Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Where the fat is
An international consortium led by Harvard Medical School (HMS) researcher Joel Hirschhorn has made significant inroads into uncovering the genetic basis of obesity by identifying 18 new gene sites associated with overall obesity...
New clues on how cancer spreads
Researchers have dramatically advanced medicine's understanding of how cancer migrates, showing that cancer cells are accompanied by growth-enabling stromal cells when they travel in the bloodstream to new sites in...
Sexual issues a major concern for cancer patients taking new targeted drugs
New drugs that target specific molecular mechanisms of cancer have improved the treatment of cancer patients in recent years, but those benefits may come with a cost to the patient's...
Bigfoot Cousins Claimed in Many Countries
Bigfoot seems to have a big, hairy family spread across the globe.
New discovery on the causes of contact allergy
The fragrances used in many household and skincare products can cause contact allergy when exposed to oxygen in the air, reveals research from the University of Gothenburg's Faculty of Science...
Smoking linked to binge drinking and unhealthy eating
Smokers are more likely than those who have never smoked to report engaging in poor lifestyle choices, including drinking above the guidelines and binge drinking as well as not eating...
Study: Tsunami risk greater than thought
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Scientists studying the January 2010 Haiti earthquake say the tsunami risk is greater than they thought for cities like Los Angeles or Kingston,...
Why the Deaf Have Enhanced Vision
Deaf people with enhanced vision can thank otherwise idle brain cells for their heightened sense, a new study in cats suggests.
Sex and the Single 50-Something
They have friends with benefits and rarely use condoms. Meet the current generation of 50-something singles.
New findings on autoimmune diseases
A deficiency in one of the immune system's enzymes affects the severity of autoimmune diseases such as MS, and explains why the course of these diseases can vary so much....
Investigational ovarian cancer drug shows promise against platinum resistant disease
A drug being developed as a treatment for ovarian cancer has shown single agent activity with durable disease control in some patients in a Phase-II clinical trial, an international research...
Identifying subsets of patients who will respond to subsequent lines of chemotherapy
In a study presented at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Dr Giovanni Bernardo from Fondazione Maugeri in Pavia, Italy, presented results that suggested it...
Study reveals cancer-linked epigenetic effects of smoking
For the first time, UK scientists have reported direct evidence that taking up smoking results in epigenetic changes associated with the development of cancer...
Researchers develop oral delivery system to treat inflammatory bowel diseases
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have developed a novel approach for delivering small bits of genetic material into the body to improve the treatment of...
Rare hybrid cell key to regulating the immune system
A cell small in number but powerful in its ability to switch the immune system on or off is a unique hybrid of two well-known immune cell types, researchers report....
Helmets on to cheat death
Motorcyclists are urged to put on their helmets, especially on off-roads as the amount of off-road major trauma cases has increased.
Jump in whale deaths blamed on krill, ship traffic
By 2010-10-11T01:06:16Z SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- An increase in the population of a tiny crustacean and busy shipping lanes are being blamed for a jump in the...
Photocontact Allergy: Why Some People Are Allergic To Suncream
What happens to sunscreens when they are exposed to sunlight? They degrade, and how the skin is affected by those degradation products is the subject of research at the...
Softer, Better, Faster, Stronger
I have a titanium screw in my head. It is a dental implant (root-form endosseous) covered with a crown. Osseointegration (fusing implants with bone) is used for many things these days,...
Clinical trials demonstrate effective weight loss strategies for obese and overweight adults
Lifestyle interventions, including physical activity and structured weight loss programs, can result in significant weight loss for overweight, obese and severely obese adults, according to two new reports.
Immune system rules rewritten
Research on how B-cells produce antibodies to fight infection has brought in new knowledge on how they function.
New bacterial foe in cystic fibrosis identified
Exacerbations in cystic fibrosis, or CF, may be linked to chronic infection with a bacterium called Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which was previously thought to simply colonize the CF lung. The finding...
Researchers confirm prenatal heart defects in spinal muscular atrophy cases
Researchers believe they have found a critical piece of the puzzle for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) -- the leading genetic cause of infantile death in the world....
Hope and inheritance conflict in families with bipolar disorder
The genetic nature of the affliction is clear, but researchers are getting closer to identifying the genes that cause it and zeroing in on its triggers.The baby in Joan Fisher's...
Pro/Con: The effects of long work hours on medical residents
Two doctors discuss their views of why physicians in training should or should not work shorter shifts in hospitals.In the 18th century, physicians-in-training literally lived in the hospitals where they...
Health Sense: Flawed pain science blurs question of he felt, she felt
It's one of the more puzzling observations in medicine: The vast majority of chronic pain patients are women. Women suffer disproportionately from irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches (especially migraines), pain...
Health halos that make us fat
If you think you eat healthier at the Sunburst Fresh Cafe than at Big Jims Beefy BBQ, you might be wrong. You could be a victim of the "Health Halo."
Science is Vital! Follow live audio updates here
Listen to regular near-live audio updates from the Science is Vital rally today.James O'Malley of The Pod Delusion fame will be be giving us live audio updates from the Science...