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Death rates after surgery: an interview with Dr Rupert Pearse

There are very few published estimates describing the number of deaths following surgery at a national level and none at an international level.

1 Oct 2012

Heavy drinkers and smokers may develop pancreatic cancer earlier in life

Those who smoke and drink heavily may develop pancreatic cancer at an earlier age than those who don't, according to a study led by a University of Michigan Health System gastroenterologist.

1 Oct 2012

Extending sleep duration may help reduce risk of diabetes in youth

A new study suggests that increasing the amount of sleep that teenagers get could improve their insulin resistance and prevent the future onset of diabetes.

29 Sep 2012

New, precise definition of boredom based on mental processes

This gives new meaning to the complaint "I'm bored" - literally. Canadian researchers - including a professor from the University of Guelph - have come up with a new, precise definition of boredom based on the mental processes that underlie the condition.

29 Sep 2012

New research on addiction mutual-support groups

Mutual-help groups for addiction have proliferated, diversified, and adapted to emerging substance-related trends over the past 75 years. A new special, triple issue of the Journal of Groups in Addiction & Recovery - Broadening the Base of Addiction Mutual Support: Bringing Theory and Science to Contemporary Trends - reviews the history of mutual-support groups for addiction that have arisen as adjuncts or alternatives to Twelve Step Programs.

29 Sep 2012

Wage disparities could limit success of health-care reform

A national study has found that earnings over the course of the careers of primary-care physicians averaged as much as $2.8 million less than the earnings of their specialist colleagues, potentially making primary care a less attractive choice for medical school graduates and exacerbating the already significant shortage of medical generalists.

29 Sep 2012

Collaborative Spine completes research agenda-setting process for spine care

The Collaborative Spine Research Foundation (Collaborative Spine) today announced it has completed the process of setting a research agenda for spine care. The agenda articulates the most critical clinical research issues that need to be addressed in order to deliver on the Foundation's commitment to advance the science and practice of the highest-quality spine care.

29 Sep 2012

Autism Speaks announces new round of research grants

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of new research grants totaling nearly $5 million. "Autism Speaks is committed to continuing our research which has tremendous potential to increase our understanding of autism and addressing the needs of individuals with autism," said Autism Speaks Co-founder Bob Wright, "and we are grateful to the donors who make this research possible."

29 Sep 2012

Dark chocolate can improve length and strength of memories

Type the word 'superfood,' into a web browser and you'll be overwhelmed: some websites even maintain that dark chocolate can have beneficial effects. But take a closer look at the science underpinning these claims, and you'll discover just how sparse it is.

28 Sep 2012

Broad spectrum sunscreens needed to block UVB and UVA

Writing in the latest edition of Australian Prescriber, Associate Professor Jane Hanrahan from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney writes that UVB is the cause of sunburn, but UVA can be more damaging to the skin. It is therefore best to use broad spectrum sunscreens that block both wavebands.

28 Sep 2012

New malaria-transmitting mosquitoes: an interview with Jennifer Stevenson, Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

In the area in which we carried out the study, which was in the western Kenyan highlands, the main mosquitoes that have been confirmed to transmit malaria are the females of Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto, Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus.

28 Sep 2012

Intellectual disability often results from genetic causes that are not inherited

New research published Online First in The Lancet suggests that a high proportion of severe intellectual disability results from genetic causes that are not inherited. These findings are good news for parents, indicating a low risk of passing on the disorder to further children.

28 Sep 2012

People less likely to trust retweeted health messages

People are more likely to trust health messages tweeted by doctors who have a lot of followers, but not the messages they retweet, according to researchers.

27 Sep 2012

Competition between two brain regions influences the ability to make healthy choices

Almost everyone knows the feeling: you see a delicious piece of chocolate cake on the table, but as you grab your fork, you think twice. The cake is too fattening and unhealthy, you tell yourself. Maybe you should skip dessert.

27 Sep 2012

Study identifies potential ways to minimize acrylamide levels in french fries

The process for preparing frozen, par-fried potato strips - distributed to some food outlets for making french fries - can influence the formation of acrylamide in the fries that people eat, a new study has found. Published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study identifies potential ways of reducing levels of acrylamide, which the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer regard as a "probable human carcinogen."

27 Sep 2012