(HealthDay)—Tuberculosis remains the most lethal of infectious diseases worldwide, killing more than 1.6 million people a year. But researchers say a new vaccine might prevent half of full-blown illnesses in infected people who receive the shot. “We found that the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis was significantly lower” for people who got the experimental vaccine, called M72/AS01, than for people...
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Plant-rich diets may prevent depression – new evidence
Being depressed can negatively affect your appetite and what you eat, but can bad eating habits bring your mood down? Our latest study, a systematic review of the best available evidence, found a clear link between the quality of a person’s diet and their risk of depression. And it goes beyond the effect of diet...
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New screening tool can improve the quality of life for epilepsy patients with sleep apnea
Rutgers researchers publish electronic health record assessment that can identify epilepsy patients at risk for obstructive sleep apnea RUTGERS UNIVERSITY Rutgers researchers have developed a tool to help neurologists screen for obstructive sleep apnea in people with epilepsy whose seizures can be magnified by sleep disorders. The study appears in the journal Neurology Clinical Practice. Although detection and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can improve seizure control in some patientswith epilepsy, providers have not regularly assessed patients for those risk factors. The researchers...
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Can we teach heart cells to grow up?
A master genetic regulator cardiomyocytes that need to mature may be a clue toward getting heart muscle to regenerate BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Scientists around the world have been trying to replace damaged heart tissue using lab-made heart-muscle cells (cardiomyocytes), either injecting them into the heart or applying patches laced with the cells. But results to date have been underwhelming. IMAGE: A MUTANT HEART MUSCLE CELL (IN GREEN) SURROUNDED...
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Vaccine, anti-PD1 drug show promise against incurable HPV-related cancers
A tumor-specific vaccine combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor shrank tumors in one third of patients with incurable cancer related to the human papilloma virus (HPV) in a phase II clinical trial led by investigators at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and reported in JAMA Oncology. Electron micrograph of a negatively stained...
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Crash diets are highly effective – new evidence
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve probably heard that crash dieting isn’t the best way to go about it. Although you may lose lots of weight initially, you won’t be able to keep the weight off and may even end up being heavier than you were before. But our latest research suggests that this isn’t always the...
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Virtual reality motion sickness may be predicted and counteracted
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have made progress towards predicting who is likely to feel sick from virtual reality technology. In a recent study, the researchers found they could predict whether an individual will experience cybersickness (motion sickness caused by virtual reality) by how much they sway in response to a moving visual field....
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Scientists uncover why very few of the many mutated cells in our skin go on to eventually form cancer
Normal skin contains a patchwork of mutated cells, yet very few go on to eventually form cancer and scientists have now uncovered the reason why. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge genetically engineered mice to show that mutant cells in skin tissue compete with each other, with only...
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Woman’s swollen pinky finger was a rare sign of deadly tuberculosis which doctors think she caught from her husband’s cough
The unnamed woman went to hospital with a swollen and painful little finger She had not injured it recently so doctors examined it in more detail They discovered the same bacteria which cause lung infection tuberculosis The woman’s husband had been diagnosed with the disease after a trip to China It may seem over-the-top to go to hospital because of a...
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It’s not just for kids — even adults appear to benefit from a regular bedtime
Adults with varied sleep-wake times weigh more, have higher blood sugar, risk of disease DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER DURHAM, N.C. — Sufficient sleep has been proven to help keep the body healthy and the mind sharp. But it’s not just an issue of logging at least seven hours of Z’s. A new study on sleep...