Health News

Examining synaptic mechanisms of rhythmic brain waves

Date: Dec-26-2013
How information is processed and encoded in the brain is a central question in neuroscience, as it is essential for high cognitive function such as learning and memory. Theta-gamma oscillations are "brain waves" observed in the hippocampus of behaving rats, a brain region involved in learning and memory. In rodents, theta-gamma oscillations are associated with information processing during exploration and spatial navigation. However, the underlying synaptic mechanisms have so far remained unclear.

Access to medical information, bio tissue for research: new public attitudes

Date: Dec-26-2013
In this age of surveillance cameras, computer algorithms for tracking website visits, and GPS-imbedded cell phones, many people feel their right to privacy is slipping away. This perception extends into the medical realm as well where information gleaned from Electronic Health Records and clinical tissues are being used for medical research purposes with and without patient consent in some situations, though compliant with federal regulations.

Study resolves a basic cellular question - Golgi's whereabouts during cell division

Date: Dec-26-2013
Resolving a fundamental question in cell biology and showing off the powers of new high-resolution 3-D imaging, NIH scientists have discovered where the Golgi apparatus, which sorts newly synthesized proteins for transport inside and outside the cell, goes when it disassembles during cell division, according to research presented at the American Association for Cell Biology (ASCB) annual meeting in New Orleans.With conventional microscopy techniques, the scientists said they could only watch as the Golgi dissolved into tiny "puncta" and an unresolvable haze.

Discovery confirms the existence of Neanderthal burials

Date: Dec-26-2013
Neanderthals, forerunners to modern humans, buried their dead, an international team of archaeologists has concluded after a 13-year study of remains discovered in southwestern France.Their findings, which appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, confirm that burials took place in western Europe prior to the arrival of modern humans.

Mesenchymal stem cell co-culture prior to transplantation better for liver

Date: Dec-26-2013
Hepatocyte (liver cell) transplantation is becoming an accepted therapy for acute liver failure, either for liver regeneration or as a bridge to liver transplantation. However, maintaining the viability and functional aspects of hepatocytes has been a concern even with successful freezing (cryopreservation).

Views about health care reform differ sharply from general public, politicians, and commentators

Date: Dec-26-2013
Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the nation's leading health care executives say they believe the health care system will be somewhat or significantly better by 2020 than it is today as a result of national health care reform. Additionally, 93 percent believe that the quality of care provided by their own hospital or health system will improve during that time period.

Almost half of parents concerned their child will try e-cigarettes

Date: Dec-26-2013
Adults nationwide are concerned about the use of e-cigarettes by children and teens, with 44 percent indicating worries that the devices will encourage kids to use tobacco products, according to a new poll from the University of Michigan. According to the latest University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, nearly half of parents are concerned their child will try e-cigarettes, which are battery-operated devices that look like cigarettes but don't burn tobacco.

Low-cost nanomotors for medical use inspired by nature

Date: Dec-26-2013
In the quest to shrink motors so they can maneuver in tiny spaces like inside and between human cells, scientists have taken inspiration from millions of years of plant evolution and incorporated, for the first time, corkscrew structures from plants into a new kind of helical "microswimmer.

Toxoplasmosis parasite: clues to symptom inconsistency

Date: Dec-26-2013
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they have discovered clues as to why a malaria-related parasite, called toxoplasma gondii, can cause blindness in some people but not in others. This is according to a study published in PLOS Pathogens.Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that causes a disease known as toxoplasmosis.Some people with toxoplasmosis can develop encephalitis - a swelling of the brain - or ocular toxoplasmosis - a condition that can lead to blindness.Toxoplasmosis can be contracted a number of ways.

African-American women need 'greater obesity effort'

Date: Dec-26-2013
Obesity researchers have found that African-American women need to consume fewer calories or do more activity to achieve the same weight-loss rates as Caucasian women who start at a similar size. They cite a lower metabolic rate to explain the greater difficulty in reducing obesity.The University of Pittsburgh, PA, team of metabolism experts say that previous research has also found that African-American women fail to lose as much weight as Caucasians in response to medical help, and that this has raised questions about how well the group adheres to the measures put in place.