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Living Next To Highway Can Send Your Blood Pressure Soaring

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Living near a major roadway can up high blood pressure risk, says study. According to the study by Brown University, which analysed data from 5,400 post-menopausal women in the San Diego metropolitan area, women who lived within 100 meters of a highway or major arterial road had a 22-percent greater risk of hypertension than women who lived at least 1,000 meters away. In a range of intermediate distances, hypertension risk rose with proximity to the roadways. ...

MicroRNA Tied to Colon Cancer Tumor Growth Identified

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MicroRNAs that may cause colon polyps from turning cancerous have been discovered by University of Minnesota researchers. The finding could help physicians provide more specialized, and earlier, treatment before colon cancer develops. The findings are published today in emThe Journal of Pathology/em. The American Cancer Society estimates over 134,000 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014, despite the expanded screening processes ...

Failing Sense of Smell Strong Predictor of Death: Study

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A new research reveals a declining sense of smell in older people is a strong predictor of death within just five years. Thirty-nine percent of study subjects who failed a simple smelling test died during that period, compared to 19 percent of those with moderate smell loss and just 10 percent of those with a healthy sense of smell, the journal PLOS ONE reported on Wednesday. The hazards of smell loss were "strikingly robust," according to researchers, ...

Link Between Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes

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There is no substantial proof that vitamin D helps in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes in people, reveals a new study. The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge, challenge evidence from earlier observational studies which suggested that higher concentrations of circulating vitamin D might prevent type 2 diabetes. The researchers found no association between different gene variants that control vitamin D levels and ...

Premature Births, Pneumonia Leading Causes of Death in Kids

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Preterm birth complications and pneumonia are the leading causes of death in children who are under 5 years and are together responsible for nearly 2 million deaths in 2013, reveals a new study. Researchers led by Professor Robert Black, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA found that complications from preterm birth were the largest single cause, responsible for 965000 deaths in under-fives, with pneumonia responsible for a further ...

China to Open It's First High Security Biosafety Laboratory

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Officials reveal that China's first high-security biosafety laboratory will be ready for use by December, in a move hailed as a "crucial" moment in the fight against pathogens such as the Ebola virus. The facility, which has been under construction since July 2011, has been billed as the first in China that will be equipped to handle Class 4 pathogens (P4) -- dangerous viruses that pose a high risk of person-to-person transmission, such as those that cause haemorrhagic ...

Immunotherapy Could Stop Resistance to Radiotherapy: Research

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Treating cancers with immunotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time could stop them from becoming resistant to treatment, claims a study published in iCancer Research/i*. The researchers, based at The University of Manchester and funded by MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, and Cancer Research UK, found that combining the two treatments helped the immune system hunt down and destroy cancer cells that weren't killed ...

Australia Needs to be Prepared for Ebola

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Australia needs to be proactive about potential Ebola outbreaks and establish a national centre for disease control. In an Editorial in the October issue of iAustralian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health/i, Allen Cheng from Monash University and Heath Kelly from the Australian National University question Australia's preparation for public health crises. "Australia would do well to heed the lessons learned in other countries and be proactive ...

Children of Ebola Dead Shunned by Frightened Relatives

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Thousands of children who have lost parents to the west African Ebola epidemic risk are being shunned by frightened and suspicious relatives, reveal the UN children's fund. The outbreak has claimed more than 3,000 lives this year in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and UNICEF estimates around 3,700 children have lost at least one parent -- with the number expected to double by mid-October. "Ebola is turning a basic human reaction like comforting a ...

India, US to Work Together on 'Clean India' Mission

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts for having a "Clean India" has received a major shot in the arm, with India and US both agreeing to work together on this front. A 342-word joint editorial penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama, which has been published in Washington Post reads, "We will discuss ways in which our businesses, scientists and governments can partner, as India works to improve the quality, reliability and availability ...

Sildenafil Could Affect Vision of Genetically Susceptible Users

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UNSW Australia researchers warn that sildenafil, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (Regd) , could cause unusual visual responses in people who carry a common mutation for eye disease and may have long-term detrimental effects on their vision. Sildenafil can inhibit an enzyme which is important for transmitting light signals from the retina to the brain, and it is already known from clinical trials of Viagra (Regd) that its use in high doses can cause ...

Visual Mapping Reveals the Molecular Pathway for MDSC Cancer Progression

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Experts from InSilico Medicine and its partners successfully established a visual mapping of the molecular pathway cancer progression originating from myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC). The damage and immune suppression the cells cause are not fully understood, however this is a major stepping stone in creating necessary transparency. Highly cited MetaCoreTM was the primary interactome analysis tool used for mapping, providing these promising results. "MDSCs ...

Benzodiazepine Sedatives Linked to Higher Mortality Rates

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Researchers analyzed data on 13,692 mechanically ventilated patients from 104 U.S. hospitals during the years 2003 - 2009. They found that overall ICU mortality was 19.7 percent in propofol treated patients as compared to 28.8 percent in midazolam treated patients, and 19.3 percent for propofol compared to 25.2 percent for lorazepam treated patients. Those treated with benzodiazepines also spent significantly more time on mechanical ventilation, and a longer time ...

Research Shows New Learning Mechanism for Individual Nerve Cells

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The traditional view is that learning is based on the weakening or strengthening of the contacts between the nerve cells inside the brain. However, this has been challenged by new research findings from Lund University in Sweden. These indicate that there is also a third mechanism - a kind of clock function that gives individual nerve cells the ability to time their reactions. "This means a dramatic increase in the brain's learning capacity. The cells ...

Cooking Gas Stoves Linked With Childhood Asthma

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Researchers from Oregon State University have found that ventilation while cooking with a gas stove is essential, as the lack of it was linked to childhood asthma. According to the researchers, though they can't say that gas stove use without ventilation causes respiratory issues, but the new study clearly showed an association between having asthma and use of ventilation. The study showed that children who lived in homes where ventilation such as an ...

Swift Response to Crisis: Vows New UN Ebola Chief

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Swift action on the Ebola crisis will be taken, vows the new head of the UN Ebola response team, adding that ambitious targets must be met to prevent the spread of the virus worldwide. Anthony Banbury's pledge came after warnings that Liberia was on the brink of collapse and that thousands of children who have lost parents to the epidemic faced being treated as outcasts. Sierra Leone's government was meanwhile forced to deny that Ebola had been defeated, ...

Medications are Main Culprit of Allergic Deaths

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Medications are found to be the leading cause of allergy-related sudden deaths in the U.S., reveals an analysis of death certificates from 1999 to 2010. The study was conducted by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The study, published online today in the emJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology/em, also found that the risk of fatal drug-induced allergic reactions was particularly high among older ...

Development of New Cancer Drugs Possible With Gene Mutation

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Drugs that block the rapid, unstoppable cell division in cancer that makes it so deadly, could now be possible with the discovery of a gene mutation that causes a rare premature aging disease. Scientists at the University of Michigan and the U-M Health System recently discovered a protein mutation that causes the devastating disease dyskeratosis congenita, in which precious hematopoietic stem cells can't regenerate and make new blood. People with DC age prematurely ...

Current Therapy for Hypothyroidism Endorsed in New Guidelines

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Levothyroxine, considered to be the gold standard therapy for an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), stays to be the best after a new review of therapies for the condition, including combining levothyroxine with another agent. This claim is from a team of investigators. Their analysis, published as a set of guidelines in the journal emThyroid/em, finds insufficient consistent data exist to recommend a change in use of levothyroxine - whether generic, ...

Pollution Linked to Lethal Sea Turtle Tumors: Study

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A new study finds pollution in urban and farm runoff in Hawaii is causing tumors in endangered sea turtles. The study, published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed open-access journal iPeerJ/i, shows that nitrogen in the runoff ends up in algae that the turtles eat, promoting the formation of tumors on the animals' eyes, flippers and internal organs. Scientists at Duke University, the University of Hawaii and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ...

New Patient Appointments Easy at FQHCs for Medicaid and Uninsured Patients

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New patient appointments were granted to Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured patients at higher rates by Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) than other primary care practices. In addition to charging less for visits, reports the results of a new 10-state University of Pennsylvania study published this month in emMedical Care/em. Using data from a previous "secret shopper" study conducted in 2012 and 2013, the investigators found that FQHCs - community ...

Olive Oil can Reverse Heart Failure 'immediately', Says Study

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A new study has revealed that Olive oil could help reverse a patient's heart failure. According to researchers at the University of Illinois, Oleate - the fat found in the golden liquid - could help a diseased heart pump blood more effectively and use body fat as fuel, however, the study also found that animal fats, found in butter made make heart disease worse. Scientists made their findings based on previous studies which show that a healthy heart ...

Long-acting Insulin More Effective for Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

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Long-acting insulin is safer and more effective than intermediate-acting insulin for patients with Type 1 diabetes, according to new research published in the iBMJ/i. Researchers looked at once-daily and twice-daily doses of both long- and intermediate-acting insulin, ranking their effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness. "In patients with Type 1 diabetes, we found that long-acting insulin is superior to intermediate-acting insulin when it ...

Gut Bacteria may Contribute to Obesity, Says Study

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A new animal study has revealed that a species of gut bacteria called Clostridium ramosum, coupled with a high-fat diet may be contributing to obesity. A research team from the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke in Nuthetal observed that mice harboring human gut bacteria including C. ramosum gained weight when fed a high-fat diet. Mice that did not have C. ramosum were less obese even when consuming a high-fat diet and mice that had C. ramosum ...

Brazilian Boy, 3, Weighs 154lb Due to 'Prader-Willi Syndrome'

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The guardians of a three-year-old Brazilian boy who apparently weighs 154lb say they are desperate for him to stop gaining weight. The boy, Misael, was born a healthy 6lb 6oz (2.9kg). He has gained 6lb every month since then - causing him to get bigger in size and leaving him struggling to walk. His parents say, he now weighs 70kg (154lb). Health experts now believe he may be suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a chronic feeling ...

Viagra Use can Lead to Vision Disturbances in Some: Study

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A new research has found hat erectile dysfunction drugs can affect vision of genetically susceptible users. Research at University of New South Wales found that sildenafil, an active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, can inhibit an enzyme which is important for transmitting light signals from the retina to the brain and its use in high doses can cause transient disturbances in the vision of some healthy people. Researcher Lisa Nivison-Smith ...

New Test Pinpoints People Susceptible to Stress

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Scientists have revealed that they have found a way to identify those most susceptible to stress, which can prove to be a huge help for healthcare professionals. Researchers at Concordia University recorded participants' heart rate variability while they were relaxing and while they were thinking about things they tend to worry about most and also tracked participants' moods at a time of low stress early in the semester and at a time of high stress right before ...

Six States of The 'global Killer' Bacteria Discovered

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Research discovers six unique states of pneumococcus that can help in development of tailored vaccines. Every ten seconds a human being dies from Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, also known as pneumococcus, making it a leading global killer. An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Leicester in collaboration with international experts have unlocked a genetic switch controlling the disease - which can cause pneumonia and other invasive infections ...

Biomarker That Detects 'bubble Boy' Disorder Identified By Virginia Tech Researchers

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Severe Combined Immunodeficiency(SCID), a genetic disease forces patients to breathe filtered air and avoid human contact because their bodies' natural defenses are too weak to fight germs. This was most recognized in "the bubble boy" as an unusual character from a "Seinfeld" episode or a John Travolta movie. Although it affects fewer than 2,000 new births each year worldwide, SCID is a cousin to acquired immune deficiency syndrome triggered by a human immunodeficiency ...