Health & Medicine : Science World Report

Apr 23, 2012 10:44 AM EDT

BREAKING: U.S. Accepts NSABB Recommendation to Publish H5N1 Flu Papers

On March 29 and 30, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), an independent expert committee that advises the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other Federal departments and agencies on matters of biosecurity, convened to r...

Apr 23, 2012 10:34 AM EDT

Second-generation Drug Used for Hypertension Aids Heart Function Independent of Blood Pressure

Heart failure is the most common cause of death throughout the world, typically the result of chronic high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. As a result, research efforts have focused on an array of approaches aimed at preventing and treating high blood pressure.

Apr 23, 2012 10:15 AM EDT

Shingles Vaccine Is Safe, According to New Study

The herpes zoster vaccine, also known as the shingles vaccine, is generally safe and well tolerated according to a Vaccine Safety Datalink study of 193,083 adults published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Apr 23, 2012 10:03 AM EDT

'Housekeeping' Mechanism for Brain Stem Cells Discovered

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a molecular pathway that controls the retention and release of the brain's stem cells. The discovery offers new insights into normal and abnormal neurologic development and could eventually lead to regenerative therapies for ne...

Apr 23, 2012 09:47 AM EDT

Changes in Brain's Blood Flow Could Cause 'Brain Freeze'

'Brain freeze' is a nearly universal experience-almost everyone has felt the near-instantaneous headache brought on by a bite of ice cream or slurp of ice-cold soda on the upper palate.

Apr 23, 2012 09:23 AM EDT

Specific Protein Triggers Changes in Neurons in Brain Reward Center Linked to Cocaine Addiction

New research from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York reveals that repeated exposure to cocaine decreases the activity of a protein necessary for normal functioning of the brain's reward system, thus enhancing the reward for cocaine use, which leads to addiction. Investigators were also able to b...

Apr 23, 2012 09:15 AM EDT

Neuroscientists Discover Key Protein Responsible for Controlling Nerve Cell Protection

A key protein, which may be activated to protect nerve cells from damage during heart failure or epileptic seizure, has been found to regulate the transfer of information between nerve cells in the brain. The discovery, made by neuroscientists at the University of Bristol and published in Nature Neu...

Apr 23, 2012 08:37 AM EDT

Treatment to Benefit African Infants at Risk of Endemic Fever

Thousands of pre-school children in Africa could benefit from access to treatment for an endemic disease, after tests showed infants to be at high risk of infection.

Apr 22, 2012 02:21 PM EDT

Birth Defects More Common in IVF Babies: Study

Babies conceived through certain fertility treatment techniques are about one-third more likely to have a birth defect than babies conceived without any extra help from technology, according to a review of several dozen studies.

Apr 21, 2012 03:25 PM EDT

Screening Programs Detect Cases of Undiagnosed Rheumatic Heart Disease in Low-resource Countries

Widespread screening of children in poorer countries is now being studied and is resulting in the diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in patients that would likely have gone undetected under normal circumstances, according to two new studies carried out in Fiji and Uganda presented today at t...

Apr 21, 2012 03:10 PM EDT

Physicians Call for Improvements to Country's Public Health System to Protect US Residents

A call for an improved public health infrastructure that works collaboratively with physicians in order to ensure the public's safety and health was made today by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The action was highlighted by the release of a new policy paper, Strengthening the Public Healt...

Apr 21, 2012 07:17 AM EDT

FDA says Nanotech May Need Extra Safety Tests

U.S. health regulators said consumer products that use nanotechnology may have unknown effects on the human body, and advised food and cosmetic companies to further study the safety of these tiny particles.