing with new tools - from fully implantable brain devices to neuron-eavesdropping grids atop the brain - to directly probe the mind.

6 Apr 2016

3-D replica of teen’s skull helps surgeons remove rare, aggressive tumor

What started as a stuffy-nose and mild cold symptoms for 15-year-old Parker Turchan led to a far more serious diagnosis: a rare type of tumor in his nose and sinuses that extended through his skull near his brain.

6 Apr 2016

Cognitive neuroscientists testing potential benefits of brain training tools

The draw is huge: Play video games and get smarter. For the past decade, various groups have claimed that their cognitive training programs do everything from staving off neurodegenerative disease to enhancing education and improving daily functioning. Absent from many of these claims has been neuroscientific evidence. Cognitive neuroscientists are now rigorously testing the potential benefits of such "brain training" tools.

6 Apr 2016

Student drinking tends to fluctuate during the calendar year

Heavy drinking by students is common during the college years and is associated with potentially serious consequences. While student drinking tends to fluctuate throughout the calendar year, with marked increases during celebrations, most studies of the issue are limited to the academic year itself, relatively few focus specifically on special heavy drinking events, and even fewer include drinking during summer break and subsequent school return. This study uses longitudinal data to address these gaps.

6 Apr 2016

Study shows only 15% of children achieve 60 minutes of daily MVPA

Children are far from meeting national guidelines for physical activity, and girls are at greatest risk of falling short of recommendations according to a study measuring the physical activity of 453 schoolchildren in Massachusetts during a one-week period.

6 Apr 2016

Monetary incentives aid smoking cessation among pregnant, post-partum women

Smoking during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of poor pregnancy outcomes. Studies further indicate that in-utero smoke exposure contributes to respiratory and cardiac illnesses later in life.

6 Apr 2016

Researchers find prevalence of steatosis in liver transplant recipients

Researchers have characterized the prevalence and risk factors of fatty liver disease in patients who undergo liver transplantation. The findings, which are published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, could have important implications for safeguarding transplant recipients' health.

6 Apr 2016

Exome sequencing improves speed, accuracy of neurogenetic disorder diagnosis

UCLA researchers have found that a state-of-the-art molecular genetic test greatly improves the speed and accuracy with which they can diagnose neurogenetic disorders in children and adults. The discovery could lead directly to better care for people with rare diseases like spinocerebellar ataxia, leukodsystrophy, spastic paraplegia and many other conditions.

6 Apr 2016

Exercise may promote cardiovascular health in chronically stressed individuals

Constant stress is associated with signs of poor blood vessel health and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. New research presented today at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting in San Diego finds that aerobic exercise kept the blood vessels of stressed rats working normally.

6 Apr 2016

Exercise can lower blood glucose levels among patients taking metformin

Exercise can help enhance the effects of blood glucose-lowering medication, according to an award-winning study by a University of Georgia graduate student.

6 Apr 2016

Researchers link different BAC levels to MVC mortality, suicides

Injury death - including those due to intentional injury, with suicide most common, as well as unintentional injury, with motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) causing a majority - is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Postmortem examinations commonly test for blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

6 Apr 2016

Innovative nano-therapy treatment can fight chronic inflammatory disorders, cancer

For an innovative treatment, which allows to selectively direct nanoparticles of iron oxide into cell targets in the blood to fight chronic inflammatory disorders or cancer that was successfully tested in a cell culture and animal models, Dr. Andrea de Vizcaya Ruiz, was awarded with the Innovation Award in Bionanotechnology Cinvestav-Neolpharma 2015.

6 Apr 2016

Study shows epidermal growth factor negatively regulates shedding of epithelial cells

The lining of the intestine is the most rapidly-renewing tissue in the body. Routine shedding of epithelial cells from this lining is a key element of tissue turnover, and is thus essential to maintaining optimal health. Altered shedding is associated with multiple disorders, ranging from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to colorectal cancer.

6 Apr 2016

Cutting energy-dense carbohydrate-containing foods may help reduce cancer risk

Recent years have brought more attention to the role of carbohydrates in our diets and the differences between healthy and unhealthy carbs, most often in the context of weight control. A new study highlights one more reason to avoid sugary beverages, processed foods and other energy-dense carbohydrate-containing foods—cutting them may help reduce your risk of cancer.

6 Apr 2016

Patient's personal activity tracker, smartphone can help physicians treat new-onset atrial fibrillation

Emergency physicians used a patient's personal activity tracker and smartphone to identify the time his heart arrhythmia started, which allowed them to treat his new-onset atrial fibrillation with electrical cardioversion and discharge him home.

6 Apr 2016

Researchers validate newer surgical technique for stronger, more natural ACL repair

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of the most common knee injuries. Approximately 200,000 Americans experience a torn ACL each year, and more than half undergo surgical repairs. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have developed a model to show that a newer surgical technique results in a stronger, more natural ACL repair.

6 Apr 2016