Medicine articles

Unease over guidelines that label 9 out of 10 people as sick
Guidelines that set ever lower thresholds for "normal" blood pressure and cholesterol mean that 90% of people over 50 could be labelled as sick, warn doctors in this week's BMJ.

Scientists characterize proteome of human cornea
An international group of researchers has characterized the proteome of the human cornea. In doing so, they have identified 141 distinct proteins, 99 of which had not been previously recognized in mammalian corneas.

Researcher uncovers details of how cancer spreads
When cancer spreads, people often die. That's why a lot of cancer research and drugs focus on the metabolic pathways that allow cancer to metastasize -- to spread from one part of the body to another.

Vanadium appears to play role in speeding recovery from infections
Dietary supplements containing vanadium are used by body builders to help beef up muscles and by some diabetic people to control blood sugar. New research now suggests the naturally occurring but easily toxic element may help prepare the body to recover speedily from infections from gram-negative organisms such as E. coli.

Immune therapy could treat leukemias, autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection
In studies with mice, treatment with a new monoclonal antibody that targets immune system B cells has shown considerable promise for treating leukemias, autoimmune diseases and transplant rejection, according to immunologists at Duke University Medical Center.

'Grasshopper love song give insight into sensory tuning
As anyone whose nerves have been jangled by a baby's howl or who have been riveted by the sight of an attractive person knows, nature has evolved sensory systems to be exquisitely tuned to relevant input. A major question in neurobiology is how neurons tune the strength of their interconnections to optimally respond to such inputs

'Grasshopper love song give insight into sensory tuning
As anyone whose nerves have been jangled by a baby's howl or who have been riveted by the sight of an attractive person knows, nature has evolved sensory systems to be exquisitely tuned to relevant input. A major question in neurobiology is how neurons tune the strength of their interconnections to optimally respond to such inputs

Speakers can avoid confusion for listeners
If someone told you to "put the apple in the basket on the table," what would you do? Depending on how many apples and baskets are in your kitchen, it might not be clear. Would you move the apple in the basket to the table, or move the apple to the basket on the table? Had the speaker included the word "that's" after the word "apple," it would have eliminated any confusion. But people often fail to avoid such ambiguities when they speak.

Cosmic radiation associated with risk of cataract in airline pilots
Airline pilots have an increased risk of nuclear cataracts [common type of cataract, associated with aging] compared with non-pilots, and that risk is associated with cumulative exposure to cosmic radiation, according to a study in the August issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals

Rethinking anti oxidants
A leading researcher at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) points out that there is little convincing evidence that dietary antioxidant supplements such as vitamin E prevent heart disease, despite claims to the contrary

NO strong links seen betwenn violent video games an agression
Results from the first long-term study of online videogame playing may be surprising. Contrary to popular opinion and most previous research, the new study found that players' "robust exposure" to a highly violent online game did not cause any substantial real-world aggression

Roots of epilepsy may lie in oft-ignored brain cells
Star-shaped brain cells that are often overlooked by doctors and scientists as mere support cells appear to play a key role in the development of epilepsy, researchers say in a study published on-line August 14 in Nature Medicine. It's one of the first times scientists have produced firm evidence implicating the cells, known as astrocytes, in a common human disease

Researchers find evidence for 'tanning addiction'
Drop by any beach or swimming pool on a summer day, and you'll probably see people doing something they know is bad for them: getting a tan

Infants learn music
Babies have us beat when it comes to picking up languages and distinguishing faces from foreign cultures. But babies also have the beat: Researchers at Cornell University and the University of Toronto find that babies also can recognize unfamiliar musical rhythms far more readily than adults can

Animals warn of human health hazards in new 'Canary Database'
There have long been reports of animals succumbing to environmental hazards before humans show signs of illness, according to the project's leader, Peter Rabinowitz, M.D., associate professor of medicine in The Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program at Yale University School of Medicine.

Nose odors and mouth odors
Researchers have presented the first clear evidence that olfaction is uniquely a "dual" sense, in that the brain perceives the same odorant molecule differently if it arrives through the nose rather than the mouth.

'Embrionic-like' stem cells from umbilical cord blood
A breakthrough in human stem cell research, producing embryonic-like cells from umbilical cord blood may substantially speed up the development of treatments for life-threatening illnesses, injuries and disabilities.

Ancient origins of tuberculosis-causing bacteria
Researchers have long considered tuberculosis, a bacterial respiratory disease that kills 3 million people each year, a relatively recent human affliction. But a new study in PLoS Pathogens suggests that the disease and the pathogens responsible are much older than previously thought.

Overeating and weight
If you binged for two weeks while on vacation and gained 5 pounds, would you be biologically primed to eat less to compensate and shake off the excess weight? No, suggests a new Cornell University study.

Brain's painkillers may cause 'placebo effect'
Just thinking that a medicine will relieve pain is enough to prompt the brain to release its own natural painkillers, and soothe painful sensations, a new University of Michigan study finds.