|  Infectious diarrhea germs stick to healthcare worker hands  | A new study finds nearly one in four healthcare workers' hands were contaminated with Clostridium difficile spores after routine care of patients infected with the bacteria. | Read More » Antibiotics before heart surgery protect against infection  | A new study found preoperative antibiotic therapy administered within two hours of cardiac surgery decreased the risk of developing surgical site infections significantly. | Read More » What patients need to know about revision surgery after hip or knee replacement  | Over the past two years, an expert in revision hip and knee replacement surgery has seen an increase in the number of people needing a second surgery. When a knee or hip implant wears out or another problem develops, people often need a second surgery in which the existing implant or components are taken out and replaced. | Read More » Ancient traditions: Why we make new year resolutions  | As many of us start to think about our New Year's resolutions (or breaking them), we may not realize that the tradition of making promises on the first day of the year is a custom started by our Roman ancestors. | Read More » High good, low bad cholesterol levels are healthy for brain, too  | High levels of "good" cholesterol and low levels of "bad" cholesterol are correlated with lower levels of the amyloid plaque deposition in the brain that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, in a pattern that mirrors the relationship between good and bad cholesterol in cardiovascular disease, researchers have found. | Read More » Gene therapy method targets tumor blood vessels  | Working in mice, researchers report developing a gene delivery method long sought in the field of gene therapy: a deactivated virus carrying a gene of interest that can be injected into the bloodstream and make its way to the right cells. In this early proof-of-concept study, the scientists have shown that they can target tumor blood vessels in mice without affecting healthy tissues. | Read More » To grow or to defend: How plants decide  | Plant hormones called brassinosteroids help plants choose the best survival strategy depending on their stage of growth and environmental pressures. | Read More » Climatological software developed for massive use  | Understanding the weather behavior may not be as complicated as once thought, and would help to have more elements for decision making and prevention of natural disasters, as hurricanes or typhoons. Researchers make available this information available for anyone to know their community, state or country's weather activity for today and months ahead. | Read More » New species of marine algae identified  | The species that historically was quoted as the most abundant of coral algae that forms rodoliths at the Gulf of California in Mexico, is in reality a compound of five different species. This finding was made by a marine biologist, resulting in a change of paradigm in the study of the species known as Lithophyllum margaritae. | Read More » Medicaid beneficiaries use emergency services due to lack of alternatives  | A study shows that patients with Medicaid insurance seeking care in an emergency department may be driven by lack of alternatives instead of the severity of their illness. | Read More » I'll have what they're having: Study finds social norms influence food choices  | Is obesity a socially transmitted disease? In order to find out, researchers in the United Kingdom conducted a systematic review of several experimental studies, each of which examined whether or not providing information about other peoples' eating habits influences food intake or choices. | Read More » Study finds medical students concerned about becoming desensitized to dying patients  | The imminent death of a patient is riddled with emotions for a patient and family as well as the medical team. A study based on the reflections of third-year medicine students is shedding light on the struggle physicians in training often face when trying to control their own emotions while not becoming desensitized to the needs of the dying patient and his or her family. | Read More » Alcohol leaves its mark on youngsters' DNA  | A preliminary study indicates that weekend alcohol consumption may affect DNA. | Read More » Infection with common cold virus: scientists reveal new insights  | On average, each of us catches a cold two to three times a year. However, how the common cold virus actually infects us is only partly understood. Researchers have now provided new insights into this process. | Read More » Concussion history associated with risk of alzheimer's disease  | A new study suggests that a history of concussion involving at least a momentary loss of consciousness may be related to the buildup of Alzheimer's-associated plaques in the brain. | Read More » Gene therapy for human skin disease produces long-term benefits  | Researchers evaluated a patient with a genetic skin disorder known as epidermolysis bullosa nearly seven years after he had undergone a gene therapy procedure as part of a clinical trial. The study revealed that a small number of skin stem cells transplanted into the patient's legs were sufficient to restore normal skin function, without causing any adverse side effects. | Read More » Stress in the orchestra: mood plays a part  | Even professional orchestra musicians suffer from particular stress on the day of the concert and release more cortisol. For the first time, it has now been possible to demonstrate that, amongst others, the enzyme myeloperoxidase, which is regarded as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, plays a part in the stress reaction in musicians. This effect is however dampened by an emotional factor: this is because a good mood reduces the stress-induced release of myeloperoxidase. | Read More » Novel exfoliation method paves the way for two-dimensional materials to be used in printable photonics and electronics  | Scientists have successfully developed a method to chemically exfoliate molybdenum disulfide crystals into high quality monolayer flakes, with higher yield and larger flake size than current methods. | Read More » Scientists uncover most detailed picture yet of muscular dystrophy defect then design targeted new drug candidates  | Scientists have revealed an atomic-level view of a genetic defect that causes a form of muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 2, and have used this information to design drug candidates with potential to counter those defects—and reverse the disease. | Read More » | |
