medical study

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Genome Breakthrough Zeroes In on Disease

New approach decodes entire genomes of individual patients

(Newser) - Two teams of researchers have identified the exact genetic cause of their patients' rare diseases by sequencing their entire genomes, a sharp but promising departure of the previous application of genetics to disease. “I suspect that in the next few years human genetics will finally begin to systematically deliver...

Heart Risk Linked to Obesity—in Preschoolers

Definitive connection can't be made due to lack of relevant study

(Newser) - Levels of a marker tied to adult heart disease were twice as high in the blood of obese children as in the blood of average-weight kids in a recent study. The twist is that the research subjects were 3 to 5 years old, sparking concerns about the cumulative health effects...

Researchers Find Cancer 'Fingerprints'

Rearranged chromosomes can be used to ID tumors, personalize treatment

(Newser) - Scientists have developed a new, more accurate method of tracking specific cancers using genetic “fingerprints”— the unique way every cancer rearranges chromosomes. Those rearrangements can be pinpointed with new genetic sequencing methods, allowing doctors to follow the cancer’s trail in the blood. The breakthrough is a key...

Botox Numbs Emotional Response

If you can't frown, brain finds it harder to be sad, study surmises

(Newser) - If you turn your frown upside down with Botox, your brain gets the message and makes you less receptive to negative emotional stimuli. That’s the conclusion of a new study of people who had their frown muscles paralyzed with the cosmetic toxin. Researchers tested subjects on the speed of...

Fearless Gambler? Could Be Brain Damage

Harm to amygdala seems to impair 'loss aversion'

(Newser) - People with damage to their amygdala, a deep part of the brain that governs basic value judgments, are more likely than others to take big risks for uncertain payoffs. A new study pitted 2 women with amygdala-specific lesions against 6 controls in tests of their willingness to gamble. The control...

Journal Retracts Study Linking Autism with Vaccination

Says infamous paper wasn't properly randomized

(Newser) - Ever heard of that study linking the MMR vaccine with autism? Well, never mind, says the Lancet, the British medical journal that published the study back in 1998. The journal today retracted and discredited the study, saying its author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, hadn’t properly randomized the study or cleared...

US Newborns Get Smaller
 US Newborns Get Smaller  

US Newborns Get Smaller

Mysterious drop most acute with mothers considered least at risk

(Newser) - The birth weight of the average full-term baby born in the US decreased by 1.83 ounces between 1990 and 2005. Researchers discovered the trend, which runs counter to received notions about increasing birth weight, after studying the records of 37 million newborns. Even more surprising, babies delivered by the...

Non-Stick Chemical Linked to Thyroid Issues

PFOA is used in pots and pans, furniture and even clothes

(Newser) - A common household chemical used to make non-stick pans, stain-resistant furniture, and even apparel has been linked to an increased risk of thyroid issues. The chemical, PFOA, is inert and can stay in human tissue for long periods. Researchers looked at medical records of almost 4,000 Americans and found...

Mental Health Problems Jump Among Young
Mental Health Problems
Jump Among Young
STUDY SAYS

Mental Health Problems Jump Among Young

Researchers think influence of pop culture is to blame for anxiety, etc.

(Newser) - Today's high school and college students are five times more likely to suffer from mental health issues than their counterparts who lived during the Great Depression. A study of responses to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory administered between 1938 and 2007 shows a fivefold increase in categories like anxiety and...

Antidepressants Don't Work for 70% of Patients
Antidepressants Don't Work for 70% of Patients
new study

Antidepressants Don't Work for 70% of Patients

Little better than placebos in all but the most severe cases

(Newser) - Antidepressants are little better than a placebo for all but the most severe cases of depression, according to a new analysis of recent studies. “For patients with very severe depression, the medication did have a potent effect,” the study’s lead author tells WebMD . But the effects “...

Exercise Curbs Colds, Even Cancer
 Exercise 
 Curbs Colds, 
 Even Cancer 
STUDIES Show

Exercise Curbs Colds, Even Cancer

Moderate, regular activity is like a 'drug' that boosts immune system

(Newser) - Some benefits of exercise are less visible than weight loss and muscle mass, but no less tangible. In fact, the most awesome effects of physical activity are measured by what doesn’t happen: A brisk walk five times a week has been shown to ward off respiratory infections, and regular...

Kids With Autism Don't Need Special Diet: Docs

Report calls for more research, brings relief to some parents

(Newser) - Children with autism are not particularly prone to digestive issues, and special diets have no effect on the condition, new research shows. Digestive problems do affect kids with autism, but a specific malady called “leaky gut” or “autistic enterocolitis,” says a report out today. The findings refute...

Breastfeeding May Protect Mom's Heart
 Breastfeeding 
 May Protect 
 Mom's Heart 
STUDY SAYS

Breastfeeding May Protect Mom's Heart

Lactation linked to decreased risk of heart ailments later on

(Newser) - Mothers who breastfeed their children can expect a personal benefit down the road: A new study has found they are five times less likely than women who don't breastfeed to develop calcification in their major arteries—build-up whose presence "might lead to symptomatic heart disease," one of the...

Pregnant Obese Women Told to Gain No Weight

New study will try to eliminate extra pounds for healthier mom and baby

(Newser) - The changing tides of pregnancy and weight research have yielded a novel program that hopes to produce healthy moms and babies: the no-weight gain pregnancy for obese women. A 4-year study will provide expectant mothers with dietary support to keep extra pounds to zero, or at least under 3% of...

Osteoporosis Drugs May Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Two studies show promise for commonly used biophosphonates

(Newser) - Two new studies suggest that drugs used to improve bone density cut women's risk of breast cancer. In both studies, one of which analyzed data from the huge Women's Health Initiative, those who used biophosphonates seemed to have a 30% lower risk of developing breast cancer. The research isn't definitive,...

Tunes Help the Hand That Operates on You
 Tunes Help the Hand 
 That Operates on You 
A LITTLE OPERATING MUSIC

Tunes Help the Hand That Operates on You

Soothing classical sounds improve accuracy, doctor says

(Newser) - Just like on TV, real surgeons listen to music in the operating room—and it may make them better sawbones. Research by a Massachusetts doc suggests that some soothing Mozart improves accuracy when a surgeon repeats a surgical task. Silence ain’t bad, either—but hearing German folk music issue...

Loneliness Is Communicable

 Loneliness Is Communicable 
STUDY SAYS

Loneliness Is Communicable

Feel bad, friends feel bad—but only for 3 degrees of separation

(Newser) - Lonelyhearts of the world unite—your malaise may not be the fault of your particular situation, but rather that of contagious ill-feeling. A new study finds that loneliness is infectious—lonely neighbors that interact regularly with those next-door pass on increased loneliness. So “you can use your friends to...

Chinese Gene Mapping Links Dialects, Disease

Study of 8,200 Chinese from north and south shows .3% variation

(Newser) - A massive gene study of ethnic Chinese in the north and south of the country has revealed key divergences that correspond to dialect groups and could account for some hereditary diseases. The study of 8,200 people from 10 provinces and Singapore found significant variation in .3% of the genome,...

New Erectile Dysfunction Cure: Shockwaves

Researchers say it could provide a longer-term fix

(Newser) - Sure, Viagra works, but you’ve got to keep taking it. In the quest for a more permanent solution, Israeli scientists have hit upon an unusual idea: shockwaves. The application of low-energy waves to the penis helped men for at least 3 months. The treatment is intended for those whose...

Txting Sunscreen Rmnders Werx :)
 Txting Sunscreen 
 Rmnders Werx :) 
STUDY SAYS

Txting Sunscreen Rmnders Werx :)

Digital prodding pays off with increased usage: researchers

(Newser) - Just 20% of adults use sunscreen regularly, a distressing number for skin cancer specialists. But far more can receive text messages, and people who receive a daily text message instructing them to slap on the Coppertone are surprisingly likely to pay attention. More than half followed through when they received...

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