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Lifestyle change decreases cholesterol levels, reduces cardiovascular disease risk

Cholesterol levels - the most common risk factor for heart attacks - have decreased in northern Sweden over the last 20 years. Since medical drugs only account for a third of the decrease, the reduced risk of cardiovascular disease is greatly thanks to a change in lifestyle.

3 Mar 2016

Kids who take ADHD medications show decreased bone density

Children and adolescents who take medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show decreased bone density, according to a large cross-sectional study presented today at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

3 Mar 2016

Modified protein appears to reverse liver fibrosis, cirrhosis in rats

A protein modified to increase the amount of time it circulates in the bloodstream appears to reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in rats, according to results of a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers.

3 Mar 2016

Differences in certain type of small protein may shed light on lung cancer risk in different races

Research from an investigator at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and colleagues from the National Cancer Institute and other facilities, shows differences in a certain type of small protein vary by race and may contribute differently to the development of lung cancer in African Americans and European Americans.

3 Mar 2016

New MyGene2 web tool may help find genes influencing Mendelian disorders

A new web tool, MyGene2, will enable patients and their families to join clinicians and scientists in the search for genes underlying rare disorders. The sharing of health information also will improve knowledge about how gene variants influence symptoms and other clinical features of Mendelian disorders.

3 Mar 2016

Cell-based immunotherapy may offer new hope in fight against brain cancer

High-grade glioma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite improvements in surgical procedures, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, this type of brain tumour is still notoriously hard to treat: less than 10% of patients survive beyond five years.

3 Mar 2016

New research sheds light on circadian rhythms

New research sheds light on how the rhythms of daily life are encoded in the brain. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that different groups of neurons, those charged with keeping time, become active at different times of day despite being on the same molecular clock.

3 Mar 2016

Platelet-rich plasma therapy may help improve tissue healing

Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and A-Rod have all used it, but does platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) really work for the every-day active person? According to a University of Alberta Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic pilot study on patients with chronically sore shoulders published in PLOS ONE, preliminary findings say yes.

3 Mar 2016

Simple method could make early disease diagnosis much easier

Detecting diseases such as cancer in their earliest stages can make a huge difference in patient treatment, but it is often difficult to do. Now scientists report in the journal ACS Central Science a new, simple method that could make early disease diagnosis much easier.

3 Mar 2016

Geneticists explore evolution of musical aptitude

Geneticists at the University of Helsinki and the National University of Singapore have teamed up to explore the evolution of musical aptitude in the first-ever empirical study of the evolution of music.

3 Mar 2016

Newly developed process improves efficiency of CRISPR gene editing technology

Scientists have developed a process that improves the efficiency of CRISPR, an up-and-coming technology used to edit DNA.

3 Mar 2016

Hydration levels play role in cardiovascular disease risk

Mild dehydration can impair vascular function nearly as much as smoking a cigarette, according to a new study in the European Journal of Nutrition.

3 Mar 2016

Researchers discover unexpected mechanism linked to aldosterone-induced heart damage

When the heart begins to fail, the body does everything in its power to fix the situation. But sometimes, those compensatory mechanisms ultimately do more harm than good. Such is the case with the adrenal hormone aldosterone, which stimulates the heart to pump harder, causing greater damage to the heart muscle.

3 Mar 2016

Genetic errors may reduce heart attack risk, study finds

To reduce risk of heart attack, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are clear. But genetics can still stack the deck. Some people's genes bestow a natural advantage — or disadvantage — in protecting against heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

3 Mar 2016

Scientists solve first 3-D structure of DNAzyme

DNA does not always adopt the form of the double helix which is associated with the genetic code; it can also form intricate folds and act as an enzyme: a deoxyribozyme. A researcher from Spain and other scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Germany) have solved the first three-dimensional structure of this biomolecule that has proved much more flexible than previously thought.

3 Mar 2016

Study identifies gene linked to rare, complex diseases

IRB Barcelona identifies GEMC1 as a master gene for the generation of multiciliated cells—cells with fine filaments that move fluids and substances—which are found exclusively in the brain, respiratory tract, and reproductive system.Defects in multiciliated cells lead to ciliopathies—rare and complex diseases that are poorly understood and for which not all causative genes have been identified.

3 Mar 2016

Rice university researchers uncover elusive lung cancer cells

Researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a trick used by lung cancer cells to hide from the body's immune system.

3 Mar 2016

U-M researchers develop novel mouse model of children's brain cancer

Children with brain cancer may soon get some help from mice with the same disease, thanks to new research from University of Michigan Medical School scientists and their colleagues.

3 Mar 2016

New study shows that individuals with higher protein intake feel more full after meals

Many people turn to high-protein foods when trying to lose weight because eating protein-rich meals is commonly believed to make dieters feel fuller. Surprisingly, this idea hadn't been tested on a large scale.

3 Mar 2016

High-fat diet may make intestinal stem cells to become cancerous

Over the past decade, studies have found that obesity and eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet are significant risk factors for many types of cancer. Now, a new study from Whitehead Institute and MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research reveals how a high-fat diet makes the cells of the intestinal lining more likely to become cancerous.

3 Mar 2016