Research identifying the first case of a person living without the protein needed to bind and transport vitamin D in the bloodstream has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The paper, led by a University of Calgary geneticist, and co-authored by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle, U.S., and University […]
Radiation oncology workforce study indicates potential threat to rural cancer care access
The newest study of America’s radiation oncology workforce finds that gender and race gaps have narrowed slightly, although persistent and growing geographic disparities point to a need for more equity in access to radiation therapy care. The survey, which drew responses from more than 1,100 physicians across the country, finds that fewer radiation oncologists are […]
Getting teens to follow strict diets in the Fast Track trial is risky, but so is obesity itself
The Fast Track to Health study is a year-long dietary trial in adolescents with obesity. Since it started in Sydney and Melbourne at the end of 2018, it has been criticised for increasing the risk of eating disorders in people who may be especially vulnerable to these conditions. Sydney-based clinical psychologist Louise Adams started up […]
Want to understand accented speakers better? Practice, practice, practice
Conversation is at the heart of people’s lives. We use language to communicate our hopes and dreams to our closest friends, to ask for help from colleagues at work and to describe our ailments to medical professionals. Typically this process of communication goes fairly smoothly. But there are circumstances that can make communication even between […]
Leukocytes use their nucleus as a ruler to choose path of least resistance
How do mobile cell types like leukocytes or metastatic cancer cells reach their place of action during immune surveillance or cancer dissemination, respectively? The research group around Michael Sixt at IST Austria has now shown that leukocytes use their nucleus as a ruler to screen their surroundings for the largest pores—and thereby find the path […]
Inherited genetic variation linked to risk of T cell leukemia in children
A study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has identified a novel risk variant associated with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The findings appear as an advance online publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. “The inherited genetics underlying this rare type of leukemia were mostly unknown prior to our study,” […]
Drugs used to enhance sexual experiences, especially in UK
Combining drugs with sex is common regardless of gender or sexual orientation, reveals new research by UCL and the Global Drug Survey into global trends of substance-linked sex. The findings, published today in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, revealed that alcohol, cannabis, MDMA and cocaine are the drugs most commonly combined with sex. Respondents from […]
Blocking platelets: A possible option to prevent fatty liver disease and liver cancer
Blood platelets that interact with liver cells and immune cells play a major role in the development of fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver inflammation and liver cancer, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and from Zurich University and University Hospital have now shown in a publication. The researchers have also […]
Trips to the toilet at night are a sign of high blood pressure
Trips to the toilet at night are a sign of high blood pressure, according to results from the Watari study presented today at the 83rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS 2019). “Our study indicates that if you need to urinate in the night—called nocturia—you may have elevated blood pressure and/or excess […]
Mozambique cholera cases jump to 139 a day after outbreak
Officials in Mozambique say the number of cholera cases among survivors of a devastating cyclone has jumped to 139. The Portuguese news agency Lusa cites national health official Ussein Isse in a report late Thursday. The cholera outbreak had been declared a day earlier with just five confirmed cases. Cholera is a major concern for […]