Month: March 2019

Reading Time: 3 minutes Researchers have observed increases in early-onset colorectal cancer. In a recent study, they determine its relation to obesity. Obesity is characterized by being overweight and specifically, having a BMI of 30 or greater.  According to Obesity Canada, obesity is a chronic illness that resembles diabetes mellitus (type 1 diabetes) and high
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For the last two years, Scott Gottlieb missed a lot of time with his wife and three daughters — back-to-school nights, school plays and parent-teacher conferences. He loved his job running the Food and Drug Administration, but hated leaving his wife Allyson, nine-year-old twins and five-year-old in Connecticut every Sunday to head to Washington, DC.
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A recent study in mice showed that reheated cooking oil might trigger cell changes that can promote late-stage breast cancer growth. A new study looks at the effect of reused cooking oil on breast cancer metastasis. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tested “thermally abused frying oil,” which is cooking oil that has
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Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition of the large intestine, which people also call the colon. It is an autoimmune condition, which means the immune system works against its own cells and tissues. It may result in swelling, inflammation, and small sores on the lining of the colon. Symptoms can include: loose or urgent bowel
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A New York county’s ban on unvaccinated minors in public is working, an official told CNBC on Friday. Rockland County Executive Ed Day said more than 500 immunizations have been administered since he announced the ban on Tuesday. “We’ve gotten their attention,” he said in an interview with “The Exchange.” And that was the point.
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Reading Time: 2 minutes In a new paper, Tozawa and colleagues describe the success of using fat-derived stem cells for the production of blood platelets. Blood platelets are vital for wound healing. When you are injured, platelets clump together to form clots, which stop the bleeding. Many patients need blood platelet transfusions when their own
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Activist investor Starboard Value has ended its fight against Bristol-Myers Squibb’s buyout of biotechnology company Celgene after two prominent proxy advisors announced their support for the deal earlier on Friday. The withdrawal comes hours after both Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis recommended Bristol-Myers shareholders vote in favor of its bid. “Despite the substantial swell
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Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent study in Journal of Cell Biology revealed a new molecular node that could be pharmacologically targeted to treat BRCA-1 deficient ovarian cancers. Environmental stresses can introduce breaks within our genomic DNA. Such errors are highly deleterious to the cells. Therefore our cells deploy multiple genome repair mechanisms in order
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Practicing meditation or mindfulness techniques is, at least anecdotally, supposed to smooth your way to a happier, more healthful life. But what does science say about these practices? What does research say about the effects of meditation and mindfulness? We investigate. Meditation “keeps our minds and hearts calm, peaceful, and loving, i.e., in the right
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Reading Time: 2 minutes In a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers studied the influence and interplay of genetic traits and alcohol abuse and cravings. Problem drinking, known medically as alcohol use disorder (AUD), affects about 75 million people worldwide. About 16 million people in the USA suffer from AUD, where it
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Dementia — an umbrella term for various neurodegenerative conditions involving memory loss and other forms of cognitive impairment — is hard to treat because its causes remain unknown. Researchers, however, are making painstaking progress. A new approach to dementia research may bring us closer to a treatment, but unexpected challenges could halt this progress. Dr.
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Reading Time: 2 minutes A recent study looked into older patients’ experiences with delirium after surgery, and whether surgical anesthesia administration monitored by brain activity caused this complication. Older patients appear to be more susceptible to delirium as they recover from surgery. Delirium is a state of altered consciousness. As well as having negative effects
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If you’ve ever been constipated and then finally found relief, you too know the hallelujah glory that an overdue poop can bring. You don’t just feel better…you feel lighter, thinner even, without that rock sitting in your abdomen. Which might explain why people still consider taking laxatives for weight loss. “It’s an age-old myth that never
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A substance present in the popular coralberry plant may halt the development of eye cancer. The scientists previously thought that these findings were impossible. Coralberries could eventually help stop the spread of eye cancer. Survival rates for eye cancer are generally high, according to the American Cancer Society. However, when it becomes metastatic — that
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The blood-brain barrier is a protective layer that surrounds the brain. Its main function is to prevent potentially harmful agents from leaking into this organ. However, it can also stop certain therapeutic drugs from reaching their target. Using ultrasound in new ways could open the door to better treatments for conditions that affect the brain.
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