By Ted Ranosa Tech Times A new study suggests that physicians are less likely to schedule cancer screenings for patients during the latter part of the day. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania sought to understand how the time of day can influence doctors’ behavior when providing cancer screenings. They examined medical data collected from 33 primary care practices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey between 2014 and 2016. This included eligible screenings for nearly...
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How to stop a nosebleed
By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA Reviewed by Karen Gill, MD Nosebleeds occur when delicate blood vessels in the lining of the nose break and start to bleed. In rare instances, nosebleeds occur due to injury to larger blood vessels in the back of the nose. Although nosebleeds can be a common occurrence, there are cases...
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Inflamed monkey guts produce Parkinson’s-related proteins
by Chris Barncard, University of Wisconsin-Madison The intestinal linings of monkeys with inflamed bowels show chemical alterations similar to abnormal protein deposits in the brains of Parkinson’s patients, lending support to the idea that inflammation may play a key role in the development of the degenerative neurological disorder. A study published by University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers today in the Journal of...
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Directed evolution gets bacteria designing new antibiotics for us
Evolution is an incredible process, allowing life to adapt to changes in its environment. In the 1990s, the lab of Frances Arnold showed how we can turn this process to our advantage by manipulating microbes into evolving in a certain way, which could lead to new drugs and other breakthroughs. The discovery earned Arnold the 2018 Nobel Prize in...
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Dual studies offer incredible insights into connection between depression and the gut
Two newly published studies build on a compelling growing body of evidence linking depression with mechanisms in our gut. A fascinating study led by researchers at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center found that low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with depression, can directly result in gastrointestinal distress such as constipation, while a second study, from the Children’s Hospital of...
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Inhibitory synapses grow as ‘traffic controller’ at busy neural intersections
by Utrecht University, Utrecht University Faculty of Science Neurons pass on information to one another via synapses. The vast majority of these synapses are excitatory, which increase the activity of the receiving neuron. Around 10 to 20 percent of synapses have the opposite effect, and are called inhibitory. Researchers at Utrecht University have discovered that the growth of inhibitory synapses is specifically stimulated in the...
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Snapshot of chikungunya could lead to drugs, vaccines for viral arthritis
by Tamara Bhandari, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Chikungunya virus, once confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, has infected more than 1 million people in the Americas since 2013, when mosquitoes carrying the virus were discovered in the Caribbean. Most people who become infected develop fever and joint pain that last about a week. But...
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By disabling a protein in the brain’s blood vessels, researchers ease age-related deterioration in mice
By ANDREW JOSEPH @DrewQJoseph Scientists have shown that delivering blood from an old mouse into a young mouse or vice versa prompts a sort of “Freaky Friday” effect: The brains of the young mice exposed to the old blood lose vitality, while the young blood rejuvenates some brain function in the older mice. What they don’t know,...
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Detecting dementia’s damaging effects before it’s too late
By studying a rare form of dementia, researchers might have found a way to detect neurodegeneration before brain cells are lost for good. Earlier detection could provide therapeutic drug treatments a chance to work. Scientists might have found an early detection method for some forms of dementia, according to new research by the University of Arizona and...
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Bladder drug linked to atherosclerosis in mice
by Karolinska Institutet A drug used in the treatment of overactive bladder can accelerate atherosclerosis in mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). According to the researchers, the results suggest that in some cases, the drug might potentially increase the risk of cardiovascular...