_ Skin Skin Health Genetic Mutations and Skin Cancer By Jane Farrell article Researchers have found that millions of skin cancers may be caused by a combination of a genetic mutation and ultraviolet … Read More→
_ Understanding How Ebola Works By Jane Farrell article A new study has expanded our understanding of Ebola, by discovering one way the deadly virus dodges the bodyΓÇÖs defenses. … Read More→
_ Money Matters Plants in the Office Boost Productivity By Sondra Forsyth article ΓÇ£GreenΓÇ¥ offices with plants make staff happier and more productive than ΓÇ£leanΓÇ¥ designs stripped of greenery, according to research done … Read More→
_ Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias Memory & AD: Understanding Brain Circuitry By Sondra Forsyth article A study published August 31st 2014 in the journal Nature Neuroscience by,Sylvain Williams PhD and colleagues at the Research Centre … Read More→
_ Heart Health A New Tool to Detect Atrial Fibrillation By Jane Farrell article Thanks to a new technology, a web camera can distinguish whether someone is suffering atrial fibrillation, a potentially serious heart condition. A project by researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, showed that subtle changes in skin color can be used to detect the kind of uneven blood flow caused by atrial fibrillation. The technology was developed in a partnership between the university and Xerox. The findings were published in the journal Heart Rhythm.
_ Relationships & Love Meaningful Relationships Help Us Thrive By Sondra Forsyth article Deep and meaningful relationships play a vital role in overall well-being. Past research has shown that individuals with supportive and rewarding relationships have better mental health, higher levels of subjective well-being and lower rates of morbidity and mortality. A paper published in August 2014 in Personality and Social Psychology Review provides an important perspective on thriving through relationships, emphasizes two types of support that relationships provide, and illuminates aspects where further study is necessary. What is ΓÇ£thrivingΓÇ¥?
_ Medical Care An Effective Treatment for Ebola By Sondra Forsyth article A leading Ebola researcher from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has gone on record stating that a blend of three monoclonal antibodies can completely protect monkeys against a lethal dose of Ebola virus up to five days after infection, at a time when the disease is severe.
_ Osteoporosis Why an Osteoporosis Drug Works By Sondra Forsyth article Raloxifene is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for decreasing fracture risk in osteoporosis. While raloxifene is as effective at reducing fracture risk as other current treatments, the medication works only partially by suppressing bone loss. With the use of wide- and small-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS and SAXS, respectively), researchers carried out experiments at the U.S.
_ "Old" People Often Believe They Are in Bad Health By Jane Farrell article People who identify as ΓÇ£oldΓÇ¥ are likelier to have a worse view of their health than those of the same age who donΓÇÖt think of themselves as old, according to new research. The findings, from researchers at the University of Kent, UK, used data from a study, the European Social Survey. The respondents, who were 70 or older, were asked to rate their health.
_ Medical Research Women's Health and Wellness Females Ignored in Medical Research By Sondra Forsyth article Research done at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago has found that surgical researchers rarely use female animals or female cells in the research for their published studies, despite a huge body of evidence showing that gender differences can play a crucial role in medical research. The study was published August 28th 2014 in the journal Surgery. A "60 Minutes" segment aired in February about the problem of overlooking sex differences in biomedical research featuring Northwestern Medicine scientists Melina Kibbe M.D. and Teresa Woodruff.
_ Friendship Mind & Body Wellness Gratitude Can Win You New Friends By Sondra Forsyth article Parents have long told their children to remember to say thank you. Now the evidence is in on why it matters. A study led by the University of New South Wales, Australia has shown for the first time that thanking a new acquaintance for help makes the person more likely to seek an ongoing social relationship with you.
How Competent Are You? By blog Competent is a word that describes people who know what they are doing. When everyone raves about your apple pie compared to other apple pies theyΓÇÖve eaten, you become known as an authority on the subject of apple pies. But what about the baker who thinks her apple pie is just as good as yours, maybe even better, in spite of evidence to the contrary? This is a sign of incompetence, according to a study done by researchers at Cornell University.
_ A Possible Improvement in Measuring Glucose Levels By Jane Farrell article Researchers have developed a new glucose measuring material that could eventually eliminate current measurement instruments such as test strips. The material changes colors as glucose levels fluctuate, providing a much more precise readings than are now available. ΓÇ£There are significant limitations to current continuous glucose monitoring technologies,ΓÇ¥ said study leader Paul Braun, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois. ΓÇ£The systems available today all have some combination of limited sensitivity [and] limited precision.ΓÇ¥
_ Skin Skin Health Discovery Could Cure Skin Infections By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and partners have tested the use of ionic liquids to break bacterial biofilm layer on skin. A release from the laboratory explains that biofilms, which are like a protective tent over a colony of harmful bacteria, make the treatment of skin infections especially difficult. Microorganisms protected in a biofilm pose a significant health risk due to their antibiotic resistance and recalcitrance to treatment.
_ Wii Balance Board Helps MS patients By Sondra Forsyth article The Nintendo Wii Balance Board video game console can help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) reduce their risk of accidental falls, according to research done at Sapienza University in Rome and published online August 26th 2014 in the journal Radiology. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed that use of the balance board system appears to induce favorable changes in brain connections associated with balance and movement.
_ Heart Health New Statin Guidelines an Improvement By Sondra Forsyth article New national guidelines can improve the way statin drugs are prescribed to patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, a Yale University study has found. The research, published August 25th 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also showed the new guidelines produce only a modest increase in the number of patients being given the drugs.
_ The Bug Battle Isn't Over Yet By Jane Farrell article EditorΓÇÖs note: Although most of us think of ticks and mosquitoes as primarily summer pests, sadly, theyΓÇÖre not. According to the University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Center, some species of ticks, such as deer ticks, remain active as long as the temperature is above freezing. Still other kinds of ticks, such as the American dog tick and the Lone Star tick, just arenΓÇÖt active in the cold weather, the Encounter Center experts say.
_ Preventing Organic Food Fraud By Sondra Forsyth article A growing number of consumers are willing to pay a premium for fruits, vegetables and other foods labeled "organic", but whether they're getting what the label claims is another matter. Now scientists at the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority and the Wuerzburg University in Germany are studying conventional and organic tomatoes are devising a new way to make sure farms are labeling their produce appropriately. Their report, which appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in August 2014, could help prevent organic food fraud.