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Hibernation spurts of hamsters hold clues to better treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Syrian hamsters are golden-haired rodents often kept as house pets. Cold and darkness can cause the animals to hibernate for 3-4 days at a time, interspersed with short periods of activity.

7 Feb 2019

Researchers study if microplastics can cause harm to people

About 8 million metric tons of plastic waste winds up in the oceans every year -- bottles, bags and doo-dads that eventually break down into tiny pieces, called microplastics.

7 Feb 2019

New study points to potential cure for addiction

The Akay Lab biomedical research team at the University of Houston is reporting in the journal Nature Scientific Reports that a possible cure for addiction may be found by following the pathways of significantly altered dopamine neurons in newborns who were chronically exposed to nicotine in utero.

7 Feb 2019

Vitamin D helps clear bacteria from lungs of people with multi-drug resistant TB

Vitamin D has been found to speed up the clearance of tuberculosis bacteria from the lungs of people with multi-drug resistant TB, according to a study of 1,850 patients receiving antibiotic treatment, led by Queen Mary University of London.

6 Feb 2019

Physicians more likely to prescribe drugs of manufacturers who paid them money

In a study published in The Oncologist, physicians treating certain cancers who consistently received payments from a cancer drug's manufacturer were more likely to prescribe that drug over alternative treatments.

6 Feb 2019

Trump pledges to end HIV transmission by 2030. Doable, but daunting.

Noting that science has "brought a once-distant dream within reach," President Donald Trump on Tuesday night pledged to eliminate HIV transmission within 10 years.

6 Feb 2019

Beta wave control in Parkinson’s diseased brain could be a potential therapy

A neurofeedback system whereby the patients with Parkinson’s disease can themselves voluntarily control the beta wave activity in their own deep brain and the effects this control might have on their symptom control.

6 Feb 2019

A new treatment for Chlamydia via Canadian researchers

A new way to prevent and treat one of the commonest sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been developed by the researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Waterloo. This new method is more of a gene therapy than antibiotic therapy against the infection.

6 Feb 2019

Study looks at effects of microdosing of psychedelics on mental health

Microdosing of psychedelic substances involves taking very small doses of a psychedelic drug such as LSD or psilocybin (magic mushrooms) over weeks or even months. There have been anecdotal claims that such microdosing can improve health and also performance and relationships. These earlier studies dealt with the one time effect of microdosing.

6 Feb 2019

Rapid weight gain in early childhood affects heart health in adolescence

Excessive weight gain in children under two years can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in teenage years including increased cholesterol, being overweight and having fat around the middle, finds new research from the University of Sydney.

6 Feb 2019

Study: School children with type 1 diabetes perform just as well as their classmates

In the study, the researchers reviewed the results of nationally standardised tests in math and reading completed by more than 630,000 Danish schoolchildren in grades 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8. Approximately 2,000 of these children had been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and the comparison shows that they perform just as well as their classmates with or without adjusting for socioeconomic status.

6 Feb 2019

Measles outbreak sends vaccine demand soaring, even among the hesitant

Demand for measles vaccine has surged in the Washington county where the highly contagious virus is linked to more than 50 confirmed illnesses this year — including among people who had previously shunned the shots.

6 Feb 2019

Study links rise in CRC rates with binge-watching of TV shows

For the first time, scientists have identified sedentary behavior as a contributory factor in the dramatic rise in colorectal cancer (CRC) among people under the age of 50.

6 Feb 2019

Exploring racial disparities in social support needs among breast cancer patients

In a Psycho-Oncology study of 28 women who were being treated for breast cancer and were participating in focus groups, White participants noted that having other breast cancer survivors in their support network was essential for meeting their social support needs.

6 Feb 2019

New review examines impact of cancer therapies on the skeleton

A new British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology review examines the impact of cancer therapies on the skeleton and how to limit bone loss and fractures in cancer patients treated with these therapies.

6 Feb 2019

Study shows how relationships, stress affect sleep

A new Personal Relationships study documents how the quality of a person's romantic relationship and the life stress he or she experiences at two key points in early adulthood (at age 23 and 32) are related to sleep quality and quantity in middle adulthood (at age 37).

6 Feb 2019

Study examines links between workplace sexism and women's mental health, job satisfaction

A new Journal of Applied Social Psychology study investigates the associations between workplace sexism, sense of belonging at work, mental health, and job satisfaction for women in male-dominated industries.

6 Feb 2019

Simulation model to find the most optimal cancer treatment

In ten years, computers will be able to propose the most suitable cancer treatment for you. The idea is to simulate how all possible combinations of existing cancer treatments will work on your particular tumor.

6 Feb 2019

Drug cocktail may help combat breast cancer

MYC, a gene with high cancer-initiating potential, is overexpressed in over 40% of breast cancers. While MYC programs breast cancer cells to build more macromolecules (anabolic metabolism) it also creates a metabolic vulnerability by making them more sensitive to a type of cell death known as apoptosis.

6 Feb 2019

Scooter madness in Austin puts safety concerns in high gear

University of Texas star baseball shortstop David Hamilton hit a pothole riding an electric scooter, tearing his Achilles tendon and requiring surgery. He'll miss the season. Cristal Glangchai, the CEO for a nonprofit, hit a rock riding her scooter, landing her on the pavement just blocks from home.

6 Feb 2019