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Pneumococcal pneumonia mortality falling

Between 2000 and 2013 there has been an increase in the early prescription of antibiotics and use of combination therapy in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia, researchers report.

28 Jul 2014

Probiotics have ‘modest’ effect on blood pressure

The consumption of probiotics may help to reduce blood pressure, say the authors of a meta-analysis.

28 Jul 2014

Researchers receive grant to improve treatment for patients with COPD

Research into improving treatment for patients with one of the UK's most common respiratory diseases has received a -810,000 funding boost.

28 Jul 2014

Childhood obesity linked to early puberty

A new link has been identified between obesity in childhood and the lowering of the age of puberty.

28 Jul 2014

Endoscopic resection not always best for localized, early-stage esophageal cancer: Study

A new study, published in the July, 2014, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute by Northwestern Medicine- researchers, sheds new light on the risks associated with the growing popularity of endoscopic resection in the treatment of localized, early-stage esophageal cancer.

28 Jul 2014

PLXNA4 gene may increase risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine report variants in a new gene, PLXNA4, which may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discovery of this novel genetic association may lead to new drug treatment options that target PLXNA4 specifically.

28 Jul 2014

Lifestyle impacts likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome in childhood cancer survivors

A St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study found that 73 percent of adult survivors of childhood cancer more than doubled their risk of developing metabolic syndrome and related health problems by failing to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle. The results appear in the current issue of the journal Cancer.

28 Jul 2014

Nicotine, cotinine can potentially inhibit DNA damage caused by NNK in tobacco smoke

A new in vitro study has revealed that nicotine and cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, can potentially inhibit DNA damage caused by a certain carcinogen in smoke.

28 Jul 2014

Antifungal drug resistance evoked through RNAi-dependent epimutations

Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi can evade treatment by acquiring mutations in the genes targeted by antibiotics or antifungal drugs.

27 Jul 2014

Parallel brain circuits associated with opposing emotional reactions

People choosing between two or more equally positive outcomes experience paradoxical feelings of pleasure and anxiety, feelings associated with activity in different regions of the brain, according to research led by Amitai Shenhav, an associate research scholar at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute at Princeton University.

27 Jul 2014

Timely diagnosis and treatment important to combat juvenile arthritis

Most people associate arthritis with aging, but the fact is, one in 1,000 children is diagnosed with juvenile arthritis.

27 Jul 2014

Scientists find high proportion of oral bacteria in gut microbiota of liver cirrhosis patients

Scientists from INRA in collaboration with a Chinese team found that the gut microbiota[1] of individuals with liver cirrhosis differ notably from healthy individuals', showing a high proportion of oral bacteria.

26 Jul 2014

Melatonin has protective effects on traumatic brain injury-induced cerebral cortex

Traumatic brain injury can cause post-traumatic neurodegenerations with an increase in reactive oxygen species and reactive oxygen species-mediated lipid peroxidation. Melatonin, a non-enzymatic antioxidant and neuroprotective agent, has been shown to counteract oxidative stress-induced pathophysiologic conditions like cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, neuronal excitotoxicity and chronic inflammation.

26 Jul 2014

Study provides potential drug targets for transient cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Mitochondria play an important role in neuronal apoptosis caused by cerebral ischemia. Researchers at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, China discovered transient ischemia led to cell apoptosis in the hippocampus and changes in memory and cognition of aged rats.

26 Jul 2014

Neuroscientists shed new light on how the brain works

Neuroscientists in Bonn and Heidelberg have succeeded in providing new insights into how the brain works. Researchers at the DZNE and the German Cancer Research Center analyzed tissue samples from mice to identify how two specific proteins, ‘CKAMP44’ and ‘TARP Gamma-8’, act upon the brain’s memory center.

26 Jul 2014