|  DNA 'cages' may aid drug delivery  | Nanoscale "cages" made from strands of DNA can encapsulate small-molecule drugs and release them in response to a specific stimulus, researchers report in a new study. | Read More » Scientists show how antibiotics enable pathogenic gut infections  | A new study could help pinpoint ways to counter the effects of the antibiotics-driven depletion of friendly, gut-dwelling bacteria. In the first 24 hours after administration of oral antibiotics, a spike in carbohydrate availability takes place in the gut, the study says. This transient nutrient surplus, combined with the reduction of friendly gut-dwelling bacteria due to antibiotics, permits at least two potentially deadly pathogens to get a toehold in that otherwise more forbidding environment. | Read More » Breakthrough in sensing at the nanoscale  | Researchers have made a breakthrough discovery in identifying the world's most sensitive nanoparticle and measuring it from a distance using light. | Read More » Spread of crop pests threatens global food security as Earth warms  | A new study has revealed that global warming is resulting in the spread of crop pests towards the North and South Poles at a rate of nearly 3 km a year. The study shows a strong relationship between increased global temperatures over the past 50 years and expansion in the range of crop pests. | Read More » Drug-Resistant TB's Surprising Family Tree  | A new method of analyzing whole genome sequences of TB, applied to a massive set of strains of the bacteria collected from clinics around the world, has revealed 39 new genes associated with elevated drug resistance. | Read More » Administering natural substance spermidin stopped dementia in fruit flies  | Age-induced memory impairment can be suppressed by administration of the natural substance spermidin, a study in fruit flies suggests. Biologists were able to show that the endogenous substance spermidine triggers a cellular cleansing process, which is followed by an improvement in the memory performance of older fruit flies. At the molecular level, memory processes in animal organisms such as fruit flies and mice are similar to those in humans. | Read More » Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Our African follower for over 70,000 years  | One of the deadliest infectious diseases of humankind emerged in Africa 70,000 years ago, a new genetic analysis of 259 Tuberculosis bacterial strains has shown. According to the study, TB bacteria migrated out of Africa hand-in-hand with the first anatomically modern humans. Today's deadly features of TB may be a result of the common migratory path and changes in human live-styles. These evolutionary findings may impact the future developments of new drugs and vaccines. | Read More » Scientists discover novel functions of platelets  | A new understanding of novel functions of platelets could lead to new treatments to reduce bleeding in trauma and severe infections. | Read More » Mechanical chest compressions for cardiac arrest just as good as manual, study suggests  | In the event of cardiac arrest outside of a hospital it is important to provide effective chest compressions without interruption. Creating blood flow reduces the risk of brain damage and improves the chances of survival. A new Swedish study shows that mechanical treatment yields results that are at least as good as manual treatment. | Read More » Harmonizing a broken heart: Stem cells keep cardiac beat in synchrony  | Stem cell therapy used to regenerate injured tissue in the heart restores synchronous pumping, shows new research. The study proposes a novel strategy of 'biological resynchronisation' in which stem cells repair heart muscle damage to reestablish correct cardiac motion. | Read More » Anticoagulant does not reduce rate of ischemic events among certain patients undergoing PCI  | Use of the novel anticoagulant otamixaban did not reduce ischemic events compared with unfractionated heparin plus eptifibatide but increased bleeding among patients with non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), according to a new study. | Read More » Multiple mutations often needed to make TB bacteria drug resistant  | The gene mutation process that creates drug resistance in a tuberculosis-causing bacterium often requires more than one step. It is not just a single mutation, but a series, according to new research. | Read More » Move it and lose it: Every 'brisk' minute counts  | New research shows even brief episodes of brisk physical activity can have as positive an effect on weight as does the current recommendation of 10 or more minutes at a time. | Read More » Family history doubles aortic stenosis risk  | The risk of aortic stenosis doubles when a first degree relative had the disease, according to new research. The study of 4.2 million people from Danish registers also found that aortic stenosis risk increased by eight-fold in patients with ischemic heart disease and family history. | Read More » Increased greenhouse gases and aerosols have similar effects on rainfall  | Although greenhouse gases and aerosols have very distinct properties, their effects on spatial patterns of rainfall change are surprisingly similar, according to new research. | Read More » Average height of European males has grown by 11cm in just over a century  | The average height of European males increased by an unprecedented 11cm between the mid-nineteenth century and 1980, according to a new article. Contrary to expectations, the study also reveals that average height actually accelerated in the period spanning the two World Wars and the Great Depression. | Read More » Stomach bacteria switch off human immune defenses to cause disease  | Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that establishes a life-long stomach infection in humans, which in some cases can lead to duodenal ulcers or stomach cancer. New research gives us a clearer understanding of how these bacteria can manipulate the human immune system to survive in the mucosal lining of the stomach. | Read More » New superheavy elements can be uniquely identified  | Researchers presents fresh evidence that confirms the existence of the superheavy chemical element 115. The experiment provided a way to directly identify new superheavy elements. Elements beyond atomic number 104 are referred to as superheavy elements. They are produced at accelerator laboratories and generally decay after a short time. Initial reports about the discovery of an element with atomic number 115 were released from a research center in Russia in 2004. The then presented indirect evidence for the new element, however, was insufficient for an official discovery. | Read More » Health of older women in developed countries continues to improve: Gap with developing countries grows  | Measures taken in developed countries to reduce noncommunicable diseases -- the leading causes of death globally -- have improved the life expectancy of women aged 50 years and older over the last 20 to 30 years. But, according to a study the gap in life expectancy between such women in rich and poor countries is growing. | Read More » New test to predict women at risk of pregnancy complications?  | Researchers have identified proteins in the blood that could be used to predict whether a woman in her first pregnancy is at increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy where the mother develops high blood pressure and protein is present in the urine. In some cases, this can develop into a serious condition for both mother and baby and the only cure is delivery of the baby, often prematurely. | Read More » Robotic IV insertion device means less pain for kids  | A new prototype device for rapid and safe IV insertion reduces pain in hospitalized children. The semi-automatic handheld device, called SAGIV, identifies veins, inserts a needle and withdraws it in a single movement. | Read More » Paradox of polar ice sheet formation solved  | The beginning of the last glacial period was characterized in the Northern hemisphere by significant accumulation of snow at high latitudes and the formation of a huge polar ice sheet. For climatologists this was paradoxical, since snowfall is always associated with high humidity and relatively moderate temperatures. Now, scientists have solved this paradox. | Read More » Modular battery concept for short-distance traffic  | Electric mobility may be economically efficient today. Battery-based electric drives can be applied efficiently in urban buses, for instance. Frequent acceleration and slow-down processes as well as a high utilization rate in short-distance traffic make their use profitable even when considering current battery costs. | Read More » Drug reduces hospitalizations and cost of treating young children with sickle cell anemia  | A new drug demonstrated to be effective for treatment of adults and children with sickle cell anemia reduced hospitalizations and cut annual estimated medical costs by 21 percent for affected infants and toddlers, according to a new analysis. | Read More » Surprising result: Risk factors for cardiovascular problems found to be inverse to disease and deaths  | The international research team found risk factors for cardiovascular disease was lowest in low income countries, intermediate in middle income countries and highest in high income countries. However, the incidence of serious cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and deaths followed the opposite pattern: highest in the low income countries, intermediate in middle income countries and lowest in high income countries. Hospitalizations for less severe cardiovascular diseases were highest in the high income countries. | Read More » Next generation cures born from the sea?  | The life that inhabits the world's oceans has almost infinite variety. It remains an untapped source of diversity. | Read More » Astronomy: World's first interferometric image at 500 GHz with ALMA Band 8 receivers  | ALMA opens another window to the universe in the 500 GHz frequency band. Astronomers successfully synthesized the distribution of atomic carbon around a planetary nebula NGC 6302 in test observations with the ALMA Band 8 receiver. | Read More » HIV: Predicting treatment response more accurately  | HIV is feared, not least, because of its great adaptability. If the virus mutates at precisely the point targeted by a drug, it is able to neutralize the attack and the treatment fails. To minimize these viral defense mechanisms, doctors treat patients with modern combination therapies involving the simultaneous administration of several drugs. This approach forces the virus to run through a series of mutations before it becomes immune to the drugs. | Read More » Evidence of production of luxury textiles and the extraction of copper from an unknown part of a Cypriote Bronze Age city  | A Swedish archaeological expedition has excavated a previously unknown part of the Bronze Age city Hala Sultan Tekke (around 1600-1100 BC). The finds include a facility for extraction of copper and production of bronze objects, evidence of production of luxurious textiles, as well as ceramics and other objects imported from all over the Mediterranean but also from central Europe. | Read More » Pacemaker for slow heart rhythm restores life expectancy, study suggests  | The FollowPace study provides detailed documentation of current standard pacemaker care in a large representative sample of western pacemaker clinics. The results can therefore be considered a new benchmark of life expectancy of patients treated with today's cardiac pacing. | Read More » Women less likely to die after TAVI than men  | Women are 25 percent less likely to die one year after TAVI than men, according to new research. The findings suggest that TAVI might be the preferred treatment option for elderly women with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis. | Read More » Metabolically healthy women have same CVD risk regardless of BMI  | A Danish study followed 261,489 women with no prior history of cardiovascular disease for an average of five years. | Read More » Quitting smoking drops heart attack risk to levels of never smokers  | Quitting smoking reduces the risk of heart attack and death to the levels of people who have never smoked, reveals new research. | Read More » Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival just 7 percent  | The Paris Sudden Death Expertise Centre Registry is a population-based registry using multiple sources to collect every case of cardiac arrest in Greater Paris (population 6.6 million) according to the Utstein Style.1 Cases are continuously recorded (within hours of occurrence) and standardized follow-up is initiated on admission to the intensive care unit. Incidence, prognostic factors and outcomes are recorded. | Read More » Heart attack patients: Preventive PCI results in better outcomes than culprit artery PCI alone in ST elevation MI  | Heart attack patients with ST elevation who undergo a preventive procedure to unblock additional coronary arteries have significantly better outcomes than those whose treatment is confined to the culprit blockage only, according to new results. | Read More » Listening to favorite music improves endothelial function in CAD  | Listening to favorite music improves endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease, according to new research. Music and exercise training combined produced the most benefit. | Read More » Physical activity decreases sudden cardiac death risk in unfit men  | Physical activity decreases the risk of sudden cardiac death in unfit men, reveals new research. | Read More » TASTE trial challenge current practice of blood clot aspiration after heart attack  | Aspiration of the blood clot or "thrombus" that causes a heart attack before re-opening a patient's artery with a balloon catheter does not improve survival compared to performing balloon dilation and stenting alone according to new results. | Read More » Cardiovascular risk factors highest in winter and lowest in summer  | Cardiovascular risk factors are highest in winter and lowest in summer, according to new research. The analysis included more than 100,000 subjects in seven countries. | Read More » Cold weather produces more heart attacks, but air pollution doesn't  | Cold weather leads to more heart attacks, according to new research. The multifactorial study of nearly 16,000 patients found no relationship between heart attacks and air pollution. | Read More » Big belly increases death risk in heart attack survivors  | Findings from the FAST-MI 2005 registry suggest that lifestyle interventions in heart attack patients should focus on losing abdominal fat. | Read More » | |
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