Despite decades of indoor smoking bans and restrictions, new research from Drexel University suggests the toxins we’ve been trying to keep out are still finding their way into the air inside. Findings by a group of environmental engineers show that third-hand smoke, the chemical residue from cigarette smoke that attaches to anything and anyone in...
Post
The Yogi masters were right—meditation and breathing exercises can sharpen your mind
It has long been claimed by Yogis and Buddhists that meditation and ancient breath-focused practices, such as pranayama, strengthen our ability to focus on tasks. A new study by researchers at Trinity College Dublin explains for the first time the neurophysiological link between breathing and attention. Breath-focused meditation and yogic breathing practices have numerous known...
Post
Virtual care moves toward the frontline of provider-patient relationships
Virtual care, once on the fringes for providers and patients alike, is becoming more of a reality and is increasingly used for low-acuity needs. Kaiser Permanente and UnitedHealthcare are among the big names using such settings for primary care appointments and quick patient consultations. Backers of virtual care say it holds potential to improve quality,...
Post
Subjective memory may be marker for cognitive decline
Psychological sciences doctoral student Marci Horn (left) conducts a name-face memory test as part of a study at the Center for Vital Longevity. Credit: University of Texas at Dallas New research from the Center for Vital Longevity (CVL) at The University of Texas at Dallas suggests that subjective complaints about poor memory performance, especially in...
Post
State-of-the-art HIV drug could curb HIV transmission, improve survival in India
An HIV treatment regimen already widely used in North America and Europe would likely increase the life expectancy of people living with HIV in India by nearly three years and reduce the number of new HIV infections by 23 percent with minimal impact on the country’s HIV/AIDS budget. The findings from an international team of...
Post
Primary care can effectively manage obstructive sleep apnea
(HealthDay)—Primary care management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is as effective and more cost-effective than in-laboratory diagnosis, according to a study published online April 17 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. M. Ángeles Sánchez-Quiroga, M.D., from Virgen del Puerto Hospital in Madrid, and colleagues randomized 303 sequentially screened patients with an intermediate-to-high...
Post
Stem cells show long-term success in treating severe peripheral arterial disease
Durham, NC – A long-term study of patients who received stem cells to treat angiitis-induced critical limb ischemia (AICLI) shows the cells to be both safe and effective. The study, published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), could lead to an option for those who suffer from this serious form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). AICLI...
Post
Even a ‘bad’ flu vaccine could save 61,000 lives: study
A truly dismal flu vaccine could still save thousands of lives, as long as roughly 40 percent of Americans got their shots, new research suggests. At that coverage level, a vaccine that was only 20 percent effective would avert 21 million infections and almost 130,000 hospitalizations—and save 61,000 lives. Why? Computer modeling shows that the...
Post
Gene therapy for lipoprotein lipase deficiency yields promising results
New Rochelle, NY, May 1, 2018–During the first 18 months after treatment with ali-pogene tiparvovec, a gene therapy recently approved in Europe to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD), the first patient to receive the treatment had no abdominal pain or episodes of pancreatitis, following a history of 37 pancreatitis attacks. The patient was able to...
Post
Could this common diabetes drug prevent cocaine relapse?
A recent study suggests that drugs already approved to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes might also help to treat cocaine addiction by reducing relapse. Using rat models, researchers find that an existing drug could help to reduce cocaine relapse. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found that a drug called exendin-4 decreased...