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Obesity impact on lumbar disc herniation management confirmed

Obese patients with symptomatic lumbar disc herniation are significantly more likely to opt for surgery than their healthy weight counterparts but derive less benefit, SPORT findings suggest.

4 Jan 2013

Supplementary grading system best for cerebellar vascular malformations

The Spetzler–Martin grading system is a poor predictor of outcomes of patients with cerebellar arteriovenous malformations, research indicates.

4 Jan 2013

Training can improve inpatient record documentation

The accuracy and completeness of inpatient medical records can be significantly improved with clinical interventions designed to develop quality record keeping, research shows.

4 Jan 2013

Raising transfusion threshold improves acute upper GI bleeding outcomes

Outcomes among patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding can be improved by employing a restrictive transfusion strategy that raises the threshold for the transfusion of red cells, the results of a Spanish study indicate.

4 Jan 2013

Brake for skin inflammation discovered

The absence of a protein called Ctip2 in the skin allows increased levels of T-helper 2 cytokines and may have a role in conditions such as atopic dermatitis, research in mice suggests.

4 Jan 2013

Experts question proposed mercury preservative ban in vaccines

A ban on the use of a mercury-based preservative in vaccines tabled by the United Nations Environmental Program should be struck from a draft treaty as it may severely affect access to vaccines, experts urge.

4 Jan 2013

Toxin-induced insulin resistance combated in mice

French researchers have found that a protein-bound uremic toxin, p-cresyl sulfate, contributes to the development of insulin resistance in mice, providing a new potential therapeutic target for treating chronic kidney disease, they say.

4 Jan 2013

Extensive white matter abnormalities in early schizophrenia

Patients with first-episode schizophrenia exhibit widespread white matter abnormalities, results from a brain imaging study show.

4 Jan 2013

Psychologic treatment has long-term benefits for bipolar patients

Psychoeducation and cognitive behavioral therapy combined with pharmacologic treatment provides significant long-term benefits for patients with refractory bipolar disorder, researchers report.

4 Jan 2013

Cost-effectiveness findings for naloxone revealed

Researchers have found that naloxone distribution to heroin users could reduce the number of deaths from overdose while being cost-effective.

4 Jan 2013

Local conjunctival metastases ‘may be under-recognized’

Local conjunctival metastases may represent under-recognized lesions arising from the dissemination of primary conjunctival melanoma via local vessels, suggest findings published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

4 Jan 2013

Young adults and 'binge' drinking

A new study from the Journal of Marketing Management suggests that the UK's alcohol problem will continue to worsen until the availability and cultural presence of alcohol is subject to stricter controls.

4 Jan 2013

1 in 4 survey participants secretly create concoctions

A study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) suggests food concocting - the making of strange food mixtures like mashed potatoes and Oreo cookies, frozen vegetables mixed with mayonnaise, and chips with lemon, pork rinds, Italian dressing and salt - is common among binge eaters. The findings, available online and to be published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, reveal that 1 in 4 survey participants secretly create concoctions.

4 Jan 2013

Scientists report advance toward preventing tooth sensitivity

Taking inspiration from Mother Nature, scientists are reporting an advance toward preventing the tooth sensitivity that affects millions of people around the world. Their report on development of the substance, similar to the adhesive that mussels use to attach to rocks and other surfaces in water, appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

4 Jan 2013

Color of containers where food and drink are served can enhance attributes like taste and aroma

Two researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Oxford have proven that hot chocolate tastes better in an orange or cream coloured cup than in a white or red one. The study adds to recent research demonstrating how our senses perceive food in a different way depending on the characteristics of the container from which we eat and drink.

4 Jan 2013

Costs and benefits of bigger brains

Bigger brains can make animals, well, brainier, but that boost in brain size and ability comes at a price. That's according to new evidence reported on January 3rd in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, in which researchers artificially selected guppies for large and small brain sizes.

4 Jan 2013

PKM-zeta-less adult mice still able to form long-term memories

A study by Johns Hopkins researchers has shown that a widely accepted model of long-term memory formation - that it hinges on a single enzyme in the brain - is flawed. The new study, published in the Jan. 2 issue of Nature, found that mice lacking the enzyme that purportedly builds memory were in fact still able to form long-term memories as well as normal mice could.

4 Jan 2013