Amputees could one day regenerate limbs and organs owing to scientists who have found a key to salamanders` ability to grow back lost legs and damaged organs.
Salamanders` immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have found.
Blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation – a technique similar to that used by bats and dolphins – to determine the location of an object, according to new research.
Researchers from the University of Southampton examined how hearing, and particularly the hearing of echoes, could help blind people with spatial awareness and navigation.
The study also examined the possible effects of hearing impairment and how to optimise echolocation ability in order to help improve the independence and quality of life of people with visual impairments.
A new study conducted by researchers at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center found that men diagnosed as children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were twice as likely to be obese in a 33-year follow-up study compared to men who were not diagnosed with the condition.
Cold weather affects blood pressure, shows a study that assessed a staggering 169,000 blood pressure measurements.
The study has found that some people’s blood pressure is affected more by the cold weather and this blood pressure sensitivity to temperature may be a marker of early mortality, said a statement from the University of Glasgow.
An infant has a fivefold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) when they share their bed with their parents, according to an analysis.
The authors of this analysis estimate that around 88 percent of all SIDS deaths while bed sharing would not have occurred if it had been avoided.
The results show that even when neither parent smoked, and the baby was less than 3 months old, breastfed and the mother did not drink or take drugs, the risk of SIDS was five times higher than if the baby had slept in a cot next to their parents’ bed.
The number of AIDS cases has gone down tremendously in Goa with less than two per cent of suspected patients testing positive last year, a senior official from the Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) said on Friday.
“The results are encouraging. Way back in 1997, total 13.41 per cent of the cases tested at government-run centres were positive and now in 2012, it has come down to just 1.24 per cent,” the official told PTI on Friday.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is often seen as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, but Johns Hopkins scientists now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage.
In a proof-of-concept experiment, they found that blocking the action of a critical bone regulation protein in mice halts progression of the disease.
A new NYU study looking at sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and markers for Alzheimer`s disease (AD) risk in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and neuroimaging has supported the growing body of research linking the two.
But this latest study also poses an interesting question: Could AD in its “preclinical stages” also lead to SDB and explain the increased prevalence of SDB in the elderly?
“It`s really a chicken and egg story,” said Ricardo S. Osorio, MD, a research assistant professor at NYU School of Medicine who led the study.
People who have asthma may be at higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin.
Using data from the National Institutes of Health (Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)-funded Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, which has been following approximately 1,500 people since 1988, researchers found that patients who had asthma were 1.70 times more likely to develop sleep apnea after eight years.
Purified components of ginger may have properties that help asthma patients breathe more easily, a study from researchers at Columbia University have revealed.
Asthma is characterized by bronchoconstriction, a tightening of the bronchial tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs. Bronchodilating medications called beta-agonists are among the most common types of asthma medications and work by relaxing the airway smooth muscle (ASM) tissues.
This study looked at whether specific components of ginger could help enhance the relaxing effects of bronchodilators.
Scientists have suggested that the amount of time that asthma patients spend in the sun may have an impact on their illness.
A research team at King`s College London said low levels of vitamin D – made by the body in sunlight – has been linked to a worsening of symptoms.
Its latest research shows that the vitamin calms an over-active part of the immune system in asthma.
However, treatment of patients with vitamin D has not yet been tested.
Craving for chocolates, but don’t want to gain those extra pounds? Worry not! Go for a dark chocolate, which contains a good amount of vitamins, minerals, iron, potassium and magnesium.
Physicians suggest dark chocolates are good for the heart, and they help reduce cardiovascular ailments as they contain potassium and copper. High in iron content, dark chocolates also cure anemia. Whereas, magnesium prevents high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Depressed cancer survivors are twice as likely to die prematurely than those who do not suffer from depression, a new study has warned.
Floortje Mols and colleagues, from Tilburg University in The Netherlands, examined whether depressive symptoms observed between one and ten years after cancer diagnosis were linked to an increased risk of premature death two to three years later.
Their work focused on survivors of endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, lymphoma or multiple myeloma, where little work looking at this potential link has been done to date.
A new, highly sensitive blood test that quickly detects even the lowest levels of malaria parasites in the body could make a dramatic difference for tackling the disease across the world.
In two studies led by researchers in the UK and Switzerland, the new LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) test was compared to existing methods in London laboratories that deal with imported cases of malaria to the UK, and to diagnostic methods used in the field in Uganda, where malaria is a leading cause of illness and death.
Fast-moving lifestyles, unearthly hours at work, stress, addiction to alcohol and unhealthy meals are making more and more Indians fall prey to high blood pressure at a very young age.
“The biggest problem with hypertension is that there are no symptoms. Thus people tend to be unaware that they have hypertension,” Ravi Kasliwal, senior cardiac consultant at Medanta-the Medicity, told IANS.
Despite government`s claim to provide better healthcare, 6.4 million people in India suffer from cancer and bronchial diseases.
Workers who are employed by the Beedi industry, the Indian version of cigar, are the main victims of bronchial diseases.
Samsad, a factory worker elaborated on the spread of disease in the district and said: “As you can see it is very harmful. The disease is spreading in other houses as well. Every house has a person suffering from these diseases,” he said.
A stressful job can change the way body handles fat, resulting in raised cholesterol levels and even a heart disease, almost fatal for anyone.
According to Spanish researchers, stressful situations affect how the body metabolises fat – ultimately leading the body with too much ‘bad’ cholesterol,” reports dailymail.co.uk.
New research shows that stress can lead to dyslipidemia, which is a disorder that alters the levels of fats and lipoproteins in the blood.
Heavy drinkers who smoke have more problems with their memory, ability to think quickly and efficiently, and problem-solving skills, a study has suggested.
The study looks at the interactive effects of smoking status and age on neurocognition in one-month-abstinent alcohol dependent (AD) individuals in treatment.
Middle-aged women suffering from depression are more than twice as likely to have a stroke, a new study has warned.
In a 12-year Australian study of 10,547 women 47-52 years old, researchers found that depressed women had a 2.4 times increased risk of stroke compared to those who weren’t depressed. Even after researchers eliminated several factors that increase stroke risks, depressed women were still 1.9 times more likely to have a stroke.
Spanish researchers have studied how job stress affects cardiovascular health.
The results link this situation to dyslipidemia, a disorder that alters the levels of lipids and lipoproteins in the blood.
Experts have been saying for years that emotional stress is linked to the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease as a result of unhealthy habits such as smoking, an unsuitable diet or leading a sedentary lifestyle, among other factors.
Researchers at MIT have developed an injectable nanoparticles that may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin.
The nanoparticles were designed to sense glucose levels in the body and respond by secreting the appropriate amount of insulin, thereby replacing the function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
A new IVF procedure could benefit thousands of infertile couples, dramatically improving the success rate of having a baby through artificial reproduction.
Scientists believe they can double or even triple the proportion of healthy babies born, as a result fertility treatment with a relatively simple technique that takes a series of time-lapse photographs of the developing IVF embryos, the Independent reported.
Reduced IQ may be linked to the risk for developing schizophrenia, a new study suggests.
In the remarkable new study, Dr. Andrew McIntosh and his colleagues at the University of Edinburgh provide new evidence that the genetic risk for schizophrenia is associated with lower IQ among people who do not develop this disorder.
The authors analyzed data from 937 individuals in Scotland who first completed IQ testing in 1947, at age 11.
Around age 70, they were retested and their DNA was analyzed to estimate their genetic risk for schizophrenia.
HIIT or high-intensity interval training is one of the biggest buzzwords in fitness right now.
A new study has now outlined 12 HIIT exercises that can get you into scientifically proven good shape in as little as seven minutes.
The principle of HIIT is short, intense workouts that can give you maximum benefits but in less time.
Fast-moving lifestyles, unearthly hours at work, stress, addiction to alcohol and unhealthy meals are making more and more Indians fall prey to high blood pressure at a very young age.
“The biggest problem with hypertension is that there are no symptoms. Thus people tend to be unaware that they have hypertension,” Ravi Kasliwal, senior cardiac consultant at Medanta-the Medicity, told IANS.