Shared lifestyles and surroundings may play as strong a role as genes in diseases that run in families, a new study indicates. The study included medical histories of more than 500,000 people and their families in the United Kingdom. The information included blood and adoptive relatives. The researchers focused on ... Read More »
Soil health is deteriorating around the globe. A combination of commercial agricultural practices, global warming and pollution are draining nutrients and encouraging the accumulation of contaminants. The solution, scientists say, is biodiversity. New research highlights the importance of soil structure for soil health. As a new paper in the journal ... Read More »
Although it is suspected to be largely for educational purposes, researchers in a recent study say the following of patient electronic health records as part of training poses ethical questions for the handling of those records. A majority of medical students reported they find it beneficial to follow patient medical ... Read More »
Just one hour of physical activity a day — something as simple as a brisk walk or a bicycle ride — may undo the increased risk of early death that comes with sitting eight hours or more on a daily basis, a new study suggests. “These results provide further evidence ... Read More »
Health officials are urging pregnant women to avoid a Miami neighborhood where mosquitoes are apparently infecting people with the Zika virus. The number of local transmissions of the virus has apparently increased to 14, Gov. Rick Scott said Monday. While infection with the Zika virus is harmless to most people, ... Read More »
A positive attitude about aging can help seniors cope with stress, a small study suggests. “We found that people in the study who had more positive attitudes toward aging were more resilient in response to stress — meaning that there wasn’t a significant increase in negative emotions,” study author Jennifer ... Read More »
THURSDAY, July 28, 2016 — Skeptics view hypnosis as a little-understood parlor trick, but a new study reveals real changes occur in the brain when a person enters an hypnotic state. Some parts of the brain relax during the trance while others become more active, said study senior author Dr. ... Read More »
THURSDAY, July 28, 2016 — People with vision problems may face a higher risk of unemployment, poverty and mental health problems, a new British study suggests. “Our focus has mostly been on severe visual loss and treating the eye diseases that cause it,” said Mary Frances Cotch, chief of epidemiology ... Read More »
THURSDAY, July 28, 2016 — Adlyxin (lixisenatide) has been approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes in adults, the agency said Thursday in a news release. As the FDA explained, Adlyxin is a “glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist” — a hormonal drug that helps control blood ... Read More »
THURSDAY, July 28, 2016 — Early diagnosis of a potentially fatal fungal infection called valley fever can help patients, but too many are misdiagnosed, experts say. Doctors should suspect valley fever in patients with pneumonia or ongoing flu-like symptoms who live in or have visited the west or southwest United ... Read More »
Proteins in the immune system can target the bacteria that cause chlamydia, but are not strong enough on their own to clear the infections, researchers found in a recent study. The immune system is capable of mounting a defense against chlamydia infection, researchers in Russia found in a recent study, ... Read More »
Stimulating a targeted area of the brain with small doses of weak electricity while you sleep may enhance your ability to remember what you learned the night before, new research finds. The new procedure is called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). “We work with the brain, that’s really unique about ... Read More »
