A nationwide consortium of researchers has identified the first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia, a mysterious liver disease that is the leading cause for liver transplantation in children. The results were published in the journal Hepatology. The causes of biliary atresia were unknown, so this is a major advance that will move the field […]
More primary care physicians leads to longer life spans
New research shows us just how important primary care physicians are in prolonging our lives. Every 10 additional primary care physicians per 100,000 people in the United States was associated with a 51.5-day increase in life expectancy during the decade from 2005 to 2015, according to a study led by researchers at the Stanford University […]
It doesn’t take much for soldiers to feel cared for: Researchers conduct randomized controlled trial of caring texts
A soldier named Jerome Motto received caring letters from home in World War II. They helped boost his spirits and later led to one of the nation’s first successful suicide interventions. Today, with military personnel being more mobile, researchers tested out the effectiveness of caring texts sent to active-duty military. The study of 658 randomized […]
When organs start to scar: Connective tissue on the wrong road: Physicians discover a protein that reprograms connective tissue cells
Scientists from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Department of Medicine 3 — Rheumatology and Immunology, headed by Prof. Dr. Georg Schett, have now decrypted a molecular network that controls these processes and could in future provide a new way to treat organ scarring. The results show that the protein PU.1 causes pathological deposition of connective tissue. The […]
Being HIV positive and staying on antiretroviral therapy in Africa
An international team of researchers have carried out a review of the evidence examining what influences people who are HIV positive to go to health services and then stay on antiretroviral drugs in Africa. In a paper published in the Journal PLOS One the team, led by LSTM’s Professor Paul Garner, used advanced methods of […]
With these nanoparticles, a simple urine test could diagnose bacterial pneumonia: The results could also indicate whether antibiotics have successfully treated the infection
Pneumonia, a respiratory disease that kills about 50,000 people in the United States every year, can be caused by many different microbes, including bacteria and viruses. Rapid detection of pneumonia is critical for effective treatment, especially in hospital-acquired cases which are often more severe. However, current diagnostic approaches often take several days to return definitive […]
Named dangerous habits that kill kidneys
The kidneys are one of the most important paired organs. Their main task is blood purification. They are also involved in the regulation of water-salt balance, blood pressure, etc. Without the proper functioning of the kidneys, the body will not be able to fully function. However, few people think that many habits cause them irreparable […]
Eyes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients show evidence of prions
By the time symptoms of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) are typically discovered, death is looming and inevitable. But, in a new study, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine with colleagues at the National Institutes of Health and UC San Francisco, report finding tell-tale evidence of the condition’s infectious agent in the […]
5 days on cherry juice allows you to dramatically improve health
Eating cherry juice in only five days already transforms the healthiness of the intestines. Following the antioxidants from cherries are damaged lower, the amount of advantageous bacteria within the person grows. Everyone knows how important it’s to keep the total amount of bacteria within the intestines. Advantageous bacteria strengthen our immunity, stimulate digestive processes and […]
Small molecules: From beaker to solved 3D structure in minutes
In a new study that one scientist called jaw-dropping, a joint UCLA/Caltech team has shown that it is possible to obtain the structures of small molecules, such as certain hormones and medications, in as little as 30 minutes. That’s hours and even days less than was possible before. The team used a technique called micro-electron […]