Children can suffer serious health problems from accidentally ingesting dietary supplements. New research offers a reminder that dietary supplements don’t come without risks— and the problems they can cause appear to be on the rise. A study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology finds that U.S. Poison Control Centers receive a call every 24 minutes,...
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Engineered liver tissue expands after transplant
Tiny implantable “seeds” of tissue produce fully functional livers. Many diseases, including cirrhosis and hepatitis, can lead to liver failure. More than 17,000 Americans suffering from these diseases are now waiting for liver transplants, but significantly fewer livers are available. To help address that shortage, researchers at MIT, Rockefeller University, and Boston University have developed...
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Smokers who receive CT lung screening are more likely to quit
Smokers who undergo a CT scan of their lungs are more likely to quit than those who don’t, concludes a trial led by Cardiff University. The findings of the study, looking at the effect of CT screening on smokers at high-risk of developing lung cancer, dispute the belief that a negative screening result offers a ‘licence to...
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New discovery could reverse tissue damage caused by heart attacks
A new discovery by University of Bristol scientists helps to explain how cells which surround blood vessels, called pericytes, stimulate new blood vessels to grow with the hormone ‘leptin’ playing a key role. Leptin is produced by fat cells which helps to regulate energy balance in the body by inhibiting the appetite. This study, described...
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Family-led rehabilitation surprisingly ineffective in the recovery of stroke patients
Family-led rehabilitation is not effective in aiding the recovery of people who have suffered a stroke, a major international trial involving researchers at the University of Nottingham has suggested. The results of the study, which was run across 13 centres throughout India and was one of the largest stroke rehabilitation trials ever undertaken, have surprised...
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How exposing children with autism to risk can teach them resilience and life skills
Last night’s ABC Australian Story episode Clearly, Africa is not the practical answer to helping the majority of children thrive. But the lessons learnt from the journey may encourage a slightly “riskier” approach to parenting and education for some children with autism. An unconventional approach Parents James and Benison decided to take Sam to Africa for six months to “expose him...
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Knee joint signals bones to grow
Scientists from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, US, have revealed a communication system between the knee joint and developing bones in mice, which controls bone growth during early development and after injury. Writing in the journal eLife, the authors suggest that bone growth is controlled not only from within the bone itself, but by neighboring cells...
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Agent clears toxic proteins and improves cognition in neurodegeneration models
Researchers have found cell receptors abnormally overexpressed in post-mortem brains of those with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and that they can be inhibited in animal models to clear toxic protein buildup, reduce brain inflammation, and improve cognitive performance. These dual findings, presented by Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference...
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Intensive blood pressure lowering benefits patients with chronic kidney disease
Results from a recent clinical trial indicate that intensive blood pressure lowering reduces chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients’ risks of dying prematurely or developing cardiovascular disease. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The appropriate target for blood pressure in patients with CKD and hypertension...
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New cancer drugs turn patients’ gray hair BROWN in bizarre side effect that has left scientists baffled
A Spanish study analyzed 52 patients taking immunotherapy drugs They found the drugs turn gray hair dark in 14 of the lung cancer patients In one patient, their hair even turned completely black in patches Cancer patients’ gray hair unexpectedly turned dark while taking new immunotherapy drugs, a new study reveals. While chemotherapy is notorious...