Health News

Plants respond to predators' chewing sounds

Date: Jul-10-2014
New study shows that plants unleash chemicals to fend off predators when exposed to the sounds of caterpillars chewing leaves, but not other sounds with same acoustic features.

Aggressive prostate cancer risk may rise after vasectomy

Date: Jul-10-2014
A study that followed men for over 20 years finds vasectomy is linked to a small increased risk of prostate cancer and a stronger risk for aggressive forms of the disease.

Rehab for age-related loss of vision cuts depression risk in half

Date: Jul-10-2014
Research finds that a technique called behavioral activation leads to a 50% decrease in the chances of people with age-related macular degeneration developing clinical depression.

Food analogies work well for smell and look of disease, says pathologist

Date: Jul-10-2014
Food images and smells offer powerful descriptions for specific features of disease, and their traditional use in the medical literature should make a come-back, says pathologist.

Pressure on doctors to up the ante in the care of sports concussion patients

Date: Jul-10-2014
A new position paper by the American Academy of Neurology appeals to doctors to give the 'all-clear' to sports concussion patients only when the athlete is medically ready.

'Extreme obesity' linked to 'substantially higher' death rates

Date: Jul-09-2014
Class 3 obesity has become more than 10 times more prevalent in the US since the 1980s. A new study suggests this 'extreme' obesity is linked with significantly higher death rates.

Bipolar disorder: brain scans show excitable pleasure response

Date: Jul-09-2014
People with bipolar disorder showed a more active reward center in their brains when scanned with functional MRI, and poorer prefrontal cortex ability to modulate impulses.

How tumors weaken blood barrier in brain cancer patients explained

Date: Jul-09-2014
Glioblastoma is difficult to treat because drugs cannot traverse the blood brain barrier. Now a study shows this aggressive tumor weakens the barrier, providing a window for drugs.

Bone marrow hormone influences metabolism and health

Date: Jul-09-2014
The fat in our bone marrow has mostly been linked to negative health consequences such as reduced bone mass - now a new study reveals a beneficial link to reduced risk of diseases.

Origin of the sexes: genetic clue found in green algae

Date: Jul-09-2014
How species evolved to have physically distinct males and females may be explained by a master gene in green algae, according to a new study.