Oxygen chamber can boost brain repair years after stroke or trauma

Oxygen chamber can boost brain repair years after stroke or trauma: Through the use of hyperbaric, oxygen-rich chambers, medical researchers have found a way to restore a significant amount of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically damaged by stroke, traumatic injury, and metabolic disorder -- even years after the original injury.

Beta-catenin molecule is required for tooth root formation

Beta-catenin molecule is required for tooth root formation: The tooth root, together with the surrounding periodontium, maintains the tooth in the jaw. The root develops after the crown forms, a process called morphogenesis. While the molecular and cellular mechanisms of early tooth development and crown morphogenesis have been extensively studied, little is known about the molecular mechanisms controlling tooth root formation.

Studies provide insights into inherited causes of autism

Studies provide insights into inherited causes of autism: The most consistent finding of autism research lies in the revelation that the disorders are incredibly complex. Two new studies that add to the growing appreciation of this complexity focus on identifying inherited genetic mutations linked with autism spectrum disorders. The mutations -- which are distinct from the spontaneous mutations that have been the focus of previous studies -- may provide valuable insights into the causes of autism.

Health and environment: A closer look at plastics

Health and environment: A closer look at plastics: Scientists have been following the chemical trail of plastics, quantifying their impact on human health and the environment. In a new overview, researchers detail the risks and societal rewards of plastics and describe strategies to mitigate their negative impacts, through reconsideration of plastic composition, use and disposal.

Implementation of smoke-free legislation reduces the number of acute myocardial infarctions by 11 percent

Implementation of smoke-free legislation reduces the number of acute myocardial infarctions by 11 percent: Researchers assessed the impact of the partial smoke-free legislation passed in 2006 on the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in the province of Girona and observed it has dropped 11 percent. This decrease has been noticed especially among women, population aged between 65 and 74, and among non-smokers.

GP judgement not enough to accurately diagnose cases of pneumonia, study suggests

GP judgement not enough to accurately diagnose cases of pneumonia, study suggests: Pneumonia cannot be accurately diagnosed solely on a doctor’s analysis of symptoms and patient history, according to new findings.

Risk of lung cancer death has risen dramatically among women smokers in recent decades

Risk of lung cancer death has risen dramatically among women smokers in recent decades: Female smokers have a much greater risk of death from lung cancer and chronic obstructive lung disease in recent years than did female smokers 20 or 40 years ago, reflecting changes in smoking behavior.

Self-reported BMI bias estimates increasing due to weight bias, not weight loss

Self-reported BMI bias estimates increasing due to weight bias, not weight loss: The gap between obesity levels measured by self-reported height and weight and obesity recorded by measured height and weight is increasing. This is due to an increasing bias in self-reported weight, according to new research.

Tall and thin not so great for lung disease

Tall and thin not so great for lung disease: Tall, thin women face a greater risk of infection with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), cousins of the organism that causes tuberculosis, according to researchers. Women with NTM infections also showed a weakened immune response.

Many apples a day keep the blues at bay

Many apples a day keep the blues at bay: Eating more fruit and vegetables may make young people calmer, happier and more energetic in their daily life, new research suggests.

Migraine triggers may not be as strong as you think

Migraine triggers may not be as strong as you think: A new study suggests that triggers for migraine with aura may not be as strong as some people think. Auras that occur with migraine include visual disturbances, with symptoms such as flashing lights or wavy lines.

Teenagers avoid early alcohol misuse through personality management

Teenagers avoid early alcohol misuse through personality management: Personality-targeted interventions delivered by trained teachers and school staff decrease alcohol misuse in at-risk teens and delay their classmates’ alcohol uptake.

Caloric restriction has a protective effect on chromosomes

Caloric restriction has a protective effect on chromosomes: A sustained lowering of food intake over time results in an increase of telomere length -- the ends of chromosomes -- in adult mice, which has a protective effect on the DNA and genetic material.

Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of ER- breast cancer

Fruit and vegetable intake is associated with lower risk of ER- breast cancer: There is no association between total fruit and vegetable intake and risk of overall breast cancer, but vegetable consumption is associated with a lower risk of estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer, according to a new study.

Do common painkillers cause kidney failure in children?

Do common painkillers cause kidney failure in children?: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, are commonly used to treat pain and reduce fever in children. However, the use of NSAIDs has been shown to cause acute kidney injury (AKI) in some children. A new study reports the findings on the number of children diagnosed with AKI caused by NSAIDs in one hospital over an 11.5 year span.

At least one in five were infected in flu pandemic, international study suggests

At least one in five were infected in flu pandemic, international study suggests: At least one in five people in countries for which data are available were infected with influenza during the first year of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to a new study.

'Connection error' in brains of anorexics

'Connection error' in brains of anorexics: Researchers have found altered connectivity in the brain network for body perception in people with anorexia: The weaker the connection, the greater the misjudgement of body shape.

Low vitamin D levels linked to high risk of premenopausal breast cancer

Low vitamin D levels linked to high risk of premenopausal breast cancer: Low serum vitamin D levels in the months preceding diagnosis may predict a high risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

Fetal exposure to tributyltin linked to obesity

Fetal exposure to tributyltin linked to obesity: Exposing pregnant mice to low doses of the chemical tributyltin -- which was used in marine antifouling paints and is used as an antifungal agent in some paints, certain plastics and a variety of consumer products -- can lead to obesity for multiple generations without subsequent exposure, a new study has found.

Prenatal inflammation linked to autism risk

Prenatal inflammation linked to autism risk: Maternal inflammation during early pregnancy may be related to an increased risk of autism in children, according to new findings. Researchers found this in children of mothers with elevated C-reactive protein, a well-established marker of systemic inflammation.

Don’t ignore the snore: Snoring may be early sign of future health risks

Don’t ignore the snore: Snoring may be early sign of future health risks: Snoring may be more than a common bedtime nuisance, say researchers. According to their new study, snoring, even without sleep apnea, causes thickening and abnormalities the carotid artery - a potential precursor to atherosclerosis.

Medical cannabis provides dramatic relief for sufferers of chronic ailments, Israeli study finds

Medical cannabis provides dramatic relief for sufferers of chronic ailments, Israeli study finds: Though still controversial, medical cannabis has been gaining ground as a valid therapy for cancer, PTSD, and chronic pain. Now a specialist says that residents of an Israel nursing home experienced dramatic physical and mental improvements following cannabis therapy and that the therapy significantly reduced the need for chronic medications for many of them.

Lightning linked to onset of headache, migraines

Lightning linked to onset of headache, migraines: Researchers have found that lightning may affect the onset of headaches and migraines.

Can you 'train' yourself to have more willpower?

Can you 'train' yourself to have more willpower?: Researchers say that with a little practice, it may be possible to strengthen and improve your self-control -- and lose more weight.

Penicillin, not the pill, may have launched the sexual revolution

Penicillin, not the pill, may have launched the sexual revolution: The rise in risky, non-traditional sexual relations that marked the swinging '60s and advent of readily available contraception actually began as much as a decade earlier, during the conformist '50s, suggests a new analysis. The analysis strongly indicates that the widespread use of penicillin, leading to a rapid decline in syphilis during the 1950s, is what launched the modern sexual era.

Poor sleep in old age prevents the brain from storing memories

Poor sleep in old age prevents the brain from storing memories: The connection between poor sleep, memory loss and brain deterioration as we grow older has been elusive. But for the first time, scientists have found a link between these hallmark maladies of old age. Their discovery opens the door to boosting the quality of sleep in elderly people to improve memory.

How to predict the future of technology?

How to predict the future of technology?: Forget Moore's Law. USC Marshall, Emory University and University of Michigan researchers define new ways to evaluate new technologies. The bread and butter of investing for Silicon Valley tech companies is stale. Instead, a new method of predicting the evolution of technology could save tech giants millions in research and development or developments of new products -- and help analysts and venture capitalists determine which companies are on the right track.

Cows fed flaxseed produce more nutritious dairy products

Cows fed flaxseed produce more nutritious dairy products: Dairy cows that are fed flaxseed produce more nutritious milk, with more omega-3 fatty acids and less saturated fat.

Drinking water unexpectedly rich in microbial life

Drinking water unexpectedly rich in microbial life: Flow cytometry can now be officially used for the quantification of microbial cells in drinking water. The new analytical method provides much more realistic results than the conventional method, in which bacterial colonies are grown on agar plates. The results demonstrate that even good-quality drinking water harbors 100 to 10,000 times more living cells than the conventional plate count method would suggest.

Lose fat faster before breakfast

Lose fat faster before breakfast: People can burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach, according to new research.

Can men prevent diabetes with testosterone boost?

Can men prevent diabetes with testosterone boost?: Australian researchers have begun a world-first study that aims to help men lose weight and prevent diabetes - by giving them more testosterone.

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health priorities identified

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health priorities identified: Researchers identified research priorities for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries.

Brotherly love and the Super Bowl: Win or lose, healthier if you stay close

Brotherly love and the Super Bowl: Win or lose, healthier if you stay close: Siblings who are close as adults -- like brothers/head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, who will clash in the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 -- are less likely to be depressed and have higher blood pressure over the long haul, says one researcher.

Exercise can slow onset of Alzheimer's memory loss: Scientists identify link

Exercise can slow onset of Alzheimer's memory loss: Scientists identify link: Keeping active can slow down the progression of memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease, a study has shown. Medical researchers have identified a stress hormone produced during moderate exercise that may protect the brain from memory changes related to the disease.