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Yawning could regulate brain temperature

A study led by Andrew Gallup, a postdoctoral research associate in Princeton University's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is the first involving humans to show that yawning frequency varies with the season and that people are less likely to yawn when the heat outdoors exceeds body temperature.

20 Sep 2011

'ScienceSpeaks' interviews director of technical leadership at OGAC

The Center for Global Health Policy's "ScienceSpeaks" blog features an interview with Caroline Ryan, director of technical leadership at the Office of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), where she has worked for seven years. Ryan discusses PEPFAR program implementation, circumcision as an HIV prevention tool and balancing efficiency with the realization of new, but potentially costly, prevention tools.

20 Sep 2011

Regular exercise also increases mitochondrial numbers in brain cells

Researchers have long known that regular exercise increases the number of organelles called mitochondria in muscle cells. Since mitochondria are responsible for generating energy, this numerical boost is thought to underlie many of the positive physical effects of exercise, such as increased strength or endurance. Exercise also has a number of positive mental effects, such as relieving depression and improving memory.

20 Sep 2011

NCD draft declaration lacks specific targets, calls for nations to adopt recommendations for reducing chronic disease deaths

"World leaders at a meeting of the United Nations on Monday will agree to a deal to try to curb the spread of preventable 'lifestyle' diseases," including heart disease, cancers and diabetes, also known as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), "amid concern that progress is already being hampered by powerful lobbyists from the food, alcohol and tobacco industries," the Guardian reports.

20 Sep 2011

AMGA presents 2011 Acclaim Award to Geisinger Health System

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) today presented the 2011 AMGA Acclaim Award to Geisinger Health System for "Transforming Care Delivery: Patient-centric, Value-driven Innovation," a patient-centered system redesign focusing on quality and safety, cost, innovative care delivery, and interdisciplinary care coordination across the large healthcare organization.

20 Sep 2011

Major donors should consider funding for potential malaria vaccine

When the results of a large clinical trial testing the effectiveness of the RTS,S malaria vaccine among children in Africa are made available later this year, "it will be time to start discussing what to do with the vaccine," Orin Levine, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University, writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece.

20 Sep 2011

Conference to discuss how research, technology and innovation can contribute to food for all

The conference, hosted by the European Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), will discuss how research, technology and innovation can contribute to food for all. It will look at the best way to foster sustainability of food supply on a global scale.

20 Sep 2011

Researchers identify 16 new genetic variations that affect blood pressure

High blood pressure is a well-known risk factor for heart disease. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have participated in an international study of 200,000 Europeans which has identified 16 new genetic variations that affect blood pressure. The discovery, presented in Nature, is an important step towards better diagnostics and treatment.

20 Sep 2011

European Commissioner for Health launches phase two of anti-smoking campaign

John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health today launched phase two of the European Commission's anti-smoking campaign. He announced that over 500,000 Europeans to date have demonstrated their support for the campaign - "Ex-smokers are Unstoppable" - by accessing its social media pages.

20 Sep 2011

Vitrolife obtains Chinese SFDA approval for aspiration needles and micropipettes

Vitrolife has obtained regulatory approval from the Chinese SFDA (State Food and Drug Administration) for aspiration needles and micropipettes used for infertility treatment.

20 Sep 2011

NYU Langone creates new Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health in New York City

NYU Langone Medical Center announced the establishment of its new Joan H. Tisch Center for Women's Health on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.

20 Sep 2011

Many parents turn their child's car seat to face forward before the age of two

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated their guidelines for child passenger safety in April 2011, recommending children stay in rear-facing car seats until the age of two. But a new report from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health shows that many parents turn their child's seat to face forward before their second birthday.

20 Sep 2011

FoxM1 protein plays a critical role in development of medulloblastomas

Medulloblastomas constitute the most frequent class of malignant childhood brain tumor. Tumors of this type arise due to the uncontrolled proliferation of immature nerve cells in the developing brain, and there is no targeted treatment available.

20 Sep 2011

Simple checklist to help the whole family excel in nutritional basics

It's September, and that means new clothes, backpacks, school supplies, and agendas — all tools required to keep your children, whether in elementary, high school or post-secondary levels, on a well-stocked, educational journey to success. But beyond equipping your children with the external fundamentals to good grades, are you also providing them with the best nutrients necessary for optimal learning, focus, concentration, energy and overall well-being? And as parents juggling hectic schedules, do you also pass the grade?

20 Sep 2011

Ad Council, USAID partner to launch FWD awareness campaign

response to the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has partnered with the Ad Council to launch a national public awareness campaign.

20 Sep 2011

Study finds high prevalence of cigar use among young adults and minorities

A new study in October issue of the American Journal of Public Health measures brand usage trends and the prevalence of cigar use among specific populations.

20 Sep 2011

Obama's debt-reduction plan: $3 trillion in savings; changes to Medicare, Medicaid less aggressive than previously considered

The proposal, which is scheduled for release today, will include $320 billion in health care savings, but it will not raise Medicare's eligibility age. Half of its savings result from new tax revenue. President Barack Obama is also sending a warning to congressional Republicans: If they send him a bill that cuts programs for poor and elderly Americans but doesn't impose sacrifice on corporations or ask others to sacrifice, he will veto it.

20 Sep 2011

People with diabetes more likely to develop dementia

People with diabetes appear to be at a significantly increased risk of developing dementia, according to a study published in the September 20, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 Sep 2011

SK Biopharmaceuticals, Mayo Clinic collaborate to develop new treatments for ALS

Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida has entered into a collaborative and sponsored research agreement with SK Biopharmaceuticals of Seoul, South Korea, with the goal of developing new treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. The collaboration marks a new approach to combating a disease that has proved difficult to treat in recent clinical trials.

20 Sep 2011

Common misconceptions about Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, continues to be an ongoing battle for millions of Americans. With an estimated 5.4 million Americans living with the disease and an annual cost of $183 billion, Dr. Gustavo C. Roman, director of the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at the Methodist Neurological Institute, addresses some common misconceptions about this devastating disease.

20 Sep 2011