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Experimental gene therapy extends lifespan of mice suffering from untreatable mitochondrial disease

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center have, together with their collaborators, for the first time demonstrated in a mouse model that partial restoration of respiratory chain function in mitochondria, which serve as cellular power plants, may be sufficient to entirely prevent symptoms of a severe mitochondrial disorder.

20 Dec 2018

Advanced stem cell approach could help fight Parkinson's disease

Scientists have taken a key step towards improving an emerging class of treatments for Parkinson's disease.

20 Dec 2018

Scientists discover new biomarkers for early detection of cystic fibrosis

Scientists at McMaster University have discovered several new biomarkers from a single drop of blood that could allow earlier and more definitive detection of cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease which strikes both children and adults, causing chronic problems with the digestive system and the lungs.

20 Dec 2018

Higher doses of radiation during x-ray for obese people raise cancer risk

Extremely obese people are needing a far higher dose of radiation during x-ray examinations than people of normal weight, increasing their risk of cancer, new research has shown.

20 Dec 2018

Even napping in contact lenses could lead to serious infection

The CDC has published six reports using real data on the seriousness of napping or falling asleep while wearing contact lenses.

20 Dec 2018

X-rays may double the risk of cancer for obese patients

A new study has revealed that obese patients who undergo an x-ray are at a greater risk of developing cancer due to the higher dose of radiation required.

20 Dec 2018

When needs arise, these older women have one another’s backs

Like many women aging alone, Eileen Kobrin worried that an accident could compromise her independence.

20 Dec 2018

Doctors rarely advice patients about healthy lifestyle changes

Too rarely do doctors give their patients advice about healthy lifestyle changes. A statistical analysis of US health data conducted by MedUni Vienna researchers together with international partners has shown that people suffering from obesity, diabetes and other high-risk conditions are much too rarely encouraged to eat more healthily and to take more exercise.

20 Dec 2018

Researchers find new way to cut the power of tumors

Instead of tackling tumors head-on, an international team of researchers from the University of Geneva and the Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc in Amsterdam has chosen to regulate their vascularization by intervening with cellular receptor that is overexpressed specifically in cancer blood vessels.

20 Dec 2018

5 ways nixing the Affordable Care Act could upend the entire health system

If Friday night's district court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional were to be upheld, far more than the law's most high-profile provisions would be at stake.

20 Dec 2018

Using mobile phone-based intervention to encourage Chinese smokers to quit the habit

Among smokers receiving a 12-week-long mobile phone-based intervention encouraging them to quit, up to 6.5% of participants stopped smoking by the end of the study, according to a research article published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Jinsong Tang of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China, and colleagues.

20 Dec 2018

Checkout aisle food policies may reduce junk food intake

Policies that limit what types of food can be shelved in the checkout aisles of grocery stores may successfully curb junk food intake in shoppers, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Jean Adams from the University of Cambridge, UK, and colleagues.

20 Dec 2018

Internet-based interventions may be effective in curbing problem drinking

Internet-based interventions may be effective in curbing various patterns of adult problem drinking in both community and health care settings, according to a study published December 18 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Heleen Riper of VU University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues.

20 Dec 2018