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New Fast, Portable Device can Perform Highly Accurate and Sensitive Tests

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Testing for cocaine or any other drugs usually involves two steps: a quick on-site prescreen, and then a more accurate and elaborate confirmatory test at a distant laboratory. This process can take days or weeks - but that's too long in many cases where public safety is at risk. Now, researchers report development of a backpack-sized device that can perform highly accurate and sensitive tests anywhere within 15 minutes. The study appears in ACS' journal iAnalytical ...

Researchers Treat Incarceration as a Racial Epidemic Disease

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Researchers claim that the incarceration rate has nearly quadrupled since the U.S. declared a war on drugs. Along with that, racial disparities abound. Incarceration rates for black Americans are more than six times higher than those for white Americans, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. To explain these growing racial disparities, researchers at Virginia Tech are using the same modeling techniques used for infectious disease outbreaks ...

Researchers Launch First Comprehensive Pediatric Concussion Guidelines

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At the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) pediatric emergency medicine researchers together with the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation (ONF) launch the first comprehensive pediatric concussion guidelines. "There have been recommendations and policies on concussion available in the past, but they tend to have focused on sports-related injury and not on children and youth," said Dr. Roger Zemek, project leader, scientist at CHEO, and Assistant Professor ...

Researchers Discover 165 Million Year Old Parasite

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From the University of Bonn and China, researchers have come across around 165 million years old fossil fly larva with an amazing sucking tool. The parasite, an elongate fly larva around two centimeters long, had undergone extreme changes over the course of evolution: The head is tiny in comparison to the body, tube-shaped with piercer-like mouthparts at the front. The mid-body (thorax) has been completely transformed underneath into a gigantic sucking plate; the ...

Vietnamese Women Trafficked to China as Brides

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China suffers from one of the worst gender imbalances in the world as families prefer male children. When Kiab turned 16, her brother promised to take her to a party in a tourist town in northern Vietnam. Instead, he sold her to a Chinese family as a bride. The ethnic Hmong teenager spent nearly a month in China until she was able to escape her new husband, seek help from local police and return to Vietnam. "My brother is no longer a human ...

Myanmar Mulls Religious Marriage Curbs

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In Myanmar, proposals by radical Buddhist monks to criminalise inter-faith marriage face strong opposition from women's rights groups in a tussle over the nation's religious identity that has sparked international alarm. Buddhist nationalists, feeding off the fear and uncertainty caused by successive waves of anti-Muslim violence, have issued fiery pronouncements that the very fabric of the country's main religion is under threat, casting a dark shadow over ongoing ...

Insomnia Symptoms Do Not Increase High Blood Pressure Risk

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There's good news for nearly 30 per cent of adults who suffer from insomnia -difficulty falling asleep, waking up for prolonged hours during the night or unwanted early morning awakenings. New research from St. Michael's Hospital has found that insomnia does not put them at increased risk of developing high blood pressure. Dr. Nicholas Vozoris, a respirologist at St. Michael's, said there is growing concern among patients and health care providers about ...

Animal Testing Methods for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Should Change

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Challenging risk assessment methods used for decades by toxicologists, a new review of the literature suggests that oral gavage, the most widely accepted method of dosing lab animals to test chemical toxicity, does not accurately mimic how humans are exposed to chemicals in everyday life. The review was led by environmental health scientist Laura Vandenberg at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Oral gavage refers to the way researchers give chemicals to animals ...

Monarch Butterflies Employ a Magnetic Compass During Migration

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Each fall millions of monarch butterflies use a special navigation system to transverse 2,000 miles from breeding sites across the eastern US to an overwintering habitat in central Mexico in specific groves of fir trees. Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute have identified a new component of this complex system. They reported in emNature Communications/em that monarchs use a light-dependent, inclination ...

Gluten-Free Diet May Clear 'Brain Fog'

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A gluten-free diet can clear 'brain fog' experienced by celiac disease patients, claims a new study. Brain fog is a state of being mentally confused, lacking thought clarity, concentration and focus. Brain fog also causes decreased short-term memory, reduced attention span and forgetfulness. The study carried out by Australian scientists found that eliminating gluten from diet brought about a reduction in problems related to attention, memory and ...

CNIO Researcher Revises the Role of Cohesin in Cancer

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Massive sequencing of cancer genomes every day brings to light new genes that could be involved in the process of tumour formation. A good example of this is cohesin, a ring-shaped protein complex that embraces DNA to control cell division. Just a few months ago, and after several studies in the same direction, the sequencing of thousands of tumour samples identified the STAG2 gene-whose product forms part of cohesin-as one of the most frequently mutated genes ...

Cortisol Testing Should Soon be Available on All Smartphones

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Scientists have developed a new device that uses any smartphone to measure the cortisol concentration in saliva. The device was presented Tuesday, June 24, at ICE/ENDO 2014, the joint meeting of the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago. "We have developed a method for measuring cortisol in saliva using a smartphone and a disposable test strip. This innovation enables anyone with a smartphone to measure their salivary ...

Link Between Schizophrenia and Cannabis Use

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Genes that increase the risk of developing schizophrenia may also increase the likelihood of using cannabis. This is according to a new study led by King's College London, published today in iMolecular Psychiatry/i. Previous studies have identified a link between cannabis use and schizophrenia, but it has remained unclear whether this association is due to cannabis directly increasing the risk of the disorder. The new results suggest that part ...

Website on Medical Education Launched By MSD In India

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A medical education website, Univadis, has been set up in India by MSD Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of US-based Merck (and) Co. MSD, in collaboration with the Lancet, one of the leading global independent general medical journals, has launched this unique, interactive online medical education portal exclusively for Indian healthcare professionals. The website will provide access to a plenty of medical resources and accredited ...

Childhood Stress Can Have A Long-Lasting Effect On Learning And Memory: Study

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Researchers have found that chronic stress undergone in childhood can leave a long-lasting impact on the brain of a person. According to a group of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, while a small degree of stress can provide a platform for children for learning, adapting and coping, chronic toxic stress experienced in childhood, such as poverty, neglect and physical abuse can negatively impact them. Early-life chronic ...

Lifestyle and Healthy Eating Habits - Slideshow

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Healthy eating is all about making positive choices, focusing on foods which provide necessary nutrients to maintain good health, prevent deficiency diseases and chronic diet-related disorders.

Do Autistic People Struggle With Driving?

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Researchers have found significant differences in self reported driving behaviours and perceptions of driving ability in autistic in comparison to non-autistic adults in a new study. As the population of adults with autism continues growing rapidly, the survey provides a first step toward identifying whether this population has unmet needs for educational supports to empower safe driving - a key element of independent functioning in many people's lives. Study ...

Risk Factors for Chronic Kidney Disease Prevalent Decades Before Diagnosis

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A new study has found that the risk factors for chronic kidney disease are present and identifiable 30 years before diagnosis. The findings suggest avenues for future research to determine whether certain early interventions can prevent future kidney disease. Approximately 60 million people globally have CKD. Caroline S. Fox, MD MPH, Gearoid McMahon, MB, BCh (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute''s Framingham Heart Study and the Center for Population Studies), ...

Electric Eel's Genome may Help Reveal How Fishes With Electric Organs Evolved

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The genome of the electric eel has been sequenced by researchers, which has revealed how fishes with electric organs evolved six times to produce electricity outside their bodies. The research sheds light on the genetic blueprint used to evolve these complex, novel organs. It was co-led by Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Texas-Austin and the Systemix Institute. Jason Gallant, MSU zoologist and co-lead author ...

Noroviruses may be the Leading Cause of Diarrhoea and Vomiting

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Norovirus is believed to be responsible for around a fifth of all cases of acute gastroenteritis across all age groups, new estimates have found. Noroviruses are responsible for almost a fifth (18 per cent) of all cases worldwide. According to the authors, new estimates highlight the importance of developing norovirus vaccines. Lead author Dr Benjamin Lopman from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, said including data ...

Ban Fruit Juice And Replace It With Milk Or Water, Warn Health Experts

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Health experts have warned that fruit juice should be banned from the dinner table and replaced with milk or water to protect children. In a study published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, experts have advised parents against regular dishing out of sweetened drinks to their children. They have alluded that fruit juices precipitate sharp rises in obesity rates, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. An average teenager ...

Thyroid Hormone Restoration may Improve Heart Function

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Low doses of thyroid hormone administered in rats helps restore hormone levels in hearts and prevents deterioration of heart function, a new study has found. The study, published in the online edition of emMolecular Medicine/em provides the first clear indication that low thyroid hormone levels in cardiac tissue of diabetic individuals may be the major cause of their associated heart disease, says Gerdes. The study finds that diabetes triggers low ...

Collaborative Effort to Establish Standards for Sequencing Viral Genomes Proposed

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A new set of standards have been proposed that aim at developing a common language among investigators who are working to sequence viral genomes. According to USAMRIID senior author Gustavo Palacios, Ph.D., the proposed system, published last week as an editorial in the journal imBio/i, is the result of a collaborative effort involving scientists from many of the world's leading institutions. Contributors include the Broad Institute, the J. Craig Venter Institute, ...

Why Do Impulsive Consumers Forget Their Past Indulgences?

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Goal setting and self control in needed for activities like studying, saving money and dieting. But even the most disciplined person falls prey to temptation every once in a while. According to a new study in the iJournal of Consumer Research/i, people who distort past memories of their indulgences are more likely to indulge in the future. "We investigated the possibility that individuals may distort memories of past behavior in order to allow for indulgence ...

MM-398 Added to Standard Treatment Demonstrates Better Survival in Pancreatic Cancer

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Addition of the novel the novel MM-398 to the standard treatment may improve survival for metastatic cancer patients, a team of researchers have found. "Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer or pancreatic cancer in general have very limited options," said study author Andrea Wang-Gillam, assistant professor in the Division of Oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, USA. "These patients just simply don't do well. This was a positive trial and will provide ...

Study Claims Mobile Phones Reflect Our Personal Microbiome

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A new study claims that our mobile phone reflects our personal microbiome. A new research which was focused on the personal microbiome - the collection of microorganisms on items regularly worn or carried by a person - demonstrates the significant microbiological connection we share with our phones. University of Oregon researchers sequenced microbes from the dominant-hand index fingers and thumbs of 17 subjects and from the touchscreens of their smartphones, ...

Aging With HIV and AIDS is a Growing Social Issue

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A new study poses questions as to whether healthcare systems and government policies are prepared to meet complex social and medical needs of patients with HIV who are growing old. In high-income countries such as Canada, 30 per cent of people living with HIV are 50 or older, and many are living into their 60s and 70s. In San Francisco, more than half the people with HIV are over 50. "It's a positive thing that people are aging with HIV," said Dr. Sean ...

Deep Brain Stimulation may Improve Non Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease Patients

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For patients with early and advanced Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation is now a well recognized non-pharmacological treatment to improve motor symptoms. Evidence now indicates that DBS can decrease the number and severity of non motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) as well, according to a review published in the iJournal of Parkinson's Disease/i. "Non motor features are common in PD patients, occur across all disease stages, and ...

Scientists Develop New Material That Improves Wound Healing, Keeps Bacteria from Sticking

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Treating wounds has now become more sophisticated than sewing stitches and applying gauze, however, dressings still have certain shortcoming. Now scientists are reporting the next step in the evolution of wound treatment with a material that leads to faster healing than existing commercial dressings and prevents potentially harmful bacteria from sticking. Their study appears in the journal iACS Applied Materials (and) Interfaces/i. Yung Chang and colleagues note ...