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Fatty food and brain damage: Study finds connection

US scientists found a sudden change to a high-fat diet triggered inflammation in a key area of rodent brains responsible for regulating body weight. The inflammation produced distinctive scarring similar to that seen in stroke patients - and that brain scarring was then observed in humans who were overweight.

28 Dec 2011

Reduced cognitive function in young adulthood associated with increased risk of subdural hematoma

Anna Nordstr-m and Peter Nordstr-m of Ume- University, Sweden report their analysis of a prospective nationwide cohort of 440,742 Swedish men in this week's PLoS Medicine, finding that reduced cognitive function in young adulthood was associated with increased risk of subdural hematoma later in life, whereas a higher level of education and physical fitness were associated with a decreased risk.

28 Dec 2011

Working patterns should now be considered a specific risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes

The poor diet of shift workers should be considered a new occupational health hazard, according to an editorial published in this month's PLoS Medicine.

28 Dec 2011

Transparency needed in clinical trial recruitment performance

Despite the importance of site investigators to the success of multicentre clinical trials, inadequate public information is available about their recruitment performance. In this week's PLoS Medicine, Rafael Dal-R- and colleagues argue that that sponsors should disclose the recruitment targets of all site investigators on ClinicalTrials.gov before a trial starts, as well as their final recruitment.

28 Dec 2011

Epilepsy may not increase risk of committing violent crime

Despite current public and expert opinion to the contrary, having the neurological condition epilepsy is not directly associated with an increased risk of committing violent crime.

28 Dec 2011

Older people can respond faster in decision-making tasks

Both children and the elderly have slower response times when they have to make quick decisions in some settings. But recent research suggests that much of that slower response is a conscious choice to emphasize accuracy over speed.

28 Dec 2011

Early Alzheimer’s detection - cost effective and easy

Boston researchers have reported a new method for detecting subtle brain changes in people who have no memory problems but who may already be in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

27 Dec 2011

Gloomy on Twitter?

A team of mathematicians from the University of Vermont analyzed 4.6 billion Twitter messages worldwide over 33 months. They assigned happiness grades to more than 10,000 of the most common words, crunched all the numbers and plotted them on a graph that shows a gradual downward slope of happiness during the past year and a half or so, through mid-September.

27 Dec 2011

Pulse rate may predict risk of death due to heart disease: Study

While cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood glucose levels and weight have been used to measure the risk of death due to heart diseases till now, a new parameter has emerged – the pulse rate.

27 Dec 2011

Variety of fitness products spurs weight-loss motivation among consumers

While working as a part-time personal trainer as an undergraduate student, Jordan Etkin created exercise plans with lots of variety for new clients. The approach helped engage and eventually hook her clients into increasingly self-motivated and less-varied routines.

26 Dec 2011

NCC announces grant recipients of Childhood Cancer Research Coalition program

The National Cancer Coalition (NCC) is pleased to announce research grant recipients.

26 Dec 2011

Study to understand and predict consumer behaviour in relation to food and health

Research is ongoing at Teagasc in collaboration with University College Cork, to better understand and predict consumer behaviour in relation to food and health.

26 Dec 2011

Researchers discover that neutrophils exist in the spleen

For the first time, it has been discovered that neutrophils exist in the spleen without there being an infection.

26 Dec 2011

LRI praises U.S. Congress for legislation that addresses early lupus detection and treatment

A top legislative priority of the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) -- funding for a nationwide lupus education effort for healthcare providers -- is included in the Fiscal 2012 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2055) signed into law today by President Obama after passing in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

26 Dec 2011

Pfizer, Karo Bio partner to develop RORgamma modulators for autoimmune diseases

Karo Bio AB has entered into a research collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc., to discover and develop novel small molecule RORgamma modulators for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

26 Dec 2011

President Obama to provide federal funding for Alzheimer's programs

As the world's leading voluntary health organization advocating for Alzheimer's care, support and research, the Alzheimer's Association is pleased that Congress and President Obama have responded to calls by the Alzheimer's Association on behalf of people with Alzheimer's disease, caregivers, health professionals and researchers, to provide federal funding for several programs critical to the Alzheimer's community.

26 Dec 2011

Clear link between time spent in church and lower blood pressure

Does a belief in God confer any health benefits? With the help of a large Norwegian longitudinal health study called HUNT, researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) were able to find a clear relationship between time spent in church and lower blood pressure in both women and men.

26 Dec 2011

Oncologists present results from studies on relapse of breast cancer

The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center breast oncologist Dr. Suleiman Massarweh and his research team presented findings from their studies on relapse of breast cancer at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium this month.

26 Dec 2011

UCSF professor receives 2012 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize

Peter Walter, PhD, a professor in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department within the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco has been awarded the 2012 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for his "outstanding research achievements in the field of cell biology."

26 Dec 2011

PMC receives $100,000 donation for new mesothelioma research laboratory

Pacific Meso Center (PMC) at the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI) announces a generous donation of $100,000 from Roger and Ann Worthington.

26 Dec 2011