A research team from Imperial College London, led by Dr Ben Almquist, has developed a new molecule based on so-called traction force-activated payloads (TrAPs) which allow materials to talk to the body‘s natural repair systems and thereby activate healing processes. “Creatures from sea sponges to humans use cell movement to activate healing. Our approach mimics...
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Introducing gun safety into health care providers’ checklists to prevent teen suicide
AMHERST, Mass. – In a recent study exploring the feasibility of introducing gun safety discussions and interventions into routine health care settings, investigators suggest that there is some support for promoting firearm safety in pediatric primary care as a universal suicide prevention strategy for adolescents. IMAGE: JOHN ZEBER, A MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCHER AND ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE...
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Adults with autism can read complex emotions in others
Psychologists at the University of Kent used eye-tracking technology to monitor participants as they read stories in which a character made a decision then experienced a positive or negative outcome. New research shows for the first time that adults with autism can recognise complex emotions such as regret and relief in others as easily as those without the condition. The lead author Professor Heather Ferguson,...
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Hearing loss announced by protein boom in blood
Blood levels of a special protein found only in the inner ear spike after exposure to loud noise, UConn Health researchers report. The findings point the way to blood tests that could warn people at risk of hearing loss before they suffer serious damage. Credit: CC0 Public Domain Hearing loss can sneak up on people, slowly muffling the world, but only noticeable once the damage...
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Study identifies ‘clinical risks’ and biomarkers to screen patients with heart condition
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have found two biomarkers that could be used to identify a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation in patients who have three ‘clinical risks’. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heartrhythm disturbance, affecting around 1.6 million people in the UK. Those with atrial fibrillation may be aware of noticeable...
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It’s not epilepsy: Counseling helps those with misdiagnosed seizures
One of four patients admitted to hospitals for evaluation of seizures don’t have epilepsy but rather have a debilitating and difficult to diagnose condition known as psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, or PNES. Credit: stock.adobe.com Nearly 80 percent of these patients who suffer seizures not caused by altered electrical activity in the brain have been previously misdiagnosed as having epilepsy and prescribed...
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Take Your Pills When Your Genes Are Most Active
Drugs could be more effective if taken when the genetic proteins they target are most active Doctors may tell patients to pop their pills in the morning or evening or perhaps with meals. But a new study finds many genesthat direct production of proteins targeted by drugs have a daily cycle of activity driven by the body’s circadian rhythms. Medication...
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Thousands of blood pressure pills are recalled amid fears they could cause cancer because ‘they contain a chemical used in ROCKET FUEL’
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency issued the alert It revealed four batches of pills containing irbesartan have been recalled All the products pulled as a ‘precautionary measure’ are made by Actavis Do you take any of the pills? Contact [email protected] Regulators have recalled thousands of blood pressure pills from pharmacies amid fears they could cause cancer. Four types...
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Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH)
Corticotropin–releasing hormone (CRH), also called corticotropin–releasing factor (CRF), is a peptide hormone that activates the synthesis and release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary gland. In this way, CRH affects our response to stress, addiction and depression, among others. What is Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone? CRH is a neuropeptide hormone that regulates neuroendocrine, sympathetic, and behavioral functions in response to stress. It consists of 41 amino acids...
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Patients with sleep apnea have increased gout risk
Milica Blagojevic-Bucknall, Ph.D., from Keele University in the United Kingdom, and colleagues used data from the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink to identify 15,879 patients aged ≥18 years who received a diagnosis of OSA between 1990 and 2010 as well as 63,296 controls without OSA matched on age, sex, and practice. Image: (HealthDay)—Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are...