Body

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new influenza vaccine that brings science one step closer to a universal influenza vaccine that would eliminate the need for seasonal flu shots. The new findings can be found in the inaugural issue of mBio®, the first online, open-access journal published by the American Society for Microbiology.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A study examining the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and illness suggests that a BMI of 30 or above, a signal of obesity according to federal health standards, does not translate into current illness among adults under age 40.

In addition, researchers found that across all age groups studied, from 25 to 70 years, there was little difference in the current health status in normal-weight vs. overweight people based on the medications they took.

We've all heard about the importance of raising HDL, or the so-called "good" cholesterol, and lowering LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, to improve heart health. While we've come to assume HDL cholesterol is an inherently good thing, a new study shows that for a certain group of patients, this is not always the case. The study is the first to find that a high level of the supposedly good cholesterol places a subgroup of patients at high risk for recurrent coronary events, such as chest pain, heart attack, and death.

BOSTON (May 25, 2010) — Longtime environmental health researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine describe the carcinogenic effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), ubiquitous chemicals that have hormone-like effects in the body. In a review article published online May 25 in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, the researchers express the need for more complex strategies for studying how these chemicals affect health but report that ample evidence already supports changing public health and environmental policies to protect the public from exposure to EDCs.

TORONTO, Ont., May 25, 2010 _ Almost half the high schools in Toronto do not teach students how to perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), even though it's part of the Grade 9 curriculum and studies have shown it can greatly increase the survival rates of people who suffer heart attacks outside of hospitals.

Only 6 per cent of high schools schools train students to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED), which is found in less than half the schools, according to a survey by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital.

Living with a mental illness can be a tough experience for adults, but with the increasing numbers of youth diagnosed and taking medications for mood disorders, it can become a time of isolation, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

ATLANTA –A new study shows that saving rainforests and protecting land in national parks and reserves reduced poverty in two developing countries, according to research by a Georgia State University professor.

Paul J. Ferraro, associate professor of economics in GSU's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, with four co-authors, looked at the long term impacts of the poor living near parks and reserves established in 1985 or earlier in Costa Rica and Thailand.

PITTSBURGH, May 23 – The risk of acquiring HIV through unprotected anal sex is at least 20 times greater than with unprotected vaginal sex and increases if other infections are already present in the rectal lining. Could the use of lubricants – at least certain kinds – be another risk factor among men and women who engage in receptive anal intercourse? Two studies presented today at the International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh, suggest the answer is yes.

PITTSBURGH, May 24 - Do some currently available lubricants used for anal sex actually make it easier for HIV to be transmitted?

The answer is: we don't know.

After years of persistent advocacy by IRMA (International Rectal Microbicide Advocates), brand new research from the Microbicide Trials Network, led Charlene Dezzutti, Ph.D., is beginning to answer this critical question.

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have discovered animal populations may often be under a much larger threat from parasites than previously recognised.

It is widely believed that the absence of parasites in species which 'invade' ecosystems gives these 'invaders' an advantage in their new homes (the 'enemy release hypothesis'). But now, researchers from Queen's have discovered quite the opposite, with the presence of parasites in these invasive species actually increasing the damage they can do.

Arnhem -- On 8 May an editorial about the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE) trial by Fritz H. Schröder and Monique J. Roobol was published in the online version of European Urology, the scientific journal of the European Association of Urology (EAU).

The long-expected final report of the REDUCE trial appeared on April 1, 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine [1] together with a commentary entitled 'Chemopreventionof prostate cancer' by Dr Patrick Walsh. What were the noteworthy items of the editorial?

Researchers working with Professor Gudrun Rappold, Director of the Department of Molecular Human Genetics at Heidelberg University Hospital, have discovered previously unknown mutations in autistic and mentally impaired patients in what is known as the SHANK2 gene, a gene that is partially responsible for linking nerve cells. However, a single gene mutation is not always enough to trigger the illness. In some cases, a certain threshold of mutation must be exceeded.

Italian researchers have discovered that antiviral treatment and sustained virologic response (SVR) prevents esophageal varices in patients with compensated hepatitis C (HCV)-induced cirrhosis, indicating that endoscopic surveillance can be safely delayed or avoided in these patients. Full findings are published in the June issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.— More than a thousand microbial genomes have been sequenced at various sequencing centers in the past 15 years to better understand their roles in tasks ranging from bioenergy to health to environmental cleanup. Conservative estimates suggest roughly 10,000 microbial genomes will be publicly available within the next two years, but genomic standards have not caught up with the technological advances that have made the sequencing process faster and cheaper.

Researchers at the University of Leeds have uncovered new clues to the origins of life on Earth. The team found that a compound known as pyrophosphite may have been an important energy source for primitive lifeforms. There are several conflicting theories of how life on Earth emerged from inanimate matter billions of years ago – a process known as abiogenesis. "It's a chicken and egg question," said Dr Terry Kee of the University of Leeds, who led the research. "Scientists are in disagreement over what came first – replication, or metabolism.