Latest science news in Health & Medicine
Strict blood sugar control in some diabetics does not lower heart attack, stroke risk
Strictly controlling blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics with long-term, serious coexisting health problems such as heart disease and hypertension does not lower their risk of a heart attack...
New thrombosis treatments? Blood clots form through newly discovered mechanism
Polyphosphate from blood platelets plays a key role in inflammation and the formation of blood clots, scientists have shown. The study could lead to new treatments for thrombosis.
Study finds racial disparities exist in radiation therapy rates for early stage breast cancer
Black women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by...
Researchers say breast cancer survival improves Herceptin used with chemotherapy
Using Herceptin with chemotherapy, instead of after, clearly improves treatment of women with HER2+ breast cancer, and should be the new standard of care, says a Mayo Clinic researcher who...
Successful stem cell therapy for treatment of eye disease
Newly published research, by investigators, at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) in the journal Stem Cells reported the first successful treatment of eight patients with 'Limbal Stem...
Jefferson neurosurgeon helps draft new treatment guidelines for brain metastases
New treatment guidelines for patients with brain metastases are now available from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). David Andrews, M.D., F.A.C.S.,...
Princeton scientists find way to catalogue all that goes wrong in a cancer cell
A team of Princeton University scientists has produced a systematic listing of the ways a particular cancerous cell has 'gone wrong,' giving researchers a powerful tool that eventually could make...
Potential new heart attack biomarker uncovered
Though they remain a leading killer, heart attacks can be effectively treated provided they can be rapidly diagnosed following initial onset of symptoms. In a study appearing in this month's...
Italy's poor go to the hospital more
Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal...
RXR activation - hope for new Parkinson's disease treatment
Following up on their previous work showing the rescue of dopamine neurones by chemicals that interact with the retinoid X receptor (RXR), researchers have now investigated the potential of these...
More 20 mph zones in London would prevent 100 killed or seriously injured casualties each year
20 mph traffic speed zones reduce casualties by 41.9% with the greatest reduction in child casualties, according to research published today in the British Medical Journal. ...
New ethical questions are being raised in stem cell research
A groundbreaking discovery two years ago that turned ordinary skin cells back into an embryonic or "pluripotent" state was hailed as the solution to the controversial ethical question that has...
'Live' imaging reveals breast cancer cells' transition to metastasis
The spread, or metastasis, of individual breast cancer cells from the main tumor into the blood circulation to the lungs and other body tissues and organs is under the control...
Tiny molecule slows progression of Lou Gehrig's disease in mice
A substance released by muscles in response to nerve injury can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers have found. The finding...
Patient data shows surgery risk
Australian scientists have developed a statistical model that can identify patients at risk of complications during a common type of surgery.
Aussies weigh more, smoke less
The number of smokers in Australia has dropped over the past 20 years, while the rate of obesity has almost tripled, a new report has revealed.
FTC warns of explicit content in virtual worlds
The US consumer protection agency warned parents Thursday that children can easily bypass age requirements in virtual worlds and access violent or sexually explicit content.
Sepsis kills more than heart attacks: study
A new report focuses on efforts by Canadian hospitals to reduce more than 9,300 deaths each year from sepsis, a serious body-wide response to infection that patients often acquire while...
The need for cardio-oncology: Treating cancer and protecting the heart
Cardiologists and oncologists must work together in an attempt to avoid or prevent adverse cardiovascular effects in patients from certain chemotherapies, especially for those who may be at a higher...
Canna can: Ornamental eliminates pollutants from stormwater runoff
HAMMOND, LA -- Rapid population growth and urbanization have raised concerns over stormwater runoff contamination. Studies on watersheds indicate that excess nutrients, specifically nitrate?nitrogen and soluble reactive phosphorus are...
H1N1 less lethal than feared: U.K. study
The strain of swine flu virus currently circulating around the world is less deadly than previously thought, say British scientists who compared its effect to that of other pandemic viruses.
FDA warns of negative pressure devices
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about rare, but serious, complications from the use of negative pressure wound therapy devices.
Drugs stolen from Man. vet clinic
Drugs and narcotics were stolen during a break-in at a veterinary clinic in southwestern Manitoba.
Swine flu has hit about 1 in 6 Americans, CDC says
Although nearly 10,000 have died from H1N1, that is a lower mortality rate than in regular flu seasons, the CDC chief says. What's different is that more children and young adults have...
Mechanism discovered by which body's cells encourage tuberculosis infection
Scientists have discovered a signaling pathway that tuberculosis bacteria use to coerce disease-fighting cells to switch allegiance and work on their behalf. Epithelial cells line the airways and other surfaces...
Amount of gene surplus determines severity of mental retardation in males
Leuven, 10 December 2009 -- Researchers have discovered a new explanation for differences in the severity of mental illness in males. The more excess copies of a certain gene, the more serious the...
Kill Your Online Persona
Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin ... sick of it all? Just want to hide? Maybe an e-death is for you.
Podcast Teaser: Love, A Skeptical Inquiry
[from guest blogger and podcast co-host Julia Galef] Hey there, rational readers! I’m honored to be Massimo’s guest blogger and co-host of the upcoming Rationally Speaking podcast for the NYC Skeptics. Since our...