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New data on attention and visual perception

The journal PLOS ONE has recently published a study which provides new data around attention and visual perception. The article "A role of eye vergence in covert attention" is signed by led by Hans Supèr, ICREA researcher at the Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (IR3C) of the University of Barcelona; Maria Solé Puig, J. Antonio Aznar Casanova and Laura Pérez Zapato, all of them researchers at the IR3C, have also participated in the study.

10 Feb 2013

Bronchiectasis independently associated with increased mortality risk in COPD patients

Bronchiectasis is independently associated with an increased mortality risk in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, according to a new study from researchers in Spain.

10 Feb 2013

Alzheimer's appears to be on the rise

The number of people with Alzheimer's disease is expected to triple in the next 40 years, according to a new study by researchers from Rush University Medical Center published in the February 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

9 Feb 2013

Self-reported feelings of well-being tend to increase with age

Psychological well-being has been linked to many important life outcomes, including career success, relationship satisfaction, and even health. But it's not clear how feelings of well-being change as we age, as different studies have provided evidence for various trends over time.

9 Feb 2013

New technique can detect mercury contamination in water

Chemists at the University of Burgos (Spain) have manufactured a sheet that changes colour in the presence of water contaminated with mercury. The results can be seen with the naked eye but when photographing the membrane with a mobile phone the concentration of this extremely toxic metal can be quantified.

9 Feb 2013

Certain nutrients may play an underlying role in short and long sleep duration

"You are what you eat," the saying goes, but is what you eat playing a role in how much you sleep? Sleep, like nutrition and physical activity, is a critical determinant of health and well-being. With the increasing prevalence of obesity and its consequences, sleep researchers have begun to explore the factors that predispose individuals to weight gain and ultimately obesity.

9 Feb 2013

High prevalence of total knee replacement revealed

Research highlights the growing use of total knee replacement in the USA among patients with osteoarthritis and the associated healthcare burden.

8 Feb 2013

Allopurinol may improve CV outcomes in kidney disease

The xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol appears to be beneficial in preventing cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality in patients with hypertensive nephropathy, show findings from a Japanese study.

8 Feb 2013

Metabolic syndrome risk factors prevalent in bipolar disorder

People who have bipolar disorder are at a high risk for developing the metabolic syndrome and related cardiovascular disorders, say researchers.

8 Feb 2013

Microbial composition of induced sputum altered in mild asthma

The microbial composition of sputum in patients with mild asthma differs from that in individuals without the condition, results from a US study show.

8 Feb 2013

Etanercept no better than prednisone for COPD exacerbations

Results from a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial suggest that the tumor necrosis factor α antagonist etanercept is no more effective than standard therapy with prednisone for the treatment of acute exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

8 Feb 2013

Anxiety positively linked to physical activity in COPD patients

Higher levels of anxiety are associated with increased physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, US researchers report.

8 Feb 2013

Familial psychosis risk linked to prefrontal dopamine dysfunction

People at familial risk for psychosis have attenuated dopamine stress modulation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, according to a recent in vivo imaging study.

8 Feb 2013

White matter injury common after aortic arch surgery in infants

Diagnostic category is the strongest predictor for postoperative white matter injury in infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease, say researchers.

8 Feb 2013

Melatonin viable alternative for REM sleep behavior disorder treatment

Clonazepam and melatonin appear to be equally effective for the treatment of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder symptoms, although melatonin may be better tolerated, a naturalistic clinical study shows.

8 Feb 2013

Intravitreal ranibizumab shows little benefit after hemorrhage

Ranibizumab given intravitreally offers no clear benefit in the treatment of vitreous hemorrhage due to proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a randomized clinical trial indicates.

8 Feb 2013

Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 involved in renal decline in diabetes

Researchers have found that circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 are independently associated with the development of chronic kidney disease in nonobese Japanese patients with Type 2 diabetes.

8 Feb 2013

Milk thistle constituent shows promising skin protection properties

Silibinin, a key component of milk thistle seeds, can help protect against skin damage caused by ultraviolet B radiation, show study findings published in Molecular Carcinogenesis.

8 Feb 2013

Education and response programs reduce opioid overdose deaths

Results from a US study suggest that a state-supported program of overdose education and nasal naloxone distribution for potential bystanders can help reduce opioid-related overdose deaths.

8 Feb 2013

Oral eosinophilic ulcers ‘a self-limiting, reactive condition’

A review of patients with oral eosinophilic ulcers suggests that the lesions should be considered a reactive, local condition rather than a CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder.

8 Feb 2013